Thread by @The_humanist11

The difference between Shia & Sunni brand of Islam was really all about leadership tussle.

Who would succeed as the next prophet of Islam.

Islam was a powerful religion probably mixed with State monopoly of Power in ancient medieval times. Whoever controls Islam controlled the

State

The leadership tussle between Ali (Cousin to Prophet Muhammed) & Abu Bakr to succeed prophet Muhammed after his death started the differentiation between these two sects (since 632AD) of religion that hv continued to plague us till this very day

The failure of Muhammed to

Explicitly name a successor led to the confusion, religious interpretation & power tussle within the theocrats in that era

Also when Uthman was killed by rebels(who supported Ali ascension) to the leadership post & the refusal of Ali to punish them, only led to a Muslim civil

War (Fitna)

The war between Ali & Muawiyah in Siffin led to more disastrous consequences & a breakaway faction that saw Ali assassinated while praying in the Mosque.

Then Ali son (Hassan) was chosen as the caliph in Kufa. But he couldn't stand Muawiyah army so he was forced to

Accept a truce. The truce states that Hassan will agree & pledge allegiance to Muawiyah only if he rules according to Islam & well as not elect a successor. They agreed the Shura (electoral counvil) will be the only one to choose a new successor.

But Muawiyah had other plans.

As he dealt with Ali (Hassan Father) so he felt he could deal with the son. As Muawiyah reign came to a close, he chose his son Yazid to succeed him in Umayyad Caliphate through bribery & corruption of the Shura council.

Long story short, Yazid launched an attack in Kufa (last

Stronghold of the opposition still loyal to Hussein - Hassan son). Kufa is important because it sided with Ali during the 1st Fitna & also sided with his grandson during the 2nd Fitna.

In the end, Hussein was enroute to joining Kufa when he got news that his 2nd in command

was already conquered while still in the desert.

Against all advice he refused to run or go on exile when he heard Yazid men were hot on his trail. He continued on his journey to Kufa & eventually got to Karbala. It was here that Yazid forces surrounded him & tried for 7days to

Persuade him to pledge allegiance to him (same tactic used for Ali when he was "forced" to accept Abu Bakdr as the new caliph by Umar. The reason for the delay was Yazid fully understood the consequences of attacking the prophet grand son.

Hussein refused & they both took their

Battle positions.

Yazid army (about 4 thousand man strong) outnumbered Hussein (about 50 men including Ali 6 sons, 2 of Hussein sons, 3 sons of his brother Hassan & grand kids of Ali). This means many in the prophet lineage were killed.

This was the final straw that divided

The Islamic community into Shia & Sunni sect. The Shia started as some sort of a political movement before morphing into a branch of Islam offering an alternative interpretation of the Quran & the Hadith.

So while there hv been slight modification of both sects in modern times,

The root cause of their major difference go as far as the succession right to Prophet Muhammed where each sect still refuses to recognise the authority/legitimacy of each other.