بسم الله وحده والصلاة والسلام على من لا نبي بعده
Ālimah Siddiqa al-Fārsiyyah
Student, Takhassus Fil Hadith
Checked and Approved:
Mufti Ismail Moosa
www.ulumalhadith.com
This article is extracted from Shaykh ‘Abdullah Siraj ad-Din’s book titled: Tilawah al-Qur’an al-Majid. It contains 11 pages. Shaykh ‘Abdullah speaks about two main topics: 1) Acting upon the sunnah alongside the Qur’an, and 2) Reciting and acting upon the verses of the Qur’an.
The Authority of the Sunnah
Allah Ta’ala says: {And whatever the Messenger has given you – take; and what he has forbidden you – refrain from. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.} [Qur’an 59:7] Thus, whosoever does not act upon the Sunnah, it is as if he has not acted upon the Qur’an. Allah Ta’ala has mentioned the Qur’an and Sunnah in one place due to their dependence: He says: {And Allah has revealed to you the Book and wisdom and has taught you that which you did not know.} [Qur’an 4:113] Shaykh ‘Abdullah explains that ‘hikmah’ in the verse refers to the Prophetic Sunnah, which includes his sayings, actions and tacit approvals, as all of them are inspirations from Allah Ta’ala, and explanations for the Qur’an.
Furthermore, Allah Ta’ala has commanded the Prophet (sal Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) to teach his ummah the Kitab and Hikmah i.e., the Sunnah. Allah Ta’ala says: {It is He who has sent among the unlettered [Arabs] a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book [i.e., the Qur’ān] and wisdom [i.e., the sunnah] – although they were before in clear error} [Qur’an 62:2]
Narrated al-Miqdam ibn Ma’dikari that the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “Lo! Soon a Hadith from me will be conveyed to a man, while he is reclining on his couch, and he says: ‘Between us and you is the Book of Allah. So, whatever we find in it that is lawful, we consider lawful, and whatever we find in it that is unlawful, we consider it unlawful.’ Indeed, whatever the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) made unlawful, it is the same as what Allah made unlawful.” [Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 2664]
Acting upon the Qur’an
‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Shibl narrates from the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), that he said: “Recite the Qur’an and act upon it, do not keep away [from its recitation], do not overstep its boundaries, do not eat through it, and do not make it the means for increasing the debris of the world.” [Imam Ahmad has narrated it in his Musnad and claimed that its chain is strong – qawi]
Narrated by Suhaib that the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “He does not believe in the Qur’an who makes lawful what it prohibits.” — ‘Allamah at-Tibi said: “Whoever makes lawful what Allah has prohibited, has committed kufr. Thus, he has specified the Qur’an due to its loftiness. This is the meaning of the statement of Anas (radhi Allahu ‘anh): ‘At times there is one that recites the Qur’an while it curses him.’”
It was narrated that Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri said: “In the year of Tabuk, the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) addressed the people, while leaning against his mount. He said: ‘Shall I not tell you of the best of the people and the worst of the people? Among the best of the people is a man who strives in the cause of Allah on the back of his horse, or on the back of his camel, or on his own two feet, until death comes to him. And among the worst of the people, is an immoral man (fajir) who reads the Book of Allah but he does not refrain from doing anything bad because of it.’” [an-Nasa’I 3106]
Imam at-Tabrani narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud that the Messenger (sal Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “Recite the Qur’an as long as it prevents you [from disobedience]. If it does not prevent you from disobedience, then you have not [truly] recited it.” — Shaykh ‘Abdullah explains: This means that as long as you are reciting the Qur’an whilst following its commandments and abstaining from its prohibitions, you are considered a complete reciter, and through that, the Qur’an will be evidence for you in front of your Lord. If you are not as such, then your condition is perturbing, and your position is a dangerous one.
‘Abd ar-Rahmān ibn ‘Auf reported the Messenger (sal Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) as saying: “Three things will be under the Throne on the Day of Resurrection: the Qur’ān which will contend with men, having an exoteric and an esoteric meaning; the trust (al-amanah); and ties of relationship (ar-rahim) which will say: ‘Allah join those who joined me and sever those who severed me!’” [Imam al-Baghawi narrated in Sharh as-Sunnah]
The article can be accessed here.