the belief and practice of mainstream, as opposed to Shia, Islam (see shiites). Sunni Muslims, constituting over 80% of all believers, follow the sunna, a code of practice based on the hadith collected in the Sihah Satta, six authentic Books of Tradition about the prophet Muhammad. The Sunna, variously translated as ‘custom’, ‘code’, or ‘usage’, means whatever Muhammad, by positive example or implicit approval, demonstrated as the ideal behaviour for a Muslim to follow. It therefore complements the Koran as a source of legal and ethical guidance.

Sunnis recognize the order of succession of the first four caliphs. They follow one of four schools of law: the Hanafi, prevalent in the Middle East and Pakistan; the Malikite, found in western and northern Africa; the Shafite, found in Egypt, East Africa, Malaysia, and Indonesia; and the Hanbalite in Saudi Arabia.