Preamble

Religion is the guidance which was first inspired by the Almighty in human nature and after that it was given by Him with all essential details to mankind through His prophets. Muhammad (sws) is the last of these prophets. Consequently, it is now he alone who in this world is the sole source of religion. It is only through him that man can receive divine guidance and it is only he who, through his words, deeds or tacit approvals, has the authority to regard something as part of Islam until the Day of Judgement. The Qur’an says:

هُوَ الَّذِي بَعَثَ فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ رَسُولًا مِّنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ (2:62)

It is He who has sent among the unlettered a Messenger from amongst themselves who recites out to them His verses and purifies them and [for this purpose] he instructs them in shari‘ah and in hikmah. (62:2)

It is this shari‘ah (law) and this hikmah (wisdom) which is the true religion termed as “Islam”. The source of this religion is the Prophet Muhammad (sws) from whom it has been given to the ummah through the consensus of his Companions (rta) and through their perpetual practice and perpetual recitation in two forms:

1. The Qur’an

2. The Sunnah

1. The Qur’an

Every Muslim knows that the Qur’an was revealed by Allah to Muhammad (sws) – the last of the prophets – and it has since then remained with the ummah with the unanimous verdict from the ummah itself that it is this very book which was revealed to the Prophet (sws), and which his Companions (rta), through their consensus and through their perpetual recitation, delivered to the world without the slightest alteration.

2. The Sunnah

By Sunnahis meant that tradition of Prophet Abraham’s (sws) religion which the Prophet Muhammad (sws) instituted among his followers as religion after reviving and reforming it and after making certain additions to it. The Qur’an has directed Muhammad (sws) to obey the religion of Abraham (sws). This tradition is a part of it:

ثُمَّ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ أَنِ اتَّبِعْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ (123:16)

Then We revealed to you to follow the religion of Abraham, who was truly devoted and was not among the polytheists. (16:123)

The following portion of Islam has been given to us through the Sunnah:

Worship Rituals

i. The Prayer

ii. Zakah and Sadaqah of ‘Id al-Fitr

iii. Fasting and I‘tikaf

iv. Hajjand ‘Umrah

v. Animal Sacrifice and the Takbirs during the days of Tashriq =1=

Social Sphere

i. Marriage and Divorce and their relevant details

ii. Abstention from coitus during the menstrual and the puerperal period

Dietary Sphere

i. Prohibition of pork, blood, meat of dead animals and animals slaughtered in the name of someone other than Allah

ii. Slaughtering in the prescribed manner of tadhkiyah by pronouncing Allah’s name

Customs and Etiquette

i.  Remembering Allah’s name before eating or drinking and using the right hand for eating and drinking

ii.  Greeting one another with al-Salamu ‘Alaykum (peace be to you) and responding with Wa ‘Alaykum al-Salam (and peace be to you)

iii. Saying al-Hamdulillah (praise be to Allah) after sneezing and responding to it by saying Yarhamukallah (may Allah have mercy on you)

iv. Keeping moustaches trimmed

v.  Shaving pubic hair

vi.  Removing the hairs under the armpits

vii. Paring fingernails

viii.Circumcising the male offspring

ix.  Cleaning the nose, the mouth and the teeth

x.  Cleaning the body after excretion and urination

xi.  Bathing after the menstrual and the puerperal periods

xii. Ghusl-i Janabah =2=

xiii.Bathing the dead before burial

xiv.Enshrouding a dead body and preparing it for burial

xv. Burying the dead

xvi.‘Id al-Fitr

xvii.‘Id al-Adha

This is all what the Sunnahis, and it can be said with certainty that there is no difference between it and the Qur’an as far as their authenticity is concerned. Just as the Qur’an has been received by the ummah through the consensus of the Prophet’s Companions (rta) and through their perpetual recitation, the Sunnahhas been received by it through their consensus and through their perpetual practice and stands validated like the Qur’an in every period of time through the consensus of the ummah. Consequently, there is no doubt or debate about it now.

All that is Islam is constituted by these two sources. Nothing besides these two is Islam or can be regarded as its part.

Narratives which record the words, deeds or tacit approvals of the Prophet (sws) generally called Hadith cannot add anything to the beliefs and practices of religion. This is because it is an irrefutable reality about these narratives that the Prophet (sws) never made any arrangement for their dissemination or preservation; it was left to the discretion of the viewers and listeners whether to communicate them or not. Whatever is mentioned in them with regard to religion is only an explanation and elucidation of the religion which is confined in the Qur’an and Sunnahand also describes the exemplary way in which the Prophet (sws) followed this religion. This only is the sphere of Hadithwhich falls within the ambit of Islam. Outside this sphere, there exists no narrative which can be called or accepted as Hadith.

Within this sphere, however, every personwho after being convinced of a Hadith accepts it as one containing the words, deeds or tacit approvalsof the Prophet (sws) must follow it. In no circumstances can he evade or ignore it; in fact, it becomes incumbent upon him to accept any directive or decision of the Prophet (sws) found in that Hadith.

The Qur’an, Sunnah and Hadith need to be understood; following are the principles which need to be kept in consideration by serious students for understanding them.