Discover the meaning of the term As-sunna (سنة) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 6 min readIn language: custom. In the Law: a term shared between what issued from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in word, deed or approval, and what the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) practised constantly without obligation. It is of two kinds: the sunna of guidance, also called the confirmed sunna, such as the adhan and the iqaama, the supererogatory prayers, and the rinsing of the mouth and the nose, according to one opinion; their ruling is like that of the obligatory which is demanded in this world, except that the one who neglects it is not punished, whereas the one who neglects the obligatory is. And the sunan of excess, such as the adhan of one praying alone, the siwak, and the customary acts within and beyond the prayer, whose neglect carries no punishment.
With fatha of the first and second radical: the year. With kasra: the drowsiness preceding sleep. In Persian one says "panaki o ghnou dan" for "yes, the speaker". The year of union and the year of separation are each a sunna. The year, for the extremities, is said with fatha of the s, and for filling with kasra. If it is asked: what need is there to deny drowsiness in the word of Allah, the Most High: "Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep", as is not hidden? We answer: the word of Allah is referred to the heart, and the intended meaning is "neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep", like His word: "It is only our life in this world: we die and we live", that is, we live and we die; and if drowsiness is mentioned before sleep, it is because it precedes sleep by nature, so it was mentioned first in wording to match the natural order.
In language: the way, whether pleasing or not. In the Law: the way followed in religion without any postulate of obligation. The sunna is thus what the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) practised constantly while sometimes leaving it. If that constancy belongs to worship, it is the sunan of guidance; if it belongs to habit, it is the sunan of excess. The sunna of guidance is what completes the religion when performed, and whose neglect entails disapproval or fault; the sunna of excess is that taken as good practice, that is, whose performance is praiseworthy, without its neglect entailing disapproval or fault, such as the Prophet's (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) manner of standing, sitting, dressing and eating.
The word of the Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), or his deed, or his approval.
What the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) practised constantly, while indicating the permissibility of leaving it.
With damm: the way of al-Mustafa (may peace and blessings be upon him), which he deliberately chose; and the sunna of Allah is the way of His wisdom and the way of obedience to Him; mentioned by ar-Raghib (al-Mufradat, p. 245). Ibn al-Kamal said (at-Ta'rifat, p. 127): "The sunna, in language, is the way, pleasing or not. And in the Law: the way followed in religion without postulate or obligation." With fatha and lightening: the duration of one complete revolution of the sun, and the completion of twelve revolutions of the moon. The solar year is three hundred and sixty-five days and a quarter, and the lunar year three hundred and fifty-four days and thirteen parts of a day; the solar year thus exceeds the lunar by eleven days and one part of twenty-one parts of a day, the time of drowsiness of the eyes before the senses are overcome and the mind overwhelmed.
With fatha of the s and the n: the year, plural: sinin and sanawat. The lunar year is the one adopted in religious reckonings; it is three hundred and fifty-four days and a sixth of a day, and begins with the month of Muharram. As for the solar year, it is three hundred and sixty-five days and a quarter of a day, and begins with the month of Kanun ath-thani (January), with damm or fatha of its second letter. Plural: sunan, the way and the conduct. / / Commentary: (Sunna of the Prophet) enactment
With a moving first radical: the year, that is, twelve months. And in al-Maghrib: "drought prevailed over them as the beast of burden prevails over the horse": its root is sanha, and others say: with a waw.
أَشِحَّةً عَلَيْكُمْ ۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ ٱلْخَوْفُ رَأَيْتَهُمْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَيْكَ تَدُورُ أَعْيُنُهُمْ كَٱلَّذِى يُغْشَىٰ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۖ فَإِذَا ذَهَبَ ٱلْخَوْفُ سَلَقُوكُم بِأَلْسِنَةٍ حِدَادٍ أَشِحَّةً عَلَى ٱلْخَيْرِ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَمْ يُؤْمِنُوا۟ فَأَحْبَطَ ٱللَّهُ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ ۚ وَكَانَ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ يَسِيرًۭا [Surah الأحزاب : 19]