Surah An-Najm (53) — Ayah 4

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.