Noah's Ark: An Invitation to Faith — Page 100
HAZRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMAD (AS) the necessary guidance, whereas the Hadith serve only as a supporting testimony. How can the Hadith be a judge over the Quran? The Quran and Sunnah were imparting guidance in an age when this man-made adjudicator did not even exist. Do not say that the Hadith are an authority over the Quran, rather consider them a reinforcing testimony to the truth of the Quran and Sunnah. Though the Sunnah expounds the purport of the Quran and is the path unto which the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, guided his Companions through his practical example, the term does not refer to those sayings that were recorded in books after approximately one hundred to one hundred and fifty years, for these sayings are referred to as Hadith. The Sunnah is the practical example of those pious Muslims which has been a part of their characters since the very beginning and which thousands of Muslims have been taught to follow. Although a large part of the Hadith is based on conjecture, but so long as they do not contradict the Quran or Sunnah, they are worth accepting. For the Hadith not only support the Quran and Sunnah, but are also valuable material on various issues that relate to Islam. Therefore, to disregard the Hadith would be to sever off one of the limbs of Islam. However, if there is a Hadith which contradicts the Quran and Sunnah, or contradicts a Hadith which accords with the Quran; or if, for example, there is a Hadith which opposes Sahih Bukhari, then such a Hadith ought to be rejected. To accept such Hadith is to 100