A Critique of the Theory of the Independence of the Authority of Sunnah Based on the Viewpoints of Allameh Tabatabaei and Ayatollah Javadi Amoli

Some scholars believe that sunnah is as authoritative as the Quran and consider sunnah to be independent while being able to seek help from the Quran about the issues on which the Quran is silent. This theory is contrary to the view of Allameh Tabatabaei and his student Ayatollah Javadi Amoli, who believe that the authority of sunnah originates from the Quran and sunnah is not as authoritative as the Quran. Using the analytical method, this article has sought to critique the first view and has given such reasons as ‘the Quran is the source of all the teachings of sunnah, not part of it’, ‘sunnah owes its authority to the verses of the Quran’, ‘the Quran is the criterion for evaluating narrations’ and ‘when a conflict occurs between narrations, the narration which complies with the Quran is preferred’ in support of the second view. The findings reveal that the reasons given for the independent authority of sunnah, e.g. the revelation is the source of sunnah, there are rational reasons for the authority of sunnah, belief in the independent authority of sunnah has a modernistic nature and narrations are judged by comparing them with sunnah, are not only incomplete, but some of them indirectly consider sunnah as authoritative as the Quran and do not put it second to the Quran in authority.