What is related from the Salaf and the Imams about following his Sunnah, taking his guidance and the Sira
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Qadi Iyyad
A man from Khalid ibn Asid’s family asked `Abdullah ibn
`Umar, "Abu `Abdu’r-Rahman! We find the Fear Prayer and
the prayer at home in the Qur’an, but we do not find the
travelling prayer." Ibn `Umar said, "My nephew, Allah sent
Muhammad to us when we did not know anything. We do as
we saw him doing."
`Umar ibn `Abdu’l-`Aziz said, "The Messenger of Allah made
a Sunnah and the people in command after him made
sunnas. To adopt them is to confirm the Book of Allah and to
act on them is to obey Allah and strengthen the deen of
Allah. It is not for anyone to change the Sunna or alter it or to
look into the opinion of those who oppose it. Whoever
follows it is guided. Whoever seeks help by it will have
victory. Whoever opposes it and follows other than the path
of the believers, Allah will entrust him to what he turns to and
will roast him in Jahannam, which is a bad ending." [See
Qur’an, 4:115]
Al-Hasan ibn Abi’l-Hasan said, "A little action following a
sunna is better than a lot of action following an innovation."
Ibn Shihab said, "It has reached us that some of the people
of knowledge said, ‘Holding fast to the sunna is salvation.’"
`Umar ibn al-Khattab wrote to his governors telling them to
learn the Sunna, the shares of inheritance and the dialects,
saying, "People will try to argue with you (i.e. by using the
Qur’an) so overcome them with the Sunna. The people of
the Sunna have the greatest knowledge of the Book of
Allah."
When `Umar prayed two rak’ats at Dhu’l-Hulayfa [the miqat
for the people of Madinah on their way to Hajj], he said, "I do
as I saw the Messenger of Allah doing."
When `Ali joined the hajj and `umrah together, `Uthman said
to him, "Why do you do this, when you know that I have
forbidden the people to do it?" He replied, "I do not abandon
a sunna of the Messenger of Allah for the statement of
anyone."
`Ali said, "I am not a Prophet nor have I received revelation,
but I act according to the Book of Allah and the Sunna of the
Prophet Muhammad as much as I can."
Ibn Mas`ud used to say, "Doing a little of the Sunna is better
than striving hard in innovation."
[...]
Courtesy Of: Islaam.com
