What is the meaning of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "I will surely find some of you reclining on his couch, saying: This is the Book of Allah; whatever we find therein as lawful, we make lawful, and whatever we find therein as forbidden, we forbid..."
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The questioner : May Allah bless your knowledge, O Shaykh: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said "Let none of you recline on his couch and say: This is the Book of Allah; whatever we find therein as lawful, we make lawful, and whatever we find therein as forbidden, we forbid. Beware, for I have been given the Qur'an and something similar to it with it". What is the meaning of his reclining on his couch? And is there evidence in this hadith for the obligation of following the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?
The Shaykh : The obligation of what?
The questioner : The obligation of following the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And if that is the case, then the statement of the usul scholars, the scholars of jurisprudence, that the Sunnah is that whose doer is rewarded and whose leaver is not punished—may Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : As for the wording of the hadith, it is not as the questioner said, "Let none of you sit on his couch," but rather he said:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2663Sahih (Darussalam) This is a warning from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) against a person being in this state and condition, having such arrogance and pride that he reclines on his couch. When a matter comes from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), he says, "I do not know; whatever we find in the Book of Allah, we follow," meaning we do not follow the Sunnah. This is a warning from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) against a person being in this state. For this reason, he said: And it is the Sunnah, as the Exalted said: [An-Nisa 4:113] The scholars said that the wisdom referred to here is the Sunnah, as evidenced by His saying: [An-Nisa 4:113] It is well known that rejecting the authentic, established Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is exactly like rejecting the Qur'an, because the rulings brought by the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) are just like the rulings brought in the Qur'an, for he is the Messenger of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So if someone says, "I will not accept anything except what is in the Qur'an," we say that you have fallen into the state from which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) warned his Ummah. Then we say to him: Your rejection of what the Messenger brought is a rejection of what is in the Qur'an, because Allah the Exalted said: [An-Nisa 4:80] And He said: [Al-Jinn 72:23] And Allah the Exalted said: [Ali 'Imran 3:31] And the Exalted said: [Al-Hashr 59:7] and other numerous verses indicating the obligation of following the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). As for the Sunnah, it has two definitions: a general definition and a specific definition. As for the general definition, the Sunnah is the way of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), encompassing the obligatory, the recommended, and others. From this is the saying of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him): "It is the Sunnah that if a man marries a virgin, he stays with her for seven days and then divides his time, and if he marries a woman who has been married before, he stays with her for three days and then divides his time" This Sunnah is obligatory.
As for the specific definition, it is the definition of the jurists (may Allah have mercy on them), who divided the rulings of the Shari'ah into five categories: obligatory, Sunnah, forbidden, disliked, and permissible. They divided them this way so that what the Shari'ah has made binding is clear: it is obligatory to do if it is obligatory, and obligatory to leave if it is forbidden, and what is below that is Sunnah in what is commanded and disliked in what is prohibited. This is the difference, and thus there is no problem. So the Sunnah now has two types: general and specific. The general one is that which refers to the way of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), encompassing the obligatory and the recommended. As for the specific one, it is what the jurists agreed upon, where they said that the Sunnah is that if a person does it, he is rewarded for it, and if he leaves it, he is not punished. Yes.
The Shaykh : The obligation of what?
The questioner : The obligation of following the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And if that is the case, then the statement of the usul scholars, the scholars of jurisprudence, that the Sunnah is that whose doer is rewarded and whose leaver is not punished—may Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : As for the wording of the hadith, it is not as the questioner said, "Let none of you sit on his couch," but rather he said:
Let me not find one of you reclining on his couch
لا ألفين أحدكم متكئًا على أريكتهBeware, for I have been given the Book and something similar to it with it, or the Qur'an and something similar to it with it
ألا وإني أوتيت الكتاب ومثله معه أو القرآن ومثله معهAnd Allah has revealed to you the Book and wisdom and has taught you that which you did not know. And ever has the favor of Allah upon you been great.
وأنزل الله عليك الكتاب والحكمة وعلمك ما لم تكن تعلم وكان فضل الله عليك عظيمًاand has taught you that which you did not know. And ever has the favor of Allah upon you been great.
وعلمك ما لم تكن تعلم وكان فضل الله عليك عظيمًاHe who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah
من يطع الرسول فقد أطاع اللهAnd whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger - then indeed, for him is the fire of Hell
ومن يعص الله ورسوله فإن له نار جهنمSay, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you
قل إن كنتم تحبون الله فاتبعوني يحببكم اللهAnd whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from
وما آتاكم الرسول فخذوه وما نهاكم عنه فانتهواAs for the specific definition, it is the definition of the jurists (may Allah have mercy on them), who divided the rulings of the Shari'ah into five categories: obligatory, Sunnah, forbidden, disliked, and permissible. They divided them this way so that what the Shari'ah has made binding is clear: it is obligatory to do if it is obligatory, and obligatory to leave if it is forbidden, and what is below that is Sunnah in what is commanded and disliked in what is prohibited. This is the difference, and thus there is no problem. So the Sunnah now has two types: general and specific. The general one is that which refers to the way of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), encompassing the obligatory and the recommended. As for the specific one, it is what the jurists agreed upon, where they said that the Sunnah is that if a person does it, he is rewarded for it, and if he leaves it, he is not punished. Yes.