History of Sunnah

Deutsch |Francais| Espanol | About Us |Contact Us islamweb english Thursday, November 29, 2012 Muharram 15, 1434 Welcome to Islam Fatwa Articles Fiqh Boys & Girls E-Books Women Multimedia Quran Recitations Lectures Athan Duaa Islamic Songs Movies Services Prayer Times Weather Forecast Calendar Converter Special Folders Palestine Ramadhaan Oasis Hajj & Umrah Xmas & New Year's Sacred Months Valentine's Day Newsletter Email Newsletter icon, E-mail Newsletter icon, Email List icon, E-mail List icon Sign up for our Email Newsletter VoteCan Morsi restore Egypt’s leadership? Yes No Vote Results History of the Sunnah -I: At the time of the Prophet [Rate: The article has not yet been rated] Rating 0 | Vote! Print Send this Article to friend Read : 11234 | Print : 429 | Sent : 0 | Rate : 0 22/09/2010 Muslims were, early on, aware of the significance of the Sunnah and its authority. They, one generation after the other, were keen to preserve the Sunnah because they saw that as a part of the preserving of the last revelations man is ever to receive.Their efforts were unabated, and the remarkable job they did is unparalleled in the experience of any other religion or civilization. At the time of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ): One of the main reasons behind this is the fact that the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) clearly taught the Companions may Allaah be pleased with them the importance of his Sunnah, its place in Islam and their role in saving it, teaching and conveying it to others around them and to those who would come after them.In so doing, he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) followed an effective methodology, which will be briefly outlined below: 1. He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) emphasized the importance of seeking knowledge and teaching it to others. He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his men tion ) said: â€Å"Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim (male and female). † [Ibn Maajah] Also, he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) said: â€Å"Whosoever pursues a path to seek knowledge therein, Allaah will thereby make easy for him a path to Paradise.No people gather together in one of the houses of Allaah (mosques), reciting the Book of Allaah and studying it among themselves, without tranquility descending upon them, mercy enveloping them and angles surrounding them, and Allaah making mention of them to those (angels) who are with Him. † [Muslim] 2. He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) always had a center for teaching. Most of the time, it was the mosque. 3. He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) was soft in his dealings and always facilitated things and made them easy for others.He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) was merciful and humble and made himself readily available. 4. He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) never pushed people into anything. Instead, he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) gradually taught them and led them to change. He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) always motivated them to follow his example and be their best. 5.He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) would not continuously teach or work with them, but he would give them enough breaks to avoid overstressing or boring them. 6. He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) spoke plainly and clearly and he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) talked to people at their level of understanding and intellectual ability. Whenever appropriate, he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) spoke to people in their own dialect for the Arabs had different dialects. . He sallal laahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) used the method of repetition. He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) would repeat whatever he wanted to stress for three times to insure that all heard him properly and clearly understood what he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) was saying. 8. When questioned, he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) would give more than what is expected as an answer and use the occasion to further clarify things for all, and teach about other things. . Whenever the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) had to choose between two ways, he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) chose the easier way, which had facility and mercy if there was nothing forbidden in that, and he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) kept away from the difficult and harsh ways. 10. He sallallaahu `alayhi w a sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) attached special attention to teaching the women and provided them special times for questions.He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) encouraged them to ask and learn. 11. He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) used to do his best in everything, and he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) perfected whatever he did, thus setting an example for others. The era of the Companions and their Followers The Companions may Allaah be pleased with them did their utmost to convey Islam to the generations succeeding them in the best and most accurate way possible.They sincerely loved it, honestly lived according to it and faithfully preserved it and kept any impurity or irregularity out of it. Their role in the preservation of Islam was one of utmost importance to its continuation, but they were highly prepared for it by the best teacher and trainer, the Prophet sallallaahu ` alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ). Thus the studying of this era, especially with respect to the history and authority of the Sunnah, is necessary to all Students of Knowledge.And since this article will not provide enough details to properly cover the subject, it is recommended that the readers consult the following list of books on the subject: Studies of Early Hadeeth Literature by M. M. Azami, Sunnah Qabla at-Tadween (the Sunnah before Writing) by Ajaj Al-Khateeb, The Sunnah and its Place in Islam by Mustafa As-Siba'ee, Manhajj an-Naqd fi Uloom Al-Hadeeth (The Methodology of Critique in the Sciences of Hadeeth) by Noor-ud-deen Etr, Al-Hadeeth wal Muhaddithoon (Hadeeth and Hadeeth Narrators) by Muhammad M.Abu Zahou, and Hujjiatus Sunnah (The Authority of the Sunnah) by Houcine Chouat. Methodology of the Companions in Preserving the Sunnah Before discussing the Companions' ways of learning, practicing, preserving and conveying of the Sunnah, it is worthwhile to she d some light on the main points one needs to understand about the Companions may Allaah be pleased with them and their methodology: 1. The Companions may Allaah be pleased with them were fully aware of the responsibility they shoulder after the death of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ). . The Companions may Allaah be pleased with them are all trustworthy. They may Allaah be pleased with them never doubted one another in the matters of this religion and the narration of Hadeeth. 3. The Companions may Allaah be pleased with them have developed a methodology for scrutinizing Hadeeths and narrators, and by doing that have established the rules of ascertaining narrations for those who came after them. 4. The ability of different Companions may Allaah be pleased with them to understand the Sunnah, memorize it and convey it varied from one Companion to another. . The Companions may Allaah be pleased with them left Makkah and Madeenah to many places around the Muslim world, at the time, for the purpose of delivering the message and teaching Islam to those who accepted it thus spreading the Sunnah throughout the land. It is interesting to note that about 750 Companions may Allaah be pleased with them narrated Hadeeths, seven of whom narrated a high number of Hadeeths, and about twenty narrated an average number, the rest narrated a small number.The seven who narrated a large number of Hadeeths are: Abu Hurayrah who narrated 5374 Hadeeths, ‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Umar narrated 2630, Anas Ibn Maalik narrated 2286, ‘Aa'ishah narrated 2210 Hadeeths, ‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Abbaas narrated 1660, Jaabir Ibn ‘Abdullaah narrated 1540, and Abu Sa'eed AI-Khudri narrated 1100 Hadeeths may Allaah be pleased with them. They understood their role and were aware of the significance of their ability in narrating the Hadeeths and did their best to deliver them diligently and accurately. Muslims of all times are indebted to t hem may Allaah be pleased with them.History of the Sunnah -II: The era of the Companions and their followers Related Articles The two most authentic books of Hadeeth The Sunnah: The second source of legislation Origination of Sunnah from the Prophet More New Popular Guest Book Articles Fatwa Multimedia Subject Published on 1 Words of divorce 2012/11/29 2 Youth loved by Allaah – II 2012/11/29 3 Youth loved by Allaah – I 2012/11/29 Occasions 1 The Sacred Months 2 The Sacred Month of Muharram 3 The beginning of a New Islamic Year All rights reserved to IslamWeb.  © 2012