Book Review: "Approaching The Sunnah'

'Approaching The Sunnah'

Shaykh Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi

The Sunnah still provides the stable moral framework — the grammar — that enables Muslims, by formal rules and inward sense, to know right from wrong. However, separation from the mainstream of life puts the Sunnah in danger of becoming rigid — an archaism. Addressing that danger, this book explains how the Sunnah can function as the grammar of a living, adaptive language, capable of guiding (and not shying from) the mainstream.

The first chapter sets out the qualities that characterize authentic application of the Sunnah: universality, coherence (so that different spheres of human responsibility are not split), compassionate realism, moderation, and humility.

The second explains standards and procedures for determining the Sunnah in the fields of jurisprudence and moral instruction. The third chapter illustrates through detailed examples common errors in understanding the Sunnah — reading hadiths singly without sufficient context, confusing legal and moral injunctions, means and ends, figurative and literal meanings ... — and it proposes remedies for these errors.

Shaykh Yusuf al-QaradawiShaykh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi Born in Egypt 1926. One of the most prominent scholars of the 20th century. He memorized the Quran before the age of 10. He is an expert on principals of Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh), Arabic language, and other Islamic Sciences. He has published over 100 books, which are bestsellers in the Islamic world.His books cover various topics, such as: Fiqh, how to understand the Sunnah, how to understand the Qur'an, a two volume book on Zakat which is considered by many scholars as a treasure house for the Islamic library, environment, Fiqh of Minorities, poetry, and many other topics.

Shaykh Al-Qaradawi represents an original effort to make the comprehensive rules of Islam accessible and understandable to non-specialists, and he always tries to join between the principles of the religion and the problems facing the Muslims today.

The similitude of those who were charged with the (obligations of the) Mosaic law, but who subsequently failed in those (obligations), is that of a donkey which carries huge tomes (but understands them not). Evil is the similitude of people who falsify the Signs of Allah. and Allah guides not people who do wrong.{Q 62:5}