Hadith Qudsi

http://seekershub.org/ans-blog/2011/11/29/what-is-the-difference-between-a-regular-hadith-and-a-hadith-qudsi/

Question: Assalamualaikum,
I never understood the nature of Hadith Qudsi and how it was different from the “regular” hadiths. Also, the “regular” hadiths are ‘traditions’ and narrations of the Prophet (peace be upon him) doing, saying, and instructing us to do many things. How did the Prophet (peace be upon him) receive this information from Allah relative to Qur’anic revelation and the Hadith Qudsi?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

I hope you are in the best of health and spirits, insha’Allah.

A Sacred Narration (al-Hadith al-Qudsi) is a narration (hadith) which, from the perspective of its meaning, is from Allah, the Exalted, and from the perspective of its wording, from the Messenger of God (Allah bless him and give him peace). [Jurjani, al-Ta`rifat]

The Difference between the Regular Narrations (Hadith) and the Sacred Narrations (al-Hadith al-Qudsi)
The Sacred Narration (al-Hadith al-Qudsi) is attributed to Allah, Most High, and related from Him. The Messenger of God (Allah bless him and give him peace) would receive the meaning from Allah, by way of inspiration or dream, and then he (Allah bless him and give him peace) would inform his community of this in his own words.

This is contrary to the remaining narrations (hadith) as the Messenger of God (Allah bless him and give him peace) would not attribute them to His Lord, nor relate them from Him.

The Difference between the Sacred Narrations (al-Hadith al-Qudsi) and the Qur’an

There are many differences between the Qur’an and the Sacred Narration (al-Hadith al-Qudsi). Of the most notable of them are the facts that the Qur’an is miraculous in its wording and was revealed by the intermediary of the Angel Gabriel. A Sacred Narration (al-Hadith al-Qudsi), on the other hand, has neither of these qualities.

Other unique qualities which the Qur’an, alone, possesses are:

[1] The mass transmission (mutawatir) in all of its words and letters;

[2] The impermissibility of touching the Qur’an for the one in a state of minor ritual impurity (and reciting it for the one in a state of major ritual impurity);

[3] The requirement, and specification, of its recital in the prayer;

[4] It is called the Qur’an;

[5] It is an act of worship to recite the Qur’an and one is rewarded for each letter;

The Qur’an’s words, and meanings, are from Allah through manifest revelation; contrary to the narrations (hadith).

[`Ayni, `Umdat al-Qari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari; Siraj al-Din, Sharh al-Mandhuma al-Bayquniyya; al-Sayyid Muhammad bin `Alawi, al-Manhal al-Latif fi Usul al-Hadith al-Sharif]

This is something of what can be said about the difference between the

Sacred Narration (al-Hadith al-Qudsi) and the Qur’an.

And Allah knows best.

Wassalam,

Tabraze Azam

Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani

http://www.muftisays.com/blog/Seifeddine-M/3757_22-10-2014/hadith-qudsi.html

Qudsi hadith are those hadith that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم related from Allah سبحانه و تعالى. Mullah Ali al-Qaari رحمه الله has given the following excellent definition for hadith qudsi. He wrote, "It is that which is related by the foremost of relaters and the most reliable of authorities, the best of blessings and salutations be upon him, from Allah, may He be glorified, sometimes through the medium of Gabriel, upon whom be blessings and peace, and sometimes by revelation, inspiration and dreams. Allah having entrusted to him the expressing of it in such words as he wished. It differs from the Quran in that the revelation of the latter was only through the medium of the Upright Soul [Gabriel] and is restricted to the wording specifically revealed from the Preserved Tablet." [1]

Such hadith usually take one of the following forms:

(1) Some begin with, "The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم says from among the sayings he related from his Lord..."

(2) Sometimes they begin with, "Allah the Almighty has said, from among the sayings related from Him by the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم ... "

(3) Or, "The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said that Allah سبحانه و تعالى has said..."

(4) The words of Allah سبحانه و تعالى may be referred to as written instead of spoken.

(5) Sometimes the words from Allah سبحانه و تعالى are between or introduced by a statement of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم.

(6) And, finally, an indirect but clear reference may be made to a statement of Allah سبحانه و تعالى in the words of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم.

The Customarily Given Differences Between Qudsi Hadeeth and the Qur'aan

One might ask what the differences between a qudsi hadith and the Quran are. Al-Qattaan رحمه الله has noted what is commonly considered the five differences between the two. They are:

(1) The Quran was revealed by Allah سبحانه و تعالى in both meaning and wording through the angel Gabriel عليه السلام to the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. It was not received through any form of inspiration, such as a dream, vision and so forth. Hadith qudsi, on the other hand, may be received through any of those means.

(2) The Quran was established as a miracle and a challenge to all of mankind until the Day of Judgment. Hadith qudsi are not considered miraculous as such and are not a challenge to mankind.

(3) The Quran is only stated or related with reference to Allah سبحانه و تعالى. One can only say, for example, "Allah says in the Quran..." Hadith qudsi, on the other hand, are reports narrated by the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم and, hence, are related from him from Allah سبحانه و تعالى.

(4) All of the Quran is mutawaatir and qati 'ee ath-thaboot. [2] The majority of the qudsi hadith do not meet the standards of mutawaatir. They are, therefore, subject to the rules and grading of hadith. Some such hadith are sahih, some are hasan, some are weak and others are fabricated.

(5) With respect to the Quran, both the wording and the meaning were revealed to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم from Allah. With respect to hadith qudsi, only the meaning was revealed to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم while the wording came from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم himself. Therefore, it is allowed to narrate qudsi hadith according to their meanings only (for those who allow narration of hadith according to their meanings) but this is not allowed for the Quran.

(6) Finally, only the Quran is allowed for the recitation in the prayer. Furthermore, the one who recites it will receive ten rewards for each letter of the Quran that he recites. Hadith qudsi may not be recited as part of the prayer nor is there any special reward for reciting hadith qudsi. [3]

Critique of the Customary Approach

There does not seem to be any room for dispute concerning (1), (2) (3) and (6) above. However, (4) and (5) need some clarification or comment. It is not correct to say that one of the differences between qudsi hadith and the Quran is that all of the Quran is mutawaatir while qudsi hadith may be sahih, hasan, weak and so forth. Many scholars state that the conditions for a narration to be considered part of the Quran are three:

(a) it must be mutawaatir,

(b) it must be consistent with at least one of the copies of the Quran that Uthman رضي الله عنه distributed throughout the Muslims lands, and

(c) it must be consistent with the Arabic language.

However, if (a) is met, the other two conditions become redundant or superfluous. By definition, (a) implies that the report is such that it cannot be questioned or doubted. Hence, what is the need for the other two conditions? Some specialists in Quranic recitation state that the first condition is not that of being mutawaatir but only that the chain must be sahih. [4]

Indeed, an-Namlah states what the scholars mean when they that the recital be mutawaatir is simply that it has an authentic chain back to the Prophet (may Allah exalt his mention and grant him peace), [5] and not the usage of the term mutawaatir according to the scholars of hadith. In this way, the other two conditions become meaningful because they ensure that, although the chain might be sahih, that no mistake has been made in the transmission of the recitation.

Furthermore, there are recitations of the Quran that are considered rejected or shaadh ("irregular"), since they do not meet the conditions stated above for the Quran. This is no different from saying that there are qudsi hadith that are weak or rejected. Hence, (3) above cannot be considered a true difference between the Quran and qudsi hadith.

Finally, if one is talking about the essential difference between the Quran and qudsi hadith, it is irrelevant to discuss whether one is mutawaatir and the other is not. Obviously, the essential differences between them existed at the time of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم when the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم himself narrated these statements. At that time, there was no concept of mutawaatir and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would sometimes send individual teachers to specific tribes to teach the Quran. Hence, the question of mutawaatir is completely irrelevant to the issue of the difference in nature between qudsi hadith and the Quran.

There is also a difference of opinion concerning the wording of qudsi hadith. Does that wording come from Allah سبحانه و تعالى or does it come from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم? As stated above in (4), al-Qattaan is of the view that its wording is from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. As-Sabbaagh is also of this opinion. He states that if the wording and meaning were both from Allah سبحانه و تعالى, then, from the shareeah point of view, it should be given the same status as the Quran. He claims that there would then be no reason to distinguish between the two wordings from Allah سبحانه و تعالى. He then argues that if that were the case, it would not be allowed to narrate a qudsi hadith according to its meaning (which the scholars say is acceptable). He also states that then it could be used in worship like the Quran, but no scholar says that.

As-Sabbaagh then poses the following question, "If the wording is not from Allah سبحانه و تعالى, why is the quote attributed to Allah?" As-Sabbaagh states that this is not problematic and is common in the Arabic language. It implies that what the quotation contains of meaning is from Allah سبحانه و تعالى and not that the exact words are from Allah سبحانه و تعالى. He argues that this is similar to Allah سبحانه و تعالى quoting the previous prophets in the Quran and saying, for example, "Moses said," while, in fact, Moses عليه السلام did not speak Arabic and those are not his exact words. [6]

Those quotes only contain the meaning of what Moses عليه السلام said. As-Sabbaagh then quotes Mustafa az-Zarqa as saying that qudsi hadith are like giving a person a text to translate. The translated text is still ascribed to the original speaker although the wording is not his. [7]

But that inevitably leads to the following question: If qudsi hadith are simply inspired by Allah سبحانه و تعالى and in the Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم wording, what is the difference then between qudsi hadith and the remainder of the Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم speech which was also inspired by Allah سبحانه و تعالى? The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم stated, "Certainly, I have been given the Book and what is similar to it with it." [8]

Furthermore, there are numerous verses in the Quran to the effect of the following verses,



"And Allaah has sent down to you the Book (The Qur'aan), and Al-Hikmah (the Sunnah), and taught you that which you knew not. And Ever Great is the Grace of Allaah unto you (O Muhammad, peace be upon him)." (Sooratun Nisaa', 4:113)



"He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) from among themselves, reciting to them His Verses, purifying them, and teaching them the Book (the Qur'aan), and Al-Hikmah [9] (the Sunnah). And verily, they had been before in manifest error." (Sooratul Jumu'ah, 62:2)

Allah سبحانه و تعالى also says,



"And remember (O you the members of the Prophet's family عليهم الصلاة والسلام), that which is recited in your houses of the Verses of Allaah and Al-Hikmah (the Sunnah). Verily, Allah is Ever Most Courteous, Well-Acquainted with all things." (Sooratul Ahzaab, 33:34) [10]

Commenting on verses of this nature, Imaam ash-Shafi'ee رحمه الله stated, "I have heard from those with whom I am pleased of the people of knowledge of the Quran who said that the Hikmah is the sunnah of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم. This is the most likely opinion, Allah knows best. This is because the Quran has been mentioned and is followed by mention of the Hikmah. Allah also mentioned His bounties upon His creation by their being taught the Book and Hikmah. Therefore, it is not allowed, Allah knows best, to call the Hikmah here anything other than the sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah exalt his mention and grant him peace)." [11]

In other words, the sunnah as a whole is considered a form of "inspiration" from Allah سبحانه و تعالى but in the wording of the Prophet (may Allah exalt his mention and grant him peace). [12]

What then would distinguish qudsi hadith from other hadith of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم if the inspiration in both cases is from Allah سبحانه و تعالى and the wording from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم? In this case, also, there is no need for the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to state, "Allah said," when, in fact, the words did not come from Allah سبحانه و تعالى.

Perhaps, this is an issue that cannot be resolved based on the information available. There is no strong evidence to definitively conclude that the wording of qudsi hadith comes from either Allah سبحانه و تعالى or the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. Personally, this author leans toward the view that the wording comes directly from Allah سبحانه و تعالى.

The important point is that such qudsi hadith are known not to be part of the Quran. This is known from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم himself. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would distinguish between the Quran and qudsi hadith. Whenever a verse of the Quran was revealed to him, he would call one of his scribes--and he had specific scribes for the recording of the Quran, such as Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthmaan, Zaid ibn Thaabit and others رضي الله عنهم. He would then tell the scribe to place that newly revealed verse in surah such and such. [13]

Furthermore, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم never recited qudsi hadith in the prayers nor did he read them back to the Angel Gabriel عليه السلام when going over the Quran.

The important matter, then, is that the qudsi hadith were distinguished from the Quran by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم himself. This is how it is known that such statements from Allah سبحانه و تعالى do not form part of the Quran. However, this in itself does not rule out the possibility that the wording of qudsi hadith are from Allah. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم narrated them as Allah's words and this is probably the strongest indication concerning this matter. This implies that they are words from Allah سبحانه و تعالى but it was made clear to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that they did not form part of the Quran. This direct inspiration of wording is what distinguishes them from the remainder of the statements of the Prophet (peace be upon him). [14]

http://darulfiqh.com/what-are-the-differences-between-the-quran-and-a-hadith-qudsi/

Question:

What are the differences between the Qur’an and a Hadith Qudsi?

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

The Ulama have mentioned many distinctions between the Qur’ān and the Ahādīth Qudsīyyah.[1]  Below are a few: 

1)    The words and the meanings of the Qur’an are from Allah Ta’ālā.  Whereas a Hadīth Qudsī does not necessarily contain the exact words of Allah Ta’ālā. 

2)    The whole Qur’ān is decisive and definite in its transmission.  It is mutawātir.  Many of the Ahādīth Qudsīyyah are not mutawātir.  The authenticity will have to be analysed for each hadīth.

3)    The Qur’ān is a miracle and a challenge.  Allah Ta’ālā challenges us to bring a single verse similar to the verses of the Qur’ān.  The Ahādīth Qudsīyyah do not have such a level of miraculousness and challenge.

4)    The recitation of the Qur’ān has quantified virtues and rewards.  Recitation is worship in itself.  Whereas, the recitation of Ahādīth Qudsīyyah although they are means of immense barakah (blessings), do not have any specific quantified virtue or reward attributed to them.  The recitation of Ahādīth Qudsīyyah is not worship in the strict sense and meaning of worship.  

The above contrasts and differences result in the following rulings:

1)    Only the Qur’ān can be recited in salāh and not the Ahādīth Qudsīyyah.

2)    The Qur’ān cannot be narrated or recited in one’s own meaning.  The Ahādīth may be narrated in words similar to the meaning of the actual wording for those who have profound mastery in the Arabic language.

3)    It is not permissible for a person without wudhū’ to touch the Qur’ān and nor can a person in the state of major impurity recite the Qur’ān.  In contrast, a person without wudhū’ may touch the books and writings of the Ahādīth Qudsīyyah.  Likewise, a person in the state of major impurity requiring a ghusl (bath) may recite the Ahādīth Qudsīyyah.  However, to do so is discouraged and against the sanctity of the Ahādīth.

4)    A person can lose his Imān by rejecting a word of the Qur’ān.  This is not true for the Ahādīth Qudsīyyahwhich are not mutawātir in transmission. 

And Allah Ta’ālā Knows Best

Mufti Faraz al-Mahmudi, 

Darul Iftaa

Dublin, Irelandwww.darulfiqh.com

The concept and classification of Bid’a in Islam.

http://islamqa.org/hanafi/daruliftaa/8514/the-concept-and-classification-of-bida-in-islam

Could you kindly explain what is the correct opinion on the meaning and categories of bid’ah and whether according to the classical scholars a distinction was made between a good bida’h and an evil bida’h?

ANSWER

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

The word Bid’a (innovation) has two aspects to it, one being the linguistic definition, and the other, it’s meaning from a Shariah perspective.

Linguistically Bid’a means introducing something new, regardless of whether it is connected to religious affairs or other worldly matters, and regardless of whether one practices it considering it to be part of Deen or otherwise.

In the Shariah terminology, Bid’a means to introduce something in religion that was not done in the time of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace), the rightly guided Khulafa (Allah be pleased with them all) and the early generations with the intention of gaining more reward, and despite being a need for it in the time of the Messenger of Allah and his Companions, it was not implemented verbally, practically, explicitly or implicitly. (Taken from Imam al-Barkawi’s al-Tariqa al-Muhammadiyya, Imam Shatibi’s al-I’tisam and Imam al-Lakhnawi’s Iqamat al-Hujjah).

From the above definition of Bid’a, it becomes clear that new practices that are not considered to be part of Deen, rather they concern our worldly affairs, such as modern technology, cars, planes, etc… can not be considered as Bid’a, for the fact that they are not introduced with the intention of worship and gaining more reward. Innovations with regards to worldly matters do not fall into the category of reprehensible and sinful innovation, thus they are totally permissible as long as they don’t contradict any other ruling of Shariah.

Similarly, acts and practices that were carried out (verbally, practically, explicitly or implicitly) in the time of the blessed Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give peace), his Companions (Allah be pleased with them all) and the early generation can also not be called an innovation.

Also, an act for which there was no apparent need in the time of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace), his companions and the early generations, but later in order to attain a religious objective there rose a need to implement it, then this will also not fall within the definition of Bid’a. Examples of which are: building religious institutions, recording the research of Islamic schools of legal thought, writing books on beneficial subjects, establishing sciences in order to understand the Qur’an and Sunnah, using of modern weapons for Jihad, etc…

With the above definition of Bid’a, it also becomes clear that to innovate something in religion that had the same need in the early times, but was not carried out will be considered a Bid’a, thus unlawful.

Another aspect to remember with regards to Bid’a is that there are certain acts of worship which the Shariah has declared to be recommended (mandub) or highly encouraged (sunnah), but without specifying a particular procedure or method for it. Rewards have been promised for various types of worship, but the actual method of implementation has not been prescribed. This method of worship has been left to the convenience of the individual.

In such acts of worship, it is necessary to leave the general permission given by the Shariah. If a particular method is fixed or considered to be superior to other methods, then this will be impermissible and classed as Bid’a.

(This has been explained in a previous answer with examples. See the archives on this website.

Classification of Bid’a

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “Beware of matters newly begun, for every matter newly begun is innovation and every innovation is misguidance.” (recorded by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad 4/126-127, Imam Abu Dawud, Imam Tirmidhi & Imam Ibn Majah in their respective Sunan collections with an authentic chain of narrators).

Due to the above Hadith, scholars say that from a perspective of the Shariah definition of Bid’a, every type of Bid’a is reprehensible and sinful. When an act is determined to fall into the abovementioned Shariah definition of Bid’a, then it can never be termed as good or lawful. All innovations are reprehensible and misguidance, thus unlawful.

Imam Malik (Allah be pleased with him) said:

“Whosoever innovates an innovation believing it to be good (hasana) has indeed claimed that the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) breached the trust of Prophethood, because Allah Almighty says: “This day I have perfected your religion for you”. Anything that was not part of religion on that day, can not be a part of religion today.” (al-I’tisam, 1/48).

However, Bid’a can be divided into various categories when considering the linguistic definition. As mentioned earlier, linguistically, Bid’a means to introduce something, thus any thing that is introduced will (from a linguistic point of view) be termed as Bid’a.

These innovations may be obligatory, recommended and unlawful. When scholars categorize innovations, this is the aspect they are referring to.

Therefore, innovations such as the study of the disciplines of Arabic that are necessary to understand the Qur’an and sunnah (grammar, syntax, etc), Hadith classification to distinguish between genuine and spurious prophetic traditions, modern technology like electricity, car, plain, light, building of Islamic schools, etc… despite being considered a Bid’a linguistically, will not be considered a Bid’a with regards to the Shariah definition, thus they are lawful.

Imam al-Lakhnawi explains this by quoting from al-Tariqa al-Muhammadiyya of Imam al-Barkawi:

“If it is said that how can we reconcile between the Messenger of Allah’s statement “Every innovation is misguidance” and the Fuqaha’s classification of Bid’a into the lawful, recommended and the obligatory?

We will say: Bid’a has a linguistic meaning that is general, which is to introduce, regardless of whether it is considered worship or is related to personal habits. It (Bid’a) also has a Shariah definition that is more specific, which is to add or remove in religion in a way that it was not done in the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) and his Companions, verbally, practically, explicitly or implicitly. Therefore, (the Shar’i Bid’a) does not include habits (worldly matters), rather it is restricted to certain beliefs and practices” (Iqamat al-Hujjah, P. 21-22).

Therefore, the classification of Bid’a in various categories is from a linguistic point of view that does not include the Shar’i definition of Bid’a. It is from this, Sayyiduna Umar al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) said regarding the performance of Tarawih prayer in congregation “This is a good innovation.”

Also, practices that do not fall into the Shariah definition of Bid’a such as building of religious schools will still be considered a Bid’a linguistically, but not all linguistic innovations are reprehensible.

Finally, it should also be remembered that practices carried out in the time of the rightly guided Khalifas, other Companions and their followers (Allah be plesed with all) can not be considered a Bid’a. The great Hanafi jurist and Hadith scholar, Imam Abd al-Hay al-Lakhnawi dedicated a whole chapter in support of this in his famous treatise titled ‘Iqamat al-hujjah ala an al-ikthar fi al-ta’abbud laysa bid’a’.

He states:

“Practices that were carried out with the approval of the Companions (Allah be pleased with them all) but were not done in the time of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace), such as the introducing of the first Adhan for Jumu’ah prayer, twenty Rak’ats of Tarawih prayer, etc…can not be considered a Shar’i Bid’a.

There are many evidences for this, just to mention a few:

1) The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “Hold fast on to my ways and the ways of the rightly guided Caliphs.” (Abu Dawud, Ahmad, Tirmidhi and others with an authentic chain of narrators).

2) The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “follow in the footsteps of the two after me, Abu Bakr and Umar.” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah with a sound chain of narrators).

(See for more details: Iqamat al-Hujjah by Imam al-Lakhnawi with notes by Shaykh Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda, P.25-58).

And Allah Knows Best

[Mufti] Muhammad ibn Adam
Darul Iftaa
Leicester , UK