The Reality of Sunnah Mu’akkadah and Ghair Mu’akkadah in Light of Qur’an and Hadith
Source: Aḥkām wa Masāʾil in the Light of Qur’an and Hadith, Vol. 1, p. 559
Question:
Where is the division of Sunnah Mu’akkadah and Sunnah Ghair Mu’akkadah found?
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
The common meaning of Sunnah that many people emphasize is:
Anything which is neither farḍ (obligatory), wājib (compulsory), ḥarām (forbidden), makrūh (disliked), nor mubāḥ (permissible).
However, this meaning is not found in the Qur’an or Sunnah; rather, it is merely a scholarly term and a matter of technical usage among the ʿulamāʾ.
Therefore, when the original technical definition of Sunnah itself is not present in the Qur’an and Hadith, how could its further division into Sunnah Mu’akkadah and Sunnah Ghair Mu’akkadah be found there?
What the Hadiths Indicate
From the study of the Ahadith, it is evident that deeds for which reward is promised fall into two categories:
① Farīḍah / Farḍ / Wājib / ʿAzīmah
② Tatawwuʿ / Nafl
Note
Scholarly and technical terms are certainly well-known among the ʿulamāʾ. They have some benefits but also some drawbacks. However, a detailed discussion on this is not the time or place here.
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله, in the first volume of his renowned book Iʿlām al-Muwaqqiʿīn, has shed light on these terminologies. Its study is indeed beneficial.
Hādhā mā ʿindī wallāhu aʿlam bis-ṣawāb.
