elaborating on the authority of the sunnah and its significance as a primary source of islam, only second to the qur'an, we'd like to cite the following:
"the qur'an is a miracle both in its external qualities and esoteric meaning. its purpose is to expound the truth of the absolute and the law of the absolute. it is in essence the truth and the law. to glean the gems of knowledge and wisdom, so enormous in number, and so embedded in qura'nic phraseology, to discern the specific from the general; to expound the meanings of the concise and the esoteric, to emphasize the basic content and the main purpose, to uncover the obscurities, to indicate reasons and justification, to crystallize and concretize the tenets, to prescribe the obligatory functions and the voluntary disciplines, in short, to provide a detailed commentary of the divine book without the aid of the divinely guided teacher who presented the qur'an would have been an impossible task.
then again, it is not enough to believe in the unity or oneness of allah or in the conception of reality of the absolute and the dependence of all things on the absolute as the first testimony of the islamic faith 'la ilaha lllallah' requires but also to believe in the prophethood of muhammad who brought the message for without it the qur'an will lose its authenticity.
the qur'an lays down the role of the prophet:
"verily, it is the mercy of allah that he has raised amongst them a prophet who recites the verses before them, purifies them and teaches them the book and wisdom." (al-baqarah: 129)
the teaching could be done through the medium of lectures and sermons and by laying down ordinances and compelling their observance and by penalizing omission and transgression. but the prophet could not leave his followers to interpret and follow the teachings in their own ways, to determine their import, each according to his own lights and capabilities and to drift in uncertainty.
a much more effective way is by enacting the teachings in one's life and presenting a model for emulation by others. then alone the meaning and purpose of the teaching can be unambiguous and the words of the preacher can carry weight. before attempting it, it was necessary, however, to lay down the highest standards of good conduct and disposition, of piety and devotion, of chastity and honor, of benevolence and kindness, of generosity and sacrifice, of toleration and contentment, of steadfastness and patience, in short, all of the virtues and goodness and to imbibe all those virtues and to himself reach the pinnacle.
the prophet, therefore, appeared as a model par excellence and as the human norm for both of his individual and collective functions. but man is mortal and the human model could not exist forever. it was, therefore, imperative that every word uttered by the noble personage, his every action and movement, his every gesture or inclination, should be faithfully recorded for the guidance and posterity.
all other prophets appeared in prehistoric times. it is the good fortune of the world that the prophet of islam appeared in a historical time when the art of writing had been developed and everything could be recorded. as the personality of the prophet is a beacon light for the world and a blessing to mankind, so his traditions, his sunnah, his way of life is a guiding light. and to follow his teachings and injunctions and to emulate his example is indeed felicity and good fortune and the key to heaven.
as `a'ishah says, the prophet was, indeed, the qur'an in action. the sayings and actions of the prophet, known as his traditions, hadith or sunnah, constitute an explanation of the obscure in the qur'an, the amplification of the concise and the abstract therein, the exegesis of its difficult content and manifestation of what is hidden or esoteric in it. as imam shafi'i says: "sunnah is the exegesis and connotation of the ordinances of allah." it provides detailed specifications for what is determined in generality by the qur'an. it is also concerned with secondary obligations which facilitate primary ones.
according to the quran itself, the prophet was possessed not only of the kitab, the written 'book' but also of the hikma, the wisdom, whereby ultimate principles can be applied to the details and episodes of ordinary life. consequently, his actions and sayings, transmitted by chains of reliable narrators, form a kind of commentary and supplement to the quran.
the traditions cover the entire gamut of human life. the spontaneous utterances of the prophet are not only brilliant, illuminative and decisive, they are replete with wisdom and reflect an overwhelming passion to reform humanity. they were not meant only for the society of the day, but are meant for all time and for the whole brotherhood of mankind. conditions, values and thinking change from time to time and age to age, but these sayings are of eternal character overpassing time and space. there is nothing illogical or irrational in them, there is no contrariness or inconsistency. no mortal unless inspired and illumined by divine light could be their author. "if islam offers, as a manifestation the element of truth, of beauty and power, the prophet for his part incarnates serenity, generosity and strength."
obedience of the prophet is as important and as obligatory as obedience to allah. in fact, obedience to the prophet is obedience to allah. this is stated in several qur'anic verses: (see 4: 110; 4: 59; 4: 80; 8: 20; 8: 27; 47: 33; 49: 15; 48: 13; 33: 36)
from the foregoing verses of the qur'an, it would be evident that belief in the prophet is as incumbent as belief in allah and the angels and the scriptures; that obeying the prophet is as necessary as obeying the commandments of allah. and that acceptance of the interpretations and decisions of the prophet is binding. if the sayings and actions of the prophet are not to serve as rulings, the belief in the prophet would not have been made compulsory nor obedience of his injunctions would have been treated as a mark of faith.
the sunnah served not only as an extension or supplement to the qur'an as a source of law, but also served to give shape and dimension to the entire structure of islam. it generates a particular kind of attitude to life and approach to human problems and it was through them and the message of the qur'an that the prophet changed the thinking of his followers and their mental outlook, their vision and approach, their habits and manners, their customs and laws, their norms of war and peace, their standards and bases of economy, their culture and civilization; in fact, he succeeded in effecting a complete metamorphosis of man and his society. this could not be accomplished just by promulgating law and ordinances. religion is not a mere code or compilation of laws. it is something deeper and more extensive. it governs, guides, directs and adorns [one's] entire life in all its complexity. it cannot take root nor can flourish unless there is a complete intellectual and emotional involvement.
the social, cultural, moral and intellectual regeneration and the complete revolution was the direct result of not only the message of the qur'an, but also the impact of the august and beloved personality who delivered the message and of the lofty standard of piety, dignity and behavior set up by him and of the sittings, assemblies and concourses held by him in which flowed, like an unending stream, the nectar of wisdom, soul-stirring teachings and sublime preaching. it was the amalgam of all these that developed the temper of islam in which were embodied not only laws, rules and regulations, but also the motivating factors, incentives and inspiration for their rigid application and for catching their spirit, meaning and purpose.
these traditions also open a window through which the personal life of the prophet and his household and daily routines and way of living can be viewed. how can one, in quest of truth, leave this door and go elsewhere for receiving instruction in decorous behavior, ethics and humanities? they also open a window on the lives of the companions—how they followed their great master, dedicated their lives to the service of religion and held aloft the banner of islam."
