حدیث و سنت میں نسبت (ایک تحقیقی مطالعہ)

The Relation between Hadith and Sunnah (A Research Study)

Abstract

Hadith and Sunnah are generally taken as synonymous terms. This is not a correct impression. The words Hadith and Sunnah have entirely different connotations, and each one holds a different status in the Shariah. If we assign the same meaning to both the terms, it would create a lot of complications. For a proper understanding of the science of Hadith, therefore, it is necessary to know precisely the difference between Hadith and Sunnah.

The research is focused on clarification of doubts regarding demarcation between Hadith and Sunnah. Presently, the difference between Hadith and Sunnah is being blurred in Muslim societies, translating into sectarianism. The difference between Sunnah and Hadith is that the Sunnah is the practical interpretation of the Holy Quran, however, the authentication of Hadith could be made through its chain of narrators and cognizance. Moreover, there is a consensus among Muslim Jurists regarding the role of Sunnah as the second source of Islamic Shariah.