Succession to Muhammad
The Succession to Muhammad, known as the Saqifa event, is the foundational historical and theological rift between Sunni and Shia Islam. Following the Prophet Muhammad’s death in 632 CE, an immediate crisis emerged over the leadership of the nascent Muslim community (Ummah). A gathering resulted in the selection of Abu Bakr as the first caliph (khalifa), a decision based on communal consensus [1].
The Shia Perspective
The Shia maintain that this public selection bypassed a divine designation made by Muhammad at Ghadir Khumm, where he reportedly declared his cousin and son-in-law, Ali ibn Abi Talib, as his successor [2]. For Shia Muslims, leadership was a matter of prophetic appointment restricted to the Prophet’s purified household (Ahl al-Bayt), beginning with Ali. This belief forms the core of the Shia doctrine of the Imamate.
Lasting Impact
This early dispute is the source of diverging conceptions of religious leadership and political legitimacy. The Sunni view of the Rashidun (Rightly Guided) Caliphs stands in contrast to the Shia narrative, which views the first three as having usurped Ali's right [3]. This foundational event established the trajectory for sectarian identity, making it the central issue in any ecumenical (taqrib) dialogue.