The Holy Qur’an took care of establishing the “Sunni thought”, that is, based on the divine laws, drawing from them and caring for them, through two basic things; They are the command to walk the earth to get to know the universe and to see the conditions of the forefathers, in addition to what the Qur’an expressly stipulated in some divine Sunnahs, such as the two Sunnahs of shuffling and deliberation.
And “Sunni thought” is that thought that realizes that the universe, with itself and its horizons, is organized according to a law, and does not proceed randomly, impromptu, or coincidence; Everything God Almighty created by decree, and every matter that falls under His will, Glory be to Him, is subject to His wisdom, exalted be He. The lessons of history are repeated, and the experiences of an individual or a group are similar.
The Almighty said: {Indeed, everything We created has a measure} (Al-Qamar: 49), and He also said: {It is not necessary for the sun to overtake the moon, nor for the night to precede the day. So they swim.” (Yasin: 40). Glory be to Him: {And We did not create the heaven and the earth and what is between them in vain. That is the assumption of those who disbelieve. So woe to those who disbelieve from the Fire} (p. 27).
The Holy Qur’an established the foundations of Sunni thought, through two main things: First: the command to walk the earth to get to know the universe and see the conditions of the predecessors: The Holy Qur’an commanded to walk the earth in several places, coupled with a statement of the purpose of this walk; It is looking at the universe and witnessing its indication of the Creator, Glory be to Him, including creativity and regularity based on the Sunnah.
And from that is His saying, the Most High: {Have they not seen how God initiates creation and then restores it? Creation, then God creates the hereafter. Indeed, God has power over all things} (Al-Ankabut: 19, 20).
It was also commanded to walk the earth, with the aim of knowing the conditions of those who preceded it, and considering their fate. Because the Sunnah is fixed, and the results are repeated when the premises are similar. Whether in righteousness and salvation, or misfortune and loss.
Among that is His saying, the Most High: {Traditions have passed before you, so walk through the land and see what was the end of the deniers * This is a statement to the people, a guidance and an admonition. It is for the righteous * And do not be discouraged, and do not grieve, and you will have the upper hand if you are believers * If a wound touches you, then a wound has afflicted the people. And those days We alternate them among the people. And that God may know those who believe, and take witnesses from among you; Yen} (Al-Imran: 137-141)
Dr. Abdul Karim Zaidan explains that God’s Sunnah is indicated by many verses in the Holy Qur’an. We find it in the verses of the stories of the Qur’an and the biography of the prophets, and what happened to them with their peoples, and in the news of previous nations and in the struggle of the people of truth with the people of falsehood. And if we went to count these verses, we would have found them more than the verses of rulings; What does this indicate? We believe that this many verses of the Qur’an, in which the mention of (God’s Sunnah) and its meaning and application, is conclusive evidence of the importance of knowledge of God’s Sunnah in the universe and the necessity of understanding it by Muslims, just as it is obligatory for them to understand the matters of worship that concern them. Because God Almighty does not specify mention in the Holy Qur’an except what needs to be mentioned and people need to know it. If something is mentioned repeatedly, this indicates its importance. For this reason, there came in these verses that we referred to what calls for contemplation, admonition, and reflection on the laws of God, as it came in them an explicit call to the necessity of understanding the laws of God in human society. One of the first types is the Almighty’s saying: {Indeed, there was a lesson in their stories for those of understanding} (Yusuf: 111). And from the second type is the Almighty’s saying: {Traditions have passed before you, so walk through the land and see what was the end of the deniers} (Al-Imran: 137) ([1]).
This command to walk the earth establishes the Sunni thought, and provides it with proofs and evidence that make it firm in the human mind, thinking, and behavior. So that he does not stop reflecting on these Sunnahs, starting from them, and resorting to them.
Second: Explicitly texting some divine laws:
The Holy Qur’an did not leave us with the absolute command to reflect on the Sunnahs transmitted in the universe and in the news of those who preceded it.
Professor Omar Obaid Hasna says: “The call to walk in the land, which the Qur’an urged, is in fact to infer and ascertain the effectiveness of the Sunnahs, which were decided by the Qur’an, and that they are not backward, on the one hand; And the extension and discovery of other Sunnahs by extrapolation and observation, and the continuity of mental consideration, on the other hand. Otherwise, what is the value of the immortal Qur’anic stories, if they do not constitute a mind aware of the laws and norms that govern human gathering, and control the rise and fall of civilizations?[2]).
Among the divine norms explicitly stated in the Noble Qur’an are:
Trading year:
That is, the conditions of nations do not last in a state, but victory is a record and for those who fulfill the conditions of victory and strength. And that is in His saying, the Most High: {If a wound afflicts you, then a wound like it has afflicted the people. And those days We alternate between them among the people, and that God may know who Determine, and He will take witnesses from you, and God does not love the wrongdoers} (Al-Imran: 140).
– The Year of Defense or Stampede:
That is: Were it not that He, Glory be to Him, defends people from people by people, and reveals the evil of people from others, by what He creates and appreciates from the means; the earth was corrupted, and the strong destroyed the weak ([3]). And that is in the Almighty’s saying: {And had it not been for God’s repulsion of people by means of others, monasteries, shops, prayers, and mosques in which God’s name is often mentioned would have been destroyed. ۗ And let God help those who help him. Indeed, God is Powerful, Mighty} (Al-Hajj: 40).
The year of respite for wrongdoers:
That is, not hastening to destroy them, rather God extends and gives them time for a term known to Him, Glory be to Him: ۡ On them, we count a number for them} (Maryam: 83, 84).
Among these Sunnahs also, in general terms:
The Law of Causation – God’s Sunnah in causes and causes.. The Law of Guidance and Misguidance – God’s Sunnah in following His guidance and turning away from Him.. The Law of Tribulation – God’s Sunnah in strife and affliction.. The Law of Difference – God’s Sunnah in differences and those who are different.. The Law of Luxury – God’s Sunnah in luxury And the entertainers.. The law of shunning blessings and changing them – God’s Sunnah in shunning and changing grace.. The law of luring – God’s Sunnah in luring ([4]).
Thus, we see the Holy Qur’an establishing the Sunni thought, and it wants the Muslim to proceed in life on guidance and insight. Whether from the “method” that was revealed to him, or from “human history”… so that he does not flounder in the dark, or repeat the mistakes of others.
([1]) Divine Sunnah, d. Abdul Karim Zaidan, pg.: 25.
([2]) Omar Obaid Hasna, his introduction to the book: Our Civilizational Crisis in the Light of God’s Sunnah in Creation, p: 13.
([3]) Interpretation of Ibn Katheer, 5/435.
([4]) Divine Sunnah, d. Abdul Karim Zaidan, pp. 18, 19.
