Sunnah — Meaning and Use

Sunnah (Arabic: السنة) is pronounced SUN-nah, holding the double “n” slightly.

Meaning

In Arabic, sunnah means a clear, well-trodden path or a habitual way of doing things. In Islam it refers to the way of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: his words, his actions, and the things he saw and approved. The Qur’an tells believers to look to him as their model:

لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِى رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌۭ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلْيَوْمَ ٱلْءَاخِرَ وَذَكَرَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرًۭا ﴿٢١﴾

There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.

The Qur’an gives the principles — for example, “pray” — and the Sunnah shows how to live them: how to pray, how to fast, how to treat a neighbour. That is why the Sunnah is the second source of guidance in Islam, after the Qur’an. It reaches us through reports called hadith, which scholars checked with great care.

How Muslims use it

Muslims also use sunnah for actions that are recommended because the Prophet ﷺ did them, though they are not strictly obligatory — such as smiling at others or extra prayers. Following the Sunnah is a way of showing love for the Prophet ﷺ.

Example

“Saying ‘Bismillah’ before eating is part of the Sunnah.”

To learn more, read Who Was Prophet Muhammad ﷺ?