What is the difference between Sunni and Shia Islam, and how did the split originate?

The division between Sunni and Shia Islam originated from a disagreement over leadership following the death of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in 632 CE. The majority of the early community, who came to be called Sunni ('People of the Tradition and the Community'), held that a leader (caliph) should be a capable, pious individual selected through the community's consultation, and they recognize Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali as the first four 'rightly guided' caliphs in sequence. A smaller group, the Shia ('Party of Ali'), believed the Prophet had specifically designated his cousin and son-in-law, Ali ibn Abi Talib, as his successor, and that spiritual and political leadership (the Imamate) belonged to Ali's household (Ahl al-Bayt) through his marriage to the Prophet's daughter Fatimah. Over the following centuries, this original political dispute grew additional theological and legal dimensions, including differing collections of hadith and distinct schools of jurisprudence, most prominently Ja'fari fiqh among Shia Muslims. Despite these differences, both traditions affirm the Quran as revelation, the prophethood of Muhammad, and the Five Pillars, and share the large majority of their core beliefs and practices.

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