What is Sunnah?

The Sunnah – which means the words and deeds that are attributed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) as well as the actions that he approved – is one of the two parts of divine revelation (Wahy) that were revealed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (peace be upon him). The other part of the revelation is the Holy Quran. Allah says:

Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only a revelation sent down ˹to him˺.

Quran - 53:3-4

(interpretation of the meaning)

It was narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (peace be upon him) said:

Verily I have been given the Quran and something similar to it along with it. But soon there will be a time when a man will be reclining on his couch with a full stomach, and he will say, ‘You should adhere to this Quran: what you find that it says is permissible, take it as permissible, and what you find it says is forbidden, take it as forbidden.’ But indeed, whatever the Messenger of Allah forbids is like what Allah forbids.

Sunan Ibn Majah, 12

Hassaan ibn ‘Atiyah said:

Jibreel (angel Gabriel) used to bring the sunnah down to the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) as he used to bring the Quran down to him.

The importance of the Sunnah is first of all that it explains the Quran and is a commentary on it, then it adds some rulings to those in the Quran. Allah says:

And We have also sent down unto you (O Muhammad) the Dhikr [reminder and the advice (i.e. the Quran)], that you may explain clearly to men what is sent down to them, and that they may give thought.

Quran - 16:44

(interpretation of the meaning)

Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said:

The commentary of the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) on the Quran is of two types:

1. Explaining things that are mentioned in general terms in the Holy Quran, such as the five daily prayers, their times, prostration, bowing and all other rulings.
2. Adding rulings to the rulings of the Quran, such as the prohibition on being married to a woman and to her paternal or maternal aunt at the same time.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) said:

Convey (my teachings) to the people even if it were a single sentence, and tell others the stories of the Israelites (which have been taught to you), for it is not sinful to do so. And whoever tells a lie on me intentionally, will surely take his place in the (Hell) Fire.

Sahih al-Bukhari, 3461

Source: islamqa.info · islamqa.info