السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
ربي اشرح لي صدري و يسر لي أمري واحلل عقدة من لساني يفقه قولي
ربي زدني علما وارزقني فهما
Frequently, comments like, “it is just a Sunnah” are uttered when mentioning the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (SAW)suggesting that Sunnah is a sheer matter of choice, not a responsibility, obligation or recommendation. People with this view lack the understanding and importance of Sunnah in Islam and in a Muslim’s life.Adhering to the Sunnah implies performing obligatory duties and avoiding forbidden acts, avoiding innovations in actions and beliefs, determined to act according to the Sunnah and calling people to goodness and trying to improve them as much as one can. Everything that is said, done or permitted by prophet (SAW) is referred to as the Sunnah. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is referred to as the walking Quran and following him is the right path which leads towards satisfaction in one’s life. It is of paramount importance to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet for one to have success in both worlds.
Allah linked the success and redemption of people to His obedience and to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as it is mentioned in the Quran: “And obey Allah and the Messenger that you may obtain mercy”[Quran 3:132]. Obeying the Messenger means to avoid acts which he has forbidden us and to do acts which he allowed us to. According to Islam, Allah alone has the right to pronounce what is allowed and what is forbidden, and it is done so through the Quran and His Messenger. Power was conferred to the Prophet (SAW) by Allah who is the authority of a lawgiver. It is mentioned in the Quran: , “…(Prophet) enjoins them good and forbids them evil, and makes lawful to them the good things and makes unlawful to them impure things, and removes from them their burden and the shackles which were upon them…”[Quran 7:157].
The Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW) is a physical expression of love for Allah and the best way to gain Allah’s love and forgiveness. Muslims should adhere to the Sunnah by doing what is permitted and avoiding what is prohibited to gain success in this world and in the hereafter. The supremacy of the Holy Prophet’s decisions and judgment governs all departments of life which are religious, social, economic, political and cultural, etc. The Quran establishes Sunnah as unchangeable, not to be defied or reinterpreted and must be accepted with full submission. A Muslim’s faith is endangered if one knowingly rejects the rulings and decisions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
Believers are instructed to design their lives in relation to the perfect example of Prophet (SAW). The believers have been urged to follow the Prophet (SAW) not only in the details of complex matters of their collective life, but also in the small details of their daily life. Nowadays, Muslims are overwhelmed by the West and its civilization and those raised on secular education have developed inferiority complex about their religious and cultural norms.Some of the Muslims have abandoned Islamic values and ideals in favor of western standards and practices though they believe that the system of guidance, the Qur’an and Sunnah, is true. We get a good reminder from the Prophet (SAW) when he said,”Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” [Abu Dawood, 1481]
The Sunnah is an essential part of aMuslim’s faith, its negligence and rejectionlessen the faith of a believer in the same measure. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) has promised a great recompense for the revitalization of an abandoned Sunnah for this reason , as it is indicated in a hadeeth: “Whoever revives a Sunnah from my Sunnah that has been abandoned after me, then he will have an equal reward of all people who acts upon it, without decreasing from their reward in any way.” [At- Tirmidhi, 2677]. A ship of salvation and a haven of safety is the Sunnah of Prophet (SAW). The Prophet (SAW) commended us to adhere to it and not neglect it as shown in the following Hadeeth: “You must adhere to my Sunnah and the way of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs who come after me. Adhere to it and cling to it strongly, and beware of newly-invented matters, for every newly-invented matter is an innovation (bid’ah) and every innovation is a going astray.” [Abu Dawood,4607]. The reward for the one who adheres to the Sunnah will be greater, and the rank of those who follow the Sunnah will be higher when evil and corruption become prevalent, innovation and fitnah prevail. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: “Islam began as something strange and will revert to being something strange, so glad tidings to the strangers.” It was said: Who are they, O Messenger of Allah? He said: “Those who are righteous when the people are corrupt.” [Sahih Muslim, 145].
Indisputably the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW) is written down and is close at hand and readily available to the one who pursues it. Our task as Muslims is to look for it. If we learn a Sunnah we must act upon it so that it will be true when it is said of us that so and so is religiously-committed. The religiously-committed person is the one who, every time he hears a Hadeeth, rushes to apply it and is very keen to act upon it, whether it is mustahabb or naafil. We should not pay attention to those who put us down, scorn or mock us.
A person who loves Allah truly, will try to be like the person whom Allah loves and is satisfied with, and try to imitate his deeds.Everybody can have the intention of acting in accordance with the Sunnah and be in favor of the Sunnah despite of everyone not acting in accordance with the whole Sunnah. We all know one day this world will come to an end, thus, all of us should striveto live our lives according to the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Allah has stressed the obligation of showing complete obedience and submission to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) that in many verses of Quran like when He said: “And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad (SAW) gives you, take it, and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it), and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is severe in punishment. “[Quran, 59:7].
It is a symbol of sincere consciousness when one submits to the Prophet(SAW) with complete obedience and condition. If a person sincerely adheres to the Prophet (SAW) and feels not the least doubt in his heart about the conditions issued by him, that person is aware that he is truly sticking to the commandments of Allah. Certainly, in the hadeeth Prophet (SAW) specified the importance of adhering to his path, and that our succeeding generations in particular need to be most sensitive to this matter.
Sincere believers must adhere to the path of the Prophet (SAW) and to take his Sunnah as their guide, in the knowledge that he has called them to a path that will give them life. To attain the mercy of Allah and paradise, one must build his faith on solid foundations right from the outset and this refers to someone who has taken the Quran as his guide and the good values of our Prophet (SAW). Allah refers in the Quran to people who build on solid foundations right from the outset when He said: “Who is better, someone who founds his building on fear [and awareness] of Allah and his good pleasure, or someone who founds his building on the brink of a crumbling precipice so that it collapses with him into the fire of hell? Allah does not love wrongdoers [Quran 9: 109].
Hadeeth is an integral to the Qur’an, since they are linked to each other. It is impossible to understand the Qur’an without reference to Hadeeth. The Quran is the message, and the Hadeeth explains the message. The function of the Messenger (SAW) is to explain and illustrate the Quran. Prophet (SAW) was entrusted with the most important task as mentioned in the following verse: “And We have revealed unto thee the Remembrance that thou mayst explain to mankind that which hath been revealed for them, and that haply they may reflect”[Quran 16:44]. Hence, Hadeeth explains, clarifies, and removes ambiguities about the Qur’an. Therefore, if one rejects the Sunnah, he may never be able to figure out the whole meaning of the Quran. Much of Islam will remain mere abstract notions without Sunnah. We would never know how to pray, fast, pay zakat, or make pilgrimage without the illustration found in Sunnah, for these acts of worship remain as abstract essentials in the Qur’an.
In conclusion, we should abide to the dos and don’ts of the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in our daily life routine so that we can get benefits from them and can live healthy, happy and peaceful life. It is not just Sunnah, it is the way of life prescribed by none other than Allah through the revelation to His Prophet (SAW).
References
https://islamqa.info/en/89878
https://islamqa.info/en/604
https://rasoulallah.net/en/articles/article/3946
https://www.islamicity.org/4715/it-is-only-a-sunnah/
https://questionsonislam.com/article/what-sunnah-could-you-explain-importance-sunnah-islam
بارك الله فيكم
وجزاكم الله خيرا
سبحانك اللهم وبحمدك أشهد أن لا إله إلا أنت استغفرك و أتوب إليك
والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
Written by: Emily Amini
TEAM IR
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