by Dr. Ali Shehata
Hadith and the Sunnah of Muhammad ﷺ – The Second Divine Revelation
After the Quran, the second most important body of sacred literature in Islam is the Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, also known as the Sunnah (tradition or way).
The Meaning of the terms Sunnah and Hadith
The term Sunnah means tradition or way, and thus the Sunnah of Muhammad ﷺ collectively represent the statements, actions and tacit approvals of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The term Hadith, on the other hand, refers more specifically to the verbal and written reports collected that actually describe the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Thus, the hadith are narrations that, when looked at as a whole, can be described as the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
The Difference between the Quran and Hadith
Whereas the Quran is literally the spoken word of God, the hadith literature represents divine revelation expressed in the actions, statements, and tacit approvals of the Messenger of God ﷺ. The distinction between these two types of divine revelation has been explained by the famous Islamic scholar al-Suyuti in the following way:
The revealed speech of God is of two types:
As to the first type, God says to Gabriel, “Tell the Prophet to whom I have sent you that God tells him to do such and such,” and He then orders something. So Gabriel understands what His Lord has told him, then he descends with this command to the Prophet and tells him what His Lord has told him. But the expression is not worded exactly the same way, just as a king may say to his officer, “Go and tell so-and-so, ‘The king says to you: make every effort in his service and gather your army for fighting ....’” And when this messenger goes and says, “The king says to you, ‘do not fail in my service, and do not let the army break up, and send out the call for fighting,’ then he has not lied, nor shortened, the message.
And in regards to the other type, God says to His angel Gabriel, “Read to the Prophet this document,” and Gabriel descends with it from God, without altering it in the least, just as if the king writes a written command and hands it over to his trusted officer and says to him, “Read it to such-and-such person.” And so he reads it to him exactly as it is written without changing the wording in the least fashion.
The first example is that of the Hadith, or Sunnah; whereas the Qur’an is represented by the second parable. From this understanding, Muslims consider the reporting of the Hadith to be according to the meaning of the message, unlike the Qur’an which is always transmitted verbatim without even a change in one letter.
Another important point that will benefit the reader is the concept in Islamic literature of “technical” (shari’i) meanings of words that sometimes differ from the linguistic definition of the same word. The word “hadith” provides a good basis for understanding this concept.
Generally in the Arabic language, the word hadith means: news, report or narration; and it also can mean: new or recent. For example, someone could say that he has a good “hadith,” and this would be understood as good news. It is in this general linguistic sense that the word is used in the Qur’an. On the other hand, the word hadith also has a “technical” understanding, or a meaning more specific to Islam, that indicates specifically the reports concerning the Prophet Muhammad pbuh. Some people, neglecting the above understanding, will look into the Quran at a verse where God states, what is understood to mean:
And We have sent down to you the best hadith. {39:23}
They will then say, “Well, here God clearly states that the best hadith is the Quran itself, so why then do we need the reports of the Prophet to understand our religion?” This lack of understanding of terminology has led to a small group of people today neglecting the hadith of the Prophet entirely. So, is there any basis from the Quran for collecting and adhering to the Prophet’s Sunnah? The answer to this important question is the topic of the next section.
The Necessity of Following the Prophet’s Sunnah from the Quran and Hadith
The Quran is actually replete with verses commanding all Muslims to obey the Prophet, as he is commanding them with nothing more than the instructions of their Lord. A few examples from the Quran will be referenced here:
Whoever obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed God. {4:80}
No, by your Lord they do not really believe until they submit to your (the Prophet’s) decision in all their disputes between them, and then do not find in themselves any opposition to your judgments, and that they completely submit to them. {4:65}
When a matter has been decided by God and His Messenger, it does not behoove a believer, man or woman, to have any further opinion in such a matter. And whoever disobeys God and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path. {33:36}
What the Messenger gives you, take it; and what he forbids you from doing, avoid doing it. {59:7}
So, reading through these selected verses, it becomes hard to understand how one could reject the Prophet’s Sunnah and try to “go it alone” with the Quran. The matter becomes even more irrational when you understand that the Quran provides more of a general outline to the religion, and only in limited areas does it include specifics.
For example, God commands the believers to establish their prayers in numerous parts of the Quran. Taken as a sum, one could reasonably understand from the verses of the Quran that there are five daily prayers, and that amongst other things, prayer includes standing, bowing, and prostrating the face to the ground. But how do all these elements come together, and in what order? These details are not expanded upon in the Quran, but they are expounded upon heavily in the Sunnah where the Prophet pbuh instructs people in a step-by-step fashion, through hundreds of hadith, on how to pray.
So the hadith in numerous cases expounds upon the general guidelines provided in the Quran as the Prophet would always sit with his Companions (disciples) and explain to them how to understand the verses of the Quran. In fact, the Prophet had stated clearly in his final sermon to his followers:
“I leave behind me two things. You will never go astray if you hold fast to them: the Quran and my Sunnah.”
No doubt, the Messenger Muhammad pbuh even predicted that such a group would someday emerge, as can be seen from the following authentic hadith recorded by the famous hadith scholar Tirmithi, and others, wherein the Prophet said,
“A time will soon come when of you (Muslims) will recline on his bed, and an order will come to him on an issue which I (the Prophet) commanded him to do, or not to do. To this, the man will reply, ‘I don't know what you’re talking about; what is found in the Book of God (Quran) is the only matter that we follow.’ To this the Prophet stated, ‘Surely, I am given the Qur'an and its example with it (the Sunnah).’” [Tirmithi]
So, here the Prophet clearly states that the Sunnah is something equivalent to the Quran, in that it also is a source of guidance and understanding for people who seek the Truth. Neither one stands alone, but they each complement one another.
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