The Sunna of Abraham: Sacrifice
The Arabic meaning of the word sacrifice, in its material and spiritual sense, has an affinity in religious terminology that indicates devotion to Allah and the sacrifice of an animal carried out on the ‘Eid al-Adha with the intention of worshipping Allah.The tradition of sacrifice in different religions and cultures in the past has played an important role in the lives of people in ancient ...

Covenant of Prophet Muhammad with the Monks of Mt. Sinai
The Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Monks of Mount Sinai: Issues of Historicity, Authenticity and Reliability Dr. John Andrew Morrow, author of The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad, stands with copies of the Covenant of the Prophet Muhammad with the Monks of Mount Sinai, all issued and authenticated by Ottoman Sultans. The document was written in the handwriting of Imam ‘Ali during the...

The Prophetic Tradition in Islam and its Role in Constructing a

Since the very beginning, the Sunnah has survived in two forms principally. The first is the transmission of this tradition by repeated practices through the generations. This type of transmission is usually referred to as the “living tradition”, because it requires neither the writing nor the memorization of the prophetic norm, rather its implementation as observed in the previous g...

The Compass of Our Servanthood
God Almighty says, “Know well that His is the creation and His is the command. Blessed and Supreme is God, the Lord of the worlds” (A’raf, 7:54). The Divine actions pertaining to either taqwin (creation) or tadbir (providence), concern the universe together with all the creatures in it. Everything follows the path and trajectory which has been ordained for it. God’s acts of taqlif (the Divine de...

Problems Caused by the Reductionist Approach in Understanding th
The sunnah (practices of the Prophet) is a basic source of Islam and has an important role and many implications in the believers' daily life; as such it is important that the many studies that have been carried out should be properly understood. When studies on understanding sunnah are examined, explanation of the language and content come to the fore. A significant number of studies include...

Human Rights in the Prophetic Sunna
  The Sunnah is the second primary source of legislation after the Holy Qur’an. It clarifies the major behavioural features of the individual and the society as well.   This is the first and opening article to a series of articles investigating and highlighting the various issues of human rights in the Prophetic Sunnah: the life of Muhammad (pbuh), the last Prophet...

Youth and Children in the Path of the Prophet
The fact that the children and youngsters were more receptive to the divine message, and their pure and clean creation enabled them to put a sincere effort in living and spreading the teachings of the Prophet in that day within the way of their faith, and exceedingly widened the link of the Prophet in which they take place in a short time. These unique people, who transformed their society in...

Social Unification from the Revelation to the Sunna
The Quran generally reports a variety of processes which make up the historical experiences of various societies. These historical events, which are described to provide a lesson for people and as a way to make them think, despite occurring at different times and in different social structures, show the same divine goal. Values, which are constant and continuous, form the basis of the fitrat. It ...

The Eating Habits of God's Messenger
Question: What were Prophet Muhammad's manners when eating meals and what was his monthly nutritional intake? Answer (Theologian Nimet Yılmaz): Our Prophet always lived a simple and humble life. He would distribute his income to those in need. There were times when he did not eat for days and when a single meal would not be cooked in his house for 2 months on end. He rarely ate bread made of whe...

Al-I'tisam : Devotion to Sunna
Devotion to the sunnah (practices of the Prophet) is expressed as al-i‘tisam bi's-sunnah in Islamic literature. The literal meanings of al-i'tisam  are as follows; holding, devotion, adhering to, taking refuge in, acquiring power, gaining power, calling  for help, self protection, abstention. The term i'tisam is not frequently used in the Quran. "He who holds fast...

Some Conclusions regarding the Sunna
From the outset of Islam the Quran and the sunnah (practices of the Prophet) have been accepted as two inseparable sources, and together they have formed a basis for implementation. Many Quranic verses and hadiths show that the sunnah is directly connected to revelation, that its basis is revelation and that the Prophet (pbuh) got knowledge for the sunnah through revelation. Consequently, this co...

The Prophet's Behavior in Regard to its Bindingness
Prophets informed and enlightened man through revelation on subjects that cannot be reached with the mind or sense organs like Allah, the spirit, creation and the afterlife (Al-Baqara 2/151). In addition to bringing man knowledge from Allah, they were chosen from within humans and do not carry super-human wonders because they are responsible for setting an example to others and for instructing th...