Friday Sermon: The Sunnah and its position In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau

In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.

All praise belongs to Allah, who established and legislated the religion, sent down the Reminder (az-Zikr), and guaranteed its preservation. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, without any partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah bestow upon him abundant peace and blessings, ameen. To proceed:

Dear brothers and sisters! One day, Ya’ala Ibn Umayyah said to Umar Ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with them both):

“Show me the Prophet (Peace be upon him) when he is receiving revelation!”

Later, while the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was on his way to perform Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage), a man came up and asked him:

“O Messenger of Allah! What do you say about a man who enters the sacred state of Ihram for Umrah while heavily covered in perfume?”

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) remained silent for a while, and then the revelation came to him. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) gestured to Ya’ala, who came over and looked under a garment that was shading the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him). He saw that the Prophet’s face was flushed and he was breathing heavily with a snoring sound. Soon, the intensity of the state left him, and he asked:

“Where is the person who asked about the Umrah?”

The man was brought forward, and the Prophet (Peace be upon him) instructed him:

“Wash off the perfume that is on you three times, remove your cloak, and do during your Umrah what you do during your Hajj (pilgrimage).” [Narrated by al-Bukharī and Muslim]

Respected servants of Allah! Ya’ala Ibn Umayyah wanted to witness the descent of revelation with his own eyes. What he saw was the Prophet (Peace be upon him) being asked a question, waiting for revelation, and then answering through his Sunnah (Prophetic Hadith). This proves that his Sunnah is also a revelation from Allah the Almighty.

The two forms of revelation—the Qur’an and the Sunnah—are the ultimate safeguards against misguidance and misery. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:

“I have left among you two things after which you will never go astray as long as you hold fast to them and act upon them: the Book of Allah and my Sunnah. They will never separate until they meet me at the Prophet’s Basin (al-Hawd).” [Narrated by al-Hakim]

Both are also parts of the Reminder (az-Zikr) that Allah sent down to His Messenger (Peace be upon him), as He stated:

“And We revealed to you the message [the Reminder] that you may make clear to the people what was sent down to them.” [Surah al-Nahl: 44]

And Allah, Glorified be He, has personally guaranteed the preservation of this Reminder, saying:

“Indeed, it is We who sent down the message [the Reminder] and indeed, We will be its guardian.” [Surah al-Hijr: 9]

You might wonder: how exactly did Allah preserve the Sunnah of His Messenger (Peace be upon him) for us?

It all began with those definitive verses of the noble Qur’an commanding absolute obedience to the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him). Allah the Most High said:

“Say, ‘Obey Allah and obey the Messenger.’” [Surah al-Nur: 54]

Furthermore, Allah confirmed that whatever the Prophet speaks is inspiration (Wahy) from Him, declaring:

“Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It is not but a revelation revealed.” [Surah al-Najm: 3–4]

Because of this, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) strongly encouraged his Companions to listen to his Sunnah, memorise it accurately, and pass it on to the generations after them. He stood to deliver a sermon during the Farewell Pilgrimage and explicitly told them:

“Let those who are present convey it to those who are absent, for perhaps the one to whom it is conveyed will understand it better than the one who heard it directly.” [Narrated by al-Bukharī and Muslim]

He also promised a radiant, joyful life to whoever carries his Sunnah and transmits it, saying (Peace be upon him):

“May Allah grant brightness and beauty to a person who hears a Hadith (Prophetic saying) from us, memorises it, and conveys it to others. For many a carrier of knowledge carries it to one who is more understanding than himself, and many a carrier of knowledge is not a person of deep understanding.” [Narrated by Abu Dawud]

He urged them to memorise it and promised Allah’s divine assistance in doing so. One day, he said:

“No one will spread out his garment until I finish this speech of mine and then gather it to himself except that he will retain everything I say.” So Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) spread out his woolen cloak. When the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) finished speaking, Abu Hurairah said, “I gathered it to my chest, and I never forgot a single word from that speech of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him.” [Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim]

At the same time, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) issued the sternest warning against fabricating statements about him, saying:

“A lie against me is not like a lie against anyone else. Whoever intentionally fabricates a lie against me, let him take his place in the Fire.” [Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Driven by this sacred duty, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) rose to the occasion, preserving and recording the Sunnah in the best possible manner. Their eyes were constantly fixed on him, capturing his words, his actions, and his guidance in every aspect of life. Some memorised these details in their hearts, while others wrote them down with their pens.

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) noted this himself, saying:

“None of the Companions of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) narrated more Hadith from him than me, except for Abdullah Ibn Amr, because he used to write them down and I did not.” [Narrated by al-Bukhari]

Abdullah Ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with them both) was incredibly dedicated to writing down the sayings of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him). He related:

“I used to write down everything I heard from the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him), intending to memorise it. However, the Quraish tribe discouraged me, saying, ‘Do you write down everything you hear, when the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) is a human being who speaks in times of anger and joy?’ So, I stopped writing. Later, I mentioned this to the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him), who pointed to his mouth with his finger and said: ‘Write! For by the One in Whose hand is my soul, nothing comes out of it except the truth!” [Narrated by Abu Dawud]

Finally, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) informed his Companions that they would be the link transmitting this religion to the next generation, who would then pass it on to those after them, saying:

“You hear from me, and people will hear from you, and others will hear from those who heard from you.” [Narrated by Abu Dawud]

Hundreds of Companions transmitted knowledge and the Sunnah from the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him). Among them were those who narrated many Hadiths and those who narrated few. The Companions who narrated the most from the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) were Abu Hurairah, Abdullah Ibn Umar, Anas Ibn Malik, Aisha, Abdullah Ibn Abbas, Jabir Ibn Abdullah, and Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with them all).

This is how the Companions received the Hadīth from the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him). Then came the Tabiʿun (the Successors of the Companions), who received the Hadīth from them, both by listening and writing. Sa’id Ibn Jubair said:

“I used to listen to Hadīth from Ibn Umar and Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) at night, and I would write it down.” [Narrated by al-Darimi]

Bashīr Ibn Nahīk (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

“I used to write down what I heard from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him). When I intended to leave him, I brought his book to him and read it back to him, and I asked him, ‘Is this what I heard from you?’ He replied, ‘Yes.” [Narrated by al-Darimī]

Maʿruf al-Khayyat said:

“I saw Wathilah Ibn al-Asqaʿ (may Allah be pleased with him) dictating Hadiths to the people while they wrote them down in front of him.” [Narrated by al-Baihaqī]

In this great generation, the generation of the Tābiʿun, the booklets written by the Successors from the Companions multiplied. The Successors then transmitted what they had memorised of the Sunnah from the Companions to the generations after them, both through memorisation in their hearts and in writing from their booklets. Thus, the Sunnah was transmitted through the Isnad (chain of narration)—the Companions took it from the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him), the Successors took it from the Companions, and the Followers of the Successors took it from the Successors.

So praise be to Allah for this blessing, as He prepared for this Ummah outstanding Islamic scholars and brilliant memorisers (Huffaz) who carried the trust of knowledge with integrity and delivered it with honesty.

When Umar Ibn Abdul’aziz became the Caliph, he wrote to Abubakar Ibn Amr Ibn Hazm—who was the governor of Madīnah at the time:

“Look for whatever there is of the Hadīth of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him), or his Sunnah, and write it down for me, for I fear the fading of knowledge and the passing away of the Islamic scholars.” [Narrated by Malik]

The Islamic scholars complied with the command of the Leader of the Believers. Ibn Shihab az-Zuhrī (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

“ʿUmar Ibn Abdul’aziz commanded us to collect the Sunan (Prophetic traditions); so we wrote them down volume by volume, and he sent a volume to every land over which he had authority.” [Narrated by Ibn Abdul-Barr]

Following this initial recording came the phase of classification and codification, which took place in the middle of the second century AH. The authors of these books compiled the Hadīths with their chains of narration so that the Sunnah would not be lost. When people of innovation and desires emerged within the Ummah and deliberately fabricated lies against the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him), the Islamic scholars established rules to distinguish authentic Hadīths from others. They set strict conditions, investigated the reliability of the narrators, developed the sciences of Hadīth, and formulated the rules of al-Jarh wat-Taʿdīl (criticism and validation of narrators).

As a result, the chain of narration became an integral part of the religion. No statement attributed to the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) or to anyone else, including the Companions, would be accepted unless it possessed a connected, authentic, and acceptable chain of narration, whose transmitters were characterised by upright character and precise memory.

Muhammad Ibn Sirin said:

“Indeed, this knowledge is religion, so look to whom you take your religion from.”

Abdullah Ibn Mubarak said:

“The chain of narration is part of the religion; were it not for the Isnad, anyone who wished could say whatever they wanted.”

One of the staunchest orientalist critics of Islam once remarked:

“The Muslims are justified in taking pride in their science of Hadith.”

He spoke the truth, for there is no nation on the face of the earth that cared for the words and actions of its Prophet—even his smiling, his weeping, his laughing, his food, his drink, and even the names of his riding animals (Peace be upon him)—like this Ummah did, generation after generation. They transmitted all of this through connected chains of narration preserved in their hearts and recorded in written compilations. Furthermore, they did not stop at transmitting through the chain of narration; rather, they scrutinised and double-checked every single letter, establishing strict rational rules to safeguard the religion from lies and mistakes.

Finally, respected brothers and sisters! Know that, following the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is a core duty in Islam, acting as a divine guide for daily life, a safeguard against misguidance, and the true proof of our love for Allah and His Messenger (Peace be upon him).

The noble Qur’an tells Muslim believers to obey the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and take whatever he gives them as law. Following his way protects the heart from doubt and keeps a person on the straight path.

True and sincere love for Allah Almighty is shown by following the way of the Prophet, which brings Allah’s forgiveness and mercy.

Practicing simple acts like smiling, eating with the right hand, and saying the proper supplications when waking up or sleeping. Treating your neighbours with kindness, speak good words or remain silent, and show mercy to the young and old. Performing the regular voluntary prayers (Sunnah Ratibah) attached to the five daily prayers, visiting a sick person and visiting a person for the sake of Allah, all are among the blessed Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

Ya Allah, all praise belongs to You; You have preserved our religion for us by Your might and mercy. May Allah be pleased with the Islamic scholars of this Ummah and reward them on our behalf with the best reward.

Ya Allah, help us and do not let others overcome us; grant us victory and do not give victory over us; support us with Your planning and let not the plans of others harm us; and grant us victory over those who oppress us.

Ya Allah, grant security to our homelands, rectify our leaders and those in authority over us, and place our governance under the care of those who fear You, who remain mindful of You, and seek Your pleasure.

Ya Allah, be with our oppressed brothers and sisters in Nigeria, in Gaza and in every place, and decree for them a near victory and relief.

Our Lord, grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire, ameen Ya Hayyu Ya Qayyum!

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may the salutations of peace, security and blessings be upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad, upon his family, upon all his Companions and true followers.

Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene’s Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: [email protected] or +2348038289761 or +2348024192217.

This Jumu’ah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Safar 16, 1448 AH (July 31, 2026).