In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and may blessings and peace be upon the noblest of the prophets and messengers, our Prophet Muhammad, and upon all his family and companions.
This is a summary of what was presented in this part of the explanation of Imam al-Shafi’i’s al-Risala, focusing on the important points and clarifications.
Continuing the discussion of the relationship between the Sunnah and the Qur’an and the issue of abrogation:
- The Sunnah explains the Qur’an:
- Since the Sunnah indicates what is in the Qur’an and distinguishes it from what has been abrogated of it, a Sunnah is abrogated by another Sunnah, and it is not abrogated by the Qur’an unless there is a Sunnah agreeing with the abrogating Qur’an.
- If we find a general text of the Qur’an, and a Sunnah that could be either an explanation of it or contrary to its apparent meaning, we do not say that the Sunnah has been abrogated by the Qur’an.
- Allah obligated His Prophet to follow what was revealed to him, and obligated the people to obey him.
- The language bears multiple meanings, and the Book of Allah is revealed in general terms with a specific meaning intended, and in specific terms with a general meaning intended.
- Examples of a word being general and then specified, or specific and then generalized:
- The word “al-wird”: originally specific to coming to water, it was then generalized to every arrival.
- The word “al-jumu’ah”: originally general, covering the week, it was then specified for one day.
- An anecdote about a Friday preacher: the story is mentioned of a preacher who was giving a sermon about the Antichrist (al-Masih al-Dajjal), and whenever he said the word “al-Masih” the worshippers said “peace and blessings be upon him.” So he explained to them that the word “messenger” is general and was then specified for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
- The standing of the Sunnah alongside the Qur’an:
- The Sunnah explains what is stated in summary form in the Qur’an and does not contradict it; rather, it follows it, either matching what was revealed or explaining the meaning of what is in it.
- The correct view is that the Sunnah may be abrogated by the Sunnah.
- Examples of the Sunnah explaining the Qur’an:
- The Qur’an made prayer, zakah, and Hajj obligatory, but the Sunnah explained how prayer is performed, its number, its times, and its recommended acts; it explained the minimum thresholds (nisab) of zakah and when it is due; and it explained how Hajj is performed and what is to be avoided and what is permitted in it.
- The Sunnah together with the Qur’an is like a single text.
- The saying of Allah the Exalted: “[As for] the thief, the male and the female, amputate their hands” (Al-Ma’idah 5:38): the word “hand” is unspecified (mujmal), so the Sunnah explained that the amputation is from the wrist, and it explained the conditions of theft that require amputation (such as the stolen item being worth a quarter of a dinar or more, and being kept in a secure place).
- The saying of Allah the Exalted: “The [unmarried] woman or [unmarried] man found guilty of sexual intercourse - lash each one of them with a hundred lashes” (An-Nur 24:2): the Sunnah explained the difference between the married (muhsan) and the unmarried fornicator, and it explained how fornication is established (by confession or by four upright witnesses).
- The conditions of testimony in cases of fornication are detailed (that the witnesses be upright Muslims, and that the witnesses be questioned to confirm the soundness of their testimony).
- Refuting the hadith “Whatever comes to you from me, compare it with the Book of Allah”:
- This hadith is not established and has no basis; rather, it is among the fabricated reports.
- Refuting those who say it is permissible to discard the Sunnah when it contradicts the Qur’an:
- The hadith of Abu Rafi’ is mentioned, that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Let me not find one of you reclining on his couch, when a command of mine comes to him, something I have commanded or forbidden, and he says: ‘We do not know; whatever we found in the Book of Allah, we followed.’” In another wording: “Indeed, I have been given the Book and something like it along with it.”
- This hadith indicates the obligation to follow the Sunnah and the impermissibility of rejecting it.
- A request for an example from the Qur’an whose apparent meaning is general but whose intended meaning is specific:
- The questioner asked al-Shafi’i to give examples of Qur’anic texts whose apparent meaning is general but which carry a specific meaning.
- This example was postponed to the next session.
Some important benefits:
- The Sunnah explains the Qur’an and does not contradict it.
- Examples of a word being general and then specified, or specific and then generalized.
- The standing of the Sunnah alongside the Qur’an.
- Examples of the Sunnah explaining the Qur’an.
- The conditions of testimony in cases of fornication.
- Refuting the hadith “Whatever comes to you from me, compare it with the Book of Allah.”
- Refuting those who say it is permissible to discard the Sunnah when it contradicts the Qur’an.
We ask Allah the Exalted for acceptance and ease.
All parts of Summary of the Explanation of al-Risala by Shaykh Dr. Ahmad al-Naqeeb