بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
16 Shawwāl 1444 AH (Sunday, 07 May 2023)
Overview
This is a summary of Muqaddimah Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāh. It has been well praised by earlier scholars. Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar mentioned regarding it:
واختصر علوم الحديث لابن الصلاح اختصارا مفيدا.
He compiled ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth of Ibn Ṣalāḥ in a very beneficial manner.[1]
Ibn Qāḍī Shuhbah said:
اختصر علوم الحديث اختصارا حسنا (تاريخ ابن قاضي شهبة – 1 / 468)
He compiled ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth in a very good way.[2]
Reasons For Studying This Book
There are various reasons for studying this book:
In shāʾ Allāh, in Muqaddimah Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāḥ, we will be going into a lot of detail. We are using Muqaddimah Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāḥ as a means of exploring the entire field. In doing that, we do not want you to miss the main rulings and important principles that ʿAllāmah Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāḥ has mentioned. In trying to dig too deep, we should not ignore what is within easy reach on the surface. Thus, through this book, you have an overview on the opinions of ʿAllāmah Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāḥ.
The author of this book included additional examples and extra commentary. Through that, you will gain a better understanding of the principles that ʿAllāmah Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāḥ mentioned.
The author included principles and information that ʿAllāmah Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāḥ did not mention. Through this book, we will learn that which is not in Muqaddimah Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāḥ.
He added almost all the additional points and extra principles that Imām Nawawī and ʿAllāmah Ibn Daqīq al-ʿĪd included. He actually quotes verbatim from their books. Hence, by studying this one book, you are gaining all the information from three important books and really, it is as if you are studying all three books. Furthermore, being a direct student of ʿAllāmah Ibn Jamāʿah and studying Al-Manhal ar-Rawī under him, he was able to refine the information mentioned there, and present all that here is a much better manner.
Besides that, his very intention was to endeavour to gather all the principles of ḥadīth. He writes:
بتصنيف مختصر في علوم الحديث، حاويا لجميع مقاصدها، كافلا لإبراز محاسنها، كافيا فيما يحتاج إليه فيها.
… a concise compilation in the sciences of ḥadīth, comprising of all its objectives, ensuring the task of uncovering its merits, sufficing for what is needed in the science.[3]
The author very carefully and systematically re-organized the chapters of Muqaddimah Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāḥ. He got the idea of changing the order of ʿAllāmah Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāḥ from his teacher, Ibn Jamāʿah, who was the first to rearrange the chapters. But he rearranged the chapters and presented the information in a much better manner.
In short, the name of this book is Al-Kāfī, and if you study it well, it will actually be kāfī (meaning, it will be sufficient).
Because of the importance of this book, most of those who wrote Nukat after him quoted from him.
Our Method of Going Through This Book
There are few important points to keep in mind:
In this book, we are not going to explore the most accurate and the preferred view. Rather, we will mention the view which the muḥaddithīn after ʿAllāmah Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāḥ adopted.
In general, when going through the points that are in Muqaddimah Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāḥ , we will, in shāʾ Allāh, go at a faster pace.
When going through the points that are not in Muqaddimah Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāḥ but are important, we will then go into detail.
In order to complete this book by September, we are not going to go into the depth of every word. We will not discuss the precision in his choice of words.
Leave alone not going into the depths, we are not even going to translate every word. Our objective is strictly to gain the rulings and principles from this book.
Voluntary homework for this week
Write about the author.
For this, if you have more than an hour, you may refer to:
Wafayāt ibn Rāfi’, 2 / 16
Al Aqd al-Mudhhab Fī Ṭabaqāt Ḥamalah al-Madhhab, page 415
Ad-Durar al-Kāminah, 4 / 85
Durrat al-Ḥajjāl Fī Asmā ar-Rijāl, 3 / 220
Sullam al-Wuṣūl Ilā Ṭabaqāt al-Fuḥūl, 2 / 369
Shadharāt ad-Dhahab, 6 / 149
Al-A’lām, 4 / 306
Researchers notes in the beginning of al-Kāfī, from page 71
If you have between 3 minutes to an hour, then please at least just read the researchers notes.
Please send in your notes
Commencement of the book
Page 105: In this print, the book commences on page 105. The author opens his book with the praises of Allāh ﷻ and passing salutations upon the Prophet ﷺ. In a style, he uses terminologies of ḥadīth in their literal meaning.
Page 106: He mentions the reason for writing this book. He presents two reasons that motivated him to write the book:
- To emulate the earlier scholars, so that he could be considered from them.
- To present a book that is sufficient and all-encompassing.
He then explains why he preferred to use the book of ʿAllāmah Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāḥ as his basis, rather than writing his own independent book. He says that since it is a book that has no comparison, numerous scholars abridged the book. Each scholar felt that his abridgement is the best and the easiest. Thus, I also decided to abridge it in a manner that will make it easier to gain benefit and will be much better. In doing this, he mentions that he deleted the repetitions, added other crucial information, he included all the extra points of Ibn Daqīq al-ʿĪd and Imām Nawawī, and deleted whatever is irrelevant and could be an impediment in easier understanding. He concludes with a prayer to Allāh.
On page 108, he officially commences the book by elaborating on the how the Qurʾān is explained through the Sunnah. He explains that it is so clear and apparent to any person with even a little intelligence, (that proofs do not even have to be mentioned). Nevertheless, he presents the following:
Page 109: The narration of Miqdād ibn Maʿdīkarib in Sunan Abī Dāwūd:
ألا إني قد أوتيت الكتاب ومثله معه، ألا إني قد أوتيت القرآن ومثله، ألا يوشك رجل شبعان على أريكته يقول: عليكم بهذا القرآن، فما وجدتم فيه من حلال فأحلوه، وما وجدتم فيه من حرام فحرموه، ألا وإن ما حرم رسول الله عليكم كما حرم الله، لا يحل لكم لحم الحمار الأهلي، ولا كل ذي ناب من السباع، ولا لقطة من مال معاهد، إلا أن يستغني عنها صاحبها.
Behold, I have been given the Book and similar to it together with it. Behold, I have been given the Qurʿān and smilar to it. Behold, a man laying satiated on his couch will be saying, ‘Hold fast to this Qurʿān, whatever you find in it of ḥalāl, then deem it permitted, and whatever you find in it of ḥarām, then deem it prohibited. Behold, what the Messenger of Allāh has prohibittted for you is what Allāh has made prohibited for you. The meat of domesticated donkeys is not permissible for you, nor the meat of every fanged predatory animal, nor the lost item of a muʿahid, except if he has no need for it.
Page 110: The details of ʿibādah are in the Sunnah; i.e. We have to learn the method of praying, performing Ḥājj etc from the Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam).
Page 111: He quotes the statement that Awzā’ī quoted from Makḥūl:
القرآن أحوج إلى السنة من السنة إلى القرآن.
The Qurʾān is more in need of the Sunnah than the Sunnah is in need of the Qurʿān.[4]
In the footnotes, the researcher presents the explanation of Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr:
وقال ابن عبد البر في بيان معنى الأثر؛ في “جامع بيان العلم (2/ 1194): “يريد أنها تقضي عليه وتبين المراد منه”.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr said, explaining the meaning of the report in Jāmiʿ Bayān al-ʿIlm (92/1194), ‘He means that it completes it, and clarifies its meaning.’[5]
He then explains that Allāh Taʿalā has divinely taken it upon himself to protect the Qurʾān from every type of distortion and changes creeping in. Throughout time the Qurʾān has always been mutawātir. Hence, scholars are not even obliged to preserve the Qurʾān, because whether they do so or not, Allāh will continue to preserve and protect it.
[القرآن محفوظ من تطرق الطعن والتغيير بخلاف السنة]ثم كتاب الله تعالى لما كان محفوظا عن تطرق الطعن والتغيير، متواترا على تتابع الأنام، وتوالي الأيام، سقطت مؤنة حفظه الموكول إلى الله تعالى عن العلماء.
[The Qurʿān is protected from the influence of calumny and distortion, as opposed to the sunnah]Then due to the Book of Allāh being protected from the influence of calumny and distortion, mass-transmitted upon an uninterrupted sequence of humankind, and over the successive course of time, the burden of protecting it has fallen away, entrusted to Allāh instead of the scholars.[6]
However, this is not the case with the aḥādīth. People could easily distort and fabricate narrations. To combat this, the reliable and trustworthy scholars had to stand up to protect the Sunnah.
Page 112: he explains that the illustrious scholars fulfilled this responsibility by protecting the Sunnah, and through that, they increased their trust in Allāh.
He then mentions that if a person understands the rights of Islām, knows the status of the Prophet ﷺ, and simply thinks about this properly, he will realise that he cannot be so bold to accuse muḥaddithīn: the group of the Messenger (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), and the followers of revelation, those who Allāh described saying, “and those who follow them in goodness”. How can anyone attack these scholars when they are the ones who established the narrations with their chains, and they transmitted every aspect of the life of the Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam); how he would travel, how he would walk, what he would do at home and what he did on a journey, the way that he slept and how he conducted himself when he was awake. They transmitted everything. How he stood, how he sat, what and how he ate and drank, how he would become angry and what he would do when he was happy, how he would refute something and how he would accept and consent. To such an extent, they detailed his fingernails and what he would do with that, and the details about his saliva.
He then moves on to discuss how they preserved the Sunnah: They dedicated themselves fully to this purpose, and they did whatever it would take to preserve the Sunnah. They would undergo great difficulty. Whether it was from travelling to far off lands, or by spending large amounts of wealth, or even conducting things that were dangerous and frightening; like spending days without eating or sleeping, or becoming very ill because of their immersion. Had it not been for all of these sacrifices of theirs, the aḥādīth might have vanished and the Sunnah could have become extinct. Then people would wander in deviation, and they would fall headlong into ignorance. (Due to not having access to authentic narrations,) they would then latch onto every fabrication.
Page 113: When Allāh intends something, he makes it materialize. Due to their efforts, the Sunnah has remained.
He concludes the first muqaddimah by quoting poetry in the praises of muḥaddithīn, that how they are the true kings, but their power is concealed in their simple lives.
Page 114: the second introduction commences, and this is the more important portion, which will be explained in detail.
المقدمة الثانية: في بيان ألفاط مستعملة على اصطلاح أهل هذا الشأن
[السنة: لغة واصطلاحا]:
5 – فمنها السنة؛ وهي في الأصل: السيرة والطريقة.
وفي الاصطلاح: يراد بها عند الإطلاق: قول النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم -، وفعله، وتقريره مما لم ينطق به الكتاب العزيز صريحا، ولذلك يقال: الأدلة الكتاب والسنة وكذا.
The second introduction: Explaining the words used based on the terminology of the scholars of this science.
[Sunnah: Linguistically and technically]- One of them is Sunnah. It originally means, a conduct and a methodology.
Its technical meaning: its meaning based on its general usage is, ‘The words, actions and tacit approval of Nabī (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), on whatever the Noble Qurʾān does not speak on explicitly. For that reason it is said, ‘The evidences of the Book and the Sunnah’ and likewise.[7]
The author brings this second introduction in which he presents the definitions of various words. He says:
المقدمة الثانية: في بيان ألفاط مستعملة على اصطلاح أهل هدا الشأن
The second introduction: Explaining the words used based on the terminology of the scholars of this science.
He commences with the word Sunnah, and he presents the linguistic and the technical meaning:
[السنة: لغة واصطلاحا]: 5 – فمنها السنة؛ وهي في الأصل: السيرة والطريقة.
[Sunnah: Linguistically and technically]- One of the is Sunnah. It originally means, a conduct and a methodology.
There are various different meanings of the word Sunnah:
Conduct and a methodology
This is meaning that the author chose, and this meaning is established from the classical lexicographers. When explaining about the letters sīn and nūn, Ibn Fārīs said:
ومما اشتق منه: السنة، وهي السيرة. وسنة رسول الله عليه السلام: سيرته.
قال الهذلي:
فلا تجزعن من سنة أنت سرتها … فأول راض سنة من يسيرها
وإنما سميت بذلك لأنها تجري جريا.
Derived from it is As-Sunnah, which is a conduct. The Sunnah of the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) is: his conduct.
Al-Hudhalī said, ‘Do not become exasperated by conduct which you yourself implemented
For the first person who will be happy with a particular conduct is the one who adopts it[8]
It was called that because it ?.
This is the primary and original meaning of the term. ʿAllāmah Ibn al-Athīr mentioned:
والأصل فيها الطريقة والسيرة.
Its origin is: a conduct and a way.[10]
Thus, ʿAllāmah Rāghib Aṣbaḥanī said:
وسنة النبي: طريقته التي كان يتحراها، وسنة الله تعالى: قد تقال لطريقة حكمته، وطريقة طاعته، نحو: سنة الله التي قد خلت من قبل ولن تجد لسنة الله تبديلا [الفتح/ 23] ، ولن تجد لسنت الله تحويلا [فاطر/ 43].
The Sunnah of the Prophet is: His methodology which he would observe.
The Sunnah of Allāh: could be used to refer to the methodology of His Wisdom, and the methodology of .[11]
On this point, Abū Manṣūr Azharī specified it; it only refers to noble conduct and a good methodology. He wrote:
والسنة الطريقة المستقيمة المحمودة، ولذلك قيل: فلان من أهل السنة، وسننت لكم سنة فاتبعوها.
Sunnah is a praiseworthy upright methodology. For that reason, it is said, ‘So and so is from the Ahl as-Sunnah’, and ‘I have paved a way for you, so follow it.’[12]
However, according to Ibn Mandhūr, it makes no difference whether the methodology is good or bad:
والسنة: السيرة، حسنة كانت أو قبيحة.
Sunnah is: A conduct; whether it is good or bad.[13]
Shaykh Muṣṭāfā Sibāʿī preferred this and mentioned in his book on Sunnah:
السنة في اللغة: الطريقة محمودة كانت أو مذمومة، ومنه قوله – صلى الله عليه وسلم -: «من سن سنة حسنة فله أجرها وأجر من عمل بها إلى يوم القيامة، ومن سن سنة سيئة فعليه وزرها ووزر من عمل بها إلى يوم القيامة» ومن حديث: «لتتبعن سنن من قبلكم شبرا بشبر وذراعا بذراع»
Sunnah linguistically means: A methodology, whether it is praiseworthy or blameworthy. From it is his words, (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) ‘Whoever establishes a good way, will get the reward for it, and the reward of whoever practices on it until the day of Qiyāmah. And whoever establishes an evil practice, will get the burden of it, and the burden of whoever acts on it until the day of Qiyāmah.’ And from the Ḥadīth: ‘You will certainly follow the way of those before you, handspan for handspan, and cubit by cubit.’[14]
Habit
ʿAllāmah Jurjānī explained:
السنة: لغةً: العادة.
Sunnah linguistically is a habit/tendency.[15]
Nature and Temperament
Ibn Mandhūr said:
والسنة: الطبيعة؛ وبه فسر بعضهم قول الأعشى:
كريم شمائله من بني … معاوية الأكرمين السنن. (لسان العرب – 13 / 226)
Sunnah is an innate nature; and that is how some explained the words of Al-A:
Shape and form
Jār-Allāh Zamakhsharī wrote:
السنة: الصورة يقال: ما أحسن سنة وجهه.
Sunnah is a form/appearance.
It is said, ‘How beautiful is the appearance of his face.’[16]
ʿAllāmah Nishāwn al-Ḥimyarī said:
[السنة]: سنة الوجه: صورته.
[Sunnah]: Sunnah of the face is its appearance.[17]ʿAllāmah Murtaḍā az-Zabīdī also explained:
السنة: (الصورة) ؛ ومنه حديث الحض على الصدقة: فقام رجل قبيح السنة، أي الصورة.
Sunnah is (an appearance); from it is the Ḥadīth urging upon charity: thus a man of a bad sunnah stood, i.e. appearance.[18]
The face
Murtaḍā az-Zabīdī said:
(و) السنة، بالضم: )الوجه) لصقالته وملاسته.
(and) Sunnah with a ḍammah: (The face) due to its smoothness and evenness.[19]
It could refer specifically to the cheeks and the forehead:
(أو) السنة: (الجبهة والجبينان) وكله من الصقالة الأسالة.
(or) As-Sunnah: (The forehead and the cheeks), and all of it is from its smoothness and evenness.[20]
The author proceeds to mention the technical meaning:
وفي الاصطلاح: يراد بها عند الإطلاق: قول النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم -، وفعله، وتقريره مما لم ينطق به الكتاب العزيز صريحا، ولذلك يقال: الأدلة الكتاب والسنة وكذا.
Its technical meaning: its meaning based on its general usage is, ‘The words, actions and tacit approval of Nabī (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), on whatever the Noble Qurʾān does not speak on explicitly. For that reason, it is said, ‘The evidences of the Book and the Sunnah’ and likewise.[21]
There are three points to take note of in this definition:
- It is specific to the Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam).
- It refers only to statements, actions, and approval/disapproval, and does not include anything else.
- From these there is an exclusion: it should not be emphatically mentioned in the Qurʿān
A scholar who lived in the same century as the author also defined it in the very same manner. All three points are found in his definition. This is how ʿAllāmah Shāṭibī phrased the definition:
يطلق لفظ ‘السنة’ على ما جاء منقولا عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم على الخصوص، مما لم ينص عليه في الكتاب العزيز، بل إنما نص عليه من جهته عليه الصلاة والسلام، كان بيانا لما في الكتاب أو لا
The word As-Sunnah is generally used for what has been been transmitted from Nabī (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) specifically, which the Noble Book has not explicitly mentioned. In fact, it is only explicitly mentioned from his side (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) whether it is an explanation for what is in the Qurʾān or not.[22]
A scholar who lived a century before them, and was a contemporary of ʿAllāmah Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāḥ, ʿAllāmah Ibn al-Athīr said:
وإذا أطلقت في الشرع فإنما يراد بها ما أمر به النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ونهى عنه وندب إليه قولا وفعلا، مما لم ينطق به الكتاب العزيز. ولهذا يقال في أدلة الشرع الكتاب والسنة، أي القرآن والحديث.
When it is used without qualification in Sharīʿah, what is meant by it is that which the Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) commanded, prohibited or encouraged, verbally or through action, which the Noble Book does not vocalise. For this reason, it has been said regarding the proofs of the Sharīʿah; the Book and the Sunnah- i.e, the Qurʾan and the ḥadīth.[23]
Analysis of each clause:
Let us look at each of these three clauses separately:
It is specific to the Prophet (ṣall Allāh ʿalayhi wa sallam)
Although these scholars mentioned about the Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) in their definition, ʿAllāmah Shāṭibī then explained that it could incorporate the actions of the Companions:
ويطلق أيضا لفظ السنة على ما عمل عليه الصحابة
It is also generally used for the actions of the Companions.[24]
When it refers to the actions of the Companions, then it does not matter whether it comes in the Qurʿān or not. He says:
وجد ذلك في الكتاب أو السنة أو لم يوجد؛ لكونه اتباعا لسنة ثبتت عندهم لم تنقل إلينا، أو اجتهادا مجتمعا عليه منهم أو من خلفائهم؛ فإن إجماعهم إجماع، وعمل خلفائهم راجع أيضا إلى حقيقة الإجماع من جهة حمل الناس عليه حسبما.
Whether or not that appears in the Qurʾān, or the Sunnah, due to it being an implementation of a sunnah which is established by them, which was not transmitted to us, or applied jurisdiction which they, or their successors had consensus on, for their consensus is definitely a consensus, and the actions of their successors also goes back to the reality of ijmāʿ due to the people acquiring it from them as per [the sunnah].[25]
It refers only to statements, actions, and approval/disapproval, and does not include anything else.
Although ʿAllāmah Tibrīzī only made mentioned of these, it does not mean that the word Sunnah is specified to this. In his book on Sunnah, Shaykh Muṣṭāfā Sibāʿī explained:
وهي في اصطلاح المحدثين: ما أثر عن النبي- صلى الله عليه وسلم – من قول أو فعل أو تقرير أو صفة خلقية أو خلقية أو سيرة، سواء كان قبل البعثة أو بعدها، وهي بهذا ترادف الحديث عند بعضهم.
In the terminology of the muḥaddithīn: it is that words, actions, tacit approval, physical characteristics, moral characteristics or conduct, whether it was before the advent of prophethood or after. Based on this, it is synonymous to ḥadith according to some of them.[26]
It excludes that which is emphatically mentioned in the Qurʾān
The muḥaqqiq of the book comments on this clause:
قلت: قوله: “مما لم ينطق به الكتاب العزيز صريحا”، يجعل الحد غير جامع؛ فإنه يخرج ما جاء في القرآن الكريم صريحا، وأكده النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – كالأمر بالصلاة والزكاة ونحوهما، فهذا القيد مخل بالتعريف، وهو تقييد غريب!! فتأمل. (تعليقة – ص: 114)
I say: his words, ‘which the Noble Book did not explicitly vocalise,’ makes the definition incomprehensive, for it excludes what comes explicitly in the Noble Qurʾan, and the Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) emphasised like the command of ṣalāh, zakāh, etc. This qualification interrupts the definition, and it is a strange qualification, so ponder!
However, ʿAllāmah Shāṭibī also added this clause.
Summary: Sunnah refers to anything related to Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) that is not emphatically mentioned in the Qurʿān and it also refers to anything related to the Companions, irrespective whether it is mentioned in the Qurʿān or not. This is the definition according to the muḥaddithīn.
From the above it is clear that the definition of the muḥaddithīn is very broad and encompassing.
Usages According to Other Groups of Scholars
It is important to note that other scholars define Sunnah differently. Shaykh Muḥammad Abū Zahw explained:
يختلف معنى السنة عند أهل الشرع حسب اختلاف الأغراض التي اتجهوا إليها من أبحاثهم، فمثلا علماء أصول الفقه عنوا بالبحث عن الأدلة الشرعية وعلماء الحديث عنوا بنقل ما نسب إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، وعلماء الفقه عنوا بالبحث عن الأحكام الشرعية من: فرض وواجب ومندوب وحرام ومكروه. والمتصدرون للوعظ والإرشاد، عنوا بكل ما أمر به الشرع أو نهى عنه. لذلك اختلف المراد من لفظ السنة عندهم، بل وقد يقع الاختلاف أيضا بين علماء الطائفة الواحدة منهم.
The meaning of Sunnah differs according to the scholars of the sharīʿah according to the varying objectives that they focused on in their research. For example, the scholars of the Principles of Jurisprudence focused on researching the proofs of the sharīʿah, the scholars of ḥadīth focused on transmitting what is attributed to the Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) and the scholars of Jurisprudence focused on researching the laws of the sharīʿah, such as farḍ, wājib, recommended, prohibited and disliked. Those who devoted themselves to admonition and guiding focused on everything the sharīʿah commanded or prohibited from. For that reason, the meaning of the word sunnah differed according to them. In fact, at times differences ensued between scholars of one group from them.[27]
Thereafter he explains:
فعلماء الأصول يطلقون لفظ السنة على أقوال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وأفعاله وتقريراته، وبعض الأصوليين يطلق لفظ السنة على ما عمل عليه أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، سواء أكان ذلك في الكتاب العزيز أم عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أم لا، كما فعلوا في جمع المصحف وتدوين الدواوين ونحو ذلك.
Thus the scholars of hermeneutics apply the word Sunnah to the words, action, and tacit approvals of Nabī (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) and some of the uṣūliyyīn apply the word sunnah to that which the Companions of the Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) practiced on, whther it is in the Noble Book or not, or from the Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) or not, as they did regarding the compilation of the muṣḥaf, and the codification of the compilations and so forth.[28]
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Faṭṭāḥ Abū Ghuddah explained what this means:
وهم ينظرون إليها دليلا من الأدلة الشرعية
They are looking at it as an evidence from the proofs of the sharīʿah.[29]
Shaykh Muḥammad Abū Zahw presents the following example:
ويدل على هذا الإطلاق قوله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فيما رواه مسلم: “عليكم بسنتي وسنة الخلفاء الراشدين من بعدي”، وذهب إلى هذا أيضا طائفة من المحدثين.
The wors od the Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) indicate to this usage, in that which Muslim narrated, ‘Hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after me’. A group of the muḥaddithīn also went to this.[30]
As for the jurists, according to them, it is something that is established in the religon, and it is not compulsory or mandatory.
وعلماء الفقه، يريدون بالسنة الطريقة المسلوكة في الدين من غير افتراض ولا وجوب.
وعلماء الوعظ والإرشاد يريدون بالسنة ما قابل البدعة، فيقال عندهم فلان على سنة إذا عمل على وفق ما عمل عليه النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، سواء كان ذلك ما نص عليه في الكتاب العزيز، أم لا ويقال: فلان على بدعة إذا عمل على خلاف ذلك.
The jurists mean by sunnah: a path that is treaded in the religion without any stipulation or obligation. The scholars of admonition and guidance mean by sunnah: that which is opposite to bidʿah. According to them, it is said, ‘so and so is on the sunnah’, when he acts in accordance to what the Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) acted on, whther that is something explicitly mentioned in the Noble Book or not. And it is said, ‘so and so is on bidʿah’, when he acts contrary to that.[31]
Thereafter, they categorize the Sunnah differently. ʿAllāmah Jurjānī explained that Sunnah is divided into two types:
وشريعة: مشترك بين ما صدر عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم من قول، أو فعل، أو تقرير، وبين ما واظب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بلا وجوب، وهي نوعان: سنة هدى، ويقال لها: السنة المؤكدة، كالأذان والإقامة، والسنن، والرواتب، والمضمضة، والاستنشاق، على رأي، وحكمه كالواجب المطالبة في الدنيا؛ إلا أن تاركه يعاقب وتاركها لا يعاقب. وسنن الزوائد، كأذان المنفرد، والسواك، والأفعال المعهودة في الصلاة وفي خارجها، وتاركها غير معاقب.
According to sharīʿah, it is a homonym between the words, actions, and tacit approvals which ensued from the Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) and between what the Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) consistently adhered to without any obligation. It is of two types: Sunnah Hudā which is called Sunnah muʾakkadah, like adhān, iqāmah, and the sunan ar-Rawātib like gargling and cleansing the nostrils, based on one opinion. Its ruling is like the wājib which is required in the world, except that the one who abandons that will be punished, and the one who abandons this will not be punished. And the Sunan az-Zawāʾid, like the adhān of the one praying individually, and siwāk, and the /? actions in ṣalāh and out of it. The one who leaves it out will not be punished.[32]
Thereafter, Shaykh Muḥammad Abū Zahw presents the meaning that we quoted of Sunnah according to the Muḥaddithīn:
وعلماء الحديث يريدون بالسنة -على ما ذهب إليه جمهورهم- أقوال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وأفعاله وتقريراته، وصفاته الخلقية والخلقية وسيره، ومغازيه وبعض أخباره قبل البعثة مثل تحنثه في غار حراء، ومثل حسن سيرته؛ لأن الحال يستفاد منها ما كان عليه من كريم الأخلاق ومحاسن الأفعال؛ كقول خديجة أم المؤمنين له صلى الله عليه وسلم: “كلا والله لا يخزيك الله أبدا؛ إنك لتصل الرحم، وتحمل الكل، وتقري الضيف، وتكسب المعدوم، وتعين على نوائب الحق”، ومثل أنه كان أميا لا يقرأ ولا يكتب، وأنه عُرف بالصدق والأمانة، وما إلى ذلك من صفات الخير وحسن الخلق، فمثل ذلك يُنتفع به في إثبات نبوته صلى الله عليه وسلم كثيرا، كما حصل من هرقل في حديثه المشهور. والسنة بهذا المعنى مرادفه للحديث النبوي عندهم.
The scholars of ḥadith mean by Sunnah -according to the usage of the majority- the words, actions and tacit approvals of the Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) his physical and moral characteristics, his conduct, his battles and some of his reports prior to prophethood, such as his devotion in the cave of ḥirāʾ, and his good conduct, because what is derived from it is the noble character and the excellence in action which he was upon; like the words of Khadījah, the Mother of the Believers to him, (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) ‘Never, by Allah! Allāh will never disgrace you. You join family ties, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests generously and assist the deserving and you help against the vicissitudes which affect people,’ and such as the fact that he was unlettered, did not read or write, and that he was known for truthfulness and trustworthiness, and [various] characteristics of goodness and dignified character on that waive length. The likes of these provide immense benefit in establishing his prophethood (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) as is achieved from Hiraql in his well-known incident. Sunnah in this meaning is synonymous to the prophetic ḥadīth according to them.[33]
Other Usages
ويطلق أيضا في مقابلة البدعة؛ فيقال: “فلان على سنة” إذا عمل على وفق ما عمل عليه النبي -صلى الله عليه وسلم- كان ذلك مما نص عليه في الكتاب أو لا، ويقال: “فلان على بدعة” إذا عمل على خلاف ذلك، وكأن هذا الإطلاق إنما اعتبر فيه عمل صاحب الشريعة؛ فأطلق عليه لفظ السنة من تلك الجهة، وإن كان العمل بمقتضى الكتاب.
It is also used in comparison to bidʿah. It is said, ‘So and so is on the Sunnah,’ when he acts in accordance to what the Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) acted on. And it is said, ‘so and so is on bidʿah’, when he acts contrary to that. It is as if in this usage, only the actions of the ṣāḥib ash-ṣharīʿah is considered, thus, the word sunnah is applied to it from that perspective, even if the actions are on the purport of the Book.
Meaning of Sunnah When Generally Used
From all of these, when Sunnah is used alone, then it depends on the context, and who said it:
(و) السنة (من الله) إذا أطلقت في الشرع فإنما يراد بها (حكمه وأمره ونهيه) مما أمر به النبي، صلى الله عليه وسلم ونهى عنه وندب إليه قولا وفعلا مما لم ينطق به الكتاب العزيز، ولهذا يقال في أدلة الشرع: الكتاب} والسنة، أي القرآن والحديث.
(and) the Sunnah (from Allāh) when it is used generally in the sharīʿah, what is meant by it is (His order, His command, and His prohibition) from that which Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) commanded and prohibited from, and encouraged, verbally and physically, that the Noble Book did not vocalise. For this reason, the evidences of the sharīʿah are called, the Book and the Sunnah; i.e, the Qurʿān and the ḥadīth.[35]
More often, it is not used in the meaning of compulsion.
وإذا أطلقت في الشرع فإنما يراد بها ما أمر به النبي، صلى الله عليه وسلم، ونهى عنه وندب إليه قولا وفعلا مما لم ينطق به الكتاب العزيز، ولهذا يقال في أدلة الشرع: الكتاب والسنة أي القرآن والحديث. وفي الحديث:
إنما أنسى لأسن أي إنما أدفع إلى النسيان لأسوق الناس بالهداية إلى الطريق المستقيم، وأبين لهم ما يحتاجون أن يفعلوا إذا عرض لهم النسيان، قال: ويجوز أن يكون من سننت الإبل إذا أحسنت رعيتها والقيام عليها.
Its general usage in the sharīʿah refers to that which the Prophet commanded and prohibited from, and encouraged towards, verbally and physically, that the Noble Book did not vocalise. For this reason, the evidences of the sharīʿah are called, the Book and the Sunnah; i.e, the Qurʿān and the ḥadīth. And in the ḥadith: ‘I was made to forget so that I may pave the way,’ i.e, I was made to forget so that I can steer the people with guidance to the Straight Path, and clarify for them what they needed to know when the forgetfulness occurred to me. He said, it could be from ‘sannantu the camel’ when you take care of it and maintain it in an excellent manner.’’[36]
Meaning of Sunnah When the Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) Used the Term in a Ḥadīth
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Faṭṭāḥ Abū Ghuddah wrote an entire treatise on this. The title is: As-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah wa Bayān Madlūliha ’sh-Shar‘ī. In this book, he establishes that when the word Sunnah is used in a Ḥadīth, it simply refers to something that is ‘established in our religion’. He writes:
فإن لفظ السنة الوارد في الأحاديث النبوية، أو كلام الصحابة والتابعين، يعتمد المعني العام الشرعي، فيشمل الاعتقادات والعبادات والمعاملات والأخلاق والأداب وغيرها
The word Sunnah when it appears in the Prophetic hadith or a statement of the Companions and Successors, relies of the universal sharʿī meaning, thus it comprises of beliefs, worship, character, etiquettes etc.[37]
Meaning of Sunnah when an Author of a Book of Mutūn Used The Term
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Faṭṭāḥ Abū Ghuddah also proves that when authors of books on Mutūn al-Ḥadīth used the word Sunnah in the title, then it refers to the same meaning as when the Prophet (ṣallAllāḥu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used the term. He wrote:
و السنة النبوية بالمدلول الذي أوضحته هنا بالشواهد الوفيرة: هي المعنية في عناوين الكتب التي ألفها الحفاظ الفقهاء، مثل الإمام أبي داود، و الإمام النسائي، الإمام ابن ماجة، الإمام سعيد بن منصور، وسوهاهم، فإنهم – رحمة الله عليهم – إذ سموا كتبهم باسم السنن، يقصدون: المعنى الذي أطلت الكلام فيه، وأكثرت الشواهد في تعيينه وشواهدة
The Prophetic Sunnah with the signification which I clarified here with abundant corroborators, is the meaning in the titles of the books which the ḥuffāẓ and fuqahāʾ compiled, such Imam as Abū Dāwūd, Imām an-Nasāʿi, Imām Ibn Mājah, Imām Saʿīd ibn Manṣūr, and others. When they -May Allāh have mercy on them – titled their books with the name As-Sunan, they intended: the meaning in which there is lengthy discussion in it, and there is abundant corroboraters to back it up and corroborate it.[38]
Shaykh Muḥammad Idrīs al-Kettānī wrote:
ومنها: كتب تعرف بالسنن.
وهي في اصطلاحهم الكتب المرتبة على الأبواب الفقهية من الإيمان والطهارة والصلاة والزكاة إلى آخرها وليس فيها شيء من الموقوف لأن الموقوف لايسمى في اصطلاحهم سنة ويسمى حديثا ومن كتب السنن زيادة على ما تقدم من السنن الأربعة المشهورة.
From it are books known as As-Sunan.
Based on their terminology it is books arranged according to the jurisprudential chapters such as Īmān, purification, ṣalāh, zakāh, until the end; and there is nothing interrupted/maqūf in them, because mawqūf cannot be called sunnah according to their terminology, but can be called ḥadīth. There are many more books of Sunan than the four famous ones mentioned above.[39]
May Allāh Taʿālā have mercy on them all.
سبحانك اللهم وبحمدك ، أشهد أن لا إله إلا أنت ، أستغفرك وأتوب إليك
[1] Ad-Durar al-Kāminah, 4:86
[2] Tarīkh Ibn Qāḍī Shuhbah, 1:408
[3] Al-Kāfī fī ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth, 106
[4] Al-Kāfī fī ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth, 111
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid. 114
[8] Context: A person fell in love with a married female, so he told his friend to go to that female and try to hook him up with her. The friend goes to the female and he himself falls in love with her. The initial man becomes extremely enraged and uttered these words; i.e, you cannot become enraged at me for doing the very same act of injustice you perpetrated against her husband.
[9] Maqāyīs al-Lughah, 3/61.
[10] An-Nihāyah fī Gharīb al-Ḥadīth wa ‘l-Athar 2/49
[11] Al-Mufradāt fī Gharīb al-Qurʾān, 429.
[12] Tahdhīb al-Lughah, 12/210
[13] Lisān al-ʿArab, 13/225
[14] As-Sunnah wa Makanatuhā. As-Sibāʿī, 1/47.
[15] At-Taʿrifat, 122
[16] Al-Faʾiq fī Gharīb al-Ḥadīth, 2/201.
[17] Shams al-ʿUlūm wa dawāʾ Kalām al- ʿArab min al-Kalūm – 5/2902.
[18] Tāj al-ʿArūs min Jawāhir al-Qāmūs, 35, 230.
[19] Tāj al-ʿArus min Jawāhir al-Qamūs, 35/230.
[20] Ibid.
[21] Al-Kafī fī ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth, 114
[22] Al-Muwāfaqāt, 4/289
[23] An-Nihāyah fī Gharīb al-Ḥadīth wa ’l-Athar, 2/409.
[24] Al-Muwāfaqāṭ, 4/409
[25] Ibid. 4/290
[26] As-Sunnah wa Makānatuhā of As-Sibāʿī, 1/47.
[27] Al-Hadīth wa ‘l-Muḥaddithūn, 9.
[28] ibid
[29] As-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah wa bayan Madlūliha ‘sh-Sharʿī, 7.
[30] Al-Hadīth wa ‘l-Muḥaddithūn, 10.
[31] Ibid.
[32] At-Taʿrīfāt, 122.
[33] Al-Ḥadīth wa ’l-Muḥaddīthūn, 10.
[34] Al-Muwāfaqāt 4/290.
[35] Tāj al-ʿArūs min Jawāhīr al-Qamūs, 35/231.
[36] Lisān al-ʿArab, 13/255.
[37] As-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah, 9-10
[38] Ibid, 21
[39] Ar-Risālah al-Mustatrifah li Bayān Mashhūr Sunnah Mushrifah, .