The
Status of Sunnah in Islaam
by Shaykh Muhammad Nâsir ad-Dîn al-Albânî
Introduction
Praise be to Allah, Benediction and Peace be on
the Messenger of Allah, his family, his companions,
and his adherents.
This is a lecture which I delivered in the city
of Doha, the capital of Qatar, in the blessed
month of Ramadhan 1392 A.H. Some of my friends
have suggested to me to publish my lecture on
account of need of the Muslims to a work of its
kind. In response to their request, I am printing
it for general propagation on account of its advantage,
having regard for the reminiscences and history.
I have added some separate titles to assist the
reader to collect the main ideas. I pray to Allah,
the Mighty, the Glorious, to write me among those
who defend the religion and those who help enact
the law; and to reward me for it. Surely he is
the most generous in responding to my prayer.
Damascus 22 Muharram-al-Haram 1394 A.H.
The Status of Sunnah in Islam - A Declaration
that it cannot dispense with The Qur'an
All Praise be to Allah, we praise Him, seek His
help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah
from the evils of our souls and evils of our deeds.
One whom Allah guides, none can lead him astray,
and one whom He misguides, none can guide him.
I bear witness that there is no god [1] but Allah,
and I bear witness that Muhammad (SAW) is His
servant and His messenger.
O you who believe. Fear Allah truly, and don't
die except in a state of Islam. (3:102)
O Men fear your Lord who created you from one
soul, and created its partner, and from them spread
men and women in numbers. Take care, Allah will
question you about it and the kinship. Surely,
Allah is ever watchful of your deeds (4:1).
O those who believe. Fear Allah
and say what is correct so that it fits you. He
will forgive your sins. Whoever obeys Allah and
His messenger that is a great achievement (33:70-71).
The best of speech is the speech of Allah. That
is The Book of Allah. The best of guidance is
the guidance of Muhammad. Of all matters, the
worst are innovations; and everything new is an
innovation, and every innovation is a deviation,
and every deviation leads to Hell-fire.
I do not think that I will be able
to offer this high ranking assembly - especially
when there are distinguished ulama (scholars)
and professors present - some knowledge which
has not been dealt with before. If what I think
is true, I will rest contented that my address
will be a reminder, as it says in the Qur'an:"
Remind, for the reminder would benefit the believers"
(51:55).
I do not think that my talk in this
blessed month of Ramadhan, the month of importance,
is an exposition of something of its merits, rules
and their practice, and the like, which generally
the preachers and instructors touch on, on account
of the benefit they give to the listeners, and
procure for them good and blessing; but I have
chosen my talk to be a study of a general nature,
surely it is one of the roots of the Shari'ah
(Islamic law). It is a declaration of the importance
attached to the Sunnah in the Islamic law.
The Role of Sunnah Towards The Qur'an
You all know that Allah, The Blessed and Mighty,
chose Muhammad (SAW) as His Prophet and picked
him to deliver the final message. The Qur'an was
revealed to him and commanded him to obey all
what He had ordered him to do, that is, to expound
His message to the people. Allah says, "We
have revealed to you the Reminder (The Qur'an)
to expound to people what was revealed to them
"(16:44).
I think that the declaration mentioned in the
verse contains two orders:
1. Declaration of the word and its
arrangement. It is the communication of the Qur'an
and its non-concealment, and its pursuit to Mankind
just as Allah, The Blessed Almighty, has revealed
to the heart of the Prophet (SAW) which is the
intent of His saying:" O Messenger proclaim
what is revealed to you from your Lord "
(5:67). Sayyida Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with
her) is reported to have said
"Whosoever says that Muhammad
(SAW) concealed something which he was commanded
to communicate, is is a great calumny against
Allah." Then she read the abovementioned
verse. (Bukhari and Muslim have stated it.)
And according to the narration of Muslim: "If
the Messenger of Allah (SAW) had concealed something
which he was commanded to communicate, he would
have concealed the saying of The Almighty Behold
thou didst say to one who had received the grace
of Allah and thy favour:
Keep your wife to yourself and
fear Allah. But thou didst hide in thy heart that
which Allah was about to make manifest; you did
fear the people, whereas Allah had a better right
that you should fear Him (33:37)
2. The explanation of the meaning of the word
or sentence or verse for which man needs an explanation,
most of which bear reference to 'Mujmal' (comprehensive)
verses or 'Amah' (general) verses or 'Mutlaq'
(unbounded) verses.
Then comes the Sunnah and clarifies
the sentences and specifies the verses called
'Amah' and defines what is 'mutlaq' that is, in
refernce to the saying (Qaul) of The Prophet (SAW),
his deed (Fi'l) and the act he confirmed (Iqrar).
The necessity of Sunnah to understand
The Qur'an and Parables on that
Allah says The male thief and female thief cut
off their hands (5:38) is a fitting example of
that. The thief in it is general like the hand.
The oral tradition explains the first of them
and restricts it by 'as-sareq' (the thief) who
steals something worth a fourth of a Dinar [2]
according to the saying of the Prophet (SAW) There
is no cutting - of the hand - unless the thing
stolen is worth a fourth of a Dinar or more (Bukari
& Muslim) the two shaikhs have recorded this
Hadeeth.
Again, the other is explained by
the action of the Prophet (SAW) or the action
of his companions and his confirmation. They used
to cut the hand of the thief from the wrist as
is known in the work of Hadeeth. The oral tradition
explains the hand mentioned in the verse on Tayammum
(dust ablution) And rub therewith your faces and
hands (5:6) is also the palm of the hand as is
stated in a Hadeeth Tayammum is the wiping of
the face and the hands recorded by the two shaikhs
and Ahmad and others from a tradition reported
by Ammar bin Yasir (may Allah be pleased with
them).
There are other verses that cannot
be completely understood except through Sunnah.
They are:
1. It is whose who believe and confuse
not their beliefs with wrong, 'dhulm' that are
(truly) in security for they are on (right) guidance
(6:82).
The companions of the Prophet (SAW)
understood the word 'dhulm' in its general sense
to mean every wrong doing, even if it be little.
On this account the verse is regarded as dubious
and they said, "O Messenger of Allah, which
of us did not involve his faith with obscurity?"
He (SAW) said; It is not that. It is only the
'shirk'(3). Have you not heard what Luqman said:
Verily, 'shirk' is a very great sin (dhulm) (31:13).
The two shaikhs have recorded it with others.
2. Allah says: When you travel on
earth, there is no blame on you to shorten your
prayer, for fear the unbelievers will persecute
you (4:101). It is obvious from this verse that
fear is a pre-requisite for the shortening of
prayers. Some of the Prophet's companions asked
him:
"Why do we shorten our prayers
while we feel safe?" He said: It is a charity
from Allah, so accept it (Muslim).
3. Allah says: The carcass and it's blood are
forbidden to you (5:3). In explanation of this
verse, the corpse of locusts, fish, the livers,
spleen of blood are lawful. So the Prophet (SAW)
said: He has made two dead things and blood lawful:
the locusts and the fish, the liver and the spleen.
Baihaqi and others have recorded
it as 'marfu' type of hadeeth as also 'mauquf'
type. The 'isnad' od 'mauquf' is authentic and
it is as good as 'marfu' tradition, since it is
not stated in the form of a 'ra'y' (decision based
on one individual's judgement not on Qur'an and
Sunnah).
4. Allah says:
I find not in the message received
by me by inspiration any (food) forbidden to be
taken by one who wishes to, unless it is dead
meat or blood poured forth or the flesh of swine,
for it is an abomination, or what is impious (meat)
on which a name has been invoked other thatn Allah's
(6:145).
The Sunnah has forbidden many things not mentioned
in the verse mentioned above, as for example in
the saying of the Holy Prophet (SAW): All predatory
animals with tusk and every bird with claw are
forbidden for consumption. There are other traditions
which have forbidden the consumption of such animals
as the Prophet (SAW) is reported to have said
on the Day of Khayber: Allah and His Messenger
have prohibited the consumption of domesticated
asses, for they are filth. The two shaikhs have
reported it.
5. Allah says: Who has forbidden
the adornment of Allah which He has produced for
His servants, and the things clean and pure (which
he has provided for sustenance) (7:32).
The Sunnah, too, has forbidden some
adornments, and this is evident from the Prophet
(SAW) who is reported to have met some of his
companions, and had a silk garment in one hand,
and gold in the other, and said: These are prohibited
to Muslim males, lawful to females. The hadeeths
in their interpretation are many and well known
in both the authentic collections of hadeeths,
and others and the like of many examples well
known to scholars familiar with hadeeth and Islamic
Jurispudence.
From what has been stated above,
O Muslim Brethren, you can see the importance
attached to Sunnah in Islamic Law. When we divert
our intention again to the exaples mentioned beside
others not mentioned, we are certain that there
is no way to understand the Qur'an correctly except
in association with the interpretation of the
Sunnah.
In the first example, the understanding
of the 'sahabah' of 'dhulm' mentioned in the verse
is on its general sense, despite the fact that
the (Allah be pleased with them) were, as stated
by Ibn Mas'ud: "The best of this community,
most pious, profound in learning, least of dissimulation."
Yet with all that they erred in their understanding
of that.
Were it not for the Prophet (SAW),
who held them back from their mistaken notion,
and made them take the step in the right direction
in that the correct meaning of 'dhulm' in the
context is shirk (association of partnership with
Allah), we too would have followed in their wrong
thinking. Allah, The Blessed and The Most High
saved us from that wrong notion by the grace of
the right direction of the Prophet (SAW) and his
Sunnah.
In the second example - with Allah's
guidance - if not for the hadeeth mentioned above,
we would have been in doubt at least with regard
to the shortening of prayer (qasr-as-salat) during
a journey while secure - if we did stipulate the
condition of fear as obvious in the verse - till
the companions saw the Prophet (SAW) shorten the
prayers when it was safe and secure.
In the third example, if not for
the hadeeth, we would have forbidden ourselves
the consumption of good things made lawful to
us: locusts, fish, liver, and the spleen.
In the fourth example, if not for
the hadeeths, some of which we have mentioned,
we would have considered lawful what Allah has
made unlawful through the dictum of the holy Prophet
(SAW) like predatory animals, and the birds which
have claws.
And so in the fifth example, if
not for the hadeeths in regard to this question,
we would have considered lawful what Allah prohibited
through the words of His Prophet (SAW) like gold
and silk.
It is for this, some forbearers
(as-salaf) say that 'Sunnah' pronounces judgement
of The Book (al-Qur'an).
The Deviation of those who are satisfied
with The Qur'an to the exclusion of Hadeeth It
is a matter of regret that according to the interpretation
found in the works of some commentators and moders
authors, that it is permissible to do what is
stated in the last two examples: Consumption of
the predatory animals and the waearing of gold
and silk by referring their interpretation only
to the Qur'an.
Today, a sect exists called "Quranites"
who comment according to their whims and fancies;
without seeking the explanation of the authentic
Sunnah. They only accept and follow the Sunnah
which suit their desires, the rest they throw
behind. The Prophet (SAW) is reported to have
said that: None of you reclines on his bed, the
order comes to him on an affair which I am commanded
to do or not to do. He says: "I don't know,
what is found in The Book of Allah we follow"
(Tirmithi). According to another report: What
is found in The Book of Allah as 'Haram,' we pronounce
it 'haram' (forbidden). Surely, I am given The
Qur'an and its example with it. Yet, according
to another report: What the Messenger of Allah
has forbidden, Allah has prohibited it.
It is a matter of regret that one
renowned scholar has written a book on Islamic
law and its dogma, and in its preface, he says
that he has written it and that he has made reference
only to The Qur'an.
This true hadeeth gives positive
evidence that the divine law of Islam - As-Shari'ah
- is not merely Qur'an, but Qur'an and Sunnah.
Therefore, whoever holds fast to one source for
reference to the exclusion of the other, he held
fast to neither of them, since both complement
each other. The Qur'an says :
Whoever obeys the Messenger, obeys
Allah. Allah says, No, by your Lord they do not
believe until they submit to your adjucation in
all disputes between them, then they do not find
themselves oppressed with your decisions and they
completely submit (4:65)
Again, Allah says:
When a matter has been decided
by Allah and His Messenger, it does not behove
a believer, man or woman, to have choice in their
matter. One who disobeys Allah and His Messenger,
he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path (33:36).
Furthermore, Allah says What the Messenger teaches
you, take it, and what he forbids you, avoid doing
it (59:7).
In connection with this verse, I am marvelled
by what is corroborated by Ibn Mas'ud (Allah be
pleased with him) that is, a woman came to him
and told him, "You who says: May Allah's
curse be on 'Al-Namisat' and 'Al-Motanamisat'
[4]and those who tattoo." He said "Yes."
She said, "I read the Book of Allah (Al-Qur'an)
from beginning to its end. I did not find what
you have said. He told her, "If you have
read it, you would have found it. As for your
reading what the Messenger teaches you, take it,
and what he forbids you, avoid doing it."
She said, "Certainly." He said, "I
have heard the Messenger of Allah (SAW) say May
Allah's Curse be on the Al-Namisat." (Bukhari
and Muslim)
Inadequacy of Philology
to understand The Qur'an
From what has been stated above, it is clear that
there is no scope for anyone with all his Arabic
Scholarship to understand the glorious Qur'an,
without the help of the Sunnah of the Prophet
(SAW), his sayings and actions.
The companions of the Prophet (SAW) were the most
knowledgeable in the language, which The Qur'an
was revealed in, when it was not blemished by
the incorrectness of the common folks knowledge
or their grammatical mistakes. Yet, they erred
in understanding the verses quoted above when
they relied on language alone.
It is self-evident that a man well-informed
of the Sunnah is more appropriate to understand
The Qur'an and deduce the rules from it than one
who is ignorant of it. How can it be a source
to one who does not reckon it and does not make
reference to it?
For this reason, it is part of the
rules agreed upon that Qur'an should be interpreted
by the Qur'an itself as welll as the Sunnah, then
by the sayings of the Sahabah... etc. [5]
It is here that the cause of deviation
of scholastic theologians (Ahlu-el-Kalam) become
clear, both ancient and modern, and their opposition
to the forbears 'As-salaf' (May Allah be pleased
with them) in their doctrines not to speak of
their laws. They are far from Sunnah, and knowledge
of it, and rely on their intelligence and desires
to decide on the verses of attributes and others.
What is best is what was written
down in the exposition of Tahawi's doctrine (page
212 Fourth Edition):
When one is not well-informed of
The Book and Sunnah, what would he say about the
Fundamentals of Religion (usulu-d-din)? He only
receives the assertion of someone. If he says
that he takes it from The Book of Allah, he does
not study the commentary of The Qur'an on the
basis of prophetic traditions, and reflects over
it, nor what the companions (Sahabah), and the
following generations narrated, which is transmitted
to us from the authorities whom the critics chose.
They have not transmitted the system and arrangement
of The Qur'an, but its poetic expression and meaning.
They did not learn the Qur'an like children, but
studied it with meaning. One who does not follow
in their footsteps, speaks on his own accord.
One who does that thinks it be the religion of
Allah, and does not study The Book of Allah, he
sins, even if he is right.
One who studies The Qur'an
and The Sunnah, he is rewarded, even if he goes
wrong, but if he is right in his opinion, his
reward is doubled. Then he says:
What is obligatory, is submission
to the Messenger (SAW) carrying out his saying
and accepting his saying with satisfaction and
belief without contradicting it with false ideas
called 'opprehensive faculty' (Ma'qul) bearing
doubt or complaint, or offering the opinions of
men and the garbage of their intellect. We unite
with The Prophet (SAW) in judgement, submission,
obedience and compliance, just as we have unison
with Allah, glory be to Him, by worshipping Him
by humility, submissiveness, repentance and reliance.
In short, what is obligatory on
all Muslims is that they do not separate between
Qur'an and Sunnah; whereas, it is obligatory to
take both of them and to formulate the law on
both of them.
This is a safeguard for them, so
that they won't fall right or left; and that they
won't fall back in error as explained by The Prophet
(SAW): I leave behind me two things. You will
never go astray if you hold fast to them: The
Qur'an and my Sunnah.
CAUTION
It is self-evident after this that I say:
The Sunnah which has an important bearing on Islamic
Law is only the Sunnah confirmed by scientific
channels, and authentic chains of narrations known
to the learned in regard to hadeeths and the background
of the narrators.
It is not the one which is found
in different works of Tafseers (commentaries of
The Qur'an) and Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh),
and in different writings of longing, intimidation,
advices, and admonitions, etc...
They contain weak, spurious, and
fabricated hadeeths, of which Islam absolves,
like the story of 'Harut and Marut,' and the sotry
of 'gharanik.' I have a special letter which makes
it void and it is printed [6]. A major part of
it is recorded in two huge books namely "A
chain of weak and fabricated hadeeths and their
evil impact on the community." Their number
upto date have reached approximately four thousand
hadeeths [7]
It is obligatory on the learned,
especially those who spread the knowledge of fiqh
and legal opinions among the public, that they
shouldn't dare to argue with hadeeth unless it
is well-attested. Books of jurisprudence, which
they refer to, are normally filled with traditions
which are not well-attested, nor have any bases,
as is well-known to the learned.
I have begun an important project,
and I think it will be of use to those occupied
with jurisprudence, and I will name it: "Weak
and Fabricated Hadeeths in the Major Jurisprudence
'fiqh' Books," by which I mean:
1. Al-Hidayah, by Al-Marghinani,
in Hanafi fiqh
2. Al-Modawwanah, by Ibnil-Qasim, in Maliki fiqh
3. Sharhul-wajeez, by Al-rafiee, in Shafiee fiqh
4. Al-Mughni, by Ibn Quddamah, in Hanbali fiqh,
and
5. Bidayatul Mujtahid, by Ibn Rushd-al-Andalusi,
in comparative fiqh.
I regret that I did not get the
opportunity to finish it, because the journal
"Al-Wa'e-al-Islami" of Kuwait which
promised to publish it, when perused it, didn't
print it.
Although I missed this opportunity,
perhaps I will succeed on another occasion, Allah
willing, to offer to my bretheren occupied with
jurisprudence a precise learned course to help
them to facilitate their knowledge of the different
categories of hadeeth with reference to various
sources from books on hadeeth, with an explanation
of its special nature and character and reliance
on them. Allah is the source of success.
Weakness of Hadeeth of Muadh in the opinion And
its disapproval
Before I conclude my talk, I think I must direct
the attention of brethren present to a well known
hadeeth. It is devoid of one of the books of jurisprudence
on account of its weakness in respect of its chain
of narration (isnad) and its contrdiction with
what we have concluded in this talk, regarding
the illegitimacy of discrimination in law between
The Qur'an and Sunnah; and the necessity of taking
both.
It is a hadeeth of Muadh bin Jabal (May Allah
be pleased with him) that the Prophet (SAW) said
to him when he sent hin to Yaman: By what source
will you decide? He said, "By the book of
Allah." He then asked, If you don't find
any guidline? He said, "I will make an effort
to form my own opinion." He said, Praise
be to Allah who makes success the effort of the
envoy of the Messenger of Allah, to what The Prophet
likes.
As for the weakness of its 'isnad,'
there is no scope for its explanation now. But
I have explained it clearly in the above mentioned
chain [8].
It would suffice now to mention
that the Commander of the Believers in the hadeeth
'Imam Al-Bukhari' (may Allah have mercy on him)
says that the hadeeth is not recognized (munkar).
After this I am permitted to begin to explain
the conflict which I pointed.
The tradition of Muadh gives the
ruler a method of three stages which does not
permit to search for any rule with regard to 'Ra'e'
(personal opinion) except that he does not find
it in the Sunnah, nor in the Sunnah, except that
after he does not find it in The Qur'an. It is
in relation to 'Ra'e' a genuine method with all
the learned (ulama), so that they say, "Where
there is a tradition relating the deeds and utterances
of The Prophet (SAW), personal opinion is void."
But in relation to Sunnah, it is not true, because
Sunnah dictates The Qur'an and and clarifies its
doctrines. It is then essential to search for
a ruling in Sunnah, even if he thinks it is found
in The Qur'an as we have mentioned it.
Sunnah is not with The Qur'an in
the same manner as 'Ar-Ra'e' with the Sunnah.
No, definitely not. It is rather necessary to
regard the Qur'an and Sunnah as being one source
with no discrimination between the two whatsoever.
This is indicatied in a saying of the Prophet
(SAW): Certainly I have come with The Qur'an and
its like (meaning the Sunnah). He said They are
never separated until they come to the Basin [9].
The compilation mentioned between them is not
correct because the separation between them is
void as we have explained.
This is what I wish to draw attention
to. If I am right, it is from Allah; if wrong,
it is from me. I ask Allah Almighty to protect
us and you from errors and from all that displeases
him. I conclude my praising by "Al-Hamdu-lillahi
rabbil-alameen" - Praise be to Allah, The
Lord of the Worlds.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Footnotes
1. i.e.: There is no true god - but Allah - who
really deserves to be worshipped by Mankind
2. Dinar: A form of currency
3. Shirk is to disbelieve in the
oneness of Allah, or to offer any form of worship
to other than Allah.
4. Namisah: a woman who plucks hers
or others eyebrows - to be a thin line - to seek
beauty. Such an act is forbidden. It is a means
to change the form of Allah's creation. Motanamisah:
a woman who asks others to do it for her.
5. This states other than what is
known by many of the learned: to comment on The
Qur'an itself if there is not any Sunnah, then
by the Sunnah. This will be explained in at then
end of this treatise on the hadeeth of Muadh bin
Jabal - may Allah be pleased with him.
6. Its title is "Pitch of majaniq
to demolish the story of gharaniq" printed
by Al-Maktabul-e-Islami Story of gharaniq: is
a fabricated story found in some commentaries,
claiming that a verse in The Qur'an acknowledged
the polytheists in their beliefs.
7. The number at present [1394 A.H.]
has exceeded five thousand and may Allah make
easy its publication in the near future. So far
only five hundred have broken into print.
8. No. 885 of the chain mentioned,
and we hope that the volume which includes it
will be published shortly, 'insha Allah.'
9. i.e. until the Day of Judgement.
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