The Sunnah and belief about Allah

The second most important source of authority for Muslims is the Sunnah. This refers to the practices, customs and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad [Muhammad: The name of the final Prophet. ] that are considered to be a perfect example. They are found in Hadith [Hadith: Collection of authenticated reports of what Prophet Muhammad said, did or approved. ] and other texts.

Many of Muhammad’s followers memorised his teachings while he was alive. These were later written down and scrutinised and then collections were made of them. Different groups of Muslims accept different collections of Hadith as reliable sources of authority.

When reading the Hadith, Muslims can experience the way Muhammad explained and illustrated the teaching in the Qur’an [Qur'an: That which is read or recited. The Divine Book revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Allah's final revelation to humankind. ] including the teaching about Allah. For example, the following Hadith might help a Muslim better understand the idea that Allah is all-forgiving:

Allah the Almighty has said: 'O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me, and hope in Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds in the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I shall forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with an earthful of sins and were you then to face Me, without having associated anything with Me, I shall grant you an earthful of pardon.'

Recorded by Al-Tirmidhi (An-Nawawi’s Forty Hadith -42)

Miracles

Miracles are not a major concern of Islam. There are examples of miracles recorded in the Qur’an, in particular the Al-Mi‘raj when Muhammad was taken through the heavens to meet Allah. The Qur’an makes clear that Allah can perform miracles if he wishes. The Qur’an itself is sometimes seen as a living miracle because of the way in which it has been passed down unchanged.

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