Kwa kuwa wajibu wa kumfuata Mtume (SAW) umethibitishwa, na sharti la kumfuata ni kutenda kitendo kama kitendo chake, basi elimu ya mwelekeo (hali) wa kitendo chake ni miongoni mwa masharti ya kuendelea nacho. Kwa hiyo ni lazima kujua njia ambazo kwazo hali ya kitendo chake inaweza kujulikana, ili kitendo kitekelezwe kulingana na hali aliyokitekeleza nayo, yaani wajibu (waajib), kupendeza (mandoob), au kuruhusiwa (mubaah). Kuhusu kitendo chake ambacho si ufafanuzi wa amri iliyotangulia, ni dhahiri kwamba kujua hali ya kitendo hicho ni kwa kukijua kitendo chenyewe: ikiwa ni miongoni mwa vitu ambavyo mtu anaweza kujikurubisha (kwa Allah Ta'ala) kwa kukitekeleza, basi ni mandoob; na ikiwa si miongoni mwa vitu ambavyo kwa kukitekeleza mtu anaweza kujikurubisha, basi ni mubaah. Kuhusu kitendo chake ambacho ni ufafanuzi wa amri iliyotangulia, kinadhibitiwa katika wajibu (wujoob), kupendeza (nadb), au kuruhusiwa (ibaahah). Hivyo kuna njia nne za kujua hali (mwelekeo) wa kitendo chake: 1- Njia inayojumuisha zile hali tatu. 2- Njia ya kujua wajibu (waajib).

Since the obligation of imitating the Messenger (SAW) is proven, and that the condition of the imitation is that the same like His action should be acted, then the ('ilm) knowledge of the direction (quality) of His action is one of the conditions for the carrying on. Therefore it is inevitable to know the ways by which the quality of His action can be known, in order that the action will be performed in accordance with the quality that He performed it as, i.e. waajib, mandoob, or mubaah. As for His action that is not a clarifier for a previous address, it is apparent that knowing the quality of the action is by knowing the selfsame action, if it is of that which one can get closer (to Allah Ta'ala) by performing it, then it is the mandoob, and if it is not of that which one can get closer by performing it, then it is the mubaah. As for His action which is a clarifier for a previous address, it is limited to the obligation (wujoob), preference (nadb), or the permissibility (ibaahah), so there are four ways to know the (direction) quality of His action: 1- The way that includes the three (directions/qualities). 2- The way of knowing the waajib.

3- Njia ya kutambua mandoob.

3- The way of knowing the mandoob.

4- Njia ya kujua mubaah.

4- The way of knowing the mubaah.

1- Njia inayojumuisha hizo tatu ina mambo manne: moja wapo ni kwa kutaja, yaani Mtume ﷺ anataja wajibu, upendeleo, au kuruhusiwa kwa tendo hilo, yaani kwa kusema: tendo hili ni wajibu, au mandub, au mubaah.

1- The way that includes the three, it is of four things: one of them is by mentioning, i.e. the Prophet (SAW) mentions the obligation, the preference, or the permissibility of the action, i.e. by saying: this action is waajib, or mandoob, or mubaah.

Jambo la pili ni usawa: yaani Mtume ﷺ anapolinganisha tendo fulani na tendo jingine lenye sifa inayojulikana kwa kufanya tendo kisha kusema: tendo hili ni sawa na tendo fulani lenye sifa inayojulikana, hivyo basi hilo linaonyesha sifa ya tendo hilo, lolote liwe. Jambo la tatu ni: kwa kujua kwamba tendo lake ni kutekeleza Aya fulani inayoamua mojawapo ya hukumu tatu, kwa mfano ikijulikana kwamba tendo fulani lilikuwa ni kutekeleza Aya inayoonyesha wajibu, kisha akalinganisha na tendo jingine, basi itajulikana kuwa nalo ni wajibu pia, na vivyo hivyo itasemwa katika upendeleo (ustahabu) na ruhusa.

The second thing is the equality: that is when the Prophet (SAW) equalizes an action to another action which has a known (direction) quality, by performing an action then saying: this action is like or equal to that so and so action which has a known quality, so that shows the quality of the action what ever it is. The third thing is: by knowing that His action is adherence to an Aayah that determines one of the three verdicts, like if it is known that a certain action was adherence to an Aayah which denotes the obligation as an example, so if He equalized it to another action, then it becomes known that it is waajib too, and the same would be said in the preference and the permissibility.

Jambo la nne ni: kujua kwamba kitendo chake ni ufafanuzi wa Aya fupi (mujmal) inayoonyesha mojawapo ya hukumu. Hivyo, ikiwa inaonyesha ruhusa, au ubora (kupendeza), au wajibu wa jambo fupi, na Mtume ﷺ akalifafanua kwa kitendo chake, basi kitendo chake kitakuwa mubaah, au mandoob, au fardh, kwa kuwa kinachofafanua kinafanana na kinachofafanuliwa. Mfano ni kauli ya Allah Ta'ala: {Na simamisheni Sala…} (Surat Al-Baqarah, 43). Naye Mtume ﷺ alisema alipokuwa akiisali: "Sali kama mnavyoniona ninavyosali," kama ilivyokusanywa na Al-Bukhari. Vivyo hivyo katika ibada za Hijja (manaasik), na kadhalika. 2- Njia ya kujua waajib ni ya mambo matatu. La kwanza: alama zinazoonyesha kwamba jambo ni waajib, kama adhana (mwito wa Sala) na iqaamah (mwito wa kusimamisha Sala). Hizo ni alama za wajibu wa Sala.

The forth thing is: by knowing that His action is a clarifier for a summed up (mujmal) Aayah which denotes one of the verdicts, so if it denotes the permissibility, or the preference, or the obligation of a summed up matter, then the Messenger (SAW) clarified it by His action, then His action would be mubaah, or mandoob, or fardh, because the clarifier is like the clarified matter, like the saying of Allah Ta'ala: .. {And do establish the prayer…) 43 Surat Al-Baqarah, He (SAW) said while performing it: Do pray as you see me praying" compiled by Al-Bukhari, and the same in the Hajj (manaasik) rituals…and so on. 2- The way of knowing the waajib, it is of three things: The first: the signs that show that the thing is waajib, like the azthaan (call to prayer) and the iqaamah (call to establish the prayer), they are signs for the obligation of the prayer.

Pili: ikiwa kitendo kilichofanywa ni kutekeleza nadhiri (nadhr) aliyoweka, kwa kuwa kutekeleza nadhiri ni wajibu, kama vile anaposema: ikiwa adui atashindwa, basi ni wajibu wangu kwa Allah Ta'ala kufunga kesho, kisha akafunga siku iliyofuata baada ya kushindwa kwa adui, hivyo hilo linaonyesha kuwa ni wajibu.

The second: if the performance of the action being fulfillment of a vow (nazthr) He made, since fulfilling the nazthr is waajib, as if He says: if the enemy got defeated, then it is my duty to Allah Ta'ala that I fast tomorrow, then He fasted the morrow after the defeat, so that shows that it is waajib.

La tatu: kitendo kinachokatazwa kama si wajib, kama vile rukuu mbili za ziada katika swalah ya kupatwa kwa jua (kusuf); hiyo ni kwa sababu kuongeza nguzo ya kivitendo kwa makusudi huharibu swalah, kwa hiyo kama hazingekuwa wajib zingekuwa zimekatazwa. Rukuu ya pili katika swalah ya kupatwa kwa jua ni ya ziada, nayo huharibu swalah ya kawaida, lakini kwa kuwa imefanywa na Mtume ﷺ maana yake ni fardh (katika swalah ya kupatwa kwa jua). Uhalali wa rukuu ya pili hauwezi kuwa wa mandhub au mubah katika swalah hii mahsusi, kwa sababu rukuu ya kwanza ni wajib; kurudiwa kwake kunaonyesha kwamba inayorudiwa ni wajib, kwa kuwa ni marudio ya wajib, kama vile sujuud ya pili. Ama sujuud ya kusahau (al-sahw) na sujuud ya tilawa (al-tilawah) katika swalah na nyinginezo, hizo si marudio kwa sababu dalili ya maneno pamoja na kitendo zinaonyesha kuwa ni mandhub, hivyo zina dalili ya kupendeza (nadb). Na kuhusu kuinua mikono mfululizo katika swalah ya Eid, hilo si kuongeza nguzo kwa makusudi; zaidi ya hayo, kuinua mikono ni harakati na haiharibu swalah. Basi kitendo kinachoashiria wajib ni kitendo ambacho, kama si wajib, kingekatazwa; yaani, kama si fardh, tungeamrishwa kujiepusha nacho.

The third: being the action forbidden if it is not waajib, like the two extra ruku' (kneeling) in the eclipse prayer; that is because adding a practical pillar deliberately abolishes the prayer, so if they are not waajib they would have been forbidden. The second ruku' in the eclipse prayer is additional, and it abolishes the (normal) prayer, but being performed by the Messenger means it is fardh (in the eclipse prayer). The legitimacy of the second ruku' cannot be of the mandoob or the mubaah in this particular prayer, because the first ruku' is waajib; its repetition shows that the repeated one is waajib, since it is a repetition of a waajib, like the second sujood (prostration). As for the inattentiveness sujood (al-sahoo) and the recitation sujood (al-tilaawah) in the prayer and others, they are not repetition because the verbal daleel beside the action show that they are mandoob, so they have a daleel for the nadb (preference). And as for lifting up the hands successively in the feast ('eid) prayer, that is not adding a pillar deliberately, moreover, lifting up the hands is a movement and it does not abolish the prayer. Accordingly the action that denotes the obligation is an action that whish if it is not waajib; it would be forbidden, i.e. if it is not fardh; we would be ordered to abstain from it.

3- Njia ya kutambua jambo la mandoob ni mambo mawili: La kwanza kati yake: ni kwamba kitendo kimefanywa kwa nia ya kujikurubisha kwa Allah Ta'ala, na kimetengwa na dalili yoyote ya ziada inayoonyesha chanzo cha kukurubia, yaani kimetengwa na dalili yoyote inayobainisha wajibu au ruhusa, kwa sababu wajibu kwa asili umekanushwa, na kwa kuwa ni kwa ajili ya kukurubia; hukanusha ruhusa, hivyo nadb (kupendekezwa) hupata kubainika. La pili kati yake: ikiwa kitendo kilifanywa kama qadhaa' (kulipa deni la ibada iliyokosekana) kwa jambo la mandoob, basi nacho kitakuwa mandoob pia, kwa kuwa qadhaa' inafanana na adaa' (ibada yenyewe katika wakati wake). Na si sahihi kusema: ikiwa mtu alilala muda wote; adaa' (ya swala) haimlazimu kwa wajibu wa qadhaa', haipaswi kusemwa hivyo, kwa sababu adaa' katika hali hii imekuwa wajibu juu yake kwa kutokea kwa sababu (sabab) ya wajibu kwa haki yake.

3- The way of knowing the mandoob is of two things: The first of them: is that the action has been performed with the intention of getting nearer to Allah Ta'ala, and it is abstracted from any additional indication to the origin of the nearness, i.e. it is abstracted from any indication that specifies the obligation or the permissibility, because the obligation is originally negated, and because it is for the nearness; it negates the permissibility, so the nadb (preference) gets determined. The second of them: if the action was performed as a making up (qadhaa') for a mandoob, then it will be mandoob too, since the making up resembles the original performance (adaa'). And it is not correct to say: if one slept the whole time; the adaa' (of the prayers) is not obligatory upon him with the obligation of the qadhaa', it should not be said so, because the adaa' in this situation became obligatory upon him by the occurrence of the cause (sabab) of the obligation in his right.

4- Njia ya kujua mubaah ni kwa mambo mawili:

4- The way of knowing the mubaah is of two things:

Kwanza: Iwapo Mtume (SAW) alikuwa akifanya kitendo fulani mfululizo kisha akakiacha bila kufutwa (naskh), kuacha kwake kabisa kile alichokuwa akikifanya mfululizo kunaashiria ombi la hiari, na hili ni mubaah, hivyo ni dalili ya kuruhusiwa (ibaahah).

The first: If the Messenger (SAW) continued to do an action then He quitted it without abrogation. His complete quitting of what He used to do continuously, it denotes the optional request, and this is the mubaah, so it is a daleel of the permissibility (ibaahah).

Ya pili: Ikiwa Mtume ﷺ atafanya kitendo ambacho hakina dalili yoyote ya jambo lolote (mwelekeo au sifa), na kwa kuwa Mtume ﷺ hafanyi kitendo kilichoharamishwa au kinachochukiwa, na kwa kuwa wajibu na jambo la kupendeza kimsingi vimekanushwa, basi kitendo hicho ni mubaah.

The second: If the Messenger performs an action which has no sign of any thing (direction or quality), and since the Messenger does not do a forbidden or hated (action), and since the obligation and the preferable are originally negated, so that action is mubaah.