1. The Authority of SunnahThe Authority of Sunnah
Presented by
Sh. Abdool Rahman Khan

2. Introduction
The Qur’an and Sunnah are the foundation of Islam. Their
importance cannot be over-emphasized. The Sunnah is next in
importance only to the Qur'an and this status of the Sunnah has
remained unchallenged and undisputed throughout the centuries.
Despite the differences among Muslims in their (fiqhi) juristic
opinions, the authority of the Qur'an and the Sunnah of Rasoolullah
(SAS) was never denied by any jurist.
A proper understanding is therefore necessary with regards to
knowing their authority in our Deen and understanding the whole
process of transmission of this knowledge from one generation to
another until it reaches us. We should also know our
responsibilities in continuing this process of transmitting this
knowledge to the next generation.

3. Introduction… Continued
Allah SWT preserved not only the Qur'an for posterity but has also preserved
the Sunnah by enabling the Companions and those after them (RA) to
memorize, write down and pass on the statements of the Messenger (SAS)
and the descriptions of his ways, in order to continue the blessings of
practicing the Sunnah for the Ummah until the end of time.
As the purity of the knowledge of the Sunnah became threatened, Allah
caused the Muslim nation to produce outstanding individuals of incredible
memory-skills and analytical expertise, who journeyed tirelessly to collect
hundreds of thousands of narrations and distinguish the true words of
precious wisdom of Rasoolullah (SAS) from those corrupted by weak
memories, from forgeries by unscrupulous liars, and from the statements of
the enormous number of 'ulama', the Companions and those who followed
their way, who had taught in various centers of learning and helped to
transmit the legacy of Muhammad (SAS) - all of this achieved through precise
attention to the words narrated and detailed familiarity with the biographies
of the thousands of reporters of Hadith. Action being the best way to preserve
teachings, the revivers of Islam also invigorated the practice of the blessed
authentic Sunnah.

4. The Meanings of the Words “Sunnah and Hadith”
The Meanings of the Word “Sunnah
Lexical Definition of the Word Sunnah
Definition of the Word Sunnah as Used by the Jurists
Definition of the Word Sunnah as Used by the Scholars of Hadith
Definition of the Word Sunnah as Used in Islamic Legal Theory
Definition of the Word Sunnah as Used by the Specialists in Aqeedah
The Meaning of the Word Hadith
The Relationship Between Sunnah and Hadith

5. Definition of Sunnah and Hadith
 1.Sunnah; the second source of Shari’ah
 2.Definition of Sunnah

6. Sunnah: Linguistic Meaning of Sunnah
A way, manner, a path, a conduct (good/bad)
Hence the Hadith:
‫مش‬ْ ‫ش‬ ‫ه‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫ر‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫جرو‬ُ‫رو‬ ‫أ‬ُ‫رو‬ ‫ش‬‫ن‬ْ ‫ش‬ ‫م‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫صش‬ُ‫رو‬ ‫ق‬ُ‫رو‬‫ن‬ْ ‫ش‬‫ي‬َ‫ن‬ ‫لش‬َ‫ن‬ ‫و‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ه اش‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ب‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫لش‬َ‫ن‬ ‫م‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫ع‬َ‫ن‬ ‫نش‬ْ ‫ش‬ ‫م‬َ‫ن‬ ‫رش‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫ج‬ْ ‫ش‬ ‫أ‬َ‫ن‬ ‫لش‬ُ‫رو‬ ‫ث‬ْ ‫ش‬‫م‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫هش‬ُ‫رو‬ ‫ل‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ش‬‫ب‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ت‬ِ‫ْم‬‫ك‬ُ‫رو‬ ‫هش‬ُ‫رو‬‫د‬َ‫ن‬‫ع‬ْ ‫ش‬ ‫ب‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ه اش‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ب‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫لش‬َ‫ن‬ ‫م‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫ع‬ُ‫رو‬ ‫ف‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ةش‬ً ‫ف‬ ‫ن‬َ‫ن‬‫س‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ح‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ةش‬ً ‫ف‬ ‫ن‬َّ‫ة‬‫س‬ُ‫رو‬ ‫مش‬ِ‫ْم‬‫ل‬َ‫ن‬ ‫س‬ْ ‫ش‬ ‫ل‬ْ ‫ش‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫ف يش ا‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫نش‬َّ‫ة‬ ‫س‬َ‫ن‬ ‫نش‬ْ ‫ش‬ ‫م‬َ‫ن‬
‫صش‬ُ‫رو‬ ‫ق‬ُ‫رو‬‫ن‬ْ ‫ش‬‫ي‬َ‫ن‬ ‫لش‬َ‫ن‬ ‫و‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ه اش‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ب‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫لش‬َ‫ن‬ ‫م‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫ع‬َ‫ن‬ ‫نش‬ْ ‫ش‬ ‫م‬َ‫ن‬ ‫رش‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫ز‬ْ ‫ش‬ ‫و‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫لش‬ُ‫رو‬ ‫ث‬ْ ‫ش‬‫م‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫هش‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫ي‬ْ ‫ش‬‫ل‬َ‫ن‬‫ع‬َ‫ن‬ ‫بش‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ت‬ِ‫ْم‬‫ك‬ُ‫رو‬ ‫هش‬ُ‫رو‬‫د‬َ‫ن‬‫ع‬ْ ‫ش‬ ‫ب‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ه اش‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ب‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫لش‬َ‫ن‬ ‫م‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫ع‬ُ‫رو‬ ‫ف‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ةش‬ً ‫ف‬ ‫ئ‬َ‫ن‬‫ي‬ِّ‫ئ‬‫س‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ةش‬ً ‫ف‬ ‫ن‬َّ‫ة‬‫س‬ُ‫رو‬ ‫مش‬ِ‫ْم‬‫ل‬َ‫ن‬ ‫س‬ْ ‫ش‬ ‫ل‬ْ ‫ش‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫ف يش ا‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫نش‬َّ‫ة‬ ‫س‬َ‫ن‬ ‫نش‬ْ ‫ش‬ ‫م‬َ‫ن‬ ‫و‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ءش‬ٌ ‫و‬ ‫ ي‬ْ ‫ش‬ ‫ش‬َ‫ن‬
‫ء‬ٌ ‫و‬ ‫ ي‬ْ ‫ش‬ ‫ش‬َ‫ن‬ ‫مش‬ْ ‫ش‬ ‫ه‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫ر‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫زا‬َ‫ن‬ ‫و‬ْ ‫ش‬ ‫أ‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ش‬‫ن‬ْ ‫ش‬ ‫م‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫ش‬
Whoever introduces in Islam a good practice/way, will have his reward
for it and also a reward for those who act upon it without reducing
anything from this reward: likewise one who introduces an evil practice
in Islam, will be punished for this and all those who act upon that evil
practice will be punished without diminishing in any way the burden of
their evil deeds. (Muslim)
Or as we read 33:62
‫ل‬ً ‫ف‬ ‫دي‬ِ‫ْم‬‫ب‬ْ ‫ش‬‫ت‬َ‫ن‬ ‫للش‬َّ‫ة‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫ةش ا‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫ن‬َّ‫ة‬‫س‬ُ‫رو‬ ‫ل‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫ش‬‫د‬َ‫ن‬‫ج‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫ت‬َ‫ن‬ ‫لنش‬َ‫ن‬‫و‬َ‫ن‬ ‫لش‬ُ‫رو‬ ‫ب‬ْ ‫ش‬‫ق‬َ‫ن‬ ‫منش‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫رواش‬ْ ‫ش‬ ‫ل‬َ‫ن‬‫خ‬َ‫ن‬ ‫نش‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ذي‬ِ‫ْم‬‫ل‬َّ‫ة‬‫ا‬ ‫ف يش‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫للش‬َّ‫ة‬ِ‫ْم‬ ‫ةش ا‬َ‫ن‬ ‫ن‬َّ‫ة‬‫س‬ُ‫رو‬
That was the Way of Allah in the case of those who passed away of old,
and you will not find any change in the Way of Allah.

7. Technical Meaning of Sunnah…
There are several definitions of the word Sunnah and it depends in what context it is
being used or who is defining “Sunnah”.
 Fiqhi perspective: Sunnah denotes whatever is firmly established (thabata) as called for
(matlub) in the Religion on the basis of a legal proof (dalîl shar`î) It is something
recommended like saying: It is Sunnah to use miswak before Wudhu or additional Salaah.
 Usool perspective: Sunnah is used as what the doer gets as a reward for doing it but
not a punishment for avoiding it as opposed to neglecting an obligatory act.
 A Sunnah is one whose performance is indicated or encouraged by the law, however,
the law falls short of declaring it to be obligatory or required.
 A Sunnah act is one that when performed a person is rewarded for it, but for which
he is not punished if he fails to perform it.
 A Sunnah act is an action that one is requested to perform but not in a strict sense.
 A Sunnah act is when the Prophet performed on a continuous basis although he
would sometimes not perform it with no particular apparent reason for not
performing it.

8. Technical Meaning of Sunnah… Continued
 The Scholars of Aqeedah define Sunnah to be: What Muslim
believes in. In other words the person is on Sunnah or he/she is
following the beliefs of Prophet Muhammad SAS and His
companions May Allah be pleased with them all, hence the name:
“Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jama’ah”. Sunnah is also in this context what is
the opposite of Bid’ah. It refers to the foundation of faith.
‫ن ي‬ِّ‫ي‬‫م‬ِ‫ن‬ ‫سم‬َ ‫م‬ ‫ي‬ْ‫َس‬‫ل‬َ ‫م‬‫ف‬َ ‫م‬ ‫ت يم‬ِ‫ن‬‫ن‬َّ‫ت‬‫س‬ُ‫ن‬ ‫نم‬ْ‫َس‬ ‫ع‬َ ‫م‬ ‫بم‬َ ‫م‬ ‫غ‬ِ‫ن‬ ‫ر‬َ ‫م‬ ‫نم‬ْ‫َس‬ ‫م‬َ ‫م‬ ‫ف‬َ ‫م‬
‫نم‬َ ‫م‬ ‫يي‬ِّ‫ي‬‫د‬ِ‫ن‬‫ه‬ْ‫َس‬ ‫م‬َ ‫م‬ ‫ل‬ْ‫َس‬‫ءم ا‬ِ‫ن‬ ‫فءا‬َ ‫م‬‫ل‬َ ‫م‬‫خ‬ُ‫ن‬ ‫ل‬ْ‫َس‬‫ةم ا‬ِ‫ن‬ ‫ن‬َّ‫ت‬‫س‬ُ‫ن‬ ‫و‬َ ‫م‬ ‫ت يم‬ِ‫ن‬‫ن‬َّ‫ت‬‫س‬ُ‫ن‬ ‫ب‬ِ‫ن‬ ‫مم‬ْ‫َس‬ ‫ك‬ُ‫ن‬ ‫ي‬ْ‫َس‬‫ل‬َ ‫م‬‫ع‬َ ‫م‬ ‫ف‬َ ‫م‬ ‫رام‬ً‫ا‬ ‫ثي‬ِ‫ن‬‫ك‬َ ‫م‬ ‫فءام‬ً‫ا‬‫ل‬َ ‫م‬ ‫ت‬ِ‫ن‬‫خ‬ْ‫َس‬ ‫ر ىم ا‬َ ‫م‬ ‫ي‬َ ‫م‬‫س‬َ ‫م‬ ‫ف‬َ ‫م‬ ‫د يم‬ِ‫ن‬‫ع‬ْ‫َس‬ ‫ب‬َ ‫م‬ ‫مم‬ْ‫َس‬ ‫ك‬ُ‫ن‬‫ن‬ْ‫َس‬‫م‬ِ‫ن‬ ‫شم‬ْ‫َس‬ ‫ع‬ِ‫ن‬ ‫ي‬َ ‫م‬ ‫نم‬ْ‫َس‬ ‫م‬َ ‫م‬ ‫هم‬ُ‫ن‬ ‫ن‬َّ‫ت‬‫إ‬ِ‫ن‬‫ف‬َ ‫م‬
‫ةم‬ٍ ‫ب‬ ‫ث‬َ ‫م‬‫د‬َ ‫م‬‫ح‬ْ‫َس‬ ‫م‬ُ‫ن‬ ‫لم‬َّ‫ت‬ ‫ك‬ُ‫ن‬ ‫نم‬َّ‫ت‬ ‫إ‬ِ‫ن‬‫ف‬َ ‫م‬ ‫رم‬ِ‫ن‬ ‫مرو‬ُ‫ن‬ ‫ل‬ْ‫َس‬ُ‫ن‬ ‫تم ا‬ِ‫ن‬ ‫ثءا‬َ ‫م‬‫د‬َ ‫م‬‫ح‬ْ‫َس‬ ‫م‬ُ‫ن‬ ‫و‬َ ‫م‬ ‫مم‬ْ‫َس‬ ‫ك‬ُ‫ن‬ ‫يءا‬َّ‫ت‬‫إ‬ِ‫ن‬‫و‬َ ‫م‬ ‫ذم‬ِ‫ن‬‫ج‬ِ‫ن‬ ‫روا‬َ ‫م‬ ‫ن‬َّ‫ت‬‫بءال‬ِ‫ن‬ ‫هءام‬َ ‫م‬ ‫ي‬ْ‫َس‬‫ل‬َ ‫م‬‫ع‬َ ‫م‬ ‫ضروام‬ُّ‫و‬ ‫ع‬َ ‫م‬ ‫و‬َ ‫م‬ ‫هءام‬َ ‫م‬ ‫ب‬ِ‫ن‬ ‫كروام‬ُ‫ن‬‫س‬َّ‫ت‬ ‫م‬َ ‫م‬ ‫ت‬َ ‫م‬ ‫نم‬َ ‫م‬ ‫دي‬ِ‫ن‬‫ش‬ِ‫ن‬ ‫را‬َّ‫ت‬ ‫ال‬
‫ة‬ٌ ‫ل‬َ ‫م‬‫ل‬َ ‫م‬ ‫ض‬َ ‫م‬ ‫ةم‬ٍ ‫ب‬ ‫ع‬َ ‫م‬ ‫د‬ْ‫َس‬ ‫ب‬ِ‫ن‬ ‫لم‬َّ‫ت‬ ‫ك‬ُ‫ن‬ ‫و‬َ ‫م‬ ‫ةم‬ٌ ‫ع‬َ ‫م‬ ‫د‬ْ‫َس‬ ‫ب‬ِ‫ن‬

9. Hadith perspective: it denotes any saying (qawl), action (f‘il), approval
(taqrîr), or attribute (sifa), whether physical (khilqiyya) or moral (khuluqiyya)
ascribed to (udîfa ila) the Prophet , whether before or after the beginning of
his Prophethood.
 A word spoken
None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for
himself.
He who eats his fill while his neighbor goes without food is not a believer.
Allah looks not at your figures, nor at your outward appearance but He looks
at your hearts and deeds.
 An act done
“When the Prophet SAS would perform two Raka'ah of Fajr in his house,
afterwards he would lie on his right side.”
Technical Meaning of Sunnah… Continued

10. Technical Meaning of Sunnah… Continued
 A confirmation
Given by Rasoolullah (SAS) known as Taqreer i.e. somebody said something,
or acted in a particular manner, and his saying or act came to the knowledge
of the Holy Prophet and he either confirmed it in express words or
remained silent without giving any indication of disapproval
“The two Raka'ah of prayer after the Maghrib Adhan.”
“The refraining from eating Dabb.”
 Physical qualities and natural disposition
Rasoolullah (SAS) had a full beard.
 Morals
Rasoolullah (SAS) was very bashful and if he disliked something it could be
seen on his face.

11.  Linguistic Meaning of Hadith: New; something done for the first
time, news
 Technical Meaning of Hadith: Hadith is any report of Rasoolullah
(SAS) saying, action, approval, manners, and physical characteristic. It
is any report about the Sunnah. In other words, it is the physical
method in which the Sunnah is preserved. Hadith basically is what
preserved the Sunnah of Prophet SAS.
Hadith

12. Hadith
 Hadith, as a discipline, consists of two branches:
 The first concerned with the validation of the individual
traditions through the process of biographic examination of its
chain of transmitters back to the Prophet (isnad),
 And the second concentrating on the actual content of the
validated traditions (matn) as a source of religious authority.
 In each Hadith, there are two elements:
A- Sanad or isnad, is the chain of narrators of the Hadith, and
B- Matn is the text of the Hadith.

13. Hadith: Examples Continued
The following Hadith reported by Al-Bukhari as an example:
Musaddad told us that Yahyaa informed him from Shu’bah, from Qataadah
from Anas from the Prophet (SAS) that he said:
“None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for
himself.”
This means that the Hadith scholar Muhammed ibn Ismaa’el al-Bukhari
recorded in his book of the collection of Hadith called Sahih al-Bukhari the
statement: “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what
he loves for himself.”, which he heard from his Hadith teacher Musaddad,
who heard it from his teacher Yahyaa, who was informed by his teacher
Shu’bah that he heard it from his teacher Qataadah, a student of the
Prophet’s Companion, who heard it quoted by the Sahabee (Companion)
Anas ibn Malik from the Prophet Muhammad (SAS).

14. Hadith: The Sanad or Isnad Continued
Al-Bukhari Musaddad Yahyaa Shu’bah Qataadah Anas
Prophet Muhammed (SAS) is the chain of narrators that leads to
the text of the Hadith. The Sanad consists of all those who narrated
the text, starting with the last narrator (who records the Hadith in
his book) and ending with the Prophet.

15. Hadith: Thoughts on Isnad Continued
 Sahih al-Muslim bi Sharh an-Nawawi (Introduction) Chapter : The Isnad is
from the Deen
 Even though the text (Matn) of a Hadith may seem to be logical and
reasonable, it needs an authentic Sanad with reliable reporters to be
acceptable. The Sanad is thus the most important part of the Hadith, as it
is the bridge leading to the Hadith itself. Abdullah bin al-Mubarak (d. 181
AH), one of the illustrious teachers of Imam al-Bukhari, said:? The Isnad is
from the Deen (religion), if it wasn’t for the Isnad anyone would say
anything he wished?
 During the lifetime of the Prophet and after his death, his Companions
(Sahabah) used to refer to him directly, when quoting his sayings. The
Successors (Tabi’un) followed suit, some of them used to quote the
Prophet through the Companions, while others would omit the
intermediate authority (such a Hadith is called Mursal). During the time of
the Successors they either one of two narrators between them and the
Prophet. But from then on the need for verification of each isnad rose, as
Imam Malik (d. 179) said: “The First one to utilize the isnad was Ibn Shihab
al-Zuhri (d.124).”

16.  The need to verify the Hadith rose because various sects
appeared among the Muslims who fabricated Hadith, in
order to support their deviant views and heretical
philosophies (later such Hadith were classified as Maudu
or fabricated)
 Ibn Sirin (d.110) a Successor said, “They would not ask
about the Isnad. But when the fitnah (turmoil/civil war)
happened, they said, ‘Name to us your men. So the
narrations of the Ahlus-Sunnah (Adherents to the
Sunnah) would be accepted, while those of Ahlul-Bidah
(Adherents to Innovations) would not be accepted”
Hadith: Thoughts on Isnad Continued

17. Hadith: The Matn
 The Matn
The text of the Hadith or what the Prophet actually said
or did is called the Matn. In the Hadith mentioned
before, the Matn is:
“None of you truly believes until...”

18. Relationship between Sunnah and Hadith
 Sunnah is always an act of Rasoolullah (SAS) while a Hadith is a
report of his statement, act, silent approval or an incident that
took place in his life.
 Sunnah has come down to us from generation to generation
while Hadith has been reported, in most cases, by one individual
to another. Thus the act that qualifies as Sunnah is undoubtedly
authentic -- quite as authentic as the Qur'an itself -- while Hadith,
at best, carries a strong probability that it may have been
correctively reported. This is because God Almighty arranged the
two sources to be the way they are: He arranged Sunnah to
remain completed beyond doubt, because it was to be a part of
His last message and allowed Hadith to be a human effort at
preserving information about the prophet.

19. Relationship between Sunnah and Hadith… Continued
 Sunnah is clear in what it stands for where as the context of a
Hadith had to be understood (and therefore interpreted) by all
the narrators involved in the chain of transmission. The process of
interpretation has also got to be done now by whoever is to
benefit from a Hadith.
 Sunnah has to be religious because Rasoolullah (SAS), like all
other Prophets, came to give God's message in the form of
religion to mankind.
 The Sunnah refers to the commands, prohibitions, sayings,
actions and tacit approvals of the Messenger of Allah (SAS). The
whole of the Sunnah falls under the command of Allah in His
Book:
‫هاوا‬ُ‫او‬ ‫ت‬َ‫ه‬‫فنان‬َ‫ه‬ ‫هف‬ُ‫او‬ ‫ن‬ْ‫ُه‬‫ع‬َ‫ه‬ ‫مف‬ْ‫ُه‬ ‫ك‬ُ‫او‬‫هنا‬َ‫ه‬ ‫ن‬َ‫ه‬ ‫مناف‬َ‫ه‬ ‫و‬َ‫ه‬ ‫هف‬ُ‫او‬‫ذو‬ُ‫او‬‫خ‬ُ‫او‬ ‫ف‬َ‫ه‬ ‫لف‬ُ‫او‬ ‫ساو‬ُ‫او‬ ‫ر‬َّ ‫مف ال‬ُ‫او‬‫ك‬ُ‫او‬‫تنا‬َ‫ه‬‫مناف آ‬َ‫ه‬ ‫و‬َ‫ه‬
Whatsoever the Messenger gives you then take it and whatsoever he
prohibits you from then refrain from it. [Surah Hashr, 59:7]

20.  The knowledge of the Sunnah ha reached us via means
of the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (SAS).
 The Hadith refers to a combination of a text and a chain
of narration (isnad) beginning from the Prophet (SAS)
and ending at the scholar who recorded that Hadith.
 There are a number of conditions that the Hadith must
meet based upon which it is divided into two broad
categories Sahih (authentic) and da'eef (weak).
 The authentic Hadith is that Hadith from which beliefs
and legislation can be derived. The weak Hadith does
not allow us to derive beliefs or legislation from it.
Relationship between Sunnah and Hadith… Continued