2. The Explanatory Position of the Sunnah

The second means of guidance given to Muslims is the Sunnah, that is, the practical example of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, which he demonstrated to elucidate the teachings of the Holy Quran. For example, the number of rak’ats in the five daily prayers are not apparently evident in the Holy Quran. How many rak’ats are to be observed in the morning and how many at other times? However, this has been clarified by the Sunnah. One ought not to be deceived into thinking that the Sunnah and Hadith are one and the same thing. The Hadith were collected after some 100 to 150 years, but the Sunnah existed along with the Holy Quran since the very beginning. After the Holy Quran the greatest favour that has been bestowed on the Muslims is the Sunnah. The obligations of God and His Messenger were primarily two. Firstly, God revealed the Quran and through the agency of His Word informed His creation of His will. This was the obligation of God’s law. Then, the obligation of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was to practically demonstrate the Word of God and thus clearly expound it to the people. In this way he provided a practical demonstration of this Word and through his Sunnah i.e. his way of practice, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, resolved matters of intricacy and difficulty. It would be wrong to suggest that such issues were resolved by the Hadith, for Islam had already been established on earth before the Hadith had come into existence… Prior to the compilation of Hadith, did the people not observe Prayers, or, for that matter, pay the Zakat, perform the Hajj, or possess knowledge of that which was lawful and forbidden?