Chapter
XXI -The Traditions
Second
Source of Jurisprudence
he traditions of
the Prophet better known as Sunna or hadith is the second and undoubtedly secondary source. from
which the teachings of Islam are
drawn. Sunna, literally means a
way or rule or manner or example of acting, or mode of life; and hadîth, a saying conveyed
to man either through hearing or through revelation, ().
In Sunna indicates the doings, and hadîth the sayings of the Prophet, but, in effect, both cover the
same ground and are applicable to his actions, practices, and sayings, hadîth being the narration record of the Sunna but containing in
addition, various prophetical and historical elements
There are three
kinds of Sunna:
(1)
it may be a saying of the
Prophet which has a hearing on a religious object;
(2)
it may be an action or
practice of his, or
(3)
it may be his silent approval of the action or practice of
some person. We shall now consider to what extent can teachings of Islam, its
principles and it laws, be drawn from this source. The Koran
generally deals with the broad principles or essentials of religion going into
details in care cases. The details were generally supplied by the Prophet
himself, either by showing in his practice how an injunction shall be carried
out, or by giving explanation in words.
The snnna or hadîth of the Prophet was
a thing whereof the need had been felt after his death and which was much
needed in his lifetime. The two most important institutions of Islam for
instance, are prayer and zakat
(alms-giving); yet when
injunctions relating to prayer and zakat were delivered and
they were repeatedly met with both in Mecca and Medina revelations, no details were supplied "Keep up
prayer" is the Koranic injunction, and it was the Prophet himself who by his own action
gave the details of the service. "Pay the alms is again an injunction
frequently repeated in the Holy Koran, yet it was the Prophet who gave the
rules and regulations for its payment and collection. These are but two
examples; but since Islam covered the whole sphere of human activities;
hundreds of points had to be explained by the Prophet by his example in action
and word, while on the moral side, his was the pattern which every Muslim was
required to follow.
"Verily in
the messenger of God you have a good example to follow' (XXXIII~21). The
man, therefore, who embraced Islam stood in need of both the Holy Koran
and the Sunna.
