RKQS 1030- REVELATION AS A SOURCE OF

KNOWLEDGE
The Meaning of Sunnah
 Literally: from sunan-a beaten/trodden
path or road, a stream or river, a
normative and customary code of
conduct, an established way of life.
 Verbal word for sunnah is sanna: one
that sets an example in terms of
behavior or code of conduct for others to
follow or emulate.
The Prophet used sunnah...
‫ من سن سنة حسنة فله أجرها وأجر من عمل بها الى‬
‫يوم القيامة ومن سن سن ًة سيئ ًة فعليه وزرها ووزر من‬
‫عمل بها الى يوم القيامة‬
 “Certainly he who sets a good sunnah (conduct,
custom, norm or a mode of life, manner of acting for
others to follow and emulate), he shall attain the
reward for putting it into practice, and equally the
reward of those who have followed and practiced it
until the Day of Judgment. Conversely, he who sets
an evil sunnah, he shall be held accountable for the
sins of putting it into practice and the sins of those
who have practiced it until the Day of Judgment”.
The Qur’an used sunnah...
God’s way of
God’s peculiar
dealing with
way of dealing
people who
with stubborn
rejected His
people
guidance

Universal law
Way, rule,
imposed to
norm, code of
govern
conduct
humanity
Various
significations
Shariah Terminology of Sunnah
by scholars of hadith and Islamic
1

jurisprudence…
 Code of conduct exemplified exemplified
by the Prophet PBUH for Muslims to
follow and emulate as guidance for their
daily life
Cont…Sunnah includes…

Af’al aqwal

Sifah
Sifah khuluqiyyah
khalqiyyah

sirah taqrirat
Scholars of Uṣūl…
 …confine the meaning of Sunnah to
whatever that is narrated from the
Prophet in terms of his sayings, doings
and silent approvals which contain legal
significance and values, thus serve as
evidences (dalīl) to found Shariah
rulings
Terminology of Sunnah by earlier
2
scholars of Shariah sciences…
 tend to equate the meaning of Sunnah
with ḥadīth. For them, in terms of
meaning, there is no distinction between
these two terms, although the semantic
meaning of the terms suggests they are
not synonymous.
HOW TO TRACE THE SUNNAH?

The military expedition of the

Prophet / al-maghazi Tend to
include
weak
Phenomenal characters or hadith
traits of the Prophet /
Sirah al-
shamail Muhammadiyyah nabawiyyah

Arabic and
History of
Qur’an Islamic
sahabah literatures
Most reliable
source
The term Sunnah to denotes
hadith, logical connections…
 Refer to notes, Chapter 4, Divine
Revelation The Sunnah of The Prophet,
page 4-6.
The Authority of Sunnah as
Source of Sharī’ah and
Knowledge

 Refer to notes, Chapter 4, Divine

Revelation The Sunnah of The Prophet,
page 6-18.