السنة القولية
al-Sunna al-Qawliyya
The sunna of speech: the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad that lay down guidance for Muslims.
What it means
Al-sunna al-qawliyya is the part of the Prophet’s example made up of his words. It consists of his sayings that set out commands, prohibitions, advice and teachings, and Faruqi describes it as the body of sayings that contain prescriptions for Muslims. This is the part of the sunna that is most clearly preserved in the collections of hadith. Examples include his statement that deeds are judged by their intentions (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim). The Quran stresses the duty to heed him: “Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed God” (4:80). The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) spoke concisely, and his sayings, called jawāmiʿ al-kalim, are valued for their brevity and breadth.
Often misunderstood as
Equating the sunna only with the Prophet’s sayings overlooks that it also includes his actions and approvals.
What the sources say
Hadith scholars classify sayings by the strength of their chain of narrators and by how many people transmitted them. A saying reported by so many that agreement on a falsehood is impossible is called mutawātir, and the great majority are reports by fewer narrators, which are examined one by one.
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 52, listed as AL SUNNAH AL QAWLIYYAH. The definition is restated here.