RABITAT AL’ALAM AL ISLAMI, the official Arabic magazine of the Muslim World League, in its 1983 March issue carried an article titled TADWEEN AL SUNNAH by Ustad Muhammad Nizami. He quotes SUNAN ABI DAWOOD that the prophet had declared that, “Know that Qur’an and the LIKE of it (‘mithluhu’ i.e. Sunnah) was given to me.” Mr. Nizami also states the reasons for “equality (mumathalah) of sunnah with Qur’an.”
This simply amounts to the DECLARATION THAT SUNNAH IS SIMILAR TO QUR’AN. Since the written record of Sunnah is Hadith, then Hadith is LIKE Qur’an! The similarity of the two is further reinforced by the ‘facts’ (as claimed by the author). He states that Sunnah/Hadith is inspired in idea form, is used in prayers and preaching, and is ‘guidance for mankind.’ He also states that the compilers of Hadith were really ‘truthful’ scholars, and that all of them are imams!
But God has challenged the world in Qur’an: “Let them produce a Hadith LIKE IT (MITHLIHI) – i.e. like Qur’an), if they are truthful.” (52:34) History records that from the time of Rasulullah to this day the unbelieving section of humanity has never produced any hadith or book which the Muslims could use LIKE QUR’AN. But here we see an outstanding Muslim ‘Alim, representing ‘ulamadom’ of Islam DECLARING IN AN OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ‘ULAMA THAT THEY HAVE PRODUCED SOMETHING LIKE QUR’AN; THAT THEY HAVE THE SUNNAH/HADITH WHICH IS LIKE QUR’AN!
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IS THIS NOT THE SAME AS CHALLENGING GOD BACK? IS THIS NOT EQUAL TO ADMITTING THE ACCEPTANCE OF GOD’S CHALLENGE TO PRODUCE SOMETHING SIMILAR OR EQUAL TO QUR’AN? IS THIS NOT A WORD FOR WORD FULFILLMENT OF GOD’S PROPHECY?
The legality of Sunnah/Hadith cannot be claimed on the basis of verses 53:3-4: "He does not speak on his own. This is a divine inspiration.” (3) without admitting that the Prophet’s actions that led to the incidents described in 66:1, 80:1-10, 18:23, 24, 33:37, 40:66, and 93:7 were also inspired. And it is not explained at all that having inspired the Prophet to do something, then, when done, why does Allah REPRIMAND him and immortalize those incidents in Qur’an!
Ustad Nizami quotes an hadith that “in the beginning the writing of hadith was forbidden (“Do not write anything from me except Qur’an. Those who have written anything other than Qur’an shall erase it.) For the reasons that “hdith might get mixed up with Qur’an and might hinder the memorization of Qur’an.” In fact, this danger of hadith ‘getting mixed up with Qur’an existed until the final verse of Qur’an was revealed. (The Prophet died nine days after revelation of the last verse.) Any attempt at writing Hadith during that period, therefore, constitutes clear violation of the Qur’anic commandment. “You shall obey God, and you shall obey the prophet.” When Abdullah ibn ‘Amr was “allowed to write hadith” in AH 7 as he became a Muslim, |
Rasulullah seems contradicting himself. Also earlier Muslims do not seem to have received this special treatment. The claim that the completion of Qur’an had superceded the earlier instruction is strange; no evidence is produced to the effect that Rasulullah had cancelled it! Believing that Rasulullah had perfectly understood Qur’an including verses 52:34, 7:185, 77:50, 45:6, 4:87, 39:23, 68:44, 56:81, 12:111, and 31:6 (all against hadith and none of the 36 references on hadith supports it), it is hard to believe that he had cancelled his instruction NOT TO WRITE HADITH.
Again the Prophet was disobeyed by not making unanimous and uncontested selection of KHULAFA UR RASHIDEEN whom the Prophet had supposedly identified and nominated, according to his hadith, “Follow my sunnah and the sunnah of AL KHULAFA AL RASHIDEEN after me.” The selection of the first Khalifa was contested on the very morning Rasulullah had passed away, and this matter remains disastrously divisive until today.
On the Day of Judgment, Rasulullah will complain to Allah: “O my Lord; my people had forsaken this Quran.” (25:30) This means that he either ignores or is ignorant of Sunnah/Hadith. Either way, it is clear that he did not approve Sunnah/Hadith until his death or even after. If he had approved, as claimed by Hadith, then why should he shy away from defending it on the Day of Judgment?
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