Speaking about the Sunnah in its legal sense and its customary sense.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : We return to the fact that many people today, when they use the word "Sunnah," include under it what is stronger than the Sunnah; they include under it what is obligatory. There is no harm in this usage if the context in which this term is used makes it clear what is intended. Because the Sunnah has two meanings: a legal meaning and a customary meaning. The legal meaning includes the obligatory, the Sunnah, the recommended, the desirable, and the like of the virtues of deeds. This is the legal meaning, and the evidence for that is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) in the hadith agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim:The Shaykh : The questioner : Sahih Muslim 1401 rather, the intention is the methodology that the Messenger (peace be upon him) followed. And his methodology, as is clear to everyone, includes all the legal rulings. Today, this meaning is not understood by people. The second meaning is the customary one in jurisprudential terminology, which is the prevalent one, namely the Sunnah as they say in its definition: that for which its doer is rewarded and its leaver is not punished. So now, when you directed your question, I think you mean the Sunnah in this sense, is that not so?
The questioner : No, Shaykh, I mean even some of the obligations.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : Some of the obligations, meaning in our case in Iraq.
The Shaykh : Some of what?
The questioner : I mean, for example, letting the garment hang below the ankles is forbidden in our view, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:.
The Shaykh : Now, my brother, do not expand the matter upon yourself. If you did not let your garment hang, does your previous statement stand? No, you were speaking about shortening the garment.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, it is not about not letting it hang. If your garment is above the ankles, no one will say to you, "Why is it like this?" But if your garment is to the middle of the shin, then at that point this censure may be directed at you by those who rule by other than what Allah has revealed. So now, you seem to be confused in the matter. Does your first statement mean that, or did you resort to saying that they want you to let your garment hang? And I do not think that exists. Yes.
The phone is ringing.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Hello, welcome.
The Shaykh : What, welcome.
The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : Yes, and upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah.
The questioner : The Shaykh : Nasser al-Din?
The Shaykh : Yes, this is all from the good of the wicked al-Saqaf. This is Allah subduing the Throne, it is something terrible. -
The Shaykh : Did you understand what I said? The Sunnah in the customary sense is what is not obligatory, and in which a person is given a choice: if he does it, he is rewarded, and if he leaves it, he does not sin. As for the Sunnah in the legal sense, it is the entire Shari'ah. So now, when you directed your question, the word "Sunnah" must mean the Sunnah in the general sense known to people, not the legal sense, which includes all the rulings of the Shari'ah, is that not so?
The questioner : Shaykh, we are also...
The Shaykh : I ask Allah to guide you and me.
The questioner : I mean, correctly, what people do not intend.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : What people do not intend, yes, that is what I mean.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is it. Therefore, we must not waste our time on a clear issue. I want to speak to people in a way they can understand and comprehend. So today, when people say "Sunnah," they mean what is not obligatory: if he does it, he has a reward, and if he leaves it, he has no sin. So now, the examples you mentioned are not all Sunnah. For example, shortening the garment is a Sunnah, and therefore I was surprised when you made a leap like a gazelle from the short garment to "they will prevent it," and I do not know what else you said, "and they impose taxes, or or or," and so on.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Be patient, may Allah guide you, be patient. After you mentioned the short garment, you moved to letting the garment hang. Letting the garment hang is forbidden, shaving the beard is forbidden, meaning growing the beard is not a Sunnah in the sense we mentioned; it is one of the obligations. Therefore, any Muslim who wants to live obedient to Allah in what He has made obligatory, it is said here: there is no obedience to a created being in disobedience to the Creator. Do you understand this?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, so in an atmosphere like Iraq, and I am hearing this injustice for the first time, that a Muslim is not allowed to grow his beard.
The phone is ringing.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and the mercy and blessings of Allah.
The questioner : May Allah... we need, our Shaykh, to know, but we ask you about a small issue, Shaykh, a point, meaning...
The Shaykh : Just now, they punish those whose garment is short. We say, in that case, lengthen your garment, but do not make it below the ankles, because covering the ankles is forbidden. Make it above the ankles, and in that case, you will be safe from this severity or from this punitive censure. As for growing the beard, this is an obligation, and no ruler is to be obeyed in that, absolutely. And if the matter reaches the point where some rulers impose on their people the violation of the obligatory duties, then migration from those lands is obligatory. And unfortunately, this is the first time I have heard from an Algerian, two days ago, who asked me, saying that he works as a nurse in a hospital, and there is mixing of women and men, and so on, and he wants to get out of the problem, and he wants to work as a driver. He was speaking, no, he was speaking, he wants to work as a driver, but he said the state imposes on drivers shaving the beard and imposes on drivers wearing trousers, and this...The questioner : A Salafi, okay, he wants to get out of that problem, he will fall into a second problem. If he wants to drive the car, he must shave his beard, he must change his attire. And I did not know that the injustice in Algeria has reached this level. And this is new, we are hearing it now. Is this a new system or an old one?
The questioner : Old, before it was not accounted for in a specific way, but after the recent events, especially with Saudi Arabia, because they consider everyone who grows his beard a Salafi.
The Shaykh: Yes
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Allah is the Helper. In any case, we must distinguish between what is obligatory, in which it is not permissible to obey anyone in leaving it, and what is a Sunnah. As for the Sunnahs, it is possible to be lenient with them in order to ward off injustice from us. But committing a sin in obedience to a lying, wicked, unjust ruler, there is no way to that. The answer is clear, if Allah wills.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh: Okay
And he who turns away from my Sunnah, he has no relation with Me
فمن رغب عن سنتي فليس منيThe questioner : No, Shaykh, I mean even some of the obligations.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : Some of the obligations, meaning in our case in Iraq.
The Shaykh : Some of what?
The questioner : I mean, for example, letting the garment hang below the ankles is forbidden in our view, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Everything that goes below the ankles is in the Fire
كل ما نزل الكعبين فهو في النارThe Shaykh : Now, my brother, do not expand the matter upon yourself. If you did not let your garment hang, does your previous statement stand? No, you were speaking about shortening the garment.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, it is not about not letting it hang. If your garment is above the ankles, no one will say to you, "Why is it like this?" But if your garment is to the middle of the shin, then at that point this censure may be directed at you by those who rule by other than what Allah has revealed. So now, you seem to be confused in the matter. Does your first statement mean that, or did you resort to saying that they want you to let your garment hang? And I do not think that exists. Yes.
The phone is ringing.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Hello, welcome.
The Shaykh : What, welcome.
The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : Yes, and upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah.
The questioner : The Shaykh : Nasser al-Din?
The Shaykh : Yes, this is all from the good of the wicked al-Saqaf. This is Allah subduing the Throne, it is something terrible. -
The Shaykh : Did you understand what I said? The Sunnah in the customary sense is what is not obligatory, and in which a person is given a choice: if he does it, he is rewarded, and if he leaves it, he does not sin. As for the Sunnah in the legal sense, it is the entire Shari'ah. So now, when you directed your question, the word "Sunnah" must mean the Sunnah in the general sense known to people, not the legal sense, which includes all the rulings of the Shari'ah, is that not so?
The questioner : Shaykh, we are also...
The Shaykh : I ask Allah to guide you and me.
The questioner : I mean, correctly, what people do not intend.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : What people do not intend, yes, that is what I mean.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is it. Therefore, we must not waste our time on a clear issue. I want to speak to people in a way they can understand and comprehend. So today, when people say "Sunnah," they mean what is not obligatory: if he does it, he has a reward, and if he leaves it, he has no sin. So now, the examples you mentioned are not all Sunnah. For example, shortening the garment is a Sunnah, and therefore I was surprised when you made a leap like a gazelle from the short garment to "they will prevent it," and I do not know what else you said, "and they impose taxes, or or or," and so on.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Be patient, may Allah guide you, be patient. After you mentioned the short garment, you moved to letting the garment hang. Letting the garment hang is forbidden, shaving the beard is forbidden, meaning growing the beard is not a Sunnah in the sense we mentioned; it is one of the obligations. Therefore, any Muslim who wants to live obedient to Allah in what He has made obligatory, it is said here: there is no obedience to a created being in disobedience to the Creator. Do you understand this?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, so in an atmosphere like Iraq, and I am hearing this injustice for the first time, that a Muslim is not allowed to grow his beard.
The phone is ringing.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and the mercy and blessings of Allah.
The questioner : May Allah... we need, our Shaykh, to know, but we ask you about a small issue, Shaykh, a point, meaning...
The Shaykh : Just now, they punish those whose garment is short. We say, in that case, lengthen your garment, but do not make it below the ankles, because covering the ankles is forbidden. Make it above the ankles, and in that case, you will be safe from this severity or from this punitive censure. As for growing the beard, this is an obligation, and no ruler is to be obeyed in that, absolutely. And if the matter reaches the point where some rulers impose on their people the violation of the obligatory duties, then migration from those lands is obligatory. And unfortunately, this is the first time I have heard from an Algerian, two days ago, who asked me, saying that he works as a nurse in a hospital, and there is mixing of women and men, and so on, and he wants to get out of the problem, and he wants to work as a driver. He was speaking, no, he was speaking, he wants to work as a driver, but he said the state imposes on drivers shaving the beard and imposes on drivers wearing trousers, and this...The questioner : A Salafi, okay, he wants to get out of that problem, he will fall into a second problem. If he wants to drive the car, he must shave his beard, he must change his attire. And I did not know that the injustice in Algeria has reached this level. And this is new, we are hearing it now. Is this a new system or an old one?
The questioner : Old, before it was not accounted for in a specific way, but after the recent events, especially with Saudi Arabia, because they consider everyone who grows his beard a Salafi.
The Shaykh: Yes
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Allah is the Helper. In any case, we must distinguish between what is obligatory, in which it is not permissible to obey anyone in leaving it, and what is a Sunnah. As for the Sunnahs, it is possible to be lenient with them in order to ward off injustice from us. But committing a sin in obedience to a lying, wicked, unjust ruler, there is no way to that. The answer is clear, if Allah wills.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh: Okay
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.