There are two extremes within the Muslims today; both would merge the Hadith and Sunnah but one would claim that they play a vital role in forming the Shariah (Islamic law) whereas the other assert that they have no importance and the Holy Qur’an in itself is complete and sufficient to shape up the Religion. In this paper, we would discuss the concepts of Hadith and Sunnah, elaborate the difference between them and try to settle the argument somewhere in between these two extremes. 
THE HADITH:
“The term Hadith (literally: ‘a saying’ or ‘something new’) is defined as the individual-to-individual narratives ascribed to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) regarding his sayings, actions, expressed or tacit approvals and his personal description.
Some scholars apply the word Hadith to connote the actions or sayings of the companions of the Prophet and even their successors (peace be upon them all). However, more precisely the word Athr (i.e. relic) is used to connote this sense. The Hadith literature consists of voluminous books of narratives compiled by different scholars during the second and third century AH. The authenticity of each hadith is determined by the personal principles of acceptance or rejection of the compilers themselves.”
(Introduction to the Hadith, Module 1, www.studying-islam.org)
Hadith is not an independent source of the Shariah as it does not add to the content of the Qur’an and Sunnah but merely “explains” these two and is totally dependent on them for its survival. The fact that we cannot, cent percent, guarantee the Hadith record does not mean that we should turn our backs on this great treasure of wisdom. The reasons may be summarized as follows:
1. The scholars of the science of Hadith (for example, Imam Muslim, Imam Bukhari, Imam Malik (peace be upon them all)) have put in tremendous efforts to distinguish the true Ahadith1 from the fabricated ones. These are such outstanding and worthwhile efforts that we can be highly proud of them.
2. The Ahadith help a great deal to understand the directives of the Qur’an. For example, the state of the Arab society described in the Hadith literature enables us to understand the real purpose of delaying the commandment for breaking the custom of slavery.
3. They are the only source through which we may approach the biography and lifestyle of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
4. They inform us of the uswa-e-hasana2 of the Prophet (peace be upon him). For example, the way he performed ablution in an ideal manner out of the Qur’anic order for ablution (5:6).
5. They reveal to us the Holy Prophet’s (peace be upon him) understanding and interpretation of the Qur’anic phrases. (See the example under point 4 in “The Sunnah” section)
6. They enlighten the background in which the Qur’an was revealed. This background, which includes the geographical circumstances of the Quranic revelations, is extremely important to understand the true essence and meaning of the different Quranic directives. For example, when the Qur’an orders the Prophet (peace be upon him) to tell his wives, daughters and the wives of the believers to lengthen their garments (33:59), the hadith tells us that the Muslim women of Madina3 were facing an “alarming situation” for which this verse was revealed. This, in addition to the Quranic context itself in which this verse is present, gives a notion that the women living in the normal circumstances may be exempted from the applicability of this verse.
7. They inform us of the lives of the Prophet’s companions (peace be upon them all) who, undoubtedly, are the heroes of the Islamic history for committing their lives entirely to Allah’s Religion.
There may be many other reasons to embrace the science of Hadith but, we believe, the above are already good enough to prove the point.
We wonder why Ahadith are being called “a fabricated source”. This really is a baseless charge. The scholars of Hadith have done a tremendous job in distinguishing the true ahadith from the fabricated ones. They have had used excellent set of laws in scrutinizing each of the hadith that was ascribed to the Prophet (peace be upon him).
A number of books (for example: Tabaqatal-Kubra of Ibn Sa‘ad, Tarikhal-Kabir of Imam Bukhari, Tabaqat-al Huffaz of Imam Dhahabi (peace be upon them all)) were compiled merely on the life history of each narrator to elaborate his or her truthfulness, moral values, memory and understanding. The Hadith scholars would not take the hadith from the narrator who is doubted, even a little, for his or her truthfulness or moral values. Although they would take it from the one with weak memory and understanding but would never warrant it as sahi, i.e. excellent or very reliable.
Allah T’ala has entitled the Qur’an as Furqan – something that distinguishes between wrong and right. Therefore, each hadith that was ascribed to the Prophet (peace be upon him) was checked in the light of the Holy Qur’an. No hadith was accepted which contradicted either the Qur’an or Sunnah or established facts.
Another point that is worth noticing here is that the Hadith scholars did not have to filter out the true ahadith from among the gossips scattered around everywhere, unsystematically, like the autumn leaves. There was, at least, some system courtesy of which the ahadith were present with different narrators through a teacher-student chain. A teacher would teach some ahadith to his student and that student to his student, so on and so forth, until the last narrator from whom the Hadith scholars would pick the Hadith for scrutinizing.
We need to appreciate the fact that no record of the history has been scrutinized so intensely and widely as the Hadith. We can be proud of the efforts being put for preserving this record in our literature. The state of each hadith is so precisely measured by the Hadith scholars that we know about almost every hadith if it is excellent or good or weak or fabricated. Ever since the most authentic Hadith books are compiled, they have been thoroughly examined by thousands of the preceding Hadith scholars almost all of which accepted their excellence. Although some ahadith, claimed as sahih in these books, have been criticized for their authenticity still they are a few and well known to the Hadith scholars of all times.
The point that people accept certain ahadith and reject the others to back their sects is quite true. It is also true that people extensively use weak or fabricated ahadith for preaching and solving religious conflicts. Such matters should be criticized but it does not mean that we should separate ourselves from the science of Hadith itself. We know that people even change the meaning of the Qur’an in a way that suits their interests; does it imply that we should turn our backs on the Qur’an as well? Not at all! If someone truly wants to scholastically benefit from the Hadith, it offers a treasure of wisdom and knowledge. It even helps enhance the understanding of the Qur’anic directives as mentioned above.
The fact that the Hadith does not add to the content of the Religion, preserved within the Qur’an and Sunnah, but only explains it makes it very safe to utilize the Hadith as, on its basis, not even a single directive of the Qur’an or practice of the Sunnah may be altered.
Let us now turn to the other extreme and briefly discuss the reasons why the Hadith cannot be considered as the basic source of the Religion or a constituent of the Shariah:
1. The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not show any keenness to preserve his sayings or actions.
Even the exalted companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) like Abu-Bakar and Umar (peace be upon them) did not show any interest to preserve the Hadith.
Had Hadith been a basic source, the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions (peace be upon them all) would have made extraordinary efforts to preserve it as they did in the case of the Qur’an and Sunnah.
2. The ahadith, by and large, do not reflect the exact words and actions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) but the words or actions of him as understood or perceived by the individual Hadith narrators. The understanding and perception of the individuals may be questioned and what is questioned cannot be the basic source of the Religion because, if it were, the authenticity of the Religion in itself would be questionable.
3. Even if a hadith is sahih, it cannot be guaranteed as cent percent true. The maximum that could be said about a sahih hadith is that there is a highest possibility that the Prophet (peace be upon him) would have said or done or approved as mentioned in it. What cannot be believed to be cent percent true should not qualify to be the basic source.
4. Unlike the Qur’an and Sunnah which were adopted and propagated by millions of Muslims in each generation since the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), the Hadith books were written by the individual writers. However intelligent, wise, trustworthy and careful these writers might be, there is always a chance of error in the individual’s work. Therefore, this leaves a little room for the doubt. Again, what leaves even an iota of doubt cannot be accepted as the basic source because it would make the basis of the Religion doubtful.
5. The hadith does not only include the Religious sayings or actions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) but his other everyday sayings, actions, personal habits, likes and dislikes that he never asked anyone to Religiously adopt or follow. The very point is clarified in the following Hadith:
“I am a human being, so when I command you about a thing pertaining to religion, do accept it, and when I command you about a thing out of my personal opinion, keep it in mind that my position is no more than a human being… For it was only a personal opinion of mine4, and do not go after my personal opinion; but when I say anything to you on behalf of Allah, then do accept it, for I do not attribute a lie to Allah… You have better knowledge (of a technical skill) in the affairs of the world.”
(Sahih Muslim no. 2361, 2362, 2363)
Beware those people who say that it is the Religious duty of every Muslim to adopt and follow every aspect of the Holy Prophet’s (peace be upon him) life recorded only within the Hadith books and not in the Qur’an or Sunnah! The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself is negating this point in the above hadith.
6. The word Shariah is often confused. It does not refer to the entire content of the Religion, as perceived, but only to that part which defines the “Religious Law”. Even the part of the Qur’an which explicates this law is limited; how come whole of the Hadith record may be seen as a constituent of it?
THE SUNNAH:
Some important facts about the Sunnah are summarized as under:
1. How widely may be used as synonyms, there is a significant distinction between the terms, Hadith and Sunnah, that must be recognized to correctly understand the status of each in Islam.
Unlike the Haidth, the term Sunnah does not refer to each saying, action, approval or the personal description of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) but only his “Religious” actions that he inherited from the Religion of the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) and strongly instituted among his followers as an essential part of their faith.
The historical record of the facts like the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) spoke Arabic, wore an Arab dress, rode the camel, kept sword etc. would come under the term Hadith whereas the way he demonstrated to his followers how to offer Salah (prayer), perform Hajj (pilgrimage) and keep fasts during Ramadan would come under the term Sunnah – Salah, Hajj and Fasts being the Religious acts.
2. The Sunan5 are the Religious Abrahamic6 traditions which were already prevailing, in some form, in the world even before the advent of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Obviously, these Sunan are older than the Qur’an itself. If a Sunnah is not mentioned in the Qur’an (for example: circumcision of the male children or the way Salah (prayer) be performed etc.), it does not mean that it would be rejected as the Qur’an not only testifies the Religion of the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) but orders us to follow it. The Qur’an is revealed with the Sunan-e-Ibrahimi (the Abrahamic traditions) in its background that is why it does not explain what is Hajj or Umrah (pilgrimage) or Salah but merely orders people to carry out these Sunan.
In other words, people were already aware of the Sunan-e-Ibrahimi. However, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) purified these Sunan from the polytheistic spirits developed within them with time and rectified them in their supreme form.
The Sunan were present in all the Abrahamic Religions practiced and propagated by the Prophets following the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon them all). However, these Sunan should not be confused with the laws (Shariah) given to the following Prophets (peace be upon them) by means of the different Divine Books – the laws (for example, of the rate of the Zakah) kept changing in the eras of the different Prophets following the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon them all) but the Sunan (for example, of Zakah itself), always remained there.
The question why the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) adopted the Religious Abrahimic traditions and, after corrections and additions, instituted them in the lives of his followers as an integral part of their faith, can be answered by means of the following verse:
“And then we revealed unto you (the command) to follow the Religion of Abraham, who was steadfast and was not one of the polytheists.” (16:123)
3. As there is a distinction between the Hadith and Sunnah, there is a distinction between the Qur’anic orders and Sunnah as well.
The Sunnan are independent of the Qur’an in the sense that they are older than the Qur’an and emerge from the Prophet Abraham’s (peace be upon him) Religious traditions which were later approved, rectified, and established into the lives of the Muslims by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The Qur’an orders believers to pay Zakah (alms), as they paid in the Prophet Abraham’s (peace be upon him) time, but does not suggest its rate. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) then, under the guidance of Allah but independent of the Qur’an, establishes the rate of Zakah which becomes an obligatory sunnah for every Muslim who is constrained to pay it.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) punished the thieves and adulterers and raised sword against the deniers of the truth but none of these are sunan as they are purely the Quranic orders that the Prophet (peace be upon him) carried out. Though the sunan like Salah, Fasting, Hajj, Zakah and Sacrificing of animals are also mentioned in the Qur’an but it is clear from the Qur’an itself that all of these sunan originated from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) when he rectified and established the Abrahamic traditions.
More so, sunan are related to the practical aspects of life, therefore, it does not include the basic beliefs (for example, that of oneness of Allah) mentioned in the Qur’an.
4. Only the Qur’an and Sunnah constitute the Shariah - the Islamic law. The Hadith does not add to it but merely comes in to explain the Islamic Shariah stated within the Qur’an or demonstrated through the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
For example, the Qur’an orders to cut off a thief’s hands (5:38); the Hadith would explain the word sariq (male thief) and sariqah (female thief) used in the Qur’an and warn that these words do not apply to all the thieves but only those who fulfill certain conditions. According to the linguistic principles, the words sariq and sariqah are adjectives and denote the thoroughness in the characteristics of the verb they qualify.
5. The Sunnah enjoys an equal status to the Holy Qur’an in forming the Islamic Shariah because both emanate from the same source i.e. the Holy prophet (peace be upon him) who, by the order of the Almighty, conveyed each one with equal care and eagerness.
Beware; he did not convey the Book alone which leaves out many practical details but Sunnah as well which shapes the practical life of a Muslim. For example, the Qur’an orders believers to offer salah but leaves out the details of how to do so. The Sunnah, on the other hand, practically demonstrates of how to offer it with all its formalities. In this way, both the Qur’an and Sunnah compliment each other to form a complete lifestyle.
6. The Sunan instituted by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) include the manner in which five daily, Eid and funeral prayers are offered, the mode of fasting in Ramadan, all rituals of Hajj, the rate and ceilings of Zakah, the nikah (solemnization of marriage), the circumcision of male children, saying prescribed words in the ears of the newborn, the tradition of burying the dead after bathing and wrapping in coffin cloth, beginning every deed with Allah’s name, greeting each other by saying Assalamo’alaikum (peace be to you) and replying with Wa’alaikumassalam (peace be to you too), saying Alhamdulillah (all gratitude be to Allah) upon sneezing, slaughtering animals in a specific manner with the proclamation of Allah-o-Akbar (God is Great), shortening of nails, cleaning of mouth, nose and teeth, abstaining from intercourse during menstruation and afterbirth, trimming the moustache, removing the undesired hair and washing after urination, defecation and intercourse.
7. None of these established Sunan, as claimed by some, is contrary to the Holy Qur’an. (By this, we do not mean that all of them are explicitly mentioned in the Book. See point 1 for clarification.)
8. The Sunan are as pure and authentic as the Qur’an itself because both, the Qur’an and Sunnah, have reached us through the same mode of transmission, i.e. the consensus of each generation of the Ummah7. The following paragraphs excellently elaborate the very point:
“We have received these Sunan through the consensus of the Companions of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon them all) and since the age of the Companions, every subsequent generation has faithfully preserved them and handed over to the next in large numbers. The Sunan relate to those areas of our practical lives about which we are sure that no interruption in these practices is possible in history. For example, in the communities, people keep on dying and children are being born. The dead are thus washed and buried and all male children are circumcised. It is impossible that these proceedings could have remained suspended for any considerable time or one of the generations could have missed them. History shows that all these practices were followed by vast majority of each generation of Muslims. Even an attempt to affect the slightest of change or innovation in these Sunan was strongly resisted and harshly criticized by the Ummah.
The initiation of these practices by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and their subsequent communication from generation to generation by hundreds of thousands of people means that Sunan have reached down to us through Tawatur just like the Holy Qur’an. However the mode of tawatur is different. Unlike the oral or documentary Tawatur of the Holy Qur’an, the Sunnah has reached us through Tawatur-i-Amli or Tawatur in practice of the Ummah.”
(Understanding the Sunnah, Module 1, www.studying-islam.org)
9. No practice, whether Religious or not, can be accepted as Sunnah except for those that the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself explicitly introduced as his Sunnah.
To sum up, there is a clear distinction between the Hadith and Sunnah which must be understood. Hadith is an important “explanatory source” for the Religious understanding, as it explains the Qur’an and Sunnah, but still not the “basic source” of the Religion. The basic sources, which form the Shariah, are only two: Qur’an (the Book) and Sunnah (the practices instituted by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)). A hadith may be questioned to be more or less authentic but the authenticity of the Sunnah cannot be questioned because it has come down to us through the same mode of transmission by which the Holy Qur’an has come to us, i.e. the consensus of each generation of the Ummah since the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
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