Q247 :If Hadith is not revelation, can it be termed
as “lofty intuition”?
A247 : Hadith is much more than what can be
described as ‘lofty intuition’. Everything that the Prophet has taught
us of our religion has been revealed to him. The Qur’an is revealed in
meaning and in word and every Muslim believes that every single word in
the Qur’an is Allah’s own word. A sacred or Qudsi Hadith is the one
which the Prophet attributes to Allah Himself, by stating something to
this effect: “Allah, the Most Sublime, says”. There is no doubt that
such sacred Hadiths have been revealed to the Prophet in meaning. Many
scholars say that they are also revealed by Allah in word. However, the
difference between them and the Qur’an is that they have been conveyed
to us through a chain of single narrators, rather than chains of
numerous narrators at every stage, which is the mark of the Qur’an.
Unlike the Qur’an, a sacred Hadith may not be recited in prayer, nor is
its recitation an aspect of worship. Ordinary Hadith is the word of
the Prophet, although in meaning it is revealed. The Prophet has not
given us anything concerning our religion of his own accord. Everything
that relates to our faith has been revealed by Allah. However, such
revelations are put in Hadith in the Prophet’s own words. We cannot say
that it is the word of Allah. Statements are attributed to their
authors who shape and express them the way they like. In short, the
meaning of Hadith is revelation, but its wording we attribute to the
Prophet.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )