Sunnism is one of the main branches of Islam. The second direction is called Shi’ism. A distinctive feature of Sunnism is the recognition of not only the Koran, but also the Sunnah. The Sunnah (translated from Arabic as “behavior”, “way of action”) is a set of rules that regulates all aspects of life of a faithful Muslim, based on the traditions of the actions and sayings of the Prophet Mohammed.
Another fundamental difference from Shiism is the rejection of the postulate of the spiritual origins of the caliphate, and the non-recognition of miraculous properties for the descendants of the prophet.
Most Muslims are Sunnis (more than 1 billion people worldwide, i.e., 90% of all practitioners of Islam).
Despite the outward orthodoxy and rigidity of Sunnism, this religious movement of Islam has developed creatively within the framework of mystical Sufism and various schools of philosophy.
Types of Sunnism
Sunnism currently recognizes four equal interpretations of Shari’a jurisprudence (fiqh):
The Hanafi school (founded by Abu Hanifa, d. 767);
The Maliki (founder Malik ibn Anas, d. 795);
The Shafi’i school of thought (founder ash-Shafi’i, d. 820);
The Hanbali (founder Ahmad ibn Hanbal, d. 855).
This division was formed at the end of the eighth and beginning of the ninth centuries, when the Shariah, the code of Muslim law, was developed.
It should be noted that these interpretations are not fundamentally different from each other and differ only in particular points. The popularity of this or that interpretation (mazhab) depends mainly on the traditions that exist in this or that Islamic country. At the same time, in Sunnism, unlike in Shi’ism, no free discussion (ijtihad) about the postulates of the interpretations is allowed.
One of the key tenets to which every faithful follower of Sunnism must adhere is the recognition of the first four caliphs Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman, and Ali. Also among the obligatory requirements for Sunnis is the acceptance of the six canonical universally acknowledged collections of hadiths, which represent the lore of Muhammad and his associates. Initially the hadith existed only in oral form, but from the 8th century the first written records appeared.
The greatest authority among the collections of hadith is considered al-Jami as-Sahih (compiled by Muhammad al-Bukhari). This collection includes more than 7,000 hadiths and describes the full set of rules of behavior of a faithful Muslim. It states in detail what is permissible (mandub) and what is prohibited (maqruh), how one should observe rituals, eat properly, dress, interact with people, conduct trade, etc. This system is an integral part of the five concepts that govern all aspects of a Muslim’s life:
wajib or fard – “obligatory”,
mandub – “recommended”,
mubah or ja’iz, “permissible” (but not implying approval or reward),
makrooh ‘disapproved’ (but not forbidden),
mahzoor – “forbidden.”
Historically, Sunnism emerged as early as the first century from the inception of Islam. It is believed that the division into Sunnism and Shiism occurred on a political basis, during the struggle for power in the caliphate between relatives and associates of the Prophet Muhammad and supporters of the fourth caliph Ali, who was Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law. The Sunnis believed that power in the caliphate should be transferred to caliphs, who were elected by the entire community. The Shiites, on the other hand, recognize only the transfer of power to the descendants of Ali.
As stated above, the regulation of all issues of life of the Sunnis is based on the system of jurisprudence (fiqh), which is based on the Quran and Sunnah. There is also the Ijma, i.e., the agreed opinion of authoritative theologians on questions whose interpretation is absent from the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Another option for resolving jurisprudential disputes recognized by Sunnism is qiyas (judgment on provisions not reflected in the Qur’an or Sunnah by analogy with established provisions).
It should be noted that Sunnism is quite tolerant of the local customs and traditions of the peoples who accept Islam. Whenever possible, the existing foundations were harmonized with the provisions of the Shariah and equated with it.
A great role in Sunnism is played by the celebration of religious festivals and rituals. Among the most celebrated are the feasts of Eid al-adha, the festival of sacrifice (on the 10th of zu-l-hijjah), and Eid al-fitr, the festival of purification (on the 1st and 2nd of Shawwal), “Mawlid al-Nabi – the Prophet’s birthday (12th of Rabi al-Awwal), Miraj – the night of the Prophet’s miraculous ascension to heaven (27th of Rajab), and Laylat al-Qadr – the night of predestination (27th of Ramadan).
In Sunnism, as in many other religions, there is a reformist component, in particular the possibility of merging the four madhhabs and the permissibility of the practice of ijtihad (free reasoning) are currently under active consideration. It is natural that such reformist trends are strongest in Muslim countries that are rich and included in the process of globalization – Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.