Video
Articles And Essays
Religion Behind the Scenes
Podcasts
Featured Writers
Buddhism
Catholic
Contemplative
Evangelical
General Christian
Hindu
Jewish
Latter-day Saint
More Voices
Muslim
New Visions
Pagan
Progressive Christian
Entertainment
Life Events
Book Club
Politics Blue
Docsology
Politics Red
Movie Club
Public Square
Family And Relationships
See All Topics
TOP COLUMNISTS
Jack Lee
Evangelical
Eric Richards
Latter-day Saint
Peter T. Chattaway
Entertainment
Sunil Daman
Hindu
Keith Giles
Progressive Christian
Roger Olson
Evangelical
Fr Matthew P. Schneider, LC
Catholic
see all columnists
NEW Patheos Answers
Faith Leaders Database
Anglican Episcopalian
Bahai
Baptist
Buddhism
Christianity
Confucianism
Eastern Orthodoxy
Hinduism
Holiness and Pentecostal
ISKCON
Islam
Judaism
Lutheran
Methodist
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
New Age
Paganism
Presbytarian and Reformed
Protestantism
Roman Catholic
Scientology
Shia Islam
Sikhism
Sufism
Sunni Islam
Taoism
Zen
See all religions
Research Tools
Comparison Lens
Preacher Resources
Teacher Resources
Newsletters
Books of the Bible Study series
History of the Bible
7 Day Prayer Challenge for Spouses
A Different Kind of Christian
Jesus is Love
Prayer Devotional
The Saints We Love
FaithChatter Conversation Cards
Featured Writers
Articles And Essays
Religion Behind the Scenes
Video
Podcasts
See All
RELIGION LIBRARY
Sunni Islam
Toggle navigation
Overview
Origins
History
Beliefs
Rituals and Worship
Ethics and Community
Sacred Narratives
In addition to a belief in the biblical and creation narratives in the Quran, common to all Muslim sects, biography and "religious merits" literature played a large role in the formation of Sunni identity.
read more
Ultimate Reality and Divine Beings
The most common creed of Sunnism, the Ashari creed, includes two essential beliefs: in the Ultimate Reality and Unknowability of God, and in the existence of angels, who perform various roles as emissaries and agents on God's behalf.
read more
Human Nature and the Purpose of Existence
Devotion to the example of Muhammad as the guide for how to define and shape one's existence is a primary element of Sunni identity. Sunni Islam places great emphasis on the model of the Prophet for how to live a pious life and how to conduct all affairs, from the most ceremonial to the most mundane.
read more
Suffering and the Problem of Evil
Controversies over the notions of God's justice, his omnipotence and predestination, and the responsibility each human bears in relation to good and evil were central in early theological circles in the Islamic world. Sunni theologians contended with several early controversies, including one called the Qadariyya.
read more
Afterlife and Salvation
Sunni beliefs about the afterlife and salvation rest on an individual's relationship with God. Resurrection, reckoning, and an eternal afterlife in paradise or hell are some elements of mainstream Sunni eschatology.
read more
History
Rituals and Worship
Back to religion Library
editors picks
View All Columns
Evangelical
Before You Unplug or Sign Out for Good
Guest Contributor
Evangelical
What Is the Purpose of Spiritual Gifts, and How Do You Discover Yours?
Randy Alcorn
New Visions
5 Ways to Hear What God is Telling You
Tom Rapsas
Muslim
How Awake Are We? When Waking Up is Falling Asleep
Daniel Thomas Dyer
Latter-day Saint
"The Church supports the use of vaccinations"
Dan Peterson
Evangelical
Luther and the Beauty of Christ
Guest Contributor
Entertainment
The Soul of Gospel Music Explored in New Netflix Series "Voices of Fire"
DeWayne Hamby
Contemplative
Seven Ways to Think About Christian Mysticism
Carl McColman
Evangelical
Cancelling Alice Walker?
Philip Jenkins
Evangelical
Does God Have His Own Logic?
Roger E. Olson
Patheos
Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.