Bismillah alhamdulillah.
This is a book written by Muhammad Taqi Usmani on the The Authority of the Sunnah. I have added LOBs (Learning Obectives) so that the text can be used as a source for teaching 14+ year olds. The first 7 learning objectives are as follows:
Learning Objectives
- Understand the sources of Islamic law.
- The three types of actions which are considered as part of the Sunnah
- Role of the Messenger of Allah as shown by the Quran (3:164; 62:2)
- The logical consequence of obedience based on the roles in 3.
- Obedience of the Messenger is explicitly stated.
- Significance of mentioning the obedience of God with the obedience of the Messenger.
- Rewards of obedience of both (stating evidence).
The part of the text reproduced below covers the above 7 objectives.
The Authority of Sunnah
By Muhammad Taqi Usmani
Chapter 1
Sunnah: The Second Source of Islamic Law
The Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam) has been accepted as an important source of Islamic law, next in importance only to the Holy Qur’ân. This status of the sunnah has remained unchallenged and undisputed throughout the centuries. There have been many differences among Muslims in their juristic opinions, but the authority of the Holy Qur’ân and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet () was never denied by any jurist. Leaving aside some scattered individuals who separated themselves from the main stream of the Muslim population, nobody has ever refused to accept the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam) as a sacred source of the Islamic law.
The position is still the same, but some non-Muslim orientalists and some of their followers have tried, during the last century to cast some doubts in the authority or the veracity of Hadîth and to develop a suspicious attitude towards the Sunnah. That is why some Muslims who are unable to study Islam through its original sources, when they read such books, often become a bit skeptical in the subject.
The present article intends, therefore, to provide an objective and simple account of the SUNNAH based on the original sources of Islamic learning. The purpose is not to indulge in a hot atmosphere of argumentation which has no bounds or limits, but to narrate the truth as it stands.
Definition of Sunnah
The Sunnah has been defined by the scholars of the science of Hadîth as follows:
“A word spoken, or an act done, or a confirmation given by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam).”
“Confirmation” in this definition is termed in Arabic as Taqreer. What is meant by this term is like somebody said something, or acted in a particular manner, and his saying or act came to the knowledge of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam) and he either confirmed it in express words or remained silent without given any indication of disapproval. Such silence, being an implied approval of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam) is also included in the term Sunnah.
As the Sunnah, with all its three kinds (saying, act and confirmation) relates to the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam), its true status in Islamic law cannot be ascertained without ascertaining the status of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam) himself.
The Status of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam)
So, the first pertinent question in the subject is: What status does a prophet occupy when he is sent to the people? Has he no higher a status than that or a message-carrier or a postman who, after delivering the letter, has no concern with it whatsoever? The answer is certainly in the negative. The prophets are not sent merely to deliver the word of Allâh. They are also required to explain the divine Book, to interpret it, to expound it, to demonstrate the ways of its application and to present a practical example of its contents. Their duty is not restricted to reciting the words of the Book, rather they are supposed to teach it and to train people to run their lives in accordance with its requirements. The Holy Qur’ân leaves no doubt concerning this point by saying:
Allâh has surely blessed the believers with His favor when He raised in their midst a Messenger from among themselves, who recites to them His verses and makes them pure and teaches them the Book and the Wisdom, while they were, earlier in open error. (3:164)
He (Allâh) is the One who raised up, among the unlettered, a Messenger from among themselves who recites the verses of Allâh, and makes them pure, and teaches them the Book and the Wisdom. (62:2)
The same functions were attributed to the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam) in the prayer of Sayyidna Ibrahim (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam) when, according to the Holy Qur’ân, he prayed:
Our Lord, raise in their midst a messenger from among themselves who recites to them Your verses and teaches them the Book and the Wisdom and purifies them… (2:129)
These are the terms of reference given to the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam) which include four distinct functions and the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam) has been entrusted with all of them:
(1) Recitation of the Verses of Allâh.
(2) Teaching the Book of Allâh.
(3) Teaching the Wisdom.
(4) Making the people pure.
Thus, the Holy Qur’ân leaves no ambiguities in the fact that the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam) is not supposed to merely recite the verses and then leave it to the people to interpret and apply them in whatever manner they like. Instead, he is sent to “teach” the Book. Then, since teaching the Book is not enough, he is also required to teach “Wisdom” which is something additional to the “Book.” Still, this is not enough, therefore the Holy Prophet () has also to “make the people pure,” meaning thereby that the theoretical teaching of the Book and the “Wisdom” must be followed by a practical training to enable the people to apply the Book and the Wisdom in the way Allâh requires them to apply.
These verses of the Holy Qur’ân describe the following functions of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam):
(a) He is the authority in the way the Holy Book [the Qur’ân] has to be recited.
(b) He has the final word in the interpretation of the Book.
(c) He is the only source at which the wisdom based on divine guidance can be learned.
(d) He is entrusted with the practical training of the people to bring his teachings into practice.
These functions of the Holy Prophet () can never be carried out unless his teachings, both oral and practical, are held to be authoritative for his followers, and the Muslims who are given under his training are made bound to obey and follow him. The functions (b) and (c), namely, the teaching of the Book and Wisdom require that his sayings should be binding on the followers, while the function (d), the practical training, requires that his acts should be an example for the Ummah, and the Ummah should be bound to follow it.
It is not merely a logical inference from the verses of the Holy Qur’ân quoted above, but it is also mentioned in express terms by the Holy Qur’ân in a large number of verses which give the Muslims a mandatory command to obey and follow him. While doing so, the Holy Qur’ân has used two different terms, namely the “itaa’ah” (to obey) and “ittibaa’” (to follow). The first term refers to the orders and sayings of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam) while the second relates to his acts and practice. By ordering the Muslims both to “obey” and to “follow” the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam), the Holy Qur’ân has given an authority to both his sayings and acts.
The Obedience (Itaa’ah) of the Messenger
It is in this background that the Holy Qur’ân insists repeatedly on “the obedience of the Prophet” so much so that is is mentioned side by side with the obedience of Allâh:
Say: Obey Allâh and the Messenger, but if they turn their backs, Allâh loves not the disbelievers. (3:32)
And obey Allâh and the Messenger so that you may be blessed. (3:132)
O those who believe, obey Allâh and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. (4:59)
And obey Allâh and obey the Messenger and beware. (5:92)
So fear Allâh and set things right between you, and obey Allâh and His Messenger if you are believers. (8:1)
O those who believe, obey Allâh and His Messenger and do not turn away from him, while you are listening. (8:20)
And obey Allâh and His Messenger and do not quarrel with each other, and so lose heart. (8:46)
Say: Obey Allâh and obey the Messenger; then, if you turn away, upon him rests what is laid on him, and upon you rests what is laid on you. If you obey him, you will be guided. (24:54)
O those who believe, obey Allâh and obey the Messenger and do not make your deeds vain. (47:33)
So establish salaah and pay zakaah and obey Allâh and His Messenger. (58:13)
And obey Allâh and obey the Messenger but if you turn your backs, Our Messenger has only to deliver the manifest message. (64:12)
In these verses, “the obedience of the Messenger” has been ordered as an obligatory command. There are other verses in which the results of the “obedience of the Messenger” have been described. Here again the “obedience of the Messenger” has been combined with “the obedience of Allâh:”
And whoever obeys Allâh and His Messenger, Allâh shall admit him in the Gardens underneath which rivers flow. (4:13)
The same words have been repeated in (48:17) also.
And whoever obeys Allâh and the Messenger, they are in the company of those who Allâh has blessed. (4:69)
All that the believers say, when they are called to Allâh and His Messenger that he may judge between them, is that they say, “We hear and we obey”: it is these who are successful. Whoever obeys Allâh and His Messenger and fears Allâh and has awe of Him: it is these who are the winners. (24:52)
And whoever obeys Allâh and His Messenger, he has won a great success. (33:71)
And the believers, men and women, are friends of each other; they bid the fair and forbid the unfair; they establish Salâh and pay zakaah and they obey Allâh and His Messenger. These are those upon whom Allâh shall have mercy; Allâh is All-Mighty, All-Wise. (9:71)
If you obey Allâh and His Messenger, He will not diminish you anything of your deeds. (49:14)
The Holy Qur’ân has also made it clear that “the obedience of the prophet” is not a new principle, nor is it limited to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam). The same principle applied to all the former prophets who came before him:
And we sent no messenger, but that he should be obeyed by the leave of Allâh. (4:64)
It is also clarified by the Holy Qur’ân that the prophets are the spokesmen of Allâh’s pleasure. Hence, the obedience of the prophet is actually obedience of Allâh Himself.
And whoever obeys the Messenger, thereby obeys Allâh. (4:80)
As the obedience of the Holy Prophet () has been stressed by the Holy Qur’ân and has been combined with the “obedience of Allâh,” in the same way “disobedience” of him has been warned against and is combined with the “disobedience of Allâh:”
And whoever disobeys Allâh and His Messenger and transgresses His limits, He shall admit him to Fire where he shall remain forever. (4:14)
And whoever disobeys Allâh and His Messenger has gone astray into manifest error. (33:36)
And whoever disobeys Allâh and His Messenger, for him there is the fire of Jahannam. There they shall remain forever. (72:23)
And whoever makes a breach with Allâh and His Messenger, then Allâh is severe in punishment. (8:13)
Did they not come to know that whoever opposes Allâh and His Messenger, for him there is the fire of Jahannam? (9:63)
Thus, both positive and negative aspects of the obedience have been dealt with in the Holy Qur’ân and the “obedience of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam)” in each one of these verses has been mentioned separately, alongwith the obedience of Allâh.
It is noteworthy that whenever the “obedience of Allâh” is mentioned in the Holy Qur’ân, it is always followed by the “obedience of the Prophet” which has never been missed even in a single verse. There is no verse in the entire Book where the “obedience of Allâh” has been mentioned alone with no reference to the “obedience of the Messenger.”
On the contrary, there are some verses where only the “obedience of the Messenger” has been mentioned, and there is no reference to the obedience of Allâh:
And establish salaah and pay zakaah and obey the Prophet so that you may be blessed. (24:56)
And if you obey him (the Prophet), you shall find the right path. (24:54)
On that day those who disbelieved and disobeyed the Messenger will wish that the earth might be levelled with them. (4:42)
And whoever makes a breach with the Messenger after the right path has become clear to him, and follows a way other than that of the believers, We shall let him own what he chose and shall admit him in the Jahannam, and it is evil as a returning place. (4:115)
The reason for so much stress upon the “obedience of the Prophet” is that the obedience of Allâh cannot be carried out except through the obedience of the Prophet. Allâh does not address each and every individual to tell him what He requires from him, as the Holy Qur’ân puts it:
And it is not possible for a human being that Allâh should speak to him, except by revelation, or from behind a curtain or that He should send a messenger and reveal by His leave what He wills. (42:51)
Therefore Allâh conveys His injunctions only through His prophets and His obedience cannot be carried out except by the obedience of the messengers. So, when a prophet bids something or forbids something, he does not do it in his private capacity, rather he does so in the capacity of a messenger of Allâh. When Allâh Himself has given an express command to “obey the Messenger,” the obedience of the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam) is actually the “obedience of Allâh,” though in an indirect manner. This point has been clearly established by the Holy Qur’ân in the following words:
And whoever obeys the Messenger, thereby obeys Allâh. (4:80)
So, whenever only the “obedience of the Messenger” has been mentioned in the Holy Qur’ân, it includes, without saying, the “obedience of Allâh” because the Messenger does not say anything in the capacity of a Messenger unless he is guided by a revelation from Allâh:
And he (the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam) does not speak out of his own desire. It is not but a revelation revealed (to him). (53:3-4)
Looked at from this angle, the obedience of the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam) represents the obedience of Allâh and the reference to the former always includes the latter. That is why the Holy Qur’ân in some verses deemed it sufficient to refer to the obedience of the Messenger only, for the practical way to obey Allâh is only to obey the prophet.
On the contrary, the Holy Qur’ân did not deem it sufficient to refer to the “obedience of Allâh” without referring to the “obedience of the Messenger,” to remove even the remotest excuse for ignoring the “obedience of the Prophet” and to leave no doubt whatsoever in the fact that the obedience of Allâh is not complete unless the obedience of the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wassallam) is fully observed with all its implications.
Filed under: Education, learning objectives, lesson plan for the sunnah, The Authority of the Sunnah - teaching resource
