The Sunni-Shia division
A dispute over succession becomes a permanent division within Islam.
- When
- —
- Duration
- 19 years
- Known to
- ± 1 year
- Era
- Post-Classical, Holocene
The question of who should lead the community after Muhammad — his closest companions by consensus, or his family through Ali — hardens after Ali's murder in 661 and the killing of his son Husayn at Karbala in 680. What began as a political succession dispute develops into distinct traditions of law, authority and religious practice. Karbala becomes the central event of Shia devotional life.