BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

PROPHET Muhammad’s (Peace Be Upon Him) companions comprised the generation that possessed the most genuine understanding of the Sunnah and therefore they cannot be ignored as a necessary source in understanding the teachings contained in Al-Quran and Hadith, said a lecturer from Seri Begawan Religious Teachers University College (KUPU SB) yesterday. 

Dr Hj Abd Rauf Amin presented his paper titled “Sahabat dan Sunnah Nabi: Studi atas Metodologi Pemahaman & Aplikasi” (Companions and the Sunnah of the Prophet: Study on Methodology Understanding & Application) at the final day of the International Seminar on Sunnah Nabawiyyah and its Contemporary Challenges at Universiti Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA). 

Sunnah refers to the practices, customs and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The international seminar featured 45 working papers with participants ranging from local and foreign academicians to representatives of government and private institutions as well as students from Higher educational institutions. The papers were delivered in the Malay and Arabic languages. 

In his working paper, Dr Hj Abd Rauf said the companion’s understanding was supported by many factors.

He said they saw the revelation of Al-Quran, they had direct interaction with Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and they can easily understand the social context that accompanied each wahyu (revelation).

In understanding sunnah, the companions used the “context” approach.

Dr Hj Abd Rauf Amin said this approach was not entirely a product of their understanding, but it was inspired by the guidance of the prophet as a result of the dynamics of their interactions throughout the prophet’s 23 years of prophethood.

On various occasions, Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) provided his guidance to the companions directly.

This showed that even though Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was a prophet and messenger of Allah SWT, it did not absolve him of his character as a human being.

It was also through the interactions that the companions understood that the texts of sunnah were not (forever) universal, and that they also need to understand it in a temporal manner.

For example, in their interactions, it was clear that some of the prophet’s words and actions were not part of the revelation that needed to be practiced, but merely actions done by a human being and there was no need to practice it.

The Brunei Times