SUNNITES, sfln'its (from Ar. sitnnah, cus tom, legal usage, tradition, from sauna, to estab lish a usage or law). The orthodox sect in Islam; politically it may be described as the Centre, in contrast to extreme theories concerning the headship of the Church. The term arose in distinction to several tendencies which early asserted themselves, but especially differentiates that sectioNwhich denies the claim of the Shiites (q.v.) for the peculiar authority of Ali. as the sole legitimate successor of Mohammed. (See MOHAMMEDAN SECTS.) These Shiites fast developed their peculiar theological and constitutional theories, and so drove their opponents to an understanding of their own posi tion: as they- were content with tradition and with things as they were, they called themselves Sunnites. or Traditionalists. The differences rapidly developed into those of a political and ethnic character, the Shiites being found in the lands which were opposed to the Ommiads (q.v.), as Arabia, where independence was characteristic, and in Persia, which only by force of arms had submitted to Islam. But the decision between the two parties was by no means immediately reached. The fall of the Onuniads was brought about by Persian Shiite influences (750), al though the new Abbasside dynasty which was in stalled soon threw in its lot with the Sunnites. In general the geographic centre of the Arab power, Mesopotamia and Syria, remained in the control of this party. But the Shiites main tained the contest. The latter as liberalists and theosophists possessed a strong following, es pecially among the cultured, and they often en joyed immunity under free-thinking caliphs. The Empire was honeycombed with Shiite secret societies like the Assassins (q.v.). and Shiite dynasties arose in Egypt and at Bagdad. (See SfurrEs.) But by 1100 Stumism was master in Southwestern Asia. This party was able to main tain itself during the :Mongol invasions, and with the favor of the Ottoman Turks it remains as the predominant body in Islam. At the pres ent time orthodoxy outnumbers all its opponents by ten to one, and commands not only the whole Turkish Empire, but the millions of Moslems in Africa, India, China, Malaysia and the Philip pines. non-Turkish Arabia, and Northern Africa (Morocco being practically Sunnite).
Within this conservative and orthodox body, apart from outer foes, there early developed all kinds of theological strife. Rationalistic and liberal parties developed. which opposed, one after another, the original principles of Islam, such as its views of Cod, and of heaven and hell, its doctrines of predestination and of the literal authority of the Koran. On the other hand, the crass views of the fanatical mob opposed any thing like philosophy, even though orthodox. Traditionalism was not fitted to meet the dia lectic methods of its opponents, who had learned from the ancient schools of culture, and was ignorant of the use of philosophy in self-defense. But the champion of orthodoxy arose in Al Ashari (born 882). A member originally of the Mutazilite sect, which had gone to the extreme of rationalizing upon the faith and the Koran (see MOHAMMEDAN SECTS), he was led to the consciousness of this inconsistency, and openly abjured that heresy, henceforth devoting himself to the formulation of a scholastic philosophy in support of orthodoxy. This school encountered
for long the opposition of the liberals and the ignorant, but about 1050 Ashari's triumph be came evident. His philosophy was continued and popularized by Al-Gazali (q.v.), who estab lished the pietistic principle of Sufiism, which may be compared to the Christian emotional principle of faith. Since Ashari and Gazali no commanding theologian has arisen and no further philosophic advance has been made in Islam.
With reference to the head of Islam, Sunnism still as ever lacks a definite principle. Since 1058 the Ottoman Sultan has claimed the cali phate, although he possesses hut fictions of the traditional requirements. and he holds his power by force and through the agreement of the Faith ful. Hence Sunnism is not hound to the dynasty at Constantinople, and many of its thoughtful minds would regard the fall of the Ottoman power in the light of redemption for the Church. Contrary, therefore, to the original theocratic constitution of Alohfunnicd there has arisen a division between the spiritual and the political forces. Political power is wielded by the Sultan, but the spiritual rule is in the hands of the Ulema (q.v.) of Constantinople, a close corpora tion of lawyer-theologians. Its chief, the Sheik ul-Islam, is appointed by the Sultan, but only out of that body, and be possesses large indepen dent powers which the Sultan dare not invade. IIe is the chief spiritual person in orthodox Islam.
Within the Sunnite body exist four different schools of law, those respectively of the Ilan balites, the Hanifites, the Shatlites, and the kites (so named after their respective founders). The first code is confined to the Wahabites (see WAD Ants) ; the second to Upper Egypt and North Africa; the third prevails in Lower Egypt, Southern India, and .Malaysia; the fourth is followed by the Turks and by the Moslems of Central and Northern Asia. These schools arose in the second and third centuries of the Hejira and represent so many different compositions be tween tradition and progressive law. They are at peace with one another now, and divide ortho dox Islam among themselves, each people be ing allowed to live by its law, and each lawyer electing his choice. But in the Ottoman Empire there exists the contrast between this canon law and the secular law. The latter proceeds from the authority of the Sultan or is the ancient secular law of the land; the other, the law of the Church, is confined mostly to domestic matters, and it is one of the grievances of the orthodox that the legal authority of Oa Church is thus put into abeyance by the secular arm. Here again the analogy may be drawn with the dis pute which has prevailed in European Christen dom between the canon and the civil law. There fore, both in its past history and in its present condition, Snnnism is by no means to be re garded as a homogeneous body or practice. For literature, sec \MOHAMMEDANISM; MOHAMMEDAN SECTS.