بسم الله وحده والصلاة والسلام على من لا نبي بعده
ʿĀlimah Siddiqa al-Fārsiyyah
Student, Takhassus Fil Hadith
Checked and Approved:
Mufti Ismail Moosa
www.ulumalhadith.com
Title: As-Sunnatu ‘n-Nabawiyyah Wa Bayānu Madlūlihā ash-Shar‘ī Wa ‘t-Ta’rīfu Bi Hāli Sunan ad-Dār Qutnī
Genre: Ḥadīth
Language: Arabic
Author: Shaykh ‘Abdul Fattāh Abū Ghuddah
Publisher: Dār as-Salām
Pages: Approx. 40
The author
Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattāḥ bin Muḥammad bin Bashīr bin Ḥasan Abū Ghuddah was a one of the leading scholars of the 20th century in the field of Ḥadīth and of the Ḥanafī school of Fiqh. He was born in the famous city of Aleppo (may Allāh revive it) in 1917 and lived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for a major part of his later life. He studied under over a hundred prominent scholars such as Shaykh ‘Īsa al-Bayānūnī, Shaykh Ibrāhīm as-Salqīnī, Shaykh Muhammad Rāghib at-Tabbākh, Shaykh Mustafā as-Sabrī, and Shaykh Muhammad Zāhid al-Kawtharī. He has contributed extensively to the field of Ḥadīth and has authored approximately 67 works comprising of his own books and footnotes on other books.
The book
As-Sunnatu ‘n-Nabawiyyah Wa Bayānu Madlūlihā ash-Shar‘ī Wa ‘t-Ta’rīfu Bi Hāli Sunan ad-Dār Qutnī is a short treatise that addresses two main topics. The first is regarding the definition and usage of the word Sunnah according to the scholars of different fields. The second part pertains to the Sunan of Imām ad-Dār Qutnī [d. 306 AH/918 CE] (may Allāh be pleased with him), its distinguishing features, and how his book differs from the other Sunan books.
The term sunnah before and after the 2nd century
The first definition of Sunnah that the author explains is that which was used by the Prophet (ﷺ), the Sahābah and the Tābi‘ūn. When they used the word Sunnah, they used it differently to how the Fuqahā used it after the 2nd century. The meaning that they intended was “the orthodox prophetic way” and “the prescribed path of the Sharī‘ah which everyone is obliged to tread”. The author then brings many textual evidences for support such as:
The Ḥadīth of ‘Ā’ishah (May Allāh be pleased with her) that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Marriage is part of my Sunnah, and whoever does not follow my Sunnah has nothing to do with me. Get married, for I will boast of your great numbers before the nations. Whoever has the means, let him get married, and whoever does not, then he should fast for it will diminish his desire.” [Sunan Ibn Mājah 1846]
The Ḥadīth of Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī (May Allāh be pleased with him) that two men performed Tayammum and prayed, then they found water when there was still time left for prayer. One of them performed Wudu’ and repeated the prayer, and the other did not. They asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about that and he said to the one who did not repeat the prayer: “You followed the Sunnah and your prayer is acceptable.” And he said to the other: “And you will have something like the reward of two prayers.”
On the other hand, according to the Fuqahā, Sunnah is another of the many terminologies of jurisprudence such as Wājib, Mandūb, Mustahab, Makrūh, Sunnah etc. In this case, the word Sunnah, as it came into use after the time of the Tābi‘ūn in the second century AH, is taken to be the opposite of Fardh and Wājib in terms of determining compulsion.
The author explains that certain Fuqahā have mixed the two definitions of the word Sunnah and have used the word Sunnah that comes in the statements of the Prophet (ﷺ), the Sahābah and Tābi‘ūn to established the sunniyyah of an action which, according to the definition of the Fuqahā, is that which is highly encouraged because it is of the practices of the Prophet (ﷺ), albeit not obligatory. This is clearly wrong because the word Sunnah has a general Shar‘ī meaning in the statements of the Prophet (ﷺ), the Sahābah and Tābi‘ūn which also refer to Aqā‘id (Beliefs), ‘Ibādāt (Acts of Worship), Mu‘āmalāt (Dealings), Ādāb (Mannerism) etc. and is not restricted to those actions that are not Fardh/Wājib as defined by the Fuqahā.
Sunan ad-Dārqutnī and other sunan books
The authors who used the word ‘Sunan’ in the title of their complications such as Imām Abū Dāwūd, Imām an-Nasā‘ī, Imām Ibn Mājah, used the word Sunan in its implicit meaning prior to the second century; the prescribed path of the Sharī‘ah. Moreover, Sunan are books that have chapters which are arranged in a juridical sequence. They do not contain Mawqūf narrations because Mawqūf narrations are not known as Sunan in their terminology; rather they are known as Ḥadīth.
The author mentions a few features that differentiate between Sunan ad-Dār Qutnī and other Sunan books. Some of them are:
- Sunan ad-Dār Qutnī has been compiled with the objective of collecting narrations that have ‘Ilal (Defects) in them in order to clarify those defects and why those narrations cannot be used as evidence for the deduction of juridical verdicts. On the other hand, other Sunan books have been compiled with the objective of collecting authentic narrations. Although, Sunan ad-Dār Qutnī does contain several authentic narrations.
- Imām ad-Dār Qutnī has mentioned many Mawqūf and Maqtū’ reports from the Fatāwā of the Sahābah and Tābi‘ūn which are found excessively in this book. In the first volume of the book, there are 226 Aḥadīth from which 167 are Mawqūf, 24 are Maqtū’ and 35 are Mursal
- The large quantity of Aḥadīth that are found in Sunan ad-Dār Qutnī are more than many other Sunan books. In comparison, Sunan an-Nasā‘ī has 5720 whereas Sunan Ad-Dār Qutnī has 5687. Sunan Abī Dāwūd has 5274 and Sunan Ibn Mājah has 4341 Aḥadīth.
Conclusion
This treatise of Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattāḥ Abū Ghuddah (may Allāh have mercy on him) provides a comprehensive overview on the definition of Sunnah prior to and after the second century AH, and on the Sunan of Imām ad-Dār Qutnī. It is a beneficial read for the students of Mustalah al-Ḥadīth which will help them grasp the topic well. It is also a helpful source of reference. Its brevity and comprehensiveness make it a unique contribution to the field of Mustalah al-Ḥadīth, along with being a helpful resource for readers who may be interested in committing much of the information to memory.
The book can be accessed here.