A member of the larger of the two main sects
of Islam, with about 680 million adherents.
Sunni Muslims believe that the first four
caliphs were all legitimate successors of the
prophet Muhammad, and that guidance on belief
and life should come from the Koran and the
Hadith, and from the Shari'a, not from a
human authority or spiritual leader. Imams in
Sunni Islam are educated lay teachers of the
faith and prayer leaders.