‫الس نة واحلديث‬

Sunnah and Ḥadīth

By Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwi
Translation by Dr. Abu Zayd

‫ سلسةل امالء اخلاطر‬ Imlā al-Khāṭir Series

A Centre for Arabic and Islamic Sciences

Oxford . London . Online
©Al-Salam Institute 2019 C.E./1440 A.H.
Translation review Sumara Khan  Proofreading Moiz Mohammed
All rights are reserved.

‫مجيع احلقوق حمفوظة‬

Imlā al-Khāṭir Series

In this series, which he names Imlā al-Khāṭir (literally, “dictation of thoughts”), Dr.
Mohammad Akram Nadwi follows in the tradition of the Ḥanbalī scholar Ibn al-Jawzī’s
Ṣayd al-Khāṭir and shares with the world his reflections on a variety of topics ranging
from theology to law, history to heart softeners, philosophy, education and more.
Composed in a casual, conversational style consisting of questions followed by their
brief answers (each portion predicated by qālū/qultu, “they said”/”I responded”), he
utilizes therein the highest level of Arabic, reflecting his love of the language and his
extensive expertise in Arabic grammar and rhetoric. These short but poignant
reflections are part of the balāghah genre and tradition of Arabic literature. It should
be noted that these translations, done by his senior students, serve as a guide and
can never fully match the style, tone and eloquence of the original Arabic. Also note
that Dr. Akram does not necessarily review each translation and is not responsible for
any errors, improper word choices, or the likes, that are an inevitable part of the
translation process.

Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwi

Dr. Mohammad Akram Nadwi is a world-renowned scholar of Indian origin who has
resided in England for an extensive time. After receiving in-depth training to an
advanced level in the traditional Islamic disciplines at the famous Nadwat al-Ulama
seminary in Lucknow, India, and receiving a PhD in Arabic literature from Lucknow
University, he became a research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies,
where he conducted research for a number of years on a variety of topics, including
Ḥadīth and Sufi orders in India. He has published widely in Urdu, Persian, Arabic and
English, including translations (like his work on Shāh Walīullah, Bustān al-
Muḥaddithīn), editions of Arabic texts (such as a renowned critical edition of Uṣūl al-
Shāshī in Ḥanafī jurisprudence), and original monographs on Islamic law, female
ḥadīth narrators and such figures as Abū Ḥanīfah and Sayyid Abul Ḥasan ʿAlī Nadwi.
His groundbreaking work, yet to be published, is an encyclopedic 40-volume
documentation of the legacy of female scholarship in the Islamic tradition. He co-
founded the Al-Salam Institute in 2006 where he continues to serve as Principal and
Senior Lecturer.

2
Introduction
Building on his articles looking at the intersection of ḥadīth and fiqh,
this monograph examines conceptual differences between sunnah
and ḥadīth.

3
 ‫بسم هللا الرمحن الرحمي‬

‫الس نة واحلديث‬
‫بقمل‪ :‬محمد أكرم الندوي‬
‫أوكسفورد‬

‫قالوا‪ :‬ما معىن الس نة؟ يه يف الاصطالح الطريقة اليت س َّنه ا النيب‬
‫صىل هللا عليه وسمل وانهتجها يف العبادات وسائر أمور ادلين‪ ،‬مث اس متر‬
‫علهيا اخللفاء الراشدون املهديون وسائر الصحابة‪ ،‬ومن َخلَ َفهم من أمئة‬
‫التابعني وأتباعهم‪.‬‬
‫قالوا‪ :‬ما معىن احلديث؟ هو اخلرب املتضمن قول النيب صىل هللا عليه‬
‫وسمل أو فعهل أو تقريره أو صفة من صفاته أو شأان من شؤونه‪.‬‬
‫مفا النس بة بيَّنام؟ نس بة التطابق أو نس بة التباين؟ قلت‪ :‬ال هذه وال‬
‫تكل‪ ،‬وامنا النس بة بيَّنام نس بة العموم واخلصوص من وجه‪ ،‬فبعض السنن‬
‫حديث‪ ،‬كام أن بعض احلديث س نة‪ ،‬فاحلديث أمع من الس نة من وجه‪،‬‬
‫والس نة أمع من احلديث من وجه‪ ،‬مفا روي من كثري من أقوال النيب‬
‫صىل هللا عليه وسمل وأفعاهل وتقريراته وصفاته حديث وليس بس نة‪ ،‬وما‬

‫‪4‬‬
 ‫توارثه الفقهاء يف المصار يف القرون املشهود لها ابخلري من كثري من‬
‫الطرق املتبعة يف الصالة والزاكة واحلج والقضية والحاكم سنن‪ ،‬وما يه‬
‫ابلحاديث والخبار‪.‬‬
‫قالوا‪ :‬ائت لنا مبثال‪ .‬قلت‪ :‬المثةل كثرية منترشة يف كتب احلديث‬
‫والفقه‪ ،‬قالوا‪ :‬ارشهحام لنا بأمثةل متقابةل متزي بيَّنام متيزيا‪ ،‬قلت‪ :‬من أمثةل‬
‫الس نة‪ :‬ما رواه ماكل عن محيد الطويل عن أنس بن ماكل أنه قال‪ :‬مقت‬
‫وراء أيب بكر ومعر وعامثن فلكهم اكن ال يقرأ بسم هللا الرمحن الرحمي اذا‬
‫افتتح الصالة‪ .‬وقد أخرجه الش يخان وغريهام من أمئة احلديث‪ ،‬ويؤيده‬
‫حديث أيب هريرة أن النيب صىل هللا عليه وسمل قال‪ :‬قال هللا تعاىل‪:‬‬
‫قسمت الصالة بيين وبني عبدي نصفني ولعبدي ما سأل‪ ،‬فاذا قال العبد‪:‬‬
‫(امحلد هلل رب العاملني) قال هللا‪" :‬محدين عبدي‪".‬‬
‫ومَّنا ما رواه حيىي بن حيىي اللييث يف املوطأ‪ ،‬قال‪ :‬مسعت مالاك يقول يف‬
‫صيام س تة أايم بعد الفطر من رمضان‪ :‬اين مل أر أحدا من أهل العمل‬
‫والفقه يصوهما‪ ،‬ومل يبلغين ذكل عن أحد من السلف‪ ،‬وأن أهل العمل‬
‫يكرهون ذكل وخيافون بدعته وأن يلحق برمضان ما ليس منه أهل‬
‫اجلهاةل واجلفاء لو رأوا يف ذكل خفته عند أهل العمل ورأومه يعملون ذكل‪.‬‬
‫ومَّنا ما أخرج أبو داود عن طاووس قال‪ :‬س ئل ابن معر عن الركعتني‬
‫قبل املغرب فقال‪ :‬ما رأيت أحدا عىل عهد رسول هللا صىل هللا عليه‬
‫وسمل يصلهيام‪ ،‬وأخرج عبد الرزاق يف مصنفه عن عن ابراهمي النخعي‬
‫‪5‬‬
 ‫رمحه هللا قال‪ :‬مل يصل أبو بكر‪ ،‬وال معر‪ ،‬وال عامثن‪ ،‬الركعتني قبل‬
‫املغرب‪.‬‬
‫ومن أمثةل احلديث‪ :‬ما رواه النسايئ يف سننه‪ ،‬قال‪ :‬أخربان محمد بن عبد‬
‫هللا بن عبد احلمك عن شعيب‪ ،‬حدثنا الليث‪ ،‬حدثنا خادل عن سعيد بن‬
‫أيب هالل‪ ،‬عن نعمي اجملمر قال‪ :‬صليت وراء أيب هريرة‪ ،‬فقرأ بسم هللا‬
‫الرمحن الرحمي‪ ،‬مث قرأ بأم القرأن ‪ ...‬وقال يف الخري‪ :‬واذلي نفيس بيده‬
‫اين لش هبمك صالة برسول هللا صىل هللا عليه وسمل‪.‬‬
‫ومَّنا ما رواه مسمل يف حصيحه‪ ،‬قال‪ :‬حدثنا حيىي بن أيوب وقتيبة بن‬
‫سعيد وعيل بن جحر مجيعا عن اسامعيل قال ابن أيوب حدثنا اسامعيل‬
‫بن جعفر أخربين سعد بن سعيد بن قيس عن معر بن اثبت بن احلارث‬
‫اخلزريج عن أيب أيوب النصاري ريض هللا عنه أنه حدثه أن رسول هللا‬
‫صىل هللا عليه وسمل قال‪ :‬من صام رمضان مث أتبعه س تا من شوال اكن‬
‫كصيام ادلهر‪.‬‬
‫ومَّنا ما رواه مسمل‪ ،‬قال‪ :‬حدثنا شيبان بن فروخ حدثنا عبد الوارث‬
‫عن عبد العزيز وهو ابن صهيب عن أنس بن ماكل قال‪ :‬كنا ابملدينة فاذا‬
‫أذن املؤذن لصالة املغرب ابتدروا السواري فريكعون ركعتني ركعتني حىت‬
‫ان الرجل الغريب ليدخل املسجد فيحسب أن الصالة قد صليت من‬
‫كرثة من يصلهيام‪ ،‬وما رواه البخاري‪ ،‬قال‪ :‬حدثنا أبو معمر حدثنا عبد‬
‫الوارث عن احلسني عن عبد هللا بن بريدة قال حدثين عبد هللا املزين‬
‫‪6‬‬
 ‫عن النيب صىل هللا عليه وسمل قال صلوا قبل صالة املغرب قال يف‬
‫الثالثة ملن شاء كراهية أن يتخذها الناس س نة‪.‬‬
‫قالوا‪ :‬اذا عارض حديث س نة فأهيام يقدم؟ قلت‪ :‬الس نة تقدم عىل‬
‫احلديث‪ ،‬مفا أوردان من أمثةل السنن يرحج عىل الحاديث اليت أتبعناها‪.‬‬
‫قالوا‪ :‬أو ليس يس تلزم ذكل تكذيب الخبار الصحيحة أو ردها من دون‬
‫مسوغ؟ قلت‪ :‬ال‪ ،‬لن الس نة يه بيان كتاب هللا‪ ،‬ويه الطريقة املس مترة‬
‫املتوارثة جيال عن جيل يف القرون املشهود لها خبري‪ ،‬والخبار والحاديث‬
‫املعارضة للسنن همام حصت حتمتل النسخ أو اخلطأ أو نوعا من التأويل‪.‬‬
‫قالوا‪ :‬وهل نص أمئة الهدى عىل ما ذهبت اليه؟ قلت‪ :‬نعم ففي ترتيب‬
‫املدارك ‪ :44/1‬قال ماكل‪ :‬رأيت محمد بن أيب بكر بن معرو بن حزم‪،‬‬
‫واكن قاضيا‪ ،‬واكن أخوه عبد هللا كثري احلديث‪ ،‬رجل صدق‪ ،‬فسمعت‬
‫عبد هللا اذا قىض محمد ابلقضية‪ ،‬قد جاء فهيا احلديث خمالفا للقضاء‪،‬‬
‫يعاتبه‪ ،‬يقول هل‪ :‬أمل يأت يف هذا حديث كذا؟ فيقول‪ :‬بىل‪ ،‬فيقول هل‪ :‬مفا‬
‫كل ال تقيض به؟ فيقول‪ :‬فأين الناس عنه؟ وفيه‪ :‬قال ابن املعذل‪ :‬مسعت‬
‫انساان سأل ابن املاجشون‪ :‬مل رويمت احلديث مث تركمتوه؟ قال‪ :‬ليعمل أان‬
‫عىل عمل تركناه"‪ ،‬قال ربيعة‪ :‬ألف عن ألف خري من واحد عن واحد‪،‬‬
‫وروي مثل ذكل عن ابراهمي النخعي وماكل بن أنس رمحهم هللا تعاىل‪.‬‬

‫‪7‬‬
‫قالوا‪ :‬من الناس من جعل الس نة واحلديث مرتادفني؟ قلت‪ :‬قد فعل ومل‬
‫يصب‪ ،‬فأخل ابلفقه ومَّنج الفقهاء اخالال بينا‪ .‬قالوا‪ :‬ن ِبني لنا ذكل بياان‬
‫شاف ًيا‪ .‬قلت‪ :‬قد فعلت يف مقايل "بني احلديث والفقه‪".‬‬
‫قالوا‪ :‬هل حنتاج اىل احلديث لتوثيق السنن؟ قلت‪ :‬نعم‪ ،‬فلكام نسب‬
‫الناس س نة اىل النيب صىل هللا عليه وسمل أو أحصابه أو من بعدمه وجب‬
‫أن يوثقوه بأنواع من التوثيق‪ ،‬ومَّنا طريق احملدثني‪ ،‬واعلموا أن توثيق‬
‫السنن ال يقترص مَّنجه عىل طريق احملدثني‪ ،‬وقد أوحضت ذكل يف‬
‫مقااليت السابقة‪.‬‬

‫‪8‬‬
Sunnah and Ḥadīth
By Dr. Mohammed Akram Nadwi
Oxford, UK

They asked:

What is the meaning of sunnah? The technical meaning of the term is a way
or practice that was established and pursued by the Prophet, peace be upon
him, and then by the Rightly Guided Caliphs, the rest of the Companions,
and the leading figures in the generations that followed them.

And what is the meaning of ḥadīth? Technically, it is a report comprised of

the words of the Prophet, peace be upon him, or of his actions, tacit
approvals, characteristics or other personal matters.

And what is the real connection between them? Is it a successive, sequential

relationship, or an explanatory one in which one elaborates on the other?

I replied:

It is neither. The relation between them, from one respect, is that of

specification (i.e. general versus specific). Some of the sunnah is ḥadīth,
while some ḥadīth is sunnah. So ḥadīth is broader than sunnah from one
aspect, while sunnah is broader than ḥadīth from another. Much of what is
narrated concerning the Prophet’s statements, actions, approvals or
descriptions are ḥadīth and not sunnah. And much of what was passed on
by the jurists of the various regions among the early generations, in terms
of followed practices concerning prayer, charity, pilgrimage, edicts and
rulings, are sunnah but not ḥadīth or reports.

They asked: Can you give us an example?

I replied:

Examples are abundant and widespread in the books of ḥadīth and fiqh.

They said: Please explain with alternating examples that would distinguish
the two notions properly.

9
I replied:

3 Examples of Sunnah
An example of sunnah is what Mālik relates from Ḥumayd al-Ṭawīl from Anas
b. Mālik who said: I prayed behind Abū Bakr, ʿUmar and ʿUthmān, and none
of them practiced Basmalah1 when they began their prayers.2 Bukhārī and
Muslim, as well as other Imāms of ḥadīth, also related this. It is additionally
supported by a ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah in which he reports that the Prophet,
peace be upon him, said: God says: “I have divided the prayer into two
halves between myself and my servant, and for my servant is what he/she
asks for. When the servant states, ‘Praise belongs to God, Lord of the
worlds,’ God replies, ‘My servant has praised me . . .’”3

Another example [of sunnah] is what Yaḥyā b. Yaḥyā al-Laythī relates in the
Muwaṭṭaʾ: I heard Mālik say concerning the six days of fasting after the Eid
al-Fiṭr following Ramadan, “I have not observed any person of knowledge
and understanding fast these days, and such a report has not reached me
from any of the early authorities. And the people of knowledge considered
the practice makrūh (detested) fearing that it would become an innovated
practice or that ignorant ones would add to Ramadan that which did not
belong to it.”4

Yet another example is that Abū Dāwūd relates from Ṭawūs who said: I
asked Ibn ʿUmar about praying two rakʿahs before Maghrib and he replied,

1 According to the author, the term basmalah refers to the act of reciting God’s
name in the beginning of any act, usually done with the phrase: bismillāhi-rraḥmāni-
rraḥīm (“With the name of God, most Gracious, most Merciful”). Therefore, the
term “reciting basmalah” as is commonly used is incorrect since it considers
basmalah to refer to the phrase rather than the act. Hence, I have translated
“practiced basmalah.”
2
Muwaṭṭaʾ Imām Mālik: Kitāb al-ṣalāh (Book of Prayer). Bāb al-ʿamal bil-qirāʾat
(Chapter: Actions in recitation).
3 Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: Kitāb al-ṣalāh (Book of Prayer). Bāb wujūb qirāʾat al-fātiḥah fī kulli

rakʿah (Chapter: Obligation of reciting al-Fātiḥah in every rakʿah). The sunnah of no

basmalah in the beginning of the prayer is supported in this ḥadīth by the fact that
the phrase is not mentioned here, although this ḥadīth contains a detailed line-by-
line conversational summary of al-Fātiḥah in the context of prayer.
4 Muwaṭṭaʾ Imām Mālik: Kitāb al-ṣiyām (Book of Fasting). Bāb jāmiʿ al-ṣiyām

(Chapter: The one who combines the fast).

10
“I have not seen anyone in the era of the Prophet, peace be upon him, pray
these.”5 ʿAbd al-Razzāq relates in his Muṣannaf from Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī who
said: “Neither Abū Bakr, nor ʿUmar, nor ʿUthmān ever prayed two rakʿahs
before Maghrib.”6

3 Examples of Ḥadīth
Examples of ḥadīth include what was related by Nasā’ī in his Sunan:
Muḥammad b. ʿAbdullah b. ʿAbd al-Ḥakam informed us from Shuʿayb: Layth
informed us: Khālid informed us from Saʿīd b. Abū Hilāl from Nuʿaym al-
Mujmir, who said: I prayed behind Abū Hurayrah, and he practiced basmalah
and then recited al-Fātiḥah . . . And he said at the end, “By the One in Whose
Hand is my soul, my prayer most closely resembles that of the Prophet
among you.”7

Another example is that which Muslim narrated in his Ṣaḥīḥ: Yaḥyā b. Ayyūb,
Qutaybah b. Saʿīd and ʿAlī b. Ḥujr all reported to me: from Ismāʿīl: Ibn Ayyūb
said: Ismāʿīl b. Jaʿfar related to us: Saʿd b. Saʿīd b. Qays related to me from
ʿUmar b. Thābit b. al-Ḥārith al-Khazrajī from Abū Ayyūb al-Anṣārī, God be
pleased with him, who related to him that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
said: “Whoever fasts Ramadan, then follows that with six from [the month
of] Shawwāl would be as if he fasted for a lifetime.”8

Yet another example is what Muslim narrated: Shaybān b. Farrūkh narrated

to us: ʿAbd al-Wārith narrated to us from ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz (and he is Ibn Suhayb)
from Anas b. Mālik who said: When we were in Madīnah, the moment the
Muʾadhdhin made the call to the sunset prayer, the people hastened to the
pillars of the mosque and prayed two rakʿahs with the result that any

5
Sunan Abū Dāwūd: Kitāb al-taṭawuʿ (Book of Voluntary Deeds). Bāb al-ṣalāh qabl al-
maghrib (Chapter: Praying before Maghrib).
6 Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq: Kitāb al-ṣalāh (Book of Prayer). Bāb al-rakʿatayn qabl al-

maghrib (Chapter: Two rakʿahs before Maghrib).

7 Sunan al-Nasā’ī: Kitāb al-iftitāḥ (Book of Opening). Bāb qirāʾat bismillāh al-rahman

al-raḥīm (Chapter: Reciting “In the name of God, most Gracious, most Merciful).
8 Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: Kitāb al-ṣiyām (Book of Fasting). Bāb istiḥbāb ṣaum sittat ayyām min

shawwāl ittibāʿan li ramaḍān (Chapter: Recommendation of fasting six days in

Shawwāl following Ramadan).

11
stranger coming into the mosque would think that the obligatory prayer had
been observed owing to the number who were praying then. 9

Another is what Bukhārī relates: Abū Maʿmar related to us: ʿAbd al-Wārith
related to us from Ḥusayn from ʿAbdullah b. Buraydah who said: ʿAbdullah
al-Muzanī related to me from the Prophet, peace be upon him, who said:
“Pray before the Maghrib prayer.” He said it three times, and in the third,
he said, “For whoever wants to do so.” He said so because he did not like
the people to take it as a sunnah.10

When Ḥadīth Clashes with Sunnah

They asked: If a ḥadīth clashes with a sunnah, which of them do we prefer?

I replied: The sunnah takes priority over ḥadīth. The examples we related of
the sunnah are prioritized over the ḥadīth that we have reported.11

They asked: Does that not necessitate that we reject sound reports without
justification?

I replied:

No, because the sunnah is an elaboration of the Book of God and the
continuing, inherited tradition passed on one generation to another, among
the golden centuries. Ḥadīth and reports that conflict with the sunnah,
despite their authenticity, carry the possibility of being abrogated,
containing errors or an alternate interpretation.

They asked: Did any of the guided Imāms speak of this?

9 Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: Kitāb ṣalāh al-musāfirīn wa qaṣrihā (Book of the Prayer of the
Traveler and its Shortening). Bāb istiḥbāb rakʿatayn qabl ṣalāh al-maghrib (Chapter:
Recommendation of two rakʿahs before Maghrib prayer).
10 Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī: Kitāb al-iʿtiṣām bil-kitāb wal-sunnah (Book on Holding Fast to the

Book and the Sunnah). Bāb nahy al-nabiyy ʿalā al-taḥrīm illā mā tuʿraf ibāḥatuhu
(Chapter: The forbidding of the Prophet makes something forbidden unless its
permission is known).
11 It can be summarized that in Shaykh Akram Nadwi’s view, as expressed through

the three examples he chooses, is that the basmalah in prayer, fasting six days of
Shawwāl and praying two units before Maghrib are not sunnah, though there are
individual ḥadīth reports that support them.

12
I replied:

Yes, for in Tartīb al-Madārik, Mālik states: I have seen Muḥammad b. Abū
Bakr b. ʿAmr b. Ḥazm, who was a judge and whose brother ʿAbdullah
happened to be a ḥadīth scholar and a truthful person. I saw that whenever
his brother Muḥammad issued a verdict which happened to clash with a
ḥadīth, ʿAbdullah would criticize him by saying, “Hasn’t there come such a
ḥadīth on this issue?” Muḥammad would reply, “Yes.” ʿAbdullah would ask,
“So why do you not base your verdict on it?” Muḥammad would reply,
“Where do the people stand in relation to this?”

Ibn al-Muʿaddal says on this issue: I heard a person ask Ibn Mājishūn, “Why
do you sometimes relate a ḥadīth but not act upon it?” He replied, “So it
would be known that I am upon inherited knowledge.” Ibn Rabīʿah said: “A
thousand from a thousand is better than one from one.” Something similar
is related from Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī and Mālik b. Anas, God be pleased with
them both.

They asked: There are people that consider ḥadīth and sunnah to be
synonymous.

I replied:

They have done so but are not correct. They have greatly harmed fiqh and
the way of the jurists.

They asked: Explain that to us clearly.

I replied: I have already done so in my article, “Between Ḥadīth and Fiqh.”12

They asked: Do we need ḥadīth to verify the sunnah?

I replied:

Yes. Whenever people ascribe a sunnah to the Prophet, peace be upon him,
or his Companions, then it is obligatory to verify that with various means,
which include the methodology of the ḥadīth scholars. But you should know

12
Nadwī, Dr. Mohammad Akram. “Between Ḥadīth and Fiqh.” Imlā al-Khāṭir Series.
UK: Al-Salam Institute, 2018.

13
that the way of verifying a sunnah practice is not only limited to the way of
the ḥadīth scholars, which I have clarified in my previous articles.

14