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Al-Sunna al-Nabawiyya — The Prophetic Practice: Types, Authentication, and the Second Source of Islamic Law

السُّنَّةُ النَّبَوِيَّة — الممَارَسَةُ النَّبَوِيَّة: الأَنوَاعُ وَالتَّوثِيقُ وَالمَصدَرُ الثَّانِي لِلفِقهِ الإِسلَامِيّ
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Al-Sunna al-Nabawiyya (السُّنَّةُ النَّبَوِيَّة — the Prophetic Practice/Way) is the second foundational source of Islamic law and theology after the Quran: everything the Prophet said, did, or tacitly approved of, as preserved through chains of transmission (*isnad*) and compiled in hadith collections. The Sunna is binding because the Quran commands obedience to the Messenger: *'Whatever the Messenger gives you — take it. And whatever he forbids you — refrain from it.'* (59:7) The categories: *qawl* (what he said), *fi'l* (what he did), and *taqrir* (what he silently approved when it occurred in his presence). The science of hadith criticism (*'ilm al-jarh wa al-ta'dil*) developed to assess the reliability of each link in every chain.

The Three Types of Sunna

Sunna Qawliyya (verbal): what the Prophet said directly — hadiths narrated as qala al-nabi (“the Prophet said…”). These are the most straightforward form of Sunna. Example: “Actions are but by intentions, and every person will have what they intended.”

Sunna Fi’liyya (practical): what the Prophet did — descriptions of his prayer, his wudu, his eating, his treatment of family and guests, his rulings in court. The companions observed him and transmitted what they saw. Example: Anas ibn Malik describing the Prophet’s prayer movements.

Sunna Taqririyya (tacit approval): things done in the Prophet’s presence that he did not forbid. If the Prophet witnessed an action and did not object, this is understood as approval. Example: companions eating certain foods in his presence without comment.

The Chain of Transmission: Isnad

The isnad system is Islamic civilization’s unique mechanism for historical authentication. Every hadith has two components:

  1. Matn: the text of the hadith itself
  2. Isnad (sanad — support): the chain of transmitters back to the Prophet

A valid isnad names every link: “X told me from Y from Z from the Companion who said: the Prophet said…” The science of ‘ilm al-rijal (knowledge of narrators) evaluated every person in every chain — their memory, character, years of life, whether they could have met the person they claimed to transmit from.

The Grades of Hadith

The six canonical Sunni collections (Kutub al-Sitta): Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa’i, Ibn Maja.

The Sunna in Bohra/Ismaili Thought

Bohra fiqh operates within the Fatimid-Ismaili tradition, where the Sunna is accessed through the Imam’s interpretation (ta’wil) and the da’wa hierarchy, which preserves both the zahir (exoteric sunna) and the batin (esoteric meaning) of the Prophet’s acts.

See also: Ilm Al Hadith, Quran Sciences, Fiqh Al Qiyas, Nubuwwa Prophethood, Prophet Muhammad, Seerah Anas Ibn Malik

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