The Origins of the Sunnite--Shiʿite Divide and the Emergence of the Taʿziyeh Tradition

The ta'ziyeh ritual is the culmination of centuries of Islamic sectarian development, beginning with the crisis of succession to the Prophet Muhammad in 632, which in turn led to a series of political and military conflicts. By far the most significant conflict was the Battle of Karbala, in which Hussein and his supporters were martyred. The collective memory of Karbala, combined with later historical, political and ideological trends, produced the rituals associated with shi'ism, such as the ta'ziyeh, which is arguably the most distinctive ritual of Orthodox Twelve Shi'ism in Iran.