The Authority of Sunnah
Book Specification
Item Code: | NAJ384 |
Author: | Justice Muhammad Taqi Usmani |
Publisher: | Kitab Bhavan |
Language: | Arabic Text with English Translation |
Edition: | 2009 |
ISBN: | 9788171511327 |
Pages: | 126 |
Cover: | Hardcover |
Other Details | 9 inch X 5.5 inch |
Weight | 290 gm |
Book Description
About the Book
A subject cherished by Muslims all over the world yet Misconstrued, Misargued, Disarrayed specially in - the English language writings written for the general reader interested in an authentically correct presentation of the second source of Islamic Law and love, ‘The Authority of Sunnah’ will take you into the much published year 2000, and beyond basic, simple informative educative, pleasing, authentic and every reassuring; answering doubts, removing cobwebs woven by those oriented by and to Orientalist.
Foreword
In October 1989, I was invited to present a paper on the “Authority of the Sunnah” in an international conference held in Chicago by an international Islamic organisation.
Since long, I felt the need of a brief English booklet containing basic information on “The Sunnah of the Holy Prophet it’s general features, the nature of it’s authority and the standard of it’s authenticity.
I took the opportunity to fulfil this need and wrote on the subject in a little more detail than was required in a conference of this type.
The present work is the result of the above endeavour. This book is meant for the general reader who wants to know what the “Sunnah of the Holy Prophet” is, how does it have a binding authority over all the Muslims for all times to come, what status has the Holy Quran given to it and what measures has the Ummab adopted to preserve it for the coming generations.
I hope that this humble effort will provide brief, yet clear, answers to questions of similar nature and will help understanding the true status of the ‘Sunnah’ as a source of Islamic Law and as a source of guidance for all Muslims in their practical lives. It will also assist, I hope, in removing certain doubts inculcated by few contemporary writers in respect of the authority of the Sunnah.
May Almighty Allah approve of this humble effort, adorne it with His pleasure and make it beneficial to the readers.
Contents
Foreword | 3 | |
Chapter 1 | ||
Sunnah: the Second Source of Islamic law | 5 | |
Definition of Sunnah | 6 | |
The status of the Holy Prophet | 6 | |
The obedience of the Messenger | 9 | |
Ittiba’ (following) of the Prophet | 18 | |
Two kinds of revelation | 23 | |
The second kind of revelation proved by the Holy Quran | 23 | |
The obedience of the Prophet as distinct from the obedience of a ruler | 40 | |
Chapter 2 | ||
The scope of the Prophetic Authority | 45 | |
The Prophet’s Authority to make laws | 45 | |
The Holy Prophet’s Authority to interpret the Holy Quran | 53 | |
Examples of Prophetic explanations of the Quran | 54 | |
Does the Holy Quran need explanation? | 59 | |
The time limit of the Prophetic authority | 61 | |
The Prophetic Authority in worldly affairs | 67 | |
The event of fecundation of the palm-trees | 70 | |
Chapter 3 | ||
The authenticity of the “Sunnah”: its historical aspect | 75 | |
The preservation of Sunnah | 78 | |
Three kinds of Ahadith | 78 | |
The authenticity of the first two kinds | 80 | |
Different ways ofAhadith preservation | 83 | |
1 | Memorization | 83 |
2 | Discussions | 89 |
3 | Practice | 92 |
Writing | 93 | |
The compilation of Hadith in the days of the Holy Prophet | 99 | |
The dictations of the Holy Prophet | 99 | |
The book of sadaqah | 100 | |
The script copy of Amr b. Hazm | 101 | |
Written directives to other Governors | 101 | |
Written directives for certain delegations | 102 | |
The compilations of Hadith by the companions of the Holy Prophet | 105 | |
The scripts of Abu Hurairah | 105 | |
The script of Abdullah ibn Amr | 106 | |
The script of Anas | 107 | |
The script of Ali | 107 | |
Scripts of Jabir | 109 | |
Scripts of Ibn ‘Abbas | 109 | |
The compilation of ahadith in the era after the companions | 111 | |
The compilations of the first century | 113 | |
The books of hadith written in the second century | 115 | |
The criticism of ahadith | 118 | |
1 | Scrutiny of the narrators | 120 |
2 | Constancy of the chain of narrators | 123 |
3 | Comparison with other narrations | 125 |
4 | General analysis of the tradition | 125 |
Conclusion | 126 |