This is the story of how one of the greatest Muslim leaders of all time became a Muslim. This is the conversion story of ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab (Radiallahu Anhu).
‘Umar ibn Al Khattab was a feared and well respected man from the Banu Adi clan from among the Quraish. He came from a middle class family from Mecca. Well known for his determination and fearless nature; he became one of the early opponents of the religion of Islam.
During the days prior to his acceptance to Islam; the religion was being taught in private. There was fear of persecution from the Quraish. The Muslims would meet in homes, and would learn the religion from Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wassalam).
There were few men that had carried so much honor and fear in Quraish. ‘Umar ibn al Khattab was one of them. That is why, Prophet Muhammad SWS once made a Dua(invocation) to Allah:
“O Allah! Give Islam strength through one of the men you love more: ‘Umar ibn al Khattab or Amr ibn al Hisham(Abu Jahl)”
Umm Abdullah(Radiallahu Anhum)was running one day and had the plan to leave Mecca because of the persecutions. She ran into, fellow tribesmen, ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab who asked her, “Why are you running around?” She responded, “You have caused us too much pain for worshiping Allah.” To her shock ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab told her, “have peace on your journey.” Umm Abdullah told her brother that she ran into ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab, and her brother responded “He’s going to kill us.” Islam began to soften the heart of ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab.
One day ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab went to visit the Haram. Once there he saw the Prophet praying in front of his eyes. Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wassalam)was reciting Surah Haqqah(the Reality). Soon after listening to it he said “By Allah, this is poetry as the Quraish have said.” Right when he said this; Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wassalam) recited:
إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ
وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍ قَلِيلًا مَا تُؤْمِنُونَ
“That this is verily the word of an honoured Messenger
It is not the word of a poet, little is that you believe!” (69:40-41)
Surprised by the verses, he said to himself “He must be a soothsayer.” Another accusation made by the Quraish. As soon as he said that; the next verses were recited:
وَلَا بِقَوْلِ كَاهِنٍ قَلِيلًا مَا تَذَكَّرُونَ
تَنزِيلٌ مِّن رَّبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
“Nor is it the word of a soothsayer , little is that you remember!
This is the Revelation sent down from the Lord of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists)” (69: 42-43)
Later on in life, when speaking of this moment, ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab said “This is when Islam entered my heart.”
‘Umar ibn Al Khattab, a man known for determination and his anger, made a sudden decision of killing Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wassalam). Even though Islam was slowly entering his heart; the hatred he had for the new religion still existed. So on that day that he just decided that he was going kill the Messenger of Allah. On his way he ran into Na’im ibn Abdullah (Radiallahu Anhu)who began to talk to him. When Na’im found out that ‘Umar wanted to kill the Prophet; he told ‘Umar that maybe he should speak with his sister first(inferring that she became Muslim). When he came near his sister’s house he heard the recitation of the Qur’an. Upon enteringhe asked his sister and her husband Said ibn Zaid (Radiallahu Anhu) “Have you صدها (left the faith of your forefathers)?”. He then began to attack his sister and her husband. Upon seeing blood of her sister; he had began feeling guilty. He apologized to his sister and her husband, and requested to read the words of the Qur’an. Upon the request his sister said “you are not clean go wash your self.” Upon reading the verses of Surah Ta ha; Islam began to enter his heart again.
Now ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab returned on his plan to visit the Prophet. While he made the stop at his sister’s house; Na’im ibn Abdullah went and warned the Prophet and his companions of ‘Umar’s intentions. When ‘Umar got to the house-sword in hand. The warrior Hamza ibn AbdulMutallib (Radiallahu Anhu) said, “I will kill him with his own sword.” The Prophet(Sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wassalam) told him, “No, go hide.” When ‘Umar entered the Prophet (Sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wassalam) grabbed ‘Umar by the collar and shook him; then asked him, “O Ibn Al Khattab, Why have you not accepted Islam?” ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab (Radiallahu Anhu)responded:
أشهد أن لا إله إلاَّ الله و أشهد أن محمدا رسول الله
“I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”
The Muslims that were hiding began yelling “الله أكبر”(God is the Greatest). This became so loud that it could be heard through out Mecca. Till this day, when a person accepts Islam, upon him finishing his deceleration the people say “الله أكبر”
After years of secretly spreading Islam, from that moment on, Islam began being preached in the open. Outside for everyone to accept.
Immediately after becoming Muslim; ‘Umar asked Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wassalam), “Who is the hardest on the Muslims?” The Prophet (Sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wassalam) told him it was Abu Jahl ibn Hisham. So ‘Umar immediately went to the house of Abu Jahl and knocked on his door. Abu Jahl greeted his nephew, but then ‘Umar said to him “I am a Muslim now.” Upon hearing that Abu Jahl slammed the door on his face.
The young Abdullah Ibn Umar (Radiallahu Anhu), the son of ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab, who secretly was already Muslim at a very young age could not be happier. When he found out he began running through the streets yelling “‘Umar has left the religion of your forefathers.”
Within one hour of becoming Muslim; ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab began fighting with the Quraish. Many of the Polytheist came out and began fighting with ‘Umar. When ‘Umar began to fatigue, he would grab an honored son of Quraish and threatened everybody that he would poke his eyes out if they didn’t back off. He continued to do this until he was completely tired.
This is what made ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab (Radiallahu Anhu) special. He was a man of action. He not only believed, but he did something. We can all take a lesson from his life. We sit around and we have been Muslim for days, weeks, months, years, and most of us our whole lives. This man was Muslim for just an hour, and began fighting for his faith. How can we be too lazy to do anything; when we had an example like ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab.
Now that I have already mentioned all of the evidences of the Qur’an, now I will show some other evidences for the Authority of the Sunnah. The Fifth Category of evidence for following the Ahadith of Prophet Muhammad PBUH, are the Ahadith in which he ordered obedience to his Sunnah.
I will break this down into three points.
The first point: Prophet Muhammad PBUH, him self says that he was given wahi along with the Qur’an, just like the Qur’an says. “Verily I have been given the Qur’an and something like it” (Abu Dawood, Classified as Sahih)
The second point: Prophet Muhammad PBUH said “It will soon happen that a person will be sitting in content/relaxation and he will say ‘Whatever comes to you, take it from the Qur’an, that is sufficient for you.’ ” and then the Prophet PBUH said, “Know that everything that I make Halal, is as if Allah (SWT) made Halal, and everything that I make Haram, is as if Allah(SWT) has made Haram.” (Musnad Ibn Ahmed, Ibn Majah , Classified as Sahih)
This is very special, because the Prophet PBUH had predicted the coming of people like the Submitters Internationals (A group who rejects the Sunnah and beliefs in a so called Messenger of God the disgraced Rashad Khalifa) He PBUH predicted and warned us of these heretics like Ghulam Pervez.
The third point: Is the fact that Prophet PBUH commanded the Sahaba to preserve his Sunnah, and forbade them from lying about his Sunnah.
Prophet PBUH said, “May Allah brighten the face of a person who has heard my speech, and then memorized it and understood it, and passed it on to others, it may be possible that the one that hears it, understands better than the one who narrates it” (at Tirmidhi)
Out of All the Ahadith narrated, the one with the most chains of narrations is one. Out of All the Mutawatir Ahadith, this one has the most chains of narration. It has been narrated with over 70 different chains of narrations. It is recorded in almost every book of Ahadith. You will find in the 6 major books of Ahadith belonging to Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamah, you will find it in the Ahadith books of the Shi’i, the Khuwarij were aware of this hadith, and so were the Mutazilis.
Prophet Muhammad PBUH said, “Who ever lies about me, will find a place in Hell.”
The sixth category is logic or common sense. Before I begin with the evidences, I want to remind everyone that Islam is a logical religion, but it is not based purely on logic. Everything in Islam is based on the order of Allah and his Messenger. All the orders are logical, but none of them come straight from logic. As Ali ibn Abi Talib RA said “Islam is logical, but it is not based on logic. If it was, we would wipe the bottom of our feet instead of the top of our feet (during Wadhu).”
Allah All Mighty says in the Qur’an:
“And Establish the Prayer”
Does Allah mention how many Raka’s you have to pray? Does Allah mention the exact timings of Fajr? Does Allah tell us what to recite in Prayer? Does Allah say what goes in what Order? Does the Qur’an say recite Fatiha?
There is a group that started about 20 or 30 years ago, in Arizona. They are called Submitters. Their founder was named Rashad Khalifa(The idiot who came up with the 19 theory, and then claimed to be a messenger of God, Alhumdulillah Allah saved us from him by killing him), they do not follow the Sunnah, and they actually say it is Shirk to follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad PBUH. If you go to their official site they have a description of prayer, funny thing is they say one must recite Fatiha, and the follows the number of Raka’h like Muslims do. Only problem with that is the Qur’an does not say how many Raka’h to pray, nor does it say to recite Al Fatiha. This is their official literature on how to pray:
The Last evidence for the authority of the Sunnah is the consensus of Muslims. Not just Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamah, but even the other groups. The Shia have concept of the Sunnah (ie Usul ul Kaafi), the Khuwarij even accepted the Sunnah.
InshAllah, I will try to get the final part of Usool ul Hadith this week, and InshAllah try to get Uloom ul Hadith Started soon.
In previous post, I have mentioned that there are over 50 verses in the Qur’an that directly say to obey Prophet Muhammad (Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam). I have mentioned some of them, and most books about the Authority of the Sunnah don’t actually list all of them. The book ‘The Authority and Importance of the Sunnah’ by Sheykh Jamal al-Din Zarabozo, actually lists them all. I am just going list all the verses, unlike my other post, I will not post the Arabic parts, because it would take me 10 years to post it all.
2:129 “Our Lord! send amongst them an Messenger of their own, who shall rehearse Thy Signs to them and instruct them In Scripture and Wisdom, and sanctify them: for Thou art the Exalted In Might, the Wise.”
2:159 those who conceal the Clear (Signs) we have sent down, and the guidance, after we have made it Clear for the people In the Book,-on them shall be Allah.s curse, and the curse of those entitled to curse,-
2:231 when ye divorce women, and They fulfil the term of their (‘Iddat), either take them back on equitable terms or set them free on equitable terms; but do not take them back to injure them, (or) to take undue advantage; if any one does that; He wrongs His own soul. do not treat Allah.s Signs As a jest, but solemnly rehearse Allah.s favours on you, and the fact that He sent down to you the Book and Wisdom, for your instruction. and fear Allah, and know that Allah is well acquainted with all things.
3:31 say: “If ye do love Allah, follow Me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.”
3:32 say: “Obey Allah and His Messenger.: but if They turn back, Allah loveth not those who reject Faith.
3:132 and obey Allah and the Messenger. that ye may obtain mercy.
3:164 indeed Allâh conferred a great Favour on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves, reciting unto them his Verses (the Qur’ân), and purifying them (from sins by their following him), and instructing them (in) the Book (the Qur’ân) and AlHikmah [the wisdom and the Sunnah of the Prophet (i.e. his legal ways, statements, acts of worship, etc.)], while before that they had been In manifest error.
4:13 those are limits set by Allah. those who obey Allah and His Messenger will be admitted to Gardens with rivers flowing beneath, to abide therein (for ever) and that will be the Supreme achievement.
4:14 but those who disobey Allah and His Messenger and transgress His limits will be admitted to a fire, to abide therein: and They shall have a humiliating punishment.
4:42 on that Day those who reject Faith and disobey the apostle will wish that the earth were made one with them: but never will They hide a single fact from Allah.
4:59 O ye who believe! obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. if ye differ In anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if ye do believe In Allah and the Last Day: that is best, and Most suitable for final determination.
4:61 when it is said to them: “Come to what Allah hath revealed, and to the Messenger.: Thou seest the Hypocrites avert their faces from Thee In disgust.
4:64 we sent not an apostle, but to be obeyed, In accordance with the will of Allah. if They had only, when They were unjust to themselves, come unto Thee and asked Allah.s forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, They would have found Allah indeed Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.
4:65 but no, by the Lord, They can have no (real) Faith, until They make Thee judge In all disputes between them, and find In their souls no resistance against Thy decisions, but Accept them with the fullest conviction.
4:69 all who obey Allah and the apostle are In the company of those on whom is the Grace of Allah,- of the prophets (Who teach), the sincere (lovers of Truth), the witnesses (Who testify), and the righteous (Who do good): Ah! what a beautiful fellowship!
4:80 He who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah. but if any turn away, we have not sent Thee to watch over their (evil deeds).
4:113 but for the Grace of Allah to Thee and His Mercy, a party of them would certainly have plotted to lead Thee astray. but (in fact) They will only lead their own souls astray, and to Thee They can do no harm In the least. for Allah hath sent down to Thee the Book and wisdom and taught Thee what Thou Knewest not (before): and great is the Grace of Allah unto thee.
4:115 if anyone contends with the Messenger Even after guidance has been plainly conveyed to him, and follows a path other than that becoming to men of Faith, we shall leave Him In the path He has chosen, and land Him In Hell,- what an evil refuge!
5:92 obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and beware (of evil): if ye do turn back, know ye that it is Our Messenger.s duty to proclaim (the message) In the clearest manner.
7:157 those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write (i.e.Muhammad ) whom they find written with them In the Taurât (Torah) (Deut, xviii, 15) and the Injeel (Gospel) (John xiv, 16) , – He commands them for Al-Ma’rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and All that Islâm has ordained); and forbids them from Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism of All kinds, and All that Islâm has forbidden); He allows them as lawful At-Taiyibât [(i.e. All good and lawful) as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.], and prohibits them as unlawful Al-Khabâ’ith (i.e. All evil and unlawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.), He releases them from their heavy burdens (of Allâh’s Covenant), and from the fetters (bindings) that were upon them. so those who believe In Him (Muhammad), honour him, help him, and follow the light (the Qur’ân) which has been sent down with him, it is they who will be successful .
7:158 Say (O Muhammad ): “O mankind! Verily, I am sent to You All as the Messenger of Allâh – to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. Lâ ilâha illa Huwa (none has the Right to be worshipped but He); it is He who gives life and causes death. so believe In Allâh and his Messenger (Muhammad), the Prophet who can neither read nor write (i.e. Muhammad ) who believes In Allâh and his Words [(this Qur’ân), the Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel) and also Allâh’s Word: “Be!” – and He was, i.e. ‘Iesa (Jesus) son of Maryam (Mary),], and follow Him so that You may be guided. “
8:12 (remember) when Your Lord inspired the angels, “Verily, I am with you, so keep firm those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who have disbelieved, so strike them over the necks, and smite over All their fingers and toes.”
8:13 This is because they defied and disobeyed Allâh and his Messenger. and whoever defies and disobeys Allâh and his Messenger, Then Verily, Allâh is Severe In punishment.
8:20. O You who believe! obey Allâh and his Messenger, and turn not away from Him (i.e. Messenger Muhammad ) while You are hearing.
8:24. O You who believe! answer Allâh (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when He () calls You to that which will give You life, and know that Allâh comes In between a person and his heart (i.e. He prevents an evil person to decide anything). and Verily to Him You shall (all) be gathered.
9:71. the believers, men and women, are Auliyâ’ (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another, they Enjoin (on the people) Al-Ma’rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and All that Islâm orders one to do), and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief of All kinds, and All that Islâm has forbidden); they perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât) and give the Zakât, and obey Allâh and his Messenger. Allâh will have his Mercy on them. surely Allâh is All-Mighty, All-Wise.
16:44. with clear signs and Books (We sent the Messengers). and we have also sent down unto You (O Muhammad ) the Reminder and the advice (the Qur’ân), that You may explain clearly to men what is sent down to them, and that they may give thought.
24:48. and when they are called to Allâh (i.e. his words, the Qur’ân) and his Messenger (), to judge between them, Lo! a party of them refuse (to come) and turn away.
24:49. but if the Right is with them, they come to Him willingly with submission.
24:50. is there a disease In their hearts? or do they doubt or fear lest Allâh and his Messenger () should wrong them In judgement. Nay, it is they themselves who are the Zâlimûn (polytheists, hypocrites and wrong-doers, etc.).
24:51. the Only saying of the faithful believers, when they are called to Allâh (his words, the Qur’ân) and his Messenger (), to judge between them, is that they say: “We hear and we obey.” and such are the prosperous ones (who will live forever In Paradise).
24:52. and Whosoever obeys Allâh and his Messenger (), fears Allâh, and keeps his duty (to him), such are the successful ones.
24:54. say: “Obey Allâh and obey the Messenger, but if You turn away, He (Messenger Muhammad ) is Only responsible for the duty placed on Him (i.e. to convey Allâh’s Message) and You for that placed on you. if You obey him, You shall be on the Right Guidance. the Messenger’s duty is Only to convey (the Message) In a clear Way (i.e. to preach In a plain way).”
24:56. and perform AsSalât (IqâmatasSalât), and give Zakât and obey the Messenger (Muhammad) that You may receive Mercy (from Allâh).
24:62. the true believers are Only those, who believe In (the Oneness of) Allâh and his Messenger (Muhammad), and when they are with Him on some common matter, they Go not away until they have asked his permission. Verily! those who ask Your Permission, those are they who (really) believe In Allâh and his Messenger. so if they ask Your permission for some affairs of theirs, give permission to whom You will of them, and ask Allâh for their Forgiveness. Truly, Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
24:63. make not the calling of the Messenger (Muhammad) among You as Your calling of one another. Allâh knows those of You who slip away under shelter (of some excuse without taking the permission to Leave, from the Messenger ). and let those who oppose the Messenger’s (Muhammad) Commandment (i.e. his Sunnah legal ways, orders, acts of worship, statements, etc.) (among the sects) beware, lest some Fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, earthquakes, killing, overpowered by a tyrant, etc.) befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them.
27:79. so put Your trust In Allâh; surely, You (O Muhammad ) are on manifest truth.
33:21. indeed In the Messenger of Allâh (Muhammad Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam) You have a good example to follow for Him who hopes In (the Meeting with) Allâh and the Last Day and remembers Allâh much.
33:34. and Remember (O You the members of the Prophet’s family, the graces of Your Lord), that which is recited In Your houses of the Verses of Allâh and AlHikmah (i.e. Prophet’s Sunnah legal ways, etc. so give Your thanks to Allâh and glorify his praises for This Qur’an and the Sunnah). Verily, Allâh is ever Most Courteous, WellAcquainted with All things.
33:36. it is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allâh and his Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option In their decision. and whoever disobeys Allâh and his Messenger, He has indeed strayed In a plain error.
33:66. on the Day when their faces will be turned over In the Fire, they will say: “Oh, would that we had obeyed Allâh and obeyed the Messenger (Muhammad Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam).”
33:71. He will direct You to do righteous good deeds and will forgive You Your sins. and Whosoever obeys Allâh and his Messenger (Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam) He has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. He will be saved from the Hell-fire and made to enter Paradise).
36:3. Truly, You (O Muhammad Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam) are one of the Messengers,
36:4. on a Straight Path (i.e. on Allâh’s Religion of Islâmic Monotheism).
42:52. and Thus we have sent to You (O Muhammad Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam) Ruhan (an inspiration, and a Mercy) of Our Command. You knew not what is the Book, nor what is Faith? but we have made it (this Qur’ân) a light wherewith we Guide Whosoever of Our slaves we will. and Verily, You (O Muhammad Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam) are indeed guiding (mankind) to the Straight Path (i.e. Allâh’s Religion of Islâmic Monotheism).
42:53. the Path of Allâh, to whom belongs All that is In the heavens and All that is In the earth. Verily, All the matters at the end Go to Allâh (for decision).
47:33. O You who believe! obey Allâh, and obey the Messenger (Muhammad Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam) and render not vain Your deeds.
48:10. Verily, those who give Bai’â (pledge) to You (O Muhammad Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam) they are giving Bai’â (pledge) to Allâh. the Hand of Allâh is over their hands. Then Whosoever breaks his pledge, breaks Only to his own harm, and Whosoever fulfills what He has covenanted with Allâh, He will bestow on Him a great reward.
48:17. no blame or sin is there upon the blind, nor is there blame or sin upon the lame, nor is there blame or sin upon the sick (that they Go not forth to war). and Whosoever obeys Allâh and his Messenger (Muhammad Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam), He will admit Him to Gardens beneath which rivers flow (Paradise); and Whosoever turns back, He will Punish Him with a painful torment.
49:1. O You who believe! do not put (yourselves) forward before Allâh and his Messenger (Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam), and fear Allâh. Verily! Allâh is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
49:2. O You who believe! raise not Your voices above the voice of the Prophet (Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam), nor speak aloud to Him In talk as You speak aloud to one another, lest Your deeds may be rendered fruitless while You perceive not.
53:2. Your companion (Muhammad Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam) has neither gone astray nor has erred.
53:3. nor does He speak of (his own) desire.
53:4. it is Only an Inspiration that is inspired.
58:5. Verily, those who oppose Allâh and his Messenger (Muhammad Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam) will be disgraced, as those before them (among the past nation), were disgraced. and we have sent down clear Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.). and for the disbelievers is a disgracing torment.
58:9. O You who believe! when You hold secret counsel, do it not for sin and wrong-doing, and disobedience towards the Messenger (Muhammad Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam) but do it for Al-Birr (righteousness) and Taqwa (virtues and piety); and fear Allâh unto whom You shall be gathered.
59:7. what Allâh gave as booty (Fai’) to his Messenger (Muhammad Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam) from the people of the townships, – it is for Allâh, his Messenger (Muhammad Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam), the kindred (of Messenger Muhammad Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam), the orphans, AlMasâkin (the poor), and the wayfarer, In order that it may not become a fortune used by the rich among you. and whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam) gives you, take it, and whatsoever He forbids you, abstain (from it) , and fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is Severe In punishment.
62:2. He it is who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam) from among themselves, reciting to them his verses, purifying them (from the filth of disbelief and polytheism), and teaching them the Book (this Qur’ân, Islâmic laws and Islâmic jurisprudence) and Al-Hikmah (As-Sunnah: legal ways, orders, acts of worship, etc. of Prophet Muhammad Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam). and Verily, they had been before In mainfest error;
64:12. obey Allâh, and obey the Messenger (Muhammad Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam), but if You turn away, Then the duty of Our Messenger is Only to convey (the Message) clearly.
72:23. “(Mine is) but conveyance (of the truth) from Allâh and his Messages (of Islâmic Monotheism), and Whosoever disobeys Allâh and his Messenger, Then Verily, for Him is the Fire of Hell, He shall Dwell therein forever.”
A recent phenomenon in the west has begun where; “Muslims” will examine their religion. They will speak on Fiqh (law), Aqeedah(theology), and other issues, and they will leave out the Sunnah. For the most part this new phenomenon is called “modernism”.
No “Muslim” would ever say that I don’t believe in Prophet Muhammad PBUH, or I would not obey him if he told me something. But now they try to find ways around this. Some of these excuses are “well hadith weren’t really preserved” or “Imam Bukhari died 200 years after the Prophet”. “I don’t know what Prophet Muhammad actually said” is the same as saying “we don’t care what Prophet Muhammad PBUH said”. If you deny that the Sunnah has been preserved, the end result is denying the Sunnah itself.
Let’s first start off with some simple definitions. The meaning of the word “Sunnah” linguistically means path, a way. “Sunnah” is a simple path, or a road. The Sharia(Islamic Rulings) definition of “Sunnah” depends on who uses it, and what context. The scholars of Fiqh(law) define “Sunnah” to be “that which is not obligatory to do, but if a person does it he is rewarded.” This is the most commonly known meaning of “Sunnah”. According to the Scholars of hadith, “Sunnah” is defined as “All of the actions, the statements, the tacit approvals, and the physical characteristics of the Prophet.” According to the Scholars of Aqeedah, the “Sunnah” is defined as what the Muslims believe. The Theology of the Muslims is called the Sunnah. That is why Ahlus-Sunnah wa al Jamaah, take the name that they do. They are the people of the Sunnah, meaning they follow the theology of Prophet Muhammad PBUH. For example when Imam Ahmad Raheemullah wrote a book about Aqeedah (theology) he titled it Usool ul Sunnah(Fundamentals of the Sunnah). Now lets define the word “Hadith.” Linguistically “hadith” is the opposite of “khadeem”, “Hadith” it means “something that is new”. A person’s statements are called “hadith” because he said something new that he didn’t say before. From a Sharia point of view, “Hadith” is a statement of Prophet Muhammad PBUH.
What is the difference of Sunnah and the Hadith? Hadith is something that is tangible. You can open up Sahih Bukhari, and read what the Prophet said. The Sunnah is something that is Abstract, it can be found in Hadith, but it is an action so it is not tangible. Sunnah is something that he did, so there is no such thing as a Sahih(authentic) Sunnah or a Daef(weak) Sunnah, but there are Sahih Hadith and Daef Hadith. When we are talking about the Sunnah, we are talking about a methodology, when we are speaking of Hadith, we are speaking of a specific statement, specific chain of narration, it may be authentic or weak. Hadith is what preserved the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad PBUH.
What is the status of Sunnah in Islam? The scholars of Islam have three very similar opinions. The first opinion is that the Sunnah is second only to the Qur’an. We find an Ayah and Hadith about something, we accept the hadith first and then also accept the hadith. The second opinion, which is the majority opinion, is that the Qur’an and the Sunnah are equivalent in weight. This does not mean that Qur’an and Sunnah are equivalent in blessing, no doubt the Qur’an is the most blessed book and the holiest book, but this means they are equivalent in a Fiqh (legal) point of view. The third opinion, which no scholar actually had this opinion, is that the Sunnah is stronger than the Qur’an, but this opinion has been referred too. The reason for this was that the Qur’an needs the Sunnah to be understood, but the Sunnah does not need the Qur’an to be understood. One should note that the no scholar has the third opinion. The strongest opinion is the second opinion. One should always remember that this is regarding Fiqh (law) and not Barakah (blessing).
InshAllah, in the next post I will be jumping into daleel, for following the Sunnah. The next post should be up on Monday InshAllah, and it will be a shorter version of an Authority of Sunnah course.
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