{{Islam}}
'''Sunni''' Muslims are the [[Demographics of Islam|largest]] [[Divisions of Islam|denomination]] of [[Islam]]. They are referred to as '''Ahl ul-Sunna''' ([[Arabic language|Arabic]]: '''أهل السنة'''; "people of the tradition"). The word Sunni comes from the word ''[[sunnah|sunna]]'' (Arabic : '''سنة''' ), which means the tradition of the [[Prophets of Islam|Prophet]] of Islam, [[Muhammad]]. Sunnis are also referred to as '''Ahl ul-Sunna wa-l-Jama'ah''' (Arabic: '''أهل السنة والجماعة''') (people of tradition and congregation) which implies that the Sunnis are united. They represent the branch of Islam that came through the [[caliphate]], which started with [[Abu Bakr]].

== Demographics ==
[[Image:Muslim distribution.jpg|thumb|left|Distribution of Sunni and Shia populations]]
{{main|Demographics of Islam}}

There are many challenges to demographers attempting to calculate the proportion of the world's Muslim population who adhere to each of the main traditions. For instance, there is no Sunni-Shi'a breakdown available for many countries, and the ''[[CIA World Factbook]]'' gives a Sunni-Shi'a breakdown only for countries where Shi'a are a significant minority. When no breakdown is given, all the country's Muslims have been enrolled, provisionally, in the Sunni column. Thus, the exact percentage of the world's Muslim population that adheres to the various [[Shi'a]] sects, as opposed to the majority [[Sunni]] group, is indeterminate. 

Nevertheless, using various sources, one can arrive at an estimate of roughly 10-15 percent Shi'ite. However, other reasonably acceptable calculations indicate an estimate as low as 7.5 percent Shi'a.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://islamicweb.com/?folder=beliefs/cults&file=shia_population | title="How Many Shia Are in the World?" | publisher=IslamicWeb.com | accessdate=2006-10-18}}</ref> In fact, the 2006 edition of [[Encyclopædia Britannica]] states that "the total Shi'ite movement comprises probably less than 10 percent of the Islamic world." Clearly, much further work will be required before these Sunni-Shi'a statistics can be considered reliable.

== Sunni schools of law (''[[Madhab]]'')==
Islamic law is known as the ''[[Sharia|Shari'ah]].'' The ''Shari'ah'' is based on the ''[[Qur'an]]'' and the ''[[Sunnah]],'' and those who ascribe to different interpretations of the law pray in the same [[mosques]] with little to no enmity between them. 

The four major Sunni schools of law are as follows: 

* [[Hanafi]] (founded by [[Abu Hanifa]])
* [[Maliki]] (founded by [[Malik ibn Anas]])
* [[Shafi'i]] (founded by [[Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi`i]])
* [[Hanbali]] (founded by [[Ahmad bin Hanbal]])

There are other Sunni schools of law, although many are followed by only small numbers of people and are relatively unknown due to the popularity of the four major schools of law; also many have died out or were not sufficiently recorded by their followers to survive.

Interpreting the ''Shari'ah'' to derive specific rulings (such as how to pray) is known as ''[[fiqh]],'' which literally means understanding. A ''[[madhab]]'' is a particular tradition of interpreting ''fiqh.'' These schools focus on specific evidence (Shafi'i and Hanbali) or general principles (Hanafi and Maliki) derived from specific evidences. The schools were started by eminent [[Imam|Muslim scholars]] in the first four centuries of Islam. As these schools represent clearly spelled out methodologies for interpreting the ''Shari'ah,'' there has been little change in the methodology per se. However, as the social and economic environment changes, new ''fiqh'' rulings are being made. For example, when [[tobacco]] appeared it was declared as 'disliked' because of its smell. When medical information showed that [[smoking]] was dangerous, that ruling was changed to 'forbidden'. Current ''fiqh'' issues include things like [[download]]ing pirated [[software]] and [[cloning]]. The consensus is that the ''Shari'ah'' does not change but ''fiqh'' rulings change all the time.
  
A ''madhab'' is not to be confused with a religious sect. There may be scholars representing all four ''madhabs'' living in larger Muslim communities, and it is up to those who consult them to decide which school they prefer. 

Many Sunnis advocate that a Muslim should choose a single ''madhab'' and follow it in all matters. However, rulings from another ''madhab'' are considered acceptable as [[dispensation]]s (''rukhsa'') in exceptional circumstances. Some Sunnis however do not follow any ''madhab,'' indeed some [[Salafi]]s reject strict adherence to any particular school of thought, preferring to use the ''[[Qur'an]]'' and the ''[[sunnah]]'' alone as the primary sources of Islamic law.

== Sunni theological traditions (''[[Kalam]]'') ==
Some Islamic scholars faced questions that they felt were not specifically answered in the ''Qur'an'', especially questions with regard to philosophical conundrums like the [[nature of God]], the possibility 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''). There were the following dominant traditions: 
* [[Mu'tazili|Mu'tazilah]] was the school established in [[Iraq]] by [[Wasil bin 'Ata]] (699-749), a student of the distinguished scholar [[Hasan al-Basri]] (642-728). The Mu'tazilites rose to prominence in 750, under the new Abbasid dynasty of caliphs. One ''caliph,'' [[al-Ma'mun]], declared Mu'tazilah doctrine to be the state creed, and persecuted dissenters. This completely alienated the Sunni Muslim clergy, the ''[[ulema]],'' and Mu'tazilism fell into disrepute after the death of al-Ma'mun. There are no current Sunni adherents of Mu'tazilism, though their texts are still read and preserved as important to understanding the history of Sunni theology. The Shi'a follow a Mu'tazili tradition. 
** The Mu'tazilites were heavily influenced by [[Greek philosophy]], <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.missionislam.com/knowledge/modernism.htm |title=The Dangers of Modernism |author=Umm Abdullah | publisher= ''Mission Islam''|accessdate=2006-03-24}}</ref> and attempted to establish religion and ethics on the basis of [[reason]] alone. While they accepted the authority of the ''Qur'an,'' they argued that it should be accepted because it was reasonable. They understood many Qur'anic passages metaphorically, particularly those implying that God has a human shaped body. They stressed human free will, and taught that the ''Qur'an'' was created in time, existing only from the moment it was revealed to [[Muhammad]]. 
* [[Ash'ari]], founded by [[Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari]] (873-935). The dominant theology, and the tradition embraced by [[al-Ghazali]], a Muslim jurist and mystic whom many Sunnis follow and revere. 
** Ash'ariyyah theology stresses [[divine revelation]] over human reason. [[Ethics]], they say, cannot be derived from human reason: God's commands, as revealed in the ''Qur'an'' and the practice of Muhammad and his companions (the ''sunnah,'' as recorded in the traditions, or ''[[hadith]]''), are the source of all morality. 
** 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 (that is, a body) were metaphorical.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://mb-soft.com/believe/txw/ashari.htm |title = Ash'ariyyah Theology, Ashariyyah | author = Bülent Þenay | work=''BELIEVE Religious Information Source'' | accessdate=2006-04-01}}</ref> Ash'aris insisted that these attributes were "true", since the ''Qur'an'' could not be in error, but that they were not to be understood as implying a crude [[anthropomorphism]]. 
** Ash'aris tend to stress divine [[omnipotence]] over human free will. They believe that the ''Qur'an'' is eternal and uncreated. 
* [[Maturidiyyah]], founded by [[Abu Mansur al-Maturidi]] (d. 944). Maturidiyyah was a minority tradition until it was accepted by the [[Turkish]] tribes of [[Central Asia]] (previously they had been Ashari and followers of the [[Shafi]] school, it was only later on migration into [[Anatolia]] that they became [[Hanafi]] and followers of the Maturidi creed). One of the tribes, the [[Seljuk Turks]], migrated to [[Turkey]], where later the [[Ottoman Empire]] was established.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/islam/sunni/matur.html |title=Maturidiyyah |work= ''Philtar'' | accessdate= 2006-04-01}}</ref> 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]], [[Maliki]], and [[Hanbali]] schools followed the Ashari school. Thus, wherever can be found [[Hanafi]] followers, there can be found the Maturidi creed. 
** Maturidiyyah argue that knowledge of God's existence can be derived through reason.
* [[Athariyyah]] (meaning Textualist) or [[Hanbali]]. No specific founder, but Imam [[Ahmad ibn Hanbal]] played a key historic role in keeping this school alive.
** This school differs with the Ash'ariyyah in understanding the names and attributes of God, but rather affirms all of God's names and attributes as they are found in the ''Qur'an'' and ''Sunnah'' (prophetic traditions), with the disclaimer that the "how" of the attribute is not known. They say that God is as He described Himself "in a way befitting of His majesty." Thus, regarding verses where God is described as having a ''yad'' (hand) or ''wajh'' (face), the textualists say that God is exactly as He described himself in a way befitting of His majesty, without inquiring as to the "how" of these attributes.
** The Athariyyah still believe that God does not resemble His creation in any way, as this is also found in the texts. Thus, in the Athari creed, it is still prohibited to imagine an image of God in any way. The Athariyyah say that the ''yad"'' (hand) of God is "unlike any other yad" (since God does not resemble His creation in any way) and prohibit imagining what God would be like, even though this attribute of a ''yad'' is still affirmed.
** This is the view of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal who said: "The hadeeths (regarding the attributes of [[Allah]]) should be left as they are...We affirm them, and we do not make any similitude for them.  This is what has been agreed upon by the scholars."<ref>Reported by [[ibn al-Jawzi]] in '''Manaaqib Imam Ahmad''', pg. 155-156.</ref>

==Sunni view of ''[[hadith]]''==
The ''Qur'an'' as we have it today was compiled by [[Sahabah]] in approximately 650 A.D., 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 simply the practice of the community. Later generations sought out [[oral tradition]]s regarding the early history of Islam, and the practice 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 sifted through the ''hadith'' and evaluated the chain of narration of each tradition, scrutinizing the trustworthiness of the narrators and judging the strength of each ''hadith'' accordingly. Most Sunni accept the ''hadith'' collections of [[Bukhari]] and [[Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj|Muslim]] as the most authentic (''[[sahih]],'' or correct), and grant a lesser status to the collections of other recorders. These two books (Bukhari and Muslim) are strict in their accuracy and are, therefore, recognized by all Sunni Muslims. There are, however, six collections of ''hadith'' that are held in particular reverence by Sunni Muslims:

*[[Sahih Bukhari|Sahih al-Bukhari]]
*[[Sahih Muslim]]
*[[Sunan an-Nasa'ii]]
*[[Sunan Abu Dawud]]
*[[Sunan al-Tirmidhi|Sunan at-Tirmidhi]]
*[[Sunan Ibn Maja|Sunan ibn Majah]]

There are also other collections of ''hadith'' which, although less well-known, still contain many authentic ''hadith'' and are frequently used by specialists. Examples of these collections include:
*[[Muwatta]] of [[Imam Malik]]
*[[Musnad]] of [[Ahmad ibn Hanbal]]
*[[Sahih Ibn Khuzaima]]
*[[Sahih Ibn Hibban]]
*[[Mustadrak al-Hakim|Mustadrak]] of [[Hakim_al-Nishaburi|Al Haakim]]
*[[Musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq]]

== Current trends in Sunni thought and practice ==
*[[Barelvi]]
*[[Deobandi]]
*[[Muslim Brotherhood]]
*[[Salafism]] and [[Wahhabism]]
*[[Sufism]]

==References==
*[http://www.msoamu.org/ Sunni Students]
<references />

== See also ==
*[[Islam]]
*[[Historical Shi'a-Sunni relations]]
*[[Wahabi]]
*[[Mizan]] -  A comprehensive treatise on the contents of Islam written by [[Javed Ahmed Ghamidi]]

== External Links ==
* [http://www.al-islam.com/eng/ AL Islam]
* [http://www.islaam.com/ Islam]
* [http://www.islamweb.net/ver2/MainPage/indexe.php Islam Web]
* [http://www.islam-guide.com/ Islam Guide]
* [http://www.islamonline.net/english/index.shtml Islam Online]
* [http://www.islamicity.com/ Islamic City]
* [http://www.islamicfinder.org/ Islamic Finder]
* [http://www.islam-qa.com/index.php?ln=eng Islam Question And Answer]
* [http://www.razaacademy.com Raza Academy]
* [http://www.sunnipath.com/ Sunni Path]
* [http://www.sultan.org/ Sultan Islamic Links]
* [http://www.understanding-islam.com/ Understand Islam]


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