The word · Belief

أَهْلُ السُّنَّةِ وَالجَمَاعَة

Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah

The main body of Muslims who follow the Prophet's way and the practice of his companions.

Also written · Ahlus Sunnah · Ahl as-Sunnah · Ahle Sunnat · Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah · Ahl Sunnah wal Jamaah · Sunni · Sunnis · Sunnism · Ahlul Sunnah

The meaning

What Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah means in Islam

The name joins two things: the sunnah, and the jama'ah, the community that held to it. In creed the Sunni world recognises three schools, Ash'ari, Maturidi and Athari; in law it recognises four, Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali. Difference inside those boundaries is old and normal, and is not the same thing as stepping outside them.

Evidence · Editorial · Our own summary, drawn from the sources named