BismiLlah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim

Al-Qaadhi Ibn Rushd rahimahuLlah divided the Sunnah in the Maliki view into four categories according to the strength of its methods of transmission and subject matter:

1)A Sunnah whose rejection is a mark of disbelief. If someone does reject it they are asked to repent. If they do not, they are to be killed as unbelievers. This applies to Sunnahs which have been transmitted by multiple transmission (mutawaatir). Acquiring knowledge of such Sunnah is obligatory: like wine being inlawful, the prayers being five, the Messenger of Allah sallAllahu ‘alayhi wassalam commanding the call of adhaan, and other similar things.

2)A Sunnah which only people of deviation, error and enial reject and which all the People of the Sunah agree to be sound: auch as he hadith of intercession, the Vision, the punishment in the grave, and similar things connected with faith, even if they are not mutawaatir in their isnaad.

3)A Sunnah which it is obligatory to know and to act on, even if some of the opponents of the People of Sunnah oppose it. Such as wiping over the socks, because it is known that it is acted upon by the vast majority of the Muslims and it is opponents are very few.

4)A Sunnah which it is obligatory to act on, being one which is transmitted by a reliable source from a reliable source. They are numerous in all categories of law and it is obligatory to act by them. An example of this is judging by the testimony of two witnesses of good character, even if they might lie or be suspect in their testimony. [The Four Imams, page 93]