The Status of Sunnah in Islam
by Muhammad Nasir-ud-deen
Al-Albaani
Introduction
Praise be to Allah, Benediction and Peace be on
the Messenger of Allah, his family, his companions, and
his adherents.
This is a lecture which I delivered in the city
of Doha, the capital of Qatar, in the blessed month of
Ramadhan 1392 A.H. Some of my friends have suggested to
me to publish my lecture on account of need of the
Muslims to a work of its kind. In response to their
request, I am printing it for general propagation on
account of its advantage, having regard for the
reminiscences and history. I have added some separate
titles to assist the reader to collect the main ideas. I
pray to Allah, the Mighty, the Glorious, to write me
among those who defend the religion and those who help
enact the law; and to reward me for it. Surely he is the
most generous in responding to my prayer.
Damascus 22 Muharram-al-Haram 1394 A.H.
The Status of Sunnah in
Islam
A Declaration
that it cannot dispense with The
Qur'an
All Praise be to Allah, we praise Him, seek His
help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from
the evils of our souls and evils of our deeds. One whom
Allah guides, none can lead him astray, and one whom He
misguides, none can guide him. I bear witness that there
is nothing worthy of worship(1)
except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (SAW) is
His servant and His messenger.
Oh you
who believe, Fear Allah Truly, and do not die except as
Muslims.
(S.3 A.102).
O Men fear your Lord who created
you from one soul, and created its partner, and from
them spread men and women in numbers. Take care, Allah
will question you about it and the kinship. Surely,
Allah is ever watchful of your
deeds (S.4 A.1).
O those who believe. Fear Allah and
say what is correct so that it fits you. He will forgive
your sins. Whoever obeys Allah and His messenger that is
a great achievement
(S.33 A.70-71).
The best of speech is the speech of Allah. That
is The Book of Allah. The best of guidance is the
guidance of Muhammad. Of all matters, the worst are
innovations; and everything new is an innovation, and
every innovation is a deviation, and every deviation
leads to Hell-fire.
I do not think that I will be able to offer this
high ranking assembly - especially when there are
distinguished ulama (scholars) and professors present -
some knowledge which has not been dealt with before. If
what I think is true, I will rest contented that my
address will be a reminder, as it says in the Qur'an:
Remind, for the reminder would
benefit the believers (51:55).
I do not think that my talk in this blessed month
of Ramadhan, the month of importance, is an exposition
of something of its merits, rules and their practice,
and the like, which generally the preachers and
instructors touch on, on account of the benefit they
give to the listeners, and procure for them good and
blessing; but I have chosen my talk to be a study of a
general nature, surely it is one of the roots of the
Shari'ah (Islamic law). It is a declaration of the
importance attached to the Sunnah in the Islamic law.
The Role of Sunnah Towards
The Qur'an
You all know that Allah, The Blessed and Mighty,
chose Muhammad (SAW) as His Prophet and picked him to
deliver the final message. The Qur'an was revealed to
him and commanded him to obey all what He had ordered
him to do, that is, to expound His message to the
people. Allah says, We have revealed to you the
Reminder (The Qur'an) to expound to people what was
revealed to them (16:44).
I think that the declaration mentioned in the
verse contains two orders:
- Declaration of the word and its arrangement. It
is the communication of the Qur'an and its
non-concealment, and its pursuit to Mankind just as
Allah, The Blessed Almighty, has revealed to the heart
of the Prophet (SAW) which is the intent of His
saying O
Messenger proclaim what is revealed to you from your
Lord (5:67). Sayyida
Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) is reported to
have said "Whosoever says that Muhammad (SAW)
concealed something which he was commanded to
communicate, is is a great calumny against Allah."
Then she read the abovementioned verse. (Bukhari and
Muslim have stated it.)
And according to the
narration of Muslim: "If the Messenger of Allah (SAW)
had concealed something which he was commanded to
communicate, he would have concealed the saying of The
Almighty Behold thou didst say to one who had received
the grace of Allah and thy favour: Keep your wife to
yourself and fear Allah. But thou didst hide in thy
heart that which Allah was about to make manifest; you
did fear the people, whereas Allah had a better right
that you should fear
Him
(33:37).
- The explanation of the meaning of the word or
sentence or verse for which man needs an explanation,
most of which bear reference to 'Mujmal'
(comprehensive) verses or 'Amah' (general) verses or
'Mutlaq' (unbounded) verses.
Then comes the
Sunnah and clarifies the sentences and specifies the
verses called 'Amah' and defines what is 'mutlaq' that
is, in refernce to the saying (Qaul) of The Prophet
(SAW), his deed (Fi'l) and the act he confirmed
(Iqrar).
The
Necessity of Sunnah to Understand
The Qur'an and Parables on
that... Allah says:The male
thief and female theif cutt of their
hands (5:38) is a fitting example of
that. The thief in it is general like the hand.
The oral tradition explains the first of them and
restricts it by 'as-sareq' (the thief) who steals
something worth a fourth of a Dinar(2)
according to the saying of the Prophet (SAW) There is
no cutting - of the hand - unless the thing stolen is
worth a fourth of a Dinar or more (Buhkari &
Muslim) the two shaikhs have recorded this Hadeeth.
Again, the other is explained by the action of
the Prophet (SAW) or the action of his companions and
his confirmation. They used to cut the hand of the thief
from the wrist as is known in the work of Hadeeth. The
oral tradition explains the hand mentioned in the verse
on Tayammum (dust ablution) And rub therewith your faces and
hands (5:6) is also the palm
of the hand as is stated in a Hadeeth Tayammum is the
wiping of the face and the hands recorded by the two
shaikhs and Ahmad and others from a tradition reported
by Ammar bin Yasir (may Allah be pleased with them).
There are other verses that cannot be completely
understood except through Sunnah. They are:
- It is
whose who believe and confuse not their beliefs with
wrong,'dhulm'that are(truly) in security for they are
on(right) guidance
(6:82).
The companions of the Prophet
(SAW) understood the word 'dhulm' in its general sense
to mean every wrong doing, even if it be little. On
this account the verse is regarded as dubious and they
said, "O Messenger of Allah, which of us did not
involve his faith with obscurity?" He (SAW) said;
It is not that. It is only the 'shirk'(3).
Have you not heard what Luqman said:
Verily Shirk is a very great sin
(dhulm)
(31:13). The two shaikhs have
recorded it with others.
- Allah says: When you
travel on earth, there is no blame on you to shorten
your prayer, for fear the unbelievers will persecute
you (4:101). It is obvious
from this verse that fear is a pre-requisite for the
shortening of prayers. Some of the Prophet's
companions asked him: "Why do we shorten our prayers
while we feel safe?" He said: It is a charity from
Allah, so accept it (Muslim).
- Allah says: The carcass and it's blood are forbidden to
you (5:3). In explanation
of this verse, the corpse of locusts, fish, the
livers, spleen of blood are lawful. So the Prophet
(SAW) said: He has made two dead things and blood
lawful: the locusts and the fish, the liver and the
spleen.
Baihaqi and others have recorded it
as 'marfu' type of hadeeth as also 'mauquf' type. The
'isnad' od 'mauquf' is authentic and it is as good as
'marfu' tradition, since it is not stated in the form
of a 'ra'y' (decision based on one individual's
judgement not on Qur'an and Sunnah).
- Allah says: I
find not in the message received by me by inspiration
any (food) forbidden to be taken by one who wishes to,
unless it is dead meat or blood poured forth or the
flesh of swine, for it is an abomination, or what is
impious (meat) on which a name has been invoked other
thatn Allah's
(6:145).
The Sunnah has forbidden many things
not mentioned in the verse mentioned above, as for
example in the saying of the Holy Prophet (SAW):
All predatory animals with tusk and every bird with
claw are forbidden for consumption. There are
other traditions which have forbidden the consumption
of such animals as the Prophet (SAW) is reported to
have said on the Day of Khayber: Allah and His
Messenger have prohibited the consumption of
domesticated asses, for they are filth. The two
shaikhs have reported it.
- Allah says: Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which
He has produced for His servants, and the things clean
and pure (which he has provided for
sustenance)
(7:32).
The Sunnah, too, has forbidden some
adornments, and this is evident from the Prophet (SAW)
who is reported to have met some of his companions,
and had a silk garment in one hand, and gold in the
other, and said: These are prohibited to Muslim
males, lawful to females. The hadeeths in their
interpretation are many and well known in both the
authentic collections of hadeeths, and others and the
like of many examples well known to scholars familiar
with hadeeth and Islamic Jurispudence.
From what has been stated above, O Muslim
Brethren, you can see the importance attached to Sunnah
in Islamic Law. When we divert our intention again to
the exaples mentioned beside others not mentioned, we
are certain that there is no way to understand the
Qur'an correctly except in association with the
interpretation of the Sunnah.
In the first example, the understanding of the
'sahabah' of 'dhulm' mentioned in the verse is on its
general sense, despite the fact that the (Allah be
pleased with them) were, as stated by Ibn Mas'ud: "The
best of this community, most pious, profound in
learning, least of dissimulation." Yet with all that
they erred in their understanding of that.
Were it not for the Prophet (SAW), who held them
back from their mistaken notion, and made them take the
step in the right direction in that the correct meaning
of 'dhulm' in the context is shirk (association of
partnership with Allah), we too would have followed in
their wrong thinking. Allah, The Blessed and The Most
High saved us from that wrong notion by the grace of the
right direction of the Prophet (SAW) and his Sunnah.
In the second example - with Allah's guidance -
if not for the hadeeth mentioned above, we would have
been in doubt at least with regard to the shortening of
prayer (qasr-as-salat) during a journey while secure -
if we did stipulate the condition of fear as obvious in
the verse - till the companions saw the Prophet (SAW)
shorten the prayers when it was safe and secure.
In the third example, if not for the hadeeth, we
would have forbidden ourselves the consumption of good
things made lawful to us: locusts, fish, liver, and the
spleen.
In the fourth example, if not for the hadeeths,
some of which we have mentioned, we would have
considered lawful what Allah has made unlawful through
the dictum of the holy Prophet (SAW) like predatory
animals, and the birds which have claws.
And so in the fifth example, if not for the
hadeeths in regard to this question, we would have
considered lawful what Allah prohibited through the
words of His Prophet (SAW) like gold and silk.
It is for this, some forbearers (as-salaf) say
that 'Sunnah' pronounces judgement of The Book
(al-Qur'an).
The Deviation
of Those Who are Satisfied with The Qur'an to the
Exclusion of Hadeeth
It is a matter of regret that according to the
interpretation found in the works of some commentators
and moders authors, that it is permissible to do what is
stated in the last two examples: Consumption of the
predatory animals and the waearing of gold and silk by
referring their interpretation only to the Qur'an.
Today, a sect exists called "Quranites" who
comment according to their whims and fancies; without
seeking the explanation of the authentic Sunnah. They
only accept and follow the Sunnah which suit their
desires, the rest they throw behind. The Prophet (SAW)
is reported to have said that: None of you reclines
on his bed, the order comes to him on an affair which I
am commanded to do or not to do. He says: "I don't know,
what is found in The Book of Allah we follow"
(Tirmidhi). According to another report: What is
found in The Book of Allah as 'Haram,' we pronounce it
'haram' (forbidden). Surely, I am given The Qur'an and
its example with it. Yet, according to another
report: What the Messenger of Allah has forbidden,
Allah has prohibited it.
It is a matter of regret that one renowned
scholar has written a book on Islamic law and its dogma,
and in its preface, he says that he has written it and
that he has made reference only to The Qur'an.
This
true hadeeth gives positive evidence that the divine law
of Islam - As-Shari'ah - is not merely Qur'an, but
Qur'an and Sunnah. Therefore, whoever holds fast to one
source for reference to the exclusion of the other, he
held fast to neither of them, since both complement each
other. The Qur'an says Whoever obeys the Messenger, obeys
Allah.
Allah says, No,
by your Lord they do not believe until they submit to
your adjucation in all disputes between them, then they
do not find themselves oppressed with your decisions and
they completely submit
(4:65). Again, Allah says When
a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger, it
does not behove a believer, man or woman, to have choice
in their matter. One who disobeys Allah and His
Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong
Path (33:36). Furthermore,
Allah says What
the Messenger teaches you, take it, and what he forbids
you, avoid doing it (59:7).
In connection with this verse, I am marvelled by
what is corroborated by Ibn Mas'ud (Allah be pleased
with him) that is, a woman came to him and told him,
"You who says: May Allah's curse be on 'Al-Namisat' and
'Al-Motanamisat'(4)
and those who tattoo." He said "Yes." She said, "I read
the Book of Allah (Al-Qur'an) from beginning to its end.
I did not find what you have said. He told her, "If you
have read it, you would have found it. As for your
reading what the Messenger teaches you, take it, and
what he forbids you, avoid doing it." She said,
"Certainly." He said, "I have heard the Messenger of
Allah (SAW) say May Allah's Curse be on the
Al-Namisat." (Bukhari and Muslim)
Inadequacy of Philology to
understand The Qur'an
From what has been stated above, it is clear that
there is no scope for anyone with all his Arabic
Scholarship to understand the glorious Qur'an, without
the help of the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW), his sayings
and actions.
The companions of the Prophet (SAW) were the most
knowledgeable in the language, which The Qur'an was
revealed in, when it was not blemished by the
incorrectness of the common folks knowledge or their
grammatical mistakes. Yet, they erred in understanding
the verses quoted above when they relied on language
alone.
It is self-evident that a man well-informed of
the Sunnah is more appropriate to understand The Qur'an
and deduce the rules from it than one who is ignorant of
it. How can it be a source to one who does not reckon it
and does not make reference to it?
For this reason, it is part of the rules agreed
upon that Qur'an should be interpreted by the Qur'an
itself as welll as the Sunnah, then by the sayings of
the Sahabah... etc. (5)
It is here that the cause of deviation of
scholastic theologians (Ahlul-Kalam) become clear, both
ancient and modern, and their opposition to the forbears
'As-salaf' (May Allah be pleased with them) in their
doctrines not to speak of their laws. They are far from
Sunnah, and knowledge of it, and rely on their
intelligence and desires to decide on the verses of
attributes and others.
What is best is what was written down in the
exposition of Tahawi's doctrine (page 212 Fourth
Edition):
When one is not well-informed of The Book and
Sunnah, what would he say about the Fundamentals of
Religion (usoolud-deen)? He only receives the
assertion of someone. If he says that he takes it from
The Book of Allah, he does not study the commentary of
The Qur'an on the basis of prophetic traditions, and
reflects over it, nor what the companions (Sahabah),
and the following generations narrated, which is
transmitted to us from the authorities whom the
critics chose. They have not transmitted the system
and arrangement of The Qur'an, but its poetic
expression and meaning. They did not learn the Qur'an
like children, but studied it with meaning. One who
does not follow in their footsteps, speaks on his own
accord. One who does that thinks it be the religion of
Allah, and does not study The Book of Allah, he sins,
even if he is right.
One who studies The Qur'an and The Sunnah, he is
rewarded, even if he goes wrong, but if he is right in
his opinion, his reward is doubled. Then he says:
What is obligatory, is submission to the
Messenger (SAW) carrying out his saying and accepting
his saying with satisfaction and belief without
contradicting it with false ideas called 'opprehensive
faculty' (Ma'qul) bearing doubt or complaint, or
offering the opinions of men and the garbage of their
intellect. We unite with The Prophet (SAW) in
judgement, submission, obedience and compliance, just
as we have unison with Allah, glory be to Him, by
worshipping Him by humility, submissiveness,
repentance and reliance.
In short, what is obligatory on all MUslims is
that they do not separate between Qur'an and Sunnah;
whereas, it is obligatory to take both of them and to
formulate the law on both of them.
This is a safeguard for them, so that they won't
fall right or left; and that they won't fall back in
error as explained by The Prophet (SAW): I leave
behind me two things. You will never go astray if you
hold fast to them: The Qur'an and my Sunnah.
CAUTION
It is self-evident after this that I say:
The Sunnah which has an important bearing on
Islamic Law is only the Sunnah confirmed by scientific
channels, and authentic chains of narrations known to
the learned in regard to hadeeths and the background of
the narrators.
It is not the one which is found in different
works of Tafseers (commentaries of The Qur'an) and
Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), and in different writings
of longing, intimidation, advices, and admonitions,
etc...
They contain weak, spurious, and fabricated
hadeeths, of which Islam absolves, like the story of
'Harut and Marut,' and the sotry of 'gharanik.' I have a
special letter which makes it void and it is
printed(6).
A major part of it is recorded in two huge books namely
"A chain of weak and fabricated hadeeths and their evil
impact on the community." Their number upto date have
reached approximately four thousand hadeeths(7).
It is obligatory on the learned, especially those
who spread the knowledge of fiqh and legal opinions
among the public, that they shouldn't dare to argue with
hadeeth unless it is well-attested. Books of
jurisprudence, which they refer to, are normally filled
with traditions which are not well-attested, nor have
any bases, as is well-known to the learned.
I have begun an important project, and I think it
will be of use to those occupied with jurisprudence, and
I will name it: "Weak and Fabricated Hadeeths in the
Major Jurisprudence 'fiqh' Books," by which I mean:
- Al-Hidayah, by Al-Marghinani, in Hanafi
fiqh,
- Al-Modawwanah, by Ibnil-Qasim, in Maliki
fiqh,
- Sharhul-wajeez, by Al-rafiee, in Shafiee
fiqh,
- Al-Mughni, by Ibn Quddamah, in Hanbali fiqh,
and
- Bidayatul Mujtahid, by Ibn Rushd-al-Andalusi,
in comparative fiqh.
I regret that I did not get the opportunity to
finish it, because the journal "Al-Wa'e-al-Islami" of
Kuwait which promised to publish it, when perused it,
didn't print it.
Although I missed this opportunity, perhaps I
will succeed on another occasion, Allah willing, to
offer to my bretheren occupied with jurisprudence a
precise learned course to help them to facilitate their
knowledge of the different categories of hadeeth with
reference to various sources from books on hadeeth, with
an explanation of its special nature and character and
reliance on them. Allah is the source of success.
Weakness of Hadeeth of Muadh
in the opinion And its disapproval
Before I conclude my talk, I think I must direct
the attention of brethren present to a well known
hadeeth. It is devoid of one of the books of
jurisprudence on account of its weakness in respect of
its chain of narration (isnad) and its contrdiction with
what we have concluded in this talk, regarding the
illegitimacy of discrimination in law between The Qur'an
and Sunnah; and the necessity of taking both.
It is a hadeeth of Muadh bin Jabal (May Allah be
pleased with him) that the Prophet (SAW) said to him
when he sent hin to Yaman: By what source will you
decide? He said, "By the book of Allah." He then
asked, If you don't find any guidline? He said,
"I will make an effort to form my own opinion." He said,
Praise be to Allah who makes success the effort of
the envoy of the Messenger of Allah, to what The Prophet
likes.
As for the weakness of its 'isnad,' there is no
scope for its explanation now. But I have explained it
clearly in the above mentioned chain(8).
It would suffice now to mention that the
Commander of the Believers in the hadeeth 'Imam
Al-Bukhari' (may Allah have mercy on him) says that the
hadeeth is not recognized (munkar). After this I am
permitted to begin to explain the conflict which I
pointed.
The tradition of Muadh gives the ruler a method
of three stages which does not permit to search for any
rule with regard to 'Ra'e' (personal opinion) except
that he does not find it in the Sunnah, nor in the
Sunnah, except that after he does not find it in The
Qur'an. It is in relation to 'Ra'e' a genuine method
with all the learned (ulama), so that they say, "Where
there is a tradition relating the deeds and utterances
of The Prophet (SAW), personal opinion is void." But in
relation to Sunnah, it is not true, because Sunnah
dictates The Qur'an and and clarifies its doctrines. It
is then essential to search for a ruling in Sunnah, even
if he thinks it is found in The Qur'an as we have
mentioned it.
Sunnah is not with The Qur'an in the same manner
as 'Ar-Ra'e' with the Sunnah. No, definitely not. It is
rather necessary to regard the Qur'an and Sunnah as
being one source with no discrimination between the two
whatsoever. This is indicatied in a saying of the
Prophet (SAW): Certainly I have come with The Qur'an
and its like (meaning the Sunnah). He said They
are never separated until they come to the Basin(9).
The compilation mentioned between them is not correct
because the separation between them is void as we have
explained.
This is what I wish to draw attention to. If I am
right, it is from Allah; if wrong, it is from me. I ask
Allah Almighty to protect us and you from errors and
from all that displeases him. I conclude my praising by
"Al-Hamdu-lillahi rabbil-alameen" - Praise be to Allah,
The Lord of the Worlds.
Footnotes
- i.e.: There is nothing
worthy of worship except Allah - who really deserves
to be worshipped by Mankind
- Dinar: A form of
currency
- Shirk is to
disbelieve in the oneness of Allah, or to offer any
form of worship to other than Allah.
- Namisah: a woman
who plucks hers or others eyebrows - to be a thin line
- to seek beauty. Such an act is forbidden. It is a
means to change the form of Allah's
creation.
Motanamisah: a woman who asks others to
do it for her.
- This states other than what is
known by many of the learned: to comment on The Qur'an
itself if there is not any Sunnah, then by the Sunnah.
This will be explained in at then end of this treatise
on the hadeeth of Muadh bin Jabal - may Allah be
pleased with him.
- Its title is "Pitch of majaniq to
demolish the story of gharaniq" printed by
Al-Maktabul-e-Islami
Story of gharaniq: is a
fabricated story found in some commentaries, claiming
that a verse in The Qur'an acknowledged the
polytheists in their beliefs.
- The number at present [1394 A.H.]
has exceeded five thousand and may Allah make easy its
publication in the near future. So far only five
hundred have broken into print.
- No. 885 of the chain mentioned,
and we hope that the volume which includes it will be
published shortly, 'insha Allah.'
- i.e. until the Day of
Judgement
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