| Sunni | Sunnis recognize four “rightly guided” caliphs as the first leaders of Islam after Muhammad’s death. Ali, the fourth of these caliphs, is the only one of the four recognized by Shiites as a legitimate leader. |
| Sunni sub-branches and groups | Salafi, Wahhabi, al-Qaida, Muslim Brotherhood, Shafii, Hanbali, Maliki, among others |
| Shiite | Shiites recognize only Ali, Muhammad’s closest male blood relative, as the first legitimate leader of Islam after Muhammad’s death. |
| Shiite sub-branches and groups | Zaydi, Twelver, Ismaili, Alawite, Hezbollah, among others |
