Sharhu Sunnah : Lesson 03 : Point 01
Dawud Burbank [Audio|English]
The author (Imaam al-Barbahaaree) rahimahullaah said,
“Know that Islaam is the Sunnah and the Sunnah is Islaam and one of them cannot be established without the other. “
The Explanation (Transcription of above Audio):
His saying, “Know” – this is a word used to show importance, and the meaning of ‘i`lam’, ‘know’ is ‘ta`allam’ ‘learn’. And how will you know that Islaam is the Sunnah? If you learn, then you will know that.
So ‘i`lam’ ‘know’ is a word which is brought to show the importance of that which comes after it, just as He the Most High said:
So know, that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah and seek forgiveness for your sin. (Soorah Muhammad (47), aayah 19)
Meaning: Know the meaning of ‘laa ilaaha illAllaah’ (‘none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah’) and act upon it.
Know that Allaah is severe in punishing and that Allaah forgives extensively and shows mercy. (Sooratul- Maa·idah (5), aayah 98)
So the word ‘i’lam’ ‘know’ (a command in the singular) or i`lamoo (a command in the plural) occurs to show the importance of that which comes after it.
His saying, “Islaam is the Sunnah and the Sunnah is Islaam” – meaning Islaam is the way which the Messengers alayhimus-salaatu was-salaam came with. And every Messenger came with Islaam. So every Prophet called to Allaah and came with a sharee`ah, a revealed way, from Allaah, so that is Islaam. So Islaam is the worship of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, alone at every time with that which He legislated. And Allaah legislated for the Prophets ways and laws to last for appointed terms. Then He abrogated it (brought some new law and abrogated the previous one), so when that was abrogated then action came to be upon that which abrogated, that is Islaam, until all those revealed laws were abrogated by the revealed way sent to Muhammad sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam. Allaah the Majestic and Most High says:
There is an appointed time span for each Book sent down by Allaah. Allaah abrogates and changes whatever He wishes and He confirms. And the foundation of the Book is with Him. (Sooratur-Ra`d (13), aayah 38-39)
So Islaam is that which the Messengers came with, with regard to the call and the action at every time with what was specific to it, until the sending of Muhammad sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam came about; and then Islaam is whatever he came with to the exclusion of everything else. So therefore whoever remains upon the previous religious ways and does not believe in Muhammad sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam then he is not a Muslim, since he has not yielded or submitted to Allaah the Mighty and Majestic and he has not obeyed this Messenger sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam; because what he was upon has now ended and been abrogated, and remaining upon something abrogated (something replaced) is not a religion for Allaah the Mighty and Majestic, rather acting on what abrogates (what comes later and replaces) that is the religion.
His saying, “and the Sunnah is Islaam” – there is no difference between these two, if we explain the Sunnah to mean ‘the way’, the ‘tareeqah’, then there is no difference between it and Islaam.
His saying, “And one of them will not be established without the other one’ – Islaam will not be established except through the Sunnah and the Sunnah will not be established except through Islaam. So the person who claims to be upon Islaam but does not act upon the Sunnah, meaning the way of the Messenger sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam, then he is not a Muslim; and the person who knows of the Sunnah but does not submit to Allaah, then he is not a Muslim, even if he knows about the Sunnah. So it is essential to combine both of them.
 Translator’s side point: The noble Shaykh, Saalih ibn Sa`d as-Suhaymee, hafizahullaah, (the teacher who used to be in charge of the department of `aqeedah in Madeenah) said referring to this initial part of al-Barbahaaree’s book, “He, rahimahullaah, began with the fact that the Sunnah and Islaam are inseparable. And what is meant by the Sunnah here is the Sunnah with its general meaning which is the tareeqah, the way, which the Prophet sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam and his Companions were upon. So this is Islaam and Islaam is the Sunnah in this sense.”
 Translator’s side point: The noble Shaykh, Ahmad ibn Yahyaa an-Najmee rahimahullaah said in his explanation, Irshaadus-Saaree, page 26, on this same point that Islaam is the Sunnah and the Sunnah is Islaam and one of them will not be established without the other, “Islaam is the Sunnah and the Sunnah is Islaam. How is that the case? Meaning that true Islaam is the Sunnah, so whoever is upright upon the Sunnah and establishes it then he has established Islaam, and whoever deviates away from it (from the Sunnah) and inclines away towards the right or the left, then he has fallen short with regard to true Islaam, in accordance with his deviation. However this inclining away is of two categories. Firstly turning away totally, such that the person becomes a disbeliever and judgement is passed about him that he has exited from Islaam altogether. Secondly is a partial turning away (from the Sunnah) through which a person does not become a disbeliever and he is not judged to be an apostate or to have left Islaam however he has rendered his Islaam deficient in accordance with the level of his deviation, whether it be a small deviation or a large one.”
Ithaaful-Qaaree bit-Ta`leeqaat `alaa Sharhis-Sunnah
by Shaykh Saalih ibn Fowzaan al-Fowzaan hafizahullaah
Translated by Aboo Talhah Daawood Burbank, rahimahullaah
Posted with kind permission from Dawud Burbank rahimahullaah
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