Understanding Sunnah and its nature.
[Hassan Ilyas] The question is that how will it be known about the list of sunan,
given by you at the beginning of "Meezan" having 27 items under which there are
dozens of sunan, that which sunnah among them is Fard [obligatory] or Lazim,
and which is Mustahab, meaning a deed which if done, is considered
to be good and if avoided, then you won't be asked about that either.
How is its nature decided?
[Ghamidi] Since this work of mine remains a matter of debate,
and you are asking a question about it.
So let me explain one thing before anything, that these are just titles.
Usually, in order to create a propaganda, people start saying that
"see there are only 27 sunan [in the book]".
These are just titles.
For example, Namaz is one item among them.
Now the Namaz as a whole,
with all of its components, deeds and rememberances, is sunnah.
So in that [book], you will find the full details of it in the chapter on Namaz.
Likewise there is Fasting, and Hajj and Umrah.
Likewise are other sunan. So their details are described later in the book.
And there are sometimes ten or twenty things under one title,
which the prophet [PBUH] in his life, issued as sunnah.
What is the meaning of Sunnah?
Here this word is used in the sense that it is those rules of religion,
those rules of religion which are permanent in themselves,
which are not inferred from anything else,
which are not based on understanding and explanation,
rather are permanent in themselves.
Such rules are issued by Prophet [PBUH] in his message, as religion.
Since they did not begin from the Quran,
or there is even no mention of some of them to be found in the Qur'an.
So about those [Sunnahs], it is being told how to determine them.
So this thing should be kept in mind. These are the basic things.
Attention is often brought towards them again and again,
because since here [in our culture] there isn't a lot of scholarly temperament
so for this reason, in the atmosphere of a propaganda,
certain things are described as such.
The answer to the question you've asked is that sunnah is a practical thing.
And such a practical thing is foun in the continuity of the practice of Muslims.
That is, first of all it is seen that
if Muslims have adopted that [sunnah] as a religion?
Then it is seen whether all the knowledge of Muslims stands on a unanimous place
about its attribution to the messenger of Allah.
The whole knowledge tradition.
That is, right now from Morocco to Indonesia and as well as
in history, there is a consensus of Muslim knowledge on that [sunnah].
That thing [sunnah] is being cited with continuity.
This is the very thing that our predecessors used to say,
that this is [Naqlul kafa anil kafa],
meaning that the whole community of Muslims is reporting that.
So by this, the practice [of sunnah] is proven to be the valid practice,
that this is the practice of religion and that no second opinion can be
formed about this now. There can be no room of disagreement in this either.
These are the words that I have written.
Now the question arises about the status of this kind of
a valid practice that has been received?
That is, is it Fard? or Wajib? or is it an act of recommendation?
Its evidences happen to be quite different.
Either the holy Qur'an describes these evidences,
either using a negation or an affirmation.
Or they being in the consensus of Muslims are transmitted as such.
But there is no example of them being separate.
Usually the holy Qur'an is endorsing or mentioning them, or stating the
necessary things in negation or affirmation in order to determine them.
So it is ascertained by those arguments, not just by observing the practice.
So if one comes to know about some practice that it is Fard,
that this is obligatory to practice, then it will be known.
And if it is not known, i.e. neither is this practice been reported unanimously
by Muslims, nor did the holy Qur'an describe it,
then such a practice is considered as recommended practice.
That is, a practice of religion, a favored act, if practiced
then Allah will reward for it. Every Muslim should take care of it.
But this practice is not Wajib or Fard.
[Hassan Ilyas] Alright. Some examples I shall put before you, which will help
understand the whole viewpoint even more.
For example, in the list of Sunan,
you have described Namaz, Qurbani and Circumcision,
I will take all the three examples.
The holy Qur'an says about Namaz,
["Innas Salata kanat allal muminina kitabam maukuta"]
So did we come to know by this verse of Qur'an that the five prayers that
we get from Sunnah, are Fard and obligatory to pray?
[Ghamidi] This came to be known by every means.
There can't be two opinions about this by any means.
That is, Prophet [PBUH] issued the prayers in his message,
and from the day first, there was a consensus of Muslim Knowledge on it,
that this is an obligatory act of worship.
This [Namaz] is made obligatory five times a day.
It was not the matter of performing it once in a year or in a lifetime.
So for this reason, even among Muslims themselves,
there was no disagreement in their knowledge about it.
Then in the holy Qur'an, when this [Namaz] was mentioned at various places,
it became clear in that too, that Namaz is not only Fard,
rather Allah Almighty has made it a adjudicator between faith and disbelief.
A description beyond Fard [duty]!
If you see, it is being stated in relation to hereafter as well at various places,
that if someone denied and is not ready to bow down before Allah,
then his abode is Hell.
So the holy Qur'an described this thing in many ways.
And when the opportunity to explain the ruling on shortened prayers arose,
then once again explained it, as you read the verse,
[Innas salata kaanat allal muminina kitabam maukuta].
So in this case, understand it as is stated by our Jurists [in our culture],
["Sabata bil Qur'an wa sunnah wal ijma"], it is just like that.
So there is no scope of debate in this.
[Hassan Ilyas] Alright. Explain about Qurbani and Circumcision.
[Ghamidi] Qurbani is a Mustahab practice. It is a good and blessed deed.
Whatever is described about it in the Qur'an,
and whatever has been transmitted [about it] among the muslims,
they tell the same thing about it, [that it is Mustahab].
There is no evidence of it [Qurbani] being obligatory.
And when there is no evidence present for some practice,
then such a practice is considered as Mustahab.
That is, some practice gets prescribed,
it becomes a religious practice and a deed of goodness.
And Muslims are encouraged to do so.
But since there is no evidence of it being obligatory,
therefore it will just have the status of being recommended.
[Hassan Ilyas] Fine. How about circumcision?
[Ghamidi] The same is true of circumcision. In the same way,
the etiquette of purification of the body, is also a part of the religion.
It is necessary to be done according to what we call Shariah.
The definition of shariah in just one sentence is,
that Allah Almighty Himself ordained a way
in view of some wisdom, to achieve some goal.
So for this reason, even a slight deviation can't be done from that way.
But this is also a Mustahab practice.