# What do Sunni Muslims believe? > Sunni Muslims are the majority of Muslims. They confess one God and Muhammad as his messenger, count the first four caliphs, and treat Bukhari and Muslim as the most authoritative hadith. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/sunni-islam/what-do-sunni-muslims-believe - Religions: Islam - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: islam, sunni - Updated: 2026-10-09 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) Sunni Muslims are the majority of Muslims. They confess one God, Muhammad as his messenger, and the Qur’an as God’s word. They count Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali as the first four caliphs, and they treat the hadith of al-Bukhari and Muslim as the most authoritative reports of what Muhammad said and did. ## Key points - [Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sunni) calls this the majority branch, also Ahl al-Sunnah, who recognize the first four caliphs. - [Pew (2009)](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2009/10/07/mapping-the-global-muslim-population/) puts Sunni Muslims at 87–90 percent of the world’s Muslims, an approximate range. - [Britannica on hadith](https://www.britannica.com/topic/hadith) says al-Bukhari (died 870) and Muslim (died 875) are the most authoritative Sunni collections, and that the Six Books are generally considered the most reliable hadith for Sunni Muslims. - [Qur’an 33:40](https://quran.com/33/40) calls Muhammad the seal of the prophets. Sunni and Shia Muslims share that verse. - Christians confess that the one God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that Jesus is God. [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity) ## God, Muhammad, and the book Sunni Muslims confess that God is one and that he has no partners. [Qur’an 33:40](https://quran.com/33/40) (Saheeh International) is the verse they share with Shia Muslims about Muhammad: > Muḥammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allāh and seal [i.e., last] of the prophets. And ever is Allāh, of all things, Knowing. [Qur’an 4:157](https://quran.com/4/157) is the usual reading on which Jesus was not crucified. That is a Muslim claim, Sunni and Shia together. [Did Jesus die on the cross?](/islam/did-jesus-die-on-the-cross) ## The first four caliphs After Muhammad died, Sunni Muslims say the community rightly chose Abu Bakr, then Umar, then Uthman, then Ali. Britannica states that recognition as the Sunni position, and states the Shi‘i position as the claim that leadership belonged to Ali and his descendants. [What is the difference between Sunni and Shia Islam?](/islam/sunni-vs-shia) [What is a caliphate?](/islam/what-is-a-caliphate) ## The Six Books A hadith is a report of what Muhammad said or did. For Sunni Muslims, Britannica names six collections as generally the most reliable, and Bukhari and Muslim as the most authoritative pair. [What are hadith and sira?](/islam/what-are-hadith-and-sira) [Which Muslims accept which hadith?](/islam/which-muslims-accept-which-hadith) Pew’s 2009 portrait also names the Sunni law schools: Hanafi, Shafi‘i, Maliki, and Hanbali, and it mentions Wahhabi and Salafi currents inside the Sunni world. Those are schools and movements inside this branch, not a second religion. ## The Christian claim Christians grant the sentence that God is one. They confess that the one God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that the Word was God. [John 1:1](/bible/john/1/1) (King James Version): > In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [John 20:28](/bible/john/20/28) records Thomas calling the risen Jesus Lord and God. [Tawhid and Christian monotheism](/islam/tawhid-and-christian-monotheism) sets the two confessions side by side. [What do Christians believe about Muhammad?](/islam/what-do-christians-believe-about-muhammad) Talking with a Shia Muslim? Read [what Shia Muslims believe](/shia-islam/what-do-shia-muslims-believe). ## Frequently asked questions ### Are Sunni Muslims a denomination of Christianity? No. This site treats Sunni Islam as a branch of Islam, and Islam as a religion other than the Nicene confession. [Islam](/islam) [Sunni Islam](/sunni-islam) ### Do Sunni Muslims worship Jesus? They honor him as Messiah, born of Mary, and not as God. [Jesus in the Qur’an and the Gospels](/islam/jesus-in-the-quran-and-the-gospels) ### Where are the articles about Muhammad’s life? Those stay on the Islam shelf, in one series. [Who was Muhammad?](/islam/who-was-muhammad) ## Passages quoted on this page ### Qur’an 4:157 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/an-nisa/157) > And [for] their saying, "Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, the messenger of Allāh." And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain. ### John 20:28 King James Version. > And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God. ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [Encyclopaedia Britannica, Sunni](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sunni) 2. [Encyclopaedia Britannica, hadith](https://www.britannica.com/topic/hadith) (Bukhari and Muslim, and the Six Books, as the most reliable hadith for Sunni Muslims.) 3. [Pew Research Center, Mapping the Global Muslim Population](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2009/10/07/mapping-the-global-muslim-population/) (2009. Approximate range: 87–90 percent Sunni.) 4. [Qur’an, 33:40; 4:157](https://quran.com/33/40) (Saheeh International.) 5. [Gospel of John, 1:1; 20:28](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/1/1). King James Version ## See also - [Can God Have a Son?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/can-god-have-a-son) — The Qur'an condemns the claim that God has taken a son, especially a son by a consort. Christians deny that picture and still confess the eternal Son. - [Did Jesus Die on the Cross?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/did-jesus-die-on-the-cross) — The Qur'an is widely read as saying Jesus was not crucified. The Gospels, Paul, and two Roman-era historians say he was. - [Did Paul Invent Christianity?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/did-paul-invent-christianity) — Muslims often say Paul turned the prophet Jesus into a divine saviour. The creed he says he received, and the apostles he names, are the test of that claim. - [Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/do-muslims-and-christians-worship-the-same-god) — Is Allah the same God? Muslims and Christians both confess one Creator, the God of Abraham. They do not confess the same account of who that God is: Christians say Jesus is God, and the Qur'an denies it. - [Does Jesus Do What Only God Does?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/does-jesus-do-what-only-god-does) — The Qur'an says God gives life to the dead, is the First and the Last, and comes with the angels. The Gospel says Jesus does those things. ## History [View history on GitHub](https://github.com/Apologetics-Wiki/apologetics-wiki/commits/main/src/content/articles/what-do-sunni-muslims-believe.md)