The Sunnah of the Prophet: Definitions

"Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It isnot but a
revelation revealed." [Quran 53:3-4]
Lexically, the word Sunnah has several, different yet close meanings.
Sunnah may mean a way of life, or a path or behavior that is followed
whether praiseworthy, or otherwise. Mostly, however, it refers to
something good. The Prophet said, "Whoever starts a good Sunnah he
will get the reward for it and the reward of others who would do the
same thing until the Day of Judgment. And whoever does a bad Sunnah he
will have the punishmentfor doing it and the punishment of others who
practice it." [Muslim]
Another Arabic root of the word Sunnah is bayaan , or making something
clear through talking or acting. The most common meaning indicates
that Sunnah is to initiate something or set an example to be followed.
Hence, if a person started somethingthat people then followed, he is
considered to have established a Sunnah. The Prophet said, "For any
soul, unjustly killed, the first son of Aadam, Abel, will carry a
burden of its shedding, for he was the first to begin the Sunnah (or
crime) of murder." [At-Tirmithi]
As an Islamic term, scholars of the different disciplines of Sharee'ah
(Islamic Law) have defined Sunnah in slightly different ways to suit
their fields' perspectives. According to Legal theorists who typically
regard the Sunnah as a source for the principles used in thederivation
of rulings of various Islamic Jurisprudence matters, define it as "The
statements, actions and approvals (or disapprovals) of Prophet
Muhammad ."
The jurists use the word Sunnah in two different ways. On one hand,
like the Legal theorists, they define Sunnah as the statements,
actions, and approvals of' the Prophet, . On the otherhand, and since
the role of the jurists is to judge actions and indicate theirrulings
as obligatory, recommended, etc., they use the term Sunnah to indicate
actions as being recommended or praise-worthy.
However, the definition of Sunnah, according to the scholars of
Hadeeth, is more comprehensive for it is inclusive of everything
related to the person and life of the Prophet . They definedthe Sunnah
as "Anything narrated from or about the Prophet either before or after
he became a prophet, of his statements, actions, confirmations,
biography, and his physical character and attributes." This is the
definition, which we will be using throughout this series InshaAllaah.

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