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.
The relationship of the Sunnah to the Qur’an in legal rulings:
In this section Imam al-Shafi’i deals with an important issue in usul al-fiqh: the relationship of the Prophetic Sunnah to the Noble Qur’an in deriving legal rulings, and how the Sunnah clarifies, specifies, and qualifies what came in the Qur’an.
The main points Imam al-Shafi’i addressed in this section:
- The outward sense of the text and the obligation to act upon it: Imam al-Shafi’i explains that the basic principle in understanding legal texts is to act upon their outward sense (zahir), that is, the meaning that first comes to the mind of the one addressed, unless there is evidence to the contrary. He clarifies that if a text admits two meanings, one outward and the other not, one must act upon the outward meaning unless there is evidence that diverts from it. He gives the example of the command to pray before Maghrib, where the outward sense is obligation, but the indicator “for whoever wishes” came and diverted it to recommendation.
- The Sunnah specifies the generality of the Qur’an: Imam al-Shafi’i affirms that the Sunnah specifies the generality of the Qur’an, and that this is part of the Sunnah’s standing in relation to the Book. He gives the example of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “Say, ‘I do not find within that which was revealed to me [anything] forbidden to one who would eat it unless it be a dead animal or blood spilled out or the flesh of swine - for indeed, it is impure - or it be [that slaughtered in] disobedience, dedicated to other than Allah’” (al-An’am 6:145). The outward sense of the verse restricts the prohibited foods to those mentioned, but the Sunnah specified this generality by prohibiting the meat of domestic donkeys, every predatory animal with fangs, and every bird with talons. He explains that this specification is permissible because the verse may be intended to clarify what the Prophet ﷺ was asked about of prohibited foods at that time, or what was being eaten at that time.
- Conditions of specification: Imam al-Shafi’i explains that the generality of the Qur’an or the Sunnah may only be specified by evidence from the Book or the Sunnah, and that specification by the statement of a Companion is not permissible unless the Companions agreed upon it or the evidence shows that the specification is correct. He stresses that the text to be specified must be capable of bearing such specification in the first place. He gives the example of the hadith “Its water is purifying and its dead animals are lawful”: it is not permissible to specify the generality of “its water is purifying” so as to limit it to washing away impurity and exclude ablution, because the question was about ablution. He also gives the example of the hadith “There is no prayer except with the Mother of the Book (al-Fatihah)”: it is not permissible to specify it so as to limit it to the imam and the one praying alone, excluding the follower in audible prayers, because the hadith was originally stated in the context of addressing followers.
- The waiting period of a widow (specification by the Sunnah): Imam al-Shafi’i explains that the outward sense of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “And those who are taken in death among you and leave wives behind - they, [the wives, shall] wait four months and ten [days]” (al-Baqarah 2:234) is simply waiting before remarrying, but the Sunnah showed that this waiting also includes refraining from perfume and adornment. He explains that the saying of Allah the Exalted: “And those who are taken in death among you and leave wives behind - for their wives is a bequest: maintenance for one year without turning [them] out” (al-Baqarah 2:240) had the obligation of waiting for a full year abrogated from it, while the obligation of residing in the husband’s house remained.
- Everyone’s words and deeds must follow the Book and the Sunnah: Imam al-Shafi’i stresses that everyone’s words and deeds must be made subordinate to the Book of Allah and then to the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ, and that no one may make lawful, make unlawful, specify, or qualify of his own accord. He explains that consensus indicates the existence of evidence from the Book or the Sunnah, even if it is hidden from us.
- Mentioning the Book before the Sunnah out of courtesy (reaffirmed): Imam al-Shafi’i affirms that when the Book and the Sunnah are mentioned, the Book is placed before the Sunnah out of courtesy toward it, not to diminish the standing of the Sunnah.
- A scholar retracts his view when the Sunnah becomes clear to him (reaffirmed): Imam al-Shafi’i affirms that any scholar from whom a view is reported that contradicts something the Messenger ﷺ established as Sunnah would not have contradicted it had he known the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, and would have retracted his view in favor of it.
Additional clarifications:
- The importance of the Sunnah in legislation (reaffirmed): Imam al-Shafi’i explains the importance of the Prophetic Sunnah in Islamic legislation: it is the second source after the Noble Qur’an, and it clarifies, details, qualifies, and specifies the Qur’an.
- Kinds of clarification (reaffirmed): Imam al-Shafi’i points out that clarification comes in multiple ways, such as qualification, specification, detailing, and explanation.
- The difference between transmission by chain, by mass transmission, by widespread report, and by consensus (reaffirmed): Imam al-Shafi’i explains that the religion is transmitted from the Messenger ﷺ in multiple ways, such as transmission by chain of narration, mass transmission, widespread report, and consensus.
- Analogy in the Shariah (reaffirmed): Imam al-Shafi’i points to analogy as one of the sources of legislation, explaining that it is used to derive rulings from the legal texts.
Summary:
In this section Imam al-Shafi’i sets out important principles for understanding the relationship of the Sunnah to the Qur’an, clarifies how to reconcile texts that appear to conflict, and affirms the obligation of following the Sunnah, and that it clarifies, details, qualifies, and specifies the Qur’an. He warns against opposing the Sunnah or placing opinion before it.
All parts of Summary of the Explanation of al-Shafi'i's al-Risala by Dr. Yasir Burhami