Divine Origin

 A decree can be set out by the Prophet and not based on the Qur’anic text but rather the ijtihad (reasoning) of our Prophet. When the ijtihads of our Prophet are confirmed by Allah Almighty, they also become divinely approved laws. 

Sometimes Allah almighty did not confirm Prophet’s ijtihad and they were corrected by Allah almighty. For example; 

• The Prophet released the prisoners of Badr by taking ransom as a result of consultation with his companions. Later, this situation was corrected by a verse that was descended. (Al-Anfal 8:67

مَا كَانَ لِنَبِىٍّ أَن يَكُونَ لَهُۥٓ أَسْرَىٰ حَتَّىٰ يُثْخِنَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِۚ تُرِيدُونَ عَرَضَ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱللَّهُ يُرِيدُ ٱلْءَاخِرَةَۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ 

It is not for a prophet to have captives [of war] until he inflicts a massacre [upon Allāh's enemies] in the land. You [i.e., some Muslims] desire the commodities of this world,[1] but Allāh desires [for you] the Hereafter. And Allāh is Exalted in Might and Wise.)

• The Messenger of Allah PBUH led the funeral prayer of Abdullah Ibn Ubayy bin Salul, the leader of hypocrites. Allah Almighty corrected this behavior too. ( At-Tawbah, 84 

وَلَا تُصَلِّ عَلَىٰٓ أَحَدٍ مِّنْهُم مَّاتَ أَبَدًا وَلَا تَقُمْ عَلَىٰ قَبْرِهِۦٓۖ إِنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَمَاتُوا۟ وَهُمْ فَٰسِقُونَ 

And do not pray [the funeral prayer, O Muḥammad], over any of them who has died - ever - or stand at his grave. Indeed, they disbelieved in Allāh and His Messenger and died while they were defiantly disobedient).

In other words, Allah Almighty corrected and confirmed the Sunnah, which means the practices of the Messenger of Allah and his noble Sunnah is considered part of the revealation. 

That means, if there was an issue in the practice of the Messenger of Allah that did not comply with Allah’s consent, it would be corrected immediately. 

The fact that our Lord did not correct some practices of the prophet PBUH means that there was nothing to correct. In other words, this shows divine approval. 

As our Lord has definitely intervened when there was something that doesn’t comply with His consent. 

It is understood that since the whole Sunnah is divinely approved, it is a second source in religion. Thus, the Sunnah is also of divine origin. 

Considering that the acceptance of an idea, ijtihad and opinion in Islamic civilization depends on the condition of not contradicting the Qur’an and Sunnah, it can be better understood why the distinctive feature of Islamic civilization is that it has Divine origin. 

Therefore, Islam presents a straight and correct life style to humanity that is valid until the end of end with this principle which is not found in any manmade system. 

It is stated in the Hadith: “I have left two things with you. As long as you hold onto them, you will not go astray. They are the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet.” (Muwatta, Qadar, 3)

Although religions such as Christianity and Judaism were originally of divine, their later loss of this characteristic was due to their inability to maintain the measures expressed in this hadith. 

The Qur’an is the divine instructions; while the Sunnah is the explanation and application of these instructions by Allah’s Messenger. 

In this regard, ponder on the following analogy: the fixed foot of the compass stands at the central point, while the movable pen moves around the center, forming a stable and perfect circle due to the stability of the fixed foot. 

The fixed foot represents the divinely ordained law. If this fixed point is lost, then one cannot draw a proper circle, the religion loses its focal point and moves away from what it was.