Obligation Derived from the Actions of the Prophet ﷺ: Ruling and Evidence
Source: Fatāwā Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
Question:
Can the actions of the Prophet ﷺ prove obligation (wujūb)?
Answer:
Yes, the actions of the Prophet ﷺ can establish obligation, unless there is evidence showing that they are not obligatory.
Sayyiduna ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه, while addressing the Black Stone, said:
أما والله، إني لأعلم أنك حجر لا تضر ولا تنفع، ولولا أني رأيت النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم استلمك ما استلمتك، فاستلمه ثم قال: فما لنا وللرمل إنما كنا راءينا به المشركين وقد أهلكهم الله، ثم قال: شيء صنعه النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم فلا نحب أن نتركه.
"By Allah! I know that you are a stone that can neither harm nor benefit. Had I not seen the Prophet ﷺ touching you, I would never have touched you." Then he kissed it and said: "As for raml (walking briskly with shoulders shaking), we only did it to show ourselves strong before the polytheists, but Allah has destroyed them." Then he added: "A deed that the Prophet ﷺ did, we do not like to abandon it."
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1605)
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Khaṭṭābī رحمه الله (d. 388H) said:
في الحديث دليل على أن أفعال النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم على الوجوب حتى يقوم على خلافه دليل.
"This ḥadīth is proof that the actions of the Prophet ﷺ indicate obligation, until evidence is established to show otherwise."
(Aʿlām al-Ḥadīth: 2/879)
