The Mutual Relation of the Book and the Sunna

Ali Nasiri

The existence of the Sunna, viz. the speeches of the prophets and their companions, alongside with their scriptures (sacred texts) is not specific to Islam. However, what is meant by the Sunna in the realm of Islamic knowledge is different from that of Judaism and/or Christianity. Noteably, the Sunna, in Islam, refers to more than mere speech, it is inclusive of a report of the manner of the Prophet and his approval of others’ manner and practice.The paper investigates the mutual relation of the Sunna of the Prophet and the Ahl al-Bayt with the Quran. It tries to answer the following questions: Does the Quran make us dispense with the Sunna? Does the Sunna play a perfunctory role? Is it possible to attain the meanings of the Quran only via the Sunna? The writer introduces four views which are: (1) Quran-centred, (2) Sunna -centred, (3) the Sunna as a teacher of the Quran and alongside with it, and (4) the Sunna as an exegete of the Quran to elucidate its precisions. Having discussed the above four views, the writer accepts the last one.

Key Words: Mutual Relation, the Sunna, the Prophet, the Ahl al-Bayt, the Quran.

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