Place premium on sunnah for healthy practice of Islam, scholar advises Muslims

A preacher and educationist, Ustadh Rasheed Haashim, has underscored the need for Muslims to place a high premium on sunnah, the traditions and practices of Prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow.

He affirmed that only through a combination of obedience to the Qur’an and following in the footsteps of the Holy Prophet could a Muslim attain a robust practice of Islam, as designed by Allah.

Haashim stated this last weekend in Ibadan, Oyo State, at a public lecture on ‘The Impact of Sunnah and Bid’ah on the Practice of Pristine Islam’, organised by the Anfani, Imale-falafia, Ososami and Environs Muslim Community.

According to the preacher, the idea of practising Islam with reliance on the Qur’an alone, to the exclusion of the tradition of the Prophet, as found among a handful of people in Nigeria and beyond, is baseless and misguided.

He also implored the Muslim community to revive what he called the neglected sunnah, some practices of Prophet Muhammad which are highly beneficial to the society and to the practitioner.

He cited weighing of the hair of a newborn in gold and using the monetary value to give sadaqah (voluntary charity) with the intention of pleasing Allah as one of such prophetic practices that have become rare among Muslims today.

Haashim, who stressed that the importance of the sunnah of the Prophet is to reform the society and make people candidates of paradise, urged all who profess to be practitioners of sunnah to be models of nobility and righteousness in their day-to-day engagements with their families and other people.

He also admonished young Muslims who wish practise sunnah to be patient with antagonistic parents, saying with time and forbearance, such parents are likely to show acceptance and embrace the parts of the religion which they previously did not understand.

According to him, he had a personal experience in this regard, as it took his father 15 years before he could finally see the error of his ways and embrace the truth regarding a particular religious matter.

He then warned Muslims to steer clear of innovated or adopted religious practices that do not align with the established tradition of Prophet Muhammad in orde to avoid straying into infidelity.