Imagine a relay race. Each runner carries the baton for a part of the race and then physically hands it to the next runner. The race can only continue because the baton is passed directly from one person to another. Every runner knows who handed him the baton and to whom he must hand it next.
Here, the baton represents the light of Divine Revelation—like a lit candle whose flame is passed from one person to another. The light does not originate from the runners themselves; it comes from the original source and is faithfully carried forward without being replaced.
This is a good example of how the Sanad (chain of transmission) in Ahl al-Sunnah works.
The Prophet ﷺ directly conveyed the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and their correct understanding to the Sahabah (رضي الله عنهم). They understood the weight and responsibility of what had been entrusted to them. They then carried this trust throughout the world as quickly as possible, teaching it directly to the next generation.
The Thabi'oon learned directly from the Sahabah, the Tabaʿ al-Thabi'oon learned from the Thabi'oon, and this continued from generation to generation.
Knowledge was not merely copied from books. It was transmitted from teacher to student through study, companionship, heart-to-heart transmission, correction, and practical application (ʿamal).
Those who demonstrated sound knowledge, correct understanding, upright character, and reliability were granted ijazah (authorization) to teach and transmit that knowledge to the next generation.
Books have always been an important means of preserving knowledge, but in Ahl al-Sunnah they were never intended to replace qualified teachers. A book cannot answer questions, correct misunderstandings, assess a student's readiness, or testify to his competence to become the next runner in the relay. That is why the Sanad has remained central to the transmission of Islamic knowledge.
Some modern scholars may have acquired much of their learning primarily through books, recordings, or online resources. While these can be valuable means of learning, they do not, by themselves, constitute a complete Sanad. If one traces the origin of a particular modern interpretation or methodology that differs from the mainstream scholarly tradition, it may sometimes lead back only a few generations—or perhaps around a century—rather than through an unbroken chain of teachers reaching the Prophet ﷺ.
It is like travelling along a road only to find a sign that says, "Road Ends Here." Beyond that point, there is no continuous path.
The Sanad of Ahl al-Sunnah is different. It is a living relay—a baton that has been physically handed from one trustworthy teacher to another for over fourteen centuries. It carries not only information, but also understanding, methodology, manners, spirituality, and the responsibility of preserving the religion exactly as it was received.
Just as the baton in a relay race reaches the finish line through an unbroken chain of runners, the light of Divine Revelation has reached us through an unbroken chain of qualified teachers, linking every generation back to the Prophet ﷺ.