Sunnah, Ahadiths- Their importance and authenticty.

Society Religion & Philosophy
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Chapter 2: The scope of Prophetic Authority
The Prophet(SAWW)'s authority to make laws.

A number of verses in the Holy Qur’ân establish the authority of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) as a legislator or a law-maker. Some of those are reproduced below:

And My mercy embraces all things. So I shall prescribe it for those who fear Allâh and pay zakâh (obligatory alms) and those who have faith in Our signs; those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet whom they find written down in the Torah and the Injîl, and who bids them to the Fair and forbids them the Unfair, and makes lawful for them the good things, and makes unlawful for them the impure things, and relieves them of their burdens and of the shackles that were upon them. So, those who believe in him, and honour him, and help him, and follow the light that has been sent down with him- they are the ones who acquire success. (7:156-157)

Observations for the above verse:
The emphasized words in this verse signify that one of the functions of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) is “to make lawful the good things and make unlawful the impure things.” This function has been separated from “bidding the Fair and forbidding the Unfair,” because the latter relates to the preaching of what has already been established as Fair, and warning against what is established as Unfair, while the former embodies the making of lawful and unlawful, that is, the enforcing of new laws regarding the permissibility or prohibition of things. This function of prescribing new religious laws and rules is attributed here not to the Holy Qur’ân, but to the Holy Prophet (SAWW). It, therefore, cannot be argued that the “making lawful or unlawful” means the declaration of what is laid down in the Holy Qur’ân only, because the declaration of a law is totally different from making it.

Besides, the declaration of the established rules has been referred to in the earlier sentence separately, that is, “bids them to the Fair and forbids for them the Unfair.” The reference in the next sentence, therefore, is only to “making” new laws.

The verse also emphasizes “to believe” in the Holy Prophet (SAWW). In the present context, it clearly means to believe in all his functions mentioned in the verse including to make something “lawful” or “unlawful.”

The verse, moreover, directs to follow the light that has been sent down with him. Here again, instead of “following the Holy Qur’ân,” “following the light” has been ordered, so as to include all the imperatives sent down to the Holy Prophet (SAWW), either through the Holy Book or through the unrecited revelation, reflecting in his own orders and acts.

Looked at from whatever angle, this verse is a clear proof of the fact that the Holy Prophet (SAWW) had an authority based, of course, on the unrecited revelation, to make new laws in addition to those mentioned in the Holy Qur’ân.

The Holy Quran also says:

Fight those who do not believe in Allâh and the Hereafter and do not hold unlawful what Allâh and His Messenger have made unlawful. (9:29)

The italicized words signify that it is necessary to “hold unlawful what Allâh and His Messenger made unlawful,” and that the authority making something unlawful is not restricted to Allâh Almighty. The Holy Prophet (SAWW) can also, by the will of Allâh, exercise this authority. The difference between the authority of Allâh and that of the Messenger is, no doubt, significant. The former is wholly independent, intrinsic and self-existent, while the authority of the latter is derived from and dependent on the revelation from Allâh. Yet, the fact remains that the Holy Prophet (SAWW) has this authority and it is necessary for believers to submit to it alongwith their submission to the authority of Allâh.

We read further:

No believer, neither man nor woman, has a right, when Allâh and His Messenger decide a matter, to have a choice in their matter in issue. And whoever disobeys Allâh and His Messenger has gone astray into manifest error. (33:36)

Here, the decisions of Allâh and the Messenger (SAWW) both have been declared binding on the believers. (Point to keep in mind, the decisions of Muhammad(SAWW) are infact the decisions of Allah(SWT)).

It is thus clear that the Holy Prophet (SAWW) has the legal authority to deliver decisions in the collective and individual affairs of the believers who are bound to surrender to those decisions.

The Holy Quran says:

Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you, refrain from it. (59:7)

Although the context of this verse relates to the distribution of the spoils of war, yet it is the well-known principle of the interpretation of the Holy Qur’ân that, notwithstanding the particular event in which a verse is revealed, if the words used are general, they are to be construed in their general sense; they cannot be restricted to that particular event.

Keeping in view this principle, which is never disputed, the verse gives a general rule about the Holy Prophet (SAWW) that whatever order he gives is binding on the believers and whatever thing he forbids stands prohibited for them. The Holy Qur’ân thus has conferred a legal authority to the Holy Prophet (SAWW) to give orders, to make laws and to enforce prohibitions.

It will be interesting here to cite a wise answer of ‘Abdullâh ibn Mas’ûd (RA), the blessed companion of the Holy Prophet (SAWW), which he gave to a woman.

A woman from the tribe of Asad came to ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ûd (RA) and said, “I have come to know that you hold such and such things as prohibited. I have gone through the whole Book of Allâh, but never found any such prohibition in it.”

‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ûd (RA) replied, “Had you read the Book you would have found it. Allâh Almighty says: “Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you, refrain from it.” (59:7). (Ibn Mâjah)

By this answer ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ûd pointed out that this verse is so comprehensive that it embodies all the orders and prohibitions of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) and since the questioned prohibitions are enforced by the Holy Prophet (SAWW) they form part of this verse, though indirectly.

The Holy Quran says:

But no, by your Lord, they shall not be (deemed to be) believers unless they accept you as judge in their disputes, then find in their hearts no adverse feeling against what you decided, but surrender to it in complete submission. (4:65)

The authority of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) established in this verse seems apparently to be an authority to adjudicate in the disputes brought before him. But after due consideration in the construction used here, this authority appears to be more than that of a judge. A judge, no doubt, has an authority to deliver his judgments, but the submission to his judgments is not a condition for being a Muslim. If somebody does not accept the judgment of a duly authorized judge, it can be a gross misconduct on his part, and a great sin, for which he may be punished, but he cannot be excluded from the pale of Islâm on this score alone. He cannot be held as disbeliever.

On the contrary, the verse vehemently insists that the person who does not accept the verdicts of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) cannot be held to be a believer. This forceful assertion indicates that the authority of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) is not merely that of a customary judge. The denial of his judgments amounts to disbelief. It implies that the verdicts of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) referred to here are not the normal verdicts given in the process of a trial. They are the laws laid down by him on the basis of the revelation, recited or unrecited, that he receives from Allâh. So, the denial of these laws is, in fact, the denial of the divine orders which excludes the denier from the pale of Islâm.

Looked at from this point of view, this verse gives the Holy Prophet (SAWW) not only the authority of a judge, but also confers upon him the authority to make laws, as binding on the Muslims as the divine laws.

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The Holy Prophet’s (SAWW) Authority to Interpret the Holy Qur’ân

The second type of authority given to the Holy Prophet (SAWW) is the authority to interpret and explain the Holy Book. He is the final authority in the interpretation of the Holy Qur’ân. The Holy Qur’ân says:

**
And We sent down towards you the Advice (i.e. the Qur’ân) so that you may explain to the people what has been sent down to them, and so that they may ponder.** (16:44)

It is unequivocally established here that the basic function of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) is to explain the Holy Book and to interpret the revelation sent down to him. It is obvious that the Arabs of Makkah, who were directly addressed by the Holy Prophet (SAWW) did not need any translation of the Qur’ânic text. The Holy Qur’ân was revealed in their own mother tongue. Despite that they were mostly illiterate, they had a command on their language and literature. Their beautiful poetry, their eloquent speeches and their impressive dialogues are the basic sources of richness in the Arabic literature. They needed no one to teach them the literal meaning of the Qur’ânic text. That they understood the textual meaning is beyond any doubt.

It is thus obvious that the explanation entrusted to the Holy Prophet (SAWW) was something more than the literal meaning of the Book. It was an explanation of what Allâh Almighty intended, including all the implications involved and the details needed. These details are also received by the Holy Prophet (SAWW) through the unrecited revelation. As discussed earlier, the Holy Qur’ân has clearly said,

Then, it is on Us to explain it. (75:19)

This verse is self-explanatory on the subject. Allâh Almighty has Himself assured the Holy Prophet (SAWW) that He shall explain the Book to him. So, whatever explanation the Holy Prophet (SAWW) gives to the Book is based on the explanation of Allâh Himself. So, his interpretation of the Holy Qur’ân overrides all the possible interpretations. Hence, he is the final authority in the exegesis and interpretation of the Holy Qur’ân. His word is the last word in this behalf.

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great thread with some interesting stuff, but the core issue isn't about the importance/authority of Sunnah! I don't reject that.
The issue is about the authenticity of Hadith! In other words, how do we know that what is stated in the Hadith is actually what the prophet said or did???? How can we be sure that the Hadith aren't flawed???? when will this point be addressed?

[This message has been edited by NeSCio (edited July 17, 2002).]

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Since, you're so eager, we'll do it today. Howzat? I just wanted to build a base since many seem to believe that anyone can interpret the Quran since it is so easy, and that there is no need to follow anything other than the Quran.

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[quote]
Originally posted by Mahiwal:
Since, you're so eager, we'll do it today. Howzat? I just wanted to build a base since many seem to believe that anyone can interpret the Quran since it is so easy, and that there is no need to follow anything other than the Quran.
[/quote]

I'm not saying that interpreting the Quran is easy, but on the other hand: why would Allah send down a book which canNOT be understood by 99,999% of the people, and the 0,0001% who do understand it (= the majority of the 'maulawi's' ) make abuse of their 'understanding'.
My point is if you try with good intention u can understand it; understanding the Quran doesNOT require you to be a highly-qualified scholar.

[This message has been edited by NeSCio (edited July 17, 2002).]

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Chapter 3: The Authority of the Sunnah: Its Historical Aspect

According to many people, the sunnah of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) though having a binding authority for all times to come, has not been preserved in a trustworthy manner. Unlike the Holy Qur’ân, they say, there is no single book containing reliable reports about the sunnah. There are too many works having a large number of traditions sometimes conflicting each other. And these books, too, were compiled in the third century of Hijrah. So, we cannot place our trust in the reports which have not even been reduced to writing during the first three centuries.

This argument is based on a number of misstatements and misconceptions. As we shall see in this chapter, inshâ-Allâh, it is totally wrong to claim that the traditions of the sunnah have been compiled in the third century. But, before approaching this historical aspect of the sunnah, let us examine the argument in its logical perspective.

The logical perspective of this claim:

This argument accepts that the Holy Prophet (SAWW) has a prophetic authority for all times to come, and that his obedience is mandatory for all Muslims of whatever age, but in the same breath it claims that the reports of the sunnah being unreliable, we cannot carry out this obedience. Does it not logically conclude that Allâh has enjoined upon us to obey the Messenger, but did not make this obedience practicable. The question is whether Allâh Almighty may give us a positive command to do something which is beyond our ability and means. The answer is certainly “no.” The Holy Qur’ân itself says,

Allâh does not task anybody except to his ability.

It cannot be envisaged that Allâh will bind all the people with something which does not exist or cannot be ascertained. Accepting that Allâh has enjoined upon us to follow the sunnah of the Holy Prophet (SAWW), it certainly implies that the sunnah is not undiscoverable. If Allâh has made it obligatory to follow the sunnah, He has certainly preserved it for us, in a reliable form.

The following aspect also merits consideration. Allâh Almighty has given us a promise in the Holy Qur’ân:

Indeed We have revealed the Zikr (ie. the Qur’ân) and surely We will preserve it. (15:9)

In this verse, Allâh Almighty has assured the preservation of the Holy Qur’ân. This implies that the Qur’ân will remain uninterpolated and that it shall always be transferred from one generation to the other in its real and original form, undistorted by any foreign element. The question now is whether this divine protection is restricted only to the words of the Holy Qur’ân or does it extend to its real meanings as well. *If the prophetic explanation is necessary to understand the Holy Qur’ân correctly, as proved in the first chapter, then the preservation of the Qur’ânic words alone cannot serve the purpose unless the prophetic explanations are also preserved. *

As quoted earlier, the Holy Book says,

We have revealed to you the Zikr (Qur’ân) so that you may explain to the people what has been sent down for them.

The word “Zikr” has been used here for the Holy Qur’ân as has been used in the verse 15:9 and it has been made clear that the people can only benefit from its guidance when they are led by the explanations of the Holy Prophet (SAWW). (Any doubts upto this point? I hope everyone is following this argument)

Again, the words “for the people” indicate (especially in the original Arabic context), that the Holy Prophet’s (SAWW) explanation is always needed by “everyone.”

Now, if everyone, in every age is in need of the prophetic explanation, without which they cannot fully benefit from the Holy Book, how would it be useful for them to preserve the Qur’ânic text and leave its prophetic explanation at the mercy of distorters, extending to it no type of protection whatsoever.

Therefore, once the necessity of the prophetic explanations of the Holy Qur’ân is accepted, it will be self-contradictory to claim that these explanations are unavailable today. It will amount to negating the divine wisdom, because it is in no way a wise policy to establish the necessity of the sunnah on the one hand and to make its discovery impossible on the other. Such a policy cannot be attributed to Allâh, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.

So far we've dealt with the logical perspective of the issue, and those wise enough will certainly agree here. The historical aspect of the Ahadiths is up next.

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[quote]
Originally posted by NeSCio:
** I'm not saying that interpreting the Quran is easy, but on the other hand: why would Allah send down a book which canNOT be understood by 99,999% of the people, and the 0,0001% who do understand it (= the majority of the 'maulawi's' ) make abuse of their 'understanding'.
My point is if you try with good intention u can understand it; understanding the Quran doesNOT require you to be a highly-qualified scholar.
**
[/quote]

And I say that we should follow the interpretation of the Holy Prophet(SAWW). Not a maulvi, not some other person, the Prophet(SAWW).

Why do you claim that anyone with good intention can understand it? Mind expanding on your views?

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[quote]
Originally posted by Mahiwal:
** Why do you claim that anyone with good intention can understand it? Mind expanding on your views?**
[/quote]

why not!? if someone sincerely wants to understand the Quran and he tries his best, I'm sure he will succeed.

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Different Ways of Ahadiths preservation:

As we shall later see, the companions of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) reduced a large number of ahâdîth in writing. Yet, writing was not the sole means of their preservation. There were many other ways.

Memorization: (Just to indicate that the companions of the Prophet(SAWW) approached this matter with much enthusiasim.

First of all, the companions of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) used to learn ahâdîth by heart. The Holy Prophet (SAWW) has said:

May Allâh bestow vigor to a person who hears my saying and learns it by heart and then conveys it to others exactly as he hears it.

The companions of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) were eager to follow this hadîth and used to devote considerable time for committing ahâdîth to their memories. A large number of them left their homes and began to live in the Mosque of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) so that they may hear the ahâdîth directly from the mouth of the Holy Prophet (SAWW). They spent all their time exclusively in securing the ahâdîth in their hearts. They are called Ashâb as-Suffah.

The Arabs had such strong memories that they would easily memorize hundreds of verses of their poetry. Nearly all of them knew by heart detailed pedigrees of not only themselves, but also of their horses and camels. Even their children had enough knowledge of the pedigrees of different tribes. Hammâd is a famous narrator of Arab poetry. It is reported that he knew by heart one hundred long poems for each letter of the alphabet, meaning thereby that he knew three thousand and thirty-eight long poems [al-A’lam by Zrikli 2:131].

The Arabs were so proud of their memory power that they placed more of their confidence on it than on writing. Some poets deemed it a blemish to preserve their poetry in writing. They believed that writings on papers can be tampered with, while the memory cannot be distorted by anyone. If any poets have written some of their poems, they did not like to disclose this fact, because it would be indicative of a defect in their memory [See al-Aghani 61:611].

The companions of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) utilized this memory for preserving ahâdîth which they deemed to be the only source of guidance after the Holy Qur’ân. It is obvious that their enthusiasm towards the preservation of ahâdîth far exceeded their zeal for preserving their poetry and literature. They therefore used their memory in respect of ahâdîth with more vigor and more precaution.

Sayyidunâ Abû Hurairah (RA), the famous companion of the Holy Prophet (SAWW), who has reported 5,374 ahâdîth, says:

I have divided my night into three parts: In one third of the night I perform prayer, in one third I sleep and in one third I memorize the ahâdîth of the Holy Prophet (SAWW). [Sunan ad-Dârimi]

Sayyidunâ Abû Hurairah (RA), after embracing Islâm, devoted his life exclusively for learning the ahâdîth. He has reported more ahâdîth than any other companion of the Holy Prophet (SAWW).

Once, Marwân, the governor of Madînah, tried to test his memory. He invited him to his house where he asked him to narrate some ahâdîth. Marwân simultaneously ordered his scribe, Abu Zu’aizi’ah, to sit behind a curtain and write the ahâdîth reported by Abû Hurairah (RA). The scribe noted the ahâdîth. After a year, he invited Abû Hurairah again and requested him to repeat what he had narrated last year, and likewise ordered Abu Zu’aizi’ah to sit behind a curtain and compare the present words of Abû Hurairah (RA) with the ahâdîth he had already written previously. Sayyidunâ Abû Hurairah (RA) began to repeat the ahâdîth while Abu Zu’aizi’ah compared them. He found that Abû Hurairah did not leave a single word, nor did he change any word from his earlier narrations [al-Bidâyah wan-Nihâyah and Siyar al-A’lâm of Dhahabi].

Numerous other examples of this type are available in the history of the science of hadîth which clearly show that the ahâdîth reporters have used their extraordinary memory power given to them by Allâh Almighty for preserving the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (SAWW), as promised by Him in the Holy Qur’ân.

As we shall later see, scholars of the science of hadîth developed the science of Asmâ ur-Rijâl by which they have deduced reliable means to test the memory power of each narrator of ahâdîth. They never accepted any hadîth as reliable unless all of its narrators were proved to have high memory standards.

Thus, “memory power” in the science of hadîth is not a vague term of general nature. It is a technical term having specified criteria to test the veracity of narrators. A great number of scholars of the sciences of Asmâ ur-Rijâl and Jarh wa Ta’dîl have devoted their lives to examine the reporters of hadîth on that criteria. Their task was to judge the memory power of each narrator and to record objective opinions about them.

Memories of the ahâdîth reporters cannot be compared with the memory of a layman today who witnesses an event or hears some news and conveys it to others in a careless manner seldom paying attention to the correctness of his narration. The following points in this respect are worth mentioning:

  1. The reporters of ahâdîth were fully cognizant of the great importance and the delicate nature of what they intended to report. They whole-heartedly believed that any misstatement or negligent reporting in this field would cause them to be condemned both in this world and in the Hereafter. This belief equipped them with a very strong sense of responsibility. It is evident that such a strong sense of responsibility makes a reporter more accurate in his reports. A newsman reporting an accident of a common nature in which common people are involved, can report its details with less accuracy. But if the accident involves the President or the Prime Minister of his country, he will certainly show more diligence, precaution and shall employ his best ability to report the incident as accurately as possible. The reporter is the same, but in the second case he is more accurate in his report than he was in the first case, because the nature of the incident has made him more responsible, hence more cautious.

It cannot be denied that the companions of the Holy Prophet (SAWW), their pupils, and other reliable narrators of ahâdîth believed with their heart and soul that the importance of a hadîth attributed to the Holy Prophet (SAWW) exceeds the importance of any other report whatsoever. They believed that it is a source of Islâmic law which will govern the Ummah for all times to come. They believed that any negligence in this respect will lead them to the severe punishment of hell. So, their sense of responsibility while reporting ahâdîth was far higher than that of a newsman reporting an important incident about the head of his country.

  1. The deep interest of the companions of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) in his sayings and acts, rather even in his gestures, is beyond any doubt. Their understanding of what he said, and their close knowledge and observation of the background and the environment under which he spoke or acted cannot be questioned. Thus, all the basic factors which help mobilize one’s memory were present in them.

  2. The standard of memory power required for the authenticity of a report is not, as mentioned earlier, a vague concept for which no specific criteria exist. The scholars of the Science of hadîth have laid down hard and fast rules to ascertain the memory standard of each reporter. Unless a reporter of a hadîth has specific standards of memory, his reports and not accepted as reliable.

  3. There is a big difference between memorizing a fact which incidentally came to the knowledge of someone who never cared to remember it any more, and the memorizing of a fact which is learnt by someone with eagerness, with an objective purpose to remember it and with a constant effort to keep it in memory.

The companions of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) did not listen to him incidentally nor were they careless in remembering what they heard. Instead, they daily spared specific times for learning the ahâdîth by heart. The example of Abû Hurairah has already been cited. He used to spare one third of every night in repeating the ahâdîth he learnt from the Holy Prophet (SAWW).

Thus, memorization was not a weaker source of preservation of ahâdîth, as is sometimes presumed by those who have no proper knowledge of the science of hadîth. Looked at in its true perspective, the memories of the reliable reporters of ahâdîth were no less reliable a source of preservation than compiling the ahâdîth in book form.

More coming up.

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Nescio, if people were to interpret the Quran their own way even with honest intentions, you and I both know that different people will end up with different interpretations! Can this be allowed when forming a society? When it has been indicated that Islam is a way of life?

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[quote]
Originally posted by Mahiwal:
Nescio, if people were to interpret the Quran their own way even with honest intentions, you and I both know that different people will end up with different interpretations! Can this be allowed when forming a society? When it has been indicated that Islam is a way of life?
[/quote]

well if you look at the Muslim community today even now there are hundreds of interpretations of the Quran. every maulawi has his own "sharia" law, and every single of them thinks that his interpretations is the right one. clearly, this cannot go on like this either

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NeScio,

This is where you're wrong my dear brother. This was my original pet peeve too, that every maulvi has his own religion, but I've grown to see differently. There are lots of maulvis out there who have indeed given Islam a bad name, but why should we look at the bad example? We take from them that they're indeed doing something wrong, make a note that we wont make the same mistake, and move on.

Learn the teachings of the four Imaams of the Ahlus-Sunnah, let me tell you that these Imaams were very very knowledgable. They did not base their decisions without knowledge, for every decision they had sound reasoning and knowledge to back it up. If you put aside the ignorant Mullahs, you'll see that there's a lot of unity amongst those muslims who've learnt to see this way. The disagreements do exist but at a very minor level and even then there is no dispute over them.

Anyhow, I hope I've done my job here. You can learn, or ignore; the final choice will always be on you. I say, take the high road and get knowledge, and you'll see the path ahead yourself.

If you have any more questions, you're welcome to ask them, and someone on the board will definitely be pleased to help you out.

May Allah(SWT) guide us all,
Was'Salaam.

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*2. Discussions *

The second source of preservation of ahâdîth was by mutual discussions held by the companions of the Holy Prophet (SAWW). Whenever they came to know of a new sunnah, they used to narrate it to others. Thus, all the companions would tell each other what they learnt from the Holy Prophet (SAWW). This was to comply with the specific directions given by the Holy Prophet (SAWW) in this respect. Here are some ahâdîth to this effect:

Those present should convey (my sunnah) to those absent [Bukhari].

Convey to others on my behalf, even though it be a single verse [Bukhari].

May Allâh grant vigor to a person who listens to my saying and learns it by heart until he conveys it to others [Tirmidhi, Abu Dâwûd].

You hear (my sayings) and others will hear from you, then others will hear from them [Abu Dâwûd].

A Muslim cannot offer his brother a better benefit than transmitting to him a good hadîth which has reached him [Jâmi’-ul-Bayân of Ibn ‘Abdul Barr].

These directions given by the Holy Prophet (SAWW) were more than sufficient to induce his companions towards acquiring the knowledge of ahâdîth and to convey them to others.

The Holy Prophet (SAWW) also motivated his companions to study the ahâdîth in their meetings. The word used for this study is Tadarus which means “to teach each other.” One person would narrate a particular hadîth to the other who, in turn, would repeat it to the first, and so on. The purpose was to learn it correctly. Each one would listen to the other’s version and correct his mistake, if any. The result of this tadarus (discussion) was to remember the ahâdîth as firmly as possible. The Holy Prophet (SAWW) has held this described process of tadarus to be more meritorious with Allâh than the individual worship throughout the night. He has said:

Tadarus of knowledge (the word “knowledge” in the era of Nabî (SAWW) was used to connote knowledge relative to the Holy Qur’ân and the hadîth) for any period of time in the night is better than spending the entire night in worship [Jâmi’-ul-Bayân].

Moreover, the Holy Prophet (SAWW) has also warned, that it is a major sin to hide a word of “knowledge” whenever it is asked for:

Whoever is questioned pertaining to such knowledge that he has and thereafter conceals it, will be bridled by a rein of fire [Tirmidhi].

At another occasion, the Holy Prophet (SAWW) disclosed that concealment of “knowledge” is in itself a major sin, even though the person having that knowledge is not asked about it. He said:

Whoever conceals knowledge which can be benefited from, will come on Doomsday bridled with a bridle of fire [Jâmi’-ul-Bayân].

The hadîth makes it clear that the disclosure of knowledge is an inherent obligation on each knowledgeable person, no matter whether he is asked about it or not.

As the knowledge of the sunnah of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) was the highest branch of knowledge in the eyes of his companions, they deemed it an indispensable obligation on their shoulders to convey to others what they knew of the sunnah.

Thus, it was the most favorite hobby of the companions of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) whenever they sat together, instead of being involved in useless talks, to discuss his sayings and acts. Each of them would mention what he knew while the others would listen and try to learn it by heart.

These frequent discussions have played an important role in the preservation of the Sunnah. It was by the virtue of these discussions that the ahâdîth known only by some individuals were conveyed to others, and the circle of narrators was gradually enlarged. Since these discussions were carried out at a time when the Holy Prophet (SAWW) was himself present among them, they had the full opportunity to confirm the veracity of what has been conveyed to them in this process, and some of them actually did so. The result was that the knowledge of ahâdîth acquired a wide range among the companions, which not only helped in spreading the knowledge of Sunnah but also provided a check on the mistakes of narrations, because if someone forgets some part of a hadîth, the others were present to fill in the gap and to correct the error.

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Assalaam u 'Alaikum

Beautiful articles.

Brother Mahiwal, please continue with the thread.

Jazak Allah Khair.

Wassalaam u 'Alaikum

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Wa-Iyyakum Khoon-e-Shaheed!

**3. Practice **

The third way of preservation of the Sunnah was to bring it into practice.

The knowledge of Sunnah was not merely a theoretical knowledge, nor were the teachings of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) merely philosophical. They related to practical life. The Holy Prophet (SAWW) did not confine himself to giving lessons and sermons only, he also trained his companions practically. Whatever they learnt from the Holy Prophet (SAWW) they spared no effort to bring it into actual practice. Each companion was so enthusiastic in practicing the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) that he tried his best to imitate even his personal habits.

Thus the whole atmosphere was one of following the Sunnah. The Sunnah was not a verbal report only, it was a living practice, a widespread behavior and a current fashion demonstrating itself everywhere in the society, in all the affairs of their daily life.

If a student of mathematics confines himself with remembering the formulas orally, he is likely to forget them after a lapse of time, but if he brings them in practice, ten times a day, he shall never forget them.

Likewise, the Sunnah was not an oral service carried out by the companions. They brought it into their daily practice. The Sunnah was the center of gravity for all their activities. How could they forget the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) around which they built the structure of their whole lives?

Thus, constant practice in accordance with the dictates of the Sunnah was another major factor which advanced the process of preserving the Sunnah and protected it from the foreign elements aiming at its distortion.

http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smilies/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by Mahiwal (edited August 07, 2002).]

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*4. Writing *

The fourth way of preserving of ahâdîth was writing. Quite a large number of the companions of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) reduced the ahâdîth to writing after hearing them from the Holy Prophet (SAWW).

It is true that in the beginning the Holy Prophet (SAWW) had forbidden some of his companions from writing anything other than the verses of the Holy Qur’ân. However, this prohibition was not because the ahâdîth had no authoritative value, but because the Holy Prophet (SAWW) had in the same breath ordered them to narrate his ahâdîth orally. The full text of the relevant hadîth is as follows:

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Do not write (what you hear) from me, and whoever has written something (he heard) from me, he should erase it. Narrate to others (what you hear) from me; and whoever deliberately attributes a lie to me, he should prepare his seat in the Fire.” [Sahih Muslim]
**

The hadîth clarifies that prohibition for writing hadîth was not on account of negating its authority. The actual reason was that in the beginning of the revelation of the Holy Qur’ân, the companions of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) were not fully familiar with the Qur’ânic style, nor was the Holy Qur’ân compiled in a separate book form. In those days some companions began to write the ahâdîth along with the Qur’ânic text. Some explanations of the Holy Qur’ân given by the Holy Prophet (SAWW) were written by some of them mixed with the Qur’ânic verses without any distinction between the two. It was therefore feared that it would lead to confuse the Qur’ânic text with the ahâdîth.

It was in this background that the Holy Prophet (SAWw) stopped this practice and ordered that anything written other than the Holy Qur’ân should be rubbed or omitted. It should be kept in mind that in those days there was a great shortage of writing paper. Even the verses of the Holy Qur’ân used to be written on pieces of leather, on planks of wood, on animal bones and sometimes on stones. It was much difficult to compile all those things in a book form, and if the ahâdîth were also written in the like manner it would be more difficult to distinguish between the writings of the Holy Qur’ân and those of the ahâdîth. The lack of familiarity with the Qur’ânic style would also help creating confusion.

For these reasons the Holy Prophet (SAWW) directed his companions to abstain from writing the ahâdîth and to confine their preservation to the first three ways which were equally reliable as discussed earlier.

But all this was in the earlier period of his prophethood. When the companions became fully conversant of the style of the Holy Qur’ân and writing paper became available, this transitory measure of precaution was taken back, because the danger of confusion between the Qur’ân and the hadîth no longer existed.

At this stage, the Holy Prophet (SAWW) himself directed his companions to write down the ahâdîth. Some of his instructions in this respect are quoted below:

  • One companion from the Ansâr complained to the Holy Prophet (SAWW) that he hears from him some ahâdîth, but he sometimes forgets them. The Holy Prophet (SAWW) said:

  • Râfi’ ibn Khadij (RA), the famous companion of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) says, “I said to the Holy Prophet (SAWW) [that] we hear from you many things, should we write them down?” He replied:

You may write. There is no harm. [Tadrîb-ur-Râwi]

  • Sayyiduna Anas (RA) reports that the Holy Prophet (SAWW) has said:

Preserve knowledge by writing. [Jâmi’-ul-Bayân]

  • Sayyiduna Abu Râfi’ (RA) sought permission from the Holy Prophet (SAWW) to write ahâdîth. The Holy Prophet (SAWW) permitted him to do so. [Jâmi’ Tirmidhi]

It is reported that the ahâdîth written by Abu Râfi’ (RA) were copied by other companions too. Salma, a pupil of Ibn ‘Abbâs (RA) says:

I saw some small wooden boards with ‘Abdullâh Ibn ‘Abbâs. He was writing on them some reports of the acts of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) which he acquired from Abu Râfi’. [Tabaqât Ibn Sa’d]

  • ‘Abdullâh ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Âs (RA) reports that the Holy Prophet (SAWW) said to him:

"Preserve knowledge."

He asked, “and how should it be preserved?” The Holy Prophet (SAWW) replied, “by writing it.” [Mustadrik Hâkim; Jâmi’-ul-Bayân]

In another report he says, “I came to the Holy Prophet (SAWW) and told him, ‘I want to narrate your ahâdîth. So, I want to take assistance of my handwriting besides my heart. Do you deem it fit for me?’ The Holy Prophet (SAWW) replied, ‘If it is my hadîth you may seek help from your hand besides your heart.” [Sunan Dârimi]