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Islamat

JAHANZAIB USMAN
ID

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15FBSCSM22

Pages 57 to 62

HADITH AND SUNNAH


Definition of Hadith: Hadith is the knowledge which
relates to the sayings, doings, character and conducts (including
the speeches) of our respected Prophet. The topic of this
knowledge is the sacred life of the Great Prophet himself. The
literal meaning of Sunnat is the method the temperament, the
conduct and the shariat. There is a Hadith in which this word has

been used in this sense.

Anybody, who promulgated a good method, will be amply


rewarded, including all those who acted on that method. And
anybody who invented a bad method will be punished including
all those who followed him. Traditional ( ) use the above two
terms as synonym. But in the terms of shariat, sunnat means the
conducts and proven methods of our respected Prophet, which he
adopted for the guidance of his followers excepting those aspects
of his character which relate to prophethood which are not to be
followed by his followers, which means that the days and nights of
the whole twenty three years of his prophetic life, are called
Sunnat.
The need of Hadith: Quran-e-Masjid that has been granted
by Allah is the most authentic, and most reliable of All books. But

Allah has stated everything with regard to the worship, wordly


matters, social and economic problems very succinctly and
concisely. To know the details about all such matters a man has
the need to refer to the
Hadith and the practical aspects of it form the demeanoure of the
Holy Prophet (SAW). Thus Ahadith of the prophet provide the
practical details of the Holy Quran, including the Salat, Zakai, Hajj
and Umra are Quranic terms, which cannot be understood by
Arabic Dictionary in the correct religious sense. Therefore, there is
no way out for us to grasp the real meaning of these religious
terms except to turn to the Hadiths of our Holy Prophet.
Unavoidability of Hadith:- Allah has made it obligatory in
the Holy Quran to obey Allah and His Rasul and accept whatever
Rasool gives you and give up whatever he dissuades you from.

Obey Allah and the messenger.

Take what Rasul gives you and keep away what soever he
forbids.

Tell (them) that you should follow me if you love Allah.

It is He who sent a Rasul from among the illiterate ones who


recite to them His revelations and makes them grow, and teaches
them the Scripture and wisdom, though they were manifestly in
seduction. And others of them, who have not yet joined
them.

For you there is a very good example in the life of the Prophet of
Allah.
These ayats show that the obedience of the commandments
of the Rasul and the following of his conduct is compulsory on all
Muslims. The companions of the Prophet had the opportunity of
direct contact and had the opportunity to be benefited by having
close association with the Prophet. But those who came after the
departure of Rasul and his companions could have no way out to
follow the Prophet except to consult Ahadith for guidance,
because except Ahadith there remained no other sources that
would guide us.
Allah has not only made Holy Quran sufficient for the
guidance of his bondsmen, but made it compulsory to follow the
conduct of His Rasul and there is only one source of knowing his
conduct, and that is Ahadith. If we do not rely on Ahadith, then
the guidance of Quran will remain incomplete because Allah has
not only sent down Quran, but it was left to the Prophet to
explain, and expound the ayats of the Holy Quran.

We have sent down this book towards you so that you can
explain what has been sent down towards them.

In another place, it has been said.

And he teaches them (the Muslims) the book and the (religious)
philosophy.
And it is not that his teachings were only for his companions,
but it has been made unspecifically valid for generation till the
day of resurrection. Allah has further said:

It is he who sent a Rasul from among the illiterates who recites


to them His revelations and makes them grow and teachers them
the Scriptures and wisdom though they were manifestly in
seduction, And others of them who have not yet joined them.

It appears from the last portion of this that whatever


teachings he imported to his companions, were not only specified
for his companions, but also valid for all coming generations. In
these circumstances, if we do not take instructions and guidance
from Ahadith, then what remains there for our guidance other
than the Holy Quran.
It appears from the last portion of the quoted ayat that the
teachings of the Quran that the Prophet gave to his Ummat was
not only restricted to his companions but for the Muslims who
came afterwards. Now of we discard the Ahadith as unconfirmed
and unreliable then what remains with the later generations of
Muslims as a guidance.
It may not be out of place to mention here that there are
more or less one hundred places in the Holy Quran where the
order of Salat has been given emphatically but there is no
mention even in a single place of the time how many times to
repeat it in a day. And at what times, the number of rikaat, the
method of performance of Salat with details about the Ruku,
Sajda, Qiyam and Qawood. Similarly Zakat has been mentioned
mostly with Salat, but there is seldom any mention about its
details in the pages of the holy book. Nor is our knowledge
complete with regard to the Hajj from the book sent down by
Allah on the last of the Prophets. But we definitely have guidance
about all these obligatory prayers in the Ahadith. The Great
Prophet has said:

Say your Salat as you see me performing it.

Learn the method of your Hajj from me.


These Ahadith show that if we take Quran-e-Masjid aloof
from Hadith and we do not grant it the religious guidance, that
has been given in Ahadith then it would not be possible to act
upon the mandates of Quran-e-Karim.
The Great Prophet, in addition to being a propounder and
interpreter, is a legislator for some of the mandates too, and this
capacity of the Prophet has been indicated in Quran itself.

He (The Great Prophet) declares for them (Muslims) pure thins


lawful, and impure things unlawful.
This shows that the respected Prophet has been authorized
by Allah to legislate some mandatory orders. As for example, the
Great Prophet has declared unlawful or Haram, some of the things
which have not been mentioned by Allah in His holy book. Some
of them are beasts of prays, flying birds, hares and all insects.
We will have complete information about the lawfulness or
unlawfulness, of these living being only by going through the
books of Hadith, without which we shall have no complete
knowledge about the lawfulness or unlawfulness of these animals.
There are some ayats in the Quran which have a particular
background, if we do not keep an eye to these backgrounds, if we
would be very difficult to understand these orders and mandates.
It is the books of Ahadith which throw light on the cause of their
revelation. If we do not turn to Ahadith, it would be utterly

impossible to understand the real sense of these ayats. This


proves that the acquisition of complete knowledge of Islam
necessitates the understanding of the Sunnat of that Great
Prophet who had the privilege of the Prophet of Quran

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