In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger ﷺ.
Chapter: What was revealed where the Sunnah specifically indicated that the specific is intended:
Imam al-Shafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him, continues his discussion of the kinds of bayan in the Noble Qur’an, and devotes this chapter to explaining what was revealed in general terms in the Qur’an, after which the Prophetic Sunnah indicated that the specific is intended by it. He offers examples of this:
- Inheritance: The general verses on inheritance were specified by the Sunnah, which made clear the impediments to inheritance, such as difference of religion and killing.
- Bequests: The verses that speak of bequests in general terms were specified by the Sunnah, which made clear that a bequest may not exceed one third.
- Ablution: The verse “when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles” (al-Ma’idah 5:6) apparently requires washing the feet, but the Sunnah specified this by permitting wiping over leather socks for one who put them on while in a state of purity.
- Cutting off the hand of the thief: The verse “[As for] the thief, the male and the female, amputate their hands” (al-Ma’idah 5:38) apparently requires cutting off the hand of every thief, but the Sunnah specified that amputation applies only to a theft reaching a set minimum value (a quarter of a dinar or more), and to what was taken from a place of safekeeping.
- The share of the near relatives: The verse “And know that anything you obtain of war booty - then indeed, for Allah is one fifth of it and for the Messenger and for [his] near relatives and the orphans, the needy, and the [stranded] traveler” (al-Anfal 8:41) apparently means that the share of the near relatives is for all the relatives of the Prophet ﷺ, but the Sunnah specified it to Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib to the exclusion of others. Imam al-Shafi’i explains the reason for this specification: the support that Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib gave the Prophet ﷺ during his lifetime. He takes as evidence for this the hadith of Jubayr ibn Mut’im.
- The spoils of the slain (salab): The Sunnah specified the generality of the booty by establishing that the spoils of a slain enemy are given to the one who killed him and are not subject to the one-fifth deduction, on condition that the killing took place while the enemy was advancing (during the fighting).
- Flogging the fornicator: The verse “The [unmarried] woman or [unmarried] man found guilty of sexual intercourse - lash each one of them with a hundred lashes” (al-Nur 24:2) apparently requires flogging every fornicator, but the Sunnah specified that the hundred lashes are for the two who have never been married, whereas the one who has been married is stoned. (Here the commentator points to the scholars’ disagreement on this issue, as some of them hold that the married person is both flogged and stoned.)
Clarifying that Allah made it obligatory in His Book to follow the Sunnah of His Prophet ﷺ:
Imam al-Shafi’i explains that Allah the Exalted placed His Messenger ﷺ, in relation to His religion and His Book, in the position that He made clear: a sign for His religion and an explainer of it. This He did through what He made obligatory of obedience to him and unlawful of disobedience to him, and through the virtue He made clear by joining faith in His Messenger ﷺ with faith in Himself.
Evidence from the Qur’an for the obligation of following the Sunnah:
Imam al-Shafi’i cites verses from the Noble Qur’an that indicate the obligation of following the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ:
- “So believe in Allah and His messengers” (al-Nisa’ 4:171).
- “O you who have believed, believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Book that He sent down upon His Messenger and the Scripture which He sent down before” (al-Nisa’ 4:136).
- “The believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger and, when they are [meeting] with him for a matter of common interest, do not depart until they have asked his permission” (al-Nur 24:62).
- The hadith of Mu’awiyah ibn al-Hakam al-Sulami about the Prophet ﷺ asking the slave girl: “Where is Allah?” and “Who am I?”
- “Our Lord, and send among them a messenger from themselves who will recite to them Your verses and teach them the Book and wisdom and purify them. Indeed, You are the Exalted in Might, the Wise” (al-Baqarah 2:129).
- “Just as We have sent among you a messenger from yourselves reciting to you Our verses and purifying you and teaching you the Book and wisdom and teaching you that which you did not know” (al-Baqarah 2:151).
- “Certainly did Allah confer [great] favor upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error” (Al ‘Imran 3:164).
- “It is He who has sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom - although they were before in clear error” (al-Jumu’ah 62:2).
- “And remember the favor of Allah upon you and what has been revealed to you of the Book and wisdom by which He instructs you” (al-Baqarah 2:231).
- “And Allah has revealed to you the Book and wisdom and has taught you that which you did not know. And ever has the favor of Allah upon you been great” (al-Nisa’ 4:113).
- “And remember what is recited in your houses of the verses of Allah and wisdom. Indeed, Allah is ever Subtle and Aware” (al-Ahzab 33:34).
Imam al-Shafi’i explains that the wisdom (hikmah) here is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, that it is joined with the Book of Allah, and that Allah made obedience to His Messenger ﷺ obligatory and made following his command binding on people.
The relation of consensus to the Sunnah:
Imam al-Shafi’i clarifies that consensus (ijma’) can only be based on a clarification that came from Allah and from His Messenger ﷺ; the nation may not agree, of its own accord, on something it legislates.
After Imam al-Shafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him, set out examples from the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Sunnah specifying the generality of the Qur’an, he moved on to explain that Allah the Exalted made it obligatory in His Book to follow the Sunnah of His Prophet ﷺ, and he proved this with many verses of the Noble Qur’an, including:
- Obedience to the Messenger ﷺ joined with obedience to Allah: Imam al-Shafi’i took as evidence many verses that join obedience to the Messenger ﷺ with obedience to Allah the Exalted, such as: “So believe in Allah and His messengers,” “O you who have believed, believe in Allah and His Messenger,” “The believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger,” “O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger,” and “And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger - those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions” (al-Nisa’ 4:69). These verses show that faith in Allah is not complete without faith in His Messenger ﷺ and obedience to him.
- The wisdom in the Qur’an is the Sunnah: Imam al-Shafi’i took as evidence verses that mention “wisdom” alongside the Book, such as: “And remember the favor of Allah upon you and what has been revealed to you of the Book and wisdom,” “And Allah has revealed to you the Book and wisdom,” and “And remember what is recited in your houses of the verses of Allah and wisdom.” He explains that “wisdom” here is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and that it was sent down from Allah the Exalted, as the Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed, I have been given the Qur’an and something like it along with it.”
- The obligation of referring to Allah and the Messenger in disputes: Imam al-Shafi’i took as evidence the saying of Allah the Exalted: “O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result” (al-Nisa’ 4:59). He explains that referring to Allah means returning to His Book, and referring to the Messenger ﷺ means returning to his Sunnah. He stresses that whoever does not do this is not a believer in Allah and the Last Day.
- No choice remains after Allah and His Messenger have decided: Imam al-Shafi’i took as evidence the saying of Allah the Exalted: “It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error” (al-Ahzab 33:36). He explains that this verse negates faith from whoever considers himself to have a choice after the command of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.
The relation of consensus to the Sunnah:
Imam al-Shafi’i clarifies that consensus can only be based on a clarification that came from Allah and from His Messenger ﷺ; the nation may not agree, of its own accord, on something it legislates. He points out that transmission from the Messenger ﷺ is not only through a chain of narrators connected man to man; there can also be transmission through continuous, mass-transmitted practice.
Summary:
In this part Imam al-Shafi’i explains the obligation of following the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, proves it with many verses of the Noble Qur’an, and clarifies that the Sunnah is what explains the Book of Allah the Exalted, that it is revelation, and that returning to it is obligatory in disputes. He also explains that consensus can only rest on the Book and the Sunnah.
All parts of Summary of the Explanation of al-Shafi'i's al-Risala by Dr. Yasir Burhami