Sunnas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Traditional practices, customs, and teachings attributed to the Prophet of Islam that guide daily conduct ; plural of a term referring to such practices in the Muslim faith
2. The collective behavioral examples, sayings, and habitual actions associated with the Islamic Prophet, serving as a model for religious and social life ; also the plural form denoting multiple such traditions
3. A set of customary precedents and moral guidelines followed by adherents of Islam, derived from the Prophet's practices ; used as the plural to indicate more than one such guiding tradition

Etymology: "Sunnas" is the plural of "sunna," an Arabic word meaning "habit," "custom," or "way of doing things." In Islamic usage, the singular refers to the established practices of the Prophet Muhammad, which Muslims follow as a model for conduct, and the plural names more than one such body of customary precedent. The word sits within Arabic's root system, where "sunna" comes from a root connected to the idea of a path or a well-trodden way. That image explains its sense: a custom is a path that many people have walked before, so following a sunna means following a beaten track set by earlier practice rather than inventing a new one.

Synonyms: traditions, customs, practices

Antonyms: innovations, novelties