16 – Chapter: The Command to Uphold the Sunnah and Observe Its Etiquette

Allah the Exalted says, “Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you from, abstain” (al-Hashr 59:7). He also says, “He does not speak from his own desire; it is nothing but revelation sent down” (al-Najm 53:3–4). And He says, “Say, ‘If you truly love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins’” (Āl-‘Imrān 3:31). He further states, “Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for anyone who hopes for Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah often” (al-Aḥzāb 33:21).

Explanation

The author—may Allah have mercy on him—said: “Chapter on the command to safeguard the Sunnah and its etiquette.” What is meant by the Sunnah here is the Sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ: his established way in worship, character, and dealings; it comprises his statements, actions, and tacit approvals. That is the Sunnah. Jurists also employ the term “sunnah” for an act whose performance is preferable to its omission—one for which a person is rewarded if he does it and not punished if he leaves it.

There is no doubt that Allah, exalted be He, sent the Messenger ﷺ with guidance and the religion of truth. Guidance denotes beneficial knowledge, while the religion of truth signifies righteous action. Thus both knowledge and practice are indispensable. A person cannot persevere in the Sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ unless he first learns it. Accordingly, the command to maintain the Sunnah is, by implication, a command to seek knowledge.

The pursuit of knowledge falls into three categories: an individual obligation (farḍ ʿayn), a communal obligation (farḍ kifāyah), and a recommended act (sunnah).