al-Sunna al-Nabawiyya Wahy - Ayat Said
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al-Sunna al-Nabawiyya Wahy (Arabic: السنة النبوية وحي, fully titled al-Sunna al-Nabawiyya Wahy min Allah, Mahfuza kal-Qur'an, "The Prophetic Sunnah Is Divine Revelation, Preserved Like the Quran") is a treatise by the Moroccan hadith scholar al-Husayn ibn Muhammad Ayt Saeed establishing that the authentic Prophetic Sunnah constitutes divine revelation and shares the preserved status of the Quran.
Purpose and Scope
Ayt Saeed composed the work to counter waves of skepticism directed at the Sunnah, whether through outright rejection of its authority, allegations against its historical recording and transmission, or attempts to restrict its jurisdiction—such as arguing that it cannot independently establish legal rulings or serve as proof in matters of creed (aqida) and penal laws (hudud). The author states that contemporary skeptics drew predominantly upon arguments formulated by Western Orientalists and westernized thinkers, while noting that earlier theological sects, such as the Mu'tazilites and the Shi'a, had previously originated many of the same criticisms.
Structure and Method
The treatise is organized into an introduction, a preliminary chapter (tamhid), three core thematic chapters (mabahith), and a concluding section (khatima):
- Introduction: Defines the linguistic and technical meanings of the Sunnah according to hadith scholars, classifying it into sayings (qawliyya), actions (fi'liyya), and tacit approvals (taqririyya). It also provides the linguistic and technical definitions of revelation (wahy), categorizes revelation into six forms, and details the five distinct modes (kayfiyyat) through which revelation was conveyed to prophets.
- Preliminary Chapter: Discusses rhetoric and eloquence (al-bayan), analyzing its psychological effect and why it is praised in certain contexts and censured in others.
- First Chapter: Addresses the infallibility and protection of prophets ('ismat al-anbiya'), examining it as a fundamental creedal premise necessary for establishing the reliability of divine revelation.
- Second Chapter: Examines the legal and theological parameters surrounding prophetic juristic reasoning (ijtihad al-anbiya').
- Third Chapter: Sets out textual and rational proofs demonstrating that the Sunnah is divine revelation akin to the Quran.
- Conclusion: Summarizes the deduced results and core arguments of the study.
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