Sunnah Explained

is the body of traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. For Muslims, the sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time supposedly saw, followed, and passed on to the next generations.^{[1] [2]} However, what constitutes the Sunnah, and its interpretation, depends significantly on the specific Islamic sect and school of thought. Sunnis rely on six major canonical hadith collections to document the Sunnah, known as Kutub al-Sittah. For Shias, the sunnah is generally documented in Kutub al-'Arba'a, which give preference to hadiths attributed to the Prophet's family (Ahl al-Bayt) and the Twelve Imams. For Ibadis, the sunnah is documented in the two hadith collections Jami Sahih and Tartib al-Musnad.^{[3] [4]} Sufis hold that Muhammad transmitted his sunnah, including his spiritual values, "through a series of Sufi teachers".

According to classical Islamic theories,^[5] the sunnah is primarily documented by hadith—which are the verbally-transmitted record of the teachings, actions, deeds, sayings, and silent approvals or disapprovals attributed to Muhammad—and alongside the Qur'an (the book of Islam) are the divine revelation (wahy) delivered through Muhammad that make up the primary sources of Islamic law, beliefs, and theology.^{[6] [7]} The sunnah is classified into different types based on Muhammad's actions: his specific words, his actions such as habits and practices, and silent approvals .^[8] However, some Muslims, such as Ahl al-Kalam, Kharijites, and Mu'tazilites, have distinguished between the Sunnah and Hadith, accepting the Sunnah as an authoritative practice while being critical of the Hadith's reliability as a source for Islamic law.^{[9] [10] [11]} The Quranist stance on the Sunnah varies from outright rejection to an approach that considers external sources as secondary and dependent on the Qur'an for verification.^[12]

Historically, in pre-Islamic Arabia, the term referred to 'manner of acting', (Urf) whether good or bad^[13] and recording of it was also an Arab tradition.^[14] Later, "good traditions" began to be referred to as sunnah and the concept of "Muhammad's sunnah" was established. During the early Islamic period, it included precedents set by both Muhammad, and his companions.^[15] In addition, the sunnah of Muhammad was not necessarily associated with hadith.^[16] The strict focus of Muhammad’s example—especially as recorded in hadith—as the only authoratative source of sunnah was established later, particularly by the scholar al-Shafi'i (d. 820 CE), in the late second century of Islam. The term then eventually came to be viewed as synonymous with the sunnah of Muhammad, based on hadith reports,^[17] distinct from other practices.

Definitions and usage

(Arabic: سنة pronounced as /ar/; : Arabic: سنن pronounced as /ar/) is an Arabic word that means:

• "habit" or "usual practice" (USC glossary);^[18]
• "habitual practice, customary procedure or action, norm, usage sanctioned by tradition" (Wehr Dictionary);^[19]
• "a body of established customs and beliefs that make up a tradition" (Oxford Islamic Studies Online);^[20]
• "a path, a way, a manner of life" (M. A. Qazi);
• "precedent" or "way of life" (pre-Islamic definition, Joseph Schacht and Ignác Goldziher).^[21]

Its religious definition can be:

• "the Sunna of the Prophet, i.e., his sayings and doings, later established as legally binding precedents" (along with the Law established by the Quran) (Hans Wehr);
• "All of the traditions and practices of the Prophet" of Islam, "that have become models to be followed" by Muslims (M. A. Qazi);
• "the body of traditional social and legal custom and practice of the Islamic community" (Encyclopædia Britannica);^[22]
• "the actions and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad" (Oxford Islamic Studies Online).
• "Al-Hikma (wisdom)", as per definition of Shafi'i school in his book, ar-Risala, based on his interpretation of Qur'an chapter Al Imran .^[23]

Notes and References

1. Book: Qazi . M. A. . El-Dabbas . Mohammed Saʿid . A Concise Dictionary of Islamic Terms . 1979 . Kazi Publications . Lahore, Pakistan . 65.
2. [#DWBRTMIT1996|Brown, ''Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic Thought'', 1996]
3. Book: Duderija . Adis . The Sunna and its Status in Islamic Law: The Search for a Sound Hadith . 14 October 2015 . Springer . 978-1-137-36992-5 . 109 . en.
4. Philip Sandgrove, "From Wadi Mizab to Unguja." Taken from The Transmission of Learning in Islamic Africa, pg. 192. Volume 2 of Islam in Africa. Leiden: Brill Publishers, 2004.
5. [#DWBRTMIT1996|Brown, ''Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic Thought'', 1996]
6. Abou El Fadl . Khaled . 22 March 2011 . What is Shari'a? . ABC Religion and Ethics . 20 June 2015.
7. Web site: What is the Difference Between Quran and Sunnah? . 20 June 2015 . Ask a Question to Us.
8. Nasr, Seyyed H. "Sunnah and Hadith". World Spirituality: An Encyclopedia History of the Religious Quest. 19 vols. New York: Crossroad Swag. 97–109.
9. Brown, Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic Thought, 1996, pp. 15–16.
10. See Abdur Rab, ibid, pp. 199–200.
11. Book: Major Issues in Islam: The Challenges Within and Without . Harvey J . Sindima . 2017 . 9780761870173 . Rowman & Littlefield.
12. Web site: Reformist Movements in the Indian Subcontinent and Their Views on the Quran . https://web.archive.org/web/20170810082513/http://jsr.usb.ac.ir/article_836_66f3c74ac6651881aeb32f7fbef47109.pdf . 2017-08-10.
13. Encyclopedia: Juynboll . G. H. A. . 1997 . Sunna . Encyclopaedia of Islam . 2nd . Brill . P. . Bearman . Th. . Bianquis . C. E. . Bosworth . E. . van Donzel . W. P. . Heinrichs . 9 . 878–879.
14. Book: Goldziher, Ignác . Introduction to Islamic Theology and Law . 1981 . Princeton UP . 9780691072579 . Princeton, NJ . 231 . registration.
15. Web site: Hameed . Shahul . 24 November 2014 . Why Hadith is Important . 2 September 2015 . OnIslam.net.
16. [#DWBRTMIT1996|Brown, ''Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic Thought'', 1996]
17. [#DWBRTMIT1996|Brown, ''Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic Thought'', 1996]
18. http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/reference/glossary/term.SUNNAH.html Sunnah
19. Web site: Wehr . Hans . A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic . Hans Wehr Searchable PDF . 15 June 2020 . 369.
20. Web site: Sunnah . https://archive.today/20130616030931/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t243/e332 . dead . 16 June 2013 . Oxford Islamic Studies Online . 15 June 2020.
21. Book: The Origins of Muhammadan Jurisprudence . Schacht . Joseph . Oxford University Press . 1959 . 1950 . 58.
22. Web site: Sunnah. Islam . Encyclopaedia Britannica . 15 June 2020.
23. Web site: al-Shafi'i . al-Shafi'i . كتاب الرسالة/بيان فرض الله في كتابه اتباع سنة نبيه . The Message Book/Statement of God’s obligation in His Book to follow the Sunnah of His Prophet . ar.wikisource.org . 29 August 2024 . Ar . وقال: .