evaluate why the division in islam first occurred, and how it continues to impact muslims.

The division in Islam occurred because of the manner in which the religion was preached to the people, as well as the manner in which it was affecting the politics and societies. Some people were on the opinion that the religious authorities started to shape gradually the religion in accordance to their own views and interests, not as it was originally written in the Koran. This gradually led to distancing, and eventually resulted in the formation of the Shia Islam, thus splitting the Islam into two divisions, with the other that continued in the same manner being the Sunni Islam. This division gradually started to have larger and larger impact on the relations between the Muslim countries, even escalating and having wars and battles against each other based on the religion. Nowadays, the tensions between the two fractions of Islam are on very high level, and it always seems that there can be a military conflict at any time.