Abstract
After the Prophet, the greatest contribution belongs to the Companions in the transfer of religious principles. The function of this distinguished generation, who believed in the Prophet in the most difficult times and were with him, in religious decrees is of course of great importance. Thanks to their central position in question, the Companions gained a rightful prestige in the eyes of Muslims during the historical process and a special value was attributed to them in all Islamic sciences. The deeds of the Companions were also subjected to a special evaluation by the fuqaha; their views were seen as proof under the name of Companion’s Qawl and took their place in the hierarchy of evidence under certain conditions. Accepting the narrations of the Companions without applying cerh and ta'dil in the transmission of hadiths, which are the second source of fiqh, is another example of the value given to their legal authoritarian personalities. Another indication of the value given to them is the view that their deeds should be accepted as sunnah. In the formation of this view, there is the presupposition that they cannot do anything different from the Prophet (PBUH). The concept of sunnah has gained a holy identity in the historical process and has been used for all kinds of words and behaviors that come from the Prophet (PBUH). As a result of the legal value given to the Companions, some jurists evaluated the actions of the Companions within the scope of the sunnah. From the Tabiun period, the deeds of the companions began to be evaluated in the category of Sunnah, and this understanding became widespread in the founding period of the Hanafi, Maliki, and Hanbali sects. With Imam Shafii's view that the word sunnah should be used only for the Prophet (PBUH), the tradition turned in this direction, and in the following periods, the evaluation of the deeds of the companions within the framework of sunnah began to be forgotten. A few centuries later, especially the Maliki scholars stated that sunnah can be used in both senses. Some jurists have openly mentioned the relationship between the practice of the Companions and the sunnah and expressed their views on the subject. However, others do not have a clear statement of opinion. Their views emerged in the Companions' Qawl, the titles used for the narrations of the hadiths, and other issues. The holders of both opinions regarding the scope of the sunnah have some evidence to support their views. Some of this evidence is mentioned in the article. In the late period, sunnah began to be used to describe the way taken and took on a wider content. However, the word bidat has been used to describe false beliefs whose positive meaning endured. It is important to examine the basic concepts of Islam, such as the Sunnah. Starting this study with the literal meanings of quotations of sunnah will explain the general nature of the concept more accurately. The meaning of the word will be learned better in the light of the opinions about their meanings. For this reason, the word is explained in our study, and the views on the meaning of the word and the historical process of these views are kept in the foreground. In order to understand the subject, the concepts were explained first, and then, some terms related to the subject were explained in proportion to their relevance. Later, the relationship between the deeds of the Companions and the sunnah, which is our main topic, has been examined. However, since the narrow meaning of the sunnah is generally known, it is aimed to understand the sunnah view in its broad meaning. With this study, it is hoped that the relationship of a very important concept with the generation, which has an important place in the history of Islam, will be understood to some extent.