It is well known among Muslims that the Sunnah of Muhammad (saaws) must be believed in and adhered to. Allah Ta’ala says:

“..So take what the Messenger assigns to you, and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you, and fear Allah, for Allah is strict in punishment.” (TMQ 59:7)

The one who rejects the Sunnah is a Kafir since it means the rejection of Wahi. The word “Sunnah” has been greatly misunderstood by some Muslims and grossly neglected by others. This article is an attempt to convey the correct concept of Sunnah to those who misunderstand it and explain the importance of following it to the letter to those who neglect it.

What is Sunnah?

Sunnah, in the Arabic language, means way (tariqah). As a term, it is used by the scholars to mean different things. For example, the scholars of Usool ul-fiqh define the Sunnah as “sayings, actions, and silent approvals of the Prophet (saaws). ” Since the scholars of Usool are concerned with the legislative sources and the derivation of laws from these sources, they view Sunnah from a legislative perspective (i.e. what things related to the Prophet are used as legal evidences). Scholars of fiqh, however, use Sunnah to mean the actions performed or commands given by the Messenger of Allah that are below the Fard. In other words, the Fuqahaa’ are concerned with punishment and reward. Therefore, when the Fuqahaa’ use the word Sunnah, they refer to an action for which there is a reward if it is carried out and no punishment if it is not. It is synonymous with mandoub.

Is the Sunnah a Revelation?

It is indeed a wahi from Allah Ta’ala.

“Nor does he say aught of his own desire. It is no less than an Inspiration sent down to him He was taught by one Mighty in Power. “ (TMQ 53:3-4)

and Allah Ta’ala says,

“And if the Messenger were to invent any sayings in Our name, We should certainly seize him by his right hand, and We should certainly cut off the artery of his heart. “ (TMQ 69: 44-46)

Therefore, the sayings, actions, and silent approvals are a wahi from Allah Ta’ala. Similar to the Qur’an, the Sunnah makes things Haram and Halal. This is due to the fact that it is a wahi. As a matter of fact, most of the detailed rules that govern the Muslim’s life as an individual and as part of the society are taken from the Sunnah. Debating this will ultimately lead to the nullification of Sharia at large. The Messenger of Allah said, “Indeed what the Messenger made Haram is like that which Allah made Haram.” (Abu Dawood and At-Tirmizi) He (saaws) also said, “I left two things among you, if you hold onto them, you will not go astray: The book of Allah and my Sunnah.”( AI-Bukhari)

A Gross Misunderstanding

Due to mixing between the Sunnah as a source of legislation that must be followed and Sunnah as an action that is below the Fard, many preferable actions are made obligatory by many people. Many Muslims, for example, consider it a must to pray all Raka’as of salat ul- Dhuhr (2 or 4 Sunnah, 4 Fard, 2 Sunnah and 2 Nafil). They believe they will be punished if they do not pray all the Raka’as in that order all the time. They do not differentiate between the Fard (i.e. an action for which they would be rewarded for doing and punished for not doing) and the Sunnah (Mandub) (i.e. an action for which they would be rewarded for doing and not punished for not doing). Nor do they differentiate between the Sunnah from the fiqh point of view and the Sunnah as a source of legislation.

A similar example of not differentiating occurs with regards to growing of the beard. Some Muslims believe that it is Haram not to grow the beard and it is even worse to grow it and then shave it off, as it is abandoning the Sunnah! One can understand this position if they were of the opinion that growing the beard is Fard. However, since they hold the opinion that growing the beard is Sunnah and yet consider it a sin for shaving it off, reflects confusion over the concept of Sunnah.

Do problems arise from this understanding?

Yes. Muslims cannot perform an action with the wrong intention. Allah’s Messenger (saaws) said in the Hadith reported by AI-Bukhari: “Verily actions by intentions.” Therefore, for the action to be accepted by Allah Ta’ala, the Niyyah must be correct. Also, praying the Sunnah of Thuhr as an obligation, while it is recommended, is Haram since it is changing parts of the Deen. AI-Bukhari reported that the Messenger of Allah (saaws) said: “Whoever initiates something new in our matter [Deenj is rejected.” Also, this misunderstanding often leads to either rushing through the Salah in order to finish it or not praying at all since “there is no time.” Both results are unacceptable.

What about the other extreme?

Some Muslims do have the right understanding of the difference between Sunnah as a source of Sharia and Sunnah as opposed to Fard. They, however, take it very lightly. They only look at one side of the definition, namely that if the action is not carried out, the person will not be punished. They faiI to see the positive side of the definition, “if one carries out the action, he will be rewarded.” So when they are seen not doing Tasbeeh after Salah or not praying the Sunnah and are approached, they rush to ask “why do I have to do it? Is it an obligation?” or “I do not want to do it, it is not an obligation!” or “Am I committing Haram by not doing the Sunnah?!”

While such statements reflect a correct and clear differentiation between Fard and Sunnah, they reflect an extremely poor understanding of some basic issues, some of which are:

1. The Muslim should be constantly striving to get closer and closer to Allah Ta’ala. This is not accomplished by doing just the Fard, but also by performing other actions that will get us closer to Him (such as reading AI-Quran AI Kareem, praying the Sunnah and the Nafil, fasting the recommended days, etc.) Allah’s Messenger (saaws) said in the Hadith Qudsi that is reported by AI-Bukhari: “Allah Ta’ala said.. “There is nothing I love the most than when My ‘Abd becomes closer to Me with that which I obligated him to do. My ‘Abd keeps getting closer to Me with Nafl until I love him. When I love him, I become his hearing which he hears with, and his sight which he sees with, and his hand which he strikes with, and his leg which he walks with. If he asks Me, I will give him, and if he seeks My refuge, I will protect him.”

2. Doesn’t performing the Sunnah help us accomplish the Fard? This is something we all feel, that the more Sunnah and Nafil we do, the easier it becomes to carry out the Fard. It is almost certain that neglecting the Sunnah will impact on our performance of the Fard, such as praying Fajr, controlling ones tongue, lowering ones gaze, etc.

3. When Allah Ta’ala legislated the Sunnah, He did not do it aimlessly. It was designed to elevate the Islamic personality so as to obtain a higher level of closeness to Allah Ta’ala. Doesn’t Allah Ta’ala complement the Sahaba by saying:

“…You see them bowing and falling down prostrate, seeking bounty from Allah and His good pleasure. The mark of them is on their faces [foreheads] from the traces of prostration.” (TMQ 48:29)

4. The Messenger of Allah (saaws), who was guaranteed the highest level of Jannah, used to pray at night till his feet were swollen, would fast till the Sahaba would say he was not going to break fast, would give charity generously, recite the Qur’an constantly, do Tasbeeh extensively…, His Sahaba continued his practice. It was said that Abu Hurrairah would sleep 1/3 of the night, pray 1/3 of the night and review his Hadiths 1/3 of the night. Are we even worthy of comparison?!!

5. We should remember that our destination on the Day of Judgment might be dependent on one good deed (hasanah). This good deed might be in that Salah or that Tasbeeh or that recitation of the Qur’an! Allah Ta’ala says,

“As for the one whose scale [good deeds] is heavy, he will have a pleasant life. And the one whose scale [good deeds] is light, he will be thrown [in hell] headfirst.” (TMQ 101:6-9)

It has to be clear that carrying the Da’wah with a group or labeling oneself with a name does not guarantee one Jannah! Nor does it exempt one from the Sunnah or remove the necessity of needing the rewards of Sunnah. The active Muslims are the ones who need to constantly read the Qur’an and pray the Sunnah and Nafil the most, for this is the source of their strength and determination. Therefore, they should be the most eager to please Allah Ta’ala. We should ask ourselves, How badly do we want to please Allah? How badly do we want to go to AI-Jannah? Are we doing what it takes? These are but a few things to ponder over.

Ar-Raya Magazine, November 1995