Sunnah Flashcards
Literal meaning of Sunnah
downtrodden path
What is the Sunnah
Compilation of the teachings, actions and practices approved by Prophet Muhammad concerning religious, non-legal and legal matters
Purpose of the Sunnah
- Supplement the AQ
- Help legal scholars attain a better and more complete understanding of the AQ
- Provides source of help for legal scholars if they encounter difficulties while deriving hukm from the AQ
Proofs of Sunnah
- AQ 4:59
- Hadith – “I hv left 2 things among you. You shall not go astray as long as you hold on to them: the Book of Allah & my Sunnah”
Importance of Sunnah
- Lay down rules that reiterate and re-emphasize the rules of the AQ
- Formulate rules that explain and provide elaboration for a particular legal ruling of the AQ
- Narrow down scope of a particular rule of the AQ by providing specific details or adding restrictions
- Lay down original legal rulings when the AQ is silent
Why reiterate and re-emphasize the AQ?
Importance of Sunnah
Purpose is to affirm particular rule in the AQ is genuine and legally valid
* Example - AQ 4:29
* Means that unlawfully taking someone’s property is an offence
* Hadith affirms this rule by reiterating that taking someone’s property without express permission is unlawful
Why explain and provide legal elaboration for the AQ?
Importance of Sunnah
AQ 2:110 - Means that Muslims are obligated to pray regularly and are highly encouraged to donate to charity
Hadith explains further
* Muslims are also obligated to copy how Prophet Muhammad prays
* Maximum amount of charity or zakat is approximately around 3 kilograms of kurma
Why narrow down scope of legal rule of AQ by adding restrictions or details?
Ensure previously unqualified Quranic verse can be qualified as source of law
* AQ 5:3 - Muslims are forbidden from eating the bodies of already dead animals
* But Hadith states it is permissible to eat sea or freshwater animals that did not die of ritual slaughter
Why lay down rules when AQ is silent?
Introduce rules on matters not covered by the AQ
* Hadith - Prophet Muhammad once said: “One cannot be married to a woman and her paternal aunt, or a woman along with her maternal aunt at the same time”
Types of classifications
- Nature (Ahkam)
- Chain of transmission
- Reliability of narrators
Nature (Ahkam)
- Sunnah Qauliyah
- Sunnah Fi’liyah
- Sunnah Taqririyah
Sunnah Qauliyah
Nature
All sayings of PM
Sunnah Fi’liyah
- All deeds and actions of PM that Muslims are bound to follow
- Praying, fasting, pilgrimage to Mecca
Sunnah Taqririyah (Tacit Sunnah
- Practices during PM’s lifetime that receive his tacit approval
- PM’s silence and lack of objection confirms validity of certain acts
- Example – PM did not oppose the Companions’ consumption of dhab or desert iguana
Why classifications based on chain of transmission and reliability of narrators are important?
helps determine the authenticity of the Sunnah
Broad categories (chain of transmission)
- Continuous (Hadith Muttasil)
- Discontinuous (Hadith Ghayr Muttasil) – Broken and incomplete chain of transmission
Types of continuous Hadith
- Hadith Mutawatir
- Hadith Masyhur
- Hadith Ahad
Hadith Mutawatir
- Most authentic Hadith
- Reported by an indefinite number of people throughout the generations starting from the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad
- So many people would not have agreed unanimously on something that is not true
Hadith Masyhur
- Initially reported by less than 5 Companions
- Later was reported by an indefinite number of people when it became famous
Hadith Ahad
- Reported only by a single person
- But this type cannot be rejected unless there is evidence throwing its authenticity into question
Types of discontinuous Hadith
- Hadith Mursal
- Hadith Muallaq
- Hadith Mun’qati
Hadith Mursal
Type of discontinuous Hadith
- Chain of transmission that does not extend beyond the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad
- Chain broke during the second generation after it was reported by a Companion
Hadith Muallaq
Type of discontinuous Hadith
At least one narrator missing from its chain of transmission
Hadith Mun’qati
Type of discontinuous Hadith
- Chain of transmission was already broken during Prophet Muhammad’s lifetime
- A Companion failed to transmit this particular Hadith to a successor
Hadith Sahih
Reliability of narrators
Most complete chain of transmission
Reported by narrators who are
1. Upright
1. Have the most reliable memories
1. Their narration is clear and free from defects
Hadith Hasan
Reliability of narrators
Reliability of narration falls between sahih and dhaif
* Narrators are not most reliable
* Even though they are truthful and their memory acceptable
Hadith Dhaif
Reliability of narrators
- Weakest and least reliable Hadith
- Narrators were people with bad memories or untrustworthy reputations
