The Qur’an and Sunna and how they are used with ijma’ in Islamic Law.
By: Dr. Issah Abeebllahi Obalowu
The Qur’an is the name of the words and Book of Allah that is revealed in a clear Arabic language through the angel Gabriel to the last Messenger of Allah Muhammad (saw), which the first Surah is Al-Fatihah and the last Surah is Surah An-Nas, its shortest surah is a miracle which no one can bring its same, and it is transmitted to us from one generation after the
other without any break.
There are many themes and ideas explored in the Quran, but the major ones include:
1- The Oneness of Allah
2- The importance of worship and obedience to Allah
3- The Existence of an Afterlife and the Day of Judgment
4- Guidance and wisdom for leading a righteous and moral life
5- The creation of the universe and all living things
6- The role of the Prophets and revelation in guiding humanity
7- The consequences of good and evil actions
8- The significance of social justice and fairness.
These themes are discussed throughout the Quran and serve as a guide for believers on how to live their lives per the will of Allah.
The Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet (saw) for 23 years. The revelation began in 610 A.D. in the month of Ramadan when the Prophet (saw) was meditating about his Creator in the cave of Hira, and it continued to reveal part by part whenever there was a need. Sometimes, a complete surah would be revealed, while more than one surah would be revealed at some other time, and a part of the surah would also be revealed in some cases. So, the Prophet (saw) took the entire Qur’an verbally from the mouth of the angel Gabriel and delivered it the same way he received it to his companions. The wordings of the Qur’an are directly from
Allah and not from the expression of the Prophet (saw). Allah says in Surah al-Qadr: “We revealed it (Qur’an) on the night of majesty.”
Sunna of the Prophet (saw) is also known as hadith in some cases. Sunna literally means a practice, a way, a rule, a custom, or a mode of life. Technically, sunna implies the doings and
practices of the Holy Prophet (saw). So, the sunna is a real interpretation of the will of Allah, shown in the actions of His Noble Prophet. Sunna can comprise the deeds and sayings of
the Prophet, as well as his approval of the actions of his companions. One example of sunna is that the Prophet (saw) used to fast on Monday and Thursday.
Ijma (consensus of scholarly opinion) literally means agreeing upon or uniting in opinion.
Technically, Ijma is the third source of Islamic law after the Qur’an and hadith. It refers to the consensus reached by Muslim scholars on some matters about which the detailed answer is not found in the Qur’an or Sunna.
The Qur’an and sunna are used together with Ijma’ in Islamic law. All sources of Islamic law are interlinked. The Qur’an which is the chief source of Islamic law provides guidance and basic legislation in general. However, there are many areas that need deor even demonstration for the sake of full application by the Muslims. Here comes the function of sunna; such as the issue of salat (prayer), the Qur’an establishes the compulsion of offering salat, but the full details of the activities of salat are not mentioned in the Qur’an, but they can only be found in the sunna of the Prophet (saw). Thus, the Prophet said: “pray as you see me praying.” Likewise, the issue of zakat, hajj, and many other legislations mentioned in the Qur’an, all which cannot be perfected except with the reference to the hadith. So, sunna becomes an essential condition for proper understanding of the Qur’an.
The Qur’an itself commands the believers in several verses to obey and follow the Prophet.
In surah al-Nisai: 59, Allah says: “O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those charged with authority among you. If you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination.”
Ijma’ is one of the secondary sources of Islamic law which strictly and essentially depends on the primary sources. Ijma can only be exercised by the Muslim scholars who are highly
vast in knowledge of the Qur’an and sunna, and they can only resort to Ijma only if they are fully convinced that there is not any solution in the Qur’an or hadith for the newly emerged issue that required solution for the sake of the Muslims. The prophet of Allah had said: “God will not cause all my people to agree on error.” The Prophet also said: “I urge you to adhere to my Sunnah and the path of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and cling stubbornly to it.”
These hadiths and their likes show the importance of adhering to the consensus of the scholars. One example of Ijma was the agreement of the companions on the compilation of the Qur’an in one book as we have it today, which was not done in that way during the time of the Prophet. Another example was their agreement on fighting those who refused to pay zakat during the time of Abubakr and their agreement on constant praying tarawih in jama’ah.
There are many types of Ijma such as Ijma of the companions, Ijma of Imams, Ijma of the scholars, and Ijma of the local Muslim community.
How the Qur’an, as a primary source of law, helped to unify Muslims over time?
The Qur’an as a primary source of law in Islam has helped to unify Muslims over time. This fact manifests in the belief of the different sects of Muslims in the same Qur’an, even though there are little differences in the way of interpretation of some verses. Thus, Muslims around the world adopt the same customs and ethics despite their various background and geographical differences. Since they all believe in one Qur’an, they Pray the same prayer five times daily, perform the same pilgrimage at the same time every year from all around the world, face the same qibla, etc. This Qur’an also urged Muslims to put their ethnicities aside and focus on the bond of Islam that makes them become brothers and sisters of faith. This unity will continue forever in as much as the Qur’an has not changed in the last 1400 years and no one can change it as Allah promised to protect it.(a) Write an account of the Prophet Muhammad’s life from his birth until he received revelation.
His Childhood
Prophet Muhammad’s life from his birth until he received revelation can be considered as the first phase of his life. He was born to Aminah bint Wahb, the widow of Abdullah bin Abdul Muttalib around the year 570 CE (Monday Rabi ‘u al-Awwal in the Year of Elephant) in Makkah, known as Saudi Arabia, today, to the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe, one of Mecca’s prominent families. This year is known as the Year of the Elephant because of the attempted attack on ka‘bah made by Abraha. His father, Abdullah, died almost six months before he was born. His mother named him Ahmad and his grandfather named him Muhammad. He was nursed by his mother for a few days, then Thuwaybah the maid of Abu Lahb also nursed him, before he was sent off to live with Halimah bint Dhuayb al-Sa‘diyyah, a Bedouin family in the desert. This conformed with the Arab custom during that time, as desert life was considered healthier for infants, and that would also enable him to learn classical Arabic. The Prophet (saw) stayed with this family until he was about six years old.
During this period, the Prophet (saw) had a very rapid growth, and many blessings happened to this family with the presence of the Prophet in their midst. During this period, angel Gabriel came to the Prophet (saw) while he was playing with his playmates. He took hold of him and lay him prostrate on the ground and tore open his breast and took out the heart from it and then extracted a blood clot out of it and said: “This is the portion of Shaytan in you.” Then he washed it with the water of Zamzam in a golden bowl and then it was joined together and restored to its place. Halimah was so scared about this incident, so he returned the Prophet to his mother.
At the age of six, the Prophet lost his biological mother, Amina, when both were returning from Madinah, where she went with the Prophet to visit some of his grandfather’s uncles. So, Aminah died on the way between Makkah and Madinah. Then, he was raised by his paternal grandfather, Abdul-Muttalib for two years, until he died when the Prophet was eight years old. His grandfather loved him so much that he would not leave him alone at any time. Before he died, he made a statement that Abu Talib should raise him after his death. So, he came under the care of his uncle Abu Talib, the new leader of Banu Hashim, until he became the prophet. He also stayed by his side against unbelievers of the Quraysh despite that he was one of them.
Adolescence And Early Adulthood
During the period when he was under the guardianship of his uncle, at the age of 12, he accompanied his uncle on trading journeys to Syria, gaining experience in commercial trade, which was the only career open to him as an orphan. During this journey, a Christian monk or hermit named Bahira saw the Prophet and recognized him with the signs mentioned in their books, so, he requested his uncle to return him to Makkah to avoid the Jews from harming him if they saw him in Syria. So, his uncle returned him to Makkah. From this moment, Abu Talib knew that the Prophet was not an ordinary man like the others, so he cared for him more and more.At the age of 15, he participated with his uncles in the alliance known as “Hilf al-Fuduul” the alliance between the different clans of Quraysh to stop all forms of oppression and support the oppressed. He shepherds the sheep for the people of Makkah.
At twenty-five years old, he became a merchant for Khadija, who was a widow. He traveled to Syria with her servant Maysarah for business. Khadijah was so amazed at the news that she had from her servant about the uniqueness of the Prophet (saw), so she proposed to him and became his wife. Khadijah was the only wife of the Prophet till her death.
When the prophet was thirty- five, he participated in the renovation of the Ka‘bah and made the most appropriate decision in setting the Black Stone in place on the wall of the Kaaba. The Black Stone, a sacred object, had been removed to facilitate renovations to the Kaaba.
The leaders of Mecca could not agree on which clan should have the honor of setting the Black Stone back in its place. They agreed to wait for the next man to come through the gate and ask him to choose. That man was the 35-year-old Muhammad, five years before his first revelation. He asked for a cloth and put the Black Stone in its center. Then he asked the clan leaders to hold the corners of the cloth and together carried the Black Stone to the right spot; then the Prophet (saw) set the stone in place, satisfying all who were present.
Prior to his prophethood, the first sign of revelation was the true vision in sleep. Whenever he saw anything in his vision, it would happen the same way he saw it. Thenceforth seclusion became dear to him, and he used to seclude himself in the cave of Hira', where he would engage in meditating and worshiping Allah for a number of nights before returning to his wife Khadija and getting provisions again for this purpose. There he was when the angel Gabriel came to him with the revelation.
The Prophet (pbuh) was an orphan and raised by many people. How did this preparehim for prophethood?
An orphan in Islam is a child who lost his father while he was under the age of puberty. The Prophet (saw) was an orphan since Allah decreed the death of his father before he was born.
Perhaps this was decreed by Allah to prepare him for the great task of the prophethood ahead of him. Some of the wisdoms behind this decree lie in the following points:
1. To avoid doubt and accusation that he is being taught and inspired by his father or grandfather, especially since his grandfather Abdul Muttalib was one of the elders and masters of the Quraysh.
2. To keep the Prophet (saw) away from inclination towards the glory of prestige and money, or being influenced by them, so that people would not be confused about his prophethood and the prestige of this world. So, he grew up an orphan and his Creator took care of him alone with His care.
3. To grow up with strength, steadfastness, and endurance from a young age to be qualified to bear the responsibility of the prophethood later. So, the Prophet (saw) lived as an orphan with various experiences and different phases of life that made him acquire several qualities of leadership that he would not have had if he had not lived as an orphan.
He lived with Halimah in the village to be raised in a natural way that is full of Arab traditions and customs since he would be later dealing with different categories of Arabs whether Bedouin or not.family bonds as she took him with her on a long journey from Makkah to Madinah, mainly to visit his father’s relatives. Then, he lived in the custody of his grandfather who showed him great love and compassion which will surely influence his mission in the future. Lastly, he
enjoyed the rest of his childhood under the guardianship of his uncle who took care of him more than his children. He made his first journey outside Makkah with his uncle. He participated in many events that only involved adults and old people, but with the influence of his uncle, he was able to witness them. All these things prepared him for the great tasks ahead of him. If he had lived with his father he might not have had the opportunity to engage in such activities.
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