This excerpt is taken from the book of Fazilat-ul-Sheikh Abdul Salam Rustami From Denial of Hadith to Denial of Quran.
The Preservation of the Prophetic Sunnah According to the Holy Quran
It is proven from the Holy Quran that the Ahadith of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, are preserved revelation. This chapter has two sections. The first section explains the preservation of the Quran, while the second section will establish the preservation of authentic Ahadith. InshaAllah!
Preservation of the Holy Quran
The distinguishing feature of the Quran compared to other revealed books (Torah, Psalms, Gospel, and Scrolls) is that Allah Almighty Himself has taken the responsibility of its protection. Accordingly, the Almighty says:
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ
"Indeed, We have sent down the Reminder (Quran), and indeed, We will be its guardian."
Reference: (15-Al-Hijr:9)
Mentioning other books, especially the Torah, it is stated:
بِمَا اسْتُحْفِظُوا مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ وَكَانُوا عَلَيْهِ شُهَدَاءَ
"Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which was guidance and light. The prophets who submitted [to Allah] judged by it for the Jews, as did the rabbis and scholars by that with which they were entrusted of the Scripture of Allah, and they were witnesses thereto."
Reference: (5-Al-Ma'idah:44)
This means that the scholars of the Jews were entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the Torah. The reason was that this book was meant to last for a certain period, and during that period, the Jewish scholars could protect it. Another reason was that the Torah, Psalms, and Gospel were given to the Prophets (peace be upon them) in written form, so only those who understood knowledge and writing could preserve the written text, while the common people remained unaware of it. Due to these two reasons, Allah Almighty entrusted the protection of these books to the Prophets (peace be upon them) and the scholars. However, the Quran is a book that will remain until the Day of Judgment, and its first audience were illiterate people. They could not protect it through writing, so Allah Almighty Himself accepted the responsibility of its protection. During the time of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), a systematic program was established, and scribes of revelation were appointed who preserved the Quran in written form.
Among the attributes of the Quran is its preservation, so no change can occur in the Quran in wording or meaning in any way. The Divine command is:
وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقًا وَعَدْلًا ۚ لَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَاتِهِ
"The word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice. None can change His words."
Reference: (6-Al-An'am:115)
It is also stated:
وَاتْلُ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِن كِتَابِ رَبِّكَ ۖ لَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَاتِهِ
"And recite what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. None can change His words."
Reference: (18-Al-Kahf:27)
It is also stated:
قُلْ مَا يَكُونُ لِي أَنْ أُبَدِّلَهُ مِن تِلْقَاءِ نَفْسِي
"Say, 'I do not have the power to change it on my own.'"
Reference: (10-Yunus:15)
It is also stated:
لَا يَأْتِيهِ الْبَاطِلُ مِن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَلَا مِنْ خَلْفِهِ
"Falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from behind it."
Reference: (41-Ha Mim As-Sajdah:42)
Mujahid (may Allah have mercy on him) interpreted "falsehood" in this verse as "change." Therefore, the protection of the Quran means that no alteration or change can occur in the words of the Quran, nor can any distortion or modification occur in its meanings. However, some false worshippers attempt to bring about changes in the verses, words, meanings, or interpretations of the Quran, as we have exposed the conspiracy of Mr. Parvez. God willing, their attempt and conspiracy will not succeed among Muslims. In every era, Muslims have thwarted every attempt of such false worshippers. Even now, the deniers of Hadith continue to make various kinds of spiritual distortions and interpretations to mislead Muslims from the Islam presented by Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). But Allah Almighty has raised scholars of truth in every era to make the Ummah aware of such conspiracies and fabrications, preventing them from succeeding in their malicious goals and protecting simple-minded Muslims from falling into their false traps.
Stages of the Preservation of the Quran
Allah Almighty said:
إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا جَمْعَهُ وَقُرْآنَهُ
“It is Our duty to collect it and to recite it.”
Reference: (75-Al-Qiyamah:17)
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) explained this verse by saying: The collection of this Book in the blessed chest of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and its recitation through the mediation of Angel Jibreel (Gabriel), or the recitation of it on the blessed tongue of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), is the work of Allah Almighty.
According to this interpretation, this is the first stage of the compilation of the Holy Quran, but the use of this word indicates that in the later stages (which we will describe) the collection is also by the will of Allah Almighty.
Stages of the Compilation of the Quran
❀ Prophetic Era: In this era, there were two methods of preserving the Quran: memorization and writing. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) emphasized memorization of the Quran more than writing, for several reasons:
➊ The Quran was revealed not in written form but orally through Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) in a vocal manner, meaning that just as Angel Jibreel taught the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the Prophet recited it to the Companions and made them memorize it. This method did not require any script, dots, or diacritical marks. It was a completely simple and natural method.
➋ The Arabs had very strong memories, and the literate people among them were less than five percent.
➌ The Torah was revealed in written form, so it was specific to the literate people. Gradually, they altered it, and the public remained unaware because there were no memorizers of the Torah. Whereas in the Quran, the preservation through memorization is specifically mentioned. Allah Almighty says:
بَلْ هُوَ آيَاتٌ بَيِّنَاتٌ فِي صُدُورِ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ ۚ
"Rather, it is clear verses in the breasts of those who have been given knowledge."
Reference: (29-Al-Ankabut:49)
Therefore, at the time of the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) death, hundreds of memorizers of the Quran were present. In the Battle of Badr al-Ma'unah, which took place in 4 AH, about seventy memorizers were martyred, and in the Battle of Yamama fought during the early caliphate of Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), about seven hundred memorizers of the Quran were martyred. The method of writing was that whenever a verse or a surah was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), he would call Zaid bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) or another scribe of revelation and say, "Write this verse in such and such place."
Thus, the Companions were engaged in both memorization and writing. During this period, the following materials were used for writing:
➊ Fine tanned leather.
➋ Stone slabs.
➌ Camel shoulder blades.
➍ Date palm branch bark.
➎ Small pieces of camel bone.
In summary, during the time of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, the entire Quran, verses and chapters, were preserved in parts in order, but not compiled in one book form in one place. The memorizers had also memorized this collection, so overall all the memorizers of the entire Quran existed. Additionally, Angel Jibreel, peace be upon him, used to review the Quran with the Prophet, peace be upon him, every year in Ramadan.
❀ The Era of Siddiqi: Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, other noble hadith scholars, and historians have detailed the compilation of the Quran during the era of Siddiqi. The summary is that when about seven hundred memorizers were martyred in the Battle of Yamama, there was a fear that the entire Quran or part of it might be lost due to the death of these memorizers. Umar Farooq, may Allah be pleased with him, advised Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, emphasizing the urgent need to compile the Quran in book form in one place. Abu Bakr Siddiq initially opposed Umar Farooq’s opinion but later agreed to it and then persuaded Zaid bin Thabit, may Allah be pleased with him, to undertake this task. Zaid bin Thabit, may Allah be pleased with him, collected all the written parts of the Quran that the Companions had, with great effort and struggle, after verifying with the testimony of two memorizers for each part, and compiled this collection into a book form called Mushaf. It was kept under government supervision and remained with Abu Bakr Siddiq until his death, then with Umar Farooq. After Umar Farooq’s martyrdom, this Mushaf remained with Umm al-Mu'mineen Hafsa bint Umar, may Allah be pleased with her.
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari, Tafsir al-Quran, Chapter: Allah’s Saying: Indeed, there was for you in the Messenger..., Hadith: 4679)
In short, during this era, the Quran which was in different parts with different Companions was collected under the supervision of Zaid bin Thabit, may Allah be pleased with him, and compiled into a book form. The order of verses and chapters was the same as during the time of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. Details will follow later.
❀ The Era of Uthmani: Hadith scholars and Islamic historians have also detailed the compilation of the Quran during the era of Uthman. The details are that when Uthman bin Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, became Caliph, Islam had spread beyond Arabia to distant regions of Rome and Persia. When people in these new areas became Muslims, they learned the Quran from the Islamic warriors or traders through whom they had received the blessing of Islam. It is known that the Quran was revealed in seven dialects, and different Companions learned it from the Prophet, peace be upon him, according to different readings. Therefore, each Companion taught their students according to the reading they had learned from the Prophet, peace be upon him. Thus, this difference in readings spread to distant countries. As long as people were aware that the Quran was revealed in seven dialects, no harm arose from this difference. But when this difference reached distant countries and it was not well known among them that the Quran was revealed in seven dialects, people began to quarrel, some considering their reading correct and others’ reading incorrect. These disputes posed two dangers: on one hand, people might fall into the serious error of rejecting the mutawatir readings of the Quran; on the other hand, except for the copy written by Zaid bin Thabit, may Allah be pleased with him, which was in Madinah Munawwarah, there was no other standard copy in the entire Muslim world that could serve as a criterion for correction for the whole Ummah, because other copies were individually written and did not include all seven dialects. Therefore, the reliable solution to these disputes was to distribute copies throughout the Muslim world that included all seven dialects, so that it could be decided which reading was correct and which was incorrect by looking at them. Uthman bin Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, accomplished this great task under his supervision.
Arrangement of the Quran
There are three types of Quranic arrangement:
❀ Descending arrangement: According to the event, any verse or any surah was revealed. Since the events had no connection or proportion among themselves, there is no consideration of connection or proportion in the descending arrangement either. Some verses or surahs were revealed in Mecca, some in Medina, some during travel, some while staying, some at night, and some during the day.
❀ Written arrangement: This refers to the order in which the Quran was written. At the time of revelation, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) ensured that such and such verse was written after such and such verse, in such and such surah, and such and such surah after such and such surah. Although these were different pieces, in reality, they had a complete order. The memorizers of the Quran also memorized it in this same order. Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) also used to visit the Prophet (peace be upon him) in Ramadan in this same order, therefore the order of the verses is unanimously considered to be divinely guided (tawqeefi), and according to the correct opinion, the order of the surahs is also tawqeefi. The evidences are as follows:
➊ Imam Bayhaqi (may Allah have mercy on him) says: During the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the surahs and verses of the Quran, except Surah Al-Anfal and Surah At-Tawbah, were arranged in the same (current) order.
Reference: (Al-Itqan fi Ulum al-Quran by Al-Suyuti: 196/1. In reality, these two surahs were also arranged but at that time the true order was not clear to the Companions)
➋ The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: Recite the two bright ones (Surah Al-Baqarah and Surah Aal Imran).
Reference: (Sahih Muslim, Salat al-Musafirin wa Qasruha, Chapter on the virtue of reciting the Quran and Surah Al-Baqarah, Hadith: 804)
➌ The Prophet (peace be upon him) once recited seven long surahs (Al-Baqarah, Aal Imran, An-Nisa, Al-An'am, Al-A'raf, Al-Anfal along with At-Tawbah) in one rak'ah. Authored by Ibn Abi Shaybah.
➍ Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Surah Bani Isra'il, Kahf, Maryam, Ta-Ha, and Al-Anbiya are among the clearly arranged old surahs.
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari, Virtues of the Quran, Chapter on the compilation of the Quran, Hadith: 4994)
➎ The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to recite Surah Al-Ikhlas and the two Mu'awwidhatayn (Al-Falaq and An-Nas) in order before sleeping on his bed.
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari, Medicine, Chapter on blowing in ruqyah, Hadith: 5748)
➏ Abu Ja'far Nahhas said: The preferred opinion is that the order of the surahs is established from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). He cited the hadith of Wathila bin Asqa' (may Allah be pleased with him) in which it is stated that I was given the seven long surahs in place of the Torah.
Reference: (Musnad Ahmad: 107/4, Hadith: 17107)
➐ Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) used the hadith narrated from Aws bin Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) in Musnad Ahmad and Sunan Abi Dawood as evidence that the order of the surahs is tawqeefi. He said: The Companions divided the Quran into seven manazil (stages).
Reference: (Sunan Abi Dawood, Prayer, Division of the Quran, Hadith: 1393, and Musnad Ahmad: 9/4, Hadith: 16266 (Aws bin Hudhayfah) contains a reputable man named Uthman)
The method was as follows:
● Three surahs
● Five surahs
● Seven surahs
● Nine surahs
● Eleven surahs
● Thirteen surahs
• And Hizb al-Mufassal (from Surah Qaf to An-Nas)
Then he said that this is evidence that the current order of the surahs of the Quran existed during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Imam Suyuti (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The seven Hawaamim ”حم“ and the three Tawaseen ”طسم“ were written in one order, but the مسبحات surahs were not written in one order. If this order were ijtihadi (scholarly opinion), then it would have been appropriate to keep the Musabbihat together like the Hawaamim.
From these narrations, it is understood that the current order of the surahs existed during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and that he and the Companions used to recite the Quran in this order. Here the question arises: If Parwez Sahib also holds this view, then what is the difference? The answer is that there is a big difference between Parwez Sahib’s theory and the above statement. He wrote: "An authentic copy of this book was kept in a chest near a pillar in the Prophet’s Mosque. This was the manuscript in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) first had the revelation written. It was called Umm al-Kitab. And this pillar was called Istiwana Mushaf. The Companions used to sit near this pillar and copy their own Mushafs under the supervision of the Prophet (peace be upon him)."
Reference: (Tulu-e-Islam, February 1982, p. 112)
Parwez Sahib further writes: Regarding this book, Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) said in the last moments of the Prophet’s blessed life: حسبنا كتاب الله
Let us critically examine Parwez Sahib’s statement.
➊ The names of some Companions who had copies copied from this manuscript, which were in the possession of millions of people, should be recorded.
➋ The authentic Mushaf is actually the one which Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) had copied in seven copies and sent to different cities.
➌ The copy kept in Medina during Uthman’s time was kept with this pillar, which later became famous as Istiwana Mushaf.
➍ Umar Farooq’s statement حسبنا كتاب الله refers to the Book meaning the commands of Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) because the word Kitab is used in the Quran in various meanings, for example:
● An obligatory thing or matter (An-Nisa 4:103)
● Proof and evidence (As-Saffat 37:157)
● The appointed time of death (Al-Hijr 15:4)
● Teaching slaves and maidservants to read and write (An-Nur 24:33)
● Writing (An-Naba 78:29)
● Record of deeds (Bani Isra'il 13:17)
● Preserved Tablet (Al-Waqi'ah 56:78)
Umar Farooq’s statement refers to the written documents that the Companions had in various letters or the part of the Quran memorized by different Companions or the commands that are obligatory in the Quran and Sunnah.
❀ Recitation arrangement: Although scholars differ on whether this order is necessary or not, the correct view is that it is not necessary to adhere to the current order of the Quran during recitation, whether in prayer or outside prayer at other times. Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated from many Companions and righteous predecessors that they did not consider it necessary to recite according to the order of the surahs.
Similarly, it is proven from the compilation of Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) also did not always observe the current written order during recitation. Although from many circumstances it is known that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to recite according to the order of the surahs (as evidence for the written order has been presented), sometimes he would leave this order because it is not obligatory, though it is recommended, and there is no dislike in not observing the order. However, to say that this order has no Shariah status (as Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani said) is not correct. This can be a cause of fitnah and may create doubts and suspicions in the hearts of the general public regarding the arranged Quran.
Parwez Sahib presented a hadith narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) from Sahih Bukhari, Book of Virtues of the Quran, to prove his theory (that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had the entire arranged Quran in written form) in which someone asked Ibn Abbas: What did the Prophet (peace be upon him) leave for the Ummah? He replied:
ما ترك إلا ما بين الدفتين
"He (peace be upon him) left only this book bound between two covers."
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari, Virtues of the Quran, Chapter: Who said the Prophet left nothing but hadith, Hadith: 5019)
The answer to this is that at the time of the Prophet’s death, Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) was thirteen or fourteen years old. He lived through the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs and died in 65 AH. His answer means that during the caliphate of Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) or Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), the Quran was compiled in book form and prepared as a bound volume between two covers. Ibn Abbas was referring to that book which was left behind. This does not mean that the Quran was in bound book form during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
From the time of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) until today, the Quran has been preserved without any alteration or change and is memorized by all Muslims and memorizers. If anyone intentionally or unintentionally reads a word incorrectly or if there is a typographical error in printing the Quran, then voices rise from all sides to correct that recitation or printing error. The printer is warned and the error is corrected. This is the protection of the Quran by Allah Almighty and this is
وإنا له لحافظون
"And indeed, We are its guardian."
Preservation of Hadith
Argument for the affirmation of the preservation of Hadith from the Holy Quran
Allah Almighty said:
ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا بَيَانَهُ
"Then it is for Us to explain it."
Reference: (75-Al-Qiyamah:19)
He also said:
وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ
"And We have sent down to you the Reminder so that you may explain to the people what has been sent down to them."
Reference: (16-An-Nahl:44)
The argument from these verses is that the Holy Quran is unanimously the name of words and meanings. Meanings because if there were no meanings, all the words would be useless, and a useless thing cannot be the Book of Guidance from Allah Almighty. Words because revelation is a characteristic of words. It was proven in the first chapter that Allah Almighty has preserved, is preserving, and will continue to preserve the Holy Quran; therefore, this implies the preservation of both words and meanings. Furthermore, in every language, a fixed word is used for the meaning of each word, for example: the meaning of الحمد لله is not "Alhamdulillah" but in Arabic lexicon its meaning is الثناء الحسن, in Urdu it means to describe or state an attribute, while in Persian it means to praise or commend. These meanings are also words. In the mentioned verse of Surah Al-Qiyamah, Allah Almighty has taken upon Himself the explanation of the Quran, meaning He has also taken upon Himself the responsibility to clarify the meanings and concepts. Whereas in the mentioned verse of Surah An-Nahl, the responsibility of explanation (Tabyan) has been entrusted to the Noble Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and Tabyan means "to explain." Thus, Allah Almighty has preserved the meaning and significance of the Holy Quran in the form of the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). The explanation of the Holy Quran, which has been assigned to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), is found in his Hadith, for example: the mention of establishing prayer and giving Zakat in the Holy Quran is brief, and their explanation and meaning are in the Hadith of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him). Therefore, the preservation of the Quran in terms of explanation and meanings is the preservation of Hadith, meaning the preservation of the Quran is not possible without the preservation of Hadith.
Allah Almighty said:
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ
"Indeed, We have sent down the Reminder, and indeed, We will be its guardian."
Reference: (15-Al-Hijr:9)
From this verse, two types of arguments can be made for the preservation of Hadith.
➊ The word الذكر is used in the verse, which means the Quran. Most commentators have taken this meaning, and Mr. Parwez also agrees with this meaning. Thus, the verse promises the preservation of the Quran, and it has already been clarified that the Quran is the name of both words and meanings, and the meanings exist in the form of Hadith; therefore, the necessary conclusion is that Allah Almighty has also promised the preservation of Hadith.
➋ الذكر does not only mean the Quran but الذكر, meaning revelation, and it has also been proven that Hadith are also divine revelation. Therefore, the mentioned verse also serves as a text for the preservation of Hadith. The reason for taking الذكر as absolute revelation is that if it only meant the Quran, then instead of الذكر, the words Quran, Furqan, or Kitab should have been used because the issue of preservation is very important, and at the point of importance, explicit words are necessary. Therefore, it is understood that here الذكر does not mean only the Quran but absolute revelation.
In the Holy Quran, the word الذكر has many meanings. Imam Suyuti (may Allah have mercy on him) has recorded 22 meanings of it in his book ”الإتقان فى علوم القرآن“, while one meaning remains, which is "remembrance" as opposed to forgetfulness, i.e., to remember.
Thus it is stated:
فَالتَّالِيَاتِ ذِكْرًا ﴿٣﴾
"By those [angels] who recite the Reminder (revelation, Quran)."
Reference: (37-As-Saffat:3)
Then He said:
فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ
"So ask the people of the Reminder (those with revelation)."
Reference: (16-An-Nahl:43)
In these verses, Dhikr means revelation, so the meaning of the verse from Surah Al-Hijr is that We have sent down the revelation, and We are its protectors. It has been proven that authentic Hadith are also divine revelation; therefore, it is established that just as Allah Almighty has taken the responsibility of preserving the Quran, He has also taken the responsibility of preserving the Hadith. And just as the Quran has been preserved through two methods, memorization and writing, similarly, the Hadith has also been preserved through these two methods.
Preservation of Hadith through Hearing and Memorization
If one reflects, the primary foundation for preserving any matter, news, or story is memorization, that is, to keep it safe in one's heart and mind and remember it, while the importance of writing it down comes afterward. The possibility of alteration is less in memorization and more in writing, which is why the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) encouraged memorizing hadith more than writing it down. For instance, in the incident of the delegation of Abdul Qais, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) commanded them regarding four things and forbade them from four things, it was said:
احفظوهن وأخبروا بهن من وراءكم
"Memorize it and convey it to those who follow you."
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari, Faith, Chapter on Paying the Khums as Part of Faith, Hadith: 53)
And as encouragement, he said:
نضر الله عبدا سمع مقالتي فوعاها ثم أداها إلى من لم يسمعها
"May Allah keep happy the person who hears my sayings, then remembers them, and then conveys them to those who did not hear them."
Reference: (Musnad Ahmad: 82/4, and Jami' at-Tirmidhi, Knowledge, Chapter on Encouragement to Convey What is Heard, Hadith: 2657)
And in another narration:
رحم الله امرأ سمع مني حديثا فحفظه
"May Allah have mercy on the person who heard a hadith from me and memorized it."
Reference: (Sahih Ibn Hibban: 270/1, Hadith: 67)
Because of these commands and encouragements, the Companions memorized every command of the Prophet (peace be upon him) after hearing it, observed every action of his, shaped their practical lives accordingly, and committed all the prophetic actions to memory.
Power of Memory and the Companions of the Prophet
The people of Arabia were naturally endowed with strong memories. There are many such incidents of their poets and orators that astonish a person upon hearing them. The Arabs used to recite thousands of verses, odes, and proverbs orally at the same time. Ibn Abd al-Barr wrote:
“Among the Arabs, there were some people who would memorize someone's poetry after hearing it only once.”
The Companions of the Prophet had two special reasons for their strong memory: one was an external and physical reason, namely eating less, sleeping less, and speaking less. These habits awaken a person's faculties because overeating and oversleeping cause many diseases. In the present era, this fact has become as clear as daylight. Furthermore, worldly distractions and abundance of wealth were not characteristics of the Companions, which is harmful to memory.
Another meaningful and spiritual reason is piety. Besides this, the prayers of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), his blessed gatherings, religiousness, and avoidance of sins are extremely important causes for a strong memory. Sinful people are mostly afflicted with forgetfulness, whereas the honesty and piety of the Companions are a great example for the entire Ummah. Following the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) greatly increased their spiritual strength. Moreover, they continuously benefited from the blessed gatherings of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Sometimes, the blessings of the Prophet would manifest as a miracle for them. For instance, Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) responded to those who criticized him for narrating many traditions by saying: I narrate many traditions because once the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said in a gathering: Who is the person who spreads his cloth in this gathering and then at the end of the gathering collects his cloth and holds it to his chest? Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I was fortunate to quickly spread my cloth and at the end of the gathering held that cloth to my chest. After that, I never forgot any hadith.
Reference: (Sahih Muslim, Virtues of the Companions, Chapter on the Virtues of Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him), Hadith: 2492)
The hadith scholars have stated that Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated 5374 hadiths. Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) in Sahih Bukhari has narrated Abu Huraira’s own statement about himself in his distinctive status.
يحفظ ما لا يحفظون
“Abu Huraira used to memorize those hadiths which others did not memorize.”
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari, Knowledge, Chapter on Preserving Knowledge, Hadith: 118)
Another statement is:
حفظت من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وعاءين فأما أحدهما فبثثته
“I have memorized two types of knowledge from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), one of which I have spread among the people.”
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari, Knowledge, Chapter on Preserving Knowledge, Hadith: 120)
Besides him, the other Companions also memorized hadiths from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) according to their ability.
Power of Memory and the Successors and Imams of Hadith Scholars, may Allah have mercy on them
To continue the tradition of preserving Hadith, many great scholars and Hafiz-e-Hadith emerged among the Tabi‘in who worked very hard in the preservation of Hadith. Some of these Hafiz-e-Hadith are as follows:
Ibrahim bin Yazid Taimi, Ibrahim Nakha‘i, Ahnaf bin Qais, Ismail bin Abu Khalid, Aswad bin Yazid, Urwah bin Zubair, Sulaiman bin Mihran A‘mash, Uwais Qarni, Ayub bin Abu Tamimah, Basar bin Saeed, Bakr bin Abdullah Mazni, Thabit bin Aslam, Jabir bin Zaid, Ja‘far bin Muhammad, Hasan bin Hasan, Hasan Basri, Khalid bin Ma‘dan, Sa‘id bin Jubair, Sa‘id bin Musayyib, and Salim bin Abdullah.
Besides them, countless lesser and greater Tabi‘in also took care of preserving Hadith. Among them is Imam Ibn Shihab Zahri, may Allah have mercy on him. Imam Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, narrated an incident about his strong memory that Caliph Hisham bin Abd al-Malik, intending to test Imam Ibn Shihab Zahri’s memory, said to him: “Write some Hadith for my son.” Ibn Shihab had a scribe write down four hundred Hadith and sent the draft to the Caliph. After some time, Ibn Shihab went to meet the Caliph, who expressed regret and said: “The draft of the Hadith you sent has been lost.” Imam Zahri said: “There is no need to worry.” He immediately called the scribe and had the same four hundred Hadith written again. After Imam Zahri’s departure, the Caliph compared the old draft of the four hundred Hadith with the new draft and found that Imam Zahri had not made a single mistake anywhere.
Reference: (Tadhkirat al-Huffaz: 84,83/1)
Memory Power and the Followers of the Followers
They were the students of the Tabi‘in. Their era spans from 180 AH to 300 AH. During this period, many great Hafiz-e-Hadith and Imams of Hadith emerged. Among the Hafiz-e-Hadith of this era were Imam Muhammad bin Ismail Bukhari, Ibn Ishaq, Imam Malik, Hammad bin Salamah, Sufyan al-Thawri, Imam Awza'i, Abdullah bin Mubarak, Sufyan bin ‘Uyaynah, Laith bin Sa’d, Shu’bah bin al-Hajjaj, Muhammad bin Hasan, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, Ishaq bin Rahwayh, Ibn Abi Shaybah, Imam Muhammad bin Idris al-Shafi‘i, Imam Muslim, Imam Abu Dawood, Imam Tirmidhi, Imam Nasa’i, Imam Ibn Majah, and Imam Darimi. All these noble Imams were not only Hafiz-e-Hadith but also authors of books, which will be mentioned later. Among them, Sufyan al-Thawri (may Allah have mercy on him) had memorized thirty thousand hadiths, Shu’bah ten thousand, Yazid bin Harun twenty-four thousand, and Ishaq bin Rahwayh (may Allah have mercy on him) one hundred thousand hadiths.
Reference: (Tadhkirat al-Huffaz: 153/1 and 232/1)
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote that Imam Shafi‘i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I had memorized Muwatta Imam Malik at the age of ten."
In the previous pages, the protection of hadith through memorization and hearing was highlighted. It became clear that the chain of hearing and transmission of hadith was never broken during the mentioned centuries. In all regions, Arab and non-Arab alike, the memorization of hadith, hearing of hadith, and lessons on hadith were widespread and common.
Preservation of Hadith through Writing, Compilation, and Editing
This is the second method of preserving Hadith, which continued from the time of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through the first three centuries (whose goodness the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had foretold). Every scribe and compiler of Hadith traced their chain of narration from the hearing of the Companions back to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Writing of Hadith in the Prophetic Era
Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, recorded four hadiths in كتاب العلم، باب كتابة العلم which provide evidence of the writing down of hadith during the time of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
➊ A narration from Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, in which he was asked: Do you have any (special) book (as the false belief of the Shia claims)? He replied: We only have the Book of Allah, the other is the understanding and wisdom that Allah grants to any Muslim person. The third thing is a special treatise that I have, which contains detailed rulings on blood money and the release of prisoners. It also includes the ruling that a Muslim will not be killed in exchange for a disbeliever.
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari, Knowledge, Chapter on Writing Knowledge, Hadith: 111)
➋ In a hadith narrated from Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, delivered a very long sermon on the occasion of the conquest of Mecca, in which many etiquettes and rulings were explained. A Yemeni man named Abu Shah came near and requested: Please have these rulings written down for me. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Write it for Abu Fulan, that is, Abu Shah."
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari, Knowledge, Chapter on Writing Knowledge, Hadith: 112)
➌ In another hadith narrated from Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, it is stated that no one narrated more hadiths than Abdullah bin Amr, may Allah be pleased with both of them, because he used to write hadiths while I did not write.
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari, Knowledge, Chapter on Writing Knowledge, Hadith: 113)
➍ A hadith narrated from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, in which the Prophet, peace be upon him, said during his illness: Bring a book so that I may write for you something after which you will not go astray.
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari, Knowledge, Chapter on Writing Knowledge, Hadith: 114)
This very thing, which he did not write due to the disagreement among the Companions, he conveyed verbally to the Companions:
● When a delegation comes, honor them.
● Expel the polytheists from the Arabian Peninsula.
● Do not build a grave for me so that it may be worshipped.
● Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, stated in كتاب الجهاد والسير under the title باب كتابة العلم للناس that the names of fifteen hundred Companions were recorded in a register. At that time, it was necessary to write the full name along with the patronymic and kunyah.
Proof of the ruling on writing Hadith in other books besides Bukhari
● Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-As, may Allah be pleased with them, had a collection of one thousand hadiths called ”الصحيفة الصادقة“ or ”الرساله الصادقه“.
Reference: (Asad al-Ghabah: 346/3)
● It is narrated from Rafi' bin Khadij, may Allah be pleased with him, that I said: O Messenger of Allah! We hear hadiths from you, so should we write them down? You said:
اكتبوا ولا حرج
"Write them down, there is no harm."
Reference: (Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir al-Tabarani: 276/4)
● In Fath al-Bari and Sirat Ibn Hisham, it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, sent a letter to Amr bin Hazm, may Allah be pleased with him, instructing him not to stop sending grain from his land Yamamah to the people of Makkah.
Reference: (Sirat Ibn Hisham: 269/4)
● In the narration of Abdullah bin Hakim, may Allah be pleased with him:
The Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, wrote a letter to the people of Juhaynah one month before his death, in which it was written: "Do not benefit from carrion."
Reference: (Sunan Abi Dawood, Al-Libas, Chapter on Narrations that Prohibit Benefit, Hadith: 4128; Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Al-Libas, Chapter on What Has Been Related About the Skins of Dead Animals When Tanned, Hadith: 1729)
● The Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, forbade the people of the city of Jerash in Yemen from roasting dates and raisins together in writing.
Reference: (Sahih Muslim, Al-Ashriba, Chapter on Dislike of Mixing Dates and Raisins, Hadith: 1990)
Similarly, in a narration of An-Nasa'i, it is mentioned that he wrote a similar letter to the people of Hijr.
Reference: (Sunan An-Nasa'i, Al-Ashriba, Chapter on Mixing Grapes and Dates, Hadith: 5559)
● Mu'adh, may Allah be pleased with him, was appointed governor in Yemen. When his son died in Medina, the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, wrote him a condolence letter.
Reference: (Tarikh Baghdad: 89/2, Wihlat al-Awliya: 307/1)
● The Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, wrote a letter to Mu'adh, may Allah be pleased with him, in Yemen instructing to collect one dinar jizya from every adult man and woman (responsible persons). It also stated to collect a tenth as zakat from rain-fed lands and a twentieth from lands irrigated by wells, etc., and to take zakat from wheat, barley, dates, and raisins.
Reference: (Marasail Abi Dawood, pp. 134,133, Hadith: 117; Al-Muhalla by Ibn Hazm: 12/6,222/5)
● It is narrated from Hasan bin Amr that once Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, took my hand and brought me to his house, showed me many books of hadiths of the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, and said that this is the book written by me.
Reference: (Fath al-Bari: 207/1, under Hadith 113)
● The Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, said to Abdullah bin Amr, may Allah be pleased with them: "Write down my hadiths. By the One in Whose hand is my soul! Only truth comes from this mouth."
Reference: (Sunan Abi Dawood, Knowledge, Chapter on Writing Knowledge, Hadith: 3646)
● Ma'bad bin Hilal says: We used to ask Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, many questions, then once he took out a register and said: These are the hadiths I heard from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and then wrote and presented to you.
Reference: (Al-Mustadrak al-Hakim: 574,573/3, Hadith: 6452)
● Abu Sa'id Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates that we used to attend the presence of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and whatever we heard from him, we used to write it down.
Reference: (Majma' al-Zawa'id: 150/1, Hadith: 672)
● An Ansari companion used to hear hadiths but could not remember them. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to him: "Take help with your right hand."
Reference: (Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Knowledge, Chapter on Permission Regarding It, Hadith: 2666)
Meaning, he indicated writing.
Those who deny hadith have also used the hadiths that prohibit writing hadith. These narrations are as follows:
➊ It is narrated from Abu Sa'id Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "Whoever has written anything from me other than the Qur'an, let him erase it and continue to narrate hadith from me, there is no harm."
Reference: (Sahih Muslim, Zuhd, Chapter on Verification in Hadith, Hadith: 3004)
➋ The Companions said that we collected writings (other than the Qur'an) and burned them.
Reference: (Majma' al-Zawa'id: 151/1, Hadith: 672)
➌ Once the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, came out and said: "What are you writing?" We said: Hadiths that we hear from you. He said: "Other than the Book of Allah?"
Previous nations were misguided because they wrote other books along with the Book of Allah.
Reference: (Taqyeed al-Ilm by Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi: 34,33/1)
➍ It is narrated from Zaid bin Thabit, may Allah be pleased with him, that there was also a command prohibiting the writing of hadith.
Reference: (Sunan Abi Dawood, Knowledge, Chapter on Writing Knowledge, Hadith: 3647)
Similarly, Parvez Sahib narrated from Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, that he burned his written hadiths. Umar Farooq, may Allah be pleased with him, also stopped writing hadith collections after Istikhara. Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, ordered the erasing of hadiths in his sermon. From all these narrations, it appears that writing hadith was prohibited and what was written was erased or burned.
➊ The strange logic of the deniers of hadith is that on one hand they say hadiths are not authoritative, and on the other hand, they use hadiths themselves to prove their point.
➋ The narrations we have presented to prove the writing of hadith contradict the narrations prohibiting writing. The demand of knowledge and reason is that when there is a contradiction, if one narration is acted upon, then some explanation or reason for preferring it over the other should be given. But the deniers of hadith have completely ignored the narrations mentioning the writing of hadith. They have no answer to these hadiths. This is a great scholarly betrayal. Yes, they have a weak excuse. According to Parvez Sahib, the narrations about the writing of hadith from the Companions are not confirmed by the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him. This is sheer compounded ignorance. Among the narrations affirming the writing of hadith, some contain the command of the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him; some mention the Companions presenting their written collections of hadith to him; and some mention legislative rulings from the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him. What more confirmation is needed?
➌ The scholars of the Ummah and hadith commentators have agreed that the prohibition on writing hadith was initially given so that people would not confuse it with the Qur'an, but later that prohibition was abrogated.
Reference: (Fath al-Bari: 208/1, under Hadith 113)
➍ The hadiths about the prohibition of writing hadith are often weak, while the hadiths affirming writing are often authentic.
The narration about Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, that he burned his written hadiths has narrators Ali bin Salih (unknown), Muhammad bin Musa (weak), and Musa bin Abdullah (disputed narrator). The narration about Umar Farooq, may Allah be pleased with him, that he burned his hadiths is also disconnected in chain. In contrast, there is an authentic narration from Umar bin Abdul Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, stating that the hadiths written by Umar Farooq, may Allah be pleased with him, were passed on to his descendants,
Reference: (Al-Muwatta of Imam Malik, p. 109)
and Umar bin Abdul Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, narrated hadiths from this book and acted upon them. Imam Dar Qutni said: This narration is authentic in terms of chain.
Reference: (Sunan Dar Qutni, p. 200)
The narrator of the narration about Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, ordering "Erase the written hadiths" is Jabir Ja'fi, who is a liar. In contrast, the authentic hadith narrated from Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, stating that he had a parchment with some rulings written on it, has already been mentioned. Presenting this narration about prohibition of writing against the authentic narration is ignorance and foolishness.
The hadith in Muslim narrated from Abu Sa'id Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, although authentic according to Imam Muslim's criteria, was not cited by Imam Bukhari because it did not meet his criteria. In any case, the original answer is what was mentioned earlier: the prohibition on writing hadith was initially given but later abrogated.
Compilation of Hadith after the Era of the Companions
Just as the preservation of Hadith through memorization continued, so did the writing of Hadith persist continuously, until the compilation of Hadith took the form of various types of books, such as: Musannafat, Masanid, Jami' Sunan, and Mu'jamāt, etc., and the Ummah received the collection of the Prophet's Hadith in a secure manner. Below, some periods of Hadith collection are described.
Written Collections of the Companions
➊ Sahifa Sadiqa: This Sahifa Sadiqa belongs to Abdullah bin Amr bin Aas رضي الله عنهما, which is now fully available in Musnad Ahmad. The narration of this Sahifa has been fully transmitted through Amr bin Shu'aib bin Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Amr bin Aas, and the senior hadith scholars have trusted this narration and quoted it in their books.
Reference: (Tareekh al-Hadith wal-Muhadditheen, p. 210)
➋ Sahifa Umar bin Khattab رضي الله عنه: It contains the rulings of charity and zakat. Imam Malik رحمه الله says: I have read this Sahifa. When Umar bin Abdul Aziz رحمه الله started the compilation of hadith, this Sahifa was received by him from the family of Umar bin Abdul Aziz.
Reference: (Al-Muwatta of Imam Malik, p. 109)
➌ Sahifa Uthman رضي الله عنه: This Sahifa contained the rulings of zakat. Imam Bukhari رحمه الله narrated an incident related to it in the book Al-Jihad.
➍ Sahifa Ali رضي الله عنه: It contained rulings on zakat, charity, blood money (diyat), retribution (qisas), the sanctity of Medina, the Farewell Pilgrimage sermon, and points of the Islamic constitution. This Sahifa was with Hazrat Ali رضي الله عنه’s son Muhammad bin Hanfiya, then it came to Imam Jafar who gave it to Harith in writing.
Reference: (Tadween al-Hadith Burhan Dehli, and Sahih al-Bukhari, Ilm, chapter on writing knowledge, Hadith: 111)
➎ Musnad Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه: Many of his Sahifas were written during the era of the Companions. One copy was with Abdul Aziz bin Marwan, the father of Umar bin Abdul Aziz رحمه الله, in Egypt. Abdul Aziz bin Marwan wrote to Kathir bin Murrah to send all the narrations of the Companions رضي الله عنهم he had, but there was no need to send the narrations of Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه because they were already with them.
Reference: (Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra by Ibn Sa’d: 448/7)
Besides these, there were Sahifa Anas, the sermon of the conquest of Mecca (which was written for Abu Shah), Sahifa Jabir bin Abdullah, narrations of Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما, narrations of Aisha رضي الله عنها, and Sahifa Amr bin Hazm (which was given to him in writing when the Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم appointed him governor of Yemen. This Sahifa included obligations, Sunnahs, charity, blood money, and 21 other prophetic decrees). Furthermore, there were Risala Samra bin Jundub, Risala Saad bin Ubadah, and Sahifa Abdullah bin Masood, about which his son Abdul Rahman swore that it was written by his father (Abdullah bin Masood رضي الله عنه) with his own hand.
Reference: (Jami Bayan al-Ilm: 300/1)
All these Sahifas, treatises, and books were writings of the Companions رضي الله عنهم in which they collected Marfoo’ (attributed to the Prophet) hadiths.
The Second Era of Hadith Compilation
During the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them), due to the frequent occurrence of battles and the emergence of some trials, they could not pay attention to the compilation of Hadith. Only individually, they had the above-mentioned manuscripts. After the Rashidun Caliphate, Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) became Caliph in Safar 99 AH, who is counted among the Rightly Guided Caliphs. He paid attention to the compilation and collection of Hadith for the protection of the religion. Accordingly, he wrote a letter to Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Hazm, the governor of Madinah Tayyibah, instructing him to have the Hadith collection in the possession of Umrah bint Abd al-Rahman and Qasim ibn Muhammad (both were students of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, and Qasim was also one) transcribed. The narrations of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) were already available with us, so there was no need to write them down. For this task, he formed a committee of twelve expert Hadith scholars, appointing Imam Shihab al-Zuhri as its head, which is why he is called the first compiler. These twelve Hadith scholars prepared separate collections of Hadith and sent them to Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him). Since his caliphate was short, he could not revise, compile, and arrange these collections into chapters. Just as Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) initially disliked collecting the Quran himself but later led the task, similarly it is said that Imam al-Zuhri (may Allah have mercy on him) did not like collecting Hadith, but despite that, he carried out this work with great effort. After this, the process of compilation continued until from 110 AH to 190 AH, numerous Hadith books were prepared, among which Muwatta Imam Malik, Jami' Sufyan al-Thawri, Jami' Ibn Mubarak, Jami' Imam Awza'i, Jami' Ibn Jurayj, Kitab al-Kharaj by Imam Abu Yusuf, and Kitab al-Athar by Imam Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Shaybani are more famous, and among these, the Muwatta and the last two books are still preserved. When Muwatta Imam Malik was prepared, seventy scholars and jurists of Madinah agreed on its authenticity, so it was named Muwatta. Then approximately a thousand students of Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) heard it and transcribed it. Currently, not all manuscripts exist; only sixteen remain. The version in circulation now is more reliable than all other manuscripts. It was compiled by Yahya ibn Yahya al-Masmuadi. In the second century AH, some Musnads appeared: Musnad Abu Hurairah, which is fully present in Musnad Ahmad; Musnad Ahmad, Musnad Shafi'i, Musnad al-Bazzar, Musnad Imam Musa al-Kadhim ibn Ja'far, Musnad Abu Sufyan Waki' ibn Jarrah, and Musnad Imam Awza'i, which is famous as Musnad al-Shamin. These Musnads were compiled before the end of the second century AH.
The Era of the Third Century Hijri
In the second century, both mursal and mauquf types of hadiths were collected, but in the third century, scholars and imams of hadith emerged who ensured that mursal hadiths were given permanent status. Consequently, they collected only mursal hadiths in their books. Some of these esteemed imams are as follows:
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (died 231 AH), Abdullah ibn Musa, Musaddad Basri, Ishaq ibn Rahwayh, Uthman ibn Abi Shaybah, Imam Muhammad ibn Ismail Bukhari (died 256 AH), his student Imam Muslim (died 261 AH), Imam Abu Dawood (died 275 AH), Imam Tirmidhi (died 279 AH), Imam Nasa’i (died 302 AH), Imam Darimi (died 255 AH), and Imam Ibn Majah (died 275 AH). During this period, hundreds, even thousands, of small and large books were written.
In the second and third centuries AH, Allah also raised imams who were endowed with full capability of critique and evaluation. They thoroughly examined the narrators of hadiths and separated authentic from weak hadiths. After that, Allah raised countless muhaddithin who separately collected weak and fabricated narrations.
❀ Conclusion: From this detail, it becomes clear that just as Allah protected the Qur'an through memorization and writing, similarly the protection of hadiths was also ensured by these two methods. The only difference is that we are obligated to recite the words of the Qur'an, as evidenced by the words إقرأ ، اتل، رتل and اتلوا القرآن. It is not permissible to replace the words of the Qur'an with meanings or translate them into another language. In contrast, we are not obligated to recite the exact words of hadiths because it is a recommended act; therefore, narrating the meaning instead of the exact words of hadith is often permissible according to many muhaddithin, but specific conditions apply. The scholars of hadith principles have detailed those conditions. Changing the subject matter of the hadith is absolutely not permissible.
A question can be posed to the Pervezis sect: If the protection, compilation, and arrangement of the Qur'an are proven through hadiths, then why is the protection of hadiths through memorization and writing objectionable? One scholar gave this example: If a person draws a bucket of water from a well and says the water is clean and sweet, but when he draws another bucket from the same well, he says the water is dirty and salty, would that person not be called insane or mad? Therefore, we say that when it is established that both the Qur'an and hadith are preserved and Allah has protected them, then the purpose of protection is not only recitation but also to consider them as proof and to act upon their rulings is obligatory for Muslims.
