Denominations of Islam

There is a number of Islamic religious denominations, each of which has significant theological and legal differences from each other. The Muslims you might meet will probably not all hold the same set of beliefs and doctrines. In other words they are similar in belief that Allah is one, but have significant theological and legal differences in each denomination. The major branches are Sunni, Shi'a and Sufi.

1-Sunni

Sunni Islam contains the majority of all Muslims. Sunni Muslims include 84%–90% of all Muslims. It is broken into four schools of thought (known as Mazaheb) which interpret specific pieces of Islam, such as which foods are permissible (halal) differently. They are named after their founders Maliki, Shafi'I, Hanafi, and Hanbali. They are sometimes mistakenly understood as different sects, but they are not.

Sunni means “tradition,” and Sunnis regard themselves as those who follow the traditions of Muhammad. They adopted the belief that leadership should pass to the most qualified person, not through hereditary succession.

The Sunni selected Abu Bakr, Muhammad's close companion and trusted advisor, to be Caliph. While the Caliph Abu Bakr was not a Prophet, as the Qur'an had declared Muhammad to be the last of the Prophets, the Caliph had religious prestige as head of the community of believers.

2-Shi'a Islamic Denomination 

The Shi'a  means "the party of Ali,". They believe that succession should be hereditary, staying within the Prophet's family. They believe that Ali ibn Abi Talib, as the closest living male relative of Muhammad was his rightful successor, and they called him the first Imam (leader), rejecting the legitimacy of the previous Muslim caliphs. Three main subgroups of Shi`ites are Twelvers (Ithna-`Asharis), Seveners (Isma`ilis), and Fivers (Zaydis).

3-Sufism

While some consider the Islamic mysticism called Sufism to constitute a separate branch, most Sufis can easily be considered Sunni or Shia. Sufi Islam is a strain of belief and practice that might be found in both Sunni and Shia. It is more mystical and concerned with a personal relationship with the almighty. Sufism is less an Islamic sect than a mystical way of approaching the Islamic faith. It has been defined as "mystical Islamic belief and practice in which Muslims seek to find the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God."

4-Wahabi

Wahabi Muslims have separate mosques and schools. Wahabi Muslims are followers of Mohammed ibn Abdul Wahab in the 18th century. Wahabis prefer to eliminate music and listening to songs. They are against watching television and drawings of living things which contain a soul. Wahabis do not observe annual Sufi festivals, events or the birthday of Prophet Muhammad. One thing which distinguishes Wahhabi teachings from Sunni teachings is that Wahhabis consider several things prohibited which the four schools of Sunni Islam consider permitted.

5-Baha’is and Ahmadiyyas

Both are 19th-century offshoots of Shi`ite and Sunni Islam, respectively. Bahai’s consider themselves the newest of the major world’s religions but recognize that historically they originated from Shi`ite Islam in the same way that Christianity originated from Judaism. Ahmadiyyas do regard themselves as Muslims. Most other Muslims, however, deny that either group is a legitimate form of Islam and regard members of both groups as heretics — people who have corrupted and abandoned Islamic belief and practice.

* According to most sources, approximately 85% of the world's Muslims are Sunni, and approximately 15% are Shi'a; however, there is a small minority who are members of other Islamic sects.

According to most sources, approximately 85% of the world's Muslims are Sunni, and approximately 15% are Shi'a; however, there is a small minority who are members of other Islamic sects.