Have You Seen This in the Qur’an?

Sometimes we encounter discourse stating Islam should be learned only from the Qur'an, thus claiming Islam is a Qur'an-centered religion. It is a movement that pushes the Sunnah to the background and calls only the Qur'an as a reference.

Every day it is possible to hear responses like "Don't read a hadith; bring us a verse!" or "Is there a verse on this subject?" to a hadith brought as evidence on a religious issue. Such reactions are just the manifestation of the claim of a "Qur'an-centered religion,” which has a political rather than religious character among the people.

This movement’s central claim is to unite Muslims around the Qur'an with various concepts such as “Islam of the Qur'an” and “return to the Islam of the Qur'an” and to gain an authentic understanding of religion.

Although the term “Islam of the Qur'an” may sound glorious at first glance, its true essence is revealed when thought about in detail as this movement, which says that it puts the Qur'an in its center, actually tends to turn our religion into a shadow of itself by eliminating the sunnahs.

The seed sown by the colonialists

It is common to see such marginal approaches, chiefly in Islamic countries that have been exposed to actual and cultural exploitation by foreign states. Colonial states, through the Orientalist mentality they have introduced in theology faculties throughout Islamic countries, lead the activities aimed at weakening the reputation and position of the Sunnah in the ummah, or even eliminating it.

India is an important example of this. As a region, it came officially under British rule in 1858, during which the malicious efforts of the Orientalists towards Islam and the Christian propaganda in the area accelerated. Interestingly, Dr. Alois Sprenger, a British person of Australian descent, was brought to the head of the Islamic Sciences Faculty under the sponsorship of the British East India Company. Sprenger was the one who primarily wrote critical articles on the origin of the Sunnah, claiming that most hadiths were "fake" and aiming to eliminate the Sunnah. The denial of the Sunnah in the Islamic world first emerged among the Muslims of India due to this fitna.

The Deceived Among Us 

It would be incorrect to look for claims of a Qur’an-centered Islam only among foreigners. Muslim scholars whose faces and hearts have turned to the West also play a significant role. Since the end of the 19th century, they have believed in the necessity for radical change in our religion to save Muslims from the defeat they are in, so they have denied the Sunnah and traditional sects entirely and proposed to establish a Qur'an-centered/Salafi religion concept.

Really, is it possible to put into practice the discourse of "Islam of the Qur'an"? To what extent can a religious construction based only on the Qur'an, by eliminating the Sunnah, reflect the divine will?

In fact, it is impossible to understand the Qur’an correctly and authentically and apply it to our lives without the Sunnah because the Qur'an can only be understood by declaration/explanation. Its declaration belongs to Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and, therefore, to the Sunnah. The Qur'an itself states this as follows: “(We sent them) with clear signs and scriptures. And We sent down the Reminder (The Qur’an) to you, so that you explain to the people what has been revealed for them, and so that they may ponder.” (Al- Nahl, 44).

In another verse, our Lord swears: “But no, by your Lord! They will not believe until they make you a judge in their disputes, then do not find within their hearts any dissent to your verdict and submit in full submission.” (An-Nisa’, 65)

What if the Sunnah Did Not Declarethe Qur’an?

Well, what if the Sunnah did not declare the Qur’an?

If the Sunnah had not declared and explained the Qur'an, the Qur’an’s unexplained provisions would not be understood in accordance with the divine will; thus, no system of judgment could be built based on them. Therefore, neither ibadahs such as salah, zakat, fasting, or pilgrimage nor other provisions regarding muamalat and uqubat could be mentioned in such broad and detailed ways.

In this respect, the Sunnah is like the key to the Qur'an. The Qur’an cannot be comprehended correctly without the Sunnah. When the Qur'an is not understood, Islam cannot be established in accordance with the divine will. In other words, if there is no Sunnah, there is no religion. Therefore, the tendency to create a religion based only on the Qur'an by ignoring the Sunnah is the same as abolishing the religion.

Indeed, such tendencies have been around since the first century of Islam. The debate in the assembly of one of the Sahabah, Imran ibn Husain (radiyallahu anh), is a fine example of this:

One day, while Imran bin Husain (radiyallahu anh) was sitting in the masjid, people began to talk about shafaah. He provided some evidence on the subject, but one of them said:

- You are telling us about hadiths; however, we cannot find proof on this subject in the Qur'an. Roaring at that man, he retorted:

- Have you read the Qur’an?

- Yes.

- Have you seen any verse stating that salat’ul isha is four rakahs (Fard only), salat’ul maghrib three, salat’ul-fajr two, salatu’dh-dhuhr four and salat’ul-asr four in the Qur’an?

- No.

- So, from whom have you learned this? Haven’t you learned from us? Haven’t we learned from Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)? Again, (in the Qur’an) have you come across any verse regarding zakat declaring one dirham for forty dirhams, one sheep for forty sheep, or however much zakat for that many camels?

- No.

- Then, from whom have you received this information? We have gotten it from Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), and you from us. In addition, you have read the verse, “Then let them groom themselves, fulfill their vows, and circle the Kaaba.” (Al-Hajj, 29), but have you seen any verse like “ Circle the Kaaba seven times.” or “Pray two rakahs of salah behind the Maqam Ibrahim”? Have you come across any similar verses? So, from whom have you taken this information? Haven’t we taken it from our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and you from us?

- Yes.

- Have you found any evidence stating there is no jalab, janab, or shighar in Qur’an?

- No.

- I heard from Rasulullah that “There is no jalab, no janab, and no shighar in Islam.” (Abi Dawud, Zakat, 9). Besides, you know the verse; “Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it. And whatever he forbids you from, leave it.” (Al-Hashr, 7), (Al-Bayhaqi, Dalailu’n-Nubuwwah, 1/25, 26).

It is understood that talks about accepting the Qur'an as the only reference in the name of our religion were brought to the agenda long ago and are still being brought up today. Although some of these are unintentional, the majority are political and deliberate, aiming to eliminate the Sunnah and our understanding of Ahlu’s-Sunnah. In this respect, sincere Muslims should not be deceived by such discourse and should not forget that Islam, built by turning away from the Sunnah, goes against the Qur'an and our religion.

Kürşat Salih Yaman