Sunnah
Islamic traditional model
Sunnah is the collected traditions of the Prophet Muhammad—his sayings, actions, and tacit approvals—that form a foundational source of guidance in Islamic jurisprudence and daily practice.
Recorded in hadith literature, the Sunnah complements Quranic revelation and shapes everything from ritual worship to personal conduct: Scholars debate whether certain practices are obligatory Sunnah or merely recommended.
Also spelled Sunna. (Lowercase sunnah is the same term in less formal usage.)
- prophetDivinely inspired messenger
- teachingsTransmitted knowledge or principles
- sayingsTraditional pithy expressions
- actionsThings someone does
companions · narration · chain · authentic · transmitted · reported · Muslim · collection
Islamic ritual prayer
- prayerAddress to deity
- fastingDeliberate food avoidance
- ablutionRitualized washing of body
- beardFacial hair growth
modesty · etiquette · manners · hospitality · greeting · salam · eating
Islamic obligatory prayer
- zakatObligatory Islamic charity donation
- hajjMuslim pilgrimage to Mecca
- obligatoryRequired by rule
- voluntaryDone by choice
confirmed · emphasized · abandonment · reward · following
Religious reverence and praise
- righteousnessMoral correctness or virtue
- pietySincere religious devotion
- faithTrust without proof
- obedienceCompliance with authority
following · emulation · reverence · love · dedication · sincerity · gratitude · patience
Muslim canonical jurisprudence
- fatwaIslamic legal pronouncement
- muftiIslamic law interpreter
- halalPermitted under Islamic law
- haramForbidden by Islamic law
ijma · ruling · obligation · recommended · permissible · scholars
Islam's central scripture
- textWritten or printed words
- revelationSurprising disclosed truth
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- recitationOral delivery from memory
guidance · verse · book · preserved · written · oral · memorization · compilation
Muhammad
- prophetDivinely inspired messenger
- teachingsTransmitted knowledge or principles
- sayingsTraditional pithy expressions
actions · companions · narration · chain · authentic · transmitted · reported · Muslim · collection · preservation
salah
Islamic ritual prayer
beard · modesty · etiquette · manners · hospitality · greeting · salam · eating
salat
Islamic obligatory prayer
- zakatObligatory Islamic charity donation
- hajjMuslim pilgrimage to Mecca
- obligatoryRequired by rule
voluntary · confirmed · emphasized · abandonment · reward · following
worship
Religious reverence and praise
- righteousnessMoral correctness or virtue
- pietySincere religious devotion
- faithTrust without proof
obedience · following · emulation · reverence · love · dedication · sincerity · gratitude · patience · humility
sharia
Muslim canonical jurisprudence
haram · ijma · ruling · obligation · recommended · permissible · scholars
Quran
Islam's central scripture
- textWritten or printed words
- revelationSurprising disclosed truth
- interpretationAssigned meaning
recitation · guidance · verse · book · preserved · written · oral · memorization · compilation · codification
Sunnahinnovation
Creating something original
heresy · deviation · shirk · apostasy · heterodoxy
- Sunni MuslimsLargest Islamic branch
- Sunni IslamLargest Islamic denomination
- Sunni practicesReligious customs of largest Islamic branch