ENGLISH-THE ROLE OF SUNNAH IN THE FORMATION OF MUSLIM IDENTITY AND PRACTICE

Muhammad Rafique Phulpoto; Sana Jadoon

Muhammad Rafique Phulpoto Lecturer in Islamic studies, Government Boys Degree College pir Jo Goth, Sindh, Pakistan https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1918-8849
Sana Jadoon Surprenant bureau Of Curriculum, Directorate of Education Schools, Quetta, Baluchistan, Pakistan https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6057-865X

Keywords: Sunnah, Hadith, Muslim Identity, Islamic Practice, Prophetic Example, Akhlaq, Shariah, Ummah, Ijtihad, Islamic Law

Abstract

The paper will discuss the constitutive nature of the Sunnah the normative model of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the identity and practice of Muslims. Going past theological claims, it contends that not only is Sunnah not a secondary source, but also the working, living guide in which Islamic identity is created and maintained. The discussion follows the historical role that the Sunnah played in the unification of the early Muslim community and how this was handed down by strict scholarship in Hadith. It also discusses how the Sunnah shapes individual identity in terms of character perfection (akhlaq) and the spiritual life, at the same time shaping a collective and transnational identity in the form of ritualized expressions, social conventions and Islamic law (Shariah). Amidst the present-day challenges of globalization and modernity, the article notes that there are on-going intellectual discussions on the issue of reinterpretation and adaptation. It ends, however, by concluding that the Sunnah still serves as the key point around which a coherent and dynamic Muslim identity still is expected to swing, requiring a careful work on the part of scholars and educators to guarantee an authentic and relevant transmission.