Apart from Quran, Sunnah and Hadith are two important sources of the Islamic Shariah. How Sunnah is different from Hadith?
Apart from Quran, Sunnah and Hadith are two important sources of the Islamic Shariah. How Sunnah is different from Hadith?
[A]While Sunnah denotes the way Prophet Muhammad lived his life, Hadith refers to what has been approved or disapproved by the Prophet
[B]While Sunnah refers to the laws which one should follow, Hadith refers to what Prophet Mohammad himself followed
[C]While Sunnah is a binding law on every Muslim, Hadith is a guideline which every Muslim is expected to follow
[D]None of the
s given in option A, B and C is correct
A is correct
Basics of Islamic Shariah Islamic Shariah stands for a compendium of Islamic Laws. Shariah is an Arabic word that means a stream of water where people come to quench their thirst. The Islamic Shariah has two fundamental sources: the Quran and Hadith, the sayings and guiding acts of the Prophet. Some sources say that Shariah has two fundamental sources viz. Quran and Sunnah. Sunnah oIn Islam, the Arabic word sunnah has come to denote the way Prophet Muhammad lived his life. The Sunnah is the second source of Islamic jurisprudence, the first being the Quran. Both sources are indispensable; one cannot practice Islam without consulting both of them. Hadith oThe Arabic word hadith (pl. ahadith) is very similar to Sunnah, but not identical. A hadith is a narration about the life of the Prophet or what he approved – as opposed to his life itself, which is the Sunnah as already mentioned. The Quran says that Allah has sent His prophets to all peoples in different periods of time, to establish justice, equity and morality. Prophet Abraham was sent to the land that we know today as Iraq. To his prophetic chain belongs Moses, who was bestowed by God His book, the Torah, and His Law, which is called the Shariah of Moses. Likewise, Jesus was blessed by God with the Bible. In the last of the Abrahamic chain of prophets came Mohammad who was born in the Arabian city of Mecca. He was blessed with the divine word, the Quran and Islamic Shariah. What are its tenets? Shariah has the following core objectives: o•To ensure the well-being of all human beings irrespective of creed and faith. o•To establish rule of law before which all are equal. o•To propagate economic justice where money is kept in circulation to bridge the gulf between the rich and the poor. Nizam-e-Adl Nizam-e-Adl means ‘system of justice’. There is a widespread misunderstanding that Shariah is synonymous with criminal laws. Certain instances have strengthened this misunderstanding. While Shariah encompasses all spheres of human life, criminal laws form only a part of it. Very few countries, like Saudi Arabia, practise the criminal code of the Shariah. It must be noted that all great Islamic jurists have condemned misuse of Shariah laws by those who wish to curb social, religious and gender equality and freedom. They have also provided legal arrangements for protection from such misuse.