As-Sunnah (The Way)

يُسَبِّحُ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ الْمَلِكِ الْقُدُّوسِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَكِيمِ (1) هُوَ الَّذِي بَعَثَ فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ رَسُولًا مِنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَإِنْ كَانُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ (2)

When each of us took shahada, we proclaimed two things:  That there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad (sas) is the Messenger of Allah.  This commits us to two things:

1. To believe in Allah and His Book (because it was transmitted by His Messenger).  Allah's book consists of information and directives.  Once we have taken the testimony of Islam, it means that we believe in everything which Allah has described in His Book of the seen and the unseen and that we have accepted all of his directives concerning the haram, the halal, the makrooh and the mustahabb.
2. Likwise, to believe in Allah's Final Messenger Muhammad (sas) means that we accept everything in his Sunnah (sas) in the same manner that we accept the Qur'an.  Both are from the same source: Allah, and both came through the same intermediary:  Muhammad (sas) followed by those who transmitted the words from him.  The only differences are that:
1. The Qur'an is from Allah in both meaning and words while the hadith are Allah's teachings in meaning while the wording or the implementation is from the Prophet (sas)
2. The Qur'an was narrated to us in its entirety mutawaatiran (i.e., with sufficient different sources at all levels of the chain that conspiracy to forge was completely impossible).  Some hadith were narrated in this same manner while many others were narrated with what are called sahih or hassan chains.  Both of these categories are obligatory upon every Muslim unless contradicted in an irresolvable way by a stronger source of evidence.  Hadith with less reliable chains (dha'eef, maudhoo', etc.) are rejected and it is not lawful to use them to establish any belief or to establish any ruling in the shari'a.

Both the Qur'an and the authentic sunnah are part of Allah's final Communication (wahy) to mankind.

يُسَبِّحُ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ الْمَلِكِ الْقُدُّوسِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَكِيمِ (1) هُوَ الَّذِي بَعَثَ فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ رَسُولًا مِنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَإِنْ كَانُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ (2)

To attempt to accept part of Allah's Communication and reject other parts is the ultimate kufr (disbelief).  It is not "part way there" or "better than no belief at all", NO, it is the ULTIMATE disbelief.  Listen to what Allah said about this:

{Inna alladhina yakfuroona bi Allahi wa rusulihi wa yureedoona an yufarriqoo baina Allahi wa rusulihi wa yaquloona nu'minu bi ba'dhin wa nakfuru bi ba'dhin wa yureedoona an yattakhidhoo baina dhaalika sabeelan (150) Ulaa'ika hum al-kaafiroona haqqan wa a'tadnaa lilkaafireena 'adhaaban muheenan.}
{Verily, those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers and seek to differentiate between Allah and His messengers saying: We believe in some and we disbelieve in some.  And they wish to take a path between that. (150) These are the ultimate disbelievers and we have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment.}  An-Nisaa:150-151

The word "sunnah" is used in three different ways.  Its meaning in the language is "path" or "way", regardless of whether that path is praiseworthy or blameworthy.  This is found in the hadith of the Prophet (sas):

"Man sanna sunnatan hassanatan fa lahu ajruhaa wa ajru man 'amila bihaa ilaa yaumi al-qiyaamati.  Wa man sanna sunnatan sayyi'atan fa 'alaihi wizruhaa wa wizru man 'amila bihaa ilaa yaumi al-qiyaamati."
"Whoever blazed a trail of good will get its reward and the reward of all those who practice it until Qiyama.  And, whoever blazed a trail of bad, upon him is its sin and the sin of all those who practice it until Qiyama."  Muslim

"Sunnah" can also be used to refer to the "ways" or patterns with which Allah deals with His creation.  Listen to Allah's description of some of the arrogant ones who preceded us:

{A falam yaseeroo fiy al-ardhi fa yandhuroo kaifa kaana 'aaqibatu alladhina min qablihim.  Kaanoo akthara minhum wa ashadda quwwatan wa aathaaran fiy al-ardhi fa maa aghnaa 'anhum ma kaanoo yaksiboon. (82)  Fa lammaa jaa'at-hum rusuluhum bil bayyinaati farihoo bimaa 'indahum min al-'ilmi wa haaqa bihim ma kaanoo bihi yastahzi'oon. (83) Fa lamma ra'au ba'sanaa qaaloo aamannaa bi Allahi wahdahu wa kafarnaa bimaa kunnaa bihi mushrikeen. (84) Falam yaku yanfa'uhum imaanuhum lamma ra'au ba'sanaa.  Sunnata Allahi allatiy qad khalat fiy 'ibaadihi wa khasira hunaalika al-kaafiroon. (85)}
{Did they not travel in the earth and see what was the end of those who came before them?  They were more numerous, greater in strength and had a greater impact on the earth but it was of no use to them all that they had earned. (82) Then, when Our messengers came to them with the clear proofs, they were joyous with the knowledge they possessed and that which they used to mock befell them. (83) Then, when they saw Our fury, they said: We have believed in Allah and we have rejected all that which we used to associate with Him.  (84) But their belief was of no benefit to them once they had seen Our fury.  This is the WAY ("sunnah") of Allah which has gone before and this is where the disbelievers have lost. (85)} Ghaafir: 82-85

In the terminology of fiqh, the meaning of sunnah is:

All statements, actions and implicit acceptances coming from the Prophet (sas) whose intention is legislation, guidance or providing an example.  It is the second source of Islam, preceded only by the Qur'an.

There is a fourth way in which the word is used among Muslims which is not really correct but is widespread nonetheless.  They use it to mean acts which are "comendable" (mustahabb) in the Shari'a as opposed to obligatory.  We should learn to use the correct words:  mustahabb or mandoob and stay away from this colloquial use of the word sunnah.

The only way to love Allah and for Allah to love you is to believe in Allah and all of His messengers.  Which at this time necessitates following the last of them whose message superceded all who came before.  During the time of the Prophet (sas), there were some who claimed extreme love for Allah Most High.  Allah responded to them saying:

{Qul in kuntum tuhibboona Allaha fattabi'ooniy yuhbibkum Allahu wa yaghfiru lakum dhunoobakum wa Allahu ghafoorun raheem.}
{Say: If you truly love Allah then follow me that Allah may love you and forgive your sins and Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.}  Aal-'Imraan:31

Those who are negligent in seeking the knowledge of the authentic sunnah and practicing it have no claim to love for Allah nor any hope of Allah loving them.

Those who claim to follow what is in the Qur'an, but doubt and reject the authentic hadith are not only in a state of disblief, they are also in a state of stupidity and self-contradiction.  This is because Allah makes it clear in at least four or five places that we MUST follow and obey the teachings of the Messenger in addition to the Qur'an.  Thus, there is no way to follow the Qur'an while being negligent of the hadith.  I'll just mention one of these verses:

{Man yuti' ar-rasoola faqad ataa'a Allaha wa man tawallaa famaa arsalnaaka 'alaihim hafeedhan.}
{Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah and as for whoever turns away, we have not sent you as a guardian over them.}  An-Nisaa:80

 لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا (21)