MOHAMMEDAN SECTS. The movement which led to the division of Islatn into opposing parties was at tirst a political one, though reli gious, theological. and phillmsoplihn1 -.non which added to the el implvxity of the sittunion and caused a further subdivision into Mohammed died without naming r; and while .11.11 llekr wns looked upon by amity as the natitral leader, others felt that Vi, whD was nut Only the cousin :111.1 an in law. but also a decided favorite of the Prophet, ...tooth' be his -.twee...or. .1mong the .baba, how ever, leadership was not a matter of inheritanee, lint of eleelien; and %Olen .11,11 llekr was eilinctl he received the reco;_mition of all.
.11i. ontar's election likewise resulted in general satisfaction. although the Ononiads, who, even when they had accepted Islam, were still rival, of the Prophet's family, began to show their opposition to those who had been the Prophet's intimate companions. On Omar'-. death the caliphate was again denied to Ali, (Altman being chosen. Othman's ever, caused great dissatisfaction. and when lie Was assassinated Ali finally came to the caliphate.
The hostility of the Ononiads, however, eon-I tinned, and soon turned into open revolt, with Moawiyah, the Ommiad Covernor of Syria, at its head. The question as to the right of suc cession, which was soon to cause the permanent separation of the whole 'Mohammedan world into Shiites and Sunnites, had even then presented itself in great seriousness. the folhiwers of Ali elaiming that only the Prophet's family had the right to the caliphate, the ttmmiads opposing this claim.
There was also it third party. afterwards known as the KBAntJITES ('those who go forth'), who held the old Arab view on the question of sucee—ion, and were thus directly opposed, in ' principle, to the 'legitimists: They were, in real ity, theocrats ; and they claimed that any man might be Palled to the lmrima!,, or lead ership, even if he did not belong to the Koreish, or was not even a freeman, provided only that.
he was just and pions and fit in every other re spect. As a result. of this they also claimed that an unrighteous imam might be deposed, or even pat to death; and furthermore, that there was no absolute need for any imam at all. Since Ali, however, United ill his person the of heredity and of election, they were at first among his partisans. lhlt when at the battle of Sitlin Ali submitted to arbitra tion the decision of his right to the caliphate as against Aloawiyah. they refused to stand the decision and swear allegiance to either one or the other. Twelve thousand of them conse quently deserted ..11i's eamp in a hods; they proclaimed "no rule but that of Allah The Kharijites. though often defeated in this and succeeding caliphates, appeared again and again as the assailants of the established government.
After Ali's death. when Moawiyah had finally succeeded in establishing himself in control. he induced Basalt, the elder son of Ali, to yield up his prerogatives. Ali's followers. however, refused to recognize Aloawiyah and espoused the ea 11,0 of IloxeiW, Ali's second A struggle followed. in which Dosch' lost his life. The division of the :Mohammedans into and Shiites was now fixed, and the Shiites, eon ?.istently developing the theory of legitimism, re fused to recognize that there had over been any legitimate caliph between :\lolininilled and Ali. Sic SHIITES; SCNNITES.
Despite the fact that with Ali's death and the Ihnntiad supremacy the question as to the caliphate was settled. the Shiites still looked to the descendants of Ali as their religions leaders. or imams. I'mt even alliong the them selves unanimity in regard to the imamah did not. long prevail. and discussions of a theological nature likewise proved a -.tamp of trouble. The impulse to such diseussi.ms came from into which Alohammedanism had well penetrated, and which, since the principle of hereditary suecwsios had always obtained there, naturally the cause of Ali.