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The
two fundamental sources of Islam are the Qur'an (the word of God)
and the Sunnah (the example) of the Prophet (peace and blessings
be upon him). By Sunnah, we mean the actions, sayings and silent
permissions (or disapprovals) of the Prophet.
The
word "Sunnah" is also used to refer to religious duties
that are optional. Here, we are concerned with Sunnah in the sense
of the recorded sayings (Hadiths) of Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him). In this sense, Hadith is considered to be
second to the Qur'an. It is impossible to understand the Qur'an
without reference to the Hadith; and it is impossible to explain a
hadith without relating it to the Qur'an.
The
Qur'an is the message, while the Hadith is the verbal translation
of the message into pragmatic terms, as exemplified by the
Prophet. While the Qur'an is the metaphysical basis of the Sunnah,
the Sunnah is the practical demonstration of the precepts laid
down in the Qur'an.
The
duty of the Messenger was not just to communicate the message,
rather, he was entrusted with the most important task of
explaining and illustrating that message. That is the reason why
Allah Himself has commanded the following:
(Say:
Obey Allah and obey the Messenger, but if you turn away, he
(the Prophet) is only responsible for the duty placed on him
(i.e. to convey Allah's Message) and you for that placed on
you. If you obey him, you shall be on the right guidance. The
Messenger's duty is only to convey (the message) in a clear
way.) (An-Nur 24:54)
This
verse clearly tells us the overriding importance of Hadith to
Muslims. They should be eager to learn and follow the teachings of
the Prophet as expressed in Hadith. If we are negligent in this
respect, it is we who have to answer before Allah.
Speaking
of the importance of Hadith, we need to take into consideration
two broad aspects of the subject. We know that Allah Almighty
revealed the Qur'an to His chosen Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him). So it is through the Prophet we come to
hear the word of Allah; and it is the Prophet himself who can
properly explain and demonstrate the precepts in the Qur'an.
Without the required explanations and illustrations given by the
Prophet, the Qur'an may be misunderstood and misinterpreted by
people. So the Prophet took care to explain and demonstrate to his
companions how the Qur'anic verses must be read and understood.
That is to say, the importance of Hadith is linked to the
importance of the Qur'an.
For example, the details of how to perform salah (ritual
prayer), for instance, were given by the Prophet through his words
and action, and not by the Qur'an. This means that we wouldn't
know how to pray, fast, pay zakah, or perform Hajj without the
examples given by the Prophet as recorded in the Hadith. Indeed,
all necessary details are given in the Hadith, not in the Qur'an.
The
revelation of each of the verses of the Qur'an took place at some
critical junctures in the life of the Prophet. Of course, there
are verses of universal application and significance, irrespective
of the context in which those verses were revealed. But there are
other verses that can be understood or interpreted only in the
light of the actual context in the life of the Prophet, which
called for that revelation. There are many examples. For instance,
the following verse in the Surah Aali `Imran:
(If
any one disputes in this matter with thee, now after (full)
knowledge hath come to thee, Say: Come! Let us gather
together, our sons and your sons, our women and your women,
ourselves and yourselves: then let us earnestly pray. And
invoke the curse of Allah on those who lie.) (Aali `Imran
3:61)
This
verse talks about mubahala (invoking the curse of Allah on
those who take a dishonest stand); and was revealed when the
Prophet was conferring with the Christian delegation from Najran
in 631 CE This example clearly shows how we need to refer to the
life and example of the Prophet to understand the context, as well
as the meaning of verses, such as the above mentioned one in the
Qur'an.
The
foregoing shows how Hadith, in practical terms, explains,
clarifies, and paraphrases the Qur'an. If we reject the Hadith, we
may misread the Qur'an; so Hadith is central to a proper
understanding of the Qur'an.
In
the Qur'an, Allah Almighty commands us not only to obey the
Messenger, but also to abide by his decisions as follows:
(But
no, by the Lord, they can have no (real) Faith, until they
make you (the Prophet) judge in all disputes between them, and
find in their souls no resistance against your decisions, but
accept them with the fullest conviction.") (An-Nisaa'
4:65)
And
surely we find such decisions only in the Hadith; the duty of
Muslims is to accept the Prophet's decisions whole-heartedly. The
Qur'an also orders the faithful to emulate the role model of the
Messenger and reckons it to be the only way to gain the pleasure
of Allah.
It
is therefore obligatory that we look up to the Prophet's morals
and exemplary character and carry them out in our lives. We can
never do so without studying Hadith. It is most illuminating in
this respect to learn that when `A'ishah (may Allah be pleased
with her) was asked to describe the character of the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him), her definitive answer was,
"His character was that of the Qur'an." In other words,
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) personified the
best ideals and values of the Qur'an. How could we then neglect
the Hadith, which alone can lead us to the precise ways in which
the Prophet exemplified the Qur'anic ideals?
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