The Faith of Islam | Page 9

answer to an inquiry as to his reason for so
doing he said: "I know not, only I have seen the Prophet do so here."
Ahmad-Ibn-Hanbal, one of the four great Imáms, and the founder of the
Hanbalí school of interpretation, is said to have been appointed on
account of the care with which he observed the Sunnat. One day when
sitting in an assembly he alone of all present observed some formal
custom authorised by the practice of the Prophet. Gabriel at once

appeared and informed him that now, and on account of his act, he was
appointed an Imám.[21] In short, it is distinctly laid down that the best
of all works is the following of the practice of Muhammad. The essence
of religion has been stated by a learned theologian to consist of three
things: first, to follow the Prophet in morals and in acts; secondly, to
eat only lawful food; thirdly, to be sincere in all actions.
{16}
The Sunnat is now known to Musalmáns through the collections of
Traditions gathered together by the men whose names they now bear.
The whole are called Sihah-Sittah, or "six correct books." Not one of
these collectors flourished until the third century of the Hijra, and so, as
may be easily supposed, their work has not passed unchallenged. There
is by no means an absolute consensus of opinion among the Sunnís as
to the exact value of each Tradition, yet all admit that a 'genuine
Tradition' must be obeyed. Whether the Prophet spoke what in the
Traditions is recorded as spoken by him under the influence of the
highest kind of inspiration is, as will be shown in the next chapter, a
disputed point; but it matters little. Whatever may have been the degree,
it was according to Muslim belief a real inspiration, and thus his every
act and word became a law as binding upon his followers as the
example of Christ is upon Christians.
The Shía'hs do not acknowledge the Sihah-Sittah, the six correct books
of the Sunnís, but it by no means follows that they reject Tradition.
They have five books of Traditions, the earliest of which was compiled
by Abu Ja'far Muhammad A.H. 329, or a century later than the
Sahíh-i-Bukhárí, the most trustworthy of the Sunní set. Thus all
Musalmán sects accept the first and second ground of the faith--the
Qurán and the Sunnat--as the inspired will of God; the Shía'hs
substituting in the place of the Traditions on which the Sunnat is based,
a collection of their own. What it is important to maintain is this, that
the Qurán alone is to no Musalmán an all-sufficient guide.
3. IJMÁ'.--The third foundation of the Faith is called Ijmá', a word
signifying to be collected or assembled. Technically it means the
unanimous consent of the leading theologians, or what in Christian

theology would be called the "unanimous consent of the Fathers."
Practically it is a collection of the opinions of the Companions, the
Tábi'ín and the Taba-i-Tábi'ín. "The Law," says Ibn Khaldoun {17} "is
grounded on the general accord of the Companions and their
followers." The election of Abu Bakr to the Khalifate is called
Ijmá'-i-Ummat, the unanimous consent of the whole sect. The
Companions of the Prophet had special knowledge of the various
circumstances under which special revelations had been made; they
alone knew which verses of the Qurán abrogated others, and which
verses were thus abrogated. The knowledge of these matters and many
other details they handed on to their successors, the Tábi'ín, who passed
the information on to their followers, the Taba-i-Tábi'ín. Some
Muslims, the Wahhábís for example, accept only the Ijmá' of the
Companions; and by all sects that is placed in the first rank as regards
authority; others accept that of the 'Fugitives' who dwelt at Madína; and
there are some amongst the orthodox who allow, as a matter of theory,
that Ijmá' may be collected at any time, but that practically it is not
done because there are now no Mujtahidín. The highest rank a Muslim
Theologian could reach was that of a Mujtahid, or one who could make
an Ijtihád, a word which, derived from the same root as Jihád (a
Crescentade), means in its technical sense a logical deduction. It is
defined as the "attaining to a certain degree of authority in searching
into the principles of jurisprudence." The origin of Ijtihád was as
follows:--Muhammad wished to send a man named Mu'áz to Yaman to
receive some money collected for alms, which he was then to distribute
to the poor. On appointing him he said: "O Mu'áz, by what rule will
you act?" He replied, "by the Law of the Qurán." "But if you find no
direction therein?" "Then I will act according to the Sunnat of the
Prophet."