Islamiyat · Oct / Nov 2016 · Paper 21 · Question 2

Describe the relationship of Hadiths with the Qur’an, giving examples of how Hadiths are used in understanding God’s words. [10]

The Prophet’s (pbuh) hadiths play a very important role in Islam and are second only to the Qur’an in formulating laws. God has given Muslims many injunctions in the Qur’an but it is the hadiths of the Prophet (pbuh) that explain them. Explaining the divine book was one of the functions of the Messenger of God (pbuh). ‘We have merely revealed this book to you so that you may explain to them where they are differing over (and so it stands out) as a guidance and mercy for a people who believe.’ (Al- Qur’an, 16:64) The above and other verses clearly establish the fact that the teachings of the Qur’an cannot be put into practice without seeking guidance from the Prophet’s (pbuh) hadiths. Some examples to show how the two are used together could be given by candidates e.g. they can say that hadiths explain Qur’anic verses e.g. God says in the Qur’an: ‘So be obedient to your Lord, O Mary. Prostrate (to Him) and bow down alongside those who bow down.’ (Al-Qur’an 3:43) The Prophet’s (pbuh) hadiths expand on how to put the injunction from God into action, ‘Pray as you see me praying’. Hadiths also restrict the meaning of a verse e.g. in the case of theft the command is to cut off their hands. How much of the hand is to be cut off? Which hand is to be cut off? The Prophet (pbuh) educated the companions on both issues by stating that in the case of theft the right hand up to the wrist is to be cut off. Explanation of technical issues like those concerning fasting in the month of Ramadan, for which the Qur’an says: ‘And eat and drink until the white thread becomes distinct to you from the black thread of dawn.’ The Prophet (pbuh) interpreted the verse by saying that the white thread refers to day and the black thread refers to the night. These and other examples related to zakat etc. can be given in responses.

‘By using the principle of analogy (qiyas) the basic laws of Islam can be applied at any time and in any case.’ Do you agree? [4]

Candidates can either agree or disagree with this statement. Those who agree can say that new rulings can be formed for any new circumstance, based on their basic similarity with the basic laws of the Qur’an and sunna. In this way the divine laws revealed in the Qur’an and sunna remain unchanged without becoming outdated. The fundamental laws were made by God who created man and knows what’s best for him at all times. For changing aspects of human life, the Qur’an and sunna provide basic principles which may be applied by analogy whenever the need arises e.g. the issue of drugs could be cited, cocaine was not present in the Prophet’s (pbuh) time so is its use allowed? The Prophet (pbuh) had said, ‘Every intoxicant is khamr, and every khamr is haram’ so every intoxicant is unlawful is a conclusion that could be derived at by the use of analogy. Some answers may put forward an opposing argument stating that some schools of thought may disagree with the given statement as qiyas depends very much on the ability of a legal expert to find comparisons between two principles, and because it is practised by individuals it causes unease to some Muslims as it does not have the same broad support, as the other three sources. Whatever the view of the candidate it needs to be backed with evaluation to get the higher level.