PART TWO
ASPECTS OF THE PROPHET’S SUNNAH
In his farewell address during the Hajj, the Messenger of Allah informed the large gathering of Muslims and all future generations that they would not fall into error so long as they adhered to the Book of Allah (the Qur’an) and Sunnah of His Prophet. "Sunnah" in Islamic terminology means the divinely ordained way or method followed by Prophet Muhammad, and is derived from the body of saheeh (authentic) and hasan (acceptable) hadith literature. In turn, the Prophet’s Sunnah is followed by Muslims as the best means to obtain Allah’s approval and His reward in the life to come.

The Sunnah is known through study of the confirmed narrations and the explanation of their meanings and proper application by qualified and trustworthy Muslim scholars. The study of hadiths is aimed at correctly understanding the rulings and lessons they contain, for they deal with what is obligatory, permitted or prohibited and demonstrate correct methods of worship.

They also reveal the core aspects of belief, mentality and behavior expected of human beings by their Creator. Unfortunately, much of the latter has been disregarded within Muslim populations of recent times. But the fact remains that all prophetic observations were spoken and recorded for the very reason that they are important elements of the religion, and as such cannot be ignored.
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Several verses of the Qur’an order obedience to the Messenger as a manifestation of obedience to Allah. Muslim scholars all agree that obedience to the Prophet after his death is in adherence to his Sunnah. The final Messenger was sent not only to pass on the message as Allah revealed it to him, but to explain it and put it into practice as an appropriate pattern of conduct that is not beyond the capabilities of ordinary human beings.

Hadith narrations illustrate how he exemplified and elaborated on the principles laid down in the Qur’an, providing guidelines for their correct interpretation and application. For example, in the Qur’an, Allah orders prayer. But it is from the Sunnah that one learns the times and conditions for prayer and how to perform it. In fact, everything in the Sunnah was directly or indirectly addressed by Allah in the Qur’an.

And the entire Sunnah is included in the verse which orders:
Whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - desist.61 The Prophet’s Sunnah, when taken in entirety, offers a balanced view of the Islamic faith, worship, education and discipline he advocated, one that compliments and completes the basic religious obligations that every Muslim is required to observe and obey. Beyond statements of legal rulings and merits of worship, his sayings reflect particular objectives of Islam.
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61 Qur’an - 59:7.
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In the following sections, statements of Prophet Muhammad are given in italics. All of them have been confirmed as authentic by scholars of hadith, and their narrators and degree of acceptability are cited in footnotes.62 People can benefit greatly by reflecting upon these words, relating them to their own situations and putting them into practice whenever possible. For the Sunnah relates to contemporary human existence, and indeed remains valid for all time to come as the foundation for a higher plane of civilization.