In Sunnī literature, the death of ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib (d. 40/661) marks the end of the era of the Righteous Caliphate (al-khilāfa al-rāshida), where caliphs were chosen through mutual consultation (al-shūrā), and the beginning of the hereditary monarchical rule (al-mulk al-ʿaḍūḍ) introduced by Muʿāwiya b. Abī Sufyān (r. 40-60/661-680) and continued throughout the Umayyads (40-132/661-750) and their Abbasid successors (132-656/750-1258). The Shīʿīs on the other hand considered ʿAlī the first of their divinely guided Imāms and the prophet’s rightful heir and true successor. This article provides a brief overview of the Sunnī-Shīʿī split as represented in the Arabic Sunnī Literature.