When we look up the word “authentic,” we get the following definition.
In the context of Hadith, “an authentic narration” means a report or narration that is verified to be sound, correct, and reliable according to rigorous authentication standards. This implies that the statement should be accurate, unchanged, and without distortion. If someone claims that this is “an authentic statement,” one would assume that the person actually said the exact statement specified. This expectation should be even higher if one claims certain statements to be the most authentic, second to the Quran.
This is precisely what Sunni Muslims claim regarding the books of Sahih Bukhari & Muslim. For example, Al-Nawawi wrote:
“The scholars, may God have mercy on them, have agreed that the most authentic book after the dear Quran are the two Sahihs of Bukhari and Muslim.” 1
Siddiq Hasan Khan (died 1890) wrote,
“All of the Salaf and Khalaf assert that the most authentic book after the book of Allah is Sahih al-Bukhari and then Sahih Muslim.” 2
So, we should expect that the statements being attributed to the prophet are verbatim statements from him, and unsurprisingly this is what many Sunni Muslims falsely believe. With such high conviction towards the authenticity of these works, it is not a surprise that if you ask a Sunni Muslim if the Hadith are actual verbatim statements made by the prophet, they will vehemently argue that they are. Yet, if you ask them regarding the statements that are in the Hadith that are attributed to God, their tone will change.
Hadith Qudsi ( الحديث القدسي), which literally means “Holy Hadith,” is a category of Hadith that is said to contain direct words from God that are not the Quran. Despite these statements being attributed to God, traditional Muslims do not permit them to be recited in their Salat because they know that they are not the verbatim statements of God.
In The Introduction to the Science of The Quran, Yasir Qadhi writes on page 73 lists five differences between Hadith Qudsi and the Quran.
The primary difference that is given by most scholars is that the Qur’aan is the Speech of Allaah, revealed to the Prophet (ﷺ) in meaning and wording. Thus, the Qur’aan is from Allaah even in wording. Hadeeth Qudsee, according to many scholars, is only from Allaah in meaning.
Therefore, the Qur’aan is attributed directly to Allaah. It is said, ‘Allaah said…with regards to a verse of the Qur’aan, but this cannot be used for a hadeeth Qudsee without adding the phrase, ‘The Prophet (ﷺ) said that Allaah said…’
The Qur’aan has been put forth as a miracle that cannot ever be imitated in its style, prose or content. It is an open challenge for all of mankind to produce even a chapter similar to it. A hadeeth Qudsee, on the other hand, has no miraculous nature in it.
Allaah has promised to preserve the Qur’aan, whereas no such promise exists for the hadeeth Qudsee.
The Qur’aan has reached us in mutawaatir chains of narration. There is no difference of opinion over the Qur’aan; all scholars are in agreement as to what its verses and letters are. Hadeeth Qudsee, on the other hand, mainly exist in the form of ahaad (i.e., non-mutawaatir) hadeeth. There are authentic, weak and even fabricated hadeeth Qudsee, for it is still a hadeeth that must be checked with all the rules of the scholars of hadeeth.
It is an act of worship to recite the Qur’aan, whereas this is not the case for a hadeeth Qudsee. The person who reads hadeeth Qudsee will be rewarded for seeking knowledge, just as if he read other hadeeth. The recitation of the Qur’aan, on the other hand, is an act of worship in and of itself.
This point also implies that a hadeeth Qudsee cannot be read in prayers, and if done so then such a prayer will not be valid. Only the Qur’aan may be recited in prayer.
If these same arguments are applied to the Hadith corpus as a whole, the Sunni’s claim that Bukhari and Muslim are “the most authentic books after the Quran” becomes very questionable.
Point #1
From the first point, we can extrapolate that since no one can honestly say that the Hadith Qudsi are the actual words of God, therefore, none of the Hadith can honestly be said to be a verbatim statement from the prophet. Quadi states that one should never say “God said” in reference to Hadith Qudsi, but instead, “the prophet said God said,” except why stop there? Why not be forced to recite the entire isnad of so-and-so said that so-and-so said…, because there is no guarantee anywhere along the chain that any of these people actually made these statements.
6:19 Say, “Whose testimony is the greatest?” Say, “GOD’s. He is the witness between me and you that this Quran has been inspired to me, to preach it to you and whomever it reaches. Indeed, you bear witness that there are other gods* beside GOD.” Say, “I do not testify as you do; there is only one god, and I disown your idolatry.”
The second point affirms that the Hadith does not have a safeguard from tampering or a barrier to fabrication like the Quran.
10:15 When our revelations are recited to them, those who do not expect to meet us say, “Bring a Quran* other than this, or change it!” Say, “I cannot possibly change it on my own. I simply follow what is revealed to me. I fear, if I disobey my Lord, the retribution of an awesome day.”
The third point is that there is no divine guarantee that God would preserve the Hadith. Additionally, the Quran informs us that God permits the devils to fabricate lies via fancy speech to deceive. This makes the Hadith subject to demonic forces, which is not the case for the Quran.
6:112 We have permitted the enemies of every prophet—human and jinn devils—to inspire in each other fancy words, in order to deceive. Had your Lord willed, they would not have done it. You shall disregard them and their fabrications.
6:113 This is to let the minds of those who do not believe in the Hereafter listen to such fabrications, and accept them, and thus expose their real convictions.
The fourth point claims that Hadith Qudsi is not mutawatir but only ahad (non-mutawatir), but this is not limited to Hadith Qudsi but to all of the Hadith corpus.
Point #5
The fifth point admits that the scholars know deep down that the Hadith Qudsi is not the words of God because it is not an act of worship. If they were actual words from God, reciting them would be an act of worship. The fifth point finishes by confirming that for these reasons, Hadith Qudsi cannot be recited in Salat and such a practice for the reasons listed.
6:93 Who is more evil than one who fabricates lies and attributes them to GOD, or says, “I have received divine inspiration,” when no such inspiration was given to him, or says, “I can write the same as GOD’s revelations”? If only you could see the transgressors at the time of death! The angels extend their hands to them, saying, “Let go of your souls. Today, you have incurred a shameful retribution for saying about GOD other than the truth, and for being too arrogant to accept His revelations.
al-Nawawi, Abu Zakariyya Yahya ibn Sharaf (1972). Al Minhaj, Sharh Sahih Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (in Arabic) (2nd ed.). Beirut: Dar Ihya’ al-Turath al-Arabi. p. 14.
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Khan, Muhammad Siddiq. Al Hittah fi Dhikr al-Sihah al-Sittah (in Arabic). Dar al-Jeel. p. 225. ↩︎