The Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, is a major centre of Sunni Islamic learning in the world.

Part of a series on
Sunni Islam
Beliefs
Monotheism Prophethood / Messengership Holy Books · Angels Judgement Day · Predestination
Five Pillars
Declaration of Faith · Prayer Charity · Fasting · Pilgrimage
Rightly guided Caliphs
Abu Bakr · Umar ibn al-Khattab Uthman ibn Affan · Ali ibn Abi Talib
Schools of Law (Shariah)
Hanafi · Maliki · Shafi'i · Hanbali Zahiri · Awza'i · Laythi
Schools of Theology
Ash'ari · Athari · Maturidi
Movements
Salafi · Barelvi · Deobandi · Sufi
Hadith collections
Sahih al-Bukhari · Sahih Muslim Al-Sunan al-Sughra Sunan Abu Dawood Sunan al-Tirmidhi Sunan ibn Majah · Al-Muwatta Sunan al-Darimi
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This article contains Arabic text, written from right to left in a cursive style with some letters joined. Without proper rendering support, you may see unjoined Arabic letters written left-to-right instead of right-to-left or other symbols instead of Arabic script.

Sunni Islam ( /ˈsuːni/ or /ˈsʊni/) is the largest branch of Islam^[1]. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhlu-s-Sunnati wa-l-Jamāʿah (Arabic: أهل السنة والجماعة‎), "people of the tradition of Muhammad and the consensus of the Ummah" or ʾAhlu-s-Sunnah (Arabic: أهل السنة‎) for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites.

Sunni Islam is sometimes referred to as the orthodox version of the religion.^[2] The word "Sunni" comes from the term Sunnah (Arabic: سنة‎), which refers to the sayings and actions of Muhammad that are recorded in hadiths (collections of narrations regarding Muhammad).^[3]

The primary hadiths Al-Kutub Al-Sittah, in conjunction with the Quran, form the basis of all jurisprudence methodologies within Sunni Islam. Laws are derived from the text of the Quran and the hadith, in addition to using methods of juristic reasoning (like qiyas) and consensus (ijma). There is a multitude of scholarly opinions in each field; however, these can be summarised as either derived from the four major schools of thought (Madh'hab) or from an expert scholar who exercises independent derivation of Islamic Law (ijtihad). Both are considered valid as differences of opinion were present at the time of the early Muslims (the Salaf).

Etymology [link]

Sunnī (Classical Arabic: سُنِّي‎ /ˈsunniː/) is a broad term derived from sunnah (سُنَّة‎ /ˈsunna/, pl. سُنَن‎ sunan /ˈsunæn/), means "habit" or "usual practice".^[4] The Muslim usage of this term refers to the sayings and living habits of Muhammad. In its full form, this branch of Islam is referred to as "Ahl al-Sunnah wa Jama'ah" (literally, "People of the Sunan and the Community"). People claiming to follow the Sunnah who can demonstrate that they have no action or belief against the prophetic Sunnah can consider themselves to be Sunni Muslims.

History [link]

After the death of Muhammad, the Muslims accepted Abu Bakr as the first caliph. But many years later, a new sect known as Shiasm was founded. Those who accepted Abu Bakr were known as Sunnis, in order to differentiate them from the new sect of Shiasm.

Umayyad Caliphate at its greatest extent

According to Sunni Muslims, the first four caliphs were known as the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs. The first was Abu Bakr Siddique, followed by the second, Umar ibn al-Khattāb. Uthman ibn Affan and Ali ibn Abi Talib also were called by the same title.^[5]

The rulers succeeding these first four did not receive this title by consensus, and as it was turned into a monarchy thereafter.

After the first four caliphs, the Caliphate was claimed by dynasties such as the Umayyads, the Abbasids, and the Ottomans, and for relatively short periods by other, competing dynasties in al-Andalus, North Africa, and Egypt. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who abolished sultanate after Abdülmecid II officially abolished the system of Caliphate in Islam (the Ottoman Empire) and founded the Republic of Turkey, in 1924.

Companions [link]

Sunnis believe that the companions were the best of the Muslims, based on hadiths such as this one: It was narrated from ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ud that Muhammad said: "The best of the people are my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them." Support for this view is also found in verses of Quran such as this one in Surah Tawba verse 100 (9:100) "Those who believed, and went into exile and fought for God's cause with their property and their persons, as well as those who sheltered and helped them,- these shall be friends, one of another."

Sunnis believe that the companions were true believers since it was the companions who were given the task of compiling the Quran. Furthermore, narrations that were narrated by the companions are a great source of knowledge for Muslims and a great source on the Sunnah ie example of Muhammad.

Schools of law [link]

Distribution of Sunni, Shia, and Ibadi branches of Islam

There are several intellectual traditions within the field of Islamic law. These varied traditions reflect differing viewpoints on some laws and obligations within Islamic law. While one school of thought may see a certain act as a religious obligation, another may see the same act as optional. These schools of thought aren't regarded sects; rather, they represent differing viewpoints on issues that are not considered the core of Islamic belief.

Historians have differed regarding the exact delineation of the schools based on the underlying principles they follow. Many traditional scholars saw Sunni Islam in two groups: Ahl al-Ra'i, or people of opinions, due to their emphasis on scholarly judgment and reason; and Ahl al-Hadith, or people of traditions, due to their emphasis on restricting juristic thought to only what is found in scripture.^[6] Ibn Khaldun defined the Sunni schools as three: the Hanafi school representing opinions, the Zahiri school representing scripture, and a broader, middle school encompassing the Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools.^[7]

Hanafi School [link]

Abu Hanifah (died 767), was the founder of the Hanafi school. He was born in the year 702 CE in Kufa, Iraq^[8][9] in an Afghan-Persian family.^{[citation needed]} Muslims of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Central Asia, the Muslim areas of Southern Russia, the Caucasus, most of the Muslim areas of the Balkans and Turkey and parts of Egypt, all follow this school of jurisprudence.

Maliki School [link]

Malik ibn Anas (died 795) Imam Malik ibn Anas developed his ideas in Medina. His doctrine is recorded in the Muwatta which has been adopted by most North African and West African countries like Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Mali, [[Nigeria] ,[upper Egypt] and Sudan. Also, the Maliki school of jurisprudence is the official state madhab of Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. He was one of the teachers of Imam al-Shafi'i as well as Imam Abu Hanifah's eldest student, Muhammad AL-Shaybani. One of greatest historical centers of Maliki teaching, especially during the ninth, tenth and eleventh centuries, is the Mosque of Uqba also known as the Great Mosque of Kairouan (in Tunisia).^[10][11]

Shafi'i school [link]

Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi`i (died 820 CE) was a student of Malik. He taught in Iraq and then in Egypt. Al-Shafi'i placed great emphasis on the Sunnah of Muhammad, as embodied in the Hadith, as a source of the Shari'ah.

The Shafi'i madhab today is the dominant school of jurisprudence in Yemen, Lower Egypt, Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, the Palestinian Territories, Jordan, the North Caucasus, Kurdistan (East Turkey, North west Iran, North Iraq, Northern Syria), Maldives, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Indonesia.

It is also practised by large communities in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia (in the Hejaz and Asir), the United Arab Emirates, Palestine, the Swahili Coast, Mauritius, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan (by Chechens) and Indian States of Kerala (most of the Mappilas), Karnataka (Bhatkal, Mangalore and Coorg districts), Maharashtra (by Konkani Muslims), Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep Islands.

Hanbali School [link]

Ahmad bin Hanbal (died 855), the namesake of the Hanbali school, was born in Baghdad. He learned extensively from Imam al-Shafi'i. This school of jurisprudence is followed predominantly in the Arabian Peninsula. The methodology focuses primarily on sound textual evidence and scholarly consensus in deriving fiqh. The majority of Hanbali scholars, as well as many from the other schools of thought, follow the Athari Aqeedah which adopts the middle path of accepting the texts of Qur'an and Hadeeth without extensive philosophical interpretation or denial. This being the way of the early generations of Muslims (the salaf) and those that followed them (the Tabi‘un), and so on, where the key points of Islamic belief are established and any attributes regarding Allah are accepted as they are without delving into possible rational and philosophical explanations, thus keeping far from anthropomorphism or complete denial.

Differences in the Schools [link]

Interpreting Islamic law by deriving specific rulings - such as how to pray - is known as fiqh, commonly termed jurisprudence. A madh'hab is a particular tradition of interpreting this jurisprudence. These schools possess different focuses, such as specific evidence (Shafi'i and Hanbali) or general principles (Hanafi and Maliki) derived from specific evidences. As these schools represent clearly spelled out methodologies for interpreting Islamic law, there has been little change in the methodology. However, as the social and economic environment changes, new rulings are being made. For example, when tobacco appeared, it was considered disliked because of its smell. When medical information showed that smoking was dangerous, most jurists took the view that it's forbidden. Current issues include topics such as downloading pirated software and cloning.

Demographics [link]

Estimates of the world Sunni population varies from over 75% to 90% of all Muslims.^[1]

Sunni theological traditions [link]

Some Islamic scholars faced questions that they felt were not explicitly answered in the Qur'an, especially questions with regard to philosophical conundra like the nature of God, the existence of human free will, or the eternal existence of the Qur'an. Various schools of theology and philosophy developed to answer these questions, each claiming to be true to the Qur'an and the Muslim tradition (sunnah). Among Sunnites, the following were the dominant traditions; however the key beliefs of the Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama`a are founded upon the treatise on Aqeedah by Imam al-Tahawi:

• Athari (Arabic: أثري), or "textualism", is derived from the Arabic word athar, literally meaning "remnant", and also referring to "narrations". Their disciples are called the Atharis. The Atharis are considered to be one of three Sunni schools of Aqidah: Athari, Ashari, and Maturidi.
  • The Athari methodology of textual interpretation is to avoid delving into extensive theological speculation. They believe in Allah and his attributes in the exact fashion that they were mentioned in the Quran, the Sunnah, and by the Sahabah. They do not attempt to further interpret the aforementioned texts by giving a literal meaning like in Ẓāhirīya (literalism) or the Tashbih (simile or likening), nor through tahrif (distortion), nor ta`weel (allegory or metaphor), nor ta'teel (denial). They avoid entering into deep rational philosophical discussions of matters relating to Islamic beliefs that are not supported by the Quran, the Sunnah or the understanding of the Sahabah with specific wording; rather, their discussion and presentation of beliefs revolves entirely around textual evidences found in these three main sources, while remaining cautious to avoid taking the path of the Ẓāhirīs (literalists) either. The Atharis believe this to be the methodology adhered to by the first three generations of Muslims (i.e. the Salaf), therefore making it the school of Sunni Aqidah that they believe is adhering to the truth and keeping to the balanced middle path of Islam.

Due to the emphasis of the Hanbali school of thought on textualism, Muslims who are Hanbali usually prefer the Athari methodology in Aqidah. However, Atharis are not exclusively Hanbali, many Muslims from other schools of thought adhere to the Athari school of Aqidah also.

Atharism is also the select interpretation as followed by the Salafi movement (including the "Ahle Hadith" movement). As such, their theological system of Aqidah is often called Aqidat al-Salaf (or in fewer occasions: Aqidat As-hab al-Hadith).

• Ash'ari, founded by Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari (873–935). This theological system of Aqidah was embraced by plenty of Muslim scholars such as Imam al-Ghazali.^[12]
  • Ash'ari theology stresses divine revelation over human reason. Contrary to the Mu'tazilites, they say that ethics cannot be derived from human reason, but that God's commands, as revealed in the Qur'an and the Sunnah (the practices of Muhammad and his companions as recorded in the traditions, or hadith), are the sole source of all morality and ethics.
  • Regarding the nature of God and the divine attributes, the Ash'ari rejected the Mu'tazilite position that all Qur'anic references to God as having physical attributes were not metaphorical. The Ash'aris insisted that these attributes were as they "best befit him"; the Arabic language is a wide language in which one word can have 15 different meanings, so you their strategy is to find the best meaning that befits Allah and that the Qur'an does not contradict. Therefore when Allah states in the Holy Qur'an, "He who does not resemble any of this creation," this clearly means Allah can't be attributed with body parts because he created body parts. This is one way which differentiates these Muslims from most Christians and Jews.
  • Ash'aris tend to stress divine omnipotence over human free will.
  • Ash'aris believe that the Qur'an is eternal and uncreated.

• Maturidi, founded by Abu Mansur al-Maturidi (died 944). Maturidiyyah was a minority tradition until it was accepted by the Turkish tribes of Central Asia (previously they had been Ash'ari and followers of the Shafi'i school,^{[citation needed]} it was only later on migration into Anatolia that they became Hanafis and followers of the Maturidi creed^{[citation needed]}). One of the tribes, the Seljuk Turks, migrated to Turkey, where later the Ottoman Empire was established.^[13] Their preferred school of law achieved a new prominence throughout their whole empire although it continued to be followed almost exclusively by followers of the Hanafi school while followers of the Shafi and Maliki schools within the empire followed the Ash'ari and Athari schools of thought. Thus, wherever can be found Hanafi followers, there can be found the Maturidi creed.
  • Maturidis argue that the knowledge of God's existence can be derived through pure reason.

Articles of faith [link]

Sunni Islam has 6 articles of faith.^[14]

• Reality of one God
• Existence of angels of God
• Authority of the books of God
• Following the prophets of God
• Preparation for the Day of Judgment
• Supremacy of God’s will

Sunni view of hadith [link]

The Mosque of Uqba also known as the Great Mosque of Kairouan was, in particular during the ninth, tenth and eleventh centuries, an important center of Islamic learning with a Maliki emphasis.^[10] The Mosque of Uqba is located in the city of Kairouan in Tunisia.

The Qur'an as it exists today in book form was compiled by Muhammad's companions (Sahaba) in approximately 650 CE, and is accepted by all Muslim denominations. However, there were many matters of belief and daily life that were not directly prescribed in the Qur'an, but were actions that were observed by Muhammad and the early Muslim community. Later generations sought out oral traditions regarding the early history of Islam, and the practices of Muhammad and his first followers, and wrote them down so that they might be preserved. These recorded oral traditions are called hadith. Muslim scholars have through the ages sifted through the hadith and evaluated the chain of narrations of each tradition, scrutinizing the trustworthiness of the narrators and judging the strength of each hadith accordingly.

Al-Kutub Al-Sittah [link]

Al-Kutub al-Sittah translates as "the Six Books". Most Sunni Muslims accept the hadith collections of Bukhari and Muslim as the most authentic (sahih, or correct), and while accepting all hadiths verified as authentic, grant a slightly lesser status to the collections of other recorders. There are, however, four other collections of hadith that are also held in particular reverence by Sunni Muslims, making a total of six:

• Sahih al-Bukhari of Muhammad al-Bukhari
• Sahih Muslim of Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj
• Sunan al-Sughra of Al-Nasa'i
• Sunan Abu Dawud of Abu Dawood
• Sunan al-Tirmidhi of Al-Tirmidhi
• Sunan Ibn Majah of Ibn Majah

There are also other collections of hadith which also contain many authentic hadith and are frequently used by scholars and specialists. Examples of these collections include:

• Musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq of ‘Abd ar-Razzaq as-San‘ani
• Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal
• Mustadrak of Al Haakim
• Muwatta of Imam Malik
• Sahih Ibn Hibbaan
• Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah of Ibn Khuzaymah
• Sunan al-Darimi of Al-Darimi
• Sahih ibn Awana

See also [link]

• Islamic schools and branches
• Shia Islam

Notes [link]

Further reading [link]

• Branon Wheeler, Applying the Canon in Islam: The Authorization and Maintenance of Interpretive Reasoning in Ḥanafī Scholarship, SUNY Press, 1996

External links [link]

• Books Related of Ahle Sunnat Wa Jamat Aqaid
• Books relating to belief of ahl as-Sunnat
• Ahl as-sunnat belief
• Translation and Detailed Commentary on Quran
• SunniPath - Study Islam Online