Allah Almighty says:
﴿مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِي الْكِتَابِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ﴾
Reference: Surah Al-An'am, Ayah: 38
Translation: {We have neglected nothing in the Book}
Reference: Surah Al-An'am, Ayah: 38
.And He says:
﴿وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْك الْكِتَاب تِبْيَانًا لِكُلِّ شَيْء﴾
Reference: Surah An-Nahl, Ayah: 89
Translation: {And We have sent down to you the Book explaining everything}
Reference: Surah An-Nahl, Ayah: 89
.From these verses, it is understood that all matters and rulings of religion are present in this Book, and the Book has explained them completely, so that there is no need for anything else, whether it be Sunnah or something else. If this were not so, this Book would not be considered explanatory of everything.
Meaning of the Book in the First Verse
The Book mentioned in the first verse does not mean the Holy Quran, rather it refers to the Preserved Tablet (Lauh Mahfuz), which contains all the conditions of creation; there is nothing whose description is incomplete in it.
It is narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"The pen has dried on what is to be done."
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari: 6596)
And as it is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) in the exegesis of this verse:
ما تركنا شيئًا إلا قد كتبناه في أم الكتاب
Translation: We have left nothing but it is recorded in the Preserved Tablet.
If the Book is taken to mean the Holy Quran
If it is accepted that the Book here means the Holy Quran, as in another verse the Book refers to the Quran, then these verses cannot be taken at their apparent meaning, otherwise it would be contrary to fact because the Quran does not contain the description and details of every small and big thing in the world; even the religious rulings are concise, not detailed, such as prayer, fasting, etc., whose details are found in the Hadith. Therefore, "everything" does not mean every small and big thing but rather the principles of worship and the generalities of Shariah.
Two types of "Tibyan" (explanation) in the Quran
As far as "Tibyan" (explanation) is concerned, it is of two types in the Quran.
➊ First, explicit explanation: Those matters which have been explained through explicit text, such as the fundamentals of faith, and the obligation of prayer, zakat, fasting, and Hajj, the permissibility of buying and selling and marriage, the prohibition of usury and adultery, etc.
➋ Second Condition Stated: Those matters in which reference has been made to another proof which the Shariah has accepted as evidence and proof, the Sunnah is of the same kind. So every ruling mentioned in the Sunnah is explained by the Qur'an itself because it is the Qur'an that has guided us to this source.
Every Command of the Prophet ﷺ is Exactly the Book of Allah
Every command of the Prophet ﷺ is exactly the Book of Allah as it is mentioned in the Hadith:
"….The other party, who was more understanding than him, said: Very well, O Prophet ﷺ, judge according to the Book of Allah. …….. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'I will judge between you two according to the Book of Allah.' Take back the slave girl and the goats, and your son will receive one hundred lashes and will be exiled for one year, and his wife is subject to stoning."
Reference: (Sahih Muslim: 1697)
Whereas in the Book of Allah, there is no mention of stoning and exile.
Referring to the Commands of the Prophet ﷺ
It is impossible to act upon all those verses in which matters are referred back to the commands of the Prophet ﷺ.
Allah Almighty says:
وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُوا …..
Reference: (Surah Al-Hashr:7)
Translation: Take what the Messenger gives you, and refrain from what he forbids you.
مَّن يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ …
Reference: (Surah An-Nisa:80)
Translation: Whoever obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah.
And this also exposes the falsehood of their claim to act upon the Quran!
Commands Established Solely from Sunnah
Another argument against the validity of this claim is: what will be their stance on those commands which are established only from the Sunnah and about which the Quran is silent regarding their permissibility or prohibition, such as the prohibition of marrying a woman and her paternal aunt simultaneously, or a woman and her maternal aunt simultaneously, and the prohibition of donkeys and crows?
Suspension of the Status of Prophethood
And in this claim (that the Quran alone is sufficient to explain the complete religion) there is also a negation of the prophetic status of the Prophet ﷺ because the Messenger has the right that his words be a proof, and if the words of the Messenger were not a proof, then Pharaoh and his army would not have been drowned before the revelation of the Torah, and this is proven from the Quran, in which there is no room for doubt or hesitation.
