Identify the key events following Muhammad’s death and the reasons for the split between the Shi’a and Sunni Muslims. Write your response in two to four sentences.

Answer:

Muhammad failed to identify a successor, so after his death, disagreements developed among Muslims about who would follow him as caliph. Some, who would be called Sunni, believed that anyone can lead the Muslim community. Others, who became the Shi'a, opposed the Umayyad Dynasty and felt that only those very close to Muhammad should lead Islam. This dispute helped lead to the SunniShi'a split.