 |
The
Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to
take the ruling on different matters in their lives from the
Qur’an, which they learned from the Prophet (peace and blessings
be upon him). In many instances, the verses of the Qur’an treated
a subject in a general manner, without any specific condition and
sometimes, the verses would come as an absolute ruling, without any
precondition or limitation in terms of time, place, and so on.
As
an example of what came in a general way in the Qur’an is Prayer.
The Qur’an does not mention how many rak`ahs we should
perform, or how to physically move during Prayer, or the time for
Prayer. Similarly, the Qur’an does not mention the minimum amount
of money to have before giving zakah or the conditions by which to
pay it. Many of our acts of worship cannot be performed without
referring to the explanations related to the regulations, pillars,
and conditions of nullification. Thus, it is necessary to return to
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to know the rules in a
comprehensive and clear manner.
Many
times, the Companions faced incidents in which the Qur’an had no
ruling, then there was a need to return to the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) to know the ruling for such matters. It was
the Prophet who was ordered by Allah Almighty to teach humanity, and
it was the Prophet who was the most knowledgeable of mankind about
that which Allah expects from us.
Allah
has told us about the duty of the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) with respect to the Qur’an. Allah said:
[And
We have sent down unto thee (also) the Reminder; that thou mayest
explain clearly to men what is sent for them, and that they may give
thought.]
(An-Nahl 16:44)
Allah
also made it clear to us that the duty of the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) was to clarify the truth to people when there
was a dispute:
[And
We have revealed the Scripture unto thee only that thou mayst
explain unto them that wherein they differ, and (as) a guidance and
a mercy for a people who believe.]
(An-Nahl 16:64)
We
are obligated to follow any ruling by him in any dispute:
[But
no, by your Lord! (O Muhammad) They cannot be believers until they
make you judge in all disputes between them, and find in their souls
no resistance against your decisions, but accept them with the
fullest submission.]
(An-Nisaa’ 4:65)
Allah
also mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
was given the Qur’an and wisdom to teach people the regulations of
their religion:
[Allah
did confer a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a
messenger from among themselves, rehearsing unto them the Signs of
Allah, sanctifying them, and instructing them in Scripture and
Wisdom, while, before that, they had been in manifest error.]
(Aal `Imran 3:164)
Regarding
the last verse, most scholars have said that the wisdom mentioned in
it means another thing besides the Qur’an. It refers to the
knowledge which Allah has given the Prophet on matters and
regulations that the rest of humanity cannot attain. Imam
Ash-Shafi`i said:
Allah
Almighty has mentioned the scripture which is the Qur’an, and he
mentioned wisdom and I have learned from the people of knowledge
that the wisdom here is the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him). It is out of the mercy of Allah that He
has guided us to the way through which we can practice what is in
the Qur’an.
To
clarify the concept of Sunnah and our obligation to follow it, Allah
said:
[Those
who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find
mentioned in their own (scriptures),—in the Torah and the
Gospel;—he commands them what is right and forbids them what is
evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits
them from what is bad (and impure); He releases them from their
heavy burdens and from the yokes that have been upon them. So it is
those who believe in him, honour him, help him, and follow the light
which is sent down with him,- it is they who will prosper.]
(Al-A`raf 7: 157)
Because
this teaching is mentioned in general in this verse, then it
includes both the rules in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
A
very strong proof of the obligation to follow the Sunnah can be
found in the following verse:
[And
whatsoever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatsoever he
forbids you, abstain (from it), and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is
severe in punishment.]
(Al-Hashr 59:7)
Allah
has also made obedience to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) in conjunction with obedience to Him:
[And
obey Allah and the Messenger, that ye may obtain mercy.]
(Aal `Imran 3:132)
We
are commanded by Almighty Allah to answer any order by the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him):
[O
ye who believe! give your response to Allah and His Messenger, when
He calleth you to that which will give you life.]
(Al-Anfal 8:24)
Allah
made the obedience of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
a manifestation of obedience to Him, and following the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) is an indication of the love of
Allah:
[He
who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah.]
(An-Nisaa’ 4:80)
[Say:
If ye do love Allah, Follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you
your sins.]
(Aal `Imran 3:31)
And
He Almighty warned us about not following the instructions of the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
[Then
let those beware who withstand the Messenger’s order, lest some
trial befall them, or a grievous penalty be inflicted on them.]
(An-Nur 24:63)
It
is never allowed by Allah for a believer to disobey the Prophet’s
order:
[It
is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been
decided by Allah and His Messenger to have any option about their
decision: if any one disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he is indeed
on a clearly wrong Path.]
(Al-Ahzab 33:36)
Further,
not following the rulings of the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) when a dispute occurs is a sign of hypocrisy, Allah
Almighty says:
[They
say, We believe in Allah and in the Messenger, and we obey; but even
after that, some of them turn away; they are not (really) Believers.
When they are summoned to Allah and His Messenger, in order that he
may judge between them, behold some of them decline (to come). But
if the right is on their side, they come to him with all submission.
Is it that there is a disease in their hearts? or do they doubt, or
are they in fear, that Allah and His Messenger will deal unjustly
with them? Nay, it is they themselves who do wrong. The answer of
the Believers, when summoned to Allah and His Messenger, in order
that he may judge between them, is no other than this: they say,
“We hear and we obey”; it is such as these that will attain
felicity.]
(An-Nur 24:47-51)
Based
on the book As-Sunnah
wa Makanatuha fit-Tashri` Al-Islami
Excerpted
with some modifications from
http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=239
|
