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The importance of the Hadith recognized by the Ummah,
therefore, does not lie in its being a science, as it is
nothing but exposition of the Qur`aan and the text of Fiqh.
Without the Hadith, neither can the Qur`aan be understood nor
Fiqh evolved.
There is no example anywhere in the world that comes
anywhere near the large number of men who gathered during the
Umayyad and Abbaasid periods for recording texts of the Hadith
and recitations therefrom. This shows in ample measure what
pains were taken to perpetuate and preserve the Hadith and to
use it as a medium for deriving conclusions and lawmaking on
almost every problem under the sun.
This intense activity about the Hadith was, in fact, an
activity for understanding the Qur`aan and evolving
jurisprudence. The Fiqh that has evolved from general
principles of the Qur`aan and the Sunnah is like a perfect
tree that has sprung from their seeds; its root is the Qur`aan,
its trunk the Hadith and the foliage and the flowers that
adorn it are Fiqh and analogical reasoning.
We are not presently concerned with the nature of the
juristic and deductive (Ijtihaadi) problems in Islam, and on
what authority they rest. We have only to shed light on the
evolution and growth of Fiqh and its existence, since it is
the result of the Hadith and the fruit of the Qur`aan. this
could not have been possible without the medium of the Hadith
which joins two disparate elements. That is to say, it
connects the word of the Mujtahids with that of God.
Thus, as man cannot gain access to God without the medium
of the holy Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) who is
connecting link between God and man, similarly between the
Word of God and the word of the Mujtahids there is the
connecting link provided by the word of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaahu
Alayhi Wasallam). Without this, the word of men can derive no
authority from the Word of God. Therefore, any group of
Muslims which relinquishes the Hadith cannot hope to gain
access either to the Qur`aan or Fiqh. In other words, it would
be bereft of the authority and the source of Islam. It will be
slave to its own imaginings – Satanist imaginings – which it
would equate with the commandments of God although, leave
alone the Word of God and that of the Prophet (Sallallaahu
Alayhi Wasallam), it would not have even the capability to
understand the writing of the jurists.
Hadith: An exposition of the Qur`aan
It is evident, that the Hadith is something other than the
Qur`aan. It certainly unfolds the Qur`aanic eternal truth and
hidden significances. Since it has also emerged from the same
light from which the Qur`aan did, it possesses the power to
bring out that light which no other writing possesses.
Whether anything is in the nature of a statement (qawl) or
act (`amal), silence (sukut) or speech (taqrir), it is called
bayaan in the language of the Qur`aan. According to the holy
Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) this is called Hadith or
Sunnah, which is evident from his words, "Quote from me" and
"follow my example". It removes all obscurities in the Qur`aan:
It says in detail what has been said in brief therein; it is
an exegesis for the difficult points in the Qur`aanic text,
elucidation of what is subtle, and explication of its gnomic
points without which there is no way out to settle the
different disputes and determine the intents of God.
Thus, the Ahaadith are an elaboration of the whole of the
Qur`aan while each Hadith explains some Aayat.
Qari Muhammad Tayyib (Late)
Rector - Darul Uloom (Deoband)
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