The Sunnah and Hadith: Meaning, Importance, and Preservation
The Sunnah and Hadith: Meaning, Importance, and Preservation
It might seem to the new Muslim that the Quran is a sufficient guide for the believer, requiring only personal study and interpretation to implement its teachings and put them into practice. However, doing so may lead a person into the same kind of errors that non-prophetic interpreters of the Bible propagated to their congregations.
To truly appreciate the message of the Quran, one has to study the life, actions, and words of the Prophet ﷺ who brought it to us and exemplified it.
Thus, Muslims kept records of the doings and sayings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. These reports are called Hadith, and Muslims instituted a critical examination of the means by which these reports came down to us. If a Hadith is found to be strong, it is considered part of the Sunnah.
The Quran was not revealed as a book detached from the Prophet ﷺ. It was revealed to him, explained by him, lived by him, and implemented through his Sunnah. Without the Sunnah, a person is left to personal interpretation, which can easily lead to serious error.
The Meaning of Sunnah
More specifically, it means what has been authentically related from Prophet Muhammad ﷺ other than the Quran: his statements, actions, and tacit approvals or permissions regarding the statements or actions of his Companions.
The Sunnah is therefore not an independent religion beside the Quran. It is the Prophetic explanation, application, and living example of the Quran.
The Meaning of Hadith
Hadith is any report of Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ statements, actions, tacit approvals, manners, or physical characteristics.
A Hadith consists of two parts:
- The chain of narrators
- The text
To be considered a true report of the Prophet’s ﷺ speech or actions, both the text and the chain of narrators must meet strict conditions.
The chain of narrators is the route through which the report was transmitted. The text is the actual wording or content being transmitted. Hadith scholars examined both, because a report is not accepted merely because it sounds religious or useful.
Hadith and Sunnah
The Sunnah is contained in the reports that have come to us from the Prophet ﷺ, meaning the Hadith literature. We find the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ in the books of Hadith.
The statements, actions, tacit approvals, physical description, and manners of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ are all contained in the books of Hadith. Nothing of importance from his life is missing.
A Muslim can know how he prayed, fasted, lived at home, dealt with his Companions, and practiced the religion. Such a complete and accurate record is not available for any other historical figure.
The Hadith literature preserves the practical model of Islam. It shows how the Prophet ﷺ understood, explained, and applied the Quran in real life.
The Importance of the Sunnah
The Quran itself tells us how important the Sunnah is. It repeatedly commands obedience to the Messenger ﷺ, warns against disobeying him, and makes submission to his judgment part of true faith.
Obeying the Prophet ﷺ Is Obeying Allah
“He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah; but those who turn away — We have not sent you over them as a guardian.”
This verse establishes that obedience to the Messenger ﷺ is not optional or secondary. Obeying him is obedience to Allah.
The Command to Obey Allah and the Messenger ﷺ
“And obey Allah and the Messenger that you may obtain mercy.”
“And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger will be admitted by Him to gardens under which rivers flow, abiding eternally therein; and that is the great attainment.”
“And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger — then indeed, for him is the fire of Hell; they will abide therein forever.”
“O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and do not invalidate your deeds.”
These verses repeatedly command obedience to both Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. This destroys the claim that Islam can be reduced to personal reading of the Quran while dismissing the Prophetic explanation and authority.
Accepting the Prophet’s ﷺ Decisions Is Part of Faith
“But no, by your Lord, they will not truly believe until they make you, O Muhammad, judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves, and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in full, willing submission.”
This verse makes the Prophet’s ﷺ judgment part of faith itself. A person does not merely admire the Prophet ﷺ or quote him selectively. True submission requires accepting his judgment without inner resistance.
Following the Messenger ﷺ Earns Allah’s Love and Forgiveness
“Say, O Muhammad: If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”
Love of Allah is not proven by slogans. It is proven by following the Messenger ﷺ.
The Quran does not say, “If you love Allah, interpret the Book however you personally think best.” It says: follow the Messenger ﷺ.
The Quran Calls the Sunnah Hikmah
The Quran refers to the Sunnah as hikmah, meaning wisdom. The Sunnah was also revealed by Allah like the Quran, though it is not recited as Quran.
“And Allah has revealed to you the Book and wisdom.”
Allah counts it as His favor that He revealed the Book and the wisdom:
“And remember the favor of Allah upon you and what has been revealed to you of the Book and wisdom.”
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught both the Book and the wisdom:
“And teaches them the Book and wisdom.”
In this context, the article identifieshikmah as the Sunnah: the Prophetic guidance, explanation, and practical application revealed alongside the Quran.
Divine Preservation of the Sunnah
Allah says in the Quran:
“Indeed, it is We who sent down the Reminder, and indeed We will be its guardian.”
In this verse, the Reminder refers to everything Allah revealed: both the Quran and the Sunnah.
Allah promises to protect the Quran and the Sunnah, and this makes sense. The Quran is Allah’s final revelation, and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is Allah’s final prophet. Allah commands Muslims in the Quran to follow the Sunnah, as shown above.
If the Sunnah were not preserved, Allah would be ordering Muslims to do something impossible: to follow a Sunnah that either had not been preserved or no longer existed. Since such an expectation contradicts divine justice, Allah must have preserved the Sunnah.
Allah commands obedience to the Messenger ﷺ. Therefore, the Prophetic guidance needed for that obedience must remain accessible to the Ummah. It would be unjust to command Muslims to follow something impossible to know.
Allah preserved the Sunnah through human beings using various means, including memorization, transmission, writing, narrator criticism, and the later compilation of Hadith collections.
The Most Important Books of Hadith
A beginner should be aware of the most important books of Hadith that contain the Prophet’s ﷺ Sunnah.
Sahih al-Bukhari
Imam al-Bukhari lived from 810 to 870 CE. His bookSahih al-Bukhari is considered the most authentic and reliable book after the Quran.
Sahih al-Bukhari contains 2,602 unrepeated Hadith. It was translated into English by Dr. Muhsin Khan and was first published in 1976.
Hadith from Sahih al-Bukhari are commonly referenced simply as:
Sahih al-Bukhari
Sahih Muslim
Imam Muslim lived from 817 to 875 CE. His bookSahih Muslim contains 3,033 Hadith and is considered the most accurate book after Sahih al-Bukhari.
Sahih Muslim was translated into English by Abdul Hameed Siddiqui and published in 1976 with brief but useful commentary.
Hadith from Sahih Muslim are commonly referenced simply as:
Muslim
Riyad us-Saliheen
Imam al-Nawawi lived from 1233 to 1277 CE. His bookRiyad us-Saliheen, meaning Gardens of the Righteous, is a collection of Quranic verses and Hadith arranged according to topic.
Riyad us-Saliheen contains close to 1,900 authentic Hadith.
Of the three books mentioned here, Riyad us-Saliheen is the most appropriate for a beginner. Several translations exist, though many are without commentary. The most useful edition for beginners is one that includes some commentary.
The Six Books
There are other important books that contain many authentic Hadith. The most common are:
- Abu Dawood
- At-Tirmidhi
- An-Nasa’i
- Ibn Majah
Together with Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, these are called:
Al-Kutub al-Sittah means “The Six Books.” It refers to the six famous Hadith collections: Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abi Dawood, Jamiʿ at-Tirmidhi, Sunan an-Nasa’i, and Sunan Ibn Majah.
A detailed discussion of all these collections is outside the scope of this brief introduction to Hadith literature.
A Warning on Reading Hadith Without Knowledge
There is no single book that contains every Hadith. Rather, Hadith are mentioned in various books.
It is extremely important that a person does not rush to make judgments while reading Hadith. There may be another Hadith in another book that clarifies the report being read.
A person should not read one Hadith in isolation and immediately build conclusions from it. Another narration may explain it, restrict it, clarify it, or show how scholars understood it.
Reading explanations of Hadith gives the reader a much better understanding of the concepts mentioned in the reports. Scholars who write these explanations bring together other Hadith that shed light on the narration being discussed.
Interpreting specific Hadith, like interpreting the Quran, should be restricted to those knowledgeable in religion.
Beginner-Friendly Hadith Collections
There are Hadith collections written for general audiences, unlike more technical books of Hadith.
One of the best examples is Riyad us-Saliheen, mentioned above. It is easier for general Muslims to understand because it is arranged by topic and focuses on practical guidance.
Another good starting book is:
Al-Arbaʿun al-Nawawiyyah, or Forty Hadith Compiled by al-Nawawi, contains some of the most important and foundational Hadith in Islam.
An in-depth explanation of such beginner collections can help Muslims understand the basic principles of the religion before approaching more complex Hadith literature.
Conclusion
Therefore, a Muslim cannot separate the Quran from the Sunnah. The Quran gives the command, and the Sunnah shows its Prophetic explanation and practical implementation. Allah preserved the Sunnah just as He preserved the religion, using the efforts of scholars who examined narrators, chains, texts, and transmitted reports with precision.