ReligionIslam is the predominant religion in Chechnya. Chechens are overwhelmingly adherents to Sunni Islam,[39] the country having converted to Islam between the 16th and the 19th centuries. Due to historical importance, many Chechens are Sufis, of either the Qadiri or Naqshbandi orders. Most of the population follows either the Shafi'i, Hanafi,[40] or Maliki[41]schools of jurisprudence, fiqh. The Shafi'i school of jurisprudence has a long tradition among the Chechens,[42] and thus it remains the most practiced.[43]