The relevance of Hadith in Islam

Today we are discussing the importance of Hadith in Islam.   Hadiths and Prophetic practices are very important for Muslims as far as Islam is concerned. Hadiths are of great importance in making Islam more beautiful and more glorious. Let us move on to the subject.

Introduction

Islam is the religion of Allah, the Lord of the Universe, for the liberation of mankind and for the salvation of this world and the hereafter.  Allah sent prophets and revealed the scriptures to propagate Islam.  Finally, the appointed Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and finally the Holy Book are the Qur'an.

The Four Principles of Islam

Let's discuss about The Four Principles of Islam. Guide people also into the good behaviors and to avoid displaying some profane ones.  This is the duty of every prophet.  From this we can understand that the first principle of Islam is the Qur'an and the second principle is the Hadith.  Islam has other rand principles.  One is ijma.  Ijma refers to the conclusions and attitudes reached by the community.  

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made it clear that "the community will not unite over one wrong thing."  Qiyas is the Second.  Qiyas is the study of matters which are not mentioned in the Qur'an and Hadith by comparing them with similar matters mentioned in the Qur'an and Hadith.

The relevance of Hadith in Prophetic Words

When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent Hazrat Mu'adh to Yemen as his representative, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked him: "O Mu'adh, once you reach Yemen, many problems will come before you. How can you solve them?"  Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I will judge according to the Book of Allah (the Qur'an)."  The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked: "What if I face problems which are not mentioned in the Qur'an of Allaah?"  Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I will judge by the action of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked:  Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I will make a decision after observing the Qur'an and Hadith." On hearing this, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was overjoyed and blessed Mu'adh with his hands on his chest.

Here Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the problems will be solved by understanding the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).  On hearing this, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was overjoyed and blessed him.  From this we can understand the need and relevance of Hadith.  There are many people around us who think that it is enough to accept the Qur'an and that man does not need Hadith.  This one hadith alone is enough for us to refute their arguments.  The Holy Qur'an of Allah is supernatural.  The Qur'an gives a man whatever he needs.  But just reading it or understanding its meaning does not mean that he should get what he wants.  Because ordinary people like us do not have to be able to understand the Qur'an and explain it.

In fact, rejecting a hadith is tantamount to rejecting the Qur'an.  In the Holy Qur'an, Allah has repeatedly mentioned the importance of the hadiths of the Prophet.  Through the Holy Qur'an, Allah often reminds us that it is obligatory to accept the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him).  Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "O Prophet, say: If you love Allah, then follow Me. Then Allaah will love you and forgive your sins. Allaah is Forgiving, Merciful."(03:31)

From this we learn that if we love Allah, then we must love Allah's Prophet too.  In short, we cannot receive the pleasure and love of Allah without receiving the approval and love of the Prophet (peace be upon him).  From this it can be seen whether those who disobey the Prophet and reject his hadiths love Allah.

Elsewhere, Allah tells us: "Speak to the Prophets, and obey GOD and His messengers, and if they turn away, then GOD does not love the disbelievers" (03:32).

We can see many verses in the Qur'an which emphasize the same idea (04:64, 04:65).  For example, some are specifically recorded.  The Qur'an has told us to perform acts of worship such as prayer, zakat and fasting.  But it is the hadiths that teach us how to perform those acts of worship.  We can understand that it is the duty of all believers to follow the hadiths as well as the Qur'an.

Hadiths: The role of the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (s)

The early generations of the Islamic community were well aware of the importance of hadiths.  The Companions observed the words, deeds, movements and stillness of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and memorized them and told them to others.  The caliphs and imams, such as Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), Hazrat Umar (ra), Hazrat Usman (ra) and Hazrat Ali (ra), all ruled according to the Qur'an and Hadith.  Muslims were very interested in teaching and copying the action of the Prophet.

 Hazrat Abdullah bin 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was a man who followed the path of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and prayed in the places where the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed.  In this way, each Companion attached great importance to the hadiths of the Prophet and his actions.

The relevance of hadiths in the contemporary context

We know how problematic the situations we are facing right now are.  We face a situation where we cannot live as a true believer.  The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If anyone clings to my actions while my community is fazad, he has the reward of a hundred martyrs. 

We have no doubt that the time mentioned by the Prophet is the same as today.  We must never forget that there are a lot of people around us to mislead us.  We can overcome this situation only by holding fast to the hadiths of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and following his steps.

Is Islam a religion of extremism?

The question I have given above is one that every Muslim is likely to have felt at least once.  Islam is never a religion of extremism.  But there are many opportunities in Islam for a Muslim to become an extremist.  If a man reads the Qur'an and understands only its meanings, he is probably a extremist.  This is because the Qur'an is not easy for the common man to understand.  If you want to know the Qur'an, you have to study the life of the Prophet.  One should study the circumstances under which each verse was revealed to the Prophet, and study the explanations given by the scholars to the Qur'an but only one can become a true Muslim.  The extremists here are either those who read and study the translations of the Qur'an.  Those who pay no heed to the Sunnah of the Prophet.  Or those who reject the hadiths of the Prophet.  If a person follows the actions of the Prophet and understands his hadiths, he can never become a extremist.

Kerala in India has the largest number of madrassas in the world.  More than 10 lakh Muslim students are now studying in madrassas.  There are millions of people who have completed their studies.  Critics say extremism is being taught in madrassas.  If that argument is to be considered, the biggest terrorist activity must take place in Kerala.  But such conditions do not exist in Kerala.  This is because Kerala Muslims live and organize their worship based on the Qur'an and Hadith.  But there is a section of Muslims in Kerala who have not done any of this.  They are the ones who come forward with terrorist activities.  In short, in order to live a life of true worship according to the true faith, one must, of course, follow the steps of the Prophet and keep his hadiths in mind.

Conclusion

The words of the Prophet and his actions are indispensable to a Muslim.  Hadiths are needed to complete the acts of worship that he performs in his daily life.  If it is a matter of the Hereafter, then it is obligatory to follow the steps of the Prophet, etc., in order to succeed there and to escape.

We should never fall for the arguments of those who say that we should live according to the Qur'an (They argue that we do not need hadiths).  We must understand that if we do not love or respect the Prophet, we will never receive the will, love and mercy of Allah.