Surah An-Najm (53) — Ayah 4

(Ayah 4) ➊ By { اِنْ هُوَ اِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُّوْحٰى: ’’ هُوَ ‘‘} is meant either the Noble Qur’an and the religion, about which the polytheists used to say that you (ﷺ) have fabricated it yourself, as He said: « اَمْ يَقُوْلُوْنَ افْتَرٰىهُ بَلْ هُوَ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَّبِّكَ » [ السجدۃ : ۳ ] “Or do they say, ‘He has fabricated it’? Rather, it is the truth from your Lord.” Therefore, regarding the Qur’an and the religion, it is said that it is nothing but revelation. Elsewhere, He said: « فَاِنَّهُمْ لَا يُكَذِّبُوْنَكَ وَ لٰكِنَّ الظّٰلِمِيْنَ بِاٰيٰتِ اللّٰهِ يَجْحَدُوْنَ » [الأنعام : ۳۳ ] “So indeed, they do not deny you, but the wrongdoers reject the verses of Allah.” Or by this {’’ هُوَ ‘‘} is meant the “spoken word” found within {’’ يَنْطِقُ ‘‘}, i.e., the statement he utters is nothing but revelation that is sent to him.
Here is a question: Did the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) speak every word only after revelation? If yes, then what about the many statements for which Allah Almighty corrected him? For example, He said: «عَفَا اللّٰهُ عَنْكَ لِمَ اَذِنْتَ لَهُمْ » [ التوبۃ : ۴۳ ] “Allah has pardoned you; why did you give them permission?” And He said: « مَا كَانَ لِنَبِيٍّ اَنْ يَّكُوْنَ لَهٗۤ اَسْرٰى حَتّٰى يُثْخِنَ فِي الْاَرْضِ» [ الأنفال : ۶۷ ] “It is not for a prophet to have captives until he has inflicted a heavy defeat in the land.” And He said: « مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ وَ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا اَنْ يَّسْتَغْفِرُوْا۠ لِلْمُشْرِكِيْنَ۠» [ التوبۃ : ۱۱۳ ] “It is not for the Prophet and those who have believed to ask forgiveness for the polytheists.” And He said: « يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَاۤ اَحَلَّ اللّٰهُ لَكَ» [ التحریم : ۱ ] “O Prophet! Why do you prohibit what Allah has made lawful for you?” Moreover, Allah Almighty commanded you (ﷺ) to consult with the Companions (رضي الله عنهم), saying: « وَ شَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الْاَمْرِ» [آل عمران : ۱۵۹] “And consult them in the matter.” Whereas after revelation, there is no need for consultation or permission. The answer to this question is that here, those statements are being considered revelation which you (ﷺ) presented before the people as the Noble Qur’an or as a ruling of the Shari’ah. The commentator Ibn Kathir (رحمه الله) said: {’’ اِنْ هُوَ اِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُّوْحٰى ‘‘ أَيْ إِنَّمَا يَقُوْلُ مَا أُمِرَ بِهِ، يُبَلِّغُهُ إِلَي النَّاسِ كَامِلًا مُوَفِّرًا مِنْ غَيْرِ زِيَادَةٍ وَلاَ نُقْصَانٍ ‘‘} “That is, the meaning of {’’ اِنْ هُوَ اِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُّوْحٰى ‘‘} is that you (ﷺ) only say that which you are commanded to convey to the people in full, without any omission or addition.”
This revelation includes both the Noble Qur’an and the Hadith. Abdullah bin Amr (رضي الله عنهما) narrates that whatever I heard from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I would write it down with the intention of memorizing it, so the Quraysh forbade me and said: “You write down everything you hear from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), while the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) is a human being who sometimes speaks in anger and sometimes in happiness.” So I stopped writing. Then I mentioned this to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and he pointed to his blessed mouth with his finger and said: [ اُكْتُبْ فَوَ الَّذِيْ نَفْسِيْ بِيَدِهِ ! مَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ إِلاَّ حَقٌّ ] [ أبو داوٗد، العلم، باب کتابۃ العلم : ۳۶۴۶، وقال الألباني صحیح ] “Write, for by Him in Whose hand is my soul! Nothing comes out of this (mouth) except the truth.” Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: [ إِنِّيْ لاَ أَقُوْلُ إِلاَّ حَقًّا ] “I do not say anything except the truth.” So one of his Companions said: “O Messenger of Allah! You also joke with us?” He (ﷺ) said: [ إِنِّيْ لاَ أَقُوْلُ إِلاَّ حَقًّا ] “Indeed, I do not say anything except the truth.” [ مسند أحمد : 340/2، ح : ۸۴۸۱ ] The researcher of Musnad Ahmad said: {’’إِسْنَادُهُ قَوِيٌّ‘‘} that its chain is strong.
➋ At this point, the commentator Abdur Rahman Kilani has written a very useful discussion in “Tayseer al-Qur’an” regarding the status of the sayings and actions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), in which the misconceptions of the deniers of Hadith are also answered. For the benefit of the readers, that discussion is presented here: “The primary addressees of these verses are the disbelievers of Makkah, but since these verses declare the sayings of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to be revelation and obligatory to follow, the deniers of Hadith restrict them and also mock them. For example, one person said: If the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went home and said to one of his wives, ‘Bring me my shoe,’ was that also revelation? And most deniers interpret it as: Whatever was revealed to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) is all found in the Qur’an. This was the objection of the disbelievers and the basis of their dispute and argument with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). And the other statements of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) apart from the Qur’an, which are as a human being, are not to be followed. In this way, these people want to exclude the entire corpus of Hadith and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) from the religion, declare it not to be followed, and in clear words, to be useless. Therefore, we will discuss this in some detail. The fundamental mistake of these people is that they have divided the sayings of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) into only two parts, whereas the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), as the Messenger of Allah, was also the teacher, commentator, and legislator of the Book of Allah, and the teaching, explanation, and interpretation of the Qur’an that he gave was also related to the religion. Thus, the sayings of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) are divided into three parts instead of two. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not only speak, but also acted, and his actions were just as obligatory to follow as his sayings. Thus, there are more than three parts. In summary, the following aspects of the life of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) come before us, from which it becomes clear what is the need and status of the Sunnah in the religion:
(1) Legislative matters: The command for prayer is mentioned many times in the Qur’an, but nowhere is it detailed how it should be performed, how many prayers there are, what are their correct times, how many units (rak‘ahs) are in each prayer, and what is their arrangement? Similarly, how should Hajj be performed, how much Zakah should be collected? How should legal cases be decided? What is the standard and procedure for witnesses in each case, or the right and importance of a woman’s consent in marriage, the right of khul‘, the details of the rules of peace and war, etc. All these matters are such that a person cannot fulfill them without the Sunnah or the sayings and actions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). In other words, the only way to accept and understand the Qur’an is through the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Then all these matters are such that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) never consulted the Companions about them, even though he was emphatically commanded to consult, because these matters do not relate to human insight. Not just any ordinary person, even a prophet is not authorized to decide such matters. All such matters were taught and explained to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) through revelation, whether that revelation was by inspiration or by Jibril (عليه السلام) coming in human form and informing him. In other words, all such matters were also decided by revelation, which is commonly called “hidden revelation (wahy khafi),” and it is obvious that all such details are not mentioned in the Qur’an.
(2) Administrative matters: In such matters, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was commanded to consult the Companions, for example, which place would be suitable for battle, how to treat prisoners, how to run the system of government? These are matters that relate to human insight and experience. In such matters, there is no need for revelation, unless after consultation, there is a mistake in the decision. In such a case, the decision is corrected by revelation, as in the case of the decision regarding the prisoners of the Battle of Badr, after consultation, revelation was sent down in the Qur’an.
(3) Ijtihadi matters: This refers to religious matters in which the solution to a new issue is sought in the light of previous revelation. Although this matter equally relates to the personal insight of every scholar of religious sciences, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was the most entitled to it. An example is that a woman came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and asked: My father was obligated to perform Hajj but died, can I perform Hajj on his behalf? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Tell me, if your father had a debt, would you not pay it?” She said: “Of course, I would.” He (ﷺ) said: “Then Allah is more deserving of repayment.” [ بخاري، جزاء الصید، باب الحج والنذور … : ۱۸۵۲ ] There is a long list of such ijtihads and deductions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), but even in this matter, whenever there was a slip, it was corrected by clear or hidden revelation.
An example is the hadith narrated by Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah (رضي الله عنه) that a man asked: “O Messenger of Allah! Tell me, if I am killed in the way of Allah, while I am patient, seeking reward, advancing, and not turning my back, will Allah forgive all my sins?” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Yes!” The man left, then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called him back and said: “But debt will not be forgiven; Jibril has just informed me of this.” [ نسائي، الجہاد، باب من قاتل فی سبیل اللّٰہ تعالٰی و علیہ دین : ۳۱۵۸۔ مسلم : ۱۸۸۵ ] That is, in response to the questioner’s question, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) gave the glad tidings of Paradise, because martyrdom is such a virtuous deed that with the first drop of blood, the martyr becomes entitled to Paradise, but Allah Almighty immediately sent revelation and amended it.
(4) Natural matters: This includes a person’s daily speech, food, clothing, and other matters, and these matters are common to all people. In such matters, a person—and likewise the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)—was relatively free from revelation, but what aspect is there in which revelation has not imposed restrictions on such matters? For example, a person is free to eat meat, vegetables, or lentils as he wishes, but he can only eat what is lawful and pure. Then he is also instructed to say “Bismillah” before eating, to eat with his right hand, to eat from what is in front of him, to clean the utensil, and to recite a supplication afterward. Similarly, he is free to choose his clothing, but it must cover the ‘awrah, and for women, there is also the requirement of hijab. A woman should not wear men’s clothing, nor should a man wear women’s clothing. He is free to converse with his family, but he is obliged to treat his wife with kindness and good conduct. He is free to choose his business, but he cannot engage in unlawful business, nor can he earn money through unlawful means in lawful business. He cannot cheat in weights and measures. He cannot acquire wealth from others through deception. Nor can he accumulate wealth through interest and its various forms, etc. What aspect is there in which he is independent of revelation?
From these clarifications, it becomes clear that legislative matters depend entirely on revelation, and since the rulings in the Qur’an are mentioned in summary and do not relate to human insight, these rulings cannot be carried out without the Sunnah. In the remaining three types of matters, a person is relatively free, but even in these three aspects, revelation has imposed restrictions and given instructions, most of which are not mentioned in the Qur’an. So how can it be possible to deny the Sunnah of the Prophet, and how can it be said that {’’ وَ مَا يَنْطِقُ ‘‘} relates only to the Qur’an? And the result of this view is that whoever denies the Sunnah also denies the Qur’an.” (Tayseer al-Qur’an)

The exegesis of this verse has been done along with the previous verse.

What he speaks is nothing but a revelation sent down to him [3].

[3]
The Legal Status of the Sayings of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Hadith Rejecters:

The primary addressees of these verses are the disbelievers of Makkah. However, since these verses declare your sayings to be revelation and obligatory to follow, the hadith rejecters both restrict them and mock them. For example, one person said: If the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went home and said to one of his wives, "Bring me my shoe," would that also be revelation? And most rejecters interpret it as: Whatever was revealed to you ﷺ has all come in the Quran. This was the very objection of the disbelievers and the very point of their dispute and argument with you ﷺ. And your statements other than the Quran, which are as a human being, are not worthy of being followed. In this way, these people want to prove, in clear words, that the entire collection of hadith and your ﷺ sunnah are outside of religion, not to be followed, and even useless. Therefore, we will discuss this in some detail. The fundamental mistake of these people is that they have divided the sayings of your ﷺ life into only two parts. Whereas, as the Messenger of Allah, you ﷺ were also the teacher, interpreter, and explainer of the Book of Allah, and the teachings, explanations, and interpretations of the Quran that you ﷺ provided were also related to religion. In this way, your ﷺ sayings are divided into three parts instead of two. Then, you ﷺ did not only speak, but also acted, and your ﷺ actions were just as obligatory to follow as your sayings. Thus, there are even more parts than three. In short, the following aspects of your ﷺ life come before us, from which it becomes clear what is the need and status of sunnah in religion:

1.
Legislative Matters:

The command for prayer has come in the Quran about seven hundred times, but nowhere is its detail given as to how it should be performed. How many prayers are there? What are their correct times? How many rak‘ahs are in each prayer and what is their arrangement? Similarly, how should Hajj be performed, how much zakat should be collected? How should legal cases be decided? What is the standard and procedure for witnesses in each case? Or the right and importance of a woman's consent in marriage, the right of khula‘, details of the rules of peace and war, etc. All these are matters that a person cannot perform without the sunnah or your sayings and actions. It is as if the only source for accepting and understanding the Quran is your ﷺ sunnah. Then, all these mentioned matters are such that you ﷺ never consulted the companions about them, even though you ﷺ were emphatically commanded to consult, because these matters do not relate to human insight. Not just any ordinary person, even a prophet is not authorized to decide such matters. All such matters were conveyed and taught to you ﷺ through revelation, whether that revelation was through inspiration or through Jibreel coming in human form and informing you. Thus, all such matters were also decided through revelation, which is commonly called "hidden revelation" (wahy khafi), and it is obvious that all such details are not mentioned in the Quran.

2.
Administrative Matters:

In such matters, you were commanded to consult the companions. For example, which place would be suitable for battle, how should prisoners be treated, how should the system of government be run? These are matters that relate to human insight and experience. In such matters, there is no need for revelation unless, after consultation, there remains some error in the decision. In such a case, the correction of that decision would be made through revelation. For example, after consultation regarding the prisoners of the Battle of Badr, revelation was sent down in the Quran regarding the decision.

3.
Ijtihadi Matters:

This refers to such religious matters in which the solution to a newly arisen issue is sought in the light of previous revelation. Although this matter equally relates to the personal insight of every expert in religious sciences, you ﷺ were the most deserving of it. An example of this is that a woman came to you ﷺ and asked: My father was obligated to perform Hajj but died. Can I perform Hajj on his behalf? You ﷺ said: "Tell me, if he had a debt, would you not pay it?" The woman said: "Of course I would." So you ﷺ said: "Then Allah is more deserving of repayment." The list of your ijtihads and deductions is also long, but even in this matter, whenever there was any slip, it was corrected through clear or hidden revelation. An example of this is the hadith narrated by Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ that a man asked: O Messenger of Allah! Tell me, if I am killed in the way of Allah, while I am patient, seeking reward, advancing, and not turning my back, will Allah forgive all my sins? You ﷺ said: "Yes." The man left, then you ﷺ called him back and said: "Except for debt; Jibreel has just informed me of this." [مسلم، كتاب الامارة، باب ماوعده الله تعالىٰ للمجاهد فى الجنة]

That is, in response to the questioner, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave the glad tidings of Paradise, because martyrdom is such a virtuous deed that with the first drop of blood, the martyr becomes deserving of Paradise. But Allah Almighty immediately sent revelation and amended it.

4.
Natural Matters:

This includes a person's daily speech, food, clothing, and other matters, and these matters are common to all people. In such matters, a person—and likewise you ﷺ—was relatively free from revelation. But what is the aspect in which revelation has not imposed restrictions on such matters? For example, a person is free to eat meat, vegetables, or lentils if he wishes, but he can only eat what is halal and pure. Then he is also instructed to recite Bismillah before eating, to eat with his right hand, to eat from in front of him, to clean the utensil, and to recite a supplication afterward. Similarly, he is free to choose his clothing, but it must cover the ‘awrah, and for women, there is also the requirement of hijab. A woman should not wear men's clothing, nor should a man wear women's clothing. He is free to converse with his family, but he is bound to treat his wife with kindness and good conduct. He is free to choose his business, but he cannot engage in unlawful business, nor can he earn money through unlawful means in a lawful business. He cannot cheat in weights and measures. He cannot acquire wealth from others through deception. Nor can he accumulate wealth through interest and its various forms, etc. So, what is the aspect in which he is free from revelation? These clarifications show that legislative matters depend entirely on revelation, and since the commands in the Quran are mentioned in a summarized form and do not relate to human insight, these commands cannot be carried out without the sunnah. In the remaining three types of matters, a person is relatively free, but even in these three aspects, revelation has imposed restrictions and given instructions, most of which are not mentioned in the Quran. So then, how is it possible to deny the Prophetic Sunnah, and how can it be said that: ﴿وَمَا يَنْطِقُ﴾ relates only to the Quran? And the result of this view is that whoever denies the sunnah also denies the Quran.