Muslim theologians make no distinction between Quran and the Hadis. To them both are works of revelation or inspiration quality and the degree of the revelations is the same; only the mode of expression is different. To them Hadis is Quran in action, revelations made concrete in the life of Prophet. In the Quran-Allah speaks through Mohammad; in the Sunnah He acts through him. Thus Mohammad’s life is a visible expression of Allah’s utterances in the Quran. God provides the divine principal, Mohammad the living pattern. No wonder, then, that Muslim theologians regard the Quran and Hadis as supplemented or even interchangeable. To them, Hadis is ‘wah ghair matlu’, i.e., unread revelations, which is not read from the heavenly book like the Quran but inspired all the same; and the Quran is Hadis ‘Mutwatir, i.e., the tradition considered authentic and genuine by all Muslims from the beginning.
Thus Quran and Hadis provide equal guidance. Allah with the help of his Prophet has provided for every situation. Whether a believer is going to the mosque or his bedroom or to the toilet, whether he is making love or war, there is a command and a pattern to follow. And according to Quran when Allah and his Apostle have decided a matter, the believer does not have his or her own choice in the matter (33:36). Thus Quran snatches away from the believers the freedom pf thought in the matters of religion.
In fact Quran cannot be understood without the aid of Hadis. Mohammad’s life and doings form the bedrock of Islamic theology and more important aspect of Quranic verses is that these do not deliver their full meaning without the knowledge of their relevance in the Prophet’s career .You may find some ambiguity in Quran but there is no such ambiguity in Hadis or Siyar.
In reality Islam’s only authority is Mohammad. What he said is Quran, what he did or interpreted is Hadis. What he advised became the faith --Islam. Mohammad is
Islam and Islam is Mohammad. This is how Muslims are called Mohammedans.
Islam is not merely a theology, or a statement about Allah and His relationship with His creatures. Besides containing doctrinal and creedal material, it deals with social, penal, commercial, ritualistic and ceremonial matters. It enters into everything, even into such private areas as one’s dress, marrying and mating. In the language of Muslim theologians’– Islam is a ‘complete’ and ‘completed’ religion. It is complete in all matters of Do’s and Dont’s for Muslims. A Muslim need not think at all – all his problems find a ready answer in Quran or Hadis. It is equally political and military. It has much to do with statecraft and has a very specific view of the world populated by the infidels.
Thus Quran and Hadis provide equal guidance. Allah with the help of his Prophet has provided for every situation. Whether a believer is going to the mosque or his bedroom or to the toilet, whether he is making love or war, there is a command and a pattern to follow. And according to Quran when Allah and his Apostle have decided a matter, the believer does not have his or her own choice in the matter (33:36). Thus Quran snatches away from the believers the freedom pf thought in the matters of religion.
In fact Quran cannot be understood without the aid of Hadis. Mohammad’s life and doings form the bedrock of Islamic theology and more important aspect of Quranic verses is that these do not deliver their full meaning without the knowledge of their relevance in the Prophet’s career .You may find some ambiguity in Quran but there is no such ambiguity in Hadis or Siyar.
In reality Islam’s only authority is Mohammad. What he said is Quran, what he did or interpreted is Hadis. What he advised became the faith --Islam. Mohammad is
Islam and Islam is Mohammad. This is how Muslims are called Mohammedans.
Islam is not merely a theology, or a statement about Allah and His relationship with His creatures. Besides containing doctrinal and creedal material, it deals with social, penal, commercial, ritualistic and ceremonial matters. It enters into everything, even into such private areas as one’s dress, marrying and mating. In the language of Muslim theologians’– Islam is a ‘complete’ and ‘completed’ religion. It is complete in all matters of Do’s and Dont’s for Muslims. A Muslim need not think at all – all his problems find a ready answer in Quran or Hadis. It is equally political and military. It has much to do with statecraft and has a very specific view of the world populated by the infidels.
Last edited:
