Why Must the Quran and Sunnah Be Understood According to the Salaf?
Question: السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته جزاك الله خيرا Why is it important for someone to under the quran and the sunnah based on the understanding of the salaf? Why can we not interpret the Quran and the sunnah with the quran and the sunnah instead? I would appreciate it if you can help me understand this from a more deeper angle, as a individual raised such questions in me. I want myself to be firm upon the way of the salaf. May Allah reward and bless you Shykh.
Summary:
What is obligatory upon the Muslim is to adhere to the Quran and Sunnah according to the understanding of the Companions and those who followed them in goodness. This is because the Companions رضي الله عنهم witnessed the revelation, knew the language of the Quran and the reasons for its revelation, and received the explanation of the Sunnah directly from the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ also commanded that, when differences arise, his Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs should be followed. When we say, “The Quran and Sunnah according to the understanding of the Salaf,” this does not mean adding a third source alongside the revelation. The fundamental proof is the Quran and Sunnah. Rather, what is meant is that we understand the revelation as the Companions and the Salaf understood it, and not according to desires and newly introduced opinions.
Answer:
First: The foundation is to refer back to the Quran and Sunnah
From the Qur'an:
- [Surah An-Nisa: 59]
“And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day.”
Ibn Kathir رحمه الله said in his Tafsir that Mujahid and more than one of the Salaf said that referring back to Allah and the Messenger means referring back to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Surah An-Nisa, verse 59.) Therefore, we are not saying: Leave the Quran and Sunnah and take the statements of men. Rather, we say: The foundation is the Quran and Sunnah, but we understand them according to the correct understanding that the Companions received from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Second: Allah تعالى praised those who follow the Companions
From the Qur'an:
- [Surah At-Tawbah: 100]
“And the first forerunners among the Muhajirin and the Ansar and those who followed them with good conduct—Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him.”
The verse did not limit the praise to the Companions. Rather, it also praised those who followed them in goodness. This is one of the greatest foundations of the methodology of the Salaf: following the Prophet ﷺ and proceeding upon that which his Companions رضي الله عنهم were upon.
Third: The Prophet ﷺ commanded that, when differences arise, the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs should be followed
From the Sunnah:
- In Sunan Abi Dawud,Al-Irbad ibn Sariyah رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Indeed, whoever among you lives after me will see much disagreement. So you must adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided, guided Caliphs. Hold firmly to it and bite onto it with your molar teeth.”
This hadith is extremely important regarding this matter because the Prophet ﷺ informed us that disagreement would occur. He did not merely say, “You must adhere to my Sunnah,” but also said, “and the Sunnah of the rightly guided, guided Caliphs.” This indicates that the path of safety when disagreement appears is to adhere to the Sunnah according to the path followed by the Companions and the Rightly Guided Caliphs.
Fourth: The Prophet ﷺ testified to the virtue of the earliest generations
From the Sunnah:
- The Two Sahihs,Abdullah ibn Masud رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“The best of people are my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them.”
This virtue includes their excellence in religion, knowledge, deeds, and adherence, especially the Companions, who learned the religion directly from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Therefore, if the understanding of someone from a later generation conflicts with the established understanding of the Companions and Tabi'in, then the understanding of the Salaf is more deserving and more likely to be correct.
Why Do We Not Simply Say: “The Quran and Sunnah”? Because nearly every sect may claim that it uses the Quran and Sunnah as evidence, but the disagreement occurs regarding how the texts are understood. A person may take a verse or hadith and then interpret it according to his own reasoning, desires, or philosophical and theological principles that were unknown to the Companions. Therefore, the question is not merely: What is the evidence? Rather, it is also: How did the Companions understand this evidence? The Salaf did not bring a new religion alongside the Quran and Sunnah. Rather, their understanding is a standard that protects the Muslim from imposing newly introduced meanings upon the texts which were unknown to the Companions. Why Is the Understanding of the Companions Given Precedence? There are many reasons, including: They lived during the time of the Prophet ﷺ and received the religion directly from him. They witnessed the revelation of the Quran. They knew the reasons for revelation and the circumstances surrounding the texts. They were people of the Arabic language in which the Quran was revealed. The Prophet ﷺ would explain to them whatever was unclear to them. Allah praised them in His Book. The Prophet ﷺ testified to the virtue of their generation. The Prophet ﷺ commanded that the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs be followed when differences arise. Therefore, it is not reasonable for a person to come fourteen centuries later and say: “I understand the Quran and Sunnah in a way that Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, Ibn Masud, Ibn Abbas, and the rest of the Companions رضي الله عنهم did not know.” Statements of the Salaf and Scholars
From the Salaf:
- Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal رحمه الله said in Usul as-Sunnah:
“The foundations of the Sunnah according to us are: adhering to what the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ were upon, following them, and abandoning innovations.”
- He also said:
“The Sunnah according to us is the narrations of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The Sunnah explains the Quran and is an indication of the Quran.”
This is a very clear statement: the foundation of the way of Ahl as-Sunnah is adhering to what the Companions were upon and following their example.
From the Salaf:
- Among the well-known principles narrated from Ibn Masud رضي الله عنه is his statement:
“Follow and do not innovate, for you have been sufficed.”
Its meaning is that the religion has already been clarified. What is required is to follow, not to introduce new ways of understanding the religion and worshipping Allah.
From the Scholars:
- Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله
Shaykh al-Islam explained in many places that among the foundations of Ahl as-Sunnah is holding firmly to the Quran and Sunnah and that upon which the earliest predecessors agreed. He also explained that knowing the statements of the Companions and Tabi'in is among the greatest means of knowing what Allah and His Messenger intended. This is the meaning of the methodology of the Salaf: the text comes first, and then it is understood according to the way of the Companions and Tabi'in, not according to newly introduced theological and philosophical principles.
An Example That Clarifies the Matter Suppose one person says: “I believe in the Quran and the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ, but I will understand the texts concerning the Attributes of Allah according to what I personally consider appropriate based on my reasoning.” Another person says: “I believe in the Quran and Sunnah, and I understand the texts concerning the Attributes as the Companions, Tabi'in, and Imams of the Sunnah understood them, without distortion, denial, asking how, or likening them to the creation.” These two approaches are not the same. Both may say, “My evidence is the Quran and Sunnah,” but the first person has made his own reasoning and principles the judge over the texts, while the second has adhered to the way of those who received the revelation from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. From here, the importance of the statement of Ahl as-Sunnah becomes clear: The Quran and Sunnah according to the understanding of the Salaf of this Ummah. Is the Understanding of the Salaf an Independent Source of Legislation? No. The source of legislation is the revelation of Allah: the Quran and Sunnah. Ijma is also a legislative proof. As for the phrase “according to the understanding of the Salaf,” what is intended by it is to regulate and correctly guide our understanding of the Quran and Sunnah, and to prevent interpreting them according to newly introduced interpretations that contradict what the Companions and Tabi'in were upon. For this reason, Allah تعالى said regarding disagreement:
From the Qur'an:
- Surah An-Nisa: 59
“Refer it to Allah and the Messenger.”
From the Sunnah:
- Abu DawudAnd the Prophet ﷺ said regarding disagreement:
“You must adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided, guided Caliphs.”
There is no contradiction between the two. Rather, one explains the other.
Conclusion: The methodology of the Salaf is not an additional religion alongside the Quran and Sunnah. Rather, it is the correct way of understanding the Quran and Sunnah and acting upon them. The Quran and Sunnah are the foundation, and the Companions رضي الله عنهم are the most knowledgeable of this Ummah concerning what Allah and His Messenger ﷺ intended after the Prophet ﷺ, because they witnessed the revelation, received the Sunnah directly, knew the language of the revelation and the reasons for its revelation, and Allah and His Messenger ﷺ praised them. Therefore, when we say, “We follow the Quran and Sunnah according to the understanding of the Salaf,” it means that we take the religion from the revelation and understand it as the Companions, Tabi'in, and Imams of the Sunnah understood it. We do not give precedence over that to desires, personal reasoning, or newly introduced methodologies. Thus, safety when disagreement occurs lies in referring back to the Quran and Sunnah while adhering to the way of the Companions and the righteous Salaf: following, not innovating.
And Allah knows best.
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