Comparison of Sunnis and Shias

The Torah is viewed as the Old Testament, while the Bible is viewed as the New Testament, and the Quran is the Final Testament. The Quran is the unchanged direct message of God that has avoided the modifications by mankind. As Prophet Muhammad continued to go through tribulations, he had to move around and spend many days in hiding. In 622, he emigrated to Medina, where he was accepted by everyone and became the leader. In the following years, he fought in many battles, which strengthened and increased the number of Muslim believers. He created peace in the land and taught the people many new things, such as how to create treaties and the manner in which to treat women. Unfortunately, the Prophet had a short-lived life and died in 632 (Brown). This was the time in which the problems within the ummah started to come out.
             Prophet Muhammad " [died] intestate "abtar, in Arabic, meaning literally curtailed, cut off, severed. Without male offspring " (Hazleton 10). In other words, the Prophet died without any obvious and direct successor to take over his leadership role in the community. The Prophet did have two male offspring with his first wife, Khadija, but they both died as infants (Hazleton). This could be seen as the will of Allah, and a test He created for all the believers. Without a male offspring of the Prophet's blood to lead after him, someone had to be elected to lead the community. Shias argue that Prophet Muhammad explicitly chose Ali, his cousin and son-in-law, to lead after him. They believe that after the Prophet's farewell pilgrimage, "He took Ali by the hand and said, ˜He of whom I am the patron, of him Ali is also the patron' " (Brown 131). With these words, the Shias argue that after the Prophet's death, Ali was the obvious successor. "Shia Muslims also came to believe that Ali's succession had already been divinely revealed to Muhammad during the Prophet's miraculous ascent into heaven " (Brown 131).