The Book of the Sunnah
كتاب المقدمة
Chapter 1: Following the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws)
The Prophet said: "Whatever I have commanded you do it, and whatever I have forbidden you, refrain from it."
The Prophet said: "Leave me as I have left you (Don't ask me the minor things that I have avoided to tell you). For those who came before you were doomed because of their questions and differences with their Prophets. If I commanded you to do something, then do as much of it as you can, and if I forbid you from doing something, then refrain from it."
His father said: "Mu'awiyah stood up to deliver a sermon and said: 'Where are your scholars? Where are your scholars? For I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: The Hour will not begin until a group of my Ummah will prevail over the people, and they will not care who lets them down and who supports them."
We were with the Prophet (ﷺ), and he drew a line (in the sand), then he drew two lines to its right and two to its left. Then he put his hand on the middle line and said : 'This is the path of Allah. Then he recited the Verse: And verily, this (i.e. Allah's Commandments) is My straight path, so follow it and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you from His path..."
Chapter 2: Venerating the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (saws) and dealing harshly with those who Oppose It
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours (i.e. Islam) that is not part of it, will have it rejected."
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:" Do not prevent the female slaves of Allah from praying in the mosque." A son of his said: We will indeed prevent them!" He got very angry and said: "I tell you a Hadith from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and you say, we will indeed prevent them?!"
Abu Hurairah said to a man "O son of my brother, when I narrate a Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), to you, then do not try to make any examples for it."
Chapter 3: Caution in narrating from the Messenger of Allah (saws)
"Whenever Anas bin Malik finished narrating a Hadith from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), he would say, 'Or as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said.'"
We said to Zaid bin Arqam: 'Tell us a Hadith from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).' He said: 'We have grown old and have forgotten, and (narrating) Ahadith from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) is difficult (not a simple matter).'"
"I heard Ash-Sha'bi saying: 'I sat with Ibn 'Umar for a year and I did not hear him narrate anything from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)"
Chapter 4: Severe condemnation of deliberately telling lies against the Messenger of Allah (saws)
"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'Whoever attributes to me something that I have not said, let him take his place in Hell."
"While he was on this pulpit, I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: ' Beware of narrating too many Ahadith from me. Whoever attributes something to me, let him speak the truth faithfully. Whoever attributes to say something that I did not say, let him take his place in Hell."
Chapter 5: He who narrated (a Hadith) from the Messenger of Allah (saws) when he considers it to be false
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Whoever narrates a Hadith from me thinking it to be false, then he is one of the two liars."Another chain similar to the narration of Samurah bin Jundub.
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: '"Whoever narrates a Hadith from me thinking it to be false, then he is one of the two liars."
Chapter 6: Following the way of the Rightly Guided Caliphs
"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led us in Fajr (morning) prayer, then he turned to us and delivered an eloquent speech". And he mentioned something similar (as no.43)
Chapter 7: Avoiding Bid'ah (innovation) and dispute
"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) recited the following Verse: 'It is He Who has sent down to you (Muhammad) the Book (this Qur'an). In it are verses that are entirely clear, they are the foundations of the Book; and others not entirely clear (up to His saying: ) 'And none receive admonition except men of understanding.' Then he said: 'O 'Aishah, if you see those who dispute concerning it (the Qur'an), they are those whom Allah has referred to here, so beware of them.'"
"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'No people go astray after having followed right guidance, but those who indulge in disputes.' Then he recited the Verse: "Nay! But they are a quarrelsome people.'"
Chapter 8: Avoiding individual opinion and analogy (with regard to matters of religion)
"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'Knowledge is based on three things, and anything beyond that is superfluous: a clear Verse, an established Sunnah, or the rulings by which the inheritance is divided fairly.'"
Chapter 9: Regarding Faith
"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'Faith has sixty-some or seventy parts, the least of which is to remove a harmful thing from the road and the greatest of which is to say La ilaha illalah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah). And modesty is a branch of faith.'"Another chain from Abu Hurairah, from the Prophet (ﷺ) with similar wording.
"We were sitting with the Prophet (ﷺ) when a man came to him whose clothes were intensely white and whose hair was intensely black; no signs of travel could be seen upon him, and none of us recognized him. He sat down facing the Prophet (ﷺ), with his knees touching his, and he put his hands on his thighs, and said: 'O Muhammad, what is Islam?' He said: 'To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and that I am the Messenger of Allah, to establish regular prayer, to pay Zakat, to fast in Ramadan, and to perform Hajj to the House (the Ka'bah).' He said: 'You have spoken the truth.' We were amazed by him: He asked a question, then told him that he had spoken the truth. Then he said: 'O Muhammad, what is Iman faith? He said: 'To believe in Allah, His angels, His Messengers, His books, the Last day, and the Divine Decree (Qadar), both the good of it and the bad of it.' He said' You have spoken the truth.' We were amazed by him. He asked a question, then told him that he had spoken the truth. Then he said: 'O Muhammad, what is Ihsan (right action, goodness, sincerity)? He said: 'To worship Allah as if you see Him, for even though you do not see Him, He sees you.' He asked: "When will the Hour be?' He said: 'The one who is being asked about it does not know more than the one who is asking.' He asked: 'Then what are its signs?' he said: 'When the slave woman gives birth to her mistress' (Waki' said: This means when non-Arabs will give birth to Arabs") 'and when you see barefoot, naked, destitute shepherds competing in constructing tall buildings.' The Prophet (ﷺ) met me three days later and asked me: 'Do you know who that man was? I said" 'Allah and his Messenger know best.' He said: 'That was Jibril, who came to you to teach you your religion.'"