Sunnah and Hadith

Mufti Salman Sahib of Allahabad’s generous table was laid out with a variety of beverages. Out of sheer modesty, Hafiz Mahmood Karim Sahib drank one glass; Dr Anas Sahib of Allahabad discarded formality and drank two. My relationship with Mufti Sahib is one of rivalry, so with the intention of wasting his wealth, I consumed three glasses, and would have drunk several more had there been capacity.

In the dictionary of Mawlana Aftab Sahib Nadwi of Dhanbad, there is no place for figurative language. He said in amazement, “How did you drink glasses? People drink water, milk, lassi, or Rooh Afza syrup—it’s astonishing you’ve drunk glasses themselves.” We’ve tried explaining to him repeatedly that we actually drank the various beverages served in glasses, but he still hasn’t grasped it.

People commonly say “glass” but mean the beverage inside it; similarly, mentioning “home” implies the household, “country” implies its inhabitants, and “pages of a book” signify its content. Rhetoricians call this “mentioning the container but intending what it contains” (ذكر الظرف وإرادة المظروف).

The relationship between Sunnah and Hadith can be expressed similarly: Sunnah is like a container, and Hadith is its content. The detailed explanation follows:

The greatest blessing bestowed upon Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم was the Noble Qur’an revealed to him. It was clarified to him that this wasn’t merely a philosophical or theoretical book, but a comprehensive guide to life; adhering to it ensures success in both this world and the hereafter. The Prophet’s practical application of this guidance became the exemplary Sunnah and the ideal model (Uswah Hasanah) for all humanity to follow. The more closely one follows his Sunnah, the greater their success; deviating from it distances one from divine acceptance.

The honourable Companions (Sahabah رضي الله عنهم) made no distinction between the Qur’an and Sunnah. They remembered instructions such as, “Pray as you have seen me praying” and “Take from me your rituals.” Observing the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم perform actions, they learnt them just as they learnt the Qur’an.

Those Companions who had not personally witnessed a particular action, or later generations after the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, learned Sunnah from those Sahabah who directly observed him. For direct learners, Sunnah was simply what they saw the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم doing, which they emulated precisely.

However, those who didn’t learn directly from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had an increased responsibility; for them, Sunnah turned into a reported narrative. Eyewitnesses reported what they had observed, and these reports became known in Arabic as Hadith, Khabar, Naba’, or Tarikh.

Certain Sunnahs were widely practised, like the number of Rak’ahs in prayer, details of Zakat, or the rituals of sacrifice. Other Sunnahs were transmitted through only one or two Companions.

When Sunnah turned into Hadith reports, verifying the authenticity of these reports became necessary. Initially, two conditions were required from narrators: first, they had to be truthful (عدالت/استقامت), and second, they had to properly understand and meticulously preserve the narration (ضبط/اتقان). Together these qualities are called reliability (ثقاہت).

As Hadith narration expanded, it was no longer confined to practices alone. Muslims’ love for their Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is not merely emotional but essential to their faith, hence they treasured every detail of his life—his daily habits, eating, drinking, his family life, details of battles, even his appearance—everything was carefully transmitted.

With increased narrations, however, the possibility of inaccuracies grew. Events became confused and mixed, a common occurrence in historical reporting. Yet, by Allah’s grace, Muslim scholars from early times set rigorous conditions for accepting Hadith, elevating its standard far above any historical record known to humanity. Details of these strict standards will be discussed in another article.

As mentioned earlier, Hadith contents became increasingly diverse:

1. Sunnat al-Huda – Actions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم directly related to applying Qur’anic guidance, which were central to his prophetic mission.

2. Sunnat al-‘Adah – Actions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم performed in his capacity as a human or an Arab. For example, eating halal and pure food relates to Sunnat al-Huda, while the method of cooking belongs to Sunnat al-‘Adah. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ate Tharid (bread with meat broth), whereas today Muslims in the Indian subcontinent eat Biryani. Following Sunnat al-‘Adah is not mandatory, but if someone does it out of love for the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, they might earn reward because love itself is from Sunnat al-Huda.

3. The Prophet’s physical descriptions.

4. The circumstances of his family and tribe.

5. Many details of wars and peace treaties (some of these details also relate to Sunnat al-Huda).

Several scholars have explained the differences between Sunnat al-Huda and Sunnat al-‘Adah. The most comprehensive and clear explanation is provided by Shah Waliullah Dehlawi in his work “Hujjatullah al-Balighah.”

In summary, Hadith (reports/narrations) serves as a container (like the glass), and Sunnah is the specific beverage within it. Collections such as Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are books of Hadith, containing largely Sunnat al-Huda.

Another issue needing clarification is whether it is correct to refer to Sunnah as “Sunnat Ibrahim”—this question will be addressed in a subsequent article.

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Disclaimer: This article was translated by AI.
Original article: https://t.me/DrAkramNadwi/6042

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