#1026: On The Meaning Of Sunnah By The Muhaddithūn Or The Fuqahā And The Explanation Of Deeds Which Are Equivalent In Reward To Hajj
Assalamu alaykum ya sheikh, May Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala illuminate your heart with the light of imaan and grant barakah to your knowledge…1. Please kindly benefit me with the explanation of the meaning of sunnah when used by muhadithuun and when used by the fuqaha’u.2. Is there any act of worship that is equivalent in reward to the rewards of performing hajj? Assalamu alaykum warahmatullah.
ANSWER:
Wa Alaykum Salam Warahmatullāh Wabarakātuh
Alhamdulillāhi!
Jazākumullahu Khayran for your Du’a. May Allāh also crown your heart with the illumination of Īmān, Āmīn.
Know verily – may the blessings of Allāh Ta’āla be upon you that – the word As-sunnah linguistically means a path or a course been followed whether good or bad.
Allāh Ta’āla says:
سُنَّةَ اللَّهِ فِي الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِن قَبْلُ وَلَن تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ اللَّهِ تَبْدِيلًا
(Such has been) the course of Allāh with respect to those who have gone before; and you shall not find any change in the course of Allāh.
Sūratu Al-Ahzāb, Verse 62.
He also says:
ولن تجد لسنة الله تبديلا
While Sunnah in the istislah of the Muhaddithīn means the statements of the Rasūl Salallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam, His deeds, or that which the Rasūl Salallāhu’alayhi wasallam affirmed amongst the deeds or statements of the companions by keeping silent or not making inkār against them.
Reference: ‘Ilm Usūl Fiqh by ‘Abdul Wahhāb Khallāf.
However, Sunnah in the istislāh of the Fuqahā means that which is Mustahab or Nafilah amongst the ‘Ibādat reported from the Rasūl Salallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam. In order word, that which is not wājib. Though some Fuqahā defined Sunnah as the opposite of Bid’a .
Reference: Al-wajīz Fī Usūl Fiqh (Dr. ‘Abdul Karīm Zaydān)
As for the second question, know that, there are some deeds which the Rasūl Salallāhu’alayhi wasallam mentioned that whoever performs them has the reward of Hajj or ‘Umra.
However, this doesn’t mean those deeds can replace Hajj totally in a way they suffice one from performing obligatory Hajj.
Rather, it is still wājib for the one whom Hajj is incumbent upon to perform it and the reward of Hajj Mabrūr is Jannah.
Some of those Ahādith are:
It is reported from Anas Ibn Mālik Radiyallāhu anhu who said: The Rasūl Salallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam said:
مَنْ صَلَّى الْغَدَاةَ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ ثُمَّ قَعَدَ يَذْكُرُ اللَّهَ حَتَّى تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ كَانَتْ لَهُ كَأَجْرِ حَجَّةٍ وَعُمْرَةٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَامَّةٍ تَامَّةٍ تَامَّةٍ.
“Whoever prays Fajr in congregation, then sits remembering Allah until the sun has risen, then he prays two Raka’āt, then for him is the reward like that of a Hajj and Umrah.
Transmitted by Imām At-tirmidhī#586. Shaykh Al-Albānī declared it as Hasan in Sahīhu At-tirmidhī.
It is also reported from ‘Ata who said: I heard Ibn ‘Abbās Radiyallāhu anhuma saying: The Rasūl Salallāhu’alayhi wasallam asked an Ansari woman (Ibn ‘Abbās named her but ‘Ata forgot her name):
مَا مَنَعَكِ أَنْ تَحُجِّي مَعَنَا؟ قَالَتْ كَانَ لَنَا نَاضِحٌ فَرَكِبَهُ أَبُو فُلاَنٍ وَابْنُهُ ـ لِزَوْجِهَا وَابْنِهَا ـ وَتَرَكَ نَاضِحًا نَنْضَحُ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ فَإِذَا كَانَ رَمَضَانُ اعْتَمِرِي فِيهِ فَإِنَّ عُمْرَةً فِي رَمَضَانَ حَجَّةٌ ”. أَوْ نَحْوًا مِمَّا قَالَ.
What prevented you from performing Hajj with us?’ She replied, ‘We have a camel and the father of so-and-so and his son (i.e. her husband and her son) rode it and left one camel for us to use for irrigation.’ He said (to her), ‘Perform `Umra when Ramadan comes, for ‘Umra in Ramadhān is equal to Hajj (in reward),’ or said something similar.
Transmitted by Imām Muslim#1256 and Imām Al-Bukhārī#1782.
Imām An-nawawī Rahimahullāhu said:
Meaning, (‘Umra in Ramadhān) is equal to Hajj in reward, not that it is equal in all things, for the one whom Hajj is incumbent upon, but performed ‘Umra in Ramadhān, then That doesn’t suffice him from going for Hajj.
Refr: Shar’h Muslim.
Ibn Khuzaymah said:
In this Hadīth, it shows that an act can resemble another act and it can be equal if it resembles it in some of its meanings not all, since ‘Umra cannot replace the obligatory Hajj nor oath.
Allāhu A’alām.
Bārakallāhu Fīkum
Jazākumullāhu khayran
Abū Yahya
10th Shawwāl, 1441AH
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