Research Paper on:
Sunnis, Shiites and Differences in Their Religious Beliefs

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of Mohammed the Prophet was written by Ibn Ishaq even though it was written a quite a long time after the death of Mohammed. However, Ishaq, it is reported had  available to him the writings of those scholars that followed Mohammed, transcribing his teachings and lessons for him. It is in the interpretation of these lessons and beliefs that two  aspects of this same Islamic coin split into two different sects: the Shiite and the Sunni. Unfortunately, there are no longer any copies from the original scribes of Mohammed, which  has certainly added to the contention between the two rival groups. Collections of sayings and acts of Mohammed and the very fits Muslims do exist, however, and are used in  addition to the Koran as a supplement for believers in their understanding and study of the Koran. These collections are called hadiths, or Sunna.(Lippman, 1990). Until this time, there existed  the Sira, which were oral stories about Mohammed and his disciples. To which extent these were used in guidance for the Muslims is somewhat difficult to ascertain, but the collecting  and organizing of these stories two centuries later, would not have been possible if there hadnt been any system on how to understand the siras for the everyday life of  the Muslims(Guillaume, 1955). The Shiites seem to have begun as a family feud of sorts. When the prophet Mohammad (PBUH) died, there was a disorganized enquiry as to who should  become the leader. The Shiites claimed that Ali, Muhammads cousin, had been designated by Muhammad and therefore, the case was closed. Others, the Sunnis, did not recognize this claim. The  Sunni-Shiite split occurred in the decades following the death of the prophet Mohammed. This is a family feud which seems to be never ending. The two branches have a long