How can the word "سن" (to establish/initiate) be interpreted in the second part of the noble Prophetic Hadith: "Whoever establishes in Islam a good Sunnah will have its reward and the reward of whoever acts upon it thereafter, without anything being diminished from their rewards; and whoever establishes in Islam a bad Sunnah will bear its burden and the burden of whoever acts upon it thereafter, without anything being diminished from their burdens," taking into consideration that Islam did not come with bad Sunnahs, and what is the most accurate interpretation of the word in both parts?
A "good Sunnah" is initiating an act of obedience that others follow, or reviving a neglected Sunnah, or when an action serves as a means to a permissible matter. As for a "bad Sunnah," it is initiating an act of disobedience that others follow. Ibn 'Uthaymeen clarified that the meaning of "sanna" (to initiate/establish a Sunnah) is "to begin an action" or "to revive it after it has been abandoned," and not to innovate something for which there is no legal proof, for every innovation is misguidance.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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