Beginning after Muhammad’s death in 632 BCE, Islam gained popularity, and the empire grew across Europe, Asia, and Africa, leaving the Muslim people with a major leadership vacuum to …show more content…
Additionally, the Shias derive the authority of Sharia from their own leaders; the leaders make the laws. Conversely, the Sunnis take their laws and the authority of Sharia from the Quran. The Shias place all of their trust in their leaders, going so far as to attribute divine powers to them and to declare that only the leaders know some of the hidden aspects of Sharia. The Sunnis, however, say that Muhammad did not conceal any information from his followers (“Sunni vs. Shia”). This major rift, was caused by the expansion of Islam in that as Islam expanded the need for a leader, left by Muhammad, became more dire and intense, and began the extensive fracturing of Sharia law