السنة الفعلية
al-Sunna al-Fiʿliyya
The sunna of action: what the Prophet Muhammad did and taught his Companions to do, as Muslims have practised ever since.
What it means
Al-sunna al-fiʿliyya is the part of the Prophet’s example made up of his actions. The Companions watched how he prayed, fasted, performed the pilgrimage and dealt with people, and they passed the practice on, so that the community has repeated it in every generation. Faruqi describes it as the body of deeds and practices that he taught them to do and that Muslims have performed ever since. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) told his followers, “Pray as you have seen me pray” (Sahih al-Bukhari) and, during the pilgrimage, “Take your rites from me” (Sahih Muslim). The way of performing the daily prayer, which the Quran commands without describing in detail, is the chief example of this sunna.
Often misunderstood as
People sometimes think the Quran alone specifies the prayer, when its form was shown by the Prophet’s actions and carried on by the community.
What the sources say
Scholars treat deeds that the Prophet did as part of his role as a prophet and teacher as binding examples, and deeds that came from his human nature, such as how he dressed or ate, as optional models. Jurists discuss which of his acts were obligatory and which were recommended or permitted.
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 51, listed as AL SUNNAH AL FI'LIYYAH. The definition is restated here.