DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN HADITH AND SUNNAH

Differentiation between Hadith And Sunnah

Introduction 

Hadith and Sunnah are correct that the Quran is the primary and ultimate authority in Islam; it is the ‘furqan’ (criterion) by which to judge right and wrong. Hence any and all alleged doctrine(s), theological standpoint, (religious) assertion(s), or rituals whatsoever in the name of God's religion (or as a God-ordained directive), must find explicit, unambiguous, and unequivocal support from the Quran.

Sunnah has been used in Quran as the Sunnah of Allah which makes clear the implication of the term. It literally means a path that has been trodden; a path that is smooth and beaten. The almighty did a great favor upon the believers or the faithful by sending his prophet who took upon himself the job of instructing and purifying the people in the ways of Allah. 

HADITH

Hadith is the tacit approval of the prophet to a behavior or way of doing. There are scholars in Islam called Muhaddithin who talk about two classes of Hadith namely Kahabar-i-Tawatur and Khabar-i-Wahid or multiple evidence Hadith and single evidence Hadith. According to these scholars, Hadith is taswib or the approval of the prophet.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HADITH AND SUNNAH

• Sunnah has been passed on from one generation to another, so there is little chance of any error.
• Sunnah is always authentic while Hadith can be authentic as well as spurious.
• A Sunnah is something Mohammed did.
• A Hadith is something Mohammed said.
• Sunnah is related with certain aspects of life while Hadith are not confined to certain aspects of life.
• Sunnah means a path that has been trodden and treats Prophet as a messenger of the almighty.
• Hadith have been written and interpreted by scholars of Islam. Thus, these are dependent upon their ways of thinking, their character, and their memory and intellect.

Reference

Ahmad, Abu Umar Faruq (2010). Theory and Practice of Modern Islamic Finance: The Case Analysis from Australia. Boca Raton, Florida: BrownWalker Press. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-59942-517-7.

Kamali, Mohammad Hashim (1999). "Law and society: the interplay of revelation and reason in the Shariah". In Esposito, John L. The Oxford History of Islam. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 107–154, page 118. ISBN 978-0-19-510799-9.