The Meaning of Sunnah
The Meaning of Sunnah
by Dr. G. F. Haddad
The Arabic word sunnah lexically means "road"
or "practice." In the language of the Prophet and the Companions
it denotes the whole of licit [lawful] practices followed in the Religion
[dîn], particularly the pristine (hanîf) path of
Prophets, whether pertaining to belief, religious and social practice, or
ethics generally speaking.
In its technical sense sunnah has three meanings. In hadith
terminology it denotes any saying (qawl), action (fi’l), 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.1
This meaning is used in contradistinction to the Qur’an in expressions such
as "Qur’an and sunnah " and applies in the usage of hadith scholars.
In the terminology of usul al-fiqh or principles of jurisprudence,
sunnah denotes a saying (qawl), action (fi’l) or approval (taqrîr)
related from (nuqila ‘an) the Prophet or issuing (sadara) from
him other than the Qur’an.
In the terminology of fiqh or jurisprudence, sunnah denotes
whatever is firmly established (thabata) as called for (matlub)
in the Religion on the basis of a legal proof (dalîl shar’î)
but without being obligatory, the continued abandonment of which constitutes
disregard (istikhfaf) of the Religion - also sin (ithm) according
to some jurists - and incurs blame (lawm, ‘itab, tadlîl) - also
punishment (’uquba) according to some jurists.2 However,
some jurists have made a distinction between what they called "Emphasized
sunnah " (sunnah mu’akkada) or "sunnah of Guidance" (sunnah al-huda), such as what the Prophet ordered or emphasized in word or in
deed, and other types of sunnah considered less binding in their legal status,
such as what they called "Non-Emphasized sunnah " (sunnah ghayr
mu’akkada) or "sunnah of Habit" (sunnah al-’ada).
The above meanings of sunnah are used in contradistinction
to the other four of the five legal categories for human actions - fard
(obligatory), sunnah , mubah (indifferent), makruh (disliked),
haram (prohibited) - and applies in the usage of jurists from the second
Hijri century onwards. However, the jurists have stressed that the basis for
all acts of worship categorized as sunnah is "obligatoriness" not
"permissiveness" (al-asl fî al-sunnah al-wujub la al-ibaha).
sunnah is thus defined as the strongest of the following near-synonymous categories:
"praiseworthy" (mandub)
"desirable" (mustahabb)
"voluntary" (tatawwu‘)
"refinement" (adab)
"obedience" (ta’a)
"supererogatory" (nafl)
"drawing near" (qurba)
"recommended" (raghîba, murghab fîh)
"excellent" (hasan)
"excellence" (ihsan)
"meritorious" (fadîla)
"best" (afdal).
It is antonymous with "innovation" (bid’a), as in the expression
"People of the sunnah " or Sunnis (Ahl al-sunnah ).
Al-Dhahabi relates from Ishaq ibn Rahuyah the saying: "If
al-Thawri, al-Awza’i, and Malik concur on a given matter, that matter is a
sunnah ." Al-Dhahabi comments:
Rather, the sunnah is whatever the Prophet made sunnah , and
the rightly-guided Caliphs after him. As for Consensus (ijma‘), it
is whatever the ulama of the Community both early and late have unanimously
agreed upon, through either assumed (zannî) or tacit (sukutî)
agreement. Whoever deviates from such consensus among the Successors or their
successors, it is tolerated for him alone. As for those who deviate from the
three above-named imams, then such is not named a deviation from Consensus,
nor from the sunnah . All that Ishaq meant was that if they concur on a given
matter then it is most probably correct, just as we say, today, that it is
nearly impossible to find the truth outside of what the Four Imams of scholarly
endeavor agreed upon. We say this at the same time as we admit that their
agreement on a given matter does not dictate the consensus of the Community,
but we refrain from asserting, in relation to a matter upon which they all
agreed, that the correct position is otherwise.3
NOTES
1 See al-Siba’i, Al-sunnah wa Makanatuha
fi al-Tashri’ al-Islami (p.47).
2 See al-Lucknawi, Tuhfa al-Abrar, chapter entitled "The Legal
Status of the Emphasized sunnah and of its Abandonment" (Hukm al-sunnah al-Mu’akkada wa Tarkiha) (p. 87-92).
3 Al-Dhahabi, Siyar A’lam al-Nubala’ (1997 ed. 7:92).
