Definition of Sunnah
CHAPTER THREE
WHAT DOES THE QUR’AN SAY ABOUT FOLLOWING THE SUNNAH?
O Allah (The Exalted) bless our master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and his wives and his descendants just as You blessed our master Abraham and sanctify our master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and his wives and descendants just as You sanctify our master Abraham for You are the Praiseworthy the Mighty.
Allah (The Exalted) has emphasised the necessity of following the Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) throughout the Qur’an, highlighting that to follow the Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is actually Islam.
“O beloved, you say, “If you love Allah, you should follow me. (Only then) Allah will love you and will forgive your sins. And Allah is The Forgiver and the Merciful.”
This obligation to love the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) means to obey him, to remember him, to follow his example, and to be proud of him as Allah (The Exalted) is proud of him, since Allah has boasted about him in His Book1.
Reason For Revelation
‘Abd Allah Ibn Abbas states, “The reason why this verse was revealed was that the Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) told the people of Quraish to stop worshipping the idols in the Ka’ba, however, the non-Muslims said, ‘We worship the idols in love of Allah’ The Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) told them to follow the religion of their forefathers Ibraheem (upon whom be peace). The revelation came indicating you will be true lovers of Allah (The Exalted) when you follow the Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). The Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did not want to worship the idols and the one who displeases the Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) displeases Allah (The Exalted)” ii
We find from this verse that if you want to make yourself a friend of Allah (The Exalted) and want the love of Allah (The Exalted), then to follow the Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is vital. If you want to gain closeness to Allah (The Exalted), follow the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) Sunnah. Those who do not follow the Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and adopt their own ways and the ways of the non-Muslims, their claim to love Allah (The Exalted) and His Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is effectively false.
Obeying Allah Through The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
“And he who obeys the command of Allah and His Messenger and remains in the company of those who are blessed by Allah including Ambia (Prophets of Allah) the Siddiqeen (truthful), the Shuhada (the Martyrs) and the Saliheen (the righteous) how excellent they are as company.” iii
The manner in which the Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) will be with his sincere devotees in Paradise is like how a king would be with selected servants in the royal chamber.
Guidance Is In Following
“O beloved you Say, ‘Obey Allah and obey His Messenger; therefore, if you turn your face, then for the Messenger is that which was made incumbent on him and for you is that whose burden was put upon you, and if you will obey the Messenger, you will be guided. And upon the Messenger there is no responsibility but to deliver clearly.” iv
This means obey Allah (The Exalted) and His Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) completely. Accepting every command of theirs. It should be remembered that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is the object of absolute obedience. Every order of his is to be obeyed at all times. If everyone turned against Allah (The Exalted) and the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) it 2 www.GardensOfSunnah.co.uk
will not cause any harm to them. Guidance is dependent on the obedience to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Only if you follow in his footsteps will you obtain guidance.
Obligation To Follow The Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
The reason why the Beloved Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was sent, was so we can use him as an example. To follow the Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is obligatory, those who are not pleased with his teachings have rejected the Prophethood (Risalah), and those who do not believe in Prophethood are out of the folds of Islam.v
The Best Example
“Undoubtedly, you have the best in the following of the Messenger, for him who hopes for Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.” vi
We are asked to know about our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), about his life, about his miracles, about his birth, about his manners, about his faith, about his signs, about his seclusions, about his worship, and is not this knowledge an obligation for every Muslim? What is better than acquiring knowledge of his life? This will make Allah (The Exalted) happy with us because then we will be able to know the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) better, and be readier to take him as an example for ourselves, to correct ourselves, and to imitate him (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and thus gain salvation in this life and in the next.
It could also mean that Allah (The Exalted) had made life of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) an example of His power. This tells us that a truly successful life is that which is designed on his footsteps. If our living, dying, sleeping, staying awake are all designed on the footsteps of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), then all these activities would be an act of worship.vii
The Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) states, “Allah has sent me for the completion of behavioural patterns and the best of the deeds.”viii
Only If We Obeyed!
“The day when their faces turning up and down will be fried in the Fire, they will say, ‘Oh, would that we have obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger.” ix
We do not want to be experiencing embarrassment and regret in the hereafter by not following the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Planting a seed out of season will not benefit, i.e. it will not bear fruit. Hence, we should begin to follow the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) in this world and we will see the fruits in the next.
Whatsoever The Messenger Gives You Take It.
“And whatsoever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain from that. And fear Allah; undoubtedly, the torment of Allah is severe.” x
Whatever the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has bought us is from Allah (The Exalted), we should take it and practise it and be happy with what we have as it is only for our benefit.
Opposing The Sunnah
Opposing his command and changing his Sunnah is misguidance and innovation. It is threatened by Allah (The Exalted) with utter privation and punishment. Allah (The Exalted) says:
“And whoso opposes the Messenger after the right way has become clear and follows a way other than the way of Muslims, We shall leave him on his own conditions and shall cause him to enter Hell; and what is an evil place of returning!”xi
The reason why Muslims are suffering around the world is because we have left the reading and practising of the Qur’an.
O Allah! (The Exalted) give the Muslims the ability to come back to the Qur’an, to read it, to practise it and to preach it, Ameen! 3 www.GardensOfSunnah.co.uk
i Surah Ale Imran, Surah No: 3, Verse: 31
ii Khazain ul Irfan
iii Surah Nisa, Surah No: 4, Verse 69
iv Surah Noor, Surah No: 24, Verse: 54
v Khazain ul Irfan
vi Surah Ahzab, Surah No: 33, Verse: 21
vii Nur-uk-Irfan. 33:21
viii Bukhari
ix Surah Ahzab, Surah No: 33, Verse: 66
x Surah Hashar, Surah No: 59, Verse: 7
xi Surah Nisa, Surah No: 4, Verse: 115