Sunni Islamic Tradition

Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam, comprising approximately 87 to 90 percent of the world's 1.9 billion Muslims. The Sunni Islamic calendar follows the lunar Hijri system with twelve months totaling approximately 354 days. Sunni religious authorities determine the start of each month — particularly the start of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha — through the methodology of moon-sighting (rukya) by certified committees in each country. Some authorities, particularly the Saudi Umm al-Qura calendar, supplement direct sighting with astronomical calculation for civic purposes. The four major Sunni schools of jurisprudence — Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali — agree on the dating of all major canonical observances and differ only on minor points of ritual practice. Sunni festivals include the two canonical Eids (Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha), the Hijri New Year, the Day of Ashura observed as a voluntary fast, the Mawlid al-Nabi (observed by most Sunni traditions but not by Salafi or Wahhabi-influenced communities), Laylat al-Qadr in the final ten nights of Ramadan, the Isra and Mi'raj on twenty-seventh Rajab, and the Laylat al-Bara'ah on fifteenth Sha'ban.