May the peace, mercy and blessings of our Lord be upon you
I hope you are well, if not then we ask the Healer to heal and protect you.
This is only through the Mercy of the Most-Merciful.
We are currently in the middle of discussing the sources of Islam. We have discussed the Holy Quran, and take it as our first source, mainly because it is the Word of God and He promises us that He will protect it. From that we can derive that the Glorious Quran is the TRUTH. Unfortunately we cannot do the explanation of the Quran in depth, but I am willing to share many books written on this subject with you.
To understand the second source of Islam, we have to understand the authority and the importance of it, the prophetic traditions of the Final Prophet, Muhammad (SAW). I will be using the book of Jamaal al-Din M.Zarabozo – The Authority and the Importance of the Sunnah.
The Meaning of the word “Sunnah”
The first step in understanding is to define the word “Sunnah”. The primary cause of confusion concerning the Sunnah and its importance is the usage of this word. Scholars of Islam in different fields of study, use the word “Sunnah” in the manner that is most appropriate for its needs and purposes. I will list the definitions below:
Jurists of Islam (Faqeeh)- An act which is between obligatory and permissible; a recommended act; an act for which one is rewarded for performing and not punished for not performing
Scholar of Hadith (Muhaddith)- What has been passed down from the final Prophet (SAW) of his statements, actions, approvals, manners, physical characteristics or biography, regardless of whether it was before he was sent as a prophet or afterwards.
Legal Theorist (Usooli) – What comes from the final Prophet (SAW) in the form of speech, action or approval, other than the Quran itself.
Specialist in Aqeedah (Questions related to faith and creed) – The foundation of the faith, the obligatory, deeds, the matters of creed and the definite rulings of Islam.
The lexical definition of the word “Sunnah” is a way, course, rule or manner, of acting or conduct of life or the like… whether good or bad; approved or disapproved… a way that has been instituted or pursued by former people and has become one pursued by those after them.
Evidence from the Four Sources of Islam
I will provide evidence from the four sources that establish the authority and importance of the Sunnah. We can only derive this from the four sources of Islam and nothing else. Unfortunately I will not be able to provide all the evidences but I will provide one from each source although there are many verses in the Holy Quran as well as Ahadith that establish this.
(Tafsir Ibn Kathir Surah Nisaa: 80)
Abu Bakr (RA) said, “I have not left anything that the Prophet (SAW) used to do except that I also act upon it. I fear if I were to leave his commands, I would become deviated.
(Ubaidullah ibn Battah al-Akbari)
Ibn Khuzaimah said, “No one can say anything if the Messenger of Allah (SAW) has already spoken (upon the topic) and it comes to us through a sound chain (Authentic Ahadith).
With the permission of Allah, I will carry on with the explanation of the Sunnah in the next post God Willing. I will focus on the four great Imams
وعليكم السلم و رحمة الله و بركاتة
