Sunni

Definition

Belonging or relating to the branch of Islam based on the Qur'an, the Kutub al-Sittah (the hadiths which record the Sunnah) and that places emphasis on the Sahabah.

Etymology

From Arabic سُنِّيّ (sunniyy), from سُنَّة (sunna, “Sunna”) + ـِيّ (-iyy). By surface analysis, Sunna + -i.

Example Sentences

• "I therefore strongly advocate the formation of a local capital but not at Hillah, which is too Sunni and near Baghdad"
• "members […] came to view themselves collectively as the righteous descendants of Husayn confronting an evil and fundamentally alien ruler: a shah more Zoroastrian than Muslim, more Sunni than Shi'i, more Arab than Iranian, more Yazid than Husayn."
• "Many Shias who had become more Sunni in their religious practices reverted back to their original sect."