Sunni MuslimsSunni Muslims are a large majority in several Central Asian countries and follow the traditional way of the prophet Mohammed. They are synonymous with traditional formal Islam. The Quran is their source for knowledge, as are the Hadith (the oral teachings and traditions which have been handed down and written). All Muslims follow Islamic law, also called Shariah law, but there are several different interpretations of the law. The Sunni's follow Shariah law according to the Hanifah school, named after the founder, Abu Hanifah. It is the dominant school of thought of Muslims in the majority of Europe, the UK, and America. Now Shariah law is based on both the Quran and the way of the prophet (the Sunnah). While there are four different major schools of thought on Shariah law, the Sunni way tends to dominant due to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. So what are the Hadith? Because there are questions regarding how daily life should be lived for Muslims, and the Quran did not have enough specifics, specific practices of Mohammed and his followers were observed and written down. These have been added to and now number 6 books. The hadith dictate a lot of daily life for Muslims today. These are the extra teachings of Islam that are outside of the 5 main pillars of Islam. Return to Afghanistan Religion Return from Sunni Muslims to Home
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