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While all Islamic schools and branches of Islam recognise the Qur'an, they differ in which other authorities they acknowledge; in particular the question of the Succession to Muhammad separates the Sunni, who acknowledge the elected Rashidun Caliphs and their descendants, from the Shia, who acknowledge the Imams or descendants of Muhammad; these two branches are then subdivided by their views ...
With its various branches, it is the largest Sunni movement in the Arab world, and an affiliate is often the largest opposition party in many Arab nations. The Muslim Brotherhood is not concerned with theological differences, accepting both, Muslims of any of the four Sunni schools of thought, and Shi'a Muslims.
At first the revolution inspired and energized Islamist Muslims (both Shia and Sunni) everywhere, but it was a revolution in a predominantly Shi'i Muslim country, led by Shi'i Muslims, and serious rifts with Sunni Muslims soon developed. The revolution changed the Shia–Sunni power equation in Muslim countries "from Lebanon to India".
Sunni Muslims are the largest denomination of Islam and are known as 'Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-JamÄ‘h' or simply as 'Ahl as-Sunnah'. The word Sunni comes from the word Sunnah, which means the teachings and actions or examples of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Therefore, the term "Sunni" refers to those who follow or maintain the Sunnah of Muhammad.
Sunni Muslims accept the hadith collections of Bukhari and Muslim as the most authentic , and while accepting all hadiths verified as authentic, grant a slightly lesser status to the collections of other recorders. Four other hadith collections are also held in particular reverence by Sunni Muslims, making a total of six:
In the 7th century some early Muslims expected Ali to become a first caliph, successor to Muhammad.After ascension of Abu Bakr, supporters of Ali (and future Shia) continued to believe only people from Muhammad's family to qualify as rulers and selected an imam, from each generation (the proto-Sunni, in contrast, recognized Abu Bakr as a legitimate first caliph). [5]
Arab Sunnis form the largest Sunni Muslim community in the country. [9] They form a majority of Sunnis in all districts of the country except for the Al-Hasakah Governorate. [9] In 1991, Professor Alasdair Drysdale and Professor Raymond Hinnebusch said that approximately 60% of the country was formed of Arabic-speaking Sunni Muslims. [4]
Most Shia Muslims in the country follow the Ja'fari school of Shia Islam, while Sunni Muslims typically adhere to either the Hanafi or Shafi'i school. [10] Due to many decades of Soviet atheist policy, Muslim religious affiliation in Azerbaijan is largely cultural and ethnic rather than religious. Shia Islam is prevalent in the western, central ...