Obedience to and following the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is a central issue in the Holy Quran.Allah commanded obedience to him, ordered that he be followed, and warned against disobeying his command. The command forfollowing the Prophetappears in approximately thirty-two places in the Quran.
The repetition of this command establishes a binding legislative matter and a fundamental principle of the religion. This is because obedience to the Prophet is intrinsic to obedience to Allah the Almighty. Coupling obedience to him with obedience to Allah, along with the threat of punishment for disobedience, serves as strong evidence for the authority (Hujjah) of theSunnah, contrary to those who reject it based on personal caprice.
There is no doubt that following the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) protects one from falling into innovation (Bid’ah).
- The more a servant commits to following the Prophet and his Sunnah, the further they are from novelties.
- Conversely, the less they know and the more they fall short in following, the closer they are to committing innovations.
In this article, we emphasize this principle by clarifying pivotal issues in the “Jurisprudence of Following” (Fiqh al-Ittiba’), which are essential to the Muslim’s creed.
1. True Following the Prophet (Ittiba’) vs. Mere Agreement (Muwafaqah)
It is vital to distinguish between genuinelyfollowing the Prophetand merely doing what he did by coincidence.
What is Agreement (Muwafaqah)?
Agreementis doing what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did, whether with the intention of imitating him or not. If a person does what the Prophet did, but their motivation is personal desire or habit rather than worship, this isMuwafaqah, not truefollowing.
- Example:A man grows his beard. If asked, “Why did you grow it?” and he replies, “I did it because I like the style,” he receives no reward forfollowing the Prophet. It is permissible to say this is merely aresemblance in action only.
What is True Following (Ittiba’)?
Following the Prophetmeans agreeing with him in theform of the actionwhile having knowledge of the Sunnah and theintention of worship. If asked, “Why did you do this?” the answer would be: “Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did it.” This is the reality of rewarded following.
Evidence fromUmar ibn al-Khattab(RA):It is confirmed that when Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) kissed the Black Stone, he said:
“I know that you are a stone that neither harms nor benefits, and had I not seen the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) kiss you, I would not have kissed you.” (Agreed upon)
Umar abandoned his own logic for one specific reason: the intention offollowing the Prophet. This teaches us that the Stone is not intended for itself, but rather the act of following is the intent.
2. Is Knowing the Wisdom (Hikmah) a Condition for Following the Prophet?
Does a Muslim need to understand the logical rationale (‘Illah) behind a ruling to commit tofollowing the Prophet?
The answer is no.Following the Prophetdoes not depend on grasping the rationale; it is realized by the intention of worship.
- If the rationale is known, compliance is bound by it, achieving “following with understanding.”
- If the rationale is unknown, the legally responsible person (Mukallaf) is still required to follow.
Iffollowing the Prophetwere conditional upon knowing the “why” behind every ruling, the obligation for many laws would collapse, and the religion would become confused. This distinction separates theFollower (Muttabi’)from theInnovator (Mubtadi’), who suspends action until their intellect is satisfied.
Al-Khattabi said regarding Umar’s stance on the Black Stone:
“The meaning is submission to the ruling in matters of religion… Matters of Sharia are of two types: One where the cause is revealed, and another where it is not. For the latter, there is nothing but submission and abandoning opposition via analogy or reason.”
3. The Golden Rule of Following: Form and Intent
The Rule:You must do what the Prophet did, in the manner he did it,becausehe did it.
This means agreeing with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in theformof the action and hisintent.
- Obligatory Acts:Must be performed as obligations.
- Recommended Acts:Must be performed as recommendations.
- Permissible Acts:Must be performed as permissible.
It is impermissible to mix these categories. For example, treating a recommended act with such strictness that one believes leaving it is a sin elevates the recommended to the obligatory, which is an innovation and contradicts the correct method offollowing the Prophet.
The Six Categories of Following
To ensure trueIttiba’, one must agree with the Sunnah in six aspects:
- Cause:Inventing a new reason for worship (e.g., a specific prayer for the Prophet’s Birthday) is an innovation.
- Time:Deviating from the Sharia-designated time (e.g., standing at Arafat a day early) is invalid.
- Manner:Changing the method (e.g., prostrating before bowing in prayer) is rejected.
- Quantity:Changing the number (e.g., adding a rak’ah to Dhuhr prayer) is an innovation.
- Place:Performing worship outside its designated location (e.g.,I’tikafat home instead of the Mosque).
- Type/Gender:Changing the species of sacrifice (e.g., sacrificing a horse instead of livestock forEid).
Ibn Taymiyyah regarding Intent:
“The People of the Book were only destroyed because they followed the traces of their prophets and took them as churches… Whoever is overtaken by prayer [at a spot the Prophet camped], let him pray, otherwise let him move on.” (This indicates that seeking blessings from a place the Prophet visitedcoincidentally, without him intending it for worship, is not truefollowing of the Prophet).
4. Worship vs. Customs: Understanding the Distinction
The Principle:Islam came to initiate Acts of Worship and reform Customs.
- Worship (‘Ibadat):The origin isRestriction (Tawqif). Acts of worship are the exclusive right of the Lawgiver (Allah). Humans cannot invent new forms of worship. We stop where the text stops.
- Customs (‘Adat):The origin isPermissibility. Customs like marriage, trade, and dress existed before Islam. The Sharia did not abolish them entirely but came toreformwhat was corrupt and approve what was good.
- Prophetic Hadith:“I was sent only to perfect righteous morals.”
5. The Ruling on Following Fabricated Hadith
Every act of worship based on aFabricated (Mawdu‘)Hadith is a Bid’ah (Innovation).
Afabricated Hadithis a lie against the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Since the foundation of worship is divine instruction (Tawqif), a lie cannot serve as a legal basis forfollowing the Prophet.
- It is forbidden to narrate or act upon fabricated reports.
- Muslims must verify the authenticity of Hadith, as many innovations have spread because people practiced worship based on false attributions to the Messenger of Allah.
6. The Sunnah of Abandonment: Following by Leaving
Rule:If the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) left an action despite theexistence of a motiveand theabsence of a barrier, thenleaving it is the Sunnah.
If there was a reason to do an act in the Prophet’s time, and nothing prevented him, yet he did not do it, doing it now contradictsfollowing the Prophet.
- Example:TheAdhanfor Eid prayers. The motive (gathering people) existed, but the Prophet did not call Adhan. Thus, introducing Adhan for Eid is a Bid’ah.
The Exception (If a Barrier Existed):If the Prophet left an action due to a barrier (fear or inability), and that barrier is later removed, acting upon it is not an innovation.
- Example:TaraweehPrayers.The Prophet prayed them but stopped due to thebarrierof fearing they would become obligatory. After his passing, this barrier vanished. Thus, Umar (RA) reviving the congregation forTaraweehwas a return tofollowing the Prophet, not an innovation.
By Hamid Qoufi
