The Authority of Divine Revelation and Prophetic Guidance

This narration from Imam Malik's Al-Muwatta establishes the twin foundations of Islamic legislation: the Qur'an as God's eternal speech and the Sunnah as the practical manifestation of divine will through the Prophet's example.

Scholarly Commentary on the Dual Sources

Classical scholars emphasize that the Qur'an provides general principles while the Sunnah offers detailed implementation, with both sources being divinely protected forms of revelation (wahy).

Imam Al-Shafi'i, in his Risalah, demonstrates how the Sunnah operates as an explanatory mechanism for the Qur'an, clarifying ambiguous verses and specifying general rulings.

Legal and Spiritual Implications

The conjunction "and" in "God's Book and His messenger's sunna" indicates the inseparable nature of these two sources, requiring Muslims to adhere to both simultaneously without preference or separation.

This principle forms the basis of Islamic jurisprudence where any claim to follow the Qur'an while neglecting the Sunnah is considered religious innovation (bid'ah).

Transmission Through Al-Muwatta

Imam Malik's compilation represents one of the earliest systematic collections of hadith and legal opinions, giving this transmission particular weight in Maliki and other schools of jurisprudence.

The inclusion of this principle in Al-Muwatta confirms its foundational status in Islamic thought and its acceptance among the early Muslim community in Medina.