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• Sunni Islam
• Wahhabism
• Deobandism
• Shi'ite Islam
• What is jihad?
• What is a fatwa?
• Related sites
• Introduction
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Sunni Islam Sunni women in Islamabad, Pakistan. (AP PHOTO) Sunnis constitute the vast majority of the world's Muslims. They believe that the first four supreme religious leaders, or caliphs, were the rightful successors of the Prophet Mohammed. Sunni Islam draws its name from its identification with the importance of the Sunnah, which literally means "the path." The Sunnah is the example set by the life of the prophet Mohammed. The written document based on the teachings and practices of Mohammed, known as the Hadith, serves as a supplement to the Koran.
Sunnism is divided into four legal schools: Hanifi, Maliki, Shafi and Hanbali. These four Islamic schools of jurisprudence were established centuries ago as a way of interpreting the Koran and the Hadith. While most Sunnis fall within the mainstream of Islam, two particular minority Sunni orientations have moved into the spotlight due to the conflict in Afghanistan. Click on the names Wahhabism and Deobandism to learn more about them. |
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