Arba'in — Page 40
40 time ago that whatever is in your hands, not all of it is correct, nor are all the meanings correct that you are attributing to it. Hearken to the call of the one who has been sent as the H akam [Arbiter]. Hence, this is the very response from God Almighty now—accept it if you will. Alas! You people should have taken a lesson from the episode of the Jews and the Christians. These people had the same excuse concerning the Messiah and the Seal of the Prophets, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that we will not accept them until all the Signs are fulfilled. And this was impossible due to the passage of a long period of time and changing circumstances, so they died in a state of disbelief. So, do not stumble in the same manner as the Jews and the Christians did. And if all that you possessed was entirely accurate, then what was the need for a H akam Mujaddid [ Judging Reformer] to come? Every sect thinks what- ever it holds is indeed correct. Now, all these sects cannot be correct. Therefore, the truth is only that which issues forth from the mouth of the H akam ! If you have faith, then by order of the H akam appointed by God, it should not be difficult for you to leave a few a ha d i th , or reinterpret them. These are only the opinions of your past elders that such and such hadith is s a hih [fully authentic], or h asan [authentic, but with some narrators with weak memory] or mashh u r [well known], or mau d u‘ [fabri- cated]. These are not commandments of Allah, and this classifi- cation of a ha d i th was not made owing to any Divine revelation. Then, why should a hadith not be rejected if it goes against the Holy Quran, or against some other a ha d i th, or contradicts an instruction of God?