Hadith and Sunnah
The word Hadith means speech, talk, report, narration, conversation,news, tale or utterance. In Islam, Hadith is the sayings, deeds and silent approvals of the prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). It is also the prophet’s reactions, instructions, recommendations, and his confirmation of some matters in the religion of Islam. Hadith is the second source of Islamic legislation and it is next to the Quran. It explains the Quran and makes its message explicitly clear. It means whatever is related to the Prophet (S.A.W) is from among his sayings, his actions, his approval and his attributes. So, Hadith is a report of what the beloved Messenger said or did; what he approved or disapproved.
Examples of hadith are:
1. Hudhaifah (R.A) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “A backbiter shall not enter Paradise.”
2. Narrated by An-Nu`man bin Bashir, the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: ‘Be afraid of Allah, and be just to your children.
3. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that: The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “The pleasure of Allah is in the pleasure of the parents, and the displeasure of Allah is in the displeasure of the parents.”
4. Anas bin. Malik reported that: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Do not hate one another, and Do not envy one another and do not turn away from one another but [rather] be slaves of Allah and brothers [amongst yourselves.
5. On the authority of Abu Hurairah, may God be pleased with him: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Verily Allah does not look at your body and your money, but looks at your hearts and your deeds.
6. It was narrated from Nu’man bin Bashir that: the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Indeed the supplication is the worship.”
Sunnah
The word Sunnah means tradition, practice, law or path. In Islam, Sunnah is the practical aspect of the prophet’s life. Sunnah refers to the totality of the prophet including his utterances and actions which he approved and conduct he expressly disapproved of. Sunnah is another related term but it has a slightly different meaning. Sunnah literally means ‘the pattern of life’. Sunnah means the application of Shari’ah in the time of the Prophet and four rightly-guided Caliphs.
The prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said: ‘‘I have left two matters with you. As long as you hold onto them, you will not go astray. They are the Book of Allah (Quran) and the Sunnah of the Prophet’’
Examples of Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) are:
1. Fasting on Monday and Thursday.
2. Eating with right hand
3. Voluntary prayers before or after an obligatory prayer.
4. Fasting on the Day of Arafah (9th Dhul-Hijjah).
5. Night prayers (Tahajjud)
The Qur’an is the word of Allah and it is the primary source of Islamic teachings. It contains the principles and the fundamentals of Islam. Whilst the Hadith of the Prophet (S.A.W) is an explanation of these principles and it contains the details of the Qur’anic fundamentals, the function of the Prophet (S.A.W), was not merely to deliver the book but also to explain it and put it into practice, thus making the word of Allah a living reality.
For example, the Qur’an tells the Muslims to pray five times a day, but it does not give details of how to perform the prayer. The Sunnah of the Prophet tells us in detail how to do the prayer.
Narrated by Abu Hurayrah that The Prophet (S.A.W) said, ‘Pray as you see me praying. ‘Related by Bukhari and Muslim
Similarly, Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam but its sequence and method are not fully given in the Qur’an. This is why the beloved Messenger (S.A.W) said, ‘Take the rituals of pilgrimage (Hajj) from me.’ Zakat is another important duty for a Muslim as laid down in the Qur’an. Its details are left to the Prophet (S.W.A) to elaborate.
So, we see that without the Hadith of the Prophet (S.A.W), we cannot perform any of our duties. This is why Allah emphasizes obedience of the Prophet (S.A.W) in all our affairs: ‘Whatever the Prophet gives you, take it and whatever he forbids, avoid it.’ (Q59:7)
Hadith is Importance to Muslims in the following ways:
1. Hadith supplements Al-Qur’an as the primary source of the Islamic Law.
2. Hadīth contains explanations of the meaning of Al-Qur’ān.
3. It provides practical application to matters of legal ruling given in the Qur’ān.
4. It serves as a source of information to the happenings before and during the early days of Islam.
5. Hadīth is the record of the practical life of Prophet Muhammad (SAW)