Following the Sunnah is the greatest wealth; adhering to the Sunnah is proof of love for the Prophet ﷺ, a path to entering Paradise, a cause of perfect faith, a means of companionship with the Prophet ﷺ in Paradise, and includes obedience to God. And the consequence of abandoning the Sunnah is that a person, as a result of disobeying the Messenger ﷺ, ends up denying entry into Paradise. Therefore, the Arab Messenger ﷺ said:
“My entire Ummah will enter Paradise.”
Except those who refuse?
The Companions asked: O Messenger of Allah! Who will refuse? He said:
“Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys me has refused (to enter Paradise).”
كُلُّ أُمَّتِي يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ إِلَّا مَنْ أَبَى، قَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، وَمَنْ يَأْبَى؟ قَالَ: مَنْ أَطَاعَنِي دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ، وَمَنْ عَصَانِي فَقَدْ أَبَى۔ (۱)
Similarly, regarding those who are negligent in adhering to the Sunnah, a few sayings of the esteemed scholars are quoted, so that the need and importance of the question may be firmly established in the hearts. Thus, Hazrat Imam Malik ؒ says:
“إِنَّ السُّنَّةَ مِثْلُ سَفِينَةِ نُوحٍ، مَنْ رَكِبَهَا نَجَا وَمَنْ تَخَلَّفَ غَرِقَ” (۲)
“Following the Sunnah is like the Ark of Noahؑ; whoever boarded it was saved, and whoever lagged behind was drowned.”
Similarly, Hazrat Shah Abdul Aziz Muhaddith Dehlavi ؒ says:
“مَنْ تَهَاوَنَ بِالْآدَابِ عُوقِبَ بِحِرْمَانِ السُّنَّةِ، وَمَنْ تَهَاوَنَ بِالسُّنَّةِ عُوقِبَ بِحِرْمَانِ الْفَرَائِضِ، وَمَنْ تَهَاوَنَ بِالْفَرَائِضِ عُوقِبَ بِحِرْمَانِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ” (۳)
“Whoever is negligent in manners is punished with deprivation of the Sunnah, and whoever is negligent in the Sunnah is punished with deprivation of the obligatory duties, and whoever is negligent in the obligatory duties is punished with deprivation of knowledge.”
And whoever is negligent in the obligatory duties, considering them insignificant, remains deprived of the knowledge of Allah.
The leader of the Tariqa, Hazrat Junaid Baghdadi Rehmatullah Alaih, says that "The servants of Allah reach Allah through the way of the Prophet ﷺ; all paths are closed for every creation, except for the path that is the Shar'i path of following the Messenger ﷺ. Therefore, we should always have the intention of reviving the Sunnahs and make every effort to adorn our practical life with the beauty of the Sunnahs, and we should remember the Hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ gave glad tidings regarding the revival of the Sunnah: "Whoever revives my Sunnah, he is of me, and whoever loves my Sunnah, then he has loved me, and whoever loves me will be with me in Paradise."
يا بُنَيَّ إِنْ قَدَرْتَ أَنْ تُصْبِحَ وَتُمْسِيَ لَيْسَ فِي قَلْبِكَ غِشٌّ لِأَحَدٍ فَافْعَلْ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: يَا بُنَيَّ وَذَلِكَ مِنْ سُنَّتِي، وَمَنْ أَحَبَّ سُنَّتِي فَقَدْ أَحَبَّنِي، وَمَنْ أَحَبَّنِي كَانَ مَعِي فِي الْجَنَّةِ (۱)
In another Hadith, it is said: "Whoever holds fast to my Sunnah during the corruption of my Ummah, then for him is the reward of a hundred martyrs."
مَنْ تَمَسَّكَ بِسُنَّتِي عِنْدَ فَسَادِ أُمَّتِي فَلَهُ أَجْرُ مِائَةِ شَهِيدٍ (۲)
Summary of the speech: The Sunnah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ is a clear message; the purpose is to draw attention to the importance of adhering to the Sunnah; because today, the common people, and even the elite, are abandoning this continuous Sunnah due to their negligence and laziness, to the extent that the modern and supposedly enlightened class considers it shameful.
The requirement of the times, and our basic path, and the destination of reaching Allah, passes through the path of following the Sunnah. This is what Hakeem-ul-Ummat Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi ؒ says: that the secret of special blessings in following the Prophet ﷺ is that when a person makes his appearance (form) like yours, Allah Almighty loves and cherishes him, that this is the likeness of my beloved, so this is the closest way to reach Allah Almighty.
(اَللّٰهُ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ إِلٰى صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ) (۱)
In the present era (where the tendency to turn away from the Sunnah of the Prophet ؐ is increasing), whoever acts upon this Sunnah and revives it and encourages others, will surely be entitled to the reward of a hundred martyrs. In the light of the Ahadith Mubarakah in the above lines, it has become clear that what great virtues the Miswak has; although it is a cheap, easy and less time-consuming act, yet whoever is deprived of it is certainly unfortunate and unlucky.
May Allah Pak grant us the ability to act and grant us the ability to revive and promote this greatest Sunnah. Amen, O Lord of the Worlds.
(۱) Kamalat-e-Ashrafia, Reference: Mawaiz and Durood Sharif, p: 280, from Hakeem Muhammad Akhtar Sahib
Mufti Sadiq Ameen Qasmi