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What are the ranks of the Prophetic Sunnah?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If you are referring to the categories or degrees of Sunnah, they are three: verbal (qauliyyah), practical (fi'liyyah), and approbatory (taqririyyah).

The verbal Sunnah is that which has been transmitted from the sayings of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. It holds stronger probative force and indication than the practical Sunnah.

The practical Sunnah is that which has been transmitted to us concerning the actions of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. It is stronger than the approbatory Sunnah.

The approbatory Sunnah is when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, observed an action of a Companion related to a legal ruling and approved of it, or heard a statement from a Companion and approved of it. It is a proof, but when in conflict [with other forms of Sunnah], it is weaker than the preceding two.

So, the categories are three: saying, then action (non-approbatory), then approbation.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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