Sunni

Sunni
Group	Sunni
Scriptures	Qur'an
Language	Classical Arabic
Members	c. 1.4 billion

Sunni. Sunni Islam represents the largest branch of the Muslim world, distinguished by its adherence to the established practices of the Prophet Muhammad and the consensus of the early community. Its name derives from an emphasis on the *sunnah*, or normative example, of the Prophet, and it is characterized by a structured tradition of jurisprudence and theology. Sunni Muslims constitute the overwhelming majority of the global Muslim population, with significant communities across the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Etymology and terminology

The term "Sunni" is derived from the Arabic word *Sunnah*, referring to the teachings, actions, and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad. Historically, adherents were known as *Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamāʿah* (People of the Prophetic Tradition and the Community), emphasizing their commitment to the established path and the collective unity of the early Ummah. This nomenclature emerged in contrast to other early theological and political groups, such as the Kharijites and the Shia, particularly following the First Fitna. The term solidified in common usage during the formative periods of Islamic theology and fiqh to denote the majority orthodox path.

Beliefs and theology

Core beliefs are anchored in the Six Articles of Faith, which include belief in one God (Allah), His angels, His revealed books (including the Torah and the Gospel), His messengers, the Day of Judgment, and divine predestination. The theological foundations were systematically articulated by scholars like Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari and Abu Mansur al-Maturidi, whose schools countered the rationalist Mu'tazila. Sunni orthodoxy holds the Qur'an to be the uncreated, eternal word of God and regards the Rightly Guided Caliphs—Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali—as legitimate successors to Muhammad, though with varying degrees of reverence.

Schools of jurisprudence

Four major orthodox schools, or *madhhabs*, of Islamic law (*fiqh*) are universally recognized: the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali schools. Each is named for its founding jurist: Abu Hanifa, Malik ibn Anas, Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal respectively. These schools developed distinct methodologies for deriving legal rulings from the primary sources—the Qur'an and Sunnah—alongside secondary principles like *ijma* (consensus) and *qiyas* (analogical reasoning). While differing in specific rulings, they are considered equally valid, with geographical concentrations such as the Hanafi school in South Asia and the Ottoman Empire.

Demographics and distribution

Sunni Muslims comprise approximately 85-90% of the global Muslim population, numbering around 1.4 billion. Major population centers include Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. In the Arab world, countries like Morocco, Jordan, and Sudan have overwhelmingly Sunni majorities. Significant Sunni communities also exist in the Balkans, Central Asia, and China (particularly among the Uyghurs). The demographic landscape was historically shaped by the expansion of the Rashidun Caliphate, the Umayyad Caliphate, and later empires such as the Abbasid Caliphate and the Ottoman Empire.

History and development

The formative period began with the succession crisis after Muhammad's death, leading to the election of Abu Bakr as the first Caliph at Saqifah. The era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs saw the rapid expansion of Islam beyond the Arabian Peninsula. The subsequent Umayyad Caliphate established dynastic rule, while the Abbasid Caliphate oversaw a golden age of scholarship in cities like Baghdad. Key defining moments include the codification of hadith by scholars like Muhammad al-Bukhari and Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, the systemization of law, and the theological debates of the Mihna. Later history was marked by the rise of the Seljuk Empire, the Mamluk Sultanate, and finally the Ottoman Empire, which served as a major Sunni polity until its dissolution after World War I.

Sunni–Shia relations

The historical split originated from the dispute over succession to Muhammad, culminating in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE, where Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet, was killed. This event cemented the sectarian divide between the Sunni majority and the Shia minority. Periods of coexistence, such as under the Abbasid Caliphate or in Al-Andalus, have alternated with conflict, as seen during the Safavid dynasty's establishment of Shia Islam in Persia, opposing the Sunni Ottoman Empire. In the modern era, geopolitical tensions, such as those between Saudi Arabia and Iran, often reflect sectarian dimensions, influencing conflicts in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.

Category:Sunni Islam Category:Religious denominations