And the Sunnah too is sent down to him through revelation, just as the Quran is sent down, though it is not recited as the Quran is recited. Imam al-Shāfi‘ī and other imams have supported this with abundant evidence, which this is not the place to discuss.

The point is that you should seek the interpretation of the Quran in the Quran itself; if you do not find it there, then seek it in the Sunnah. Thus, when the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent Mu‘ādh to Yemen, he asked him:

“On what basis will you judge?”

He replied, “By the Book of Allah.”

He asked, “And if you do not find it there?”

He replied, “By the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah.”

He asked, “And if you do not find it there?”

He replied, “I will exercise my own judgment.”

He related that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, then struck him on the chest and said:

“Praise be to Allah, who has guided the envoy of the Messenger of Allah to what pleases the Messenger of Allah.”

This hadith is found in the Musnad and Sunan collections with a good chain of transmission.

When we find no interpretation in either the Quran or the Sunnah, we turn to the statements of the Companions. They knew better about this because they directly witnessed the Quran’s revelation and experienced circumstances unique to them, and because of their thorough understanding, sound knowledge, and righteous deeds. This applies especially to their scholars and leading figures, such as the four imams—the Rightly Guided Caliphs—and the rightly guided leaders, such as ‘Abd Allāh ibn Mas‘ūd.

Imam Abū Ja‘far Muhammad ibn Jarīr al-Tabarī said: Abū Kurayb narrated to us, saying: Jābir ibn Nūh informed us: al-A‘mash informed us, from Abū al-Duhā, from Masrūq, who reported that ‘Abd Allāh—meaning Ibn Mas‘ūd—said:

“By Him besides whom there is no god, no verse of the Book of Allah was revealed without my knowing