In Islam, political disagreements have usually manifested themselves as religious disagreements; the earliest example of this is that 30 years after Muhammed's death, the Islamic community plunged into a civil war that gave rise to three sects. One proximal cause of this first civil war was that the Muslims of Iraq and Egypt resented the power of the third Caliph and his governors; another cause was business rivalries between factions of the mercantile aristocracy. After the Caliph was murdered, war broke out in full force between different groups, each fighting for power. The war ended with a new dynasty of Caliphs who ruled from Damascus.

One of the groups to evolve from this conflict was the Sunnis. They hold themselves as the followers of the sunna (practice) of the prophet Muhammad as related by his companions (the sahaba). Sunnis also maintain that the Islamic community (ummah) as a whole will always be guided. They were willing to recognize the authority of the Caliphs, who maintained rule by law and persuasion, and by force if necessary. The sunnis became the largest division of Islam.

Two smaller groups also were created from this schism: The Shi'ites and the Kharijites (Khawarij), also known as the seceders. The Shi'ites believed that the only legitimate leadership rested in the lineage of Muhammed's cousin and son-in-law, 'Ali. The Shi'ites believed that the rest of the Muslim community committed a grave error by electing Abu Bakr and his two successors as leaders.

The third group that came into being, the Kharijites, or the Khawarij (seceders) originally supported the Shi'ite position that 'Ali was the only legitimate successor to Muhammad. They were disappointed when 'Ali did not declare war when Abu Bakr took the position of Caliph, believing that this was a betrayal to his God-given legacy. Ali was later assassinated by the Kharjites with a poisonous sword.

There is no unanimous viewpoint on Shia among Sunnis. Some Sunnis insist that "only the four madhabs" are acceptable viewpoints. Others maintain that Shias (specifically the Jafaryia or The Twelvers) can be considered a "fifth madhab" that is acceptable. This latter viewpoint is supported by a decree from the prestigious Al-Azhar university in Egypt. Generally, however, Sunnis consider Shia to be a "misguided sect", but within the fold of Islam.

On the other hand, groups like the Nation of Islam, Ahmadiya, Ismailis are considered to be heretical by the majority of sunnis, and thus outside the fold of Islam.

About the Author
Drew Vizier runs the political website Forum Politics and is a regular contributor on the forum.