THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SUNNAH AND THE WA？Y AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE AUTHORITY OF SUNNAH ACCORDING TO SOME CONTEMPORARY SCHOLARS

There is no doubt that the Qur’ān and the ？unna？ are the two main sources of Islām. It is also axiomatic that throughout Islāmic history, only a few marginal groups such as Zanādiqa (heretics), some extremists named Rāf？？is and Ahl al-Qur’ān, influenced by some orientalists, and emerged in the Indian sub-continent and Egypt in modern times, disregarded the Sunnah of the Prophet as an essential source of Islām by casting some doubts. But the problem of the authority of the Sunnah, in other words, whether the Sunnah is completely binding, and if it is, to what extent it is and which sorts of the Sunnah are binding is a controversial issue among Muslim scholars. Shortly, the source of this problem is related to the relationship of the Sunnah with the divine revelation (wa？y). The correct understanding of the Sunnah and the determination of its authority, therefore, depend on the determination of its relationship with wa？y. The solution of this problem is also based on whether the Prophet received any wa？y apart from the Holy Qur’ān. Accordingly, Muslim scholars have adopted different views on this matter. Most of them classified wa？y into two parts as al-wa？y al-matluw and al-wa？y al-ghayr al-matluw. Thus, this study is an attempt to determine and organize different opinions of contemporary Muslim scholars on this issue and assess them through classification in the first instance. Secondly, it will evaluate the validity of these arguments and discuss these varying approaches and the kind of results that they have caused