Qur’anic Evidence for the Prophetic Sunnah as a Source of Doctrine and Religious Authority According to Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama‘ah, and the Position of Those Who Oppose It

Abstract

Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama‘ah have relied, in establishing and articulating matters of creed, upon sources that distinguish them from other groups. The soundness of these sources has had a unique effect in safeguarding the Ummah from error and from confusion in understanding creed. Nevertheless, certain skeptical trends have emerged regarding the second source of creed-the Prophetic Sunnah-seeking to weaken it and ultimately reject it through various methods, among them the call to suffice with the Noble Qur’an alone in receiving the religion. Given that the Noble Qur’an is the foremost source of legislation in all religious matters and issues, and that no one within this Ummah has ever disputed its authoritative status as evidence, and given that it embodies the clearest and strongest proofs, whose evidences and arguments take precedence over all others, this study aims to demonstrate, through the Book of Allah, Exalted is He, that the Prophetic Sunnah is one of the recognized sources of Islamic creed according to Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama‘ah. This is undertaken by collecting and studying the Qur’anic verses that establish this principle, clarifying their various indications, presenting the explanations of scholars concerning them, and setting forth the position of those who dissent from it.