Claims and Teachings - Ahmad The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 20
20 Quran is, far superior to that of tradition, because it was esta- blished by the Prophet himself and handed down, to us through *a safe medium. But the same reliance cannot be accorded to tradition, as to the Holy Quran and the custom. Its authority is only admissible when it does not contradict the Holy Quran and the Custom. Tradition is subsidiary to the Holy Quran and the custom and possesses a vast treasure of religious doctrines and therefore, its utter rejection is the cutting oft one of the three branches of Muslim Law. There is no doubt that we cannot place the same confidence in tradition as in the Holy Quran and the custom and must dismiss as a pure fabrication every narrative which contradicts the Holy Quran and the custom or traditions which agree with them, but still it is a very serious error to regard the whole mass of tradition as a pure fabrication. Every tradition must be honored which is true when tested by the touch-stone of the Holy Quran and the custom, for the ulti- mate source to which it may be traced is Prophet himself. Do not deny it until the Holy Quran and the custom give it the lie, lest you should reject the word of the Holy prophet. Nay, you should be so scrupulous about it that you should not do, or for- bear from doing, an act unless you have a tradition in support of it. If you find a tradition contradicting the words of the * Holy Quran, try to put upon its words a construction which should reconcile it to the Holy Quran. But if such a reconci- lation is not possible in any case, reject the tradition for it cannot be from the Prophet. If a tradition is borne out by the Holy Quran, its authority is unquestionable though its authen- ticity may have been called into question by the collectors. In like manner if you come across a tradition involving prophecy which has been fulfilled in your own time or previous to it, know it for certain that it is the word of the Prophet and condemn the