Our Teaching — Page 24
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as 24 Sunnah. And it is obvious that servants only add to the grandeur of their master. The Quran is the Word of God and the Sunnah is the practice of the Messenger of Allah. The Hadith are an addi- tional testimony in support of the Sunnah. It is wrong to suggest that the Hadith are an authority over the Quran, God forbid. If there is a judge that sits over the Quran, it is the Quran itself. The Hadith which are based somewhat on conjecture can never sit as a judge over the Quran; they only serve as supporting testimony. It is the Quran and Sunnah, which have provided all the necessary guidance, whereas the Hadith serve only as a supporting testi- mony. 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 reinforc- ing 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 100 to 150 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 conjec- ture, 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