What is Sunnah in Islam?

I’m sure you have heard about Sunnah and Sunna, so have you ever wondered What is Sunnah? which is very commonly used by the Muslim community.

The Sunnah term comes from the Arabic language. This word means “Habitual Practice” also spelled as sunna.

The Sunnah term refers to the action, saying, and approval of the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Sunnah is what our beloved has done, including actions, approvals or saying.

The primary source of Islamic law is the holy Quran, and the sunnah is the second most important.

The Sunnah is that which our beloved prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught us about the correct way of living a successful life.

Every Sunnah of the Prophet SAW (peace be upon him), was collected and transmitted by companions of Allah messenger prophet Muhammed SAW (peace be upon him).

This collected Sunnah, including sayings and actions, is known as hadiths, the companions of Allah’s messenger; they cover many topics, including religious beliefs, Islamic laws and all practices.

What is Sunnah?

All Muslims believe in Sunnah. If we follow all the Sunnah of the prophet Inshallah, we are successful in this world and hereafter.

The definition of the Sunnah is when a Muslim follows all the things of the Prophet SAW (Peace be upon him), including approvals, sayings and actions, in their life that are called the sunnah.

The hadith is the primary source of transmitting all the sunnah of Muhammed Prophet SAW, the companions used to collect all sunnahs of the prophet Muhammad.

The relationship between sunnah and hadith is very connective to each other.

The companions of Allah’s messenger collected all the things, including approvals, sayings and actions, of the prophet Muhammed SAW (peace be upon him), and they transmitted through hadith.

Companions of Allah’s messenger; they cover many topics, including religious beliefs, Islamic laws and all practices.

Sunnah is also a dose of inspiration and motivation for Muslims, which tells us how to live a perfect life pleasing to god and be the best people we can be.

The science behind the compilation of hadith is a complex and slightly difficult process reported by different centuries of Muslim scholars.

The science behind the compilation of hadith is divided into two parts, known as Musnah or ilm al-hadith.

The scholars, known as musnah, developed some criteria for determining the authenticity of hadiths.

The most famous and widely accepted hadith compilations are the Kutub al-Sittah six musannaf compilations.

The Kutub al-Sittah are:

• Sahih al-Bukhari
• Sahih Muslim
• Sunan Abu Dawud
• Sunan al-Tirmidhi
• Sunan al-Nasa’i
• Sunan Ibn Majah

What does the Quran say About Sunnah?

We can understand the importance of the Sunnah, as Allah SWT talks himself about the Sunnah in the holy Quran; let’s know those holy Quran verses.

“You have the best example in the Messenger of Allah for whoever is hopeful of meeting Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah often.” (Quran 33:21)

وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ ٱلذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

“And We have sent down to you (O Prophet) the Reminder, so that you may explain to people what has been revealed for them, and perhaps they will reflect.”

(Sunnah An-Nahl, 16:44)

وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ

“Obey Allah and the Messenger, so you may be shown mercy.” 

(Surah Ali Imran, 3:132)

The Quran is Islam’s holy book, which provides the general Principles of Islamic law, Whereas Sunnah tells us how to implement those principles in our lives.

Every sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad guides those who follow the sunnah and gives specific examples of how we can apply the general principle of the Quran in our lives.

The Quran is the literal word of Allah SWT, revealed in Arabic to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) through the Jibril AS.

Here are some examples of how the Sunnah guides the interpretation and application of the Quran:

• Allah SWT commands in the holy Quran for prayer, but it does tell as how to perform specific prayers, while Sunnah provides detailed instructions for five daily prayers.
• Allah SWT commands Muslims to fast during Ramadan, while Sunnah tells us the fasting process and includes the permissibility of eating and drinking.
• Allah SWT commands in the holy Quran to give to charity, but the Quran does not tell us how much to give or whom to give it to. While Sunnah tells us how much charity we should give and whom to give it to.

Importance of Sunnah in Muslim Life

Every Sunnah is important in Muslim life because it is the secondary source of Islamic law, after the Quran. The Sunnah teaches us many basic things; if we follow that, In Sha Allah, we will be successful in this Duniya and hereafter.

Here are some of the ways the Sunnah is important in Muslim life:

• The Sunnah provides us with how to follow all five pillars of Islam, including how to do five-time prayers, faith, fasting, charity, and hajj. These are all five main pillars of Islam. We can follow all these things with the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad.
• The sunnah teaches us how to be good characters and also morality. It tells us how to treat small children and respect elders.
• Even the sunnah of the prophet Muhammad tells us all the basic needs of our lives, such as how to marry, sleep, and treat our parents. In human life, sunnah plays a very crucial role.

Many Muslims don’t care about the sunnah and their lives without it. However, those Muslims follow the sunnah to get peace and success.

The Quran is the literal word of Allah SWT, revealed in Arabic to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) through the Jibril AS.

The holy Quran is the primary source of Islamic laws, and The Sunnah is authentic only if it is consistent with the Quran. The Quran takes precedence if there is a conflict between the Quran and the Sunnah.

The Sunnah teaches us the form of devotion, like how we can perform different types of prayer such as obligatory, Sunnah, and Witr Prayers. Also, Sunnah teaches various steps of prayer including Ruku, Sujood, etc.

When we talk about different devotions such as prayer, Dikr fasting, and hajj (pilgrimage), Sunnah teaches all those various forms of devotions of Allah SWT.

Types of Sunnah?

There are Three Significant Types of Sunnah:

• Verbal Sunnah.
• Practical Sunnah.
• Tacit approval Sunnah.

Verbal Sunnah: These all Sunnah are Sayings Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). These are all verbal Sunnahs known as hadiths. Muslims believe they are the most important source of Islamic law after the holy Quran. 

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent.” (Sahih al-Bukhari)

Practical Sunnah: These all Sunnah are actions of the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). It includes all the prophet Muhammad’s activities, such as worship and how to spend our life according to the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). 

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to brush his teeth with a miswak (toothbrush made from a twig) and perform ablution before each prayer.

Tacit Approval Sunnah: These tacit approvals of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) of the actions of others. For example, if a companion of the Prophet did something, and the Prophet did not object to it, this is considered Sunnah Taqririyyah.

Those actions and sayings by the prophets come into the Sunnah, but there are major Sunnahs of the Prophet Muhammad: sunnah jahiliyyah, Sunnah jahiliyyah and Sunnah taqiyya.

It generally considers the Sunnah Jahiliyyah to be more crucial than other Sunnahs.

Benefits of Sunnah

How will you judge?” He said: “I will judge according to what is in Allah’s Book.” The Prophet s.a.w. asked: “If it is not in Allah’s Book?” He said: “Then with the Sunnah of Rasulullah s.a.w.” The Prophet s.a.w. asked: “If it is not in the Sunnah of Rasulullah s.a.w.?” He said: “I will give in my view (by Ijtihad – scholarly independent reasoning).” The Prophet s.a.w. said: “All praise is due to Allah, the One Who made the messenger of Rasulullah suitable.”

(Sunan At-Tirmizi)

All Sunnah of the prophet Muhammad have uncalculatable benefits in our life; some of them are:

Stress Reduction

Stress is a constant companion in our modern lives. However, Sunnah and all obligatory prayers is your antidote. It’s like a mini-vacation for your mind. When you bow in devotion, you release tension, lowering stress hormones.

Provide Peaceful life

The inner peace cultivated through The Sunnah equips you with emotional resilience. It’s as if you’re arming yourself with a shield of serenity to face life’s challenges.

Health Benefit’s

Have you ever had those moments when life feels like a whirlwind of deadlines, responsibilities, and noise? Well, the Sunnah is your sanctuary—one of the most powerful benefits of all Sunnah.

Conclusion

Being a Muslim, if you want to go to paradise, it is compulsory to follow Allah SWT commands and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

In this article, We covered most of the things about What is Sunnah? But the thing is how much it will affect Muslim life. This is necessary for all Muslims who love the Prophet Muhammad to follow all the Sunnah.

The Sunnah teaches us the form of devotion, like how we can perform different types of prayer such as obligatory, Sunnah, and witr prayers.

Also Sunnahs teaches different devotions such as prayer, Dikr fasting, and hajj (pilgrimage), Sunnah teaches all those various forms of devotions of Allah SWT.

FAQs About Sunnah