The Second Section of the Sunnah, Which Is the Practical Sunnah, and Mentioning Its Types: Customary and Devotional, with Examples

The Shaykh : We move on to the next Sunnah, the practical Sunnah. Here, in a second division, the practical Sunnah is divided by the precise scholars into two categories: the devotional Sunnah and the customary Sunnah. As for the devotional Sunnah, if you perform it, you are rewarded for it, and if you leave it, you are not punished for it. As for the customary Sunnah, it is the same for you whether you do it or leave it. An example of the devotional Sunnah is all acts of worship; there is no need for explanation. As for the customary Sunnah, this name may be strange to some minds.

The questioner : The Sunnah of the additional acts themselves.

The Shaykh : The Sunnah of the additional acts. Well done. For example, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sometimes had hair that reached the earlobes, and sometimes the tops of his shoulders. If a person wishes to grow his hair, he may do so. However, it is not permissible for him to draw near to Allah with this, because it is a Turkish and customary Sunnah. In particular, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said in a hadith—we return to the first section, the verbal Sunnah—he said: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) entered Mecca as a conqueror, he entered with four locks of hair, four braids. This custom still exists in some of the Arab desert areas. There is no objection to a Muslim doing this, just as there is no objection to not doing it, because it is not a devotional Sunnah but a customary Sunnah. The Arabs’ custom was like this, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not come to destroy all customs, but rather to correct some of the bad customs. This was his call (peace be upon him). Similarly, it is reported in the two Sahihs from the hadith of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said, “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had two sandals with straps.” The strap is leather, meaning it is most like a sandal with four toes in one compartment and the thumb in another compartment. This is the meaning of “the Messenger of Allah had two sandals with straps.” If a person wears a sandal with one strap, or one strap on each, it is not said that he has contradicted the Sunnah. Why? Because this is a customary Sunnah, not a devotional act of worship. Or wearing shoes, boots, or any other type of sandal, it is not said that he has contradicted the Sunnah. And so you may infer the rest.