Status of the Sunnah in Islam pdf download

Status of the Sunnah in Islam

STATUS OF THE SUNNAH IN ISLAM

Book contents

• Introduction 4
• The Status of the Sunnah in Islaam and a Clarification that the
• Qur’aan is not sufficient over it
• The Position of the Sunnah with regard to the Qur’aan 6
• The Need for the Sunnah in order to Understand the Qur’aan,
• and Examples for that
• The Misguidance of those who are satisfied with the Qur’aan
• over the Sunnah
• Knowledge of Arabic is not sufficient for understanding the
• Qur’aan
• An Important Note 15
• A Weak Hadeeth from Mu’aadh regarding Opinion, and what is
• Rejected from it

From the book

Sunnah in speech and action. This is since he will never be more knowledgeable of the language than the Companions of the Prophet, those who the Qur’aan was revealed to in their language.

And (at that time) the language was not blemished with the errors of the non-Arabs and the slang of the common people, but in spite of that, they still erred in understanding these previously mentioned ayaat, when they relied on their knowledge of the language only.

So based on this, it is obvious that whenever a person is knowledgeable of the Sunnah, he will be more likely to understand the Qur’aan and extract rulings from it, than someone who is ignorant about it.

So how about the one who doesn’t rely on it or reference it at all? This is why from the principles that have been agreed upon by the people of knowledge is: to interpret the Qur’aan with the Qur’aan and the Sunnah,1 and then the sayings of the Companions, etc.

From this, we become aware of the misguidance of the scholars of rhetoric, past and present, and their opposition to the Salaf, in their Creed, not to mention their rulings.

 And it is their remoteness from the Sunnah and their knowledge of it, and their making their intellects and desires as judges for themselves with regard to the verses concerning Allaah’s Attributes. What is better than what has been stated in Sharh Al-‘Aqeedah At-Tahaawiyyah [of Ibn Abil-‘Izz Al-Hanafee] (pg. 212, 4th Edition):

“How can someone who didn’t learn from the Book and the Sunnah, but rather just learned it from the views of so and so, speak about the fundaments of the Religion! And if he claims that he is taking it from the Book of Allaah, then he is not taking the interpretation of the Book of Allaah from the ahaadeeth of the Messenger.

He doesn’t look into it (i.e. the Sunnah), nor does he look at what the Companions or those who succeeded them in goodness said, which has been conveyed to us by way of reliable narrators chosen by the critics (i.e. hadeeth scholars). For indeed, they did not convey the arrangement of the Qur’aan only, but rather they conveyed the arrangement as well as the meanings. They would not learn the Qur’aan like the children do (today), rather they would learn it along with its meanings. And whoever does not follow their path, then he is speaking based on his opinion.

 And whoever speaks from his opinion, and from what he thinks Allaah’s Religion is, not getting that from the Book, he is in fact sinning (!), even if he may be correct. Whereas whoever takes from the Book and the Sunnah, he is rewarded even if he errs. However, if he is correct, his reward is multiplied.”

Then he said  

“So it is an obligation to completely submit to the Messenger, follow his orders, and meet his reports with acceptance and firm belief, without contradicting that by false notions that we consider “reasonable” or that constitute a misconception and doubt. Or that we put before it the views of men and the rubbish held in their minds.

So we must single the Prophet  out with regard to making him the judge, submitting to him, obeying him and complying with him, just as we single out the One who sent him in worship, humility, submissiveness, repentance and reliance (to Him).”

In summary: It is an obligation upon all of the Muslims to not differentiate between the Qur’aan and the Sunnah, with regard to the obligation of accepting both of them together and establishing Laws based on both of them.

Indeed this is the guarantee that will prevent them from drifting to the right and the left, and from returning to deviation.

This is as the Prophet clearly stated: “I have left two things for you, which you will never go astray so long as you adhere to them: The Book of Allaah and my Sunnah.

These two will never separate from one another until they return to the Fountain.” [Reported by Maalik and Al-Haakim with a sound chain of narration]

An Important Note:

It is obvious that after all of this we must say: Indeed, the Sunnah that bears this importance in Legislation (i.e. making Islamic laws), only refers to the Sunnah that is authentically reported on the Prophet by way of the knowledge-based paths and authentic chains of narration, which are well known to the scholars of Hadeeth and Narrators.

It does not refer to that which is contained within the various books of Tafseer and Fiqh, or the books on Targheeb and Tarheeb, or those of Raqaa’iq and Mawaa’idh, for indeed many of the weak, rejected and fabricated ahaadeeth can be found in them.

Some of these ahaadeeth, Islaam is completely free from, such as the hadeeth about Harut and Marut, and the story on the satanic verses (gharaneeq) .

I wrote a specific treatise refuting this narration, which has been published.2 I have referenced a score of them in my book, the collection: Silsilat-ul-Ahaadeeth ad-Da’eefah wal-Mawdoo’ah wa Atharuhaa as-Sayy fil-Ummah.” So far the number of ahaadeeth in them has reached close to four thousand.3 And they consist of ahaadeeth that are either weak or fabricated. Only five hundred ahaadeeth from these have been published so far!

So it is an obligation upon the people of knowledge, particularly those that propagate their Fiqh and verdicts to the people, to not be overconfident in using the hadeeth as proof except after becoming sure about its authenticity.

This is especially since the books of Fiqh that are commonly referenced today are filled with ahaadeeth that are weak, rejected and those that have no source to them, as is well known to the scholars.

I have commenced an important project in my opinion, which is beneficial for those who preoccupy themselves with Fiqh, which I call: “The Weak and Fabricated Ahaadeeth in the Major Fiqh Books.”  By this I mean the following books:

1. Al-Hidaayah of Al-Margeenaani, regarding Hanafi Fiqh
2. Al-Mudawwanah of Ibn Al-Qaasim, regarding Maalikee Fiqh
3. Sharh-ul-Wajeez of Ar-Raafi’ee, regarding Shaafi’ee Fiqh
4. Al-Mughnee of Ibn Qudaamah, regarding Hanbalee Fiqh
5. Bidaayat-ul-Mujtahid of Ibn Rushd, on comparative Fiqh.

Unfortunately, however, I did not get the chance to complete it because the Kuwaiti magazine, Al-Wa’ee Al-Islaamee, that promised to publish it and that received it graciously after reviewing it, didn’t print it.

Since I missed that opportunity, then perhaps I will be granted the opportunity, Allaah willing, on another occasion to offer a specific knowledge-based course to my brothers that are studying Fiqh, which will assist them and which will facilitate for them the way towards knowing the grades of the Hadeeth, by returning them to the necessary sources of the books of Hadeeth.

 And which will explain their special and distinct characteristics, as well as what can be relied on from them. And Allaah, Most High, is the One who grants success.

A Weak Hadeeth from Mu’aadh regarding Opinion, and what is

Rejected from it:

Before I finish my talk, I feel that it is necessary for me to direct the attention of the brothers in attendance to a famous hadeeth, which seldom is missing from the books on the Principles of Fiqh.

I will mention it because it is weak, from the perspective of its chain of narration as well as it being in contradiction with what I spoke about in this talk, which was the lack of there being any distinction between the Qur’aan and the Sunnah when it comes to deriving Laws, and the obligation of accepting these two sources together. Indeed it is the hadeeth of Mu’aadh bin Jabal  who reported that the Prophet  said to him when he sent him to Yemen:

“With what will you judge by?” He said: “By the Book of Allaah.” He  said: “And if you don’t find (the answer in) it?” He said: “Then by the Sunnah of Allaah’s Messenger.” He replied: “And if you don’t find (the answer in) it?”  He said: “I will strive to form my own opinion.” So he  said: “All praise be to Allaah who guided the messenger of Allaah’s Messenger to that which Allaah’s Messenger loves.”

As for the weakness of its chain, then this is not the place to discuss it now.

But I clarified this exhaustively, perhaps the likes of which was not undertaken in the past, in (my book) the “Silsilah” (of weak hadeeth) I mentioned previously.4

 But suffice it to say now that the Ameer-ul-Mu’mineen in Hadeeth, Imaam Al-Bukhaaree, said about this hadeeth that it was “rejected.”

So having said this, it is now possible for me to begin explaining the contradiction it poses, which I stated earlier. So I say:

This hadeeth establishes a methodology of ruling for the judge, based on three stages. He is not permitted to seek a ruling from his opinion unless after he acknowledges he can’t find it in the Sunnah.

Nor is he allowed to derive a ruling from the Sunnah until after he establishes he can’t find it in the Qur’aan. With respect to the opinion, this method (of deriving a ruling) is valid and correct according to all of the scholars, which is why they would say: “When the narration is mentioned, the opinion is nullified.” 

However, with respect to the Sunnah, this method is not correct, because the Sunnah determines and explains the Book of Allaah.

 So it is obligatory for one to look for the ruling in the Sunnah, even if he thinks that it exists in the Qur’aan, based on what we stated previously.

So the Sunnah with respect to the Qur’aan is not like the opinion with respect to the Sunnah.

No, definitely not. Rather we must consider the Qur’aan and the Sunnah as one source, there being no distinction between them at all.

This is as has been indicated in the sayings of the Prophet : “Indeed, I was given the Qur’aan and something similar to it, along with it” – meaning the Sunnah – and “They will not be separated from one another until they return to the Fountain.”