The divide originated with a dispute over who should succeed the Prophet Muhammad as leader of the Islamic faith he introduced. Today, about 85 percent of the approximately 1.6 billion Muslims around the world are Sunni, while 15 percent are Shia, according to an estimate by the Council on Foreign Relations
Explanation:
The essence of the problem is that Muhammad died without a male heir, and he never clearly stated who he would want to be his successor.The divide originated with a dispute over who should succeed the Prophet Muhammad as leader of the Islamic faith he introduced.
