Dirasat fi al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah
- Author died
- 1441 AH
- Editions
- Majallat al-Jami'ah al-Islamiyyah bi-al-Madinah al-Munawwarah
Dirasat fi al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah (Studies in the Prophetic Sunnah) is a scholarly treatise by the Indian-born hadith scholar Muhammad Diya al-Rahman al-Azami (d. 1441 AH / 2020 CE) addressing the definition, legislative authority, and defense of the Prophetic tradition against classical and modern objections .
Scope and Core Concepts
The work begins by exploring the linguistic origins of the term sunnah, outlining its classical usages as a path, precedent, custom, or form, before presenting its technical definitions . It contrasts the definition used by hadith specialists (muhaddithun)—who encompass all transmitted sayings, actions, tacit approvals, and physical or moral traits of the Prophet ﷺ both before and after his mission—with that of legal theorists (usuliyyun), who restrict it to legal proofs encompassing statements, deeds, and tacit approvals because their primary focus is legal derivation (istinbat) rather than biographical descriptions .
The author establishes the legislative authority of the Sunnah (hujjiyyat al-sunnah) as the second source of Islamic law, functioning as an explanation and specification of the broader injunctions of the Quran, drawing extensively on Quranic verses, prophetic reports, and scholarly consensus .
Refutation of Objections and Orientalist Critiques
A significant portion of the study is dedicated to answering claims leveled against the Sunnah by Western Orientalists and modernists :
- Pre-Islamic Tradition and Ignaz Goldziher: The author rejects the thesis advanced by Ignaz Goldziher that the Sunnah merely represents tribal customs inherited from the pre-Islamic period (jahiliyyah), demonstrating that Islam condemned pagan practices while independently rectifying or instituting divinely revealed norms .
- Joseph Schacht and Early Jurisprudence: The text responds to Joseph Schacht's assertion that the authority of the Sunnah was an invention of al-Shafi'i and that earlier jurists did not consider prophetic reports legally binding . The author demonstrates that founding figures such as Malik ibn Anas and Abu Hanifah strictly adhered to the Sunnah over personal reasoning (ra'y) and analogical deduction (qiyas) .
- Modern Quran-Only Arguments: Summarizing refutations from Mustafa al-Siba'i's al-Sunnah wa-Makanatuha fi al-Tashri' al-Islami, the author addresses modern skepticism, including articles by Tawfiq Sidqi published in al-Manar that argued for relying exclusively on the Quran .
Legal Methodology and Defense of the Imams
The treatise examines the relationship between prophetic texts and legal methodology. It clarifies the practice of the people of Medina ('amal ahl al-Madinah) as relied upon by Imam Malik, explaining that it was treated as a living transmission rather than a rejection of authentic reports . In defending Abu Hanifah from accusations of prioritizing analogy over text, the author attributes his extensive use of qiyas to stringent standards of transmission and circumstances where specific hadiths had not reached him, drawing on the principles outlined in Ibn Taymiyyah's Raf' al-Malam 'an al-A'immah al-A'lam .
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