Title: the Sunni-Shi'a Split

Year Nine GCSE RS

Week Twelve

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Title: The Sunni-Shi’a Split

Learning Objectives: We are learning to identify the key factors that led to the Sunni-Shi’a split in Islam.

Starter: Recap

1. What are the kutub in Islam? 2. Which angel is known as the Chief Angel? 3. Which Prophet received wisdom from God which was recorded in a scroll called the Sahifah? 4. Before Prophet Muhammad died which 2 things did he say he was leaving behind to guide his followers? 5. What is meant by the concept of Tawhid?

Task One: The Death of Muhammad

Read again this quote from the Prophet Muhammad, he said this in his final sermon before he died:

‘I leave behind me two things, the Qur’an and the example of my life (the Sunnah). If you follow these you will not fail.’

a) Does this quote suggest that Prophet Muhammad thought Muslims needed a person to take over from him after his death? What do you think? b) In your opinion do religions need specific leaders to guide the faith or are the Holy Book and the actions of the Prophets enough?

Task Two: Read the information in the box below and then answer the questions that follow them.

When Muhammad died, the majority of Muslims thought that only the Qur’an (the Muslim holy book) and the Sunnah (Muhammad's teaching and actions) had the authority to guide the belief and behaviour of Muslims. However, many thought that a new leader needed to be appointed to guide the community. This would help the community of about 100,000 Muslims to have some security and to grow.

Prophet Muhammad had a good friend and loyal follower called Abu Bakr. He was elected by the majority of the

community to be the first Caliph. A Caliph is a leader, they are not spiritual leaders as all spiritual guidance can be found in the Qur’an, they are political and social leaders who will guide and protect the community. It was believed that shortly before his death the Prophet had identified Abu Bakr as his successor when he asked him to lead the prayers after Muhammad’s death.

A smaller group of Muslims argued that the leadership of the community should not go to Abu Bakr, instead they believed it should go to a relative of the Prophet Muhammad and that the leadership of the community

should come from the bloodline of the Prophet. This smaller group elected Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law Ali to be the leader of the community. They argued that on the way back from his final Hajj Prophet Muhammad announced to his companions that Ali was a spiritual guide and master of believers. To begin with Ali did not accept the leadership of Abu Bakr and a split began to form in the community. A few months later, to try to bring the community back together, Ali accepted Abu Bakr’s leadership. Following the death of Abu Bakr a new Caliph called Umar led the community; he had been nominated to lead by Abu Bakr before he died. The third Caliph was Uthman who had been selected by Umar before his death. It was only after the death of Uthman that Ali was selected as Caliph. However, his selection as leader was not accepted by all

Muslims, including Aisha who was the wife of Prophet Muhammad and the daughter of Abu Bakr. A number of battles within the community broke out. Ali was killed during prayer and in 680CE there was a vicious battle at Karbala that led to Husayn, the son of Ali and grandson of the Prophet Muhammad being murdered.

Following this event the split widened. The followers who believed that Abu Bakr was the rightful successor of the Prophet Muhammad became known as Sunni Muslims, meaning followers of the Sunnah (the example of Muhammad). The followers who believed that Ali was the rightful successor of the Prophet Muhammad became

known as Shi’a Muslims. This means ‘From the house of Ali’. Ali and his supporters thought that the true leader (called the Imam) had to be a descendent of Muhammad and chosen by God. Each Imam would identify the next one before he died. They believe that there were 12 successors or Imams who led Islam up to the 9th century, they were known as the ‘Ahl al-Bayt’ – the family of the house of Muhammad.

1. Why did the Muslim community seek to appoint a leader after the death of Muhammad? 2. What is a Caliph? 3. Why did many Muslims feel that Abu Bakr was the rightful successor to the Prophet Muhammad? 4. Why did another group of Muslims feel that Ali was the rightful successor to lead the community? 5. What event led to the major split occurring between the two groups of Muslims? 6. What is meant by the term ‘Sunni Muslims’? 7. What is meant by the term ‘Shi’a Muslims’? 8. How many successors/Imams led Shi’a Islam?

Task Three:

Read the information taken from the textbook on page 3 (Religious Studies Eduqas, Route A, Hodder Education, page 224) and complete the following tasks.

9. Explain the different ways that the term ‘Imam’ is understood by Sunni and Shi’a Muslims. 10. What percentage of the world’s Muslims are Sunni? Where do they live? 11. What percentage of the world’s Muslims are Shi’a? Where do they live? 12. What do Shi’a Muslims mean by the term ‘Ahl al-Bayt’?

Task Four:

Explain your opinion – who do you think had the best claim to succeed Prophet Muhammad and lead Islam – Abu Bakr or Ali? Why? You should write a paragraph on this and explain your reasoning.

Task Five: Complete the quiz on the Sunni Shi’a Split on Teams. This is your assessed task for this week.