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Article: Splits in the Community of Believers.(Sunnites, Shiites)
- Article from:
- The World and I
- Article date:
- October 1, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The office of caliphate was established after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, who had left no instructions for the future government of the Islamic community. The caliph became an official leader of the Muslims and the Prophet's successor. The first two caliphs, Abu Bakr and Umar, did not have direct blood connections with the Prophet. The third was Uthman ibn Affan, Muhammad's son-in-law.
Uthman strongly favored the Meccan aristocracy. This bias and his issue of an official text of the Qur'an, accompanied by an order to destroy all other drafts, caused a degree of enmity toward him and his supporters. Rebellious forces from Kufa (Iraq) and Egypt besieged him ...