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Sunni
Islam
By: Jeremiah and Joseph
Number of Adherents
• Approximately 90% ( 1.08
billion of 1.2 billion ) of
Muslims are Sunni.
Influential Practitioners
• Muhammad was the
founder of Islam. After
Muhammad passed, there
were a series of Caliphs
who governed his Islamic
State.
Muhammad
Other Influential Practitioners
• Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and
Muhammad Ali were very
persuasive figures on early
Islamic culture.
• Muhammad Ali was the man
who caused the schism in
Muslim ways. The split into
Sunni and Shiite occurred
because of his followers.
Requirements to be Islamic
• To be a member of the clergy, one must:
– Read the Qur’an written in the language of
Arabic
– Denounce all other religions
– Follow the Muslim way of life
– Become elected by a council of elder clergy
Women in Clergy
• Women are not allowed to
join the clergy nor can they
be on the same level of the
mosque, as the men.
• The are required to cover
their hair, but not the rest of
their bodies.
Holy Work
• The Qur’an is the “Bible” for the Islamic
society. The only true version is written in
Arabic.
• All others are considered illegitimate no
matter how closely they were transliterated.
Holy Days
• Friday is the Islamic day of rest or prayer.
It is not considered the Sabbath Day
because they reject the idea that God
rested after the creation of Earth.
• They believe that Adam was created on a
Friday, so all believers try to attend a
congregational prayer at the local mosque.
Islamic Holidays
• Ramadan is the holy month in which
Muslims should fast from dawn until dusk.
• The ‘Feast of Breaking the Fast,’ also
known as ‘The Little Feast,’ follows
Ramadan.
• ‘The Big Feast,’ also known as ‘The Feast
of Sacrifice,’ comes ten days after ‘The
Little Feast.’
Communication With God
• Muslims believes that god communicates
with them through angels. They believe that
each person has two angels who look out
for them and record their good and bad
deeds.
• Followers believe that the angel Gabriel
came to Muhammad and told him what was
to be written in the Qur’an.
Birth Rites In Islam
• It is customary that the first words that a child
should hear after birth is the Muslim call to
prayer or the adhaan. This should be whispered
into the baby’s right ear by the father.
• The baby’s first taste should be something
sweet, so often the parents will chew up a fig
and wipe the juice on the baby’s lips and gums.
This is believed to help start the digestive
system.
• If the child is male, he is to be circumcised within
the first week of its life as well.
The Seventh Day
• On the seventh day of life the baby's head is
shaven and the hair is weighed. The weight
of the hair will be matched in gold or sliver
and given to charity.
• A name for the child is also chosen on the
seventh day.
• A celebration is also held for the child, at
which an animal is sacrificed; typically a
sheep. Then the meat is disbursed among
the relatives and neighbors.
The Children of Islam
•Children are taught the
Qur’an at a very early
age in life. This is done
so that they will learn
and speak Arabic at a
younger age.
• However, children are
exempt from Islamic law
until they reach puberty.
After puberty they are
treated as adults, both
legally and socially.
Marriage Rites
• One man can have up to four wives,
but he has to provide for all of them
equally.
• He may also have concubines, but he
must provides for them equally. (In the
same way he provides for his wives.)
• The husbands primary role in the
family is to provide for the wives and
the children.
• The wives main job is to take care of
the household and the children.
Divorce from a Marriage
• Divorce in Islam is not banned. However, God
sees it as the most hated of all things which are
permissible.
• Reconciliation and/or guidance from relatives is
recommended before lawful divorce is
considered.
• For a man to divorce a woman he has to say “I
divorce thee” three times in front of another
male. Once said they are divorced.
Death Practices
• Before death the dying person is urged to say
the shahadah or the declaration of faith.
• The body of a deceased person is to be ritually
washed by the family and the community.
– Men are to be washed by men.
– Women are to be washed by women.
– Children can be washed by either a man or a woman.
• After the body has been washed it is wrapped in
a funeral shroud.
• Once the body has been
wrapped, funeral prayers or
janazah are held over the
body. These prayers, unlike
other prayers, are said in a
standing position.
• The body is then transported
to the cemetery for burial.
Graveside Rituals
• Only the men are allowed to attend the
graveside services.
• Unlike other religions, the body is placed
directly into the earth without a coffin.
• The body is placed in the grave so that it
faces the Ka’bah in Mecca.
• The body is positioned on its right side,
and face of the corpse is uncovered before
the burial.
• If a child is to die before reaching puberty, they
are granted entrance into Jannah or paradise.
• It is prohibited to embalm or cremate a corpse,
however a burial at sea is permitted if it is
necessary.
• When visiting a Islamic graveyard, it is
customary to greet the buried. It is believed that
the dead can hear the words of the living.
• One should also pray to God and ask for
forgiveness of their sins.
How to Become a Sunni Muslim
• To become a Sunni Muslim one must believe in
their heart that Islam is true and confess it by
reciting what is known as the ‘Two Testimonies’.
• The ‘Two Testimonies’ state, "I bear witness that
nothing deserves to be worshipped except Allah,
and I bear witness that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah."
• This testimony must be recited in public.
• Once a Muslim, they read the Qur'an and
adopt the five pillars of Islam as a
guideline for their life.
• The Five Pillars are:
– Shahada - Testimony of Faith
– Salat - Prayer
– Zakat - Almsgiving
– Sawm - Fasting
– Hajj - Pilgrimage
Shahada - Testimony of Faith
• The Shahada is the first thing whispered
into a baby’s ear, and is often the last
words said by a Muslim before they die.
When spoken sincerely this shows their
commitment to the Islamic faith.
• In English it reads, “I bear witness that
there is no god but God; I bear witness
that Muhammad is the Apostle of God.”
Salat – Prayer
Zakat - Almsgiving
• Salat or prayer is required by all Muslims.
It is to be given five times a day at set
times. All Muslims are expected to attend
mosque at noon on Fridays.
• Zakat or almsgiving is the paying of alms
to the needy and poor. Usually 2 to 2.5
percent of annual earnings are given in
alms. The Qur’an cares more about how
the alms are given and to whom, and less
about the amount of alms.
Sawm –Fasting
Hajj - Pilgrimage
• Sawm applies to the month of Ramadan, in
which fasting during the daylight hours is
required by all Muslims. Such things as eating
and sexual activities are to be avoided during
the day. At night these things are granted to
them again.
• Hajj requires all Muslims to pilgrimage to Mecca
at least once in their lives. All times of pilgrimage
are sacred, but the most sacred time for a
pilgrimage is during the twelfth month.
Location of Followers
• Sunni Islam is practiced world wide. The
Middle Eastern countries such as
Afghanistan, Iraqi, Saudi Arabia, and Israel
have the largest population of Sunnis.
• Sunni Islam is the most popular form of
Islam. Its numbers are growing because
people are becoming attracted to beliefs
and principles that it teaches.
Age of Reason
• The age of reason for a Sunni Muslim
would commonly be achieved around
twelve or thirteen years of age, or
whenever puberty is reached.
Sources
• http://www.aaiil.org/text/articles/other/howmslm.shtml
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/ritesrituals/birt
h.shtml
• http://www.brandeis.edu/projects/fse/mus-essays/mus-essdivorce.html
• http://www.kcm.kr/bethany_eng/a_code/islam.html
• http://www.mediaguidetoislam.sfsu.edu/home/sitemap.htm
• http://www.re-xs.ucsm.ac.uk/re/passage/birth.htm