THE MESSENGER’S SUNNAH IS ACTIONS.. NOT SAYINGS

The Message of Islam emanated while carrying values for humanity. It was sublimed by Allah to be demonstrated by the Messenger (Peace Be Upon Him – PBUH) according to the practicality and circumstance on the ground.

The best examples of all virtuous values are built on the ethics that the Holy Qur’an calls. Allah describes the theme by saying: “And indeed, you are of a great moral character”[1]. Allah connected that to the absolute completion of good ethics which is ‘mercy’. Allah says: “And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds”[2].

Within the great ethics and compassion, in this verse, there are many virtues that encourage love and tolerance. It demonstrates that religion is a strong example of a distinct relationship between Allah and the people at an individual level.

Allah, the Almighty, guaranteed freedom of faith and creed for people, as he or she pleases, by saying: “Are you forcing people to become believers”. Furthermore, Allah offers higher levels of freedom of choice to people by saying: “The truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills – let him believe, and whoever wills – let him disbelieve”[3].

Besides having such freedom and having the right of doing whatever they want, it was recommended that people follow the footsteps of the Messenger to achieve a decent and appropriate lifestyle.

Through that means of the highest role modeling, they can appreciate a lifestyle based on translating and applying the Qur’an. To follow the Messenger’s supreme example means to practice and translate the Qur’anic values ​​and the virtues that instruct the best strategies in dealing with people, which means practicing the right behavior. It means that people’s works and words, performed publicly and privately in society, would bring about the most appropriate lifestyle.

Such a lifestyle is full of safety and permanent stability in which everyone lives with mercy and great morals. The peaceful lifestyle spreads peace, cooperation, and solidarity to all members of the society, without exception, as Allah describes in His statement: “There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often”[4].

To be an example for Muslims, by introducing and advising the strategies of maintaining civilized behavior when dealing with each other, illustrates that the Sunnah is deeds and not words.

The verses combined in the Noble Book are Allah’s hadith and the sayings of Allah, which were assigned by Allah to His Messenger to convey them to people. In this regard, Allah did not assign sayings and verses to the Messenger other than the speech of Allah and the relevant Divine Legislation that expresses the true Sunnah of the Prophet.

Being deeds, the Sunnah of the Prophet is not a compilation of fabricated sayings or bunches of hadith. It is rather his dealings with people in his social relationships established as a realistic translation of his characteristics and behavior.

This is exactly the practical performance of what the verses of the Holy Qur’an invite of a decent and honorable lifestyle. This is what the verses in the Noble Qur’an are stressing and among them are the values ​​of quality and morals that Allah made a practical program.

They reformat and reshape the human personality with morality, mercy, compassion, sympathy, and solidarity. The language of dialogue has a closeness and familiarity with its vocabulary being a sympathetic word and good treatment. This leads people to maintain respect for each other’s opinions, practicing forgiveness, and spreading tolerance. Out of that culture of kindness, they will be assertive by standing with justice and the best interests of all.

By upholding justice and fairness, the culture of protecting the right to life for human beings while protecting everyone will be a core value of respect. Everybody will enjoy having the right to be protected from being attacked so that he can realize security and peace in the society in which he lives.

That system would lead to a decent life in which all members of society compete with one another in promoting good performance and common benefits.

Those who are guided to the behavior of the Messenger will possess the best characteristics. Thus, he will deal with the people in the best manner and maintain good reciprocal relationships with them. Then, overall, humanity will be characterized by noble values ​​and principles of virtue, which are some of those attributes of the Messenger. Allah made him an example for his followers to shadow his costume.

For Muslims applying Islam, these values ​​and morals became the Messenger’s true Sunnah and way of life. That means to become and remain as a role model of practicing good deeds and behaving well with people. It is necessary to correct, the term Sunnah as the example and means of being a biography of someone as well as the actions that a person practices in his life.