Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
Islam is distinguished by its authentic and established sources, all of which ultimately refer to what is found in the Book of Allah. Allah The Almighty says {what means}: "Ṭā Sīn. These are the verses of the Qur’an and a clear Book, a guide and good news for the believers" [An-Naml, 1-2]. Among what the Qur'an has instructed and made obligatory to follow is the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Allah says {what means}: "Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids you, abstain from it. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in punishment" [Al-Hashr, 7]. In fact, the Qur'an equates obedience to Allah with obedience to the Messenger (peace be upon him), as in His saying {what means}: "And obey Allah and obey the Messenger and beware. And if you turn away – then know that Our Messenger's duty is only to convey clearly" [Al-Ma'idah, 92]. There are many verses that emphasize this point.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described the condition of certain people who will deny the Prophetic Sunnah and urged adherence to it. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, there will be a man who hears a hadith from me while reclining on his couch, saying, 'Between us and you is the Book of Allah. Whatever we find lawful in it, we will consider lawful, and whatever we find prohibited in it, we will consider prohibited.' But indeed, what the Messenger of Allah has prohibited is just like what Allah has prohibited." This hadith was narrated by At-Tirmidhi, and it represents the unanimous position of the people of truth (Ahlu Sunnah wal Jama`ah), with no disagreement or dispute. Imam Ash-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his work "Ar-Risalah ": "Everything the Messenger of Allah has legislated in conjunction with the Book of Allah is in agreement with the Book of Allah in its explicit wording or in its general sense by way of explanation from Allah. The explanation may be more detailed than the general statement. In addition, whatever the Prophet has legislated that is not explicitly found in the Book of Allah, it is by Allah's command that we follow him in his general command. Therefore, we follow him."
Whoever denies the noble Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) as a fundamental source and does not accept any part of it is misguided and has deviated from the straight path. Such a person abandons the Quran even before abandoning the Sunnah because the two are inseparable. This person is in great danger if they still consider themselves a Muslim. There is no way to establish the essential acts of worship, such as prayer, fasting, Zakat, or pilgrimage, except through the combined guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah.
Moreover, this person is being contradictory by affirming belief in the Quran while rejecting the Sunnah, which the Quran itself commands us to follow. It is necessary to explain to such a person the misguidance they have fallen into and the inconsistency in their position. Once the truth has been made clear and any doubts removed, if the person persists in denying the Sunnah, they have effectively rejected Allah's law, which can lead to disbelief (kufr).
As for denying a specific ruling mentioned in the Sunnah rather than rejecting the Sunnah as a whole, this is also a form of misguidance and a departure from the consensus of the truth. However, one should be cautious about hastily declaring someone a disbeliever (kafir) in this case. The principle among the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah—scholars of theology, jurisprudence, and fundamentals—is that there is no takfir (declaring someone a disbeliever) unless there is a denial of something that is known with certainty to be part of the religion. If the ruling that the person denies is a definitive and necessary one that is clear to every Muslim, then it constitutes disbelief. If it is not such a ruling, then it does not reach that level.
Imam Al-Subki clarified this distinction. In Al-Mahalli's commentary on "Jam' al-Jawami '", it states: "The one who denies matters agreed upon that are known from the religion by necessity, such as the obligation of prayer and fasting, or the prohibition of adultery and alcohol, is definitely a disbeliever. This is because denying such matters necessitates rejecting the truthfulness of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in these issues. The same applies to what is agreed upon and well-known among the people, based on explicit texts, such as the permissibility of trade. The one who denies this is considered a disbeliever according to the more correct opinion. However, it is said that they are not a disbeliever, as it is possible they may be ignorant of it. Regarding matters that are well-known but not based on explicit texts, there is hesitation: some say that denying them leads to disbelief due to their widespread recognition, while others say it does not because it is possible for them to be unknown to the individual. As for denying matters that are agreed upon but obscure, known only to specialists, even if they are based on texts, this does not result in disbelief."
Accordingly, denying the Prophetic Sunnah, its authority, and its status in Islamic law is a deviation from the truth and poses a great danger to the one who commits it. Such a stance contradicts the Qur'an and the consensus of Muslims. However, a judgment of disbelief upon the one who denies the Sunnah is only issued based on the established guidelines mentioned above. And Allah The Almighty knows best.
