Question:

What is our response to Hadeeth rejectors below:

“What is important to understand is that only Allâh will explain His Book and not anyone else. The following ayah (verse) makes that abundantly clear.

1. The Explanation Of Al-Qur’ân Is By Allâh (God) Alone:

ولا يأتونك بمثل إلا جئناك بالحق وأحسن تفسيرا

Chapter 25 verse 33: “and no question do they bring to thee (I.E. Muhammad) but we (I.E. Allâh) reveal to thee (I.E. Muhammad) the truth and the ah’sanal tafseer (best explanation) (thereof).”

Important: The Arabic words at the end of this verse are Ah’sanal Tafseer! Tafseer appears only once in the entire Qur’ân. Tafseer in this context and verse means Best Explanation and In other words the best explanation and interpretation off al-Qur’ân is by Allâh, the author alone.

2. Allâh explains through Tafseer, meaning repeating the same point in various ways, as stated in chapter 17 verse 41. These verses also emphasize that even Muhammad, the messenger of Allâh cannot explain Al-Qur’ân!

ولقد صرفنا في هذا القرآن ليذكروا وما يزيدهم إلا نفوراً

Chapter 17 verse 41: “we (I.E. Allâh) have explained (things) in various (ways) (sâr’rafnâ) in this qur’ân, in order that they may receive admonition, but it only increases their flight (from the truth)!”

Chapter 11 verse 1: alîf. Lâm. Râ. (this is) a book (I.E. Qur’ân), with verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning), further explained in detail, – from one who is wise (I.E. Allâh) and well-acquainted (with all things):”

Is what this Hadeeth rejector is saying correct? If not, then kindly explain in detail for the benefit of the Ummah.

Answer:

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

As-salāmu ʿalaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Preliminary Principles

Before addressing the understanding presented in the article you share, two important principles must always be kept in mind when reading the Qurʿān:

1. In order to understand the Qurʿān, it is necessary to approach it holistically. This would entail understanding each āyah as part of a greater whole rather than viewing them in isolation.

2. Revelation (waḥy) is of two types:

a. Recited (Matluw): This refers to the Qurʿān.

b. Non-recited (Ghayr Matluw): This refers to the ḥadīth.

Several āyahs of the Qurʿān establish non-recited revelation (waḥy ghayr matluw):

لَقَدْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ بَعَثَ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَإِن كَانُوا مِن قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ

“Allāh has been truly gracious to the believers in sending them a Messenger from among their own, to recite His revelations to them, to make them grow in purity, and to teach them the Scripture and wisdom– before that they were clearly astray.” (3:164)

• Including this, there are four āyahs in which Rasūlullāh ﷺ’s four primary responsibilities are explained.
• It is evident from the āyah itself that teaching the Qurʿān (وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ) is something beyond simply reciting it (يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ). In order to teach the Qurʿān, it would have been necessary for Rasūlullāh ﷺ to receive direct revelation from Allāh that is other than the Qurʿān and then conveying this to the people in his own words – ḥadīth.
• This point is further clarified by the following āyah:

وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ‎

“We have sent down the message to you too [Rasūlullāh ﷺ], so that you can explain to people what was sent for them, so that they may reflect.” (16:44)

• This āyah is explicitly clear in stating the Qurʿān was revealed to Rasūlullāh ﷺ so that he could explain it to the people.

إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ لِتَحْكُمَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِمَا أَرَاكَ اللّه

“We have sent down the Scripture to you [Rasūlullāh ﷺ] with the truth so that you can judge between people in accordance with what Allāh has shown you.” (4:105)

• This āyah is also clear in showing that Rasūlullāh ﷺ has been given some specific revelation from Allāh, and he is bound to use that to apply the Qurʿān in judging between the people.

With those points in mind, we move to the claims:

Claim #1: Only Allāh can explain the Qurʿān because He says in Sūrah Furqān, Āyah 33:

وَلَا يَأْتُونَكَ بِمَثَلٍ إِلَّا جِئْنَاكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَأَحْسَنَ تَفْسِيرًا

“They cannot put any argument to you without Our bringing you the truth and the best explanation.”

Note: The translation presented in the question is objectionable because مثل does not mean question.

Response: The implication of this claim is that ḥadīth cannot be a source of explanation for the Qurʿān because Allāh claims in this āyah that He will provide the truth and best explanation.

This claim is faulty for many reasons:

1. The āyah does not specify that the objection being made by the disbelievers is against the Qurʿān. They could have objected to an action (والعياذ بالله) of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, the Ṣaḥābah رضي الله عنهم, injunctions of Islām, or any number of other things. To say that this āyah proves that only Allāh can explain the Qurʿān is farfetched, as their objections can very well be about things other than the Qurʿān.

2. If we were to suppose that the objections being made were against the Qurʿān, the assumption here is that when Rasūlullāh ﷺ speaks, it is not from Allāh (نعوذ بالله). However, Allāh says:

وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ  ﴿٣﴾ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَىٰ ﴿٤﴾

“He does not speak from his own desire. It is but revelation revealed.”

Claim #2: The fact that Allāh explains the same concept in various ways throughout the Qurʿān proves that other than Allāh, no one, not even Rasūlullāh ﷺ can explain the Qurʿān. They āyah presented as proof is:

وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَا فِي هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنِ لِيَذَّكَّرُوا وَمَا يَزِيدُهُمْ إِلَّا نُفُورًا ‎

“We have explained things in various ways in this Quran, so that such people might take notice, but it has only turned them further away.” (17:41)

Response: There is nothing in this āyah that remotely suggests that Rasūlullāh ﷺ cannot explain the Qurʿān. Allāh’s explaining the same concept in various ways does not negate the right of others to explain those same concepts in another manner provided that the explanation is in congruence with the rest of the Qurʿān.

Claim #3: Allāh states that the explanation of the Qurʿān comes from Himself.

الر ۚ كِتَابٌ أُحْكِمَتْ آيَاتُهُ ثُمَّ فُصِّلَتْ مِن لَّدُنْ حَكِيمٍ خَبِيرٍ

“Alif Lām Rā. [This is] a Scripture whose verses are perfected, then set out clearly, from One who is all wise, all aware.” (11:1)

Response: This understanding is based on the assumption that Rasūlullāh ﷺ’s only job was to convey the Qurʿān. However, as mentioned in preliminary point #2, it is evident from the Qurʿān itself that he ﷺ was sent to convey AND explain the Qurʿān.

Conclusion

The objections presented have no merit. In fact, Rasūlullāh ﷺ foretold the emergence of people who would deny his words by saying only follow the Qurʿān and nothing else.[1] We ask Allāh to protect us from the fitnah of denial of ḥadīth. In order to strengthen the understanding of the vital role and authority that Rasūlullāh ﷺ has, we strongly encourage you to read The Authority of Sunnah by Muftī Taqī ʿUthmānī (حفظه الله). A pdf can be found here.

And Allah Taʿāla Knows Best

Muftī Mohammed Wahaajuddin
Farmington Hills, MI
U.S.A

Checked and Approved by:

Muftī Faisal bin Abdul Hamīd al-Mahmūdī
Darul Iftaa Canada, Edmonton
www.fatwa.ca

Muftī Bilal al-Mahmūdī
Markazul Fiqh (Centre of Islamic Theology and Jurisprudence)
www.markazulfiqh.com

[1]

مرقاة المفاتيح، كتاب الإيمان، باب الإعتصام بالكتاب والسنة، ج١ ص٢٤٦، دار الفكر
وعن المقدام بن معد يكرب – رضي الله عنه – قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: ( «ألا إني أوتيت القرآن ومثله معه، ألا يوشك رجل شبعان على أريكته يقول: عليكم بهذا القرآن، فما وجدتم فيه من حلال فأحلوه، وما وجدتم فيه من حرام فحرموه، وإن ما حرم رسول الله – صلى الله عليه وسلم – كما حرم الله ; ألا لا يحل لكم الحمار الأهلي، ولا كل ذي ناب من السباع ولا لقطة معاهد إلا أن يستغني عنها صاحبها، ومن نزل بقوم، فعليهم أن يقروه، فإن لم يقروه فله أن يعقبهم بمثل قراه» ) . رواه أبو داود، وروى الدارمي نحوه، وكذا ابن ماجه إلى قوله: (كما حرم الله) .

وفي المرقاة: (إني أوتيت) ، أي: أتاني الله (القرآن ومثله) ، أي: أعطيت القرآن ومثل القرآن – حال كونه منضما – (معه) : وهو يحتمل تأويلين: أحدهما: أنه أوتي من الوحي الباطن غير المتلو مثل ما أعطي من الظاهر، والثاني: أنه أوتي الكتاب وحيا وأوتي من التأويل مثله، أي: أذن له أن يبين في الكتاب فيعمم ويخصص ويزيد وينقص، فيكون ذلك في وجوب العمل ولزوم قبوله كالظاهر المتلو من القرآن يعني: أوتيت القرآن وأحكاما ومواعظ وأمثالا تماثل القرآن في كونها واجبة القبول أو في المقدار (ألا) : في تكرير كلمة التنبيه توبيخ وتقريع نشأ من غضب عظيم على من ترك السنة والعمل بالحديث استغناء بالكتاب، فكيف بمن رجح الرأي على الحديث. كذا ذكره الطيبي، ولذا رجح الإمام الأعظم الحديث ولو ضعيفا على الرأي ولو قويا… (رجل شبعان) : بالضم من غير تنوين. قال القاضي: إنما وصفه بالشبع لأن الحامل له على هذا القول إما البلادة وسوء الفهم، ومن أسبابه الشبع وكثرة الأكل، وإما الحماقة والبطر ومن موجباته التنعم والغرور بالمال والجاه والشبع يكنى به عن ذلك (على أريكته) ، أي: متكئا أو جالسا عليها، وفيه تأكيد لحماقة القائل وبطره وسوء أدبه.

Translation of the Hadith:

Al-Miqdām bin Maʿdīkarib reported that Rasūlullāh ﷺ said: “I have indeed been given the Qurʿān and with it, something like it.  However, the time is near when a man reclining on his couch will say, ‘Hold fast to this Qurʿān; what you find in it to be ḥalāl, deem ḥalāl, and what you find in it to be ḥarām, deem ḥarām.’ But what Rasūlullāh ﷺ has made ḥarām is like what Allāh has made ḥarām. The domestic donkey, beasts of prey with fangs, lost items belonging to allies, unless its owner does not want it, are not permissible to you. If anyone comes to a people they must host him, but if they do not, he has a right to pursue from them a sum equivalent to the expenses of hosting.”