What Is Sunnah and Its Place in Islamic Religious Thought - Coursework Example

Name : xxxxxxxxxxx Institution : xxxxxxxxxxx Course : xxxxxxxxxxx Title : Sunnah Tutor : xxxxxxxxxxx @2010 Introduction Broadly speaking, Sunnah may be defined as that statement which the prophet has said or done to be the way of life for us (Muslims).it is an Arabic word which refers to a path or way. It may have two states; either a good Sunnah or a bad Sunnah. However, islamically, Sunnah is a source of law which has been taken from the sayings, actions and approvals of Prophet Muhammad. Muslims believe that the law of Prophet Muhammad is a divine revelation. However, most people believe Qur’an as the only divine revelation. Muslims were required to believe that Qur’an and Sunnah were sources of law (Qaraḍāwī 2007). In the Islamic view where the words are wholly applied, Sunnah referred to customs as well as conducts of Prophet Muhammad. It must be clearly understood that the prophet did not at any time formulate Sunnah that will favor himself. It was the role of different scholars who developed the notion in order to explain and codify the real picture of Muhammad life, such that it could be closely monitored, or approximated, by the Muslims. Sunnah is often confused with hadith. The difference between Sunnah and hadith is esoteric. Sunnah may be made up of three parts, confirming Sunnah, Explanatory Sunnah and Sunnah that which brings new legislation. Confirming Sunnah- refers to that part of Sunnah which confirms the Quran and strengthens it. In addition, explanatory Sunnah- refers to that part of Sunnah which critically explains the holy Quran as well as various shariah laws that come in the Quran. On the other hand, Sunnah that brings about new legislation- is that part of Sunnah that brings new shariah, legislation in the Quran (Zino 2007). Prophet PBUH said in a hadith "Whosoever does something good, he or she will be rewarded for it as well as those people who did good shall be rewarded until that fateful Day of Judgment. And whosoever does something bad, he/she will be punished including those people who practice in it" There is no precise definition of Sunnah; it differs from one scholar to the other depending on the area of Islamic law (Sharee`ah). For instance, a scholar of Usool defined Sunnah as the prophet’s statement which has been reported and confirmed, examples of such statements includes the hadeeths. The reward of actions depends on the intention of the individual. An example of what the prophet did is that which have been reported of him dealing with matters of acts of worship (Ibaadaat), for instance: the path used to perform Salaat (prayers), Adab us-Siyaam (etiquette used in fasting) and Hajji (pilgrimage). For instance, silence of PBUH was taken as a conformation and acknowledgement to the companions that they did something good. This was when the companions made the right decision (Ijtihaad) during the war of Bani Quraydha (Sabiq and Sābiq 1997). However, some of the Muslims companions understood that they should delay the Salaat (Prayers) until they reached the place, while others understood it that they were required to hurry. The prophet (PBUH) did not say if any of them was wrong therefore he did not reject what they did. Another clear meaning of Sunnah is that of legal proof (legal daleel) which unifies the reading as one reading style (Harf). Contrary to this is Bid`ah which the prophet clearly stated that "congregates must follow my Sunnah of the righteous after me’’ and he (PBUH) did not at any moment say follow my Bid`ah which must not be assumed as Sunnah. Sunnah explains the Qur’an as well as it gives additional rules, guidance and regulations. As per the Islamic jurists, the Sunnah is the second to fard. Fard refers to something obligatory which ought to be done, where negligence without an excuse would amount to a sin. It is divided into mu’akkadah and ghair mu’akkadah. Sunnah should not at any moment be neglected, even though it is not significant as Fard. The alternative Sunnah is recommended, however, if an individual neglects it, nobody would be blamed. Sunnah may also refer to things that the prophet did in order to bring himself closer to Allah. For instance, the prophet slept on a mat out of custom (Eid 2004). As a consequence sleeping on the good side is a Sunnah, is something done in order to please Allah. Another good example is that PBUH (prophet) ate with the right hand since Allah ordered him to do so, therefore it is a Sunnah all Muslims to eat with the right hand. Muslims believes that prophet Muhammad is a divine creator. As a way, Islamic religion is perfect and complete. However, there are times that certain Muslims ends up being liberal elite, thus desire to deny the Islamic laws in order to suit their own needs. It is sadder, that a lot of Muslims deny Sunnah. Methodology Hanny Lightfoot-Klein gives an example of Sudan where Sunnah was discovered. Sunna kashfa uncovered Sunnah where it involved cutting half of the women clitoris (Khan 2003). However there has been no valid document used in that procedure. Since that type of unattested Sunnah constituted cutting of the hood of the clitoris, Sunnah was thereby established. Male and women circumcision are considered as rituals. Sunnah of (Muhammad) prophet was originally a doctrinal concept, in the sense that it would not expect another different procedure to be administered. (Bravmann and Rippin 2009) The objective of Sunnah is mainly to (1) establish develop and maintain virtues God desires in man and (2) to remove evil which God hates. It is the duty of all Muslims to uphold Gods law as stipulated and stated in the Sunnah. This is usually driven with the fact that everything should be done through Gods command rather than expediency. The rule of prophet hood establishes that Muslims should follow Sunnah since Muhammad provided an example for implementing Islamic laws. Sunnah of the prophet expounds on the rule of Quran in the following ways: specifying the common, detailing the general, limiting the absolute and clarifying the obscure (Winter 2009). Why do we need the Sunnah? Right before the introduction of Prophet Muhammad, everybody on the entire nations had received a messenger. The aim of the messengers was to instruct their people on how to worship Allah in a proper manner. Prophet Muhammad was no discharge to this. If there was no vivid interpretation of the Qur’an, it is believed that many Muslims would have gone astray. Allah sent a noble messenger so as to explain to people in order to understand more about their creator. Through explaining critically about the Qur’an in his words and actions, the PBUH (prophet) through his Sunnah, provides us with the best explanation on how this book may be understood as well as practiced (Qaraḍāwī 2007). That is why Allah states, “Without a doubt in the Messenger of Allah you have the most gorgeous pattern of behavior”. Our call for Sunnah is so great, without it, the Islamic religion would be incomplete in so many ways. In actual fact, this is the precise dilemma which all other religious would find them in. Other books such as the bible are thought to lack the divine explanation, which no one is able to understand clearly as how to worship Allah. In the part of the Muslims religion, they do not have to worry their heads out, since Sunnah is their divine explanation when it comes to that. The Qur’an urges Muslims to worship Allah through fasting, charity, prayers etc.; however it does not specifically state how to carry out these duties more practically. It is through his endless understanding, that Allah has sent Muslims a practical exemplar in form of the prophets as well as their teachings. The prophet devotion and practice of the Qur’an was exemplary, upon being questioned about his behavior, his wife answered“…his personality was in accordance with the Qur’an teachings” (Zarabozo 2007). Is it compulsory to follow the Sunnah? Obeying Allah is not reservation, compulsory. As a result when Allah states that: “anyone who obeys the Messenger has without a doubt obeyed Allah”, it must be clear that an individual who has obeyed the messenger has in turn obeyed Allah. In addition to this, Muhammad said: “…anyone who disobeys me contravenes Allah”. With regards to Sunnah, it is an obligation upon the entire Muslim. The responsibility is stressed more when Allah states that: “although no, via your Lord, they may have no faith at all, unless they are willing to make you (O’ Muhammad) evaluator in all argument between them, and find in themselves no confrontation against your verdict, and agree to them with full obedience” “It is not okay for an advocate, either a man or woman, as soon as a matter has been declared by Allah together with his Messenger to have any choice whatsoever in the matter. If any person disobeys Allah as well as His Messenger he/she is undoubtedly astray”. Muslims know that when Allah together with His Messenger orders something for the entire , it is usually for the benefit of the entire Muslims at large, even if they are not an a position to realize it. As a result, putting forward to the messenger is usually for the benefit of all Muslims but not purposely for oppressing them. It should be clearly understood that above and beyond being the messenger of Allah, Muhammad was an Arabic man living in the 7th century. This clearly meant that the messenger had his own personal tastes fashion and preferences just like any other normal human being. These preferences as well as taste are without a doubt well-known from the Islamic law which is considered as legally binding upon everyone within the religion. Therefore, the messenger personal Sunnah is distinct from the lawful Sunnah which must have been instituted. A perfect example of this was where the prophet (O’ Muhammad) came to Madeenah where he came across the inhabitants pollinating the palm trees. When the congregations were asked on what they were doing, they answered back that it was their habit and therefore there was no way to evade it. The messenger recommended to them that if they did not go ahead with the plan; it would have been much better. As a result, they lost interest on it and the subsequent year their harvest had greatly reduced. When the Muslims told him of this, they certainly replied: “I am only a human being. When I give command to you with respect to your religion, then you are bound to accept it, although when I give any command to you with regards to my own judgment, I am just a human being”. Islamic is a religion which points out Allah as a single worship. It is however for this reason that the likelihood of Muhammad being more than a man was totally absurd. Him being the rightful Messenger of Allah, most people believed that Sunnah is infallible, and on the same time they still uphold a wonderful balance by identifying the words of Allah: “shout (O’ Muhammad) : ‘I am a man like you only that it has been exposed to me and many others that your God is one God”. Is so damn true that Muslims follow Muhammad, but it is not certainly true that we worship him. What are the benefits of the Sunnah? One among other scholars of the past said that Sunnah could be compared with Noah’s ark. Anyone who embarks upon it attains salvation, however for those who rejects it, will be drowned”. This salvation is the accesses into ecstasy which will enable most people (of Muslim religion) avoid the fire of hell. Being apologetic is a dreadful state. But being sorry on that fateful Day of Judgment will be worse for that individual who did not adheres to the aching and the regulations of Sunnah: “And the day when the reprobate will have to bite at their own hands and say: ‘Oh! How I wish I had listened to the ways or paths of the messenger”. This lament will go on during the chastisement: “that day they will have to face their judgment, they will be tossed around in the fire, they said: ‘despair to us! If only they had obeyed Allah as well as his Messenger” (Qaraḍāwī 2007). Alternatively, the one who hold on to the Sunnah will get the final benefit: “anyone who obeys Allah together with his Messenger will be made a clean breast to gardens underneath which rivers flow to live there all the time, and that was termed as the great achievement”. This was additional long-established by the (O’ Muhammad) Prophet himself when he exclaimed that: “He who live in accordance with the teachings of Sunnah will automatically enters the kingdom or paradise, and that individual who rejects the teachings, would not enter the kingdom or paradise. The goodness of the Sunnah is that it will be tasted throughout this life. The immensity of the (O’ Muhammad) Prophet's way is that his produces are psychological, physical and spiritual benefit to its adherent. This fact is still identified and recognized by the non Muslim scientists who discovered that the Sunnah is tremendously precise in its conventionality with modern scientific data. Both scientific and Medical prepositions based on factual evidence were recorded 1000 years ago, from the language of the (O’ Muhammad) Prophet, it has only been in recent times discovered. These findings proved that Sunnah could only be divinely revealed. As a consequence, that individual who lives in accordance with the law will bring about goodness to himself as well as the rest of this decaying world. As for those individuals who choose to get rid of these divine rules and regulations, then that person is assumed to have lost treasures which far more important than any riches that the world may bring forward. That is, a treasure which was bound to bring eternal happiness. Muslims were told to say, (O Muhammad) and Sunnah will forgive their sins. For sure the messenger of Allah was a good example to follow, for anyone who hopes to see Allah on the last Day of Judgment must do all things as per Sunnah teaching. Sunnah is a body of traditional, social, customs and practice of the Muslim community. In Islamic community, Sunnah referred to the precedents made up by tribal ancestors, acknowledged as normative, and practiced by the whole community. Muslims did not immediately be of the same mind on what attributed their Sunnah. Some if not all looked upon the people of Madeenah, for instance, other individual Muslims followed the conduct and behavior of the companion of Muhammad, while the provincial schools attempted to compare Sunnah with the system based(Qaraḍāwī 2007). Conclusion Most of the people came into terms and agreed to the fact that Sunnah may be of two kinds, Sunnah of good and the Sunnah of bad, each and every one of them have the ability of deciding on which Sunnah they want to be in, the good or the bad. Sunnah refers to customs as well as conducts carried out by Prophet Muhammad. It should be without a doubt understood that the prophet did not at any time put together Sunnah that will favor himself. It was the role of different scholars as well as individual who developed the notion in order to explain and codify the real picture of Muhammad life, such that it could be closely monitored, or approximated, by the Muslims. Sunnah is over and over again confused with hadith. The difference between Sunnah and hadith is however esoteric. References Bravmann, M. M., and Andrew Rippin. The spiritual background of early Islam: studies in ancient Arab concepts. New York: BRILL, 2009. Eid, Sulaiman Bin Gassim Al. Jews belief in Attributes A critical Study according to Quran and Sunnah. UK: Journal of King Saud University. Educational Sciences & Islamic Studies, 2004. Qaraḍāwī, Yūsuf. Approaching the Sunnah: comprehension and controversy. INDIA: IIIT, 2007. Sabiq, As-Sayyid, and al-Sayyid Sābiq. Fiqh Us-Sunnah: az-Zakāh and as-Siyām. New York: American Trust Publications, 1997. Zarabozo, Jamaal al-Din. The following series of articles discusses the means used throughout history to ensure that the Sunnah, or teachings of Prophet Muhammad, remained authentically preserved and free from alteration and interpolation. Part Three: The importance and history . China: © 2007 IslamReligion.com, 2007. Zino, Muhammad bin Jamil. Islamic Guidelines For Individual and Social Reform. China: IIT, 2007. Khan, Arshad. Islam 101: Principles and Practice. New York: iUniverse, 2003. Nigosian, Solomon Alexander. Islam: its history, teaching, and practices. India : Indiana University Press, 2003. Winter, Dan. Islamic studies, Volume 5. UK: Islamic Research Institute, 2009. Read More