What is the response to those who say that the Sunnah is not a proof because weak hadiths have been transmitted, and if it were a proof, Allah would have preserved it?
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The questioner : What is the response to those who say that the Sunnah is not a proof, and that this is because weak and fabricated hadiths have been transmitted? If it were a proof like the Qur'an, Allah the Mighty and Majestic would have preserved it.
The Shaykh : Yes, if someone says that the Sunnah is not a proof, and by the Sunnah he means everything attributed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), whether authentic, good, or weak, then there is a point to his statement, but it is refuted from another angle. It is said to him: Your generalization that the Sunnah is not a proof is an error, and it is necessary to distinguish between the cases.
It is said: What is attributed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that is not authentic is not attributed to him at all, and it is not correct for us to say that it is from the Sunnah of the Messenger or that it is from the Sunnah. It is dropped from the outset, so it is not correct to apply the term Sunnah to it.
As for what is authentic from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), it is a proof without doubt. If it were not a proof, most of the Shari'ah would be invalid, because most of the Shari'ah is established by the Sunnah. As you know, the Sunnah is either an initial legislation, or an explanation of the Qur'an, detailing its generalities, or a restriction of its absolutes, or a specification of its generalities. So it is a proof without doubt. And Allah the Mighty and Majestic said:[An-Nisa 4:80], and He said: [Al-Jinn 72:23], and the Exalted said: [Al-Hashr 59:7], and the Exalted said: [Ali 'Imran 3:31], and there are many verses in this regard.
So whoever denies acting upon the Sunnah has denied acting upon the Qur'an, without doubt, because the Qur'an indicates that the Sunnah brought by the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and authenticated to him is from the legislation of Allah.
So this person who made this general statement must correct his statement and say: What is attributed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is divided into two categories: a category that is not the Sunnah, so it is not a proof, and a category that is the Sunnah, so it is a proof.
As for his statement, "If it were a proof, Allah would have preserved it because it is from the religion of Allah," it is said: Yes, this is correct, and Allah the Exalted has preserved it, praise be to Allah. So Allah, praise be to Allah, has appointed from this Ummah (the Muslim community) scholars and imams who distinguish the authentic from the weak, just as a doctor distinguishes a fatal illness from a non-fatal one, and just as a healthy man distinguishes health from non-health. They distinguished it, compiled it, clarified the authentic, and clarified the weak. The Sunnah has remained sound, praise be to Allah, and it continues to be sound.
Among the books are those on which the scholars agreed regarding their contents, such as the authentic collections of al-Bukhari and Muslim. What is in them is authentic, to the extent that some scholars stated that what is in them conveys knowledge, not just opinion, because the Ummah accepted them, and it is impossible for this Islamic Ummah to agree upon falsehood. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, if someone says that the Sunnah is not a proof, and by the Sunnah he means everything attributed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), whether authentic, good, or weak, then there is a point to his statement, but it is refuted from another angle. It is said to him: Your generalization that the Sunnah is not a proof is an error, and it is necessary to distinguish between the cases.
It is said: What is attributed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that is not authentic is not attributed to him at all, and it is not correct for us to say that it is from the Sunnah of the Messenger or that it is from the Sunnah. It is dropped from the outset, so it is not correct to apply the term Sunnah to it.
As for what is authentic from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), it is a proof without doubt. If it were not a proof, most of the Shari'ah would be invalid, because most of the Shari'ah is established by the Sunnah. As you know, the Sunnah is either an initial legislation, or an explanation of the Qur'an, detailing its generalities, or a restriction of its absolutes, or a specification of its generalities. So it is a proof without doubt. And Allah the Mighty and Majestic said:
He 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 جهنمAnd whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from
وما آتاكم الرسول فخذوه وما نهاكم عنه فانتهواSay, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you
قل إن كنتم تحبون الله فاتبعوني يحببكم اللهSo whoever denies acting upon the Sunnah has denied acting upon the Qur'an, without doubt, because the Qur'an indicates that the Sunnah brought by the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and authenticated to him is from the legislation of Allah.
So this person who made this general statement must correct his statement and say: What is attributed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is divided into two categories: a category that is not the Sunnah, so it is not a proof, and a category that is the Sunnah, so it is a proof.
As for his statement, "If it were a proof, Allah would have preserved it because it is from the religion of Allah," it is said: Yes, this is correct, and Allah the Exalted has preserved it, praise be to Allah. So Allah, praise be to Allah, has appointed from this Ummah (the Muslim community) scholars and imams who distinguish the authentic from the weak, just as a doctor distinguishes a fatal illness from a non-fatal one, and just as a healthy man distinguishes health from non-health. They distinguished it, compiled it, clarified the authentic, and clarified the weak. The Sunnah has remained sound, praise be to Allah, and it continues to be sound.
Among the books are those on which the scholars agreed regarding their contents, such as the authentic collections of al-Bukhari and Muslim. What is in them is authentic, to the extent that some scholars stated that what is in them conveys knowledge, not just opinion, because the Ummah accepted them, and it is impossible for this Islamic Ummah to agree upon falsehood. Yes.