The Evidence from the Sunnah on the Obligation of Following the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Prohibition of Contradicting It

Machine translationRead the Arabic original

The Shaykh : As for the Sunnah, it contains much that is good, which obligates us to follow him (peace and blessings be upon him) generally in every matter of our religion. Here are some of the established texts from it:
First: From Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

All my followers will enter Paradise except those who refuse.

كل أمَّتي يدخلون الجنة إلا من أبى

Sahih al-Bukhari 7280

. They said: "And who would refuse?" He said:

Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys me is the one who refuses (to enter it).

مَن أطاعَني دخل الجنة ، ومَن عصاني فقد أبى

Sahih al-Bukhari 7280

. It was narrated by al-Bukhari in his "Sahih," in the Book of Adherence.
Second: From Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:

Jabir said: Angels came to the Prophet when he was asleep; and they said, “A comparison can be drawn with this friend of yours, so draw one.” One of them said, “He is asleep;” but another replied, “The eye sleeps while the heart is awake.” Then they said, “He may be likened to a man who built a house, prepared a feast in it, and sent one to issue invitations. Whoever responds to the one who invites him will enter the house and eat of the feast, but whoever does not respond will not enter the house or eat of the feast.” They said, “If you interpret it to him, he will understand it whereupon one said, “He is a sleep”, and another replied, “The eye sleeps while the heart is awake.” Then they said, “The house is paradise, the one who issues the invitation is Muhammad, he who obeys Muhammad has obeyed God, and he who disobeys Muhammad has disobeyed God. Muhammad is one who separates between people.”

جاءت ملائكة إلى النبي - صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم - وهو نائم ، فقال بعضهم : إنه نائم ، وقال بعضهم : إن العين نائمة والقلب يقظان ، فقالوا : إن لصاحبكم هذا مثلًا ، فاضربوا له مثلًا ، فقالوا : مَثَلُه كمَثَل رجل بنى دارًا ، وجعل فيها مأدبة ، وبعث داعيًا ، فمَن أجاب الداعي دخل الدار وأكل من المأدبة ، ومَن لم يُجِبِ الداعي لم يدخل الدار ولم يأكل من المأدبة . فقالوا : أوِّلوها يفقَهْها . فقال بعضهم : إنه نائم ، وقال بعضهم : إن العين نائمة والقلب يقظان ، فقالوا : الدار الجنة ، والداعي محمد - صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم - ، فمَن أطاع محمدًا - صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم - فقد أطاع الله ، ومَن عصى محمدًا - صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم - فقد عصى الله ، ومحمد - صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم - فَرْقٌ بين الناس

Mishkat al-Masabih 144Sahīh (Zubair `Aliza'i)

It was narrated by al-Bukhari.
Third: From Abu Musa from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) who said:

I and the message with which God has entrusted me are just like a man who came to a people and said, "I have seen the army with my own eyes, and I am a simple warner, so flee, flee.' A section of his people obeyed him, and setting off at nightfall, went away without hurry and escaped. But a section of them did not believe him and stayed where they were, and the army attacked them at dawn, destroying and extirpating them. That is a comparison with those who obey me and follow my message, and with those who disobey me and disbelieve the truth I have brought.

إنما مَثَلي ومَثَل ما بَعَثَني الله به كمَثَل رجل أتى قومًا ، فقال : يا قومي ، إني رأيت الجيش بعينيَّ ، وإني أنا النذير العريان ، فالنجاءَ النجاءَ ، فأطاعَه طائفةٌ من قومه فأدلجوا ، فانطلقوا على مهلِهم فنجوا ، وكذَّبت طائفةٌ منهم فأصبحوا مكانهم ، فصبَّحهم الجيش فأهلكهم واجتاحهم ، فذلك مَثَل مَن أطاعني فاتَّبع ما جئت به ، ومَثَل من عصاني وكذَّب بما جئتُ به من الحقِّ

Mishkat al-Masabih 148Muttafaqun 'alayh (Zubair `Aliza'i)

It was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Fourth: From Abu Rafi' who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Let me not find one of you reclining on his couch when he hears something regarding me which I have commanded or forbidden and saying: We do not know. What we found in Allah's Book we have followed.

لا ألفينَّ أحدكم متَّكئًا على أريكته يأتيه الأمر من أمري ممَّا أمرت به أو نهيت عنه ، فيقول : لا أدري ، ما وجدنا في كتاب الله اتَّبعناه ، وإلا فلا

Sunan Abi Dawud 4605Sahih (Al-Albani)

. It was narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, and he graded it authentic, and by Ibn Majah, al-Tahawi, and others with a sound chain.
Fifth: From al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Know that I have been given the Qur'an and its like with it. Know that a well-fed man on his couch will soon say: "Take this Qur'an; whatever you find in it of lawful, make it lawful, and whatever you find in it of forbidden, make it forbidden. And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade as Allah forbade. Know that it is not lawful for you to eat the domestic donkey, nor any fang-bearing beast of prey, nor the lost property of a person under a treaty, unless its owner is in no need of it. And whoever stays with a people, it is upon them to provide for him. If they do not provide for him, he has the right to retaliate against them with the like of their provision

أَلَا إني أُوتِيتُ القرآن ومثله معه ، ألا يُوشك رجل شبعان على أريكته يقول : عليكم بهذا القرآن ؛ فما وجدتم فيه من حلال فأحلُّوه ، وما وجدتم فيه من حرام فحرِّموه ، وإنما حرَّم رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم - كما حرَّم الله ، أَلَا لا يحلُّ لكم الحمار الأهلي ، ولا كلُّ ذي نابٍ من السِّباع ، ولا لقطة معاهد إلا أن يستغني عنها صاحبها ، ومَن نزل بقوم فعليهم أن يقروه ، فإن لم يقروه فله أن يُعقِبَهم بمثل قراه

. It was narrated by Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, and al-Hakim, and Ahmad graded it authentic with a sound chain.
Sixth: From Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

I have left for you two things by which you will not go astray as long as you hold fast to them: the Book of Allah and my Sunnah, and they will not separate until they come to me at the Pond

تركتُ فيكم شيئين لن تضلُّوا بعدهما ما تمسَّكتم بهما : كتاب الله وسنَّتي ، ولن يتفرَّقَا حتى يَرِدَا عليَّ الحوض

. It was narrated by Malik as a mursal, and by al-Hakim as a musnad, and he graded it authentic.

Source www.al-albany.com

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

Similar fatwas