Islamic Studies

Midterm - Lecture 6 - 1st Dec, ‘21

‘Significance of Hadith and Sunnah’

The World and its Questions

In the present world, and society, it is normal for questions of all sorts to be
constantly asked and answers given, which are then pondered upon. Sometimes, it's
the science which answers the questions, sometimes it's the traditions and religion.
If two or more of these elements answer a question, then the thing itself is known to
be trustworthy for all types of people in the community.

Details in Islam - Hadith and Sunnah

In our religion, it has been recommended for us to follow the Hadith and the Sunnah
of our Holy Prophet (PBUH). The reason for doing so is that the Quran does not
contain detailed guidelines, but only the summary of all important things. So, in
order to understand the Deen of Islam in depth, it is necessary for us to read and the
understand the Hadith and Sunnah of our Holy Prophet (PBUH), so that we are able
to the understand the littlest of details and reasons behind history and guidelines
mentioned in the Quran.

The Length of the Quran

The Quran would have been a really lengthy book, hard to learn, recite and
understand, if the Hadith and Sunnah didn’t exist. This is why Allah did not put all the
details in the Quran, He sent our Holy Prophet (PBUH) to demonstrate His teachings
through the Quran. The Holy Prophet (PBUH)’s demonstrations are filled with the
books of Hadith and Sunnah.

Conciseness of Quran & Significance of Hadith

One of the prime examples for the conciseness of the Quran and significance of
Hadith and Sunnah, is the fact that there isn’t stated anywhere in the Quran that
eating donkey’s meat is Haram, yet we find about the prohibition of donkey’s meat
through the Hadith and Sunnah. The Quran guides for man to refrain from what
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has asked his Ummah to refrain from. The Hadith and
Sunnah guide the Ummah to refrain from donkey meat amongst many other things.
Hence, the Hadith and Sunnah hold great significance.
Significance of Hadith and Sunnah
Significance of Hadith and Sunnah are described through the Quran as well as the
Hadith. They are stated as follows:

● Significance Through the Holy Quran

The Quran is abundant in verses which point towards the importance and
significance of Hadith and Sunnah.

‘And whatever the Messenger has given you – take; and what he has
forbidden you – refrain from’ - from Surah Al-Hashr Verse 7.

The aforementioned Ayah shows that Allah has strictly ordered us to obey all
the things taught by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). If we declare that we love
Allah, then it's an obligation on us to follow the teachings of Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH).

If we happen to go astray from whatever our Prophet (PBUH) has taught us,
then our declaration of loving Allah is worthless and meaningless. Another
Quranic verse states

‘Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination.’ - Ayah 3 from Surah An-Najm
Verse 1.

‘It is not but a revelation revealed,’ - Ayah 4 from Surah An-Najm Verse 1.

‘Taught to him by one intense in strength [i.e., Gabriel]’ - Ayah 5 from Surah
An-Najm Verse 1.

From these three verses, it's absolutely apparent that whatever our Holy
Prophet (PBUH) has said throughout his life, was because Allah had ordered
and allowed him to.

So, by this, we can easily understand that the Hadith and Sunnah of our Holy
Prophet (PBUH) hold great importance and significance, for they also are a
Word from Allah through His Last Messenger (PBUH). Hence, it is a necessity
for the Muslim Ummah to follow and accept the Hadith and Sunnah.
 ● Significance Through the Hadith
The Hadith hold countless sayings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and one of
them is stated as follows:
One of the companions of Holy Prophet (PBUH), ‘Abdullah Bin Umer’
was always quite noticing of all statements uttered by Prophet Holy
(PBUH). So, he used to write all statements of the Holy Prophet
(PBUH), but the people of Quraysh called him and stopped him from
writing so. Behind not writing the Prophet (PBUH)’s sayings, they
stated the reason that sometimes the Prophet (PBUH) says things in
anger, so it's better to not write anything. After that, Abdullah Bin
Umer stopped writing. Upon knowing about the matter, Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) said something which explains that ‘Nothing, but
truth comes out of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s tongue.’ After
the Prophet (PBUH) uttered those words, Abdullah Bin Umer started to
write the sayings of the Prophet (PBUH) again.

Another Hadith states that,

‘I [Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)] have been given the Quran and

something similar to it, beside it.’

This Hadith directly refers to the Prophet (PBUH)’s Sunnah. A person

who does not accept the Hadith and Sunnah, is called
‘Munkir-e-Hadith’, which directly means ‘the rejector of Hadith’.

The Significance of Hadith and Sunnah Through Examples.

The significance of Hadith and Sunnah can also be understood by taking some
examples, stated as below:

● Example # 1
○ The topic of inheritance is mentioned in the Holy Quran but it is not
described in much detail. Through Hadith, we get to know that property of a
person is divided after the person’s demise, to their offsprings. Here,
offspring refer to both; son and daughter.
○ According to Sunnah, the son has the right to 2 parts in property, whereas the
daughter has the right to only 1 part in property; meaning, the daughter gets
half the amount as the son.
○ In Islam, daughters are not permissible to refuse to own their property. Once
they become owner to their rightful property, they can give it to anyone.
 ● Example # 2
○ In the Quran, Muslims are obliged to do Pilgrimation, but it is not mentioned
in the Quran who are obliged to perform Pilgrimation, and how to perform it.
○ According to Hadith and Sunnah, a healthy person who is able to afford all the
expenses of Pilgrimage, and expenses of his family members who are left
behind, are obliged to perform Pilgrimage.
○ Moreover, the complete method of Pilgrimage, including Muzdalfa, Arafat,
Slaughter, Ehraam, Stones, And Tawaaf, is mentioned in the Hadith and
Sunnah.
○ According to Sunnah, it is directed for Muslims to slaughter a goat if any
mistake is committed during Pilgrimage.

● Example # 3
○ The Holy Quran does not state which animal is permissible to eat and
consume from, or which animal is forbidden for such things. The Holy Quran
only tells us that no animal would be Halaal if they are slaughtered without
uttering the name of Allah, i.e. ‘Bismillah’.
○ The details regarding animals which are permissible for consuming can be
found in the Hadith and Sunnah.
○ According to Sunnah, the meat of donkey is forbidden in Islam, though it is
not written about in the Holy Quran. This is another example which shows
how important the Hadith and Sunnah really are.

Conclusion
The aforementioned Quranic verses, Hadith references and examples from history -
all thoroughly indicate towards the importance of Hadith and Sunnah in the religion
of Islam. It is not right to raise questions against the Hadith and Sunnah, as the
acceptance of Hadith and Sunnah is crucial for walking on the right path of Islam.
Hence, the Hadith and Sunnah are very important for Muslims as they benefit us in
developing the understanding of Islamic rules and values.

The End