ISLAM WITH MODERNITY
The spirit of Sunnah

Why should an observance of the Sunnah be regarded as indispensable for a truly Islamic way of life? Is there no other way to the reality of Islam than through that large system of actions and customs, of orders and prohibitions, some of them of an obviously trivial nature, but all of them derived from the example of the life of the Prophet? No doubt he was the greatest of men, but is not the necessity to imitate his life in all its formal details an infringement on the individual freedom of human personality? It is an old objection which unfriendly critics of Islam usually put forward: that the necessity of strictly following the Sunnah was one of the main causes of the subsequent decay of the Islamic world, for such an attitude is supposed to encroach, in the long run, on the liberty of human action and the natural development of society. It is of the greatest importance for the future of Islam whether we are able to meet this objection or not. Our attitude towards the problem of the Sunnah will determine our future attitude towards Islam.

We are proud, and justly proud, of the fact that Islam, as a religion, is not based on mystic dogmatism but is always open to the critical inquiry of reason. We have, therefore, the right not only to know that the observance of the Sunnah has been imposed upon us, but also to understand the inherent reason of its imposition.

Islam leads man to unification of all aspects of life. Being a means to that goal, this religion represents in itself a totality of conceptions to which nothing can be added and from which nothing can be subtracted. There is no room for eclecticism in Islam. Wherever its teachings are recognised as really pronounced by the Qur'an or the Prophet we must accept them in their completeness, otherwise they lose their value. It is a fundamental misunderstanding of Islam to think that, being a religion of reason, it leaves its teachings open to individual selection - a claim made possible by a popular misconception of "rationalism". There is a wide recognition, by the philosophy of all ages, between reason and "rationalism" as it is commonly understood today. The function of reason in regard to religious teachings is of a controlling character; its duty is to watch that nothing is imposed on the human mind which it cannot bear easily, that is, without the aid of philosophical juggleries. So far as Islam is concerned, unprejudiced reason has, time and again, given it its unreserved vote of confidence. That does not mean that every one who gets in touch with Islam will necessarily accept its teachings as obligatory for himself; this is a matter of temperament, and spiritual illumination. But surely and certainly no unbiased person would contend that there is anything in Islam contrary to reason. No doubt, there are things in it beyond the limits of human understanding, but nothing which is contrary to it.

The role of reason in religious matters is, as we have seen, in the nature of a control-a registration apparatus saying "yes" or "no", as the case may be. But this is not the case with so-called "rationalism". It does not content itself with registration and control, but jumps into the field of speculation; it is not receptive and detached like pure reason, but extremely subjective and temperamental. Reason knows its own limits; but "rationalism" is preposterous in its claim to encompass the world and all mysteries within its own, individual circle. In religious matters it hardly even concedes the possibility of certain things being, temporarily or permanently, beyond human understanding; but it is, at the same time, illogical enough to concede this possibility to science - and so to itself.

The over-estimation of this imaginative rationalism is one of the causes why so many the so-called modern Muslims refuse to surrender themselves to the guidance of the Prophet. Our mind is unable, by virtue of its nature, to understand the idea of totality; we can grasp, of all things, their details only. We do not know what infinity or eternity is; we do not even know what life is. In problems of a religion resting on transcendental foundations we, therefore, need a guide whose mind possesses something more than the normal reasoning qualities and the subjective rationalism common to all of us; we need someone who is inspired - in one word, a Prophet. If we believe that the Qur'an is the Word of Allah, and that Muhammed (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) was Allah's Apostle, we are not only morally but also intellectually bound to follow his guidance blindly. The expression "blindly" does not mean that we should exclude our powers of reasoning. On the contrary, we have to make use of these powers to the best of our ability and knowledge; we have to try to discover the inherent meaning and commands transmitted to us by the Prophet. But in any case - whether we are able to understand its ultimate purpose or not - we must obey the order. I should like to illustrate this by the example of a soldier who has been ordered by his general to occupy a certain strategic position. The good soldier will follow and execute the order immediately. If, while doing so, he is able to explain to himself the ultimate strategic purpose which the general had in view, the better for him and for his career; but if the deeper aim which underlies the general's command does not reveal itself to him at once, he is nevertheless not entitled to give up or even to postpone its execution.

We Muslims rely upon our Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) being the best commander mankind could ever get. We naturally believe that he knew the domain of religion both in its spiritual and social aspect far better than we ever could. In ordering us to do this and avoid that, he always had some "strategic" objective in view which he thought to be indispensable for the spiritual or social welfare of man. Sometimes this object is clearly visible, sometimes it is more or less hidden before the untrained eyes of the average man; sometimes we can understand the deepest aim of the Prophet's order, and sometimes only the superficial, immediate purpose, Whatever the case may be, we are bound to follow the Prophet's commands, provided their authenticity is reasonably established. Nothing else matters. Of course, there are commands of the Prophet which are obviously of paramount importance and others which are less important, and we have to give the more important precedence over the less important. But never have we the right to disregard anyone of them because they appear to us "unessential". For it is said in the Qur'an 53:8 "He does not speak of his own desire." That is, he speaks only when an objective necessity arises; and he does it because Allah orders him to do so. And for this reason we are obliged to follow the Prophet's Sunnah in spirit and in form, if we wish to be true to the spirit of Islam.

Once the objective necessity, for a Muslim, to follow the Sunnah of his Prophet is established, he has the right and even the duty, to inquire into its role within the religious and social structure of Islam. What is the Spiritual meaning of that great, detailed system of laws and rules of conduct which are supposed to pervade the life of a Muslim from his birth to the moment of death, and to regulate his behaviour in the most important as well as in the most insignificant phases of his existence? Or is there, perhaps, no meaning at all? Was there any good in the Prophet's enrolling his followers to do everything in the way he did? What difference can it make whether I eat with the right or with the left hand - if both are equally clean? Why is a woman not allowed to address the congregation of men?

It is high time for us, who believe that Islam stands and falls with the observance of the Sunnah, to answer the questions.

There are, to my knowledge, at least three distinct reasons for the institution of Sunnah.

The first reason is the training of man, in a methodical way, to live permanently in a state of consciousness, wakefulness and self-control. In the spiritual progress of man, haphazard actions and habits are like stumbling blocks in the way of a racing horse; they must be reduced to a minimum, because they destroy spiritual concentration. Everything we do should be determined by our will and submitted to our moral control. But in order to be able to do so we must learn to observe ourselves. This necessity, for a Muslim, of permanent self-control has been beautifully expressed by Hadhrath Umar ibn al-Khattab's (Radhiallaahu Anhu) Render to yourselves account about yourselves before you are called upon to render account. And the Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) once said "Worship Allah as if you saw Him.

It has been pointed out before that the Islamic idea of worship embraces not only the strictly devotional duties but actually the whole of our life. Its goal is the unification of our spiritual and our material selves into one single entity. Our endeavours must be, therefore, clearly directed towards the elimination of the unconscious, uncontrolled factors in our life as much as this is humanly possible. Self-observation is the first step on this way, and the surest method to train oneself in self-observation is to get the habitual, seemingly unimportant actions of our daily life under control. Those "small" things, those "unimportant" actions and habits are, in the context of the mental training we are speaking of, in reality far more important than the "great" activities in our life.

In this system many details of our daily life are based on the example set by the Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam). Whatever we do, we are permanently compelled to think of a corresponding doing or saying of the Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam). Thus the personality of the greatest man becomes deeply embodied in the very routine of our daily life, and his spiritual influence is made a real, ever recurring factor in our existence. Consciously and subconsciously we are led to study the Prophets attitude in this or that matter; we learn to regard him not only as the bearer of a moral revelation but also as the guide towards a perfect life. It is here that we must decide whether we wish to regard the Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) as a mere wise man among many other wise men, or as the Supreme Messenger of Allah always acting under divine inspiration. The viewpoint of the Holy Qur'an in this matter is clear beyond any possibility of misunderstanding. A man who is designed as the Last of the Prophets and a "Mercy to the World" cannot be but permanently inspired. To reject his guidance, or certain elements of it, would mean nothing less than to reject or underestimate Allah's own guidance. It would mean further, in the logical continuation of this thought, that the entire message of Islam was not intended to be a final, but only a alternative solution to man's problems, and that it is left to our discretion to choose this or some other, perhaps equally true and useful solution. This easy morally and practically not in the least obliging principle might lead us anywhere, but surely not to the spirit of Islam, of which it is said in the Qur'an "Today 1 have made perfect for you, your religion, and fulfilled My favour unto you, and chosen Islam as your religion." (sura 5:3).

We regard Islam as superior to all other religious systems because it embraces life in its totality. It takes this world and the hereafter, soul and body, individual and society, equally into consideration. It takes into consideration not only the lofty possibilities of the human nature, but also its inherent limitations and weaknesses. It does not impose the impossible upon us, but directs us how to make use of our possibilities and to reach a higher plane of reality where there is no cleavage and no antagonism between idea and action. It is not always among others, but the way; and the man who gave us this teaching is not just one guide among others, but the guide. To follow him, all he did and ordered is to follow Islam; to discard his teachings is to discard the reality of Islam.

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