Who Are The Sunni?

The Sunni Muslims are known formally as Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jamaa’, a name derived from the Sunnah, the exemplary conduct of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) . Sunnis base their faith on the Qur’an and the Sunnah as understood by the majority of the community.

The Sunnis have their historical roots in the group who accepted Abu Bakr, (RA) as the successor of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) . Although Sunni Islam comprises a variety of theological and legal schools, attitudes, and outlooks conditioned by historical setting, and culture, Sunnis share some common points: acceptance of the legitimacy of the first four successors of Muhammad ( Abu Bakr (RA), Umar (RA), Uthman (RA) , and Ali (RA)),

The four Sunni schools of law (madhahib) are Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali, each of which strives to develop practical applications of the Qur’an and the Prophet’s example (Sunnah). These four schools of religious law associate themselves with four great scholars of early Islam: Abu Haneefah, Malik, Shafi’i, and Ahmad bin Hanbal.