The Prophetic Sunnah
The Prophetic Sunnah  | The Discover Islam Project| |
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A general definition of the Sunnah: The Sunnah, according to the scholars of hadîth, is everything that has been related from the Messenger (peace be upon him) of his statements, actions, tacit approvals, personality, physical description, or biography. It does not matter whether the information being related refers to something before the beginning of his prophetic mission, or after it. Explanation of this definition: The statements of the Prophet (peace be upon him) include everything the Prophet said for various reasons on different occasions. For example, he said: “Verily deeds are but by intentions, and every person will have only what he intended.” The actions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) include everything that the Prophet did that was related to us by his Companions. This includes how he made ablutions, how he performed his prayers, and how he made the Hajj pilgrimage. The tacit approvals of the Prophet (peace be upon him) includes everything that his Companions said or did that he either showed his favor towards or at least did not object to. Anything that had the tacit approval of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is as valid as anything that he said or did himself. An example of this is the approval that was given to the Companions when they used their discretion in deciding when to pray during the Battle of Banî Qurayzah. Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) had said to them: “None of you should perform your afternoon prayers until you arrive at Banî Qurayzah.” The Companions did not arrive at Banî Qurayzah until after sunset. Some of them took the Prophet’s words literally and postponed the afternoon prayer, saying: “We will not pray until we get there.” Others understood that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was only indicating to them that they should hurry on their journey, so they stopped and prayed the afternoon prayer on time. The Prophet (peace be upon him) learned about what the two groups had decided, but did not criticize either of them. As for the Prophet’s personality, this would include the following statement of `Â’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her): “Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) was never or vulgar, nor was he loud at the marketplace. He would never respond to the abuse of others with abuses of his own. Instead, he would be tolerant and forgiving.” The physical description of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is found in statements like the one related by Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): “Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) was neither overly tall nor was he short. He was neither exceedingly white nor black. His hair was neither excessively curly nor lank.” The Relationship between the Sunnah and Revelation The Sunnah is revelation from Allah to His Prophet (peace be upon him). Allah says in the Qur’ân:
The Wisdom refers to the Sunnah. The great jurist al-Shâfi`î said: “Allah mentions the Book, which is the Qur’ân. I have heard from people who I consider authorities on the Qur’ân that the Wisdom is the Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him).” Allah says:
It is clear from the preceding verses that Allah revealed to His Prophet (peace be upon him) both the Qur’ân and the Sunnah, and that He commanded him to convey both to the people. The Prophetic hadîth also attest to the fact that the Sunnah is revelation. It is related from Makhûl that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “Allah gave me the Qur’ân and what is like it from the Wisdom.” Al-Miqdâm b. Ma`dî Karab relates that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “I have been given the Book and with it something like it.” Hisân b. `Atiyyah relates that Jibrîl (Gabriel) used to come the Prophet (peace be upon him) with the Sunnah just like he would come to him with the Qur’ân. An opinion from the Prophet (peace be upon him) was not merely his own thoughts or deliberations on a matter; it was what Allah revealed to him. In this way, the Prophet was different from other people. He was supported by revelation. When he exercised his own reasoning and was correct, Allah would confirm it, and if he ever made a mistake in his thinking, Allah would correct it and guide him to the truth. For this reason, it is related that the Caliph `Umar said from the pulpit: “O people! The opinions of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) were correct only because Allah would reveal them to him. As for our opinions, they are nothing but thoughts and conjecture.” The revelation that the Prophet (peace be upon him) received was of two types: A. Informative revelation: Allah would inform him of something by means of revelation in one form or another as mentioned in the following Qur’anic verse:
`Â’ishah related that al-Hârith b. Hishâm asked the Prophet how revelation came to him, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) answered: “Sometimes, the angel comes to me like the clanging of a bell, and this is the most difficult for me. It weighs upon me and I commit to memory what he says. And sometimes the angel comes to me in the form of a man and speaks to me and I commit to memory what he says.” `Â’ishah said: “I had seen him when the revelation came to him on an extremely cold day. When it was over, his brow was full of perspiration.” Sometimes, he would be asked about something, but he would remain silent until revelation came to him. For example, the idolaters asked him about the soul, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) remained silent until Allah revealed:
He had also been asked about how inheritance was to be divided, but he did not answer until Allah revealed:
B. Affirmative revelation: This is where the Prophet (peace be upon him) exercised his own judgment in a matter. If his opinion was correct, revelation would come to him affirming it, and if it was incorrect, revelation would come to correct him, making it just like any other informative revelation. The only difference here is that the revelation came as a result of an action that the Prophet first did on his own. In such instances, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was left to use his own discretion in a matter. If he chose what was right, then Allah would confirm his choice through revelation. If he chose wrong, Allah would correct him to protect the integrity of the faith. Allah would never allow His Messenger to convey an error to other people, because this would cause his followers to fall into error as well. This would contravene the wisdom behind sending Messengers, which was that the people henceforth would have no argument against Allah. In this way, the Messenger (peace be upon him) was protected from falling into error, for if he ever erred, revelation would come to correct him. The Prophet’s Companions knew that the tacit approval of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was actually the approval of Allah, because if they ever did something contrary to Islam during the Prophet’s lifetime, revelation would come down condemning what they did. Jâbir said: “We used to practice interrupts back when Allah’s Messenger was alive.” Sufyân, one of the narrators of this hadîth, commented: “If something like this was , the Qur’ân would have prohibited it.” The difference between the Sunnah and the Qur’ân The Qur’ân is the foundation of Islamic Law. It is the miraculous speech of Allah that was revealed to the Messenger (peace be upon him) by way of the angel Gabriel. It has been transmitted to us with so many chains of authority that its historical authenticity is unquestionable. It is written down in its own volume, and its recitation is a form of worship. As for the Sunnah, it is everything besides the Qur’ân that came from Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). It explains and provides details for the laws found in the Qur’ân. It also provides examples of the practical application of these laws. It is also either direct revelation from Allah, or decisions of the Messenger that were then confirmed by revelation. Therefore, the source of all the Sunnah is revelation. The Qur’ân is the revelation that is formally recited as an act of worship, and the Sunnah is revelation that is not formally recited. The Sunnah, though, is just like the Qur’ân in that it is revelation that must be followed and adhered to. The Qur’ân takes precedence over the Sunnah in two ways. For one thing, the Qur’ân’s authenticity is absolutely certain, down to the last verse. The Sunnah is also authentic in general, but not every detail of it enjoys absolute authenticity. The second reason for the Qur’ân taking precedence is that the Qur’ân is the primary source, while the Sunnah has the role of explanation and clarification. The obligation of obeying the Messenger (peace be upon him) A requirement of believing in prophethood is to accept as true everything that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said. Allah chose His Messengers from among His worshippers to convey His Law to humanity. Allah says:
Allah also says:
The Messenger (peace be upon him) is protected from error in all of his actions. Allah has protected his tongue from uttering anything but the truth. Allah has protected his limbs from doing anything but what is right. Allah has safeguarded him from showing approval for anything contrary to Islamic Law. He is the most beautifully complete of Allah’s Creations. This is clear from how Allah describes him in the Qur’ân:
We see in the hadîth that no circumstances, no matter how trying, could prevent the Prophet (peace be upon him) from speaking the truth. Being angry never affected his speech. He never spoke falsehood even when he was jesting. His own interests never swayed him from speaking the truth. The only goal that he sought was the pleasure of Allah Almighty. `Abd Allah b. `Amr b. al-`As related that he used to write down everything that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said. Then the tribe of Quraysh forbade him from doing so, saying: “Do you write down everything that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) says, and he is but a man who speaks in contentment and in anger?” `Abd Allah b. `Amr stopped writing and mentioned this to Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) who told him: “Write, for by Him in Whose hand is my soul, only truth comes forth from this.” And he pointed to his mouth. The Qur’ân, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the jurists all point to the fact that obeying Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) is obligatory. Allah says in the Qur’ân:
Referring back to Allah and His Messenger means referring to the Qur’ân and Sunnah. Allah says:
In the following verses, Allah makes it clear that obedience to the Messenger is obedience to Allah: -Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah. -Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids you, leave it alone. -Nay, by your Lord, they have no faith until until they make you judge in all disputes between them and find in themselves no resistance to your decisions and accept with full submission. These verses, and many others, show that obedience to the Messenger (peace be upon him) is obligatory. This includes obedience to him during his lifetime and acting upon his Sunnah after his . In the Sunnah itself, we find that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “I have left with you two things that if you adhere to them, you will never go astray: the Qur’ân and my Sunnah.” Al-Miqdâm b. Ma`dî Karab (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “I have been given the Book and with it something like it.” `Irbâd b. Sâriyah (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “Adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly-guided Caliphs. Adhere to it so closely it is as if you are biting down on it with your molars.” The Messenger (peace be upon him) did not stop with encouraging people to follow his Sunnah; he condemned those who would reject it on the pretence that they were only going to follow the Qur’ân. He said: “None of you should recline contentedly upon his couch when one of my commands or prohibitions reach him and say: ‘I do not know about that. I follow whatever I find in the Book of Allah’.” The Muslims had agreed unanimously that following the Sunnah is obligatory. This follows from the fact that both Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) commanded it. The Muslims accepted the Sunnah just as they had accepted the Qur’ân, because both are attested to by Allah as sources of Islamic Law. For this reason, the Muslims have paid careful attention to the Sunnah, one generation transmitting it to the next, all of them referring to it to learn the matters of their faith. They acted according to it, adhered to its teachings, and carefully preserved it. They were displeased with anyone disregarding any part of the Sunnah that had been practiced by Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). They would never accept an opinion that ran contrary to the Sunnah, no matter how prominent or authoritative that person might have been. They would, instead, become extremely angry and denounce the person who did not respond favorably to any aspect of the Sunnah that had been set down by the Messenger (peace be upon him). The Position of the Sunnah in Islamic Law During the Messenger’s lifetime (peace be upon him) the Qur’ân and Sunnah were the only sources of Islamic Law. The Qur’ân provides the general injunctions that formed the basis of the Law, without going into all the details and secondary legislation, with the exception of a few injunctions that are established along with the general principles. These injunctions are not subject to change over time or with the changing circumstances of the people. The Qur’ân, likewise, comes with the tenets of belief, sets down acts of worship, mentions the stories of the nations of old, and provides moral guidelines. The Sunnah comes in agreement with the Qur’ân. It explains the meanings of what is unclear in the text, provides details for what is depicted in general terms, specifies what is general, and explains its injunctions and objectives. The Sunnah also comes with injunctions that are not provided by the Qur’ân, but these are always in harmony with its principles, and they always advance the objectives that are outlined in the Qur’ân. The Sunnah is a practical expression of what is in the Qur’ân. This expression takes many forms. Sometimes, it comes as an action performed by the Messenger (peace be upon him). At other times, it is a statement that he made in response to something. Sometimes, it takes the form of a statement or action of one of the Companions that he neither prevented nor objected to. On the contrary, he remained silent about it or expressed his approval for it. The Sunnah explains and clarifies the Qur’ân in many ways. It explains how to perform the acts of worship and carry out the laws that are mentioned in the Qur’ân. Allah commands the believers to pray without mentioning the times that the prayers had to be performed or the manner of performing them. The Messenger (peace be upon him) clarified this through his own prayers and by teaching the Muslims how to pray. He said: “Pray as you have seen me praying.” Allah makes the Hajj pilgrimage obligatory without explaining its rites. Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) explains this by saying: “Take the rites of Hajj from me.” Allah makes the Zakâh tax obligatory without mentioning what types of wealth and produce it is to be levied against. Allah also does not mention the minimum amount of wealth that makes the tax obligatory. The Sunnah, though, makes all this clear. The Sunnah specifies general statements found in the Qur’ân. Allah says:
This wording is general, applying to every family and making every child an inheritor of his or her parents. The Sunnah makes this ruling more specific by excluding the children of Prophets. Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “We Prophets leave behind no inheritance. Whatever we leave behind is charity.” The Sunnah qualifies unqualified statements in the Qur’ân. Allah says:
The verse does not mention where the cut should be administered, leaving the question of whether the cut should be made at the wrist or the forearm. The Sunnah makes this clear by showing that the cut is to be made at the wrist, because this is what Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) did when a thief was brought to him. The Sunnah also comes emphasizing what is in the Qur’ân or providing secondary legislation for a law stated therein. This includes all the hadîth that indicate that Prayer, the Zakâh tax, fasting, and the Hajj pilgrimage are obligatory. An example of where the Sunnah provides subsidiary legislation for an injunction found in the Qur’ân is the ruling found in the Sunnah that it is to sell fruit before it begins to ripen. The basis for this law is the statement of the Qur’ân:
The Sunnah contains rulings that are not mentioned in the Qur’ân and that do not come as clarifications for something mentioned in the Qur’ân. An example of this is the prohibition of eating donkey flesh and the flesh of predatory beasts. Another example of this is the prohibition of marrying a woman and her aunt at the same time. These and other rulings provided by the Sunnah must be adhered to. The warning of the Messenger (peace be upon him) against forging a lie in his name Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) encouraged his followers to take knowledge from those who came before them and transmit it to those who come after them, because this preserves knowledge and makes it visible. It also preserves the Law and prevents it from being lost. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Relate from me something, even if it is only one verse.” He also said: “May Allah help a person who heard a hadîth and memorized it in order to relate it to others in exactly the same way that he heard it, for many people who carry knowledge do not have a deep understanding of it.” He said during his farewell pilgrimage: “Those who are present should convey this to those who are absent, for perhaps some of them are more perceptive.” Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) encouraged learning and transmitting knowledge of the Sunnah, because this is the way the Sunnah is protected from being lost. He provided another means of protection as well, for he warned people against lying about him and relating false statements. He made it clear that this type of lie is no ordinary lie. It is a lie against the religion of Allah, so its sin is far greater and the punishment that it deserves is far more severe. Samrah b. Jundub and al-Mughîrah b. Shu`bah both relate that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “If anyone relates a hadîth from me that he feels is untrue, then he is one of the liars.” `Alî b. Abî Tâlib relates that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “Do not lie about me, for whoever lies about me will enter the Fire.” Al-Mughîrah b. Shu`bah relates that he heard Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) say: “A lie against me is not like a lie against someone else, for whoever lies about me deliberately prepares his seat in the Hellfire.” The Companion and the Sunnah Since the Companions were the trustworthy inheritors of the Prophetic legacy who related this Sunnah to us in great detail, it behooves us to know about them, their integrity, and their concern for relating hadîth. A Companion is someone who met the Prophet (peace be upon him) while believing in him and died as a believer. It is sufficient that this person met him as a believer for at least a moment and died as a Muslim. It does not matter if the meeting took place when the person was a child or an , or whether or not the person related anything from him. Over 100,000 Companions, young and old, male and female, related hadîth from the Prophet (peace be upon him). Some of them related many hadîth, some related few, and there were some – because of their youth or their infrequent presence the Prophet’s company – who related only one. This great number of people, along with the innate Arab ability to memorize and transmit information accurately, was one of the factors in the preservation of the Sunnah. The Companions, in full trust and in great detail, transmitted the Sunnah to the Successors. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) can be placed on different levels. Some of them accepted Islam very early, sacrificed their lives and wealth for the propagation of Islam, and remained in the company of the Prophet (peace be upon him) for a long time. Likewise, there were those that only saw the Prophet once during his farewell pilgrimage. Between these two extremes, there were Companions with many different degrees of acquaintanceship with the Prophet (peace be upon him). It is agreed that Abû Bakr was the best of the companions, followed by ‘Umar, then `Uthmân, then `Alî. After them come the rest of the ten people that were given glad tidings of Paradise during their lifetimes. They were: Sa`d b. Abî Waqqâs, Sa`îd b. Zayd, Talhah b. `Ubayd Allah, al-Zubayr b. al-`Awwâm, `Abd al-Rahmân b. `Awf, and `Ubaydah b. al-Jarrâh). After these come the Companions who participated in the battle of Badr and then those who participated in the pledge of allegiance to the Prophet (peace be upon him) known as the pledge of Ridwân or “the pledge that earned Allah’s pleasure”. The last Companion to die was al-Tufayl `Amir b. Wâthilah al-Laythî who lived until 101 A.H. and died in Mecca. The integrity of the Companions: Allah chose the best, purest, and most noble people to be the Companions of His Prophet (peace be upon him). Their beliefs were correct and their morals were impeccable. They followed everything that was revealed in the Qur’ân and obeyed whatever the Prophet (peace be upon him) told them. They were careful to be obedient in every way and to steer clear of every sin. In more than one place in the Qur’ân, Allah praises them and attests to their integrity. The endorsement of Allah is the greatest endorsement. It is an endorsement not only of a person’s outer character, but also of that person’s inner being. Allah says: “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. And those who are with him are severe against the disbelievers and merciful amongst themselves. You see them bowing and falling down prostrate seeking Allah’s bounty and good pleasure. Their marks are on their foreheads from the effects of prostration. This is their description in the Torah. Their description in the Gospel is that of a seed which sends forth its shoot, then makes it strong, becomes thick, and stands straight on its stem, delighting the cultivators – that he may enrage the disbelievers with the sight of them. Allah has promised those among them who believe and do righteous deeds forgiveness and a mighty reward.” Allah says:
Allah says:
Allah says:
Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “The best of people is my generation, then the one that follows, then the one that follows.” Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “By Allah, do not think ill of my Companions, for whoever loves them is loved by me and whoever despises them is despised by me. Whoever offends them has offended me and whoever offends me has offended Allah.” He also said: “Do not speak ill of my Companions, for by Him in Whose hand is my soul, if one of you were to give in charity the weight of Mount Uhud in gold, it would not equal a half-handful given by one of them.” These texts show us the status of the Companions. Allah tells us about their noble characteristics and their great reward. He tells us that they desired only His bounty and His pleasure and that they assisted the religion of Islam no matter how difficult the situation became. They emigrated from their homes and their people, and some of them gave asylum to others, all for the cause of Allah. It is a suitable reward for them that Allah informs us that He is pleased with them and that they were successful and are among the inhabitants of Paradise, and that they were truly believers. Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) attested to the fact that they were the best of people and explained that offending them is the same as offending him. He warned his followers against despising them or offending them, even after their , because this is a cause of Allah’s punishment. The Companions’ Concern for Hadîth The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were very committed to preserving the texts of the religion. They transmitted to us every detail of the behavior of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) no matter how great or seemingly insignificant. They related what he did at home, when preparing to travel, on a journey, and when preparing to settle down. They recorded his every action, his sleeping, his waking up, his expressions, his statements, and his silences. The following story illustrates their extreme concern: It is related by Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she sent a servant to the Prophet (peace be upon him) to deliver to him the following message: “O Messenger of Allah, Umm Salamah says that she heard that you prohibited praying two units of prayer after the Afternoon prayer, but she has seen you doing it.” This shows how closely the Companions used to follow the Prophet’s behavior (peace be upon him) in order to follow his example. `Umar b. al-Khattâb (may Allah be pleased with him) relates: “My neighbor in the neighborhood of Banû `Umayyah b. Zayd (in the upper part of Madinah) used to take turns with me in going to Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). We would go to him on alternate days and come back with news regarding the revelation and other matters.” Abû Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that he asked Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) who would be the most fortunate person to receive his intercession on the Day of Resurrection. He replied: “O Abû Hurayrah, I thought that nobody would ask this question before you, as I know your longing for knowledge of hadîth.” The Messenger (peace be upon him) knew that sooner or later someone would ask him about his intercession, because of their eagerness for knowledge, and he expected that Abû Hurayrah would be the first of them to ask. This clearly shows how exceptionally eager Abû Hurayrah was while also showing the general eagerness of all the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). The women among the Companions had an exceptional understanding of religious matters and an equally exceptional love for increasing their understanding. `A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “How good the women of Medina are, for their shyness does not prevent them from learning about the religion.” These qualities were not only for the inhabitants of Madinah who lived in the company of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). The residents of other lands shared them as well. They used to send emissaries to the Messenger (peace be upon him) to learn from him what had been revealed to him. These emissaries, on their return, would relate what they learned to everyone who they passed by. This was the spirit of Islam. `Umar b. Salamah said: “We were in a town with people passing us by. If they went to the Prophet (peace be upon him), on their return, they would pass by us and inform us of what he had told them. I was a child at this time and had a very sharp memory. In this way, I memorized a lot of the Qur’ân.” It becomes clear upon reflection that these delegations were of the highest caliber of thinkers who would ask the appropriate questions. The Prophet (peace be upon him) would give them the answers that would remedy their concerns and clarify the spirit of their faith. Consider the delegation that was led by `Abd al-Qays who said: “O Messenger of Allah, we come to you from far away and we have to pass through lands controlled by disbelievers of the tribe of Mudar. We are unable to travel except during the sacred month. So command us with something decisive, so we can inform those who are following behind us and because of it enter Paradise.” After the Messenger (peace be upon him) passed away, the concern of the Companions for learning the Sunnah continued to increase and they became dedicated to preserving it. They were eager to collect it, understand it, and apply it, preferring to hear every statement from those who actually heard it directly from Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). They were careful to preserve and convey his words exactly as he said them. It has been related that Abû Ayyûb traveled to Egypt to see `Uqbah b. `Amir. When he arrived in Egypt, `Uqbah was informed and went out to receive him. Abû Ayyûb said: “Tell me what you heard Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) say about concealing another Muslim’s faults.” `Uqbah said: “I heard Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) say: ‘Whoever conceals a Muslim’s faults, Allah will conceal his on the Day of Judgment.” At this point, Abû Ayyûb returned to his mount and set off for Madinah. He had not even untied its saddle. Jâbir b. `Abd Allah said: “I learned about a hadîth from one of the Companions of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him), so I got a camel, saddled it, and set off for a month until I reached Syria where `Abd Allah b. Anas al-Ansârî lived. I went to his home and sent forward a message that Jâbir is at his door. He asked: ‘Jâbir b. `Abd Allah?’ I responded that I was. He came out and we embraced. I said: ‘A hadîth reached me that you heard from Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) regarding injustice that I did not hear from him.” There are numerous other examples that have been related illustrating the colossal efforts the Companions were willing to expend and the great difficulties that they were willing to face in order to preserve the Sunnah. The Caution Exercised by the Companions When Relating Hadîth The Companions were extremely cautious about relating the hadîth of Allah’s Messenger. They were afraid of making mistakes or corrupting the Sunnah in any way. Because the Sunnah is the most important source of Islamic Law after the Qur’ân, they exercised utmost care in preserving it. Their fear of Allah and their caution moderated their activity of relating things from the Messenger (peace be upon him). We see that some of the Companions would begin to shudder, develop goosebumps, and grow pale when they related something from the Messenger (peace be upon him). This was because of their piety, caution, and reverence for the Prophet’s hadîth. `Abd al-Rahmân b. Abî Laylah said: “I met 120 of the Madinite companions of Muhammad (peace be upon him), and none of them ever preferred to relate a hadîth as long as there was someone else among them who was able to do so. None of them ever preferred to be asked for a verdict in Islamic Law if someone else among them could give it instead.” The Companions did not behave in this manner because they knew only a few hadîth; they did so out of their extreme caution, their desire to safeguard the Sunnah, and to protect the faith. They were not trying to renounce the hadîth or reject them. The Rightly Guided Caliph Abû Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was the first to exercise caution in accepting what was related. Ibn Hishâb relates from Qubayhah b. Zu’ayt that al-Hibrah came to Abû Bakr asking for a share of inheritance from her grandchild’s estate. He said to her: “I find nothing for you in the book of Allah and I know of no share mentioned for you by Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him).” He then asked the people. Al-Mughîrah stood up and said: “I heard Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) give her one-sixth.” Abû Bakr then asked: “Is there anyone with you in this?” Muhammad b. Salamah confirmed what al-Mughîrah said, so Abû Bakr gave her her share. It is related by al-Bukhârî from Abû Sa`îd al-Khudrî that while he was in the company of other Companions from Madinah, Abû Mûsâ came to them in a state of fright, saying: “I thrice sought (the Caliph) `Umar’s permission to enter, and when he did not respond, I turned to leave. He then asked my what prevented me from coming in. I told him that I sought permission to enter three times and then left, because Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: ‘If one of you asks permission to enter three times and is not granted permission, then he should leave.’ He then demanded that that I must bring proof for it. Did any of you hear this from the Prophet (peace be upon him)?” Ubayy b. Ka`b said: “By Allah, only the youngest of us will go with you.” Abû Sâ`îd al-Khudrî then related: “Since I was the youngest, I got up and went with him and informed `Umar that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had indeed said that.” `Alî b. Abî Tâlib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “If I heard a hadîth from Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) Allah would bless me to benefit from it as He pleased. If someone else related it to me, I would make him swear an oath that it was true, If he did so, I would accept it. For verily Abû Bakr related to me – and Abû Bakr spoke truly – that he heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say: “Any man who commits a sin then makes perfect ablutions and prays two units of prayer seeking Allah’s forgiveness, then Allah will forgive him.” These narrations make the Companions’ approach to verifying hadîth clear. This does not mean that the Companions made it a condition for accepting a hadîth that at least two narrators must have na it or that the narrator must take an oath or that the people must testify to his truthfulness. The Companions would verify the authenticity of a hadîth in any way that made them comfortable about it. What we have mentioned is just to illustrate how much they feared making mistakes in relating hadîth and how concerned they were to ensure accuracy in doing so. Written Recording of the Hadîth The Companions not only committed the hadîth to memory, many of them put the hadîth down in writing. The Prophet (peace be upon him) allowed many of the Companions to record the Sunnah, and a number of them did so. `Abd Allah b. `Amr b. al-`As (may Allah be pleased with him) said that he used to write down everything that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said. Then the tribe of Quraysh forbade him from doing so, saying: “Do you write down everything that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) says, and he is but a man who speaks in contentment and in anger?” `Abd Allah b. `Amr stopped writing and mentioned this to Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) who told him: “Write, for by Him in Whose hand is my soul, only truth comes forth from this.” And he pointed to his mouth. It is related that Abû Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “None of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) knew more hadîth than I did except for `Abd Allah b. `Amr, because he used to write them down and I did not do so.” One of the most important compilations of hadîth written during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was al-Sahîfah al-Sâdiqah (The Honest Pages), which was written by `Abd Allah b. `Amr b. al-`As directly from the Prophet (peace be upon him) and it contained one thousand hadîth. `Abd Allah b. `Abbâs wrote down a considerable amount of the Sunnah and the biography of the Prophet (peace be upon him) on tablets that he used to carry with him to study gatherings. When he died, he left behind a camel-load of books. His student Sa`îd b. Jubayr used to write down what he dictated to him. When his pages became full, he would start writing on his clothing, his sandals, and sometimes on his hand, so he could transcribe it onto pages when he returned home. All of this supports the fact that the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) approved of and actively pursued the writing of hadîth. The books of their students were in front of them as well. They used to encourage each other to memorize and write down hadîth. Such encouragement can be found from Companions like `Alî, Ibn `Abbâs, and Anas b Mâlik. Abû Bakr and `Umar used to write down hadîth and advise others to do so, though at first they were against it. Other eminent companions used to demand in the clearest of terms that hadîth be written down. For this reason, al-Khatîb al-Baghdâdî observed: “Those from that first generation who disapproved of writing hadîth only did so out of fear that the Qur’ân would be neglected. `Abd Allah b. `Umar, `Abd Allah b. `Amr b. al-`As, Abû Hurayrah, Ubayy b. Ka`b, `Ubadah b. al-Sâmit, and others used to carry pages wherein they recorded a number of hadîth. The Companion Wâthilah b. al-Ashfa` (d. 83 A.H., may Allah be pleased with him) used to dictate the hadîth of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) to his students. These books of the Companions were passed down, but the official recording of the Sunnah did not begin until the era of `Umar b. `Abd al-`Azîz when he wrote to his provincial governors to have the hadîth written down out of fear that knowledge and the people of knowledge would be lost. Written recording of the hadîth in the era of the Successors: When we move to the era of the Successors, we find disapproval of writing down hadîth existing among all generations of Successors. But just as soon we find these same people permitting hadîth to be written down and even encouraging it. Among the middle generations of Successors, we find that writing down hadîth had become official practice. During the time of the first generation of Successors – that is until the end of the first century – many would refuse to write down hadîth. Among them was `Ubaydah b. `Amr al-Salmânî al-Murâdî, Ibrâhîm b. Yazîd al-Tamîmî, Jâbir b. Yazîd, and Ibrâhîm Yazîd. These were people who did not find any pressing need to write down hadîth. This situation did not last long. During the time of the middle generation of Successors – from the beginning of the second century – the formal recording of knowledge was seen as unobjectionable and students were permitted to write down hadîth. Sa`îd b. al-Musayyib permitted `Abd al-Rahmân b. Harmalah to do so when the latter complained about his weak memory. During this period of time, al-Sha`bî made his famous statement: “Writing is the rope of knowledge.” He indicated the importance of writing by saying: “If you hear anything from me, then write it down, even if you have to write it on a wall.” Evidence has surfaced that he wrote a few things himself. After his , a book of his was found on issues of inheritance and injuries. Qatâdah b. Di`âmah al-Sadûsî had no hesitations when he was asked “What stops you from writing, when a professional doctor will clearly tell you that he writes things down?” He immediately replied: “Its knowledge is with my Lord who neither errs nor forgets.” The pious Caliph `Umar b. `Abd al-`Azîz (d. 101 A.H.) officially commanded that the hadîth should be recorded after consulting with the scholars. He wrote to his appointee in Madinah, Abû Bakr b. Muhammad b. `Amr b. Hazm, saying: “Look at what is to be found in the hadîth of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him), the practices of his time, and the narrations of `Amrah and write them down, for I fear the loss of both knowledge and the people of knowledge.” The `Amrah that he referred to is `Amrah bint `Abd al-Rahmân al-Ansârî, for she, along with al-Qâsim b. Muhammad b. Abî Bakr al-Siddîq were students of `A’ishah, and they were the most knowledgeable people with regard to her hadîth from Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). Abû Bakr b. Hazm carried out the order of `Umar b. `Abd al-`Azîz, but the Caliph died before he was able to see the results of Abû Bakr’s work. The Caliph, however, had written to the inhabitants of all the provinces and to his governors in all the major cities, giving them the same command that he had given to Abû Bakr b. Hazm. The first person to respond to his order and carry out his wishes while he was still alive was the scholar of the Hijaz and Syria, Muhammad b. Muslim b. Shihâb al-Zuhrî al-Madanî (d. 124 A.H.) who compiled a book of hadîth. The Caliph `Umar b. `Abd al-`Azîz had copies sent to all the provinces. There was, however, another factor that contributed to the growing tendency to record the hadîth in writing. This was the need to distinguish the hadîth of Allah’s Messenger from fabrications. This is the reason al-Zuhrî said: “If it were not for the fact that unknown and objectionable hadîth reach us from the east, I would never have written hadîth down or permitted others to do so.” This attitude of al-Zuhrî was possibly the attitude of the majority of the scholars of his day. Concern for the preservation of the words of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) and the fear that they might become corrupted by falsehood were two factors that contributed to the scholars’ acceptance of recording the hadîth in writing. Muhammad b. Shihâb al-Zuhrî said in this regard: “`Umar b. `Abd al-`Azîz ordered us to collect the Sunnah together, and we did so, writing it in volume after volume. `Umar then sent the volumes to each province under his rule.” Scholars then went on to compile encyclopedic compilations of hadîth. The first of these was written by Abû Muhammad `Abd al-Malik b. `Abd al-`Azîz of Mecca (d. 150 A.H.) followed by Muhammad b. Ishâq (d. 151 A.H.) These were followed by the works of Mu`ammar b. Râshid of Yemen (d. 153 A.H.), al-Rabî` b. Sabîh (d. 160 A.H.), and others. This tendency continued until the era of the great hadîth compilers, like Mâlik b. Anas (93-173 A.H.) who wrote al-Muwatta’, Ahmad b. Hanbal (164-241 A.H.) who wrote al-Musnad, al-Bukhârî (194-256 A.H.) who wrote Sahîh al-Bukhârî, and Muslim (204-261 A.H) who wrote Sahîh Muslim. With these major works, the formal recording of the Sunnah was completed. Authentication of hadîth 1. The chain of transmission: The Companions and the first generation of Successors were not in the habit of asking for the chains of transmissions, because of their confidence in each other. With the assassination of `Uthmân, the Commander of the Faithful (may Allah be pleased with him), the Muslims became divided and people started to lie about Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). These lies began to accumulate over time, little by little. Thereafter, the Companions and Successors began to scrutinize and authenticate what they heard to protect the Sunnah from corruption. The first thing that they focused on was the chain of transmission. They provided it whenever they related a hadîth and required it from others. They began to reject any hadîth that was related without a chain of transmission, because this chain was the first piece of evidence that could be used to prove a hadîth’s authenticity. Ibn Sîrîn said: “They did not start asking for the chains of transmission until after civil strife erupted. Then they began to say: ‘State your people’ then considered who was mentioned and accepted the hadîth from the followers of the Sunnah and rejected the hadîth of the heretical innovators.” Muslim relates the following story on the authority of Mujâhid: Bashîr al-`Adawî came to Ibn `Abbâs and began to relate hadîth, but Ibn `Abbâs ignored him. Bâshir said: “O Ibn `Abbâs, why don’t I see you paying attention to me, and I am relating the words of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). Ibn `Abbâs (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “There once was a time when if we heard someone mention something that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said, we would give him our immediate attention. Then when the people became afflicted with difficulties and vileness, we began to listen only to people we know.” `Abd Allah b. al-Mubârak said: “The chain of transmission is part of the religion. If it was not for the chain of transmission, people would say whatever they liked.” 2. Exposing the liars and fabricators: Along with the precautions that they took in accepting reports, they were also careful to keep track of the liars and fabricators of hadîth in order to expose them, learn of their activities, and warn the people about them. It was sometimes possible for the scholars to prevent the liars from relating hadîth, either by themselves or with the help of government authority. `Ubâd b. Habîb came to Shu`bah b. al-Hajjâj, the leading authority in hadîth at that time, and said: “I need something of you.” Shu`bah responded: “What is it?” He asked: “Should you refrain from speaking against Abân b. Abî `Abbâs?” Shu`bah said: “Give me three days to think about it.” After three days, Shu`bah returned to him and said: “O `Ubâd, I thought about what you said, and I do not think it is permissible to keep quiet about him.” `Abd al-Rahmân b. Mahdî said: “I was with Sufyân al-Thawrî when we passed by a man. Sufyan said: ‘He is a liar, and by Allah, I would have said nothing but for the fact that it is Islamically impermissible for me to remain silent.” `Amir al-Sha`bi passed by Abû Sâlih who had written a commentary of the Qur’ân. Al-Sha`bî grabbed him by the ear and said: “Woe to you. How can you write a commentary of the Qur’ân when you cannot even read properly?” Al-Shâfi`î said: “If it had not been for Shu`bah, the people of Iraq would have had no knowledge of hadîth. He used to go to people and say: ‘Do not relate hadith. Otherwise, I will call the authorities against you’.” The result of this monitoring was that the majority of fabricators stopped their lying and the people became aware of what was going on. They began to distinguish between the liars and the reliable narrators. Later on, books were compiled collecting numerous fabricated hadîth to point them out and warn the public against them. 3. Investigating the narrators and their circumstances: Considerable effort was spent researching the identities of the narrators of hadîth. Their names, titles, aliases, and family histories were scrutinized. Tabs were kept on their teachers, colleagues, and students. Mention was made where two narrators had similar names that could be confused with one another. Their birth dates and dates of were recorded, along with the journeys that they took during their lives. The narrators were classified according to their respective generations, the first being that of the Companions, then the generations of the Successors, then those who came after them. The narrators were further classified into grades such as reliable, weak, unknown, and rejected. This was not done to abuse or flatter anyone. It was only done to seek Allah’s pleasure and to safeguard the Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). `Alî b. al-Madînî said to someone who asked about his father: “Ask someone else about him.” The person repeated his enquiry. `Alî b. al-Madînî paused then looked at him and said: “He is religious, but he is a weak narrator.” Abû Bakr b. Khallâd related that he said to Yahyâ b. Sa`îd al-Qattân: “Do you not fear that those whose hadîth you reject will take their complaints against you before Allah?” Yahyâ b. Sa`îd al-Qattân replied: “I would rather have these complain against me than have Allah’s Messenger (may Allah be pleased with him) complain against me, saying ‘Why did you relate something about me that you thought was a lie?’” This effort was expended to protect the religion of Allah and to safeguard the Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). This effort produced a rich legacy in the literature of the narrators’ biographies and in that of criticism of narrators. What has been written could not be read in one lifetime. 4. Guidelines for accepting and rejecting hadîth: The people realized that no matter how cautious they were in accepting hadîth, there was always a possibility of error. For this reason, they set down stringent guidelines to differentiate between acceptable and unacceptable narrations. Some of these guidelines pertained to the narrators and some to the texts themselves. Specialists refer to the study of these guidelines as the science of hadîth. There are many guidelines. Al-Hâkim al-Naysâbûrî, in his book Ma`rifah `Ulûm al-Hadîth, determined these guidelines to be of fifty-two different types. Later scholars have determined them to be of seventy different types. The Methodology of the Scholars in Studying the Sunnah The study of the Sunnah has traditionally been broken up into two major fields of study: A. The study of hadîth narrations: This is a science that deals with the careful transmission of the statements, actions, tacit approvals, and characteristics that have been attributed to the Prophet (peace be upon him). B. The study of the hadîth texts: This is a science that researches all areas of accepting, rejecting, and criticizing hadîth and their narrators. With these two sciences, the scholars were able to record and preserve the Prophetic Sunnah, and effectively determine what was acceptable and what was to be rejected. Thereafter, other sciences branched off, like the study of chains of transmissions, the study of hidden defects, and the study of abrogation. The study of narrators branched off into disciplines like the critical study of biography, which focused on the details of a narrator like the date of birth, date of , teachers, students, travels, and when they heard the narrations that they later passed on. It also dealt with the proper spelling of their names and how to differentiate between narrators with similar names. C. The study of the criticism of narrators: This is another branch of study that deals with the narrators of hadîth. It focuses on the character and reliability of the narrators, so that it can be determined whose hadîth are acceptable and whose are not. The conditions that must be met by a hadîth narrator can be determined. These conditions are not arbitrary. They were actually applied by the scholars of hadîth ever since the time of the Companions when they first started to transmit the Sunnah. Al-Shâfi`î, who was an early scholar, summed up these conditions. This points to how early they were applied. He summed them up in the following way: “Individual reports – those whose narrations do not exceed the number where error becomes a practical impossibility – are unacceptable unless the following conditions are met: The narrator must have correct faith, he must be known for his honesty, and he must be rational, knowledgeable enough to know how different wordings can affect the meaning of what he relates. He should be one who relates what he hears exactly as he hears it, word for word. He should have memorized the book he relates from if he relates from a book.” All of these sciences are unique to Islam, because these sciences collected together all the people who transmitted the Prophetic Sunnah and the Prophetic Biography, recording their circumstances since the time of the Messenger (peace be upon him). It is amazing that up to today there are people who memorize the books of the Sunnah (like Sahîh al-Bukhârî, Sahîh Muslim, and Muwatta’ Mâlik) along with their complete chains of transmission. On the basis of these sciences, the scholars of hadîth set down principles for analyzing the chain of narrators. Each narrator in the chain is to be evaluated according to the conditions for acceptance that had been set down. These conditions are as follows: 1. Upright character of the narrator. 2. Accuracy of the narrator. 3. Verification that the narrator heard the hadîth directly from the person that he claims to have heard it from. This can all be verified in two ways: 1. Reference to the books of the criticism of narrators. From these works, the character and accuracy of the narrators can be known. 2. Reference to the books collecting the biographies of the narrators. From these works, the date of a narrator’s birth, the date of his , his residence, his travels, his teachers, and his students can be known. In this way, it can be determined whether one person was actually a student of another who claimed to have heard hadîth from him. The scholars set down two other conditions for accepting a hadîth. These conditions deal with the text and subject matter of the hadîth. These conditions are a precautionary measure, taking into consideration the fact that all narrators are human beings who are prone to making mistakes. These two conditions are as follows: 1. Looking at the subject matter of the hadîth, there must be no defect, like inconsistency in the text or violations of Islamic teachings. 2. Looking at the text, it must not be strange and at variance to similar narrations from more reliable narrators. A hadîth, after being scrutinized in light of these five conditions, can be judged as authentic or weak. In order to show how these conditions are applied, we shall provide a practical example using a hadîth: Al-Bukhârî, in his Sahîh, says: Muhammad b. `Abd Allah al-Ansârî relates that Humayd relates that Anas related to them that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Among the worshippers of Allah is one who, if he makes an oath, Allah will fulfill it for him.” We will analyze this hadîth using the following table:
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