Life of Ahmad — Page 268
THE PHARISEE OF BATALA as 268 D a r Qu t n i records the following words of the Holy Prophet sa : 'My word cannot or does not cancel the Word of God. ' To throw further light on the relative position of the Hadith and the Quran, Ahmad as points out that Hadith are of two kinds. (1) Hadith relating to the practice of Islam including all essentials of the faith, modes of worship, agreements, contracts or covenants, dealings or business and all other Islamic commandments and ordinances. This kind of Hadith is most authoritative and constitutes the most important part of the whole Hadith literature. It is believed to be at one with the Book of Allah in so far as it supplements, amplifies, interprets, illustrates, and clarifies the injunctions incorporated in the Word of God. This Hadith is binding upon Muslims and owes its importance not so much to the authenticity of its verbal source of transmission as to the indisputable fact of its being actually incorporated into the very texture of Muslim ritual, which has been practically handed down to posterity through successive generations. Strictly speaking, it may be said that this Hadith deals with the Sunna. It is chiefly to this kind of Hadith that the Quran refers in these words: 'And what the Prophet has given you, hold it fast and what he has forbidden you, go not near it' (Al- H ashr 59:8).