This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Irshad Ullah Maan's book The Search for Truth.
Question: Can a Hadith restrict the general ruling of any verse of the Holy Quran?
Answer: Yes, and an example of this is the verse of the Holy Quran: [وَ السَّارِقُ وَ السَّارِقَۃُ فَاقۡطَعُوۡۤا اَیۡدِیَہُمَا] "And cut off the hand of the thief, male or female."
Reference: (Al-Ma'idah:38)
This verse mentions theft in an absolute sense, while the Prophet ﷺ said: The hand of a thief should be cut off if he steals a quarter of a Dinar or more.
Reference: Bukhari, Book of Hudud, Chapter on the Saying of Allah Almighty: "And the male thief and the female thief, cut off their hands": 6789, Muslim, Book of Hudud, Chapter on the Punishment of Theft and its Minimum Limit: 1684
Question: Can the Sunnah exempt something from the ruling of the Holy Quran?
Answer: Yes, and an example of this is the command of Allah Almighty: [حُرِّمَتۡ عَلَیۡکُمُ الۡمَیۡتَۃُ وَ الدَّمُ وَ لَحۡمُ الۡخِنۡزِیۡرِ وَ مَاۤ اُہِلَّ لِغَیۡرِ اللّٰہِ بِہٖ] "Forbidden to you is carrion, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah."
Reference: (Al-Ma'idah:3)
The Prophet ﷺ said: For us, two types of carrion, locusts and fish, and two types of blood, liver and spleen, are permissible.
Reference: Al-Sunan al-Kubra by Al-Bayhaqi, Book of Sacrifices, Chapter on what has been mentioned about the liver and spleen: Hadith 19697
It is understood that the Hadith has exempted fish and locusts from being considered carrion, and the liver and spleen from being considered blood.
Consider another example, Allah Almighty says: [قُلۡ مَنۡ حَرَّمَ زِیۡنَۃَ اللّٰہِ الَّتِیۡۤ اَخۡرَجَ لِعِبَادِہٖ وَ الطَّیِّبٰتِ مِنَ الرِّزۡقِ ؕ قُلۡ ہِیَ لِلَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا فِی الۡحَیٰوۃِ الدُّنۡیَا خَالِصَۃً یَّوۡمَ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ] Ask them who has forbidden the beautiful adornments and the pure foods that Allah has created for His servants? Say, these things are for the believers in the life of this world and especially for them on the Day of Resurrection.
Reference: (Al-A'raf:32)
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Silk and gold are forbidden for the men of my Ummah and permissible for the women.
Reference: Sunan Tirmidhi:1720
If guidance is not taken from the Hadith, then from this verse things like silk and gold, which are forbidden, would be considered permissible.
Question: Can any authentic Sunnah be contrary to the Holy Quran?
Answer: The principle of the Muhaddithin (scholars of Hadith) is that any narration that contradicts the Holy Quran and the pure Sunnah cannot be the saying of the Messenger ﷺ. Imam Bukhari, Imam Muslim, and other Imams of Hadith, according to the principles of Hadith, have declared those Ahadith as authentic which are certainly in accordance with the Quran and Sunnah. Only authentic Ahadith are recorded in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, therefore there is no narration in them that contradicts the Book and Sunnah. Those people who
[1] believe in the second coming of Jesus son of Mary, peace be upon him,
[2] believe that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was personally affected by some magic,
[3] regarding the Dajjal,
[4] regarding the punishment of the grave
When hadiths and similar matters appear to be against the Holy Quran, it is actually due to their lack of knowledge and ignorance. These are the narrations which, after investigation, the scholars of hadith have declared authentic; they are not against the Quran but are contrary to their self-constructed meanings. Consider the following verse: [قُلۡ لَّاۤ اَجِدُ فِیۡ مَاۤ اُوۡحِیَ اِلَیَّ مُحَرَّمًا عَلٰی طَاعِمٍ یَّطۡعَمُہٗۤ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ یَّکُوۡنَ مَیۡتَۃً اَوۡ دَمًا مَّسۡفُوۡحًا اَوۡ لَحۡمَ خِنۡزِیۡرٍ فَاِنَّہٗ رِجۡسٌ اَوۡ فِسۡقًا اُہِلَّ لِغَیۡرِ اللّٰہِ بِہٖ ۚ فَمَنِ اضۡطُرَّ غَیۡرَ بَاغٍ وَّ لَا عَادٍ فَاِنَّ رَبَّکَ غَفُوۡرٌ رَّحِیۡمٌ] Say, "I do not find in what has been revealed to me anything forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, except carrion, flowing blood, pork, that which is unclean, or a sinfully slaughtered animal on which Allah's name has not been mentioned. But whoever is forced by necessity, neither desiring nor exceeding the limit, then indeed, your Lord is Forgiving and Merciful."
Reference: (Al-An'am:145)
Think: Are the blessed hadiths that declare dogs and other beasts and other pecking birds forbidden contrary to this verse? Although it may seem so on the surface, in reality, there is no contradiction between the Sunnah and the Quran. It is necessary to reconcile both. Remember! The religion that was conveyed to the Ummah through the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, with continuous transmission, is the straight path. Those who interpret the Holy Quran according to their desires consider the meaning of Sunnah to be that whatever aligns with their carnal desires should be followed, and whatever is against their desires should be abandoned. A correct hadith mentions such people, meaning that indeed a time will come when a man will be sitting leaning on a pillow, and a command of mine or a prohibition will be mentioned before him, and he will say, "We do not know it. We consider forbidden only what we find forbidden in Allah's Book." Beware! I have been given the Quran and something like it as well.
Reference: Musnad Ahmad:17174], [Sunan Abi Dawood, Book of Sunnah, Chapter on Adherence to Sunnah: 4604], [Tirmidhi, Book of Knowledge, Chapter on What is Prohibited to Say Regarding the Hadith of the Messenger ﷺ: 2664
It is understood that the Shariah of Islam refers to the Quran and Sunnah. Whoever adopts only one of them and abandons the other has not truly adopted either, because both command adherence to each other. It is stated: [مَنۡ یُّطِعِ الرَّسُوۡلَ فَقَدۡ اَطَاعَ اللّٰہَ] Whoever obeys the Messenger has certainly obeyed Allah.
Reference: (An-Nisa:80)
