note: Since it is not mentioned next to their names, we say
Assalam ala sahaba ajmain (peace upon all the sahabas)
Before the Qur'an
Allah has communicated his religion to mankind since the
beginning of time. This fact is stated by Allah Himself in the
Qur'an:
'We said: "Get down all of you from this place (the Paradise),
then whenever there comes to you Guidance from Me, and whoever
follows My Guidance, there shall be no fear on them, nor shall
they grieve".' (2-38)
This divine guidance channels through the Messenger (pbuh)s of
Allah as mentioned in 57-25:
'Indeed We have sent Our Messenger (pbuh)s with clear proofs…'.
And all the Messenger (pbuh)s had one goal and one message-tawheed:
'…Serve Allah and shun false gods…'(16-36)
The Prophet (pbuh)s mentioned by name in the Qur'an (only a
fraction of all Prophet (pbuh)s sent) are as follows: Adam, Nuh,
Ibrahim, Ishaq, Lut, Yaqub, Yusuf, Musa, Harun, Dawud, Sulaiman,
Ilyas, Al-Yasa, Yunus, Ayyub, Zakariya, Isa, Idris, Dhul Kifl,
Shuaib, Salih, Luqman, Dhul Qarnain, Uzair, Muhammad (peace be
upon all of them).
Revelations mentioned in Qur'an include suhuf (sheets) of
Ibrahim and Musa, the Taurat (taurat) of Musa, the Zabur
(Psalms) of Dawud, the Injil (Gospel) of Isa and Qur'an of
Muhammad.
All the earlier scriptures carried the same message of Tawheed
but also included specific instructions related to only certain
people for certain times. For instance, the commandment of
Sabbath was established only upon the children of Israel for a
fixed period of time. However, Qur'an differs from all the past
scriptures not in its ultimate message but rather that it is the
ultimate message itself and its principals and verses are
universal and eternal.
The Qur'an
The Meaning
There are three opinions regarding the meaning of the word
'Qur'an' itself. One opinion, adopted by As-Shafi, is that the
word Qur'an does not hold any meaning and like Zaboor and Injeel.
As a result of this understanding, As-Shafi practised the
recitation of Qur'an without the hamza separating 'qu' and 'ran'
in the Qur'an. The Qari, Ibn Katheer (not to be confused with
the author of the tafseer Ibn Katheer) used to use this
pronunciation in his qiraat (recitation) and his qiraat was one
of the 10 authentic qiraat of Qur'an. A second opinion states
that 'Qur'an' came from 'qaran' meaning joined together, hence
implying a Qur'an wherein verses were joined together to form
surahs of the Qur'an. The third and strongest opinion though is
that the Arabic word is derived from the root qara'a meaning to
recite, read, etc. , hence Qur'an itself meaning the recitation
or the reading. Allah has used the word 'Qur'an' in Qur'an
itself in a general sense not restricted to the written mushaf
(book).
The definition of Qur'an in the language of shariah is as
follows:
'It is the Arabic speech of Allah which He revealed to Mohammad
(pbuh) in wording and meaning and which has been preserved in
the Mushaf and has reached us by Mutawatir transmissions
(several chains of narration) and is a challenge to mankind to
produced something similar to it'.
There are some consequences of this definition:
-
'It is the Arabic speech': Translations of Qur'an are NOT the
Qur'an. Only the Arabic Qur'an is the real Qur'an as Allah
says, the meaning of which is:
'…this (the Qur'an) is a
clear Arabic tongue."(16-103) -
'Revealed to Mohammad (pbuh)': Qur'an is only what was
revealed to Mohammad (pbuh), the last Messenger (pbuh) of
Allah. It excludes any other Arabic speech of Allah whether
such Allah did or not.
-
'In wording and meaning': This clause excludes Hadith Qudsi
(discussed later) as they are speech of Allah in meaning only
and not in wording. With regards to Hadith Qudsi, we do not
say Allah said so and so rather we add the Prophet (pbuh) said
that Allah said so and so.
-
'Preserved in Mushaf': This Mushaf refers to the Mushaf of
Uthman, the 3rd Caliph of Islam. This Mushaf
contains 114 surahs starting with fatiha and ending with Nas.
Since 4-5 Mushafs were prepared by Uthman, any one of these
would fit the criteria of Qur'an. This clause excludes shad
qiraat (discussed later).
-
'Mutawatir transmissions': This clause excludes some qiraats
which are ahad. Ahad transmissions refer to transmissions
through a single chain of narrators, while mutawatir chains
consist of several chains or isnad. This part also excludes
shad qiraat as they have not been transmitted through
mutawatir transmissions either.
-
'Challenge to mankind to produced something similar to it':
This points to the miraculous nature of Qur'an. This
challenged was presented in the Qur'an in 17-88:
'Say: If
the whole of mankind and Jinn were together to produce the
like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like thereof,
even if they back up each other with help and support.'
Years passed yet nobody was able to meet the challenged. Later
the challenge was eased asking for anyone to produce even 10
verses and finally the challenge was reduced to just one surah:
'And if you are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time
to time to Our servants, then produce a Surah like thereunto;
and call your witnesses or helpers besides Allah, if what you
say is true.
The challenge is yet to be surpassed and as
Muslims we know that it will never be, as Allah is the Most
Truthful. -
'Speech of Allah': Al-Tahawi whose book Aqeedat-ul-Tahawiya is
the most well-known book on Aqeedah, stated that Qur'an is the
word of Allah, His actual Speech, the how of it (like all
attributes of Allah) is not known. That it is not created
speech (as the Mu'tazilah claimed) and whoever claims it is
the speech of man is a Kaffir.
'…And to Musa, Allah spoke
directly.'(4-164)
Allah's Speech is heard by His
creation whenever He, the Omnipotent, wishes and is not heard
by His creation whenever He, the Omniscient, wishes.
Al-Ghazali
who was under some influence of philosophical thought erred
gravely in this regard. He mentioned in his famous book 'Ihya
uloom al deen' that Allah speaks without letter, word, sound
of only the mind. But Allah spoke to Moses and we all know
Moses heard the Commandments and based on Qur'an and Sunnah it
is easily concluded that Al-Ghazali was wrong in his sayings.
Qur'an being 'Kalam Allah' (the Speech of Allah), like all of
His Attributes, is uncreated and eternal. It does not increase
or decrease in any shape of form. Hence, Qur'an has and will
exist eternally and it is part of Allah's Knowledge.
Other Names of Qur'an
Qur'an is referred to by other names by Allah. These include
Furqan (the Criterion; 25-1), Tanzil (the Revelation; 26-192),
Dhikr (the Remembrance; 15-9), Kitab (the Scripture; 21-10).
Zarkashi quotes over 55 names of Qur'an from Qur'an but most of
them are description rather than names like nur (light), huda
(guidance), rahma (mercy), bashir (announcer), nadhir (warner)
and so on.
Some verses of Qur'an on Qur'an are as follows:
4-174, 10-57, 18-102, 17-82, 39-23, 39-41, 21-50, 42-52, 54-20.
Hadith and Sunnah
Its Meaning, Concept and Authority
The Arabic word hadith literally means news, story,
communication, conversation whether it be religious, secular,
historical or recent.
In the Qur'an, Allah has used this word in both religious (as in
39-23, 68-44) and in secular or general sense (as in 6-68),
historical (as in 20-9) and current or conversational sense (as
in 66-3).
The Prophet (pbuh) has used the word hadith in a similar same
sense. One example is the Prophet (pbuh)'s saying:
'The best hadith is the book of Allah.'(Bukhari)
However, according to the Muhadditheen (the scholars of hadith)
the word stands for 'what was transmitted on the authority of
the Prophet (pbuh), his deeds, sayings, tacit approval, or
description of his sifat (features) meaning his physical
appearance. However, the jurists do not include physical
appearance in their definition of hadith [1]. Sometimes some
other words such as khabar and athar are used in the same sense.
Sunnah is another significant word which is a little different
from hadith. The literal meaning of sunnah is a way, course,
rule, mode, or manner, of acting or conduct of life [2].
According to the shariah definition of sunnah, it is established
religious practice without its being fard or wajib (compulsory).
However, it must be pointed out that some sunnah are indeed fard
(like the growing of a beard) but technically one would refer to
these sunnah as fard and not sunnah while referring
non-compulsory acts as sunnah.
As sunnah means the mode of life, and the sunnah of the Prophet
(pbuh)'s means the mode of the life of the Prophet (pbuh), and
hadith is the narration of the way of the Prophet (pbuh)'s life,
these two terms have been used interchangeably even though a
strict difference exists between the two since it is possible
that a hadith might contain no sunnah while another might
counting more than one.
It would be prudent to enter into a small discussion of the
authority of sunnah in Islam since without the latter, there
would be no Islam and no explanation of the Qur'an. This
authority to Mohammad (pbuh) is provided by Allah Himself in the
Qur'an, first as the expounder of Qur'an,
-
'…And we have also sent down unto you (O Mohammad (pbuh)) the
reminder and the advice (the Qur'an), that you may explain
clearly to men what is sent down to them, and that they may
give thought.'(16-44)
then as legislator,
-
'…He (Mohammad (pbuh)) commands them al-Maruf (i.e. Islamic
monotheism and all that Islam has ordained); and forbids them
from Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief and all evils); he allows them
as lawful at-Tayibat [(i.e. all good and lawful) as regards
things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.] and prohibits
them as unlawful al-Khabaith (i.e. all evil and unlawful as
regard things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.)…'(7-157)
then as a model for all mankind,
-
'Indeed in the Messenger (pbuh) of Allah you have a good
example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with)
Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.'(33-21)
and as the only one to be obeyed blindly and totally,
-
'Say (O Mohammad (pbuh)): "Obey Allah and the Messenger (pbuh)
(Mohammad (pbuh))." But if they turn away, then Allah does not
like the disbelievers.'(3-32) and
'…And whatsoever the
Messenger (pbuh) gives you, take it, and whatsoever he forbids
you, abstain (from it)…'(59-7)
Difference Between Qur'an and Hadith
While both Qur'an and sunnah are both from Allah, the difference
lies in their presentation. Sunnah is inspiration of Allah
expressed in the Prophet (pbuh)'s own words and actions. Qur'an,
on the other hand, is the exact revelation of Allah with no
human additions or subtractions. Discussion on Wahy (Allah's
communication with mankind) will be discussed later. Suyuti
described the two forms of inspiration as follows:
'The revealed speech of Allah is of two kinds: As to the first
kind, Allah says to Gabriel: "Tell the Prophet (pbuh) to whom I
sent you that Allah tells him to do this and this, and He
ordered him something." So Gabriel understood what His Lord had
told him. Then he descended with this to the Prophet (pbuh) and
told him what His Lord had told him, but the expression is not
this (same) expression, just as a kind says to someone upon whom
he relies: "Tell so-and-so that the king tells you: strive in
his service and gather your army for fighting"… and when the
Messenger (pbuh) (goes and) says: The king tells you: do not
fail in my service, and do not let the army break up, and call
for fighting, etc., then he has not lied nor shortened (the
message)…
And as to the other kind, Allah says to Gabriel: Read to the
Prophet (pbuh) this (piece of) writing, and Gabriel descended
with it from Allah, without altering it the least, just as (if)
the king writes a written (instruction) and hands it over to his
trustworthy (servant) and says (to him): "Read it to so-and-so."
The Qur'an belongs to the second kind, and the first kind is the
sunnah, and from this derives the reporting of the sunnah
according to the meaning unlike the Qur'an.' [3]
Hence, in conclusion sunnah are the sayings and actions of the
Prophet (pbuh) not the speech of Allah not necessarily reported
in precise wordings as the Qur'an (this does not take even an
iota worth away from the authority of sunnah) and can be
transmitted in Ahad (single chain of narration) form.
Difference between Qudsi Hadith and Qur'an
Hadith Qudsi are hadith in which the Prophet (pbuh) said that
Allah said so and so. However, these hadith are separate from
the Qur'an. Here again the differences are quite strict:
-
Qudsi hadith are in the words of the Prophet (pbuh),
-
They are referred to as hadith which in itself distinguishes
it from Qur'an,
-
The Qur'an has come to us through mutawatir chains while the
hadith Qudsi can be narrated through ahad chains,
-
The Qur'an can never be imitated or a verse the like thereof
produced, while Qudsi hadith do not hold the same standing,
-
Recitation of Qur'an is an act of worship and rewarded but not
Qudsi hadith,
-
Recitation of Qur'an is part of prayer while Qudsi hadith
cannot, and
-
The Qur'an was revealed via Angel Gabriel while Qudsi hadith
may have been inspired by other ways, such as in the form of a
dream..
The difference between Qudsi hadith and general hadith can be
summed up as follows: Qudsi hadith is the meaning of the speech
of Allah which has been rephrased while hadith is inspiration of
Allah neither in verbal nor in rephrased form.
The Meaning of Wahy
Its Meaning and Concept
The Arabic word 'Wahy' derived from the word awha means to
inform secretly. Wahy is the primary way of Allah's
communication with mankind. The word 'wahy' is used in the
Qur'an in many different ways as follows:
-
As an indication of the natural laws of nature when Allah says
that He inspired in each heaven the natural order (41-12).
-
Inspiration as a natural animal instinct,
'And your Lord
inspired the bee…'(16-68) -
As a human intuition or 'gut feeling',
'And We inspired
the mother of Moses…'(28-7) -
Inspiration by person to person with signaling,
'…He told
them by signs to glorify Allah's praises…'(19-11) -
Inspiration by evil whispers of Satan,
'…And certainly,
the Shaytaan do inspire their friends (from mankind) to
dispute with you…'(6-121) -
Guidance to angels by Allah,
'(Remember) when your Lord
inspired the angels…'(8-12) -
Guidance to Prophet (pbuh)s by Allah. Inspiration or wahy to
Prophet (pbuh)s is through two forms:
-
Without intermediaries
-
By way of dreams. For instance, Prophet (pbuh) Ibrahim saw a
dream in which he saw himself slaughtering his son, Prophet
(pbuh) Ismail. The fact that he followed the dream and
intended to slaughter his son is proof of the dream being
revelation of Allah. And the Prophet (pbuh) said that wahy
began with good dreams (Bukhari). Good dreams were also
signs of Prophet (pbuh)hood.
-
By direct speech,
'And to Moses, Allah spoke
directly.'(4-164)
-
By intuitive knowledge. Allah inspires into the hearts of his
chosen ones knowledge and commandments. The Prophet (pbuh)
said that Angel Gabriel inspired into his soul that no soul
would pass away until it has completely exhausted its
provisions and life span (Reported by Abu Naeem in al-Hilya).
-
With Intermediaries
This consists of guidance sent down to
the Prophet (pbuh)s via Angel Gabriel. Only Angel Gabriel is
known to have delivered Allah's revelations from Qur'an and
Sunnah.
Revelation to the Prophet (pbuh)
There are two aspects of this:
-
From Allah to Angel Gabriel
How Angel Gabriel brought
Qur'an from Allah, from Lohe Mahfouz (the well-preserved
tablet) has three opinions. The first and correct opinion is
that Allah spoke directly to Allah,
-
'And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels…'(2-30)
-
Whether Qur'an is from that speech is not a direct inference
rather is complimented from a hadith, 'Whenever your Lord
wants to inspire, he speaks it with inspiration.'
The
second opinion is that Angel Gabriel took it directly from
Lohe Mahfouz. Proof for this opinion exists but this opinion
is more complementary than contradictory from the first.
Finally, a rejected opinion is that Qur'an was inspired by
meaning to Angel Gabriel and the words were by Angel Gabriel
himself. No proof exists for this and this contradicts the
very essence of Qur'an since Qur'an is the speech of Allah in
word and meaning. -
From Angel Gabriel to the Messenger (pbuh).
From the
hadith of the Prophet (pbuh), revelation to the Prophet (pbuh)
was sometimes like a ringing bell and sometimes Angel Gabriel
appeared in the form of a man.
Narrated Aisha the
mother of the faithful believers:
'The commencement of the
divine inspiration to Allah's apostle was in the form of good
dreams which came like bright daylight (i.e. true) and then
the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him.
He used
to go in seclusion in the Cave of Hira; where he used to
worship(Allah alone) continuously for many days before his
desire to see his family. He used to take with him food for
the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his
food likewise again, till suddenly the truth descended upon
him while he was in the Cave of Hira;
The angel came to
him and asked him to read. The Prophet (pbuh) replied "I do
not know how to read"
The Prophet (pbuh) added, the
angel caught me (forcibly) and pressed me so hard that I could
not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me
to read and I replied, "I do not know how to read". Thereupon
he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could
not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me
to read, but again I replied, "I do not know how to read" (or
what shall I read?). Thereupon he caught me for the third time
and pressed me, and then released me and said: " Read, in the
name of Your Lord, who created, created man from a clot. Read!
And Your Lord is the most bountiful"'."
The first revelation that the Prophet (pbuh) received according
to one opinion by Suyuti are the first 3 verses of Surah Alaq
and according to another opinion the first were the first 5
verses of Surah Alaq. After this initial message there was a
pause (fatra) in the revelation for some time until the Prophet
(pbuh) received revelation from Angel Gabriel sitting on a chair
between the sky and earth. After this revelation came steadily.
The second revelation was the beginning of Surah al-Mudathir
(74-1-5). Some opine that Surah Fatiha was the next. Among other
early surahs were Surah 111, 81, 87, 92, 89 and so on.
Most scholars agree that the last revelations was 2-281. Others
say it was 2-282 or 2-278 [4] while some believe it to be 5:4
where Allah declared the perfection of Islam. This opinion is
not sound since this verse was revealed during the last
pilgrimage, based on a hadith from Umar. According to Suyuti,
revelations concerning laws of Islam stopped after this, hence
'completing' the shariah. However, other verses relating to day
of judgment and so on continued [5].
Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet (pbuh) over a period of 23
years for many reasons out of Allah's Wisdom, some of which we
can speculate upon. It was to perhaps strengthen the heart of
the Prophet (pbuh) slowly and steadily out of consideration for
the Prophet (pbuh); so as to ease his tremendous task. And to
implement the laws of Allah-the shariah gradually so that it
would not be of great hardships for the new followers. And to
make it easier for the followers to learn, understand and apply
the verses gradually and thoroughly.