All praise belongs to Allah, who sent down His religion to the Messenger ﷺ and preserved it so that people may find guidance. The religion of Islam is built upon clear and preserved revelation. When disagreements arise or confusion appears, the Muslim does not rely on personal whims and desires, rather he returns to what Allah revealed: the Qur’an and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ, understood as they were by the best of generations, the Salaf al-Ṣāliḥ (Pious Predecessors). This article explains why every Muslim must return to the Qur’an and Sunnah as understood by the earliest generations of Islam.

The Qur’an

The Qur’an is the central text of Islam and the final revelation that Allah sent down to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ over the span of twenty-three years. It was revealed as a mercy to humanity, to guide and nurture them upon divine principles of belief, worship, law, and character.

To ensure this guidance would remain unchanged for all generations, Allah safeguarded the Qur’an by His own authority, guaranteeing its integrity across time. He says:

It is certainly We (Allah) who has sent this reminder (The Qur’an), and it is we who will preserve it. \ (Surah al-Hijr 15:9)

This divine assurance was realized through a meticulous system during the lives of the Messenger ﷺ and his Companions. The Qur’an emerged in a society that placed exceptional emphasis on memorization, and thereby oral transmission was a primary means of preservation. From the beginning of it’s revelation, the Qur’an was recited and memorized by companions of the Prophet Muhammad such as Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, Ubayy ibn Kaʿb, ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd, Muʿādh ibn Jabal, Zayd ibn Thābit and Abū al-Dardāʾ (رضي الله عنهم).^[1]Verses were also recorded by scribes, forming a system of oral and written cross-verification.^[2] After the Prophet’s death, Abū Bakr tasked Zayd ibn Thābit, who had memorized the Qur’an, with gathering the text, which was later standardized into an official codex during the caliphate of ʿUthmān.^[3] Early manuscripts such as the Birmingham and Ṣanʿāʾ Qur’ans, dated to the Prophet’s lifetime, match today’s text,^[4] as does the Topkapi manuscript from the time of ʿUthmān, which preserves ninety-nine percent of the Qur’an.^[5]

The Qur’an legislates the obligation to follow, adhere to, and judge by its guidance, as Allah states:

Follow what has been revealed to you from your Lord (i.e. The Qur’an), and do not take others as guardians besides Him. \ (Surah al-Aʿrāf 7:3)

And so, obligated is the Muslim to submit to the preserved speech of Allah, to accept the Qur’an in its entirety, and to adhere to its guidance. The Muslim learns, memorizes, and reflects upon its verses with sincerity and humility, without selectively embracing or abandoning any part of it due to one’s whims and desires. Even when one struggles to fully uphold its commands, the obligation remains to believe in it completely, to strive to live by it, and to return to it in repentance and reliance upon Allah, for guidance is found in holding firmly to the Book that Allah has preserved and sent as a mercy to mankind.

The Sunnah

In the Arabic language, the word Sunnah (سُنَّة) refers to a path, way, or established practice that is followed. In the Sharīʿah, the Sunnah refers to everything that is authentically reported from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ apart from the Qur’an. Al-Ḥāfiẓ ibn Ḥajar said:

The Sunnah is the path which is traversed, so that comprises holding firmly to that which the Prophet ﷺ and his rightly guided Caliphs were upon by way of beliefs and actions and statements. \ (Jāmiʿ al-ʿUlūm wa al-Ḥikam, p. 262)

The Qur’an makes clear that obedience to the Messenger ﷺ is an obligation and that his guidance is revelation, just as the Qur’an is revelation. Allah says:

And nor does he (Muhammad) speak of his own desire. It is only a Revelation revealed. \ (Surah an-Najm 53:3-4)

And He says:

And obey Allah and the Messenger that you may obtain mercy. \ (Surah al-Imran 3:132)

He also says:

He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah. \ (Surah an-Nisa 4:80)

And He says:

And whatever the Messenger has given you – take; and what he has forbidden you – refrain from. \ (Surah al-Hashr 59:7)

And He takes an oath, saying:

By your Lord, they will never be ˹true˺ believers until they accept you ˹O Prophet˺ as the judge in their disputes. \ (Surah an-Nisa 4:65)

And He says:

Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own, who shall recite unto them Your verses and instruct them in the Book (the Qur’ān) and Al-Ḥikmah (wisdom) and sanctify them. \ (Surah al-Baqarah 2:129)

Regarding this verse, it is reported that Al-Ḥasan Al-Baṣrī (رَحِمَهُ الله) said:

The Book is the Qur’ān, and Al-Ḥikmah is the Sunnah. \ (Sharḥ Usūl I’tiqād Ahl Al-Sunnah wa Al-Jamā’ah_ Vol.1, p. 86-87)

and Qatādah (رَحِمَهُ الله) said:

And (he will) teach them The Book and Al-Ḥikmah, i.e. the Sunnah. \ (Al-Ibānah Al-Kubrā Vol.1, p. 98)

These verses together establish the obligation to follow the Sunnah, affirming that The Messenger ﷺ’s guidance is not separate from revelation but is itself revealed by Allah. The Qur’an commands believers to take what the Messenger gives and to refrain from what he forbids, making obedience to him synonymous with obedience to Allah and requiring that his judgments be accepted without reservation. The Sunnah explains and clarifies the Qur’an by detailing its prescribed commandments, and demonstrating how they are applied. The Qur’an establishes the obligations of acts such as prayer, zakah, and without detailing them, while the Sunnah provides their explanation and practical detail, without which they cannot be correctly understood or carried out. This is also mentioned in the statement of Allah, The Most High:

And We have sent down to you ˹O Prophet˺ the Reminder, so that you may explain to people what has been revealed for them.
(Surah an-Nahl 16:44)

Similarly, it is reported that the Companion of the Messenger ﷺ, ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ, was once relating hadīth amongst a group of people, when a man said:

“Leave this and give us something from the Book of Allāh.” ‘Imrān said, “You are a dunce (stupid). Do you find in the Book of Allāh details of prayer. Do you find in the Book of Allāh details of fasting? This Qur’ān prescribes those matters, and the Sunnah explains them.” \ (Dhamm al-Kalām, al-Harawī, no. 244)

Allah’s preservation of revelation is not left to human effort alone, but rests upon His own divine guarantee. Allah says:

It is certainly We who have sent down the Reminder, and it is We who will surely preserve it.
(Surah al-Ḥijr 15:9)

The scholars of Islam have explained that the dhikr mentioned in this verse is not limited to the Qur’an alone, but includes everything by which the religion is preserved and clarified. Since the Sunnah is revelation and the authoritative explanation of the Qur’an, it necessarily falls under this divine protection. Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr رحمه الله explained this reality when discussing the role of the Sunnah in relation to the Qur’an:

The commentary of the Prophet ﷺ on the Qur’an is of two types:

1. Explaining matters mentioned in general terms in the Qur’an, such as the five daily prayers, their times, bowing, prostration, and other rulings.
2. Adding rulings to those of the Qur’an, such as the prohibition of being married to a woman and her paternal or maternal aunt at the same time. \ (Jaami‘ Bayaan al-‘Ilm wa Fadlihi, 2/190)

Because the Sunnah is the second part of revelation, inseparable from the Qur’an, Allah’s promise to preserve the dhikr necessarily includes preserving the Sunnah as well. Without it, the Qur’an could not be correctly understood, practiced, or implemented.

The preservation of the Sunnah began first with oral memorization, just as with the Qur’an. The Companions memorized the words, actions, and approvals of the Messenger ﷺ, before teaching it to others. Anas ibn Mālik (رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ) described how the Companions would sit with the Prophet ﷺ, learn the ḥadīth, and cultivate it in their hearts:

We sat with the Prophet ﷺ, maybe sixty persons in number, and the Prophet ﷺ taught them ḥadīth. Later on, when he went out for any necessity, we used to memorize it amongst ourselves; when we departed, it was as if it was cultivated in our hearts.
(al-Jāmiʿ li Akhlāq al-Rāwī wa Ādāb al-Sāmiʿ)

Memorization was closely tied to practice. The Sunnah was applied in worship, daily routines, manners, and personal behavior. By living according to the Prophet’s ﷺ teachings, the Companions retained them naturally, passing them on through consistent action as well as careful recollection.

This deep attachment to the Sunnah was driven by immense love for the Messenger ﷺ and his Sunnah. As Anas ibn Mālik (رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ) said:

I saw Allah’s Messenger ﷺ going after the pumpkin around the dish, so I have always liked the pumpkin since that day.
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2041)

Alongside memorization and practice, the Prophet ﷺ also directed his Companions to record his words and actions. ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ reported that the Messenger ﷺ said:

Preserve the knowledge.” He said, “How should I preserve it?” He replied, “By writing it.” \ (al-Mustadrak ʿalā al-Ṣaḥīḥayn, 1/106)

And in His ﷺ statement:

Write (my ḥadīth). By the One in whose hand is my soul, nothing comes from this mouth except the truth. (Sunan Abī Dāwūd 3646)

This emphasis on documentation allowed the Sunnah to be preserved alongside oral transmission. Abū Hurayrah رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ explained his extensive narration by saying:

The people say that Abū Hurayrah narrates too many narrations. In fact Allah knows whether I say the truth or not. They also ask, “Why do the emigrants and the Ansar not narrate as he does?” In fact, my emigrant brethren were busy trading in the markets, and my Ansar brethren were busy with their properties. I was a poor man keeping the company of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ and was satisfied with what filled my stomach. So, I used to be present while they (i.e. the emigrants and the Ansar) were absent, and I used to remember while they forgot (the Hadith) (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 2350)

This careful preservation continued through teaching and transmission. The Companions emphasized the importance of memorizing and repeatedly reviewing the Hadith to their students. ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ) advised his students:

Repeat the aḥādīth frequently. If you do not, your knowledge will diminish. \ (Jāmiʿ Bayān al-ʿIlm wa Faḍlihi, 101)

ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ similarly said::

Repeat the ahadith regularly because this is the way to keep them alive. \ (Maʿrifat ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth, 141)

The students of the Companions, the Tābiʿūn, undertook the systematic collection of Hadith to preserve the Prophet’s ﷺ teachings for the Ummah. Foundational works such as Imām Mālik’s Muwaṭṭaʾ, Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal’s Musnad, and later the compilations of Imām Muslim and others gathered vast numbers of narrations transmitted from the Companions and their students. Because these early collections intentionally included reports of varying strength, this effort was accompanied by the development of the precise sciences of Hadith. Scholars meticulously examined the isnad (chain of narrators), documenting the biographies, character, memory, integrity, and reliability of each narrator. Entire disciplines were dedicated to identifying trustworthy narrators, exposing fabricators, and classifying narrations as authentic (ṣaḥīḥ), sound (ḥasan), weak (ḍa‘īf), or fabricated. Through this process, the Sunnah was preserved in a clear and organized way, allowing Muslims to distinguish what is truly attributed to the Messenger ﷺ.

So, just as it is not permissible to believe in part of the Qur’an while abandoning any of it, even a single verse or letter, the same applies to the Sunnah. One’s belief is not complete unless the Sunnah is accepted in its entirety, without rejecting anything authentically reported from the Messenger ﷺ. For the Sunnah is a source of clarity and direction that leads to uprightness, while turning away from it results in confusion and loss. Imām Al-Barbahārī (رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ) stated:

Likewise, Allāh will not accept from a person anything of the Sunnah whilst he abandons some of it, and whoever rejects anything from the Sunnah has rejected all of it, so upon you is to accept (it all). \ (It’hāf Al-Qārī bi Ta’liqāt ‘alā Sharhis-Sunnah, Vol. 2/105-17)

Thus, it is necessary to believe in the Sunnah in its entirety, accepting all that is authentically reported from the Messenger ﷺ without exception. It is upon the Muslim to ground his beliefs firmly in the Qur’an and the Sunnah, making them the measure by which all matters are understood. Through them truth becomes clear, and whatever accords with them is illuminated by light, while whatever departs from them is left in darkness.

The Salaf al-Ṣāliḥ

It is upon the Muslim to follow the Qur’an and Sunnah with the understanding of the Salaf al-Ṣāliḥ (Pious Predecessors). Allah sent His Messenger ﷺ with the Qur’an, who remained upon the earth explaining and clarifying it through the Sunnah. His Ṣaḥābah (Companions) learned, memorised, implemented and conveyed his teachings to their students, the Tābi’īn; who did so to the next generation, the atbā’ Tābi’īn. These three generations are collectively known as the Salaf. The ensuing generations of Muslims cannot correctly understand and implement the Qur’ān and Ḥadīth without knowing how the Salaf understood them. This is the Straight Path that Allah laid down for His servants, and made clear through those who walked upon it first. It is upon the Muslim to hold fast to it, to submit to it inwardly and outwardly, and to protect it from anything that seeks to oppose it.

The word Salaf linguistically refers to those who came before, while Ṣāliḥ means righteous or upright. Together, al-Salaf al-Ṣāliḥ refers to the early righteous generations of Islam. In the Sharīʿah, this term specifically denotes the Companions of the Messenger ﷺ, their students the Tābiʿūn, and the students of the Tābiʿūn. They are called the Salaf because they preceded the Ummah in time, and they are described as righteous because of their sound belief, correct understanding, and sincere adherence to the Qur’an and Sunnah, as mentioned in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of his Messenger ﷺ.

Allah explicitly praised the Companions in the Qur’an and tied His pleasure to following their path. He said:

And the first to embrace Islam of the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār and those who followed them with excellence. Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. \ (Surah At-Tawbah 9:100)

And He says:

So those who emigrated, were driven from their homes, were harmed in My cause, fought, and were killed—I will surely remove their sins from them and admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow, as a reward from Allah. And Allah has with Him the best reward. \ (Surah Āl-Imrān 3:195)

These verse refer to the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār, the Companions of the Messenger ﷺ, and the Helpers of Madinah who supported him. For this reason, they hold a rank in Islam that no later generation can reach, and their path remains the measure by which belief and practice are understood.

Allah also says:

Certainly Allah was pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you under the tree. He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquility upon them and rewarded them with a near victory. (Surah Al-Fatḥ 48:18)

This verse was revealed regarding the pledge of allegiance taken underneath a tree at al-Ḥudaybiyah by the early Companions of the Messenger ﷺ, numbered 1400.

Together, these verses show that the Companions were praised explicitly by Allah, that their faith was tested and proven, and that following their path is inseparable from following the religion itself. Their loyalty to the Messenger ﷺ, their sacrifices for Islam, and their firm adherence under trial made them the best of this Ummah and the foundation upon which later generations must build.

After the Companions came the Tābiʿūn, those who met the Companions, learned directly from them, and followed their path in faith and practice. After them came the Atbāʿ al-Tābiʿīn, the students of the Tābiʿūn, who inherited this knowledge and carried it forward. Together with the Companions, these three generations are known as the Salaf, distinguished not merely by their closeness in time to revelation, but by their firm adherence to the Qur’an and Sunnah, their sound understanding, and their sincerity in worship and conduct.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ explicitly praised these generations and placed them above all others. ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:

The best people are those of my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6429)

And he ﷺ also said:

I enjoin you to follow my companions, then those after them and those after them.
(Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2165)

These narrations establish that goodness, sound understanding, and upright practice are most complete in these early generations, and that later Muslims are commanded to follow their way in holding fast to the Qur’an and Sunnah.

The Salaf as a whole are protected from agreeing upon misguidance, and are collectively free from error as a group. At the same time, they were human beings who sometimes differed and erred in individual judgments. They themselves clearly understood that none of their statements or opinions were independent sources of religion. Their authority lay in how faithfully and accurately they understood and applied the Sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ. Mujāhid ibn Jabr, a leading student of Ibn ʿAbbās (رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا), said:

There is no one whose opinion may not be taken or left, except for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
(al-Madkhal ilā al-Sunan al-Kubrā, 30)

This principle was also clearly stated by Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq رضي الله عنه, the greatest of the Companions after the Prophet ﷺ, who said:

If my opinion is correct, it is from Allah. If it is mistaken, it is from myself and Satan. Allah and His Messenger are innocent of it.
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd 2116)

Thus, the Muslim is one who returns to the way of the Salaf in belief, worship, and conduct, weighing their understanding of the religion against what they (The Salaf) understood and every practice against what they established. Through them, the religion remained upright, its meanings intact, and its limits known. Whoever walks their path walks upon clarity, and whoever departs from it exposes himself to confusion and error.

Conclusion

The path of Islam is clear; and that is, to follow the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of his Messenger ﷺ, upon the understanding of the Salaf al-Ṣāliḥ. This is the Straight Path, and it is binding upon every Muslim to submit to it, to cling to it firmly, and to guard it from what opposes it. The Muslim is one who finds attainment and salvation in this path alone, as success lies not in personal desires, nor in the statements of individuals, or of any particular faction or group, rather, it lies in returning to what Allah revealed and to the understanding of those whom He praised and chose to preserve His religion. And we ask Allah to place us among those who recognize this path, love it, remain firm upon it in times of ease and hardship, and are raised upon it on the Day of Judgment.

---

1. Nöldeke, T. (2013). Geschichte des Qorâns. (A. Rippin, F. M. Donner, & N. Sinai, Eds.). Brill. ↩︎

2. Graham, W. A. (1989). Beyond the written word: Oral aspects of scripture in the history of religion. Cambridge University Press. ↩︎

3. Donner, F. M. (1998). Narratives of Islamic origins: The beginnings of Islamic historical writing. Darwin Press. ↩︎

4. University of Birmingham. (2015). The Birmingham Qur’an manuscript. Brill. ↩︎

5. Sadeghi, B., & Bergmann, U. (2010). The codex of a companion of the Prophet and the Qur’ān of the Prophet. Arabica, 57(4), 343–436. ↩︎