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Sunni Muslims are by far the largest denomination of Islam, the second largest being Shia Islam They are also referred to as Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jamaa'h (Arabic: أهل السنة والجماعة) (people of the example (of Muhammad) and the community) which implies that they are the majority, or Ahl ul-Sunna (Arabic: أهل السنة; "The people of the example (of Muhammad)") for short. The word Sunni comes from the word sunna (Arabic : سنة ), which means the words and actions or example of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad. They represent the branch of Islam that accepted the caliphate of Abu Bakr due to him being chosen by majority, thus elections, or Shurah, on the caliphate being the first distinguishing factor in Sunni Islam. Most Sunni lawyers define themselves as those Muslims who are rooted in one of the four orthodox schools of Sunni law (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafii or Hanbali).
DemographicsThere 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. In fact, the 2006 edition of Encyclopedia 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.
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Sunni schools of law (Madhab)Islamic law is known as the 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 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 downloading 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 dispensations (rukhsa) in exceptional circumstances. Some Sunnis however do not follow any madhab, indeed some Salafis 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:
- 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. 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. 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."
- The early Mu'tazilah was the school established in Iraq (see also: Iraq Maps) by Wasil bin 'Ata (699-749), a student of the distinguished scholar Hasan al-Basri (642-728). It developed and was later considered as developing into heresy by Sunnis.
Sunni view of hadithThe 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 traditions 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 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 al-Bukhari
- Sahih Muslim
- Sunan an-Nasa'ii
- Sunan Abu Dawud
- Sunan at-Tirmidhi
- 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 of Al Haakim
- Musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq
Islam is the world's second largest religion after Christianity. According to a 2009 demographic study, Islam has 1.57 billion adherents, making up 23% of the world population.[1][2]
Islam is the predominant religion in the Middle East, in northern Africa[3][4], and in some parts of Asia.[5] Large communities of Muslims are also found in China, Eastern Europe, and Russia. Other parts of the world host large Muslim immigrant communities; in Western Europe, for instance, Islam is the second largest religion after Christianity.[6]
Approximately 50 countries are Muslim-majority.[2] Around 62% of the world's Muslims live in Asia, with over 683 million adherents in such countries as Indonesia (the largest Muslim country by population, home to 15.6% of the world's Muslims[7]), Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh.[2][8] About 20% of Muslims live in Arab countries.[9] In the Middle East, the non-Arab countries of Turkey and Iran are the largest Muslim-majority countries; in Africa, Egypt and Nigeria have the most populous Muslim communities.[8]
A demographic study conducted by the Pew Research Center in October 2009[1][2] found that there are 1.57 billion Muslims around the world, accounting for roughly 1 in 4 people. The study found more Muslims in Germany than in Lebanon and more in China than in Syria.[10]
Most Muslims are Sunni (87-90%), while the vast majority of the remainder (10-13%) are Shi'a.[11]
Figures indicated below are based on the demographic study by the Pew Research Center report of Mapping the Global Muslim Population, as of 8 October, 2009.[1][2]
|
| Country/Region |
Muslim population (2009 est.) |
Muslim percentage (%) of total population |
Percentage (%) of World Muslim population |
| Afghanistan |
28,072,000 |
99.7 |
1.8 |
| Albania |
2,522,000 |
79.9 |
0.2 |
| Algeria |
34,199,000 |
98.0 |
2.2 |
| Angola |
190,000 |
1 |
0 |
| Argentina |
784,000 |
1.9 |
0.1 |
| Armenia |
1,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Australia |
365,000 |
1.7 |
0 |
| Austria |
353,000 |
4.2 |
0 |
| Azerbaijan |
8,765,000 |
99.2 |
0.6 |
| Bahrain |
642,000 |
81.2 |
0 |
| Bangladesh |
145,312,000 |
89.6 |
9.3 |
| Belarus |
19,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Belgium |
281,000 |
3 |
0 |
| Belize |
1,400 |
0.1 |
0 |
| Benin |
2,182,000 |
24.4 |
0.1 |
| Bhutan |
7,000 |
1.0 |
0 |
| Bolivia |
2,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina |
1,522,000 |
40 |
0.1 |
| Botswana |
8,000 |
0.4 |
0 |
| Brazil |
191,000 |
0.1 |
0 |
| Brunei |
269,000 |
67.2 |
0 |
| Bulgaria |
920,000 |
12.2 |
0.1 |
| Burkina Faso |
9,292,000 |
59.0 |
0.6 |
| Burundi |
180,000 |
2 |
0 |
| Cambodia |
236,000 |
1.6 |
0 |
| Cameroon |
3,498,000 |
17.9 |
0.2 |
| Canada |
657,000 |
2.0 |
0 |
| Central African Republic |
395,000 |
8.9 |
0 |
| Chad |
6,257,000 |
55.8 |
0.4 |
| Chile |
4,000 |
0 |
0 |
| China |
21,667,000 |
1.6 |
1.4 |
| Colombia |
14,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Comoros |
664,000 |
98.3 |
0 |
| Congo |
59,000 |
1.6 |
0 |
| Costa Rica |
- |
0 |
0 |
| Democratic Republic of Congo |
943,000 |
1.4 |
0.1 |
| Croatia |
18,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Cuba |
9,000 |
0.1 |
0 |
| Cyprus |
198,000 |
22.7 |
0 |
| Czech Republic |
1,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Denmark |
88,000 |
2 |
0 |
| Djibouti |
838,000 |
96.9 |
0.1 |
| Dominican Republic |
2,000 |
0 |
0 |
| East Timor |
3,000 |
3.8 |
0 |
| Ecuador |
2,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Egypt |
78,513,000 |
94.6 |
5.0 |
| El Salvador |
2,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Eritrea |
1,854,000 |
36.5 |
0.1 |
| Estonia |
2,000 |
0.1 |
0 |
| Ethiopia |
28,063,000 |
33.9 |
1.8 |
| Fiji |
53,000 |
6.3 |
0 |
| Finland |
24,000 |
0.5 |
0 |
| France |
3,554,000 |
6 |
0.2 |
| Gabon |
140,000 |
9.5 |
0 |
| Gambia |
1,625,000 |
95 |
0.1 |
| Georgia |
423,000 |
9.9 |
0 |
| Germany |
4,026,000 |
5 |
0.3 |
| Ghana |
3,787,000 |
15.9 |
0.2 |
| Greece |
310,000 |
3 |
0 |
| Grenada |
- |
0.3 |
0 |
| Guatemala |
1,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Guinea |
8,502,000 |
84.4 |
0.5 |
| Guinea-Bissau |
680,000 |
42.2 |
0 |
| Guyana |
55,000 |
7.2 |
0 |
| Haiti |
2,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Honduras |
11,000 |
0.1 |
0 |
| Hungary |
24,000 |
0.2 |
0 |
| Iceland |
- |
0.1 |
0 |
| India |
160,945,000 |
13.4 |
10.3 |
| Indonesia |
202,867,000 |
88.2 |
12.9 |
| Iran |
73,777,000 |
99.4 |
4.7 |
| Iraq |
30,428,000 |
99 |
2 |
| Ireland |
22,000 |
0.5 |
0 |
| Israel |
1,194,000 |
16.7 |
0.1 |
| Italy |
36,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Ivory Coast |
7,745,000 |
36.7 |
0.5 |
| Jamaica |
1,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Japan |
183,000 |
0.1 |
0 |
| Jordan |
6,202,000 |
98.2 |
0.4 |
| Kazakhstan |
8,822,000 |
56.4 |
0.6 |
| Kenya |
2,793,000 |
7.0 |
0.2 |
| Kosovo |
[12]1,584,000 |
89.6 |
0.1 |
| Kuwait |
2,824,000 |
95 |
0.2 |
| Kyrgyzstan |
4,734,000 |
86.3 |
0.3 |
| Laos |
2,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Latvia |
2,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Lebanon |
2,504,000 |
59.3 |
0.2 |
| Lesotho |
1,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Liberia |
483,000 |
12.2 |
0 |
| Libya |
6,203,000 |
96.6 |
0.4 |
| Lithuania |
3,000 |
0.1 |
0 |
| Luxembourg |
13,000 |
3 |
0 |
| Macedonia |
680,000 |
33 |
0 |
| Madagascar |
215,000 |
1.1 |
0 |
| Malawi |
1,955,000 |
12.8 |
0.1 |
| Malaysia |
16,581,000 |
60.4 |
1.1 |
| Maldives |
304,000 |
98.4 |
0 |
| Mali |
12,040,000 |
92.5 |
0.8 |
| Mauritania |
3,261,000 |
99.1 |
0.2 |
| Mauritius |
214,000 |
16.6 |
0 |
| Mexico |
110,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Moldova |
17,000 |
0.5 |
0 |
| Mongolia |
133,000 |
5.0 |
0 |
| Montenegro |
111,000 |
17.7 |
0 |
| Morocco |
31,993,000 |
99 |
2 |
| Mozambique |
5,224,000 |
22.8 |
0.3 |
| Myanmar |
1,889,000 |
3.8 |
0.1 |
| Namibia |
8,000 |
0.4 |
0 |
| Nepal |
1,231,000 |
4.2 |
0.1 |
| Netherlands |
946,000 |
5.7 |
0.1 |
| New Caledonia |
7,000 |
2.8 |
0 |
| New Zealand |
37,000 |
0.9 |
0 |
| Nicaragua |
1,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Niger |
15,075,000 |
98.6 |
1.0 |
| Nigeria |
78,056,000 |
50.4 |
5.0 |
| North Korea |
2,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Norway |
65,000 |
1 |
0 |
| Oman |
2,494,000 |
87.7 |
0.2 |
| Pakistan |
174,082,000 |
96.3 |
11.1 |
| Panama |
24,000 |
0.7 |
0 |
| Papua New Guinea |
2,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Paraguay |
1,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Peru |
1,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Philippines |
4,654,000 |
5.1 |
0.3 |
| Poland |
48,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Portugal |
15,000 |
0.1 |
0 |
| Puerto Rico |
1,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Qatar |
1,092,000 |
77.5 |
0.1 |
| Romania |
66,000 |
0.3 |
0 |
| Russia |
16,482,000 |
11.7 |
1.0 |
| Rwanda |
182,000 |
1.8 |
0 |
| Saudi Arabia |
24,949,000 |
97 |
2 |
| Senegal |
12,028,000 |
96.0 |
0.8 |
| Serbia |
244,000 |
3.2 |
0 |
| Seychelles |
1,000 |
1.1 |
0 |
| Sierra Leone |
4,059,000 |
71.3 |
0.3 |
| Singapore |
706,000 |
14.9 |
0 |
| Slovakia |
- |
0 |
0 |
| Slovenia |
49,000 |
2.4 |
0 |
| Somalia |
8,995,000 |
98.5 |
0.6 |
| South Africa |
731,000 |
1.5 |
0 |
| South Korea |
71,000 |
0.1 |
0 |
| Spain |
650,000 |
1 |
0 |
| Sri Lanka |
1,711,000 |
8.5 |
0.1 |
| Sudan |
30,121,000 |
71.3 |
1.9 |
| Suriname |
83,000 |
15.9 |
0 |
| Swaziland |
2,000 |
0.2 |
0 |
| Sweden |
149,000 |
2 |
0 |
| Switzerland |
323,000 |
4.3 |
0 |
| Syria |
20,196,000 |
92.2 |
1.3 |
| Taiwan |
23,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Tajikistan |
5,848,000 |
84.1 |
0.4 |
| Tanzania |
13,218,000 |
30.2 |
0.8 |
| Thailand |
3,930,000 |
5.8 |
0.3 |
| Togo |
809,000 |
12.2 |
0.1 |
| Trinidad and Tobago |
78,000 |
5.8 |
0 |
| Tunisia |
10,216,000 |
99.5 |
0.7 |
| Turkey |
73,619,000 |
98 |
4.7 |
| Turkmenistan |
4,757,000 |
93.1 |
0.3 |
| Uganda |
3,958,000 |
12.1 |
0.3 |
| Ukraine |
456,000 |
1.0 |
0 |
| United Arab Emirates |
3,504,000 |
76.2 |
0.2 |
| United Kingdom |
1,647,000 |
2.7 |
0.1 |
| United States |
2,454,000 |
0.8 |
0.2 |
| Uruguay |
1,000 |
0 |
0 |
| Uzbekistan |
26,469,000 |
96.3 |
1.7 |
| Vanuatu |
- |
0 |
0 |
| Venezuela |
94,000 |
0.3 |
0 |
| Vietnam |
157,000 |
0.2 |
0 |
| Western Sahara |
510,000 |
99.4 |
0 |
| Yemen |
23,363,000 |
99.1 |
1.5 |
| Zambia |
58,000 |
0.4 |
0 |
| Zimbabwe |
109,000 |
0.9 |
0 |
| Asia-Pacific |
972,537,000 |
24.1 |
61.9 |
| Middle East-North Africa |
315,322,000 |
91.2 |
20.1 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa |
240,632,000 |
30.1 |
15.3 |
| Europe |
38,112,000 |
5.2 |
2.4 |
| Americas |
4,596,000 |
0.5 |
0.3 |
| World Total |
1,571,198,000 |
22.9 |
100 |
References
- «Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population: Main Page, Pew Research Center
- «Miller, Tracy, ed. (October 2009) (PDF), Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Muslim Population, Pew Research Center, retrieved 2009-10-08
- «"The Africanization of Missionary Christianity: History and Typology", Steven Kaplan, Journal of Religion in Africa 16 (3) (1986), 165-186. In Africa, Islam and Christianity are growing - and blending. Abraham McLaughlin The Christian Science Monitor, 26 January 2006.
- «Encyclopedia Britannica. Britannica Book of the Year 2003. Encyclopedia Britannica, (2003) ISBN 9780852299562 p.306
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, as of mid-2002, there were 376,453,000 Christians, 329,869,000 Muslims and 98,734,000 people who practiced traditional religions in Africa. Ian S. Markham,(A World Religions Reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 1996.) is cited by Morehouse University as giving the mid 1990s figure of 278,250,800 Muslims in Africa, but still as 40.8% of the total population. These numbers are estimates, and remain a matter of conjecture. See Amadu Jacky Kaba. The spread of Christianity and Islam in Africa: a survey and analysis of the numbers and percentages of Christians, Muslims and those who practice indigenous religions. The Western Journal of Black Studies, Vol 29, Number 2, June 2005. Discusses the estimations of various almanacs and encyclopedium, placing Britannica's estimate as the most agreed figure. Notes the figure presented at the World Christian Encyclopedia, summarized here, as being an outlier. On rates of growth, Islam and Pentecostal Christianity are highest, see: The List: The World’s Fastest-Growing Religions, Foreign Policy, May 2007.
- «See:
- Esposito (2004) pp.2,43
- "Islamic World". Encyclopaedia Britannica Online.
- "Major Religions of the World Ranked by Number of Adherents". Adherents.com. Retrieved 2007-01-09.
- "Muslims in Europe: Country guide". BBC News (BBC). 2005-12-23. Retrieved 2006-09-28.
- "Religion In Britain". National Statistics. Office for National Statistics. 2003-02-13. Retrieved 2006-08-27.
- See these figures Demographics of Islam
- "Number of Muslim by country". nationmaster.com. Retrieved 2007-05-30.
- «See:
- Esposito (2002b), p.21
- Esposito (2004), pp.2,43
- «Eric Gorski (2009-10-08) Report: Global Muslim population hits 1.57 billion Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Retrieved on 2009-10-11.
- «Richard Allen Greene (2009-10-07) Nearly 1 in 4 people worldwide is Muslim, report says CNN. Retrieved on 2009-10-11.
- «https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kv.html
- «US State Department's International Religious Freedom Report
- «CIA World Factbook [4]
- Adherents.com[5]
- Religious Freedom page
- Religious Intelligence
- Census.gov [6]
- Muslim Population Percentage from U.S Dept. of State
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