Sunni, Arabic Sunnī, member of one of the two major branches of Islam, the branch that consists of the majority of that religion's adherents. Sunni Muslims regard their denomination as the mainstream and traditionalist branch of Islam—as distinguished from the minority denomination, the Shiʿah ———————————————————-
They both agree on the fundamentals of Islam and share the same Holy Book (The Qur'an), but there are differences mostly derived from their different historical experiences, political and social developments, as well as ethnic composition. The Sunnis believe that Muhammad had no rightful heir and that a religious leader should be elected through a vote among the Islamic community's people. They believe that Muhammad's followers chose Abu Bakr, Muhammad's close friend and advisor, as his successor.———————————————-
The great majority of the world's more than 1.5 billion Muslims are Sunnis - estimates suggest the figure is somewhere between 85% and 90%—————-
