Sunnis

Islam's largest branch

Sunnis are Muslims who follow the majority branch of Islam, comprising roughly 85% of Muslims worldwide.

The name derives from *Sunna*, the traditional customs and practices of Muhammad.

Sunnis accept the historical succession of caliphs after Muhammad's death, distinguishing them from Shia Muslims, who believe leadership should have passed to Muhammad's family.

Sunni and Shia communities have coexisted for centuries, though sectarian tensions persist in some regions.

theology

hadith

Recorded prophetic narration

  • sunnahTraditional Islamic practice
  • tawhidIslamic doctrine of oneness
  • creedStatement of belief

orthodoxy · prophetic · tradition · companions · authenticity · Muslim · canonical · narration · transmitted

denomination

Shia

Islam's second-largest branch

Sufi · orthodoxy · traditionalist · majoritarian · sectarian · schism · succession

geopolitics

Iraq

Middle Eastern republic

  • SyriaLevant country, capital Damascus
  • Saudi ArabiaGulf kingdom, largest Arabian state
  • EgyptNortheastern African nation

Turkey · Pakistan · Indonesia · Gulf states · majority · minority · Shia · sectarian · conflict · Arab

jurisprudence

sharia

Muslim canonical jurisprudence

  • ijmaUnanimous juristic agreement
  • fatwaIslamic legal pronouncement
  • muftiIslamic law interpreter

qadi · halal · haram · jurisprudence · rulings · scholars

Categories
Opposites
Islamic sectarian identity

SunnisShias

Islamic branch followers

Shiites · Druze · Sufis

religious affiliation broadly

Sunnisnon-Muslims

People of other religions

apostates · atheists · infidels · kafirs · Christians

Phrases
Family

Sunni

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
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