The beginning of the three most important religion sects in Islam.

The event of the first civil war in Islam, 656-692 had brought about the beginning of the three most important religion sects in Islam.

 The assassination of Uthman third Caliph in 656 by a group of dissatisfied Muslim and Imam Ali was proclaimed by Uthman killers created an enormous stir throughout the Islamic empire. Three prominent figures Talha, Zubayr and Muawiya, refused to give Imam Ali their allegiance as long as the Uthman assassins went unpunished.

A great battle took place in which Talha and Zubayr were defeated and killed in the battle of the Camel. The third opponent of Imam Ali was Amir Muawiya a member of the Banu Umayya a kinship of the slain Caliph Uthman, he was governor of Syria for twenty years, had been appointed to the post by Caliph Umar.

Amir Muawiya appealed to Imam Ali to settle all differences through arbitration. Ali was persuaded by a group of his followers to accept arbitration and court of arbitration was set up consisting of two persons one appointed by imam Ali other by Muawiya and after long deliberations the arbiters decided that the Uthman had been unjustly killed. Once the decision of the arbiters was announced, Ali rejected it.

A segment of Imam Ali army had rejected the principle of arbitration from beginning withdrew from Imam Ali camp. Defectors from Imam Camp gathered at Narawan were merciless, the defectors were attacked and a great many of them killed.  However Imam Ali was murdered by survivors of Nahrawan.

 The event of the first civil war in Islam, 656-692 had brought about the beginning of the three most important religion sects in Islam; 1) Shiism, 2) Kharijism, 3) Sunniism.

1-      Shiite Ali or party of Ali upon murder of Imam Ali his partisan transferred their loyalty to his children and within shiia/ Shiite emerged a legitimist concept of caliph/Imam/ Valay according to which this highest office in Islam is transmissible only within the line of Imam Ali.  This legitimist outlook is the bedrock of Shiism that has been developed subsequently into several different branches of shiia.

2-      Khawarijism emerged out of the group which withdrew from Imam Ali army and re-gathered at Nahrawan. This group adopted a radically democratic view of the caliph couple with strictly Islamic ethic. In contrast with Shiite according to the khawarij, it is upon members of a community to choose the best man among them to be caliph.

A caliph chosen was entitled to lead the community only so long as he fulfils the community righteous expectations. Once any caliph failed into wrongdoing the community should depose him. As the Khawarij had deposed Imam Ali and choose another one. It is not necessary that a caliph be an Arab or descendant of Imam Ali.

3-      sunnism was born in the minds of the great majority of Muslims who accepted neither the legitimist Shiite no restrict ethic of Khawarij views of the caliphate. For this majority any ruler who could effectively use power to maintain the unity of the community was worthy to be caliph, so long as he outwardly professed Islam and conformed to its standards of public behaviour. It was not necessary that he be a descendant of Ali or that he be flawlessly righteous.

The Shiite and Khawarij are minorities within the larger community of Muslims. As minorities they held to what they believed to be right and true without regard to whether or not their views were accepted by the majority of Muslim.  Sunni views a community was divinely guided and could not lapse into serious error. Any doctrine that was not widely accepted therefore failed to pass a crucial test of it truth and should be rejected because it disrupts the unity of the community.

Mehrab. Sarjov
http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/3257/1/uk_bl_ethos_365416.pdf