'Hujjiat e Sunnah'/ Essentiality of Sunnah (1)

                

Some people believe that our Nabi’s (s.a.w) Sunnah is not ‘hujjat’/ liable to be followed. The basis of such belief is that ‘Sunnah’ has  not reached us as protected as Quran; therefore only Quran is ‘hujjat’/ liable to be followed in Islam and ‘Sunnah’ is not ‘hujjat’/ liable to be followed.  In this article, first we would ascertain the validity of this belief in the light of Quran, and, secondly, we would see how Sunnah may be followed despite the fact that it may not be as protected as Quran.

From the outset, it may be pointed out that there are so many Quranic verses which direct the people to obey our Nabi (s.a.w). 

The people who believe that sunnah is not ‘hujjat’/ liable to be followed argue all such verses were applicable only to the period of our Nabi (s.a.w). It was only in our Nabi’s (s.a.w) period that people were under obligation to follow our Nabi’s (s.a.w) commandments/ advices; those commandment/ advices were people and time specific. Now that our Nabi (s.a.w) is not alive, he (s.a.w) is no longer commanding/ advising the people, people are no longer under obligation to follow our Nabi’s (s.a.w) commandments/ advices which were people specific and time specific and as such those commandments/ advices were applicable only to our Nabi’s (s.a.w) period. Such people believing that sunnah is not ‘hujjat’ also argue that all commandments/ advices made by our Nabi (s.a.w) and which were to be followed by the people in his (s.a.w) period were only such commandments/ advices which pertained to Deen/ Islam; such commandments/ advices were not pertaining to worldly matters. Therefore our Nabi’s (s.a.w) such commandments/ advices which pertained to worldly matters were not follow-able by the people even during the period of our Nabi (s.a.w). 

In other words, the people disbelieving in essentiality of sunnah/ ‘hujjiat e sunnah’ believe that such sunnah i. which was pertaining to non-religious matters and, ii. which was people specific and time specific (though it may be pertaining to religious matters) is not liable to be followed by the people in the present age; in the present age, such sunnah is not ‘hujjat’.

However the sunnah which does not fall under above mentioned two categories may be follow-able by the people even in the present age, if such sunnah is in line with what is contained in Quran. That is why we see that, despite disbelieving in hujjiat e sunnah/ essentiality of sunnah, these people are compelled to follow sunnah in many cases pertaining to religious matters. In short, in view of such people too, the applicability of sunnah in the present age (in cases of matters which are not people and time specific, and which are not worldly matters) depends on whether or not the ‘sunnah’ is in line with Quran. Now the question arises if, in the matters which are not people and time specific, and which are religious matters, the applicability of sunnah may depend upon whether or not such sunnah is in line with Quran, why  applicability of sunnah in matters (which are people and time specific, and which are non-religious) may not be determined on the basis of Quran. In other words, if Quran shows that applicability of sunnah in the present age too (irrespective of types of matters-whether matters are time and people specific or not- whether the matters are religious or not) should be determined on the basis whether or not such sunnah is in line with Quran, we should adopt the line of action given by Quran, instead of following our own view.

Now we look into what Quran says about the applicability of sunnah in the present age. About our Nabi’s (s.a.w) sunnah, Quran says:

“Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It is not but a ‘wahi’ revealed” (al-najm-3,4).

This verse clearly states that our Nabi (s.a.w) does not speak with his own desire; whatever he (s.a.w) speaks is ‘wahi’ revealed to him. As sunnah is included also in what is spoken by our Nabi (s.a.w), this verse says that our Nabi’s (s.a.w) sunnah is based on ‘wahi’. This verse does not differentiate between sunnah which is people and time specific and which is not so; this verse does not differentiate between sunnah which is pertaining to religious matters and which is not relating to religious matters. This verse says that sunnah- whether it is  people and time specific or not, and whether it is relating to worldly or religious matters- is based on ‘wahi’. This fact has already been elaborated in my article “Types of Wahi and Sunnah”. Regarding applicability of this ‘sunnah wahi’ received by a ‘rasool’, Quran says:

“And We did not send any ‘rasool’ except to be obeyed by permission of Allah” (al-nisa-64).

This verse states that any ‘rasool’ sent by Allah is to be obeyed in all his commandments. It may be appreciated that there is a difference between ‘ata,at’/ obedience and ‘itba,a’/following. An ‘ata,at’/obedience is relating to something commanded; whereas ‘itba,a’/following is relating to all things/actions/in-actions, whether commanded or not. In this verse (i.e. al-nisa-64) Allah states that a ‘rasool’ is to be obeyed in whatever he (a.s) commands. This verse does not state that a ‘rasool’ is to be obeyed only in religious matters and is not to be obeyed in non-religious matters.

Regarding the ‘itba,a’/following of ‘rasool’, Quran says:

“Say, "O mankind, indeed I am the ‘rasool’ of Allah to you all,………. So believe in Allah and His ‘rasool’, the unlettered prophet, who believes in Allah and His words, and follow/ ‘wattabe,oho” him (s.a.w) that you may be guided” (al-aaraf-158).

 The whole mankind is the addressee of this verse which states that our Nabi (s.a.w) is the ‘rasool’ to whole mankind (present and to come till qiyamah) who should follow/ do ‘itba,a’ of our Nabi (s.a.w). It is clear from this verse that whole mankind, present and to come, and passing after revelation of Quran, is to follow our Nabi (s.a.w) in all his actions and sayings whether or not our Nabi (s.a.w) has commanded specifically the people to follow him (s.a.w). In other words, even if it has not been commanded specifically by our Nabi (s.a.w),  whole mankind, present and to come till ‘qiyamah’, is to follow our Nabi (s.a.w) in all his sayings and actions because, as mentioned above, ‘itba,a’/following  is related to all things/actions/in-actions, whether commanded or not. It means there is no point in the factor that sunnah is people and time specific or not. Even if Sunnah is taken as people and time specific, it would mean that sunnah has not been commanded, by our Nabi (s.a.w), to be followed by the people other than those who were commanded by our Nabi (s.a.w) to follow that sunnah. But ara,af-158 states that sunnah is applicable even to those people who were not commanded by our Nabi (s.a.w) to follow sunnah; in this verse word 'itba,a' has been used and 'itba,a' pertains to all actions/ in-actions whether commanded or not. Similarly, there is no point in the factor that sunnah is pertaining to worldly matters or religious matters.  Even if sunnah pertaining to worldly matters has not been commanded by our Nabi (s.a.w) to be followed by the people, Aa raf-158 states that every action/in-action and saying of our Nabi (s.a.w) is  follow-able  by whole mankind in the present age and in all ages to come, and in all worldly and religious matters. However mankind is not to follow our Nabi (s.a.w) in matters of which they have been specifically forbidden (continued).