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Ramadhan 19 Friday Hijrah 1445
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Title – The Message   Preface   Arabian Peninsula the Cradle of Islamic Culture   Arabia before Islam   Conditions of Roman and Iranian Empires   Ancestors of the Prophet   Birth of the Prophet   Childhood of the Prophet   Rejoining the Family   Period of Youth   From Shepherd to Merchant   From Marriage up to Prophethood   The First Manifestation of Reality   The First Revelation   Who were the First Persons to Embrace Islam?   Cessation of revelation   General Invitation   Judgement of Quraysh about the Holy Qur’an   The First Migration   Rusty Weapons   The Fiction of Gharaniq   Economic Blockade   Death of Abu Talib   Me’raj – The Heavenly Ascension   Journey to Ta’if   The Agreement of Aqabah   The Event of Migration   The Events of the First Year of Migration   Some Events of the First and Second years of Migration   The Events of the Second Year of Migration   Change of Qiblah   The Battle of Badr   Dangerous Designs of the Jews   The Events of the Third Year of Migration   The Events of the Third and Fourth years of Migration   The Jews Quit the Zone of Islam   The Events of the Fourth Year of Migration   The Events of the Fifth Year Of Migration   The Battle of Ahzab   The Last Stage of Mischief   The Events of the Fifth and Sixth years of Migration   The events of the Sixth Year of Migration   A Religious and Political Journey   The Events of the Seventh Year of Migration   Fort of Khayber the Centre of Danger   The Story of Fadak   The Lapsed ‘Umrah   The Events of the Eighth Year of Migration   The Battle of Zatus Salasil   The Conquest of Makkah   The Battle of Hunayn   The Battle of Ta’if   The Famous Panegyric of Ka’b Bin Zuhayr   The Events of the Ninth Year of Migration   The Battle of Tabuk   The Deputation of Thaqif goes to Madina   The Prophet Mourning for his Son   Eradication of Idol-Worship in Arabia   Representatives of Najran in Madina   The Events of the Tenth Year of Migration   The Farewell Hajj   Islam is completed by the Appointment of Successor   The Events of the Eleventh Year of Migration   A Will which was not written   The Last Hours of the Prophet  

 

 

Introduction

 

The word hadith, according to the dictionary, has several meanings such as “new,” “novel,” “recent,” “modern,” and “speech”, “report,” “account,” and “narrative.” However, in Islamic context, the term hadith means “Prophetic tradition” or “narrative relating deeds and utterances of the Prophet (S).” According to some, even the account of a dream linked with the Holy Prophet (S) is also included in the category of hadith.

In most cases, the words sunnah and hadith are used as interchangeable synonyms by the scholars of the science of hadith. The author of the book Talwih says: “Sunnah is a more general term than hadith, and includes everything related to the Prophet (S) except the Qur’an: his speech – which is hadith – and his behaviour and character.”1 According to another opinion, since the majority of Sunni Muslims believe in Qur’an’s being sempiternal (qadim), everything else except the Qur’an from the Prophet (S) came to be called hadith, a word closely related with hadith meaning “incidental” as opposed to “eternal”.2 Some are of the opinion that the sayings of the Sahabah (the Companions of the Prophet) and the Tabi`un (the second generation after the Holy Prophet (S)) can also be included under the term hadith.3 On the other hand, for the Shi`ah authorities on hadith, the term can properly include only the narratives relating the speech, biographical details and deeds of the Prophet (S) and the Imams (A).4

Here, we consider it necessary first to explain certain terms related to our discussion.

Sunnah: The term in general means “habitual practice” or “customary procedure,” and in particular applies to the sayings and doings of the religious leaders who are ma`sum5 (i.e. the Prophet and the Imams, who are considered as being free of sin and error). Accordingly, the term is employed by the side of the Book (Qur’an). Sunnah is used in a sense that is wider than that of hadith, although in some of the Sunni texts of tradition, such as of Ibn Maja, al-Bayhaqi and others, the term signifies hadith. The authorities of hadith differ as to meanings covered by hadith and khabar (report). While some consider the terms as being synonymous, others are of the opinion that khabar is a term which is more general than hadith. According to them, khabar applies to every narrative regarding the Prophet (S), while hadith is taken to mean a narration quoting the Prophet (S) himself. (0) Some, as pointed out above, apply the term hadith to the sayings of the Sahabah and Tabi`un in addition. Accordingly, every hadith is also a khabar, though every khabar is not a hadith; though some regard the terms as being inter-changeable synonyms.7

Riwayah: This term is synonymous with hadith. According to the author of Majma` al-bahrayn, “Riwayah is a khabar that is traceable through a series of narrators to a ma`sum.”8

Athar: Shaykh Baha’i in his Nihayat al-dirayah considers athar as being identical with hadith. Others impute to it a wider meaning. Still others confine its meaning to narrations that go back to the Sahabah.9

Hadith-i Qudsi: Hadith-i qudsi is defined as the Divine communication whose revelation is not the part of the Qur’anic miracle. Sayyid Sharif Jurjani says: “[Hadith-i qudsi] is from God, the Most Exalted, from the point of view of meaning, and from the Prophet (S) from the viewpoint of actual wording. It constitutes what God has communicated to the Prophet through revelation or in dreams. The Prophet – upon whom be peace – informed others of its meaning in his own words. Accordingly, the Qur’an is superior to the hadith-i qudsi, because it is the actual Word of God.”

There are six points of differences between the Qur’an and the hadith-i qudsi:

  • Firstly, the Qur’an is a Divine miracle; this does not necessarily apply to the hadith-i qudsi;
  • Secondly, salat (prayer) is not valid without recitation of parts of the Qur’an; this is not so in the case of the hadith-i qudsi;
  • Thirdly, one who rejects the Qur’an is regarded as a kafir (an unbeliever); this does not hold true in the case of the hadith-i qudsi;
  • Fourthly, whole of the Qur’an was communicated to the Prophet (S) through the agency of the Angel Gabriel; this does not apply to hadith-i qudsi;
  • Fifthly, every word of the Qur’an is the Word of God, but the wordings of the hadith-i qudsi may be ascribed to the Prophet (S);
  • Sixthly, the Qur’an cannot be touched without taharah (the condition of bodily purity as prescribed by the Shari’ah) and this condition does not apply to the hadith-i qudsi.10
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