A Review of Compilation and Authenticity of Hadith (Part Two)
Now we are going to express and explain that the Holy Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, taught the Qur’an in two ways:
1. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also taught the method of acting on the Qur’an through his actions and described and explained it with his words. The method of practical interpretation was such that when a ruling and order was revealed in the Qur’an, he narrated its ruling to the people by acting on it. As a result, the meanings of the words of the Qur’an were clarified, and the practical image of the revealed ruling was exposed to everyone. For example, in the Holy Qur’an, there is an emphatic command to perform prayer, along with its elements such as standing, prostration, and recitation. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught the Ummah how to pray through his practical example. When we see the commandment of «اقیمو الصلوة» in the Qur’an, the question arises as to how to act on this commandment and what the method of “praying” is. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) answered this question with his statement: “Pray as you see me pray.” In addition to this practical explanation, he sometimes also explained the method of prayer with his words.
Additionally, Hajj is prescribed in the Holy Qur’an, but its method and rituals are not explicitly mentioned. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) fulfilled the obligation of Hajj and practically taught the method of performing it. On this basis, it is possible to describe and explain the Holy Qur’an through his sayings and actions. In the year of Hujjat al-Wadah, at Arafat Square, where all the pilgrims had gathered, he announced: “O people, learn the rules and rituals of Hajj from me; maybe after this year, I won’t see you again.”
2. Interpretation and description by words were done in two ways:
A. One is that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would mention a verse or point to it and provide a description or ruling derived from it.
B. Another way is that he would express, with his own blessed knowledge and understanding, what he inferred and learned from the Qur’an without mentioning the verse or pointing it out.
For the first example, among countless instances, we will mention just three:
1. The Holy Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “On the Day of Judgment, Allah Almighty will call Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) and say: ‘Yes, my Lord.’ Allah will ask him: ‘Did you convey our message?’ He replies, ‘Yes.’ Then his people will be asked: ‘Did Noah convey our message to you?’ They will claim: ‘No one came to us to warn us.’ Then Allah says to Prophet Noah: ‘Who will testify for you?’ He states: ‘Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his Ummah.’ This Ummah will testify that Prophet Noah delivered Your message, and the testimony of the Ummah is confirmed by the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Then the Holy Prophet said: This is the statement of the Almighty Allah in this regard: «وجَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاء عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُوْنَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيداً» “And We have made you a moderate nation so that you may be witnesses for the people, and the Messenger may be a witness for you.”
2. Hazrat Udi bin Hatim asked the Holy Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): Does «الخيط الابيض» and «الخيط الاسود» mean two black and white threads? He said: “No, but it means the blackness of the night and the whiteness of the day.”
3. During the trip to Hudaybiyah, many lice were found in the hair of Hazrat Ka’b bin Ujra. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw it, he said: “I didn’t know that you had such hardships and problems. Can you get a sheep?” He said: “No.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said: “So shave your head and fast for three days or give charity to six poor people for six days.” Apparently, there is no mention of a verse from the Qur’an in this story; however, since the verse: «فَمَنْ كَانَ مِنْكُمْ مَرِيْضاً أَوْ بِهِ أَذًى مِنْ رَأْسِهِ فَفِدْيَةٌ مِنْ صِيَامٍ أَوْ صَدَقَةٍ أَوْ نُسُكٍ» was revealed in the same context and in the same place, we have implicitly stated this example.
