Introduction to The Sunnah and Its Position in the Islamic Law
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Dr. Mustafa as-Siba'i
All praise belongs to Allah. We seek His help and we ask
His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of
ourselves. Whosoever Allah guides, no one can lead him
astray; and whosoever He leads astray, no one can guide. I
bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, and I bear
witness that Muhammad (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) is his
servant and Messenger. He sent him with truth--sent him as
a bearer of good news on the face of the coming Hour of
Judgment. Whoever obeys Almighty Allah and His
Messenger is on the right path; and whoever disobeys Allah
and His Messenger, he harms only himself, and Allah will
not be hurt in the least.
There On:
Sunnah in the Arabic language (without any religious
context) means a way or method which can have two states,
either a good Sunnah or a bad Sunnah.
As Rasoolullaah (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said in a
hadith:
"Whosoever does a good Sunnah he will get the reward for
it and the reward from other people doing the same thing
until the day of judgment. And whosoever does a bad
Sunnah he will have the punishment from doing it and the
punishment of others who practice it" [Muslim]
The definition of Sunnah differs, however, depending on the
area of Sharee`ah. For example, a scholar in the area of
Usool (fundamental principles) will define Sunnah as
whatever was reported that Rasoolullaah (sallallaahu `alayhi
wa sallam) said, did, or permitted to do. As an example of
what he said, are the hadeeths which deal with the different
Ahkam (regulations) in different contexts, such as his
(sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) saying:
"The reward of deeds depends on intentions..." [Bukhari &
Muslim]
An example of what he did is that which his Companions
have reported of him (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam)) doing in
the matters of `Ibaadaat (acts of worship), such as: The way
to perform Salaat (prayer), Hajj (pilgrimage), Adab us-Siyaam
(etiquette of fasting). An example of what he (sallallaahu
`alayhi wa sallam) permitted to do is whenever he kept silent
upon seeing the Companions doing things; his (sallallaahu
`alayhi wa sallam) silence served as approval; or his
acknowledgment to the Companions that they did the right
thing. An example of his permission is when the
Companions made Ijtihaad (decision by reasoning) during
the battle of Bani Quraydha. He (sallallaahu `alayhi wa
sallam) said: "Do not pray `Asr till you are at Bani Quraydha"
[Bukhari & Muslim]
Some of the Companions understood that to mean that they
should delay prayer till they reach the place. However, some
Companions understood that to mean that they have to
hurry, and so they did pray `Asr on time. In neither case did
the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) say anyone of
them was wrong and he did not reject what they did.
Another example where Rasoolullaah (sallallaahu `alayhi wa
sallam) said something when he saw an action by a
Companion is when Khalod ibn al-Waleed ate a lizard that
Rasoolullaah (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) refused to eat.
Some of the
Companions wondered, and asked him "Is it haraam
(unlawful) to eat it, o Messenger of Allah?" The Prophet
replied:
"No, but it is not common in my area, and I don't feel to eat it"
[Bukhari & Muslim]
Another familiar meaning of Sunnah is that of legal daleel
(evidence, proof) whether it is in the Qur’aan, the Prophet's
sayings, or Ijtihaad by the Companions, such as the
collection of Qur’aan in one book and unifying the reading
of the Qur’aan on one Harf (reading style). Opposite to this is
Bid`ah (inovation) in religion [about] which Rasoolullaah
(sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said clearly "Follow my
Sunnah and the Sunnah of the righteous Caliphs after me"
and did not say follow my bid`ah which should not be taken
as the same as Sunnah. This can be shown by the definition
used in fiqh were we say this is the Sunnah divorce and that
is the Bid`ah divorce. These differences in looking at
Sunnah is dependent on the faculty of scholars, just like any
area of science where definitions vary.
In general we can define the Sunnah as whatever
Rasoolullaah (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said or did to be
way of life for us.
Courtesy Of: Islaam.com
