But people have cut off their affair (of unity), between them into sects: each party rejoices in that which is with itself. Holy Qur’an, 23:53
The tumult of the Quraysh group could not leave the Muslim ummah unscathed. Although the popular viewpoint today is that Islam has maintained two sects—Sunni and Shia, but the fact of the matter is that virtually hundreds of Muslim religious sects came and went in the past. Nonetheless, the fracture, which has grown into the two main paths (Sunni and Shia) cannot be neglected. Many bystanders view the Shia aspect of Islam as a deviation from the norm and a split from the “original Islam” because the Shia are a minority. However, the Shia maintain that their path is actually the original and unaltered version of Islam as taught by the Prophet, and verified and secured by his family
(Ahlul Bayt).