The Narrators of the Islamic Source Texts and the Meaning of the Term ahlu s-sunnati wa-l-jama'ah
As explained in the previous chapter, the transmission of source texts plays a central role in all religions. When it comes to putting this into practice, however, it is Islam that, historically speaking, holds that special status.
While continuously engaging with the texts, the thousands of early hadith scholars were deeply committed to adhering to the original doctrine and textual evidence.
These scholars became known by various titles within the first centuries of Islam, such as “the scholars of hadith”, “the scholars of athar”, and likewise, “the People of the Sunnah and the Community.”
The word Sunnah originally means “path” and “method” in Arabic. As explained at the beginning, the Sunnah of the Prophet is the second source of Islamic jurisprudence. It is often defined as all statements, actions, and tacit approvals that have been narrated from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.
In the broader sense of the “method of the Prophet” or his path, however, the Sunnah encompasses more than this, namely the entire religion that was conveyed by the Prophet.
The use of the word Sunnah in this sense appears in numerous statements of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم himself, which is why those who adhered to the original doctrine of Islam were also generally referred to as “the People of the Sunnah.”
From this, it also quickly becomes clear what a crucial role these scholars played in reaching consensus, as the previously mentioned quotation from the eminent hadith scholar al-Bukhari already showed very clearly.
According to Islamic theology, differences of opinion can certainly exist in many legal matters and areas of Islamic teaching. In contrast, however, the fundamental creed must be clear and unequivocal, as it originates from a single source and must not be subject to scholarly interpretation. The core questions of Islamic creed are therefore not matters in which legitimate differences of opinion are conceivable, a point that the early scholars repeatedly emphasized in their writings.
Thus the one creed was upheld and passed on by a single, unified community throughout the first centuries, which is why the followers of this doctrine were also referred to as “the People of the Community.”
From these circumstances arises the well-known designation “the People of the Sunnah and the Community”, ahlu s-sunnati wa-l-jama'ah.
Thus, it refers to a unified community that adhered to the texts and followed the original doctrine.