Who are the Ahl al-Sunna Conference Statement

Jul 8, 2026

International Conference statement clarifying the methodology of Ahl al-Sunna wa’l-Jama`a regarding creed, Islamic jurisprudence, and spirituality, and explaining the real-world consequences of abandoning the normative Sunni path. It recounts the 25–27 August 2016 Grozny, Chechnya conference, convened and hosted by Chechen religious and cultural institutions. It summarizes key scholarly conclusions defining Ahl al-Sunna through Ash`ari/Maturidi doctrine, classical legal schools, and purifying spirituality, while highlighting Qur’anic scholarship’s social and civilizational impact.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

International Conference on Who are the Ahl al-Sunna

Purpose and background of the conference

Foundational document and defining features of Ahl al-Sunna

Doctrinal schools and approaches to Qur’anic meanings

Role of scholarship in society and civilizational impact

International Conference Who are the Ahl al-Sunna? A clarification of the methodology of the Ahl al-Sunna wa ’l-Jama`a in relation to tenets of faith, jurisprudence and spirituality and the effects that deviating from it has on world affairs. ﷽ Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds Peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Master Muhammad, his Family and Companions The International Conference on Who are the Ahl al-Sunna, 25-27 August 2016 (21 Dhu’l-Qa’dah 1437), Grozny, Chechnya, is part ofa biennial series of scholarly conferences held in the month of August in the Chechen Republic. The conference was convened by the Shaykh Ahmad Kadyrov Regional Charitable Fund, Foundation for Chechen Islamic Culture and Education and Tabah Foundation, and hosted by the Presidential Office of the Chechen Republic. Amid attempts by extremist Kharijite factions to seize the title of Ahl al-Sunna and define it by their incorrect and distorted understanding and practice of faith, the conference aimed to clarify the scholastic methodology of normative Sunni Islam, Ahl al-Sunna wa’l-Jama’a, in relation to doctrine, jurisprudence, and spirituality, as has been understood and implemented by generations of Muslim scholars for over a millenia. Special attention was also given to examining the real-world effects of abandoning the normative path. The conference brought together over 200 scholars from across the world. The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar inaugurated the conference with a keynote speech that set the framework for remaining symposia. This year’s conference was held in memory of Shaykh Ahmad Kadyrov, the late mufti and president of Chechnya who was assassinated by Al-Qaeda associated extremists in 2004. The conclusions reached by the scholars in attendance are as follows: • The opening speech of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar constitutes the foundational document upon which the conference is based. • The Ahl al-Sunna wa’l-Jama`a are those who follow: - The Ash`ari or Maturidi schools in doctrine—including the Ahl al-Hadith who adopted the principle of tafwid (Consignment)1. - The Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi or Hanbali schools in Islamic law and jurisprudence. 1 The scholars who belonged to the Ahl al-Hadith adopted either the position of tafwīd on the issue of God ’s attributes or the position of ta ’wīl (interpretation), with tafwīd more commonly adopted. Both positions are validated by the Ash`ari and Maturidi schools. The antropomorphists (mushabbiha) and the corporealists (mujassima) are those who interpreted the Quran ’s ambiguous verses (mutashābih) in a literal sense and imputed a physical form to God. The Ahl al-Hadith did not legitimate antropomorphism and corporealism as valid doctrinal positions. Cases where individual hadith scholars held these positions are rare exceptions and unrepresentative of the Ahl al-Hadith school as a whole. - The path of spirituality in its manifestation as science and practice, namely the adornment of noble character and purification of the heart, as exemplified in the order of al-Junayd and the imams who followed his way. • The methodology of Ahl al-Sunna honours all the different sciences which serve the Qur’anic revelation and identifies the features and higher aims ofthis religion, namely preserving human life, protecting the mind, protecting the religion from distortion, protecting people’s property and honour, and upholding noble character. • The Qur’an can be likened to a sacred precinct surrounded by sciences which serve it. They help to derive its meanings, extract the knowledge contained in it and understand its higher aims and ultimate purposes, which enable people to attain Allah’s proximity. They help translate its verses into a living civilisation and a means of spreading peace and safety in the world. Its verses are manifested in the form ofthe arts, noble character, mercy, ease, belief and prosperous development. The various peoples, cultures and civilisations ofthe wor

FAQs

What was the main purpose of the International Conference on Who are the Ahl al-Sunna in 2016?

To clarify the scholastic methodology of normative Sunni Islam (Ahl al-Sunna wa’l-Jama’a) in creed, jurisprudence, and spirituality, and to examine how abandoning the normative path affects world affairs.

Who are identified as Ahl al-Sunna wa’l-Jama`a according to the conference conclusions?

Those who follow the Ash`ari or Maturidi schools in doctrine (including Ahl al-Hadith positions of tafwid/ta’wil), the Hanafi/Maliki/Shafi/Hanbali schools in jurisprudence, and the spirituality path focused on noble character and purification of the heart.

How does the statement describe the relationship between Qur’anic understanding and other sciences?

The Qur’an is presented as a sacred precinct surrounded by sciences that help derive meanings, extract knowledge, and realize higher aims, enabling living civilization, mercy, and peace.

Jul 8, 2026

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