KHUTAB V: 13. INKAR SUNNAH (2)
13. INKAR SUNNAH (2)
Since many people have fallen into the trap of following the late
Dr. Rashad Kalifah and Dr. Ahmed Sobhi Mansour in their rejection of the Sunnah
of the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. it would be necessary to give some light
on their teachings. Since they believe
that the Qur’ān has explained everything, then the Sunnah of the Prophet
is not required, and what we know now as the Sunnah of the Prophet is
the product and invention of people of later generation as means to justify
their personal ambition or conduct and behaviour. Rashad Khalifa said:
“The Quran
proclaims that the Quran is complete,
perfect, and
fully detailed (6:19, 38, 114, 115; 50:45),
and that
religious regulations not specifically instituted
in the Quran
constitute a religion other than Islam (42:21,
17:46). The
true believers uphold the Quran, the whole
Quran, and
nothing but the Quran….” (see Quran
the Final
Testament, Appendix 18)
So, according to Rashad Khalifa, we
who accept the Sunnah of the Prophet, are no longer true Muslims. Let us
see what is the position of the Prophet according to the Qur’ān itself.
The position and duty of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. according
to the Qur’ān are: (1) Expounder of the Qur’ān, (2) Legislator, (3) Model behaviour
for Muslim society, and (4) Total obedience to the Prophet. The details are as
follows:
1.
Expounder of the Qur’ān.
Allah the Almighty said:
وَأَنْزَلْنَا
إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ
يَتَفَكَّرُونَ (44(
We
have revealed unto thee the Remembrance
(the Qur’ān) that you may
explain to mankind that
which has been revealed For
them.(Q. 16:44)
The
Qur’ān does not prescribe the details for prayer (ṣalāt). It does not
mention the number and the time of the five-daily prayers, it does not mention
the number of the units (rak‘ah) for every prayer. It does not mention
the two prostrations (sajdah) in every unit, and sitting between the two
prostrations, and what will make this prayers and ablution void, etc. It
was the Prophet who explained them and taught them through examples.
The
Qur’ān mentions ṣalāt (prayer) followed by zakat more than 20
times, and mentions the injunction to pray together with the injunction to give
zakat, namely, أَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ
وَآَتُوا الزَّكَاةَ (“perform prayer and give zakat”)
eight times. Without explanation from the Prophet one might think that
immediately after performing the prayer one has to pay the zakat,
because Allah mentions zakat after ṣalāt.
Allah
orders the Muslims to pay the zakat for the fruit on the day of its harvest وَآَتُوا
حَقَّهُ يَوْمَ حَصَادِهِ (”pay
the due thereof on the day of its harvest” Q. 6:141), without giving the
amount of its zakat. It was the Prophet who explained it that its zakat
is either 5% or 10%. Allah did noteven mention the remaining items for
which zakat is to be paid.
Allah
orders Muslims, male and female, to perform the five-daily prayers and fasting
in the month of Ramadan, without giving any exception. It was the Prophet who
explained that women in their period were not allowed to pray and fast in
Ramadan, and to make up their missed fast, not their missed ṣalāt.
It
is incumbent upon Muslims who have no valid reasons to attend the Friday
prayers, but it was the Prophet who explains that women and people who have
valid reasons not to attend are excused from attending the Friday prayers.
Allah
orders us to fast until night. He says: ثُمَّ
أَتِمُّوا الصِّيَامَ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ (البقرة
:187) (“… then complete your fast till layl (night). The
word لَيْل
literally means “nighttime, night (as opposed to نَهَار , daytime). It was the Prophet who
explained that we break our fast at nightfall. Br. Axel Knoenagel from Germany
told me that as he just referred to Islam and it was Ramadan he started fasting
until dark at night, because he did not know that we break out fast at
nightfall. A follower of Inkār Sunnah delayed breaking his fast until it
became dark, most probably following literal translation of the term layl (night)
in the above verse.
Allah
prohibits eating carrion, blood and pig when He said:
(المائدة:3)… وَالدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ الْخِنْزِيرِ حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةُ
(“Forbidden
to you (for food) are carrion, blood,
the flesh of swine…Q. 5:3).
It was the Prophet who explained that fish
is exepted, so that dead fish is ḥalāl, and that the whole swine is ḥarām,
not only its meat. But Rashad Khalifa, the exponent of the Inkar Sunnah, sticked to the literal meaning of the verse,
that only the meat of the pork is ḥarām, not its fat (see Quran
the Final Testament, Appendix 16)
Allah says in the Qur’ān:
إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ
فَمَنْ حَجَّ الْبَيْتَ أَوِ اعْتَمَرَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ
عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا وَمَنْ تَطَوَّعَ
خَيْرًا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ شَاكِرٌ عَلِيمٌ (158(
Verily, al-Safa and al-Marwah (two mountains of Makkah)
are the symbols of Allah. So it is not a sin on him who performs
hajj and ‘umrah (pilgrimage) of
the House (the Ka‘bah in
Makkah) to perform the going
(tawaf) between them. And
whoever does good voluntarily,
then verily, Allah is All-
Recogniser, All-Knower. (Q. 2:158)
Performing the sa‘i between Mt. Safa
and Mt. Marwa “is not a sin” seemed to indicate the permission to do it, and
not incumbent upon the pilgrims. This verse was revealed when the Muslims as
well as idolaters were at the early period of Islam performed the sa‘i
together. But the Muslims were hesitant to do so, because of the presence of
two idols, one at each of Mt. Safa and the other at Mt. Marwa. Allah removed this
hesitation by revealing the above verse. Muslims were still weak at that time,
and had to tolerate the presence of idolatry and idols. Idols were destroyed
only after the conquest of Makkah, when the Prophet s.a.w. became the de
facto ruler of Arabia. The above verse
does not indicate the injunction of performing the sa‘i by pilgrims. It
was the Prophet who explained it and said that performing the sa‘i is
incumbent upon the pilgrims as it is one of the arkān (basic elements)
of the hajj (pilgrimage).
Rashad Khalifa who claimed to be a prophet, “God's Messenger of the
Covenant” said that all Islamic duties have been distorted. He said: “Like all
other duties in Islam, Hajj has been distorted. Most Muslims observe Hajj only
during a few days in Zul-Hijjah, and they consider Rajab, Zul-Qi‘dah,
Zul-Hijjah, and Muharram (7th, 11th, 12th, 1st months) to be the Sacred Months.
This is a distortion that is strongly condemned.” (see Quran the Final
Testament, Appendix 15)
2.
Legislator
Allah SWT gives the Prophet the legislative power, when He says:
وَيُحِلُّ
لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ
إِصْرَهُمْ
وَالْأَغْلَالَ
الَّتِي كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ (الأعراف:157)
… and he will make lawful for them all good things and
prohibit for them only the foul, and will relieve them of their
burden and the fetters which they
use to wear… (Q. 7:157)
Therefore, the Prophet was authorized by
Allah to be a law giver to the Muslim society. He prohibited the Muslim males
from wearing gold, silver and silk. He also initiated certain things, such as
the call to prayer (ādhān), which was later mentioned in the Qur’ān and
became the standardized practices of the Muslims. Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلَاةِ
مِنْ يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ
وَذَرُوا
الْبَيْعَ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ (الجمعة:9)
O you who believe.! When the call is proclaimed for the prayer
on Friday, come to the remembrance of Allah, and leave off
business. That is better for you if you did but know! (Q. 62:9)
The Qur’ān did not explain what
to say when we call people to prayer. It was the Prophet who taught us the
wording of the ādhān.
3. Model behaviour for Muslim Society.
Allah says in the Qur’ān,
لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ
يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ
الْآَخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا (الأحزاب:21)
Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah, you have a good
example to follow for him who
hopes for Allah and the
Last Day, and remembers Allah much (Q. 33:21)
Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. was a
model for Muslims in all walks of life: as a leader, a ruler, a judge, a
teacher, a husband, a parent, a business man, a general, a neighbour, and an
ordinary human being.
4. Total obedience to the
Prophet
Allah says in the Qur’ān:
يَا
أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ...
(النساء:59, محمد:33)
O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the
Messenger…(Q. 4:59 and 47:33)
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ
...(النساء:64)
We sent no messenger save that he should
be obeyed by Allah’s leave (Q. 4:64)
There
are many other Qur’ānic verses indicating the commands of Allah to obey the
Prophet, such as Q. 3:32, 8:20, 24:54. Allah’s commands as well as those of the
Prophet are all binding on Muslims. The commands and prohibitions of the
Prophet are not found in the Qur’ān, but found in the Ḥadīth and the Sunnah
of the Prophet. Since the the Hadīth and the Sunnah are
unacceptable for the followers of Inkār
Sunnah, the Prophet’s explanation, commands and prohibition will be
unacceptable, too. Therefore, the Qur’ānic verses enjoining the Muslims to obey
the Prophet would be useless in the eyes of the followers of Inkar Sunnah. (CIVIC,
19.04.13)
Bibliography:
المكتبة
الشاملة
M.M. Azami. Studies in Hadith
Methodology. Kuala Lumpur: Islaamic Book Trust, 1977
Rashad Khalifa, Ph.D. Quran the Final Testament. Tucson:
Islamic Productions, n.d.
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