Forty Gems of Beauty — Page 12
12 commands, guided as he was by the implicit inspiration from God and which again was a Divine gift; and in his lifetime ensured that the companions followed his example. The companions, in turn, carried this practical form to the “ T a bi‘ i n ”, and the “ T a bi‘ i n ” passed it on, through their own example, to the “ Tab‘a T a bi‘ i n ”. Thus, the mode of practising religion was established that was immutable in form and was passed on from generation to generation. The Sunnah is evidently, therefore, distinct and something apart from the A ha d i th and carries much greater weight and stability than the A ha d i th. We, therefore, hold that the Islamic Shariah [Islamic canonical law] is based on the teachings of the Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be on him), Hadith and Sunnah) is based originally on the Holy Quran and the Sunnah, for the Quran is the word of God, and the Sunnah is the practical explanation of this word, which the Prophet of God (May peace and blessings of Allah be on him) established through his personal example, after which it reached the succeeding generation through the personal example of the companions and thus was one torch lighted from the other torch. But, as against this, the A ha d i th is, in fact, a collection of verbal reports (so much so that even the “Fi‘l i ” and “Taqr i r i ” A ha d i th have come down to us through verbal reports), and has the status of a supporting witness. No doubt, it is a forceful supporting witness, which cannot be ignored. In any case, it is not as basic as the Quran and the Sunnah. Nevertheless, there is no gain saying the fact that the A ha d i th is a most precious treasure- house of historical, intellectual, and spiritual wealth. So long as a Hadith is not found contrary to a Quranic verse or a more reliable Hadith, it is the duty of every Muslim to accept it, in obedience to the Quranic command, “ Obey Allah and the