AS-SUNNAH, AL-HADĪTH, AND THEIR POSITIONS

Assalamualaikum Warohmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Greetings from me, Abu Musa.

As we discussed previously, we have learned that there are 3 entities of al-haq (the truth), which are Allah, the Qur'an, and the Laws of the Universe. These three entities are the primary sources of law that are mandatory for Muslims. However, we also recognize the terms as-Sunnah and al-Hadīth as secondary sources of law that we can use. In general, Muslims have misconceptions and a wrong perspective about as-Sunnah and al-Hadīth.

Many people think that as-Sunnah is the same as al-Hadīth and also believe that both can be equated with the Qur'an.

Let’s discuss this further.

AS-SUNNAH comes from the root word sa-na-na (س ن ن), which means "a structured pattern of actions and subjective behaviors," just as sunnatullah refers to the actions or subjective behaviors of Allah SWT. This meaning of Sunnah is clearly mentioned in Q.S. al-Ahzab (33): 62.

سُنَّةَ ٱللَّهِ فِي ٱلَّذِينَ خَلَوۡاْ مِن قَبۡلُۖ وَلَن تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ ٱللَّهِ تَبۡدِيلٗا

“[This is] the established way of Allah with those who passed on before; and you will not find in the way of Allah any change”.

With that, As-Sunnah means the actions or subjective behaviors of the Prophet Muhammad SAW. Since the Prophet Muhammad SAW was also a human, As-Sunnah can be divided into two parts:

First, the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad as a bashar (بَشَرُ), or human. Allah affirms that the Prophet was also a human in Q.S. Al-Kahfi (18): 110.

قُلۡ إِنَّمَآ أَنَا۠ بَشَرٞ مِّثۡلُكُمۡ يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَيَّ أَنَّمَآ إِلَٰهُكُمۡ إِلَٰهٞ وَٰحِدٞۖ فَمَن كَانَ يَرۡجُواْ لِقَآءَ رَبِّهِۦ فَلۡيَعۡمَلۡ عَمَلٗا صَٰلِحٗا وَلَا يُشۡرِكۡ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِۦٓ أَحَدَۢا

“Say, "I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed that your god is one God. So whoever would hope for the meeting with his Lord - let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone."

In this context, the Prophet Muhammad SAW said:

“Indeed, I am a human. If I command something related to ad-Dīn (the religion), then take it. However, if I command something that comes from my own opinion, then remember that I am just a human” (HR Muslim).

This hadith indicates that there are two types of outputs from the Prophet Muhammad SAW. First, when the output relates to revelation, Muslims are commanded to follow it. Second, when the output is outside the context of revelation, the Prophet also acknowledges that he could make mistakes, because in reality, he is a human being who is not free from errors.

Second, the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad SAW in his role as a prophet and messenger. In this context, Allah says in Surah Al-Ahzab: 21.

لَّقَدۡ كَانَ لَكُمۡ فِي رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسۡوَةٌ حَسَنَةٞ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرۡجُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلۡيَوۡمَ ٱلۡأٓخِرَ وَذَكَرَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرٗا

“There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.”

And in this context, the Prophet Muhammad SAW also said regarding the performance of prayer/sholah, for example :

“Sholu as you have seen me Sholu” (HR. Bukhari).

With arguments based on the Qur'an and the hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad SAW himself, whether we like it or not, we must clearly distinguish between the Sunnah in the context of revelation that must be followed, and what is merely the personal preference of the Prophet Muhammad SAW as an ordinary human being. The latter may be followed, but it does not reach the level of being obligatory or commanded.

AL-HADĪTH comes from the root word ha-da-tsa (ح د ث), which has the basic meaning of "something new, a story, a narrative." From this basic meaning, we understand that al-Hadīth is a story or narrative about the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, just like the Hadīth of Musa, which is a story or news about the Prophet Musa AS.

Let’s look at the words of Allah SWT in Surah An-Nazi'at (79) : 15.

هَلۡ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ مُوسَىٰٓ

“Has there reached you the story of Moses?”

Al-Hadīth is a narrative about the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, passed down through the chain of narration (sanad) via oral tradition, which is conveyed by the narrators of the hadith, while its content is referred to as matan (مَتَنٌ). From this, we can distinguish between as-Sunnah and al-Hadīth.

Therefore, As-Sunnah refers to the actions and subjective behaviors of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, while al-Hadīth is the story or narrative about as-Sunnah that comes from the narrators of the hadith. Since al-Hadīth is a product of humans (the narrators), errors or inaccuracies in the information may occur, especially since, in the early stages of transmission, it was only passed down through oral tradition.

There are several important facts we need to understand before considering al-Hadīth as a secondary source of Islamic teachings. One of these is the fact that the Prophet Muhammad SAW never wrote down the hadiths that spread across the world—he did not record even one. In fact, historically, he even prohibited writing anything about him when a companion tried to write down his words. In one hadith, he said :

“Do not write anything from my words. Whoever writes from my words, besides the Qur'an, let him erase it” (HR Muslim).

His concern was not without reason. We know, as confirmed by the Qur'an, that there has been a mixing of the words of God, the words of the prophet, and the compilations of earlier scriptures, which was deliberately done by the compilers of those scriptures. Let’s look at Q.S. Al-Baqarah (2) : 79.

فَوَيۡلٞ لِّلَّذِينَ يَكۡتُبُونَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ بِأَيۡدِيهِمۡ ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ هَٰذَا مِنۡ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ لِيَشۡتَرُواْ بِهِۦ ثَمَنٗا قَلِيلٗاۖ فَوَيۡلٞ لَّهُم مِّمَّا كَتَبَتۡ أَيۡدِيهِمۡ وَوَيۡلٞ لَّهُم مِّمَّا يَكۡسِبُونَ

“So woe to those who write the "scripture" with their own hands, then say, "This is from Allah," in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn”.

This concern became the main focus of the Prophet Muhammad SAW. That is why he firmly prohibited any form of documentation about him until his death. Unlike the Qur'an, whose compilation was confirmed by the Prophet Muhammad SAW before his death, including its writing, the arrangement of verses, and the structure of the surahs. The Commander of the Believers (the Rightly Guided Caliphs) were also aware of this prohibition, so during their leadership, there was no effort to write down hadiths.

The recording of hadiths first appeared about 100 years after the death of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, precisely during the caliphate of Umar bin Abdul Aziz, around 717-720 AD. One of the early compilers was Malik bin Anas, who later became known as one of the imams of the four major schools of thought. The formal compilation of al-Hadīth was carried out toward the end of the caliphate of Umar bin Abdul Aziz. Thus, based on historical facts, there is not a single hadith in the world that was directly confirmed by the Prophet Muhammad SAW.

Based on this historical fact, scholars established a field of knowledge that focuses on testing the validity of hadiths circulating around the world. This is due to the many attempts at fabricating hadiths for various interests. However, the testing only assesses the quality of the sanad (chain of narrators) and the credibility of the narrators without considering the accuracy of the matan (content/information) itself. In the process of evaluating a hadith, if everyone in the chain of narrators is deemed credible, then the hadith’s information may be considered valid, known as sahih. However, this approach is highly subjective and does not necessarily determine the validity of the information in a hadith. Can it be that just because someone is considered good, pious, intelligent, diligent in worship, and credible, every piece of information that comes from them can be deemed always true?

Some scholars also test the validity of a hadith by comparing it to other stronger hadiths. However, this approach is also subjective because the criteria for validity are also results of subjectivity.

Today, we find ourselves in a dilemmas. On one hand, the Prophet Muhammad SAW commanded us to follow his Sunnah, but on the other hand, the only source that provides access to as-Sunnah is al-Hadīth, which, in reality, cannot guarantee the validity of its information. So, what is the solution to this issue? Let’s look at Q.S. Al-Hajj (22) : 54.

وَلِيَعۡلَمَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلۡعِلۡمَ أَنَّهُ ٱلۡحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ فَيُؤۡمِنُواْ بِهِۦ فَتُخۡبِتَ لَهُۥ قُلُوبُهُمۡۗ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَهَادِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِلَىٰ صِرَٰطٖ مُّسۡتَقِيمٖ

“And so those who were given knowledge may know that it is the truth from your Lord and [therefore] believe in it, and their brain/mind humbly submit to it. And indeed is Allah the Guide of those who have believed to a straight path.”

Based on the verse above, the only solution to test the validity of a hadith is by comparing the information in al-Hadīth with the information from al-Haq, which are Allah, the Qur'an, and the Universe along with its laws. If the information in al-Hadīth does not contradict any of these three aspects, we can follow it. However, if the information contradicts any of these entities, there is no reason for us to follow it, regardless of how credible the chain of narrators and the narrators themselves are, because if the matan (content) contradicts the Qur'an, it can be assured that it did not come from the mouth of the Prophet Muhammad SAW.

We know that the Prophet Muhammad SAW is the messenger of God. Therefore, logically, it is impossible for the thoughts, actions, and judgments of the Prophet Muhammad SAW to contradict the teachings of Allah SWT. Because every Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad SAW will always be in accordance with the guidance of the Qur'an.

I am Abu Musa, and I look forward to meet you again in the next Islamic study session.

Wassalamualaikum Warohmatullahi Wabarakatuh.