The DEEN in BYTES Series | HADEETH101 Sciences Of Hadeeth - part 2:

IMPORTANCE OF HADITH

1.       Revelation:

The Prophet’s sayings and actions were primarily based on revelation from Allah and, as such, must be considered a fundamental source of guidance second only to the Qur’aan. Allah said:

وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ  إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَىٰ

 “Nor does he (Muhammad) speak from [his own] inclination; It is not but a revelation revealed.” (An-Najm 53:3-4)

Therefore, the hadeeth represents a personal source of divine guidance which Allah granted His Prophet (saw) which was similar in its nature to the Qur’aan itself. The Prophet (saw) reiterated this point in one of his recorded statements;

“Indeed, I was given the Qur’an and something similar to it along with it.”

2.       Tafseer:

Preservation of the Qur’aan was not restricted to protecting its wording from change. Allah also protected its essential meanings from change by entrusting the explanation of the meanings of Qur’an to the Prophet (saw) himself. Allah states in the Qur’an:

وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

“And We revealed to you the message that you may make clear to the people what was sent down to them and that they might give thought.” (An-Nahl 16:44)

So, to understand the meanings of Qur’an, we must consider what Rasulullah (saw) said or did regarding it.

E.g. In the Qur’aan, Allaah instructs the believers to offer Salaah and pay Zakaah. However, in order to obey the instructions correctly, one must study the methodology of the Prophet (saw) in this regard. Among his clarifications concerning Salaah and Zakaah, he said, “Pray as you saw me pray,” and he specified that 2.5% of surplus wealth, unused for a year, should be given as Zakaah.

3.        Laws:

One primary duty of the Prophet (saw) was to judge between people in disputes. Since his judgments were all based on revelation, they are a primary source of principles by which judgments are carried out in an Islamic State. Allah addressed this in the Qur’aan:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ ۖ فَإِن تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ

“O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger.” (An-Nisaa 4:59)

Thus, hadeeths are essential for correct running of the courts in an Islamic State.

4.       Moral Ideal:

Since the Prophet (saw) was guided by revelation in his personal life, his character and social interactions became prime examples of moral conduct for Muslims until the Last Day. Allah said:

لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ

“Surely there is for all of you in Allah’s Messenger an excellent example (of conduct).” (Al-Ahzaab 33:21)

The daily life of Rasulullah (saw) as recorded in hadeeth represents an ideal code of good conduct. When A’ishah (ra) was asked about his conduct, she replied, “His character was the Qur’an.”

5.       Preservation of Islam:

The science of narration, collection and criticism of hadeeth was unknown to the world prior to the era of the Prophet (saw). In fact, due to the absence of such, the messages of former prophets became lost or distorted in the generations that followed them. Thus, it may be said that due to the science of hadeeth, the final message of Islam has been preserved in it is original purity for all times. This is alluded to in the Qur’anic verse:

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ

“Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian.” (Al-Hijr 15:9)

(to be continued – main ref: Bilal Philips, The Fundamentals of Hadeeth Studies, 2003)