The Qur'an and the Sunnah

The Qur'an is the word of Allah, brought down to the heart of Muhammad ﷺ by the angel Jibril (Gabriel) (2:97), in the Arabic language (12:2). Near its opening it describes itself: ﴿ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾ (“This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those mindful of Allah”) (2:2).

Allah promised to protect it: ﴿إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا ٱلذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَـٰفِظُونَ﴾ (“It is We who sent down the Reminder, and We will surely guard it”) (15:9). It has been recited, memorised and written, word for word, from the Prophet's ﷺ time until today, and Allah has made it easy to remember (54:17). The Prophet ﷺ said: "The best of you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it" (Sahih al-Bukhari 5027).

The second source of guidance is the Sunnah: the teachings, actions and example of the Prophet ﷺ, preserved in sahih (authentic) hadith. Allah says: ﴿مَّن يُطِعِ ٱلرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ ٱللَّهَ﴾ (“Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah”) (4:80). The Sunnah shows how the Qur'an is lived: how to pray, how to fast, and how to treat people.