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Which teachings constitute the most comprehensive guidance to mankind? How should man develop himself to learn, appreciate and live in accordance with such teachings? Every rational individual should seriously ponder over these sensible questions to make life more meaningful and truthful.
To be dynamically effective, one’s life should function as an integrated whole system conforming to Allah’s Law. As such, everything in man (his physical, economic, political, socio-cultural, psychological, educational, moral and spiritual being) needs proper guidance. Such guidance should enable him to enjoy better life here and in the hereafter. It should enable him to spend wisely his temporary journey on earth for everlasting happiness in the eternal world hereafter.
To be truly guided, man has to make use of Allah’s innate gift to him as a rational-thinking creature. He should be able to think intelligently, to reflect deeply, to assess objectively and to decide reasonably what teachings comprise the best guidance for him to follow. This is obviously necessary because some hypocrites who falsely claimed to be “prophets of Allah” has emerged to distort the Truth. With all pretensions, these false prophets had come up with their own man-made laws and heresies, side by side with the teachings of Allah (S.W.T.) (Subhanahu wa ta’ala, meaning: the Exalted, Most Glorious) and His true messengers, like Jesus Christ and Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) (Salallahu ‘alayhi wa salam, meaning: May the peace and blessings of Allah (S.W.T.) be upon him.)
Moreover, there were those who fabricated wrong concepts and ideas aimed primarily at destroying Islam, “a divinely-ordained path for human life” (S. Qutb, 1982, p. 2). In Time Magazine (April 16, 1979 issue), Edward Said reported that “over 60,000 (sixty thousand) books have been written against Islam by the Christian West.” One of the major skepticisms against Islam revolves on the personality of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) and his great mission to mankind. Without substantial evidence nor sensible explanation to defy the rational beliefs of the Muslims, those critics brand the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) as an “impostor’ and likewise claim that “he is the author of the Holy Qur’an.” They also question the authenticity of the Prophet’s Ahadith (teachings and traditions). These claims and fabrications are absolutely unfounded.
Allah the Almighty sent Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) (the seal of all the prophets) as His universal Messenger to mankind, giving them glad tidings, and warning them against sin (Qur’an 34: 28). Allah (S.W.T.) sent him to perfect all moral values and to serve as the best example for mankind to follow (Qur’an 33: 21). The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) came at a time when almost the entire world had forsaken the path of piety, righteousness and truth. He came during the era of darkness and ignorance. Superstitions and multiplicity of conflicting beliefs and inhumane practices shaped the lives of men and women. To enlighten the world with Allah’s word and divinely-inspired teachings, Allah (S.W.T.) sent Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.). Allah’s choice of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), an unlettered man, signifies that the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) is not the author of the Holy Qur’an. Indeed, the Qur’an could never be the creation of human mind, but could only emanate from the only True God, Allah (S.W.T.) To preserve Allah’s Word, the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) not only shared with his followers every Revelation he received from Allah (S.W.T.) through the Archangel Gabriel but also ordered his learned companions to commit it to writing. During his time, many of his Companions memorized the whole text of the Holy Qur’an, which was already recorded then. When the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) died, Abu Bakr (r.a.) (Radhiallahu anha, meaning: May Allah (S.W.T.) be pleased with him) who was the first rightly guided Caliph kept a complete copy of the Holy Qur’an. Under the leadership of Uthman, the third rightly guided caliph, the reproduction of the Holy Qur’an started. In today’s modern world, the Holy Qur’an has remained exactly the same as its original form. Mankind should, therefore, than Allah (S.W.T.) for sending His Messenger (s.a.w.s.) the message of the Holy Qur’an.
Aside from the the Holy Qur’an, Allah (S.W.T.) has endowed the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) with wisdom, the Ahadith (plural of Hadith), through which the readers can learn how he spent his life as the best example to humanity. Hadith literally means “statement”, which is otherwise known as “Sunnah” (a mode of life, practice, custom or tradition). Ahadith generally refer to “the records of utterances, discourses, practices, usages, sayings and the way of life led by the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) ever since he assumed prophethood in the fortieth year of his life (609 A.C.) to the year of his death (632 A.C.) when he was 63 years old.” (M. Azizullah, 1972, p.1)
Hadith plays a very vital role in perfecting the way of life of the Muslims. It is sacred, inviolate and majestic and it is revered next to the Holy Qur’an in the entire Muslim world. It provides detailed specifications for what is determined in generality by the Qur’an. It covers the secondary obligations which facilitate primary ones. In fact, the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) successfully conveyed the Qur’an to mankind through the Ahadith. H. A. Gibb, a scholar from the West, presents an objective analysis of this fact (S. A. Husain, 1975, p. 5):
“The Qur’an is comparatively short and even in this small book the greater part has no direct bearing on dogmatic, ritual legal, political and social questions. The general principles by which all these matters should be regulated are to be found in the Qur’an but not all of them are set out with equal clearness and detail. It is, therefore, essential to interpret and elaborate the relevant texts. The natural, and indeed, the only possible, interpreter whose judgment can be trusted is the Prophet through whom they were revealed. According to the Qur’an itself the Prophet was possessed not only of the kitab, the written book but also of the hikma, the wisdom, whereby ultimate principles can be applied to the details and episodes of ordinary life. Consequently, his actions and sayings, transmitted by chain of reliable narrators form a kind of commentary and supplement to the Qur’an.”
Some of the Ahadith were also written during the time of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.). He, however, ordered his Companions to rub out whatever they had written down of his own statements. He feared that people might be confused and mixed Ahadith with the Holy Qur’an. Knowing the importance of every Hadith, the Prophet’s Companions and later learned Muslim scholars made a compilation of Ahadith after the Prophet’s death. In their collection of Ahadith they were cautious because of the Prophet’s warning that: “He who deliberately and knowingly attributes to me something which (S.W.T.) have not said will certainly have his place reserved for him In hell.” Great measures of diligence in the compilation of Ahadith were then observed.
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