Why this matters

Every belief has to come from somewhere. Some people take it from their family. Some from a video they watched last night. Some from a dream, or a story an uncle told.

Many of the things we believe in are unseen: Allah, the angels, the grave, Jannah. No one can see them or test them in a lab. So the only way to know about them for sure is if Allah Himself tells us. That is why Muslims ask one question about any belief: where is it from?

Allah says: do not follow what you have no knowledge of. Your hearing, your sight and your heart will all be asked about it¹.

This chapter explains where Muslim belief comes from, how scholars kept it safe, and how you can keep yourself safe today.

The first source: the Quran

The Quran is the word of Allah, sent down to Nabi ﷺ through the angel Jibril over about 23 years. It is the first and highest source of everything a Muslim believes.

• It has no doubt in it. Allah calls it the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for those who are mindful of Allah².
• It is protected. Allah says: We sent down the Reminder, and We will surely protect it³. Today the same Quran is recited from memory by millions of people, from Indonesia to Morocco, letter for letter.
• It does not contradict itself. Allah says: if it were from anyone other than Allah, they would find many contradictions in it⁴.
• It is complete. Near the end of Nabi's ﷺ life, Allah said: today I have perfected your religion for you⁵. So no one can add a new belief to Islam after that.

You can read the Quran with its meaning on our Quran page. The chapter The revealed books says more about it.

The second source: the Sunnah

The Sunnah is what Nabi ﷺ said, did and approved of. It reaches us through hadith (reports of his words and actions).

Some people ask: is the Quran not enough? The Quran itself answers. It tells us to follow Nabi ﷺ again and again:

• He speaks from revelation. Allah says of him: he does not speak from his own wishes. It is only revelation sent to him⁶.
• Obeying him is obeying Allah. Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah⁷.
• Take what he gives you. Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it. And whatever he forbids you, stay away from it⁸.
• He explains the Quran. Allah sent him the Quran so that you may explain to people what was sent down to them⁹.
• When people disagree, Allah says: take it back to Allah and the Messenger¹⁰.

Think of salah. The Quran tells us to pray many times. But how many rakat (units of prayer)? What do we say in sujud (prostration)? Only the Sunnah tells us. The same is true for many beliefs, like the questions in the grave and the signs of the Hour. Without the Sunnah, we could not live the Quran.

Nabi ﷺ said: all my ummah (my community) will enter Jannah, except those who refuse. They asked: who would refuse? He said: whoever obeys me enters Jannah, and whoever disobeys me has refused¹¹.

How hadith were checked

Nabi ﷺ warned very strongly against lying about him: whoever lies about me on purpose, let him take his seat in the Fire¹². So the Companions and the scholars after them were very careful.

Even in the time of the Companions, a report was sometimes checked. Umar asked Abu Musa to bring a witness for a hadith he had told him, to be sure of it.

Over the next centuries, scholars built a careful science to check every hadith. They looked at two things:

• The chain (isnad): the list of people who passed the hadith on, one to the next, back to Nabi ﷺ. Was every person honest? Did each one have a good memory? Did each one really meet the person he heard it from?
• The text (matn): the words themselves. Do they clash with the Quran or with stronger hadith?

The early scholar Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak said: the chain is part of the religion. Without it, anyone could say anything.

The grades, in plain words

The two most trusted books are Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. Scholars accept their hadith as authentic. Other books, like Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasai and Ibn Majah, have sahih, hasan and weak hadith, so scholars grade each one. On this site, every hadith we use is from Bukhari or Muslim, or was graded sahih or hasan by a known scholar of hadith, and you can tap the reference to read it.

The Companions' understanding

The Sahabah (Companions) were the people who met Nabi ﷺ as believers. They saw the Quran come down. They asked him questions and watched how he lived. So when we want to know what a verse or hadith means, we look at how they understood it.

• Allah praised them. He is pleased with the first Muhajirun (those who left Makkah) and Ansar (the Muslims of Madinah), and those who followed them in doing good. And they are pleased with Him¹⁶.
• The best generations. Nabi ﷺ said: the best people are my generation, then those after them, then those after them¹⁷.
• Hold to my Sunnah. Near the end of his life, Nabi ﷺ said there would be many differences after him. He said: hold to my Sunnah, and the way of the rightly guided khalifahs after me, and stay away from new things added to the religion¹⁸.

This keeps us safe from strange new readings. If someone says a verse means something that no Companion and no early scholar ever said, that is a warning sign. The religion was not hidden for 1,400 years, waiting for one person online to find it.

The chapter The Companions and the family of Nabi ﷺ says more about them, and Following the Sunnah explains what it means to add new things to the religion.

Reason and revelation

Islam does not ask you to switch off your mind. The Quran asks people to think again and again. After listing the heavens, the earth, the ships, the rain and the clouds, Allah says these are signs for people who use their minds¹⁹. The people of the Fire will say: if only we had listened, or used our minds, we would not be here²⁰.

So what is the job of reason, and what is the job of revelation?

• Reason points to Allah. A clear mind sees that the world did not make itself, and that its order shows a wise Maker. The chapter Fitrah: why we believe explains this.
• Reason recognizes the truth of the Messenger. It can see that the Quran is not the work of a man, and that Nabi ﷺ was honest.
• Revelation tells us what reason cannot reach. The names of the angels, what happens in the grave, how to pray: no mind could work these out alone. For these we need Allah to tell us.

Sound reason and true revelation never truly clash, because both come from Allah. If something seems to clash, then either the hadith is not authentic, or we have misunderstood the text, or the "reason" was really a guess. When we cannot understand something, we say: Allah knows best, and we keep learning.

Where the schools of creed differ

All of Ahl al-Sunnah (the main body of Muslims who follow the Sunnah) agree that the Quran and Sunnah are the sources, and that reason supports them. They differ in how much they use detailed reasoning to explain belief. The Ash'ari and Maturidi scholars use reason-based proofs more, to explain belief and answer doubts. The Athari scholars prefer to stay close to the words of the Quran and Sunnah, and are more careful with such proofs. All of them affirm what Allah said about Himself without likening Him to His creation. These are the great scholarly traditions of this ummah. Learn from a teacher you trust.

Not taking belief from weak sources

Some things feel religious but are not sources of belief:

• Weak and made-up hadith. Some are very famous. For example, "seek knowledge even in China" is shared everywhere, but scholars of hadith say it is very weak. Seeking knowledge is a great deed, and it is proven by sahih hadith²¹. We just do not need the weak one.
• Stories with no source. Many stories about the prophets, the angels or the end of the world come from old tales with no chain. If a story adds details the Quran and sahih hadith do not have, be careful.
• Dreams. A good dream can be good news from Allah²². But a dream cannot add a belief, make something halal or haram, or change the religion. The religion was completed while Nabi ﷺ was alive²³. Also, people often remember and explain their dreams wrongly.
• "Everyone says so." Customs of a family or a country are not proof by themselves. Some are good, and some are not from Islam at all.

Social media

Today most religious claims reach us on a phone. A beautiful picture, a moving voice, a hadith with no reference, and a line saying "share this or you will be sorry". Here is what the Quran and Sunnah teach:

• Check before you believe. If someone untrustworthy brings you news, check it, so you do not harm people without knowing²⁴.
• Check before you share. Nabi ﷺ said: it is enough of a sin for a person to pass on everything he hears²⁵. Sharing a made-up hadith can mean spreading a lie about Nabi ﷺ.
• Look for the reference. Which book? Which number? What grade? If there is none, do not share it as a hadith.
• Be careful with "share or else" posts. No hadith tells us to forward a message to avoid bad luck.

Learning from trusted teachers

Allah says: ask the people of knowledge if you do not know²⁶. You do not have to work everything out alone. But you do need to choose your teachers well.

• Knowledge is precious. Nabi ﷺ said: when Allah wants good for a person, He gives him understanding of the religion²⁷. And scholars are the heirs of the prophets. The prophets did not leave money behind. They left knowledge²⁸.
• The path is rewarded. Whoever takes a path to seek knowledge, Allah makes easy for him a path to Jannah²⁹.
• A warning. Nabi ﷺ said that Allah takes knowledge away by taking the scholars. Then people take ignorant leaders, who give answers without knowledge, and they go astray and lead others astray³⁰.

Signs of a teacher you can trust

• They studied with known scholars, and people of knowledge speak well of them.
• They give references: a verse, a hadith and its grade, what scholars said.
• They are honest when they do not know, and they mention where scholars differ.
• Their character matches what they teach: humble, gentle, not always angry or mocking.
• They do not call other Muslims kafir easily, and they do not claim to have found a secret no one else knew.

When good scholars differ on a detail, do not panic. Nabi ﷺ said that a judge who works hard to find the right answer gets two rewards if he is right, and one reward if he is wrong³¹. Follow a trusted scholar, and respect those who follow another.

Common questions

Someone says we only need the Quran, not hadith. What do I say?

Gently show them that the Quran itself tells us to obey the Messenger³² and take what he gives us³³. Then ask how they pray: the number of rakat for each salah is only in the Sunnah. Following the Quran means following the Sunnah too.

A friend sent me a "hadith" with no reference. Can I share it?

Not as a hadith, until you check it. Search a trusted hadith site for the words, or ask someone with knowledge. If you cannot find it, do not share it³⁴.

I saw a dream that tells me to do something. Must I do it?

A dream cannot make something a duty. If it tells you to do something good that Islam already teaches, like praying more, then do it because Islam teaches it. If it goes against the Quran or Sunnah, ignore it.

Can I learn my religion from YouTube and social media?

It can help, but choose carefully. Follow people with real study and good character, who give references. Better still, find a local teacher or a structured course, and ask your questions in person.

Do I need to learn Arabic first?

No. You can learn the basics of belief in your own language today. Learning some Arabic over time is a great help, and it brings you closer to the Quran, but do not wait for it.

Two scholars give different answers. Who do I follow?

On the basics of belief, Ahl al-Sunnah agree. On details, follow the scholar you trust most for knowledge and piety, and do not attack those who follow the other³⁵.

A hadith seems strange to me. Should I reject it?

First check that it is authentic. If it is, ask a scholar how it is understood. Often it makes sense once you know its full wording and setting. If you still do not understand, say: Allah and His Messenger know best.