(S) came. It includes his sayings, actions or his attributes.) of the
Prophet Muhammad (S) as a divine source of Islamic law and guidance
has been accepted unanimously by the Muslims throughout the centuries.
However, during the last century, many non-Muslim Orientalists and
their followers have tried to castdoubts in the authority of the
Sunnah, and have created a suspicious attitude towards Ahaadeeth.
The Ahaadeeths of our Messenger (S) all of which have been
scrupulously studied and verified by specialists in the study of
Ahaadeeth. Because of this,it is appropriate to mention a few facts
about the authority and reliabilityof the Sunnah, so that any
skepticism and suspicions can be laid to rest.
As for the authority of the Sunnah, then it must be understood that
the role ofthe Prophet Muhammad (S)was not as a mere postman who,
after delivering his letter, has noconcern with it whatsoever. The
Messengerwas not sent just to deliverthe Book of Allah, but to expound
it and demonstrate a practical example of its contents. (Aal-`Imran
3:164.) This function of the Prophet (S) could not be carried out
unless his guidance was held to be authoritative and binding upon his
followers. Thus Allah made obedience to His Messenger(S) an obligation
upon mankind. (Aal-`Imraan 3:132, An-Noor 24:54, etc.)
Today many Muslims do not understand this point, thinking that
following andobeying the Prophet's (S) commands is a matter of choice,
and that it is only the commandments in the Qur'ân that they are
duty-bound to comply with. This misconception was indeed prophesied by
the Messenger (S) who made the correct position and status of the
Sunnah explicitly clear. He said,
{Indeed I have been given the Qur'ân, and that which is like it along
with it; yet the time is coming where aman reclining on his couch will
say, "Keep to this Qur'ân: what you find in it to be permissible treat
as permissible; and what you find prohibited treat as prohibited." But
what Allah's Messenger has prohibited is like what Allah has
prohibited.} (Recorded by Ahmad, Abu Daawood, and others. Verified to
be authentic by al-Albaani (Saheeh ul-Jaami` 8186).
Careful consideration of this ahaadeeth will also lead us to deduce
that his (S) authority was not confined to his time, as many nowadays
purport; itholds good for all times to come. Since the above ahaadeeth
is a prophecy, it also shows us that the Sunnah is divine in its
origin.
Allah is Al-Aleem (the All-Knowing) and Al-Hakeem (the All-Wise); and
He is aware of the pastand everything to come in the future. Thus, His
divinely revealed Sunnah isapplicable to mankind from the time of the
Prophet (S) until the Day ofResurrection. Allah is able to do all
things; and He hasgiven us a Sunnah that is preserved, perfect and
complete and does not need to be changed with the times. Surely
removing something from it when it is complete and perfect willonly
cause imperfection and incompleteness. He hastold us (by revealing to
theProphet (S) towards the end of his life):
{This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed my favor
upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your way of
life.}(Al-Maaidah 5:3.)
As for the reliability of the Prophet's (S) Sunnah, first of all,
contrary to what many think, compilation of the Prophet's (S) Sunnah
began in his own lifetime. Many Companions of the Messenger (R)
documented the sayings and actions of the Prophet (S); and this was
something the Prophet (S) himself instructed them to do. He (S) said
to one of his Companions (R):
{Continue writing [what I say] for by Him in whose Hand is my soul,
nothing comes out from my mouth except the Truth.} ( Ahmad,Abu
Daawood, and others. Verified to be authentic by al-Albaani
(As-Saheehah 1532)
Moreover, writing was not their sole means of preservation. The Arabs
before Islam were well accustomed to memorizingthousands of verses of
poetry./
--
:-> Press 'LIKE' Please
-
https://m.facebook.com/mNajimudeenBscIndia/
-
::-*
:-:>
No comments:
Post a Comment