Sunni, Shia and the schools of law
Islamic Studies · Key Stage 3 · The School
A question of leadership
After the Prophet ﷺ died in 632 CE, the community had to decide who would lead. The majority accepted Abu Bakr as caliph; others held that leadership belonged to Ali, the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, and his descendants. That disagreement about authority — not about the Quran or the pillars — is the historical root of Sunni and Shia.
What is shared and what differs
Both hold the same Quran, the same five daily prayers (with some differences in timing and detail), Ramadan, zakat and Hajj. Differences appear in which hadith collections are authoritative, in some legal details, in religious authority structures, and in commemorations such as Ashura. Roughly 85–90% of Muslims worldwide are Sunni.
The four Sunni schools
Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali — named after four scholars of the 8th and 9th centuries. They agree on the overwhelming majority of rulings and differ in method: how much weight to give a local practice, an analogy, or a report of a particular strength. Following one is normal; treating the others with contempt is not.
SHARED: one God, the same Quran, the Prophet ﷺ as the final messenger, the five daily prayers, Ramadan, Hajj, the qiblah. The historic difference concerns leadership of the community after the Prophet's death, and it developed into differences in law and practice. Separately, the four Sunni schools differ in METHOD, not creed, and following one is normal. Describing either accurately means not confusing the two questions.