Who are the Sunnah rejectors?

The Sunnah rejectors—the rejectors of the second primary source of Islamic legislation—are a deviant group whose numbers have recently increased. Most of them emerge from under the “cloak” of Enlightenment. They have dissented from the Islamic nation by declaring, “We reject some or all of the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH).” This is the central principle of the sect, but there is considerable disagreement among its members. Some reject all ḥadīths (narrations of the sayings, actions, and tacit approvals of the Prophet, PBUH) and all akhbār (reports or accounts relating to him, PBUH). Others accept mutawātir ḥadīths (mass-transmitted narrations reported by a significant number of narrators whose agreement upon a lie is impossible) but reject ʾāḥād ḥadīths (solitary reports originating from a single Companion rather than a large group of trustworthy narrators). Some reject the verbal Sunnah while accepting the practical Sunnah. However, the majority of the Sunnah consists of ʾāḥād ḥadīths, and it is predominantly verbal. Hence, the adherents of this sect reject most of the Sharīʿah, denying countless matters that every Muslim must know by necessity. Some Sunnah rejectors call themselves “Qurʾānists,” but this name does not befit them. In fact, they are far from being true followers of the Qurʾān, for if they were, they would not have rejected what Allāh commands to follow in the Qurʾān—namely, the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH) and the way of the believers. The Qurʾān, which they claim to follow, rejects the faith of anyone who refuses to obey the Messenger (PBUH). It makes clear that adherence to Allāh’s religion requires following both the Qurʾān and the Sunnah. The Islamic nation has unanimously agreed that acting upon the Sunnah is obligatory, as it is the second primary source of Islamic legislation after the Qurʾān. The Sunnah is preserved just as the Qurʾān is. Allāh says: {it is certainly We Who have revealed the Reminder, and it is certainly We Who will preserve it} (Qurʾān 15:9). Ibn Ḥazm [may Allāh have mercy on him] said: “The claim that the preserved Ḏikr (Reminder) is the Qurʾān alone is false, and it is a specification made without evidence. The term Ḏikr applies to everything that Allāh revealed to His Prophet (PBUH), including both the Qurʾān and the Sunnah.”¹ And he [may Allāh have mercy on him] also said: “If a person were to say, “We take only what we find in the Qurʾān,” he would be a disbeliever by the unanimous consensus of the [Muslim] nation. In that case, he would be obliged to perform only one rakʿah between the declining of the sun and the darkness of the night, and another at dawn, for this is the minimum to which the name “prayer” applies [in the Qurʾān], and there is no defined limit to what exceeds it. And the one who holds this view is a disbeliever and a polytheist…”²

Interestingly enough, the Sunnah rejectors are the most ignorant people regarding the Sharīʿah. Among the deviant sects—such as the Khawārij,³ the Jahmiyyah,⁴ and others—there were those who studied the Sharīʿah carefully, yet they misinterpreted the texts and consequently went astray. The Sunnah rejectors, however, possess little to no knowledge of Sharīʿah sciences. There is not a single scholar of Ḥadīth(Prophetic traditions)or Sharīʿah among them; they have no connection with authentic Islamic religious knowledge. Instead, they rely on flashy, superficial slogans such as “academic research,” “respecting the mind,” “free research,” “revival of the nation,” “eliminating ignorance,” and “Enlightenment,” which amount to nothing more than obsolete catchphrases. The Sunnah rejectors have no share in these concepts and seek nothing genuine from them. At most, they merely regurgitate superficial shubuhāt (doubts or specious arguments) about the Sunnah, often citing the enemies of Islam—Orientalists. The rejection of the Sunnah is by far the primary gateway to atheism. Most of those who eventually turned to atheism or apostatized from Islam began by rejecting some authentic ḥadīths and prioritizing intellectual or rational whims and the Western worldview over them. That is, their journey toward disbelief started with placing misconceptions above the Sunnah, and it progressed to contesting the Sunnah, the Islamic legacy, and the works of early jurists. Subsequently, they misinterpreted the Qurʾān to conform to their whims, eventually becoming atheists. This is a normal and predictable trajectory. What is even more alarming—and illustrates the danger of rejecting the Sunnah—is that some atheists have taken advantage of this “gateway” of Sunnah rejection. They enter through it and cultivate followers within it. That is, an atheist may present himself merely as a rejector of the Sunnah, but he uses this position to spread ilḥād (deviation) in religion. Once the Sunnah is rejected, it becomes impossible to confront any deviation within Allāh’s religion. This is precisely the Enlightenment project.

The advocates of Enlightenment claim to reject the Sunnah, but their true objective is to spread deviation within Allāh’s religion. When the Sunnah is rejected, the Qurʾānic text becomes vulnerable to interpretation according to any whims. In other words, there will be no Prophetic traditions to safeguard against misinterpretations of the Qurʾān, no consensus for the rejector of the Sunnah to rely upon, and no understanding of the Salaf (the first three generations of Muslims—the Companions, the Successors, and the Successors of the Successors) to guide his contemplation of the Sharīʿah’s objectives. The inevitable result is tampering with Allāh’s religion according to one’s desires. Hence, the goal of the “enlightened” atheist, who claims to be only a rejector of the Sunnah, is to weaken the Muslim’s adherence to the sharʿī (Islamic legal) texts. He seeks to sow doubt regarding the meanings of the Qurʾān, causing Muslims to question it. Consequently, they may begin to accept atheism gradually, step by step. The rejection of the Sunnah is, in fact, an insult to the sanctity of the Prophet (PBUH), for each Prophetic tradition that is rejected gradually weakens the sanctity of the religion in the hearts of Muslims until it disappears entirely. If the Sunnah is lost, and if any Qurʾānic text may be interpreted according to whatever meaning comes to one’s mind, then it is only natural that the value of the text itself will be lost. Consequently, the Muslim will lose veneration for the sharʿī (Islamic legal) text and, in turn, lose submission to its apparent meaning. What, then, can be expected after this except the complete abandonment of religion and the pursuit of the delusions of atheism, which lead Man to indulge in every desire? Once the rejectors of the Sunnah allow themselves to attack a Prophetic tradition that Muslims have unanimously accepted and acted upon for centuries, they take the first step in rebelling against the sanctity and lofty status of Prophethood. As a result, they deserve to drift further away from the religion of Allāh and to fall into ever greater trials. In essence, the project of the Sunnah rejectors is inseparably intertwined with that of the advocates of Enlightenment, for the Sunnah rejectors begin by accusing the scholars of the Salaf (the first three generations of Muslims—the Companions, the Successors, and the Successors of the Successors) of ignorance, forgery (the fabrication of traditions), and of having been motivated by personal interests, and by portraying Muslim preachers as rigid dervishes. These are the initial steps through which doubt is sown. At the same time, they magnify the “idol” of Western values and reinterpret the Qurʾān to force it into conformity with those values. This approach is particularly employed by the advocates of Enlightenment under the guise of Sunnah rejection. What, then, is the outcome for those who follow them? Nothing remains for them except the delusion of atheism. The idea of the Sunnah rejectors, emerging from among the advocates of Enlightenment, is based on putting religion on trial. In order for religion to extricate itself from their accusations, it must adopt interpretations that align with any prevailing whims; otherwise, it will not be acquitted. According to this logic, the first way to clear religion’s name from false accusations is to reject the sharʿī (Islamic legal) texts. Consequently, Prophetic traditions are dismissed, and the Qurʾān is misinterpreted. In the eyes of the Sunnah rejectors, religion must conform to every prevailing culture, regardless of its corruption, rather than reform that culture and call people to the service of the Lord of the Worlds, the King, and the Mighty One. By their reasoning, Allāh reveals religion and sends the Prophets with the Sharīʿah only to be consistent with whatever culture happens to prevail. If this were the case, what, then, is the benefit of religion? If religion is ultimately subordinate to any culture, what value does it hold, and what is its purpose? Giving Allāh’s religion priority in the heart over any culture, regardless of circumstance, is the first handhold of faith, and there is no faith without it—not even the weight of a mustard seed. If anyone considers any culture superior to Islam and its legislation, every Muslim would agree that this amounts to apostasy. Allāh’s religion will remain supreme, and so will the Holy Sunnah. With Allāh’s protection, it will remain preserved like the Qurʾān until the Hour is established.

The Sunnah explains and clarifies the Qurʾān, as the Qurʾān itself affirms in numerous verses: {Then it is surely upon Us to make it clear ˹to you˺} (The Qurʾān 75:19). Allāh has taken it upon Himself to explain the Qurʾān. The Qurʾān cannot be implemented correctly, nor can it be properly understood, except through the Sunnah. This is why the Sunnah will remain preserved like the Qurʾān. It is impossible to establish the prayer, pay the zakāt (obligatory charity), or perform the pilgrimage to the House of Allāh except by following the Sunnah. Many matters are mentioned in the Qurʾān in general terms, and the Messenger (PBUH) explained them in detail through his Sunnah. Allāh says: {and We have sent down to you ˹O Prophet˺ the Reminder, so that you may explain to people what has been revealed for them} (Qurʾān 16:44). The Prophet (PBUH) fulfilled the duty of elucidating the teachings of the Qurʾān through his Sunnah. The Companions [may Allāh be pleased with them] are the closest people to the Qurʾān and the Sunnah. They witnessed the revelations firsthand, accompanied the Prophet (PBUH), and fought in the Path of Allāh alongside him. Allāh has praised them in the Noble Qurʾān. They are the most knowledgeable of people regarding the language and meanings of the Qurʾān, and they understand the Qurʾān and the Sunnah far better than anyone else. Therefore, their understanding of the Qurʾān and the Sunnah takes precedence over all others. Allāh says: {so if they believe in what you believe, then they will indeed be ˹rightly˺ guided} (Qurʾān 2:137). Indeed, the most excellent, most insightful, and purest form of faith, after that of the Prophets, is the faith of the Companions [may Allāh be pleased with them]. It is the closest to the meanings and proper implementation of the Qurʾān. Therefore, the way of the People of Ḥadīth (Prophetic traditions) is to adhere to the Qurʾān and the Sunnah as understood and practiced collectively by the pious Predecessors—the first three generations of Muslims. This is the infallible way, the way unanimously adopted by Ahl as-Sunnah wa-l-Jamāʿah (Adherents to the Prophet’s Way and the Community). The Prophet (PBUH) said: “My nation will split into seventy-three sects, all of which will be in the Fire except one. They said, ‘Which one is that, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘That which I and my Companions are upon.’”⁵ The faith of the Companions and their way constitutes the path to salvation. It is enough to know that the Prophet (PBUH) himself affirmed that the Companions are the best of all Muslim generations: “The best of you are my generation, then those who come after them, and then those who come after them.”⁶ No doubt, the generation of the Companions is unique. They were the best in faith as well as righteous deeds and possessed the most accurate understanding of the Sharīʿah among all people. The Prophet (PBUH) said: “My Companions are a source of security for my nation.”⁷ Indeed, the Companions are a source of security for the nation, and all bidaʿ (innovations in religion) and misguidances are curtailed through them.