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Is the scope of the authority of
Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم limited only to
the doctrinal affairs and the matter of worship, and not to worldly
affairs? By some Western circles, the function of the Prophet
صلى الله عليه وسلم is restricted to correct the doctrinal
beliefs of the ummah and to teach them how to worship Allah.
According to them, worldly affairs are not governed by the
prophetic authority. Nevertheless, the authority of the
Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) is clearly established
by the Holy Quran for all people and all times.
These worldly affairs
include, in the view of those who would limit the scope of the
Prophets authority, all the economic, social and political
affairs which should be settled according to the expediency at
each relevant time, and the Prophetic authority has no concern
with them. Even if the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم gives some directions in these fields, he
does so in his private capacity, and not as a Messenger. So,
it is not necessary for the Ummah to comply with such
directions.
A
report which is often misquoted to support the abovementioned
fallacious view is as follows from Imam Muslim: The blessed
Companion Talha (r) says: I passed along with the
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم across some
people who were on the tips of the palm-trees. The Prophet
صلى الله عليه وسلم asked, What are they doing?
Some people said, They are fecundating the tree. They insert
the male into the female and the tree stands fecundated. The
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, I do not think it will be of any use.
The people were informed
about what the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم
said. So, they stopped this operation. Then the Prophet
صلى الله عليه وسلم was informed about their
withdrawal. On this, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم says, If it is in fact useful to them, let them do it,
because I had only made a guess. So, do not cling to me in my
guess. But when I tell you something on behalf of Allah, take
it firm, because I shall never tell a lie on behalf of Allah.
Further, according to Anas (r) , the Prophet صلى
الله عليه وسلم has also said on this occasion, You know
more about your worldly affairs.
If
the ummah was to take the abovementioned hadith literally,
Islam, like some other religions would only be restricted to
doctrines and rituals, and having no concern with the
day-to-day affairs of the human life. Once one has observed
the prescribed doctrines and rituals, he is free to run his
life in whatever way he likes, not hindered in any manner by
the divine imperatives. However, it is an established fact
that Islam, unlike some other religions which can coincide and
co-exist with the secular concept of life, is not merely a set
of doctrines and rituals. Islam is a complete way of life
which deals with the political, economics and social problems
as well as the theological issues. Allah states in the Holy
Quran: O those who believe, respond to the call of Allah and
His Messenger when he calls you for what gives you life
(8:24).
There
are vast fields in our day-to-day worldly affairs which are
not directly commented upon by the Quran and Sunnah, where
people have been allowed to proceed according to their needs
and expedience on the basis of their knowledge and experience.
However, for these worldly affairs that are not directly
addressed by the Quran and Sunnah, the Muslim must align his
decision with existing principles laid down by both, to ensure
that they are guided Islamically in the performance of that
affair, and most importantly, avoiding the major sin of
committing shirk.
For, if Allah and His
Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم are to call
people towards life, the affairs of life must totally be
within the jurisdiction of Allah and His Messenger صلى
الله عليه وسلم . Otherwise, vital branches of human life
will always fall prey to satanic desires leading the people
toward disaster.
Furthermore,
none who has studied the Quran can endorse that its teachings
are limited to worship and rituals only. There are specific
injunctions in the Quran about sales, purchase loans,
mortgages, partnership, penal laws, inheritance, matrimonial
relations, political, social and family affairs, problems of
war and peace and other aspects of worldly relations.
Likewise, the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم also deals with the economic, social, political and
legal problems in such details that voluminous books have been
written to compile them. The injunctions of the Quran and the Sunnah in this field (worldly affairs) are so absolute,
imperative, and of mandatory nature that they cannot be
imagined to be personal advices lacking any legal (divine)
reference.
Finally,
there are numerous verses from the Quran which enjoin the
obedience of Allah and the authority of the Messenger (sallallaahu
alayhi wa sallam) upon the believers, in particular Chapter 4
Aayat 65 which says (meaning): But no, by your Lord! They
could not be believers, until they make you (Muhammad) judge
in all disputes between them and find in their souls no
resistance against your decisions, but accept them fully with
submission.
Hence, to accept the
fallacy that the Prophets صلى الله عليه وسلم authority does not encompass worldly affairs, is to
denounce the second source of Islamic Law, the Sunnah. This
authority of the Sunnah is based on the revelation the Prophet
صلى الله عليه وسلم received from Allah. This
obedience to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has
nowhere been limited to some particular field. It is an
all-embracing obedience which requires total submission from
the believers, having no exception whatsoever, neither by
limiting its tenure, nor by exempting the worldly affairs from
its scope.
The
Sunnah As A Decision Factor
One
of the biggest calamities that hinders Muslims of today,
whether commoners or those considered to be of knowledge, is
the lack of knowledge of the Sunnah in deciding matters for
themselves or guiding others. As Muslims, the decision making
process for our daily lives is made easy for us as we are
aided divinely by the Quran and Sunnah (the speech, action or
approval of a speech or action by Prophet Muhammad). Anas
reported that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: I have left with you two things that (if you
hold fast the them) you will never be misled after them (as
long as you hold fast to them): The Book of Allah and my Sunnah. They will not separate from each other till they meet
me on the Hawdh (The pool of Paradise river water that flows
outside the gates of Paradise on the Hereafter). [Malik &
Al-Hakim] Furthermore, it is clear in the Quran that Allah has
directed all Muslims to seek help from Him and the Prophet
صلى الله عليه وسلم : O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the
Messenger and those charged with authority among you; and if
you differ in anything among yourselves, them refer it to
Allah and the Messenger if you do believe in Allah and the
Last Day. That is best and most suitable for final
determination. [4:59]
What
Path Do We Take?
The
Muslims must continue to strive in the footsteps of the
Prophets Companions (radiallahu anhum) as they hankered after
knowledge in every facet of their lives in what the Prophet
said and did. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم
instructed his followers to make his Sunnah as widely know as
possible, taking care that they should not attribute to him
anything falsely. He صلى الله عليه وسلم
asked his followers to acquire knowledge and teach it to
others. In his farewell address the Prophet صلى الله
عليه وسلم
declared, Convey to others even if it a single verse from me.
Thus the Companions (radiallahu anhum) regarded the knowledge
of the Sunnah as a sacred trust which they must convey to
others and to practice themselves.
There
are numerous examples set by Companions (radiallahu anhum)
which show how emphatically they abided by the Sunnah of the
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم , in addition to taking
long and arduous journeys to obtain a single hadith. So great
was the Companions (radiallahu anhum) attachment and
allegiance to the Sunnah and with such intense zeal and
devotion did they follow the Prophet, that if they saw someone
ignoring or deviating from the Sunnah, they would exhort him
to follow it. History has recorded that once Abdullah bin Umar
(radiallahu anhumaa), who is well-known for his adherence to
the Sunnah, saw his son Bilal stopping his wife from going to
the mosque. Umar said, Dont do that because the Messenger of
Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم has said: Dont stop the
slave-girls of Allah from entering the Houses of Allah. Bilal
was adamant the he would not allow her even after listening to
this saying. Ibn Umar (r) was so upset the he
swore never to speak to him again until his dying day.
Asking
For Evidence
In
following the Sunnah, there could be many instances that
someone tells us something or performs a certain action, and
they say its okay to do it, or its Sunnah, and maybe quote a
hadith. In whatever case, or if you have some doubts about
their source, it is acceptable to ask the individual for
proof. Once Abu Musa (r) asked permission to
enter upon Umar (r) , but seeing that he was
busy, he went away. Umar then said, Didnt I hear the voice of
Abdullah bin Qais? Allow him to come in. He was called in and
Umar said to him, What made you do what you did. He replied,
We have been instructed (i.e. to leave if not admitted after
asking permission three times) thus by the Prophet. Umar said,
Bring proof (witness) for this, otherwise I will do so-and-so
to you. Then Abdullah bin Qais went to a gathering of the
Ansaar who then said, None but the youngest of us will give
the witness for it. So Abu Said Al-Khudri (r)
got up and said, We used to be instructed thus (by the
Prophet). Umar said, This tradition of the Prophet remained
hidden from me. Business in the market kept me busy.
(Al-Bukhari)
Allah
has instructed us to hold fast to His Rope, ie, Islam: And
hold fast, all of you together to the Rope of Allah and be not
divided among yourselves, and remember Allahs favor on you,
for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts
together, so that by His Grace, you became brethren...
[3:103]. The Rope of Allah includes the Sunnah of His
Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم as evident by the
knowledge of the correct performance of salaah. Given the
instructions in the Quran that we must pray, there are no
instructions on how we should perform the prayer. Without the
Sunnah of salaah from the Messenger of Allah صلى الله
عليه وسلم , Muslims would be in dispute with one
another or be divided among ourselves. So, we can not exclude
the Sunnah from being knots in the Rope of Islam.
No
Question of What the Criterion Is
The actions and deeds of
the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم were divinely
inspired. Therefore, the same emphasis that we give to
following the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم in the correct performance of prayer, should
also be given to following his Sunnah in our daily decision
making. For the Sunnah are not to be taken as wise saying of
sages and philosophers or the verdicts of rulers and leaders.
However, one should believe with full conviction that the
words and actions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم represent the will of Allah, and thus by following the Sunnah as the Companions did, who were universally regarded as
the living embodiment of the Sunnah, we are likewise blessed
with Allahs support, guidance and have set to motion an
acknowledgment and renewal of our faith in Allahs command: It
is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His
Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have an
option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allah and His
Messenger, he has indeed strayed in a plan error. [33:36] In
other words, by not following the Sunnah of the Prophet
صلى الله عليه وسلم , one does not secure Allahs support, help,
inspiration to do good or His protection. He who does not
enjoin Divine Guidance (Quran and Sunnah) in his
decision-making is seized by Satan, especially if he is aware
of Allah instructions and the examples of the Messenger of
Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم , and instead embodies
disunity, hatred, lack of brotherhood, religious differences
and sectarian practices.
The
Prophet taught the method of worship and prayer. He taught
equality of mankind, rightful justice, workers rights and
complete obedience to Allah. He explained and showed us the
responsibilities an individual has to himself, his parents,
his family, his relatives, his neighbours, his friends, other
religious sects, the society at large and animals. He taught
the method of keeping oneself safe, clean, tidy, healthy, and
pious. He taught us the correct ways of carrying out
businesses. He taught us of the correct means of earning and
spending our money. He taught us to be good and polite with
others. He gave details of good manners and decency. He also
showed us, from his own examples, how to talk, walk, deal with
others, and move about in society. He showed us what our
lifestyle at home should be like. He showed us the ways and
methods of ruling and governing our society and the world.
In
short, the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم , is complete. It tells and shows us everything that a
Muslim needs to know to make rightfully guided decisions in
our daily life, and eliminate the need to associate oneself
with any other sources of secular guidance. The Sunnah is one
of the preserved sources of Islamic knowledge, which must be
studied, and more importantly implemented in the daily lives
of Muslims. And finally, we are told of the punishment one
would get in the next world if he refuses to follow this
guidance: And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger will be
admitted to Gardens under which rivers flow (in Paradise), to
abide therein, and that will be the great success. And
whosoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger and transgress His
Limits, He will cast him into the Fire, to abide therein, and
he shall have a disgraceful torment.[4:13-14]
(Complied
from: The Authority and Authenticity of Hadith as a Source of
Islamic Law by Justice Muhammad Taqi Usmani; The Hadith is
Proof Itself in Belief and Laws Shaykh Nasir Ad-Din al-Albani;
The Way of the Prophet Shaykh Muhammad Sadiq; An Introduction
to the Sunnah Suhaib Hasan, The Study of Al-Quran - Al Quran
Society; A Treasury of Hadith
Dr Mazhar U Kazi)
Al-Haramain
Foundation
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