The Sunnah: The Prophetic Tradition
Indeed in the Messenger of Allâh (Muhammad) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allâh and the Last Day and remembers Allâh much. Qur'an 33.21 Say (O Muhammad to mankind): "If you love Allâh then follow me, Allâh will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." Qur'an 3.31
In Islam, the Arabic word sunnah has come to denote the way Prophet Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, lived his life. The Sunnah is the second source of Islamic jurisprudence, the first being the Qur'an. Both sources are indispensable; one cannot practice Islam without consulting both of them. The Sunnah clarifies alot that may be confusing or vague about the Qur'an, and is essential when dictating shari'a law. A proper fatwa must cite both the Qur'an and the sunnah. Anyone who claims there is no violence in the Qur'an is not only a liar but is also intentionally ignoring the violence and debauchery of Muhammad's example that make the violence contained therein all the more worse. Essentially, the sunnah, as presented by the hadith and the sira, allows for every conceivable act of debauchery and what we consider today to be criminality, with the exception of cannibalism. Imagine every form of crime against humanity, from pedophilia to rape to mass murder: Muhammad is guilty by way of Islam's most authentic texts. It is no surprise that many Western "Muslims" attempt to dismiss the sunnah as part of Islam, as if the Qur'an by itself were an example of love and tolerance. However, historically the sunnah has been part of Islam, and is a major factor in Islam's terrible history. Besides clarifying actual commandments in the Qur'an, the sunnah provides other elements of Islamic law that are not found in the Qur'an. Because Muhammad's example is perfect, anything and everything he did in life is not only completely acceptable but often required. For example, proper conduct during the hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) is found in the sunnah. Unfortunately, Muhammad was almost completely morally bankrupt. He married a 6 year old girl (Aisha) and had sex with her when she was nine. Thus, in the in Book of Marriage in Sahih Muslim, one chapter is titled It is permissible for the father to give the hand of his daughter in marriage even when she is not fully grown up. Muhammad had poets who mocked him in verse murdered. This precedent has reverberated throughout history, and we see this example in contemporary times in the murder of Theo van Gogh and the cartoonifadah, and we understand why people like Ayan Hirsi Ali, Ibn Warraq, and Salman Rushdie, to cite but a few examples of authors critical of Islam, live in perpetual danger and often live under pseudonyms. Muhammad raped his captive females and encouraged his followers to do the same. Muhammad's men came upon a group of women who had been captured, and they desired them greatly. It was forbidden that a pregnant woman be sold, and for this reason they were reluctant to touch them. For some reason they felt it was OK to consult the prophet of God about whether or not it was permitted to rape their captives. Several well-founded hadiths in both Bukhari and Muslim speak of Muhammad's reaction:
This crime is sanctioned by the Qur'an, in which Allah forbids Muslims women who are married, but ordained for them "those (married women) whom [their] right hand possesses."(Q 004.024). The context of that verse is provided in the hadiths above, as well as:
These examples do not begin to scratch the surface of the cruelty recounted in the prophetic tradition.
Hadith Collections
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