Following the Sunnah
A concise reply to Qur’an-only Muslims
Bismillah. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Alameen (all worlds). We praise Him, we seek His help and we ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil of ourselves and from the evil consequences of our evil actions. Whomsoever Allah guides there is none to misguide & whomsoever Allah leaves to go astray there is none to guide. And I testify and bear witness that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah; He is One and has no partners. And I bear witness that Muhammad (s.a.w.) is the servant of Allah and His final messenger.
My dear brothers & sisters, I draw your attention to a great fitnah that is plaguing the Muslim ummah, especially in today’s times when certain groups of pseudo-Muslims wish to follow their own whims and desires and not submit completely to the wishes of Allah, the All-Mighty. One such group has been trying to preach a new brand of Islam, arguing and debating with minimal knowledge & understanding of our beautiful deen (way of life).
This is the fitnah of rejecting the ahadith or the sunnah; i.e. the way, the sayings and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w).
The purpose of this note is not to undermine anyone, as many of our brothers and sisters often get into such groups by accident, without realizing the grave consequences of their errors. Insha’Allah the aim is to educate and enlighten our fellow Muslims and non-Muslims alike, as to what is meant by the sunnah (way) of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) and what is its importance in Islam.
MAIN GROUPS KNOWN TO OPPOSE AHADITH
The two major groups involved in propagating this fitah are:
1. Those who are the followers of Rashad Khalifa, an Egyptian-American who at first rejected the ahadith, then even some verses of the Qur'an and even went as far as to declare himself to be a messenger of Allah! Consequently, he was assassinated in Tucson, AZ in 1990.
2. The second group are those who follow Ghulam Ahmed Pervez from Lahore, who died in 1985 after being declared a “kafir” (disbeliever/heretic) by many of the renowned Islamic scholars of the time.
ARE ALL AHADITH AUTHENTIC & TRUE?
Before we discuss our main subject, it is important to define a few terms and clarify some fundamental concepts.
1. Sunnah: The way or lifestyle of the Prophet (s.a.w). This includes things he commanded the Muslims to do (making them wajib or obligatory) and things that he did without commanding anyone to do them (recommended acts in Islam).
2. Ahadith: This is the plural of the word “Hadith”, which are the sayings of the Prophet (s.a.w.) as narrated by his companions.
Note that a Muslim does not follow (or even believe) ALL ahadith, rather he follows only those that are known to be authentic or good (i.e. sahih or hasan). Other types of ahadith are weak (da’eef) ahadith and even fabricated (maudu’) ahadith. (The classification of ahadith is a science in and of itself and is one of the most effective and detailed referencing systems in the world!)
Weak ahadith are sometimes used by scholars to support an already confirmed issue but never as a source of primary evidence. Fabricated ahadith are never (and should never be) used, as they are known to be a concoction or a forgery. Sadly, today there are certain groups amongst the Muslims who would stoop so low as to use these sayings to prove their point. This is clearly impermissible in Islam and equates to attributing lies to the Prophet (s.a.w).
THE WISDOM OF ABU BAKR (R.A.) IN INTERPRETING AHADITH
After hearing of the outstanding night journey of the Prophet (s.a.w.), known as “Isra wal Miraaj” (mentioned in Chapter 17 of the Qur’an), the Mushirks of Makkah had a good laugh and wanted to tell all the believers and disbelievers alike of what Muhammad (s.a.w.) had claimed. The news of this reached Abu Bakr (r.a.), one of the closest companions of the Prophet (s.a.w.), who was asked “O Abu Bakr, your friend (Muhammad s.a.w.) is saying unbelievable things. He said he went to Jerusalem during the night and ascended to the heavens!”
To this Abu Bakr (r.a.) gave a very unique reply. A reply which today forms the very basis for how we interpret the ahadith of the Prophet (s.a.w). He said “IF he is saying it, then it is true.”
Pay close attention to these words my dear brothers and sisters; today if we know that a particular saying of the Prophet (s.a.w.) is authentic (sahih), will we believe it as Abu Bakr (r.a.) believed or will we be of those who reject it?
The Prophet (s.a.w.) was the truthful one, who was never reported to have lied even once in his life; so much so that even his enemies knew him as “As-Saadiq” (the one who always speaks the truth). He was commanded by Allah (SWT) to deliver the message clearly and to explain and elaborate upon the meaning of the Qur’an.
“And We have also sent down unto you (O Muhammad s.a.w.) the reminder (this Qur'an), that you may explain clearly (expound) to men what is sent down to them, and that they may give thought.” (An-Nahl 16:44)
10 REASONS WHY WE FOLLOW THE SUNNAH
1. Over 20 times in the Holy Qur’an, Allah (SWT) has mentioned:
“ أَطِيعُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ ٱلرَّسُولَ” – “Obey Allah AND Obey His messenger (Muhammad s.a.w.)”
Note that it does not just say “Obey Allah”, instead it mentions that we must obey both Allah and His messenger. Everything that Muhammad (s.a.w) said was not from his own account but what he had been taught by the angel Jibril (a.s).
2. Over a dozen times in the Holy Qur’an, Allah (SWT) mentions: “We have sent down (or revealed) the Qur’an AND Hikmah.”
This Hikmah (meaning wisdom) is none other than the teachings of the Prophet (s.a.w.) as he practically showed us how to perform and obey the commands of Allah.
3. Allah (SWT) mentions in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:151) “Similarly (to complete My Blessings on you), We have sent among you a Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) of your own, reciting to you Our Verses and purifying you, and teaching you the Book (the Qur'an) and the hikmah (i.e. the Sunnah, Islamic laws), and teaching you that which you knew not.”
4. Allah (SWT) says in Surah Al-Hashr (59:7) “And whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids you, leave it. And fear Allah: truly Allah is severe in punishment.”
This verse is a clear cut and stern warning to those who reject the authentic sayings of the Prophet (s.a.w).
5. Similarly, it is mentioned in Surah Al-Ahzab (33:36) “It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger to have any option about their decision…”
6. In Surah An-Nisa (4:80), Allah (SWT) says “Whoever obeys the Messenger, he indeed obeys Allah…”. This verse again emphasises that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) is not teaching you things from his own account, instead whatever he commands you, it is from Allah.
7. In Surah Aal-e-Imran (3:31), Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (s.a.w.) “Say (O Muhammad, to mankind): ‘If you (really) love Allah, then follow me (i.e. the way of Prophet Muhammad). Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’”
This clearly means that for a person to prove that he loves Allah, he MUST follow the way and the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w).
8. Allah (SWT) stresses this point further in Surah An-Nisa (4:65) when He swears a mighty oath by swearing upon Himself and says “But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad s.a.w.) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission.”
9. In Surah Al-Ahzab (33:21) Allah (SWT) says “Indeed you have in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad S.A.W.) an excellent example for the one who hopes in Allah and looks to the Last Day.”
10. Dear brothers and sisters, when Allah, the Almighty has put the two i.e. Qur’an and Sunnah together, who are we to separate them? If you read Surah Shuara (Chapter 26) you will find all the messengers repeating the same message over and over again: “Fear Allah and obey me”, “Fear Allah and obey me”, “Fear Allah and obey me”. How then can we take obedience to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) outside the fold of Islam? – Please think.
SOME EASY QUESTIONS FOR HADITH REJECTERS
1. How do you know how to pray (salah) using the Qur’an alone?
2. How do you know how much Zakat to pay using the Qur’an alone?
3. Without referring to ahadith, can you find out if it is permissible for a Muslim to eat the meat of dogs, donkeys and vultures?
4. Hadn't the Qur’an been reached to us from the same sources we received our authentic ahadith (i.e. from the lips of the Prophet S.A.W.)?
5. Why would Allah preserve the Qur’an and not preserve the meaning?
6. How much is the Jizyah that the People of the Book have to pay?
7. Does the Qur’an say that cross dressing is haram (i.e. men dressing like women and women dressing like men)?
8. Is it permissible for a man to look at a naked man?
9. Can a person pray (salah) naked?
10. How do we know the order of the alcohol revelations? Maybe the first of the Qur’anic revelations said it was haram and then the later ones came saying that is was okay except during prayer times. How do you know the order of its revelations by using the Qur’an alone?
11. It says in the Qur’an to shorten the prayer when you travel. How long do you have to travel? How short to cut the prayer?
12. The Qur’an asks for the hands of the male or female thief to be cut if found guilty of stealing. Is it ok to cut the hands of a man caught stealing a chocolate or candy?
13. Surah 2:173 shows that Allah (SWT) gave an order for the Muslims to change their Qibla from Bayt Al Maqdis in Jerusalem to the Kabah in Mecca. However, there is no Qur’anic verse that shows the first order that Allah gave to make the Qibla towards Jerusalem. Does this not prove that there are revelations to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) besides the Qur’an?
14. In Surah 66:3, the Prophet (s.a.w.) told his wives that he knew because Allah had informed him about it. Show a Qur’anic verse where Allah had informed the Prophet (s.a.w.) about it. You cannot. Does this not prove that there are revelations to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) besides the Qur’an?
15. The Qur’an has been passed on to us by Mutawattir narrations. Mutawattir narrations are narrations by so many people that it is just impossible for all of them to get together to plot and lie. Similarly, we have so many Mutawattir ahadith that teach things that are not in the Quran. How can you then simply reject the authenticity of these ahadith with no sound evidence?
16. There are many prophecies that the Prophet (s.a.w.) made about events of the future and about the state of his ummah; all of which have come true thus far. Note that none of these prophecies had been mentioned in the Qur’an, so where was the Prophet (s.a.w.) getting this knowledge from, if not via revelation from Allah (SWT)?
MISINTERPRETING THE QUR’AN
Why would a person not misinterpret the Qur’an if the sunnah is taken away? Here are a few examples for you to ponder over:
1. The Qur’an says that men could beat up their wives. But we know according to hadith that this is a spiritual/light beating and not a harmful physical one. What is to stop a man from misinterpreting the Qur’an and beating the hell out of his wife?
2. The Qur’an says “Allah sends His Blessings (Graces, Honours, Mercy) upon the Prophet (Muhammad s.a.w.) and also His angels. O you who believe! Send your blessings on him (Muhammad s.a.w.), and greet him with the Islamic way of greeting.” Sadly some deviated groups from amongst the Muslims have taken this verse as a license to worship Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) asking for his help & assistance instead of only asking Allah (SWT). If they had any understanding of the sunnah, they would realize that this is a clear exaggeration and it was certainly not something that the Prophet (s.a.w.) commanded his followers to do. Instead he sincerely warned his followers of this!
3. The Qur’an says “And kill them (the kafirs) wherever you find them”. Hadith tell us that this verse was revealed during battle and its scope is limited only to the battlefield i.e. when under attack. What is to stop an ignorant Muslim to launch an attack against an innocent non-Muslim civilian if the knowledge of the sunnah is not there?
Brothers and sisters do you see the severe fitnah in this? It is clear that those who reject the sunnah open doors to great evils and ills in society.
Allah (SWT) revealed the Qur’an in stages to the last and final messenger, Muhammad (s.a.w.); if the sunnah was not to be followed He the All-Mighty could just as easily have sent the Qur’an alone on its own, without any messenger.
We seek refuge in Allah (SWT), asking for His protection from this great fitnah that is plaguing the Muslim ummah and we pray to Him to make us of those who are the best of Muslims – who find within themselves no resistance in completely following the Qur’an and the sunnah of the Prophet (s.a.w).
May Allah (SWT) guide us all to the truth and may He grant us the courage to act upon it.
Asalam o’Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatu.
“O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger (s.a.w.) he has indeed achieved a great achievement” (Al Ahzaab 33:70-71)
(Based on the commendable works of Dr. Uthman bin Mu’allim and Bassam Zawadi - may Allah reward them for their efforts.)
