Islam

• Islam emerged in the early 7th century in the arabian peninsula. The prophet Muhammad began receiving revelations in 610 AD, which became the Quran. He preached monotheism, social justice and community unity. By the time of his death, Islam had unified under a single, religious and political entity.
• In the later middle ages, the Islamic empire had expanded to cover parts of north africa, spain, and parts of central asia.
• The split of the religion into two groups originated from a disagreement over Muhammad's rightful successor. Sunni's thought it should be Abu Bakr, while the Shia claimed Ali.
• The Sunni-Shia split shaped regional and political alliances and conflicts in the middle east still. For example Saudia Arabia vs. Iran, or the civil war in Syria.