Hadeeth

Qur'aanic Verse 7:185:

Transliteration:

185. Awalam yanthuroo fee malakooti alssamawati waal-ardi wama khalaqa Allahu min shay-in waan AAasa an yakoona qadi iqtaraba ajaluhum fabi-ayyi hadeethin baAAdahu yu/minoona

Translation:

185. Do they not ponder over the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatever things Allah has created, and over the likelihood of their own death being near? What hadeeth⁷⁴ would they then believe in after this?

Study Note:

74. This Arabic word has been used in the Qur’aan variously in the meanings of (i) story, (ii) discourse, (iii) speech, or (iv) the Qur’aan itself. In the context of the preceding sentence, in this very Verse, the word here could connote the broad statement as under:

The orderly behaviour of the entire universe gives enough proof of the existence of a super-intelligent Being faultlessly governing it. When that Being can so control such a gigantic thing, He can obviously do the far less complex task of managing and controlling, inter alia, every human life. It is this Being – Whom we call Allah – that is guiding mankind in the proper conduct of their lives, through this Qur’aan. Every human being should grasp this Reality before it is too late. No one knows when death would come. It may be just round the corner.

But the word hadeeth came to acquire another meaning after the completion of the revelation of the Qur’aan, and the departure of the Prophet from this world. Centuries after the death of the Prophet, his orally reported sayings, and those of his companions, came to be recorded in writing. And these recorded sayings came to be known as ahaadeeth (plural of hadeeth). Allah Almighty knows all about the future. And at the time of the revelation of this Verse, He was aware of this future meaning of the term hadeeth. He (Allah), in that sense, is disapprovingly hinting here at future generations of the Muslim Ummah believing in such man-influenced, error-prone ahaadeeth in preference to the well-explained teachings in the Qur’aan, which can also be taken as referred to by the pronoun hu in baAAdahu of the Arabic text. The Verse is thus telling us categorically that the Qur’aan is the best hadeeth; one need not go after other ahaadeeth. 

Crime and Punishment

Qur'aanic Verses 40:47 & 40:48:

Transliterations:

47. Wa-ith yatahajjoona fee alnnari fayaqoolu aldduAAafao lillatheena istakbaroo inna kunna lakum tabaAAan fahal antum mughnoona AAanna naseeban mina alnnari

48. Qala allatheena istakbaroo inna kullun feeha inna Allaha qad hakama bayna alAAibadi

Translations:

47. And when they quarrel in the Fire, the weak ask the proud, “We were just your followers. Would you therefore relieve us of a portion of the Fire?”

48. The proud say, “We are all together in this. Allah has already pronounced the Judgment on His subjects.”⁵ 

^{Study Note:}

5. This contentious discourse among the inmates of Hell has a lesson to teach to the Muslims of today. Despite Allah’s declared abhorrence (Verse 6:159) against formation of sects, the Muslims have persisted in grouping themselves into numerous sects like Sunni, Shia etc. Someone declares a deviant view, and, others, aided and abetted by the Satan, flock together around that view. And, lo, a sect is formed! Rank and file of any such sect just blindly follows its leaders. Most of the followers do never bother to cross-check their leaders’ contentions with the Qur’aan. If the leaders’ contentions are such as to make them liable for punishment in the Hereafter, the blind followers too would get the same punishment.

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The above is an extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VI.

Mohammad Shafi

Following Fathers' Footsteps

Qur'aanic Verse 37:70:

Transliteration:

70. Fahum AAala atharihim yuhraAAoona

Translation:

70. So they hasten to follow in their (fathers’) footsteps.⁴

^{Study Note:}

4. This is the bane of our modern society as well. Right or wrong, people tend to follow their fathers’ footsteps. Muslims in the Indian subcontinent insist on visiting and praying at dead saints’ tombs because their fathers’ did so. They won’t listen if anyone tells them that their acts smack of shirk in Qur’aanic light.

The above is an extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VI.

Mohammad Shafi