The Status of the Sunnah in Islam
I have decided to talk about an extremely important subject, one of the foundations of this beautiful Sharee?ah, i.e. the Importance of Sunnah in Islamic Legislation.
All praise is due to Allah; we praise Him, seek His aid and ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of ourselves and the evils of our actions.
Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide; and whomsoever Allah misguides, none can guide.
I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah alone, having no partners. I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.
{O you who believe! Fear Allah (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in a state of Islam (as Muslims) with complete submission to Allah.} [Aal-i-Imraan 3:102]
Transliteration: Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo ittaqoo Allaha haqqa tuqatihi wala tamootunna illa waantum muslimoona
{O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife [Hawwa (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and women and fear Allah through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allah is Ever an All-Watcher over you.}
Transliteration: Ya ayyuha alnnasu ittaqoo rabbakumu allathee khalaqakum min nafsin wahidatin wakhalaqa minha zawjaha wabaththa minhuma rijalan katheeran wanisaan waittaqoo Allaha allathee tasaaloona bihi waalarhama inna Allaha kana AAalaykum raqeeban
{O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. (70) He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger (salla Allah ‘alihy wasllam) he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hell-fire and made to enter Paradise).} [Al-Ahzaab 33:70-71]
Transliteration: Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo ittaqoo Allaha waqooloo qawlan sadeedan (70) Yuslih lakum aAAmalakum wayaghfir lakum thunoobakum waman yutiAAi Allaha warasoolahu faqad faza fawzan AAatheeman
Indeed, the most truthful of speech is the Book of Allah. The best guidance is that of Muhammad. And the worst of all affairs are the newly invented matters, and all newly invented matters are innovation and all innovation is misguidance and all misguidance is in the Fire.
I do not think I will be presenting new information or knowledge to our respected guests since among you are noble scholars and academics. As far as I can see, my speech will serve as a reminder, as Allah says:
{And remind (by preaching the Quran, O Muhammad salla Allah ‘alihy wasllam) for verily, the reminding profits the believers.} [Adh-Dhaariyat 51:55]
Transliteration: Wathakkir fainna alththikra tanfaAAu almumineena
At this blessed night of the month of Ramadan, I decided not to touch on the virtues of this month, rulings or night prayers or any other topic usually tackled by speakers with the intention if providing the audience with beneficial knowledge. Rather, I have decided to talk about an extremely important subject, one of the foundations of this beautiful Sharee’ah, i.e. the Importance of Sunnah in Islamic Legislation.
You all know that Allah has chosen Muhammad (peace be upon him) for Prophethood and sent down to him the Noble Quran. In the Quran Allah commands Muhammad (peace be upon him) to clarify its meanings to mankind. Allah says:
{And We have also sent down unto you (O Muhammad salla Allah ‘alihy wasllam) the reminder and the advice (the Quran), that you may explain clearly to men what is sent down to them, and that they may give thought.} [An-Nahl 16:44]
Transliteration: waanzalna ilayka alththikra litubayyina lilnnasi ma nuzzila ilayhim walaAAallahum yatafakkaroona
I believe this “explain clearly” mentioned in the verse is manifested in two forms:
Clearly relating the Quran in its exact wording, which means to convey the Quran to people just as it was revealed to him, without concealment or alteration to any part of it. This is the same meaning intended by the following verse:
{O Messenger (Muhammad salla Allah ‘alihy wasllam)! Proclaim (the Message) which has been sent down to you from your Lord.} [Al-Ma’idah 5:67]
Transliteration: Ya ayyuha alrrasoolu balligh ma onzila ilayka min rabbika
Ayisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “He who tells you that Muhammad (peace be upon him) concealed anything from what he was commanded to convey then, such a person has made a great lie against Allah.” Then she recited the above verse. [Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim]
In another narration by Muslim: “If Allah’s Messenger were to conceal something he had been commanded to convey, he would have concealed Allah’s statement: {As you say to the one whom Allah has graced and you have graced too: Keep your wife and fear Allah! And you hide in yourself what Allah has made public and you fear the people but it is Allah whom you should fear…}”
Clarifying the meanings of the verses whose explanation is necessary for the Ummah. This applies mainly to al-Mujmal (ambiguous words), al-Aamm (comprehensive terms), or al-Mutlaq (open terms); so the Sunnah clarifies al-Mujmal, specifies al-Aamm, and constrains al-Mutlaq.
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