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Is Sunnah And Hadith Synonymous?
The word Hadīth is often understood to be a synonym for the word Sunnah. This is not correct. There is a great difference between the two not only regarding the extent of their authenticity, but also their content.
A narrative of the words, deeds or tacit approvals of the Prophet (sws) is called Hadīth. It does not add anything to the content of Islam stated in the Qur’ān and Sunnah, the two original sources of Islam. Ahādīth(plural of Hadīth) only explain and elucidate what is contained in these two sources and also describe the exemplary way in which the Prophet (sws) followed Islam. The scholars of Hadīth say that a Hadīth may be true or it may be false. For this very reason, Ahādīth are also called dhannī (presumptive or indefinite).
On the other hand, the word Sunnah literally means “busy path”, “trodden path”, “beaten path”. As a term, it refers to the practices of the Prophet Abraham (sws) to which the Prophet Muhammad (sws) gave religious sanction among his followers after reviving and reforming them and after making certain additions to them.[2]The Qur’ānh as directed the Prophet (sws) to obey these Abrahamic practices in the following words:
ثُمَّ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ أَنِ اتَّبِعْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ (123:16)
Then We revealed to you to follow the ways of Abraham, who was true in faith and was not among the polytheists. (16:123)
The following three aspects further bring out the difference between Hadīth and Sunnah.
Firstly, while Ahādīth can be inauthentic or spurious, the Sunnah cannot be so. The Sunnah is in fact as authentic as the Qur’ān. This is because of the difference in the nature of transmission. Ahādīth have been transmitted by a few individuals and therefore become dependent on their character, memory and intellect – all of which can falter even if the person in question is very pious. On the other hand, the Sunnah has been transmitted by whole generations to the next. Such is the vast number of people who have adhered to certain practices that there is no possibility of any error. The memory, intellect and character of a few persons can falter but when thousands of people deliver the same thing, any faulty transmission is ruled out. Furthermore, not only have a large number of people transmitted these practices, but also there is a consensus in the ummah regarding the authenticity of these practices. In other words, even people who do not adhere to these practices also vouch for their veracity.
Secondly, Sunnah is purely related to the practical aspects of Islam such as the prayer, hajj, nikāh, wudū and tayammum. Issues that pertain to belief, history, occasion of revelation and explanation of Qur’ānic verses lie outside its domain. On the other hand, Ahādīth are not confined to a certain sphere of Islam. Their content ranges from the practical issues of religion to intellectual ones and from historical episodes to explanation of the Qur’ān and of the Sunnah itself.
Thirdly, the Sunnah is not based on Ahādīth. For instance, we have not adopted the prayer, pilgrimage, etc in all their details because a few narrators explained them to us; on the contrary, we have adopted them because every person in our surroundings is either adhering to it or vouching for its veracity. In other words, Sunnah is an entirely independent source of Islam. However, some Ahādīth may contain a record of the Sunnah just as they may contain the record and explanation of certain verses of the Qur’ān. But just as having a record of the Qur’āndoes not make Ahādīth the same as the Qur’ān, having a record of the Sunnah does not make Ahādīth equivalent to the Sunnah.
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Is Sunnah And Hadith Synonymous?
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