Sunnah Explained

In Islam, , also spelled (ar|سنة), is the body of traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time supposedly saw, followed and passed on to the next generations.^[1] According to classical Islamic theories,^[2] the sunnah are documented by hadith (the verbally transmitted record of the teachings, deeds and sayings, silent permissions or disapprovals of Muhammad), and alongside the Quran (the book of Islam) are the divine revelation (wahy) delivered through Muhammad that make up the primary sources of Islamic law and belief / theology.^{[3] [4]} Differing from Sunni classical Islamic theories are those of Shia Muslims, who hold that imams interpret the sunnah, and Sufi who hold that Muhammad transmitted the values of sunnah "through a series of Sufi teachers".

According to Muslim belief, Muhammad was the best exemplar for Muslims,^[5] and several verses in the Quran declare his conduct exemplary, and enjoin his followers to obey him. Sunnah provides a basis not only for major laws and rituals in Islam like how to pray salat, but for "even the most mundane activities", such as the order in which to cut fingernails or the proper length of a beard.^[6]

In the pre-Islamic period, sunnah was used to mean "manner of acting", whether good or bad.^[7] During the early Islamic period, the term referred to any good precedent set by people of the past, including both Muhammad, and his companions.^[8] In addition, the sunnah of Muhammad was not necessarily associated with hadith.^[9]

The classical meaning that now prevails was introduced later in the late second century of Islam, when under the influence of the scholar Al-Shafi‘i, Muhammad's example as recorded in hadith was given priority over all other precedents set by other authorities. The term al-sunnah then eventually came to be viewed as synonymous with the sunnah of Muhammad, based on hadith reports.^[10] Recording the sunnah was also an Arabian tradition and once they converted to Islam, Arabians brought this custom to their religion.^[11]

The sunnah of Muhammad as based on hadith includes his specific words (Sunnah Qawliyyah), habits, practices (Sunnah Fiiliyyah), and silent approvals (Sunnah Taqririyyah).^[12] In Islam, the word "sunnah" is also used to refer to religious duties that are optional, such as Sunnah salat.^[13]

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);^[14]
• "habitual practice, customary procedure or action, norm, usage sanctioned by tradition" (Wehr Dictionary);^[15]
• "a body of established customs and beliefs that make up a tradition" (Oxford Islamic Studies Online);^[16]
• "a path, a way, a manner of life" (M. A. Qazi);
• "precedent" or "way of life" (pre-Islamic definition, Joseph Schacht and Ignác Goldziher).^[17]

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);^[18]
• "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 .^[19]

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. Abou El Fadl . Khaled . What is Shari'a?. ABC Religion and Ethics . 22 March 2011 . 20 June 2015.
4. Web site: What is the Difference Between Quran and Sunnah?. Ask a Question to Us. 20 June 2015.
5. Book: Islahi, Amin Ahsan . Amin Ahsan Islahi . Mabadi Tadabbur i Hadith . Fundamentals of Hadith Interpretation . 1989 . Al-Mawrid . Lahore . http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/DownloadContainer.aspx?id=71 . 1 June 2011 . ur . Difference between Hadith and Sunnah.
6. [#DWBRTMIT1996|Brown, ''Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic Thought'', 1996]
7. 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.
8. Web site: Hameed . Shahul . Why Hadith is Important . OnIslam.net . 2 September 2015 . 24 November 2014.
9. [#DWBRTMIT1996|Brown, ''Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic Thought'', 1996]
10. [#DWBRTMIT1996|Brown, ''Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic Thought'', 1996]
11. Book: Goldziher, Ignác . Introduction to Islamic Theology and Law . registration . 231 . Princeton, NJ . Princeton UP . 1981 . 9780691072579.
12. Nasr, Seyyed H. "Sunnah and Hadith". World Spirituality: An Encyclopedia History of the Religious Quest. 19 vols. New York: Crossroad Swag. 97–109.
13. Web site: Hameed . Shahul . Why Hadith Is Important . OnIslam . 22 June 2015 . 24 November 2014.
14. http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/reference/glossary/term.SUNNAH.html Sunnah
15. Web site: Wehr . Hans . A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic . Hans Wehr Searchable PDF . 15 June 2020 . 369.
16. 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.
17. Book: The Origins of Muhammadan Jurisprudence . Schacht . Joseph . Oxford University Press . 1959 . 1950 . 58.
18. Web site: Sunnah. Islam . Encyclopaedia Britannica . 15 June 2020.
19. 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: .