Title: Sunnah Vs. Wajib Question: First I would like to say Jazak Allah for such a educational web site and for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us. Recently my friend told me that Wajib is another form of Sunnah. I refuted his statement and said that Wajib is different then Sunnah. The actual discussion took place over wheather or not keeping a beard is Sunnah or not. He told me keeping a beard is Sunnah-Wajib. I have not heard of the term Sunnah-Wajib before. Can you enlighten us on this matter? Jazak Allah Ahmar United States of America Answer: The word Sunnah as a term in Islamic literature is used in two connotations. Explaining these two separate connotations, we have written in one of our previous responses: The term 'Sunnah' has generally been used by Muslims in two separate connotations: Firstly, the term has been used to designate the status of a particular action. In this connotation, the word Sunnah is relative to Fard , Waajib , or naf'l . Secondly, the term has been used to designate the source of a particular directive or action included in the Shari `ah . In this connotation, the term is used relative to the Qur'an. In the former connotation, we take the word to connote the set of 'traditions of Prophet Abraham' ( Sunan-i-Ibrahimi ) which the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sws) revived, and after corrections and additions, instituted in his followers as an integral and essential part of the corpus of Islam. In the second connotation it is used by some of the juristic schools like that of Imam Abu Hanifa , to connote rites and rituals that are not mandatory, yet were performed or were recommended by the Prophet (pbuh). For example, some of the Rak'ahs of the daily prayers are called Sunnah (optional) to distinguish them from the Fard (mandatory) Rak'ahs . And the actions, which these jurists thought to be perpetuated by the Prophet (sws), are Wajib. This distinction should be kept in mind while dealing with the application of the word. When one says that such and such act is Sunnah one may mean that the act is not obligatory in nature or may mean that it is the integral and essential part of the religion originating from the Sunnah not the Holy Qur'an. It is worth considering that acts transmitted through Sunnah of the Prophet (sws) may be obligatory like, for instance, the timings for prayers or they may be supererogatory like saying " Al-hamdu-lillahi ' after sneezing. As for the matter of beard, please refer to one of our sub-sections at 'Understanding Islam', titled " Issues relating to Beard ". I hope this helps. Tariq Mahmood Hashmi November 4, 2002