WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The majority of the Muslims are Sunni, followed by Shi’a. Smaller sects include the Ahmadiyya. However, Ahmadis are considered by the majority of Muslims as heretical. A major source of conflict in the Muslim Middle East is the divisive nature between the two main sects of Islam: Sunni and Shi’a.

Detailed explanation-2: -Denominations. Islam is divided into two major denominations, Sunni and Shi’a. Of the total Muslim population, 87–90% are Sunni and 10–13% are Shi’a. Most Shi’as (between 68% and 80%) live in mainly four countries: Iran, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, and Iraq.

Detailed explanation-3: -A Sunni is a member of the largest branch of Islam. A Sunni is a Muslim who believes that the caliph Abu Bakr was the rightful successor to Muhammad after his death. There are several different traditions within the Sunni branch of Islam, but Sunnis are often described as orthodox Muslims.

Detailed explanation-4: -Roughly 85 percent of the world’s Muslims are Sunnis. The sect includes various schools, from liberal to fundamentalist, which all agree that authority is based on the Quran and the traditions of Mohammed.

Detailed explanation-5: -Sunnis regard the first four caliphs as legitimate successors of Muhammad. The majority of the Muslims of Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Jordan, Gaza and the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia are Sunnis. They regard themselves as the traditional (original) followers of the Islamic faith.