Compare the way the Shia felt about caliphs to the way the Sunni feel about them.

Although the Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam agree that Muhammad was the messenger of God, they differ sharply on the leadership of the Islamic community after the Prophet's death in 632 C. E. Although the question of who should serve as Muhammad's caliph, or successor, might seem like ancient history to a non-Muslim, the conflicting perspectives on the caliphate actually cast light on broader differences between these two expressions of Islam.