How old is Islam?

Islam was founded in the seventh century. Many texts list 622 as the exact beginning of Islam, since this date was when the prophet Muhammad emigrated from Mecca to Medina, and the Islamic calendar starts from this year.

The prophet Muhammad lived from 570 to 632. Shortly after his death, a dispute broke out among his followers as to who was entitled to lead them, with some believing that only Muhammad's son-in-law, Ali, and his descendants were divinely appointed to lead. This conflict led to the schism between the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam, which remains the largest sectarian conflict in Islam as of 2014.