Sunnah – The Legacy of the Prophet

The Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has been accepted as an important source of Islamic law, next in importance only to the Holy Qur’an. This status of the Sunnah has remained unchallenged and undisputed throughout the centuries. There have been differences among Muslims in their juristic opinions, but the authority of the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH) has never been denied by the jurists.

Qad taraktukum mahajjatil baydaa Layluha ka nahaariha La yazighu ‘anha illa haalik

I have left upon you something which is very clear, so clear that its night is like its day. And no one strays from it except for the one who is destroyed.

The Sunnah has been defined by the scholars of the science of Hadith as follows:

“Whatever comes from the Prophet (PBUH), other than the Quran itself, in the form of his speech, actions or tacit approvals”

Reflections on the Hereafter & Death

We are all familiar with the Prophetic tradition commonly known as Hadith of Jibreel (AS), in which Jibreel (AS) came in form of a human being and asked the Prophet (SAW) about Islam, Iman and Ihsan. I won’t go into much detail here but to provide a context would like to mention that according to our scholars when Iman and Islam are mentioned separately, they are synonymous. They both refer to the affirmation of the heart and the actions of the limbs. But when Islam and Iman are mentioned in the same context, Islam refers to actions and Iman refers to the affirmation of the heart. And this is in line with the tradition of the Prophet wherein while performing the janazah he used to make the supplication:

 

Allahumma man ahyaytahu minna fa ahyahu ‘alal islam wa man tawaffaytahu minna fataffahu ‘alal iman

O Allah, whomever of us you make to live, let him live in Islam and whomever of us you make to die, let him die in Iman.

 

Because deeds are done by the limbs, which one is only able to do while he or she is alive. Then at death, nothing remains but one’s affirmation of the heart.

 

Understanding our Priorities as a Muslim Community

A frequently cited prophetic tradition has it that the best generation of Muslims were those living during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), and that the next best was the generation immediately following, and the best after that was the generation following the second.  And so on down the line.

On first reading, at least superficially, this seems to doom the ummah (community) to perpetual declining mediocrity.  But that is not the purpose or meaning of that hadith.

 

The Spirit of Hajj

We are now in the final month of the Islamic calendar which is Dhul Hijja. And we all know the significance of this month, in that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala has prescribed upon the believers the pilgrimage to Makkah. We read in the Quran that when Ibrahim (AS) had constructed the house of Allah, Allah had instructed him saying:

 

Wa adhdhin finnasi bil-Hajji

Proclaim the pilgrimage amongst humanity

 

In a tradition narrated by at-Tabari, it is mentioned that Ibrahim (AS) replied that how can I proclaim the call to all of humanity when my voice cannot travel to the far extents of the earth. And it’s related that Allah had the mountains humble themselves and the earth was rendered flat in its entirety and the voice of Ibrahim (AS) carried to every corner of the world and at that time those who were destined to respond, their response was sealed.

 

Reflections on the Quranic Miracle

When we look at the human intellect that Allah (SWT) has given us, we see that it has the extraordinary capacity of fulfilling its instinctual needs and urges. It can understand many aspects of the universe it finds itself in and is able to act accordingly to draw benefit. It’s able to fulfill its needs through its understanding, but we also realize that the intellect is not able to comprehend everything. Like somebody who is in a room with a roof. He or she can only see as far as the roof. They are not capable of seeing something outside or above the roof. The intellect has a roof of understanding beyond which it cannot see.

We can see that this is the purpose of the Prophets to bring to us the news of what lays beyond the ceiling of our understanding. So these intelligible things which are metaphysical in nature, they are beyond the realm we find ourselves in and yet they cannot be comprehended by the intellect alone things like why was the human being was created what is the purpose what is his destiny what is the nature of his Creator what are the attributes of his Creator. This is the role and the purpose of the Prophets.

Finding Inspiration After Ramadan

We praise Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala an abundant praise that He allowed us to live through an entire season of Ramadan, that He made the fasting and the Qiyam in the month of Ramadan easy for us. We praise Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala that He blessed us to spend the day of Eid together with our family and friends in fortunate circumstances for there are many of our brothers and sisters who are living under much trying conditions and are struggling to cope with the trials they have been afflicted with.

Now that the month of Ramadan is over, we should not loose sight of the fact that the month of Ramadan is essentially a month of training & conditioning, which prepares us to meet the challenges we face outside of this month.

Faith in the Hereafter & its Implications

One of our fundamental beliefs as Muslims, amongst other things is the belief in the Day of Judgment. But what does this belief actually entail? And how should it impact our behavior and our actions? These are the few things that we would like to discuss insha Allah.

 

We the human race are generally under the perception that we belong here to this world. Yet the fact is that as time is passing by, it is ripping away and tearing apart from our very own existence. This is very much in line with the tradition of the Prophet (PBUH) wherein he said:

 

Kun fid duniya kannaka aabirin sabeel

Be in this world as if you’re a traveler

 

Objectives of Islamic Law

The ultimate purpose and objective the human and the jinn kind have been created for is ‘Uboodiyya and in order to facilitate and help us achieve this purpose Allah has sent Prophets and Messengers who came down to their people with different Shari’ahs.

 

Literally, Shari’ah means the clear, well-trodden path to water. The linguistic meaning of Shari’ah reverberates in its technical usage: just as water is vital to human life so the clarity and uprightness of Shari’ah is the means of life for souls and minds. Shari’ah is defined by our scholars as:

 

al-Ahkaam allatee sanna’a Allahu Ta’ala li ‘ibaadihi ‘ala lisaani raslulim minar rusul

The laws or rulings which Allah has legislated for his servants through the agency of Messengers.

 

The Authority of Sunnah

The Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has been accepted as an important source of Islamic law, next in importance only to the Holy Qur’an. This status of the Sunnah has remained unchallenged and undisputed throughout the centuries. There have been differences among Muslims in their juristic opinions, but the authority of the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH) has never been denied by the jurists.

Institutionalizing Da’wah in the West

Allah has blessed us the human beings with the instinct of knowing what is good and what is evil. But this primary instinct in and of itself is not sufficient to guide us through the relatively complex aspects of our life on this earth. And this is why Allah through His mercy sent Messengers to us to help us live our lives under the divine guidance. This was also necessary because we are accountable for our conduct in the hereafter and we could have pleaded ignorance if we did not know what the right path was.