WHAT IS HADITH?

WHAT IS HADITH?

   "The form of the sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh), which consists of his words, actions, statements, and moral and human qualities, expressed in words or in writing. In this sense, hadith is synonymous with the sunnah,

   The word hadith means “new”, the opposite of “old”, and also means word and news. Some verbs derived from this word express meanings such as giving news, conveying. The word hadith is used in the Quran to express these meanings. For example, in the verse, “So if they do not believe in the word (hadith), you will destroy yourself with sorrow after them” (al-Kahf, 18/6), “word” (Quran); “Did the news of Moses (hadith of Moses) not come to you?” (Taha, 20/9) In the verse, it means “news”. The verb “And tell (fahaddis) about the favor of your Lord” is also used in the sense of “tell, inform, convey”.

   Over time, the word hadith began to be used as the general name for the news narrated from the Prophet Muhammad. The word was also used in this sense by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). According to a hadith in Bukhari, Abu Hurairah asked, “O Messenger of Allah, who will be the happiest person to receive intercession on the Day of Judgement?”

 The Prophet replied: "Knowing your longing for the hadith, I expected that you would ask about this hadith before anyone else. The happiest person who will attain my intercession on the Day of Judgement is the one who says, "There is no god but Allah"" (Bukhari, knowledge; 33).

      The Place and Importance of Hadith in Religion:

    The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) not only conveyed the revelations he received from Allah to the believers, but also explained them and put them into practice in his own life, turning them into concrete examples. For this reason, he is also called the “living Quran.” Islamic scholars generally accept that the hadiths on religious subjects were revealed to the Prophet by Allah; they also give the following evidence:HE (The Prophet) does not speak on his own; his words are nothing but revelation sent down to him. (An-Najm, 3-4) They put forward the verse. Also, “Certainly, Allah has bestowed great favor upon the believers, because He sent among them a messenger who taught them the Book and wisdom, while before they were in clear error. (Alu Irnran, 3/164) They also stated that the word “wisdom” mentioned in the verse means “sunnah”. In fact, some news narrated from the Prophet and his companions also reveal this fact. 

      It has been narrated from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh): “I was given the Book (the Quran) and something like it (the Sunnah) along with it” (Abu Dawud, Sunan, II, 505). Hassan Ibn Atiyyah made the following explanation on the same issue: “Just as Jibreel (pbuh) brought the Quran to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and taught it, he also brought the Sunnah and taught it” (Ibn Abdilbarr, Jami'u'l Bayani'l-ilm, II, 191).

    As can be understood from the verses and news mentioned above, the Quran and the hadith (in a broader sense, the sunnah) are the same in that they are revelations sent by Allah (swt) to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). However, the Quran, unlike the hadith, differs from the hadith in that its meaning and wording cannot be created in a similar way (mi'jaz) and that neither Gabriel (pbuh) nor the Prophet (pbuh) had any control over it, since it was recorded in writing in the Preserved Tablet. On the other hand, since the hadith was not revealed in words, it is not miraculous like the words of the Quran, and it is permissible to convey it only in terms of meaning, provided that the meaning it expresses is adhered to.

    It should be noted that the words that were transmitted as hadith from the Prophet (pbuh), but more specifically, the words of his (pbuh) as a mere human being, which had no religious characteristics and related to his daily life, are outside of what has been explained above. His (pbuh) explanation that he could make mistakes as a human being (Muslim, Fadail, 139-140-141) shows this. Indeed, the fact that he made mistakes in some of his ijtihads shows that no revelation had come in these matters. However, it should not be forgotten that these mistakes were sometimes corrected through revelation.

     As a source of jurisprudence based on revelation, hadith is in the following forms in terms of its status against the Qur'an and the rulings it brings:

1. Some hadiths confirm and reaffirm the rulings of the Quran. Such hadiths are those that prohibit disobedience to parents, giving false witness, and killing someone.

2. Some hadiths explain the provisions of the Quran and provide complementary information. In the Quran, performing prayers, performing the Hajj, and giving alms are commanded, but how these should be done is not specified. We learn how to perform these acts of worship from the hadiths.

3. Some hadiths also make rulings on issues that the Qur'an does not touch upon at all. Examples of such hadiths that show that the hadith is an independent source of legislation are the hadiths that prohibit the consumption of the meat of domesticated donkeys and birds of prey, and that state many rulings regarding blood-money.

      What has been explained so far shows the important place of the hadith (sunnah) in the religion of Islam. In terms of religion, as a source of ruling that comes immediately after the Quran, the hadith should be given due importance and the Sunnah of the Prophet should be followed. It has been commanded in very clear terms by Allah (swt) and His Messenger, Hz. Muhammad (pbuh). The following verses are included in the Quran on this subject:Oh Prophet, too If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins.” (Alu Imran, 3/31);

  “Oh Prophet, too that: to Allah and the prophet Obey. If you turn away, know that Allah does not love the unbelievers.“ (Alu Imran, 3/32;

“Obey Allah and the Prophets, so that you may receive mercy.” (Alu Imran, 3/132);

“The Prophet to you "Whatever He brings, accept it, and whatever He forbids, avoid it." (al-Hashr, 59/7).

    As can be seen, in these verses, obedience to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is commanded together with obedience to Allah (swt), and it is even clearly stated that obedience to the Prophet (pbuh) means obedience to Allah (swt).

    The Messenger of Allah (saw) also said in one of his hadiths: “Know for sure that I have been given the Quran and something like it (the Sunnah). Soon will come some people who will sit comfortably in their chairs, with their stomachs full, and say, ‘Hold fast to the Quran and whatever you find lawful in it, consider it lawful and whatever you find sacred, consider it forbidden.’ Indeed, what the Messenger of Allah (saw) has forbidden is like what Allah has forbidden.” (Abu Dawud Sunnah, 5; Ibn Majah, Muqaddimah, 2; Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, 1V.131) Thus, he warned Muslims against those who belittle the Sunnah and want to separate it from the religion, and emphasized that religion cannot be considered without the Sunnah.

    In fact, the people and groups that the Prophet warned would come here, in the first and second centuries of the Hijri era and also in the 19th and 20th centuries, under the influence of the orientalists, lived in India (Society of the People of the Qur'an) and in Egypt (Tevlik Sidki, Mahmud Abu Reyye..) emerged, but they had no effect on the hadith and the sunnah.” (Şamil İslam Ans. Under the Title of Hadith: İsmail Lütfi Çakan, p:109-110) A. AZİZ