The Sunnah: What is the Sunnah - Why do we need the Sunnah?
Praise be unto Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, the Lord of the Worlds. Blessings and peace be upon the Prophet Muhammad
Sall Allahu alaihi wa sallam, his family, his companions, and those who follow his guidance unto the Day of Judgement.
Do
we all clearly know and understand what is the defination of the
Sunnah? The Sunnah is the legal way or ways, orders, acts
of worship and statements of the Prophet Sall Allahu alaihi wa sallam
(means: may the peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
that are ideals and models to be followed by Muslims.
For some
Muslims, the term Sunnah means nothing. It carries no weight in their
lives nor does it inspire them to correct their actions accordingly.
Through this prevailing ignorance, it has become a word which is
outdated. But the reality is such, that by us rejecting this divine
institution, we have taken ourselves down the slippery road of
destruction and misery. To reject the Sunnah is to reject the
beautiful religion of Islam. And to reject Islam, it to humiliate and
degrade oneself, both in this world and the next.
What
is the Sunnah?
Linguistically, Sunnah is an Arabic word which means a path
or a way. However, Islamically, it is a primary source of law taken
from the sayings, actions and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad Sall
Allahu alaihi wa sallam As Muslims we believe that the law
Prophet Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi wa sallam came with,
is a divine revelation from our Creator, Allaah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.
However many people believe that the Qur'an is the only form of
divine revelation, as it is the literal word of Allaah Subhanahu wa
Ta'ala. This view is incorrect as it contradicts the Qur'an itself.
About the Prophet Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi wa sallam,
Allaah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says:
"Your companion
(Muhammad) is neither astray nor being misled. Nor does he speak of
his own desire. It is (only) the revelation with which he is
inspired" (Surah An-Najm 53:2-4).
Thus as Muslims, we
are required to believe that the Qur'an and Sunnah go hand in hand
together as our sources of legislated law. Both are revelation from
Allaah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, the most High. The Qur'an is composed of
the actual words of Allaah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, whereas the Sunnah is
expressed through the words, actions and approvals of the Prophet
Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi wa sallam. Another difference is that the
Qur'an is recited formally in the prayers whereas the Sunnah is not.
As a way of life, Islaam is perfect and complete. However,
such are the times that we live in, that some of the liberal elite
from the Muslims choose to deny aspects of Islam to suit their own
desires. It is even more sad, that many choose to deny the Sunnah in
particular. However this is clearly wrong, as the saying of the
Prophet Sall Allahu alaihi wa sallam indicates: "I
have been given the Qur'an and something similar to it besides it.
Yet a time will come when a man leaning on his couch will say 'follow
the Qur'an only; what you find in it permissible, take as
permissible, and what you find as forbidden, take as forbidden'. But
verily what the Messenger of Allaah Sall Allahu alaihi wa sallam has
forbidden is like what Allaah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has forbidden"[1].
The words of the Arabian Prophet ring truthfully in our ears
again. Today there are a group of people in Pakistan called the
Pervezies who say exactly as the Prophet (saws) foretold. They firmly
insist that the Qur'an is the only source of law to be followed.
Thus, they neither consider the Sunnah a source of law, nor a
regulation of our daily affairs. This has led to many Muslim scholars
declaring (and rightly so) that the Pervezies are not Muslims.
Why
do we need the Sunnah?
Before the advent of the Prophet Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi
wa sallam, every nation on this planet had received a
Messenger. The purpose of these Messengers was to instruct their
people in how to worship Allaah correctly. The Prophet Muhammad Sall
Allahu alaihi wa sallam was no exception to this. If we had
been given the Qur'an on its own, then most of us who are Muslims
would have gone astray through our own interpretations of this book.
Rather, Allaah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala through his mercy, sent a noble
Messenger who came to explain this Qur'an so that the people of the
earth may understand their Creator better:
"We have
revealed the reminder (Qur'an) to you (O' Muhammad) in order that you
explain to the people what has been revealed to them, that perhaps
they may reflect" (Surah An-Nahl 16:44)
By explaining the
Qur'an through his words and actions, the Prophet Sall Allahu alaihi
wa sallam through his Sunnah, gives us the best example of how this
book is to be understood and practised. This is why Allaah Subhanahu
wa Ta'ala says:
"Indeed in the Messenger of Allaah you
have the most beautiful pattern of conduct" (Surah
Al-Ahzab 33:21)
Our need for the Sunnah is so great, that
without it our religion would be incomplete. In fact, this is the
exact predicament which all the other religious scriptures find
themselves in. Books such as the Bible and the Baghvad Gita, are so
lacking in a divine explanation, that one can never understand (from
them) as how to worship Allaah properly. As Muslims we do
not have this worry, because the Sunnah is our divine explanation.
The Qur'an commands us to worship Allaah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala through
prayer, fasting, charity etc, but it does not inform us of how to
perform these duties practically. It is through his infinite Wisdom,
that Allaah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has sent us a practical example in
the form of the Prophet Sall Allahu alaihi wa sallam and
his teachings. The Prophet's adherence and practice of the Qur'an was
so exemplary, that upon being asked about his character, his wife
Aisha said: ".his character was that of the Qur'an"[2].
Is it
obligatory to follow the Sunnah?
Obeying Allaah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala is without doubt,
obligatory. So when Allaah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says:
"Whosoever
obeys the Messenger, has indeed obeyed Allaah" (Surah An-Nisa
4:80)
It should be clear that one has obeyed Allaah Subhanahu
wa Ta'ala by obeying the Messenger Sall Allahu alaihi wa sallam.
Furthermore Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi wa sallam said:
".whosoever disobeys me, disobeys Allaah"[3]. Following the
Sunnah is clearly an obligation upon every Muslim.
The
obligation is stressed even more when Allaah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala
says:
"But no, by your Lord, they can have no faith,
until they make you (O' Muhammad) judge in all disputes between them,
and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and
accept them with full submission" (Sura An-Nisa 4:65)
and
:
"It is not fitting for a believer, man or woman, when
a matter has been decreed by Allaah and His Messenger to have any
choice in the matter. If anyone disobeys Allaah and His Messenger he
is clearly astray" (Surah Al-Ahzab 33:36)
As Muslims we
know that when Allaah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala or His Messenger Sall
Allahu alaihi wa sallam decree something for us, it will always
benefit us, even if we do not realise it. Thus, submitting to the
Messenger Sall Allahu alahi wa sallam is only there for our benefit
and not to oppress us, as some mistakenly believe.
It
must also be remembered that besides being the Messenger of Allaah,
Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi wa sallam was an Arab man
living in seventh century Arabia. This meant that he had his own
personal tastes and preferences just like any other mortal. These
preferences are clearly distinguished from the Islamic law which is
binding upon everyone. Thus, his personal Sunnah is clearly distinct
from the legal Sunnah which he brought. An example of this
distinction is when the Prophet Sall Allahu alaihi wa sallam
came to Madeenah[4] and found the inhabitants artificially
pollinating the date palm trees. When he asked them why they did so,
they replied that it was their habit. He suggested to them that maybe
if they did not do it; it may be better. So they gave it up and the
following year their crop was greatly diminished. When they told him
of this he replied: "I am only a human being. When I issue any
command to you regarding your religion, then accept it, but when I
issue any command to you based on my own opinion, I am merely a human
being"[5].
Islam is a religion which singles out Allaah
Subhanahu wa Ta'ala alone for worship. It is for this reason that the
possibility of Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi wa sallam being
anything more than a man, is totally absurd. As a Messenger of Allaah
we believe that his Sunnah is infallible, but at the same time we
maintain a perfect balance by remembering the words of Allaah
Subhanahu wa Ta'ala:
"Say (O' Muhammad) : 'I am only a
man like you (except that) it has been revealed to me that your God
is one God" (Surah Al-Kahf 18:110)
True Muslims will
follow Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi wa sallam, not worship him.
What are
the benefits of the Sunnah?
One
of the scholars of the past, Imam Malik[6], said: "The Sunnah is
like the ark of Noah. Whoever embarks upon it achieves salvation and
whoever rejects it, is drowned"[7].
This salvation is
the admittance into Paradise and avoiding the fire of Hell. Regret is
a terrible state. But regret on the Day of Judgement will be even
worse for the one who did not follow the Sunnah:
"And
remember the day when the wrongdoer will bite at his hand and say:
'Oh! Would that I had taken the path of the Messenger'" (Surah
Al-Furqan 25:27)
This regret will continue during the
punishment:
"On the day the faces will be tossed about
in the fire, they will say: 'Woe to us! Would that we had obeyed
Allaah and his Messenger" (Surah Az-Zukhruf 43:67)
On the
other hand, the one who adhered to the Sunnah will attain the
ultimate benefit:
"Whoever obeys Allaah and his
Messenger will be admitted to gardens beneath which rivers flow to
live there (forever), and that will be the great achievement"
(Surah An-Nisa 4:13)
This is further confirmed by the
Prophet Sall Allahu alaihi wa sallam himself when he said: "He
who obeys me enters paradise, and he who disobeys me refuses to enter
paradise"[8].
The sweetness of the Sunnah will also be
tasted during this life. The vastness of the Prophet Sall Allahu
alaihi wa sallam's way is such, that is produces a physical,
spiritual and psychological benefit to its adherent. This fact is
also recognised by non-Muslim scientists who have discovered that the
Sunnah is extremely accurate in its conformity with modern scientific
data. Scientific and Medical facts which were recorded more then 1000
years ago, from the tongue of the Prophet Sall Allahu alaihi wa
sallam, have only been recently discovered. Such findings prove that
the Sunnah could only have been divinely revealed. Thus, the one who
lives his life by this law will bring goodness upon himself and upon
the rest of this decaying world. As for one who chooses to discard
these divine rules, then that is a person who has lost a treasure
which far outweighs any treasure that the earth can bring forward. A
treasure which will bring eternal happiness.
We hope that
what has been read, will encourage the reader to investigate into the
way of this amazing man, and adhere to the law which he brought.
Through investigation inshaa'Allaah (if God Wills) will come reform.
And the one who reforms his life around the Sunnah of Muhammad Sall
Allahu alaihi wa sallam, can be assured of a complete guidance:
"I
have left two things among you, as long as you hold fast to them you
will never go astray. They are the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of
His Messenger"[9].
Footnotes:
1.
Authentic - Reported by Ahmad and Abu Dawood.
2. Reported by
Muslim - Eng. Trans. Vol.1, p358-360, No.1623.
3. Reported
by Bukhari - Eng. Trans. Vol.9, p.198, No.251.
4. The Prophet
(saws) immigrated from his hometown of Mecca to the city of Madeenah.
5. Reported by Muslim. Eng. Trans. Vol.4, p.1259, No.5831.
6.
Malik bin Anas was born in 713 CE in Madeenah, where he grew up
studying Hadeeth. He soon became the leading scholar of the region
and often ran into the authorities for speaking the truth. This
resulted in him being jailed and flogged. He compiled the classical
book of hadeeth Al-Muwatta, which took over 40 years. The Maalikite
School of Islamic law takes its name after him.
7. Reported in Majmoo al-Fataawa (4/57).
8. Reported by
Bukhari - Eng. Trans. Vol.9, p.284, No.384.
9. Authentic -
Reported from Al-Muwatta.
Reference:
TROID Publications - The Reign Of Islaamic Dawah
"Let the
Sunnah Go Forth"
(Article from the newsletter 'Invitation to Islam' September 1997)
Praise be to Allah, may His Ta'ala's Blessings and Peace
be upon the Prophet Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi wa sallam,
his family, his companions, and his adherents.
Aameen.
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