Sunni Islam ( /ˈsuːni/ or /ˈsʊni/) is the largest branch of Islam[1], and the oldest group of Muslims. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Jamāʿah (Arabic: أهل السنة والجماعة), "people of the tradition of Muhammad and the consensus of the Ummah" or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah (Arabic: أهل السنة) for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites.
Sunni Islam is sometimes referred to as the orthodox version of the religion.[2] The word "Sunni" comes from the term Sunnah (Arabic: سنة), which refers to the sayings and actions of Muhammad that are recorded in hadiths (collections of narrations regarding Muhammad).[3]
The primary hadith collections, in conjunction with the Quran, form the basis of all jurisprudence methodologies within Sunni Islam. Laws are derived from the text of the Quran and the hadith, in addition to using methods of juristic reasoning (like qiyas) and consensus (ijma). There is a multitude of scholarly opinions in each field; however, these can be summarised as either derived from the four major schools of thought (Madh'hab) or from an expert scholar who exercises independent derivation of Islamic Law (ijtihad). Both are considered valid as differences of opinion were present at the time of the early Muslims (the Salaf).