The savage civil war between the caliph ‘Ali and the following caliph Mu’awiyah, the martyrdom of Husain at Karbala and subsequent behavior of the caliph Yezid, remind Shi’ites of their view of the Sunni corruption of the caliphate. Not only that, but they distrust the Sunni traditions of the prophet in the hadiths and many even believe Sunnis took out key verses of the Qur’an. They have a great deal of respect for Mohammed, but believe that an imam is required to show the truth and interpret it correctly.
Vita vya kikatili kati ya Khalifa ‘Ali na Khalifa Mu’awiyah aliyemfuata, kifo cha kishahidi cha Husain kule Karbala na mwenendo uliojitokeza wa Khalifa Yezid, vinawakumbusha Washia maoni yao ya kuharibiwa kwa miliki ya Khalifa kulikofanywa na Wasuni. Si hivyo tu, bali pia hawaziamini simulizi za Wasuni za Nabii kwenye Hadithi na wengi hata wanaamini kuwa Wasuni waliondoa aya kuu toka kwenye Kurani. Wanamheshimu sana Muhammad, lakini wanaamini kuwa imamu anatakiwa kuonyesha ukweli na kutafsiri kiusahihi.