What is Sunnah?

  In Islamic terminology the word sunnah mean : Every saying and action of Prophet Mohammad (Sala Allahu alaihy wa a salaam), every situation where he approved of an action or saying by someone else, and his personal traits and manners.

Allah (Subhannahu  wa’ taala) in the Holy Quran, has commanded muslims to fallow the sunnah. Then Allah (Subhannahu  wa’ taala) mades the sunnah a source of sharia. It is obligatory for all Muslims to follow the Sunnah of Prophet Mohammad (Sala Allahu alaihy wa a salaam), and it is obligatory to follow all the orders of Prophet  (Sala Allahu alaihy wa a salaam) and refrain from all what He asked us to stay away from.

The term Hadith is sometimes used interchangeably with the term Sunnah. Hadith simply means speech. The Hadith usually refers to all the sayings and actions of the Prophet (Sala Allahu alaihy wa a salaam). The Sunnah is a broader term, since it includes the Hadith and also  His way of life, His manners, His personality and His biography.

Prophet Mohammad (Sala Allahu alaihy wa a salaam) was the best example of a teacher and mentor. This is because he used to teach people with the utmost kindness, and he used to stay away from harshness and scolding. He (Sala Allahu alaihy wa a salaam), used to teach Islam in a way to make people's lives easier, and to give them glad tidings. He used to refrain from making matters difficult for people, or doing anything that would push people away from Islam. He used to live for delivering the message of Islam. He spent every waking moment of his life in the service of Islam, and he was subjected to many kinds of pressure and physical harm, which he took with patience. May Allah( Subhannahu  wa’ taala) shower his peace and blessings on Mohammad (Sala Allahu alaihy wa a salaam), who went through much suffering to bring us the beautiful message of Islam.

 The companions of Prophet Mohammad (Sala Allahu alaihy wa a salaam) are the ones who heard his sayings and saw his actions, and they are the ones who transmitted all of this to us. The companions methodology of learning the Sunnah was to believe that it is the only hope for salvation in this life and the hereafter. Therefore, they were keen on being with the Prophet (Sala Allahu alaihy wa a salaam)  in most of his gatherings and lectures. In order not to miss anything said or done by Him, some companions used to exchange notes in order to have a complete picture of what he said. They also used to study the sayings of the Prophet (Sala Allahu alaihy wa a salaam)  and memorize them, and many companions used to write the Sunnah in order to preserve it as well. The companions were indeed an excellent example for us on how to learn and follow the Sunnah, and regard this as our top priority in life.

After the death of the Prophet (Sala Allahu alaihy wa a salaam), the companions were very careful in preserving the Sunnah. They ensured not to mention a hadith unless it is verified that it is a true saying of Prophet Mohammad (Sala Allahu alaihy wa a salaam). They also used to verify the hadith amongst each other, and prevent people who have little knowledge from saying hadith because they will probably make mistakes in it. They also used to be careful to use the same wording as the original hadith by Prophet Mohammad (Sala Allahu alaihy wa a salaam).

 Many companions and then the followers of the companions traveled to different parts of the world to spread the message of Islam. Therefore, the Sunnah also spread with them across many parts of the world. This meant that those among the companions who wanted to collect and learn the Sunnah would have to travel to various cities to take the Sunnah from the companions at those cities. And this continued for the students of knowledge and especially those who specialized in studying the Sunnah. Every scholar of Hadith used to travel to many different cities to learn the Sunnah from it's original sources. After the death of the companions, people used to get the Sunnah from the students of the companions, and so on.

May Allah ( Subhannahu  wa’ taala) guide us all to the right path.