The Sunnah is Wisdom
By
Muhammad Amaan al-Jami
Translated by
Abbas Abu Yahya
‘Indeed Allaah mentioned the word ‘Wisdom’ in many Ayaat in the Great Book, it was mentioned in connection with the Book (the Qur’aan).
Of which there is no doubt is that the meaning which is indicated to by the word ‘wisdom’ in all of those Ayaat is the Prophetic Sunnah.
From those Ayaat is the saying of Allaah Ta’ala:
رَبَّنَا وَٱبۡعَثۡ فِيهِمۡ رَسُولٗا مِّنۡهُمۡ يَتۡلُواْ عَلَيۡهِمۡ ءَايَٰتِكَ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيهِمۡۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ
<Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own (and indeed Allâh answered their invocation by sending Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), who shall recite unto them Your Verses and instruct them in the Book (this Qur’ân) and Al-Hikmah (full knowledge of the Islâmic laws and jurisprudence or wisdom or Prophethood), and purify them. Verily! You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.>
[Baqarah: 129]
And Allaah Ta’ala said:
لَقَدۡ مَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ إِذۡ بَعَثَ فِيهِمۡ رَسُولٗا مِّنۡ أَنفُسِهِمۡ يَتۡلُواْ عَلَيۡهِمۡ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ وَيُزَكِّيهِمۡ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَإِن كَانُواْ مِن قَبۡلُ لَفِي ضَلَٰلٖ مُّبِينٍ
<Indeed Allaah conferred a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) from among themselves, reciting unto them His Verses (the Qur’aan), and purifying them (from sins by their following him), and instructing them (in) the Book (the Qur’aan) and Al-Hikmah [the wisdom and the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم (i.e. his legal ways, statements, acts of worship)], while before that they had been in manifest error.>
[Ala Imran: 164]
And He Subhanahu wa Ta’ala said:
{ وَلَوۡلَا فَضۡلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَیۡكَ وَرَحۡمَتُهُۥ لَهَمَّت طَّاۤىٕفَةࣱ مِّنۡهُمۡ أَن یُضِلُّوكَ وَمَا یُضِلُّونَ إِلَّاۤ أَنفُسَهُمۡۖ وَمَا یَضُرُّونَكَ مِن شَیۡءࣲۚ وَأَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَیۡكَ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَعَلَّمَكَ مَا لَمۡ تَكُن تَعۡلَمُۚ وَكَانَ فَضۡلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَیۡكَ عَظِیمࣰا }
<Had not the Grace of Allaah and His Mercy been upon you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), a party of them would certainly have made a decision to mislead you, but (in fact) they mislead none except their own selves, and no harm can they do to you in the least. Allaah has sent down to you the Book (The Qur’aan), and Al-Hikmah (Islâmic laws, knowledge of legal and illegal things i.e. the Prophet’s Sunnah – legal ways), and taught you that which you knew not. And Ever Great is the Grace of Allâh unto you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم).>
[Nisa’: 113]
And Allaah Ta’ala said:
وَٱذۡكُرُواْ نِعۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَمَآ أَنزَلَ عَلَيۡكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةِ
يَعِظُكُم بِهِۦۚ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمٞ
<but remember Allaah’s Favours on you (i.e. Islâm), and that which He has sent down to you of the Book (i.e. the Qur’ân) and Al-Hikmah (the Prophet’s Sunnah – legal ways – Islâmic jurisprudence.) whereby He instructs you. And fear Allâh, and know that Allâh is All-Aware of everything.>
[Baqarah: 231]
And the saying of Allaah Ta’ala:
وَٱذۡكُرۡنَ مَا يُتۡلَىٰ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ مِنۡ ءَايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ لَطِيفًا خَبِيرًا
<And remember (O you the members of the Prophet’s family, the Graces of your Lord), that which is recited in your houses of the Verses of Allaah and Al-Hikmah (i.e. Prophet’s Sunnah – legal ways, so give your thanks to Allaah and glorify His Praises for this Qur’aan and the Sunnah ). Verily, Allaah is Ever Most Courteous, Well-Acquainted with all things.>
[Ahzab: 34]
All the Ayaat which carry this meaning relay the word ‘wisdom’ connected to the Book (Qur’aan).
Imam Shaafi’ee -Rahimullaah- said: ‘Allaah obligated upon the people to follow His revelation and the Sunnan (plural of Sunnah) of His Messenger -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam.’
Imam Shaafi’ee also said in his well-known book ‘ar-Risalah’: ‘Allaah mentioned the Book which is the Qur’aan and He mentioned the word ‘Wisdom’, I heard from the one who is approved from the people of knowledge regarding the Qur’aan saying:
‘That Wisdom is the Sunnah of His Messenger’
Then Imam Shaafi’ee commented upon this statement:
‘And this is the most satisfactory of what has been said, and Allaah knows best.’
Then he explained saying:
‘Because the Qur’aan is Dhikr and wisdom followed it, and the Dhikr of Allaah is a blessing upon His creation and that is by them learning the Book and the wisdom. Therefore, it is not satisfactory – and Allaah knows best – to say that the wisdom mentioned here is not the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah, this is because it is linked along with the Book of Allaah.
The Qur’aan obligates obedience to His Messenger and ordered the people to follow his command, and it is not allowed to say regarding an obligatory issue that you should only return to the Book of Allaah, then only after that go to the Sunnah of His Messenger -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam.’
Imam Shaafi’ee continues:
‘That is because we explained that Allaah equaled Eemaan in His Messenger as the same as Eemaan in Allaah. The Sunnah of His Messenger is built upon the meaning of what Allaah had intended, then Wisdom was linked up with the book, and the wisdom follows the Book. And that was not made obligatory for anyone from Allaah’s creation other than His Messenger -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam.’
[Taken from ‘Manzilat Sunnah Fee Tashree al-Islaami p.21 – 23]
