The Essence of Islam – Volume II — Page 139
Hadith and Sunnah of the Holy Prophetsa 139 been no trace of the compilers of Ahādīth, no harm would have been done. Everyone has to admit that the Holy Teacher and Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) had not so confined his teaching as to train only a few people in it and to leave all others unaware of it. Had that been so, Islām would have been so corrupted that it could not have been reformed through the efforts of any compiler of Hadith. The Imāms of Ahādīth have compiled thousands of Ahādīth relating to religious instruction, yet there is no Hadith which was not being acted upon before its being recorded and which was not known to the world. If there is any teaching, or event, or doctrine the foundation of which has only been laid by the Imāms of Hadith on the basis of some report and no sign of it is discoverable in practice, nor is it mentioned in the Holy Qur'an, then without doubt such a report which became known a century and a half later, would absolutely lack certainty and would deserve whatever condemnation might be directed at it. Such Ahādīth have no great relationship with faith in the history of Islām. If you look with care you will find that the Imams of Ahādīth have very seldom mentioned Ahādīth no trace of which is found in practice. It is, therefore, not true, as some ignorant ones imagine, that the world has learnt of the hundreds of matters relating to the faith, even fasting and Prayer services, only from the Ahadith compiled by Bukhārī and Muslim and others. Were the Muslims without faith for a century and a half? Did they not perform the Prayer services? Did they not pay Zakāt? Did they not perform the Pilgrimage? Were they unaware of the Islamic doctrines that are mentioned in the Ahādīth? Certainly not. [Shahadat-ul-Qur'an, Rūķānī Khazā'in, vol. 6, pp. 298-303]