The Islamic faith has many customs and traditions that are adhered to by its followers. One such tradition is following the sunnah, or the path of the Prophet Muhammad. There are many ways to follow the sunnah, and this article will explore five of them. By following the sunnah, Muslims can live their lives in accordance with the teachings of Allah and His Prophet.
Nowadays it can be difficult to know what it truly means to live a pious Muslim life. With all of the different voices out there competing for our attention, how can we be sure that we’re doing things right? This is where following the sunnah comes in. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent as a human guider. Now in this digital era, online Quran classes are also offered by many websites and institution for the preaching o Islam and QURAN. As a Muslim we all believe that the last prophet is the complete live example pof Quran. Sunnah is the act of the Holy Prophet that he did in his life. And to get the progress, Muslims believe to follow it.
There are many ways to follow the sunnah. Some of them are listed below:
1. Follow the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in your daily life.
The Prophet Muhammad was known for his inspiring character. He lead by example, not just through sermons and speeches, but also through the daily choices he made. His actions showed how to live life with courage, patience, humility, generosity, wisdom and compassion. By following the sunnah of the Prophet in our own lives we can set a good example for those around us and live a life of compassion, generosity and good deeds.
2. Make the five daily prayers a priority in your life.
Prayer is one of the most important ways to follow the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet himself said “Pray as you have seen me pray.” It is important that our daily schedules allow for this very important act. The five daily prayers are Fajr, Dhuhur, Asr, Maghrib and Isha. To be able to pray the five daily prayers you have to wake up early before dawn so that you can eat a healthy pre-dawn meal (suhur) and have enough time to bathe, eat breakfast and pray Fajr in its proper time. It is also important to have plenty of time between the prayers so that you can purify yourself properly with clean water.
Most people will need at least an hour or two every day to complete their five daily prayers. Of course it’s fine if this takes a little longer, but you should set aside ample time to complete your prayers and not rush through them.
The Prophet said: “Pray as you have seen me pray” (Abu Dawood)
3. Follow the sunnah of dressing modestly for men and women alike.
Follow the teachings of Allah regarding modesty in both men and women. Allah says that men should ” lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and guard their private parts (from illegal sexual acts). That is purer for them. Verily, Allah is all-aware of what they do.” (Al Quran 24:30)
” The Prophet said ‘Allah does not accept the prayer of a woman who has reached puberty unless she wears a veil.’ (Abu Dawood)
The hijab is the head covering that Muslim woman wear to follow this sunnah of dressing modestly. The hijab covers the hair, ears and throat. It can be worn in many different styles today which are quite fashionable.
“O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies. That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed.” (Al Quran 33:59)
4. Follow the sunnah of eating with your right hand.
One of the sunnah’s of eating is that you should always eat with your right hand. The Prophet ate and drank only with his right hand, and he taught his companions to do the same.
“The Prophet said: ‘When any of you eats, he should eat with his right hand, and when he drinks, he should drink with his right hand. Facing the ‘ Qiblah ‘ (the direction of Kaaba in Mecca) is essential.'” (At-Tirmidhi)
There are many other sunnah’s of eating including waiting for at least one third of a whole day to pass after eating meat, chewing food thoroughly, not talking while eating and only eating with the right side of the flat bread. These additional sunnah’s serve as good reminders to be more mindful about how we eat and why we eat.
5. Follow the sunnah of performing ablution (wudhu) before prayer:
Before each of our five daily prayers, we perform a ritual called ablution or wudhu. Wudhu is performed by washing the hands, mouth, nose and face and then wiping a wet hand over one’s head and ears. The main purpose of wudhu is to prepare our bodies for prayer and this way we begin each day fresh and ready to obey Allah.
“The Prophet would ensure that he washed all parts of his body while performing ablution, and he used to apply perfume.” (Abu Dawood)
Whether you’re Muslim or non-Muslim, everyone can benefit from following the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad. The teachings of Islam are meant for all people of all time periods. One doesn’t have to be a Muslim in order to follow the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad.
