The Authority of the Sunnah and the Excellence of Practising it:
The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) said:
“Beware! I have been given the Qur’aan and something similar to it with it. Yet the time is coming when a man replete on his couch will be told of a Hadeeth of mine and will say:
“Between you and us is the Qur’aan; what we find in it to be Halaal, we permit, and what we find in it to be Haraam we prohibit.” Beware! What the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) has forbidden is just like what Allaah has forbidden.”
Authenticated by Al-Haakim (Al-Mustadrak, 1/108-109), Al-Ishbeelee (Al-Ahkaam, 1/105), Adh-Dhahabee (Al-Muhadhdhab, 5/2647; 8/3924), Ibn Hajar (Muwaafaqat-ul-Khubr-il-Khabar, 2/324), Al-Albaanee (Al-Hadeeth Hujjah bi-Nafsih, 28), Shu`aib Al-Arna’oot (Musnad Ahmad, 17233), Al-A`zamee (At-Tamassuk bis-Sunnnah, p.15), Mashhoor Salmaan (Al-Muwaafaqaat, 4/190-191) and others.
A Companion from the Ansaar (radiyallaahu `anhum) said: “A maid-servant of Banoo `Abdil-Muttalib was mentioned to the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) and that she stands in Salaah the whole night and fasts the day. So the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam) said:
“As for me, I pray but I sleep as well, and I fast and I break my fast. Therefore, whoever follows me is from me, and whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not from me.
And every worshipper has a (period of) enthusiasm and every (period of) enthusiasm has a lapse, either towards a Sunnah or towards a Bid’ah; so he whose lapse is towards a Sunnah has found guidance [and in one narration: “has succeeded”], and he whose lapse is towards other than that has been destroyed [and in one narration: “has gone astray”].”
Authenticated by Al-Albaanee (Sifat-us-Salaah, p. ), Al-Waadi`ee (Al-Saheeh-ul-Musnad, 2/438/1486), Shu`aib Al-Arna’oot (Musnad Ahmad, 23521; Saheeh Ibn Hibbaan, 11) and others.
Al-Haithamee said regarding one of its routes: “Its narrators are those of the Saheeh.” (Al-Majma`, 2/258-259).
