Bismillah
During a
recent discussion with my dear brother and Ustad Adnan an interesting hadith
was brought up by him. Though this beautiful hadith is self-explanatory, there
may be a few individuals who fully grasp the text and might take a different
approach to its meaning.
"Let us read the hadith to
clear up any misunderstandings that could benefit those with a clear agenda,
whether unintentionally or, in our case, intentionally, using it to attack our
position."
It was
narrated that Ziyad bin Labid said:
“The Prophet (ﷺ)
mentioned something and said: ‘That will be at the time when knowledge (of
Qur’an) disappears.’ I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, how will knowledge
disappear when we read the Qur’an and teach it to our children, until the Day
of Resurrection?’ He said: ‘May your mother be bereft of you, Ziyad! I thought
that you were the wisest man in Al- Madinah. Is it not the case that these Jews
and Christians read the Tawrah and the Injil, but they do not act upon anything
of what is in them?’”
(Sunan Ibn Majah 4048)
The above
hadith states that there will be a time when the knowledge of the Qur'an will
disappear, meaning people will not act upon the teachings of the Qur'an. As
mentioned, at first glance, the hadith seems self-explanatory; however, the
latter part of the hadith may raise a few eyebrows. The hadith concludes by
saying, 'Jews and Christians read the Torah and the Injil, but they do not act
upon anything in them,' indicating that Jews and Christians possess the 'Torah'
and 'Injil,' even though, in reality, we argue they do not.
So, how is
this hadith understood, considering it confirms that Jews and Christians do
have the Torah and Injil, which is contrary to the Muslim position?
"With
all certainty, this hadith supports the Muslim position, not that of the Jews
or Christians. To demonstrate this, we will turn to the Qur’an and other
ahadith. Notice the hadith states, 'Jews and Christians read the Torah and the
Injil, but they do not act upon anything in them.' The Qur’an does not deny
that the Torah or Injil were fully forgotten by either Jews or Christians;
rather, it confirms that they had access to the scriptures but distorted them.
Consider, for example, the following verses from the Qur’an.
And they did not appraise Allah with true
appraisal when they said, "Allah did not reveal to a human being
anything." Say, "Who revealed the Scripture that Moses
brought as light and guidance to the people? You [Jews] make it into pages,
disclosing [some of] it and concealing much. And you were taught that
which you knew not – neither you nor your fathers." Say, "Allah
[revealed it]." Then leave them in their [empty] discourse, amusing
themselves. [Surah 6:91]
Here we read the Jews did have access to
the scriptures given to Moses Pbuh and what did they do, made into pages [scrolls]
showing little, but hiding much.
And indeed, there is
among them a party who alter the Scripture with their tongues so you may think
it is from the Scripture, but it is not from the Scripture. And they say, "This is from Allah," but it is not
from Allah. And they speak untruth about Allah while they know. [Surah 3:78]
Again, a party of Jews [the learned men
i.e. rabbis] would alter the scripture with there tongues. This verse is clear
the Jews had access to the scripture given to Moses Pbuh and also connected to
Surah 6:91
They have
taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah, and [also] the Messiah, the son of
Mary. And they were not commanded except to worship one God; there is no deity
except Him. Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him. [Surah 9:31]
The Jews and
Christians took the rabbis and monks and lord beside Allah Swt. This is as
clear as it gets. We also have a hadith which further elaborates.
Narrated
'Adi bin Hatim:
"I
came to the Prophet (ﷺ) while I had a cross of gold around my neck. He said: 'O 'Adi!
Remove this idol from yourself!' And I heard him reciting from Surah Bara'ah:
They took their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah (9:31). He said: 'As
for them, they did not worship them, but when they made something lawful for
them, they considered it lawful, and when they made something unlawful for
them, they considered it unlawful.'" [Trimidhi 3095 Grade: Hasan li ghayrihi (fair due to
external evidence) according to Al-Albani]
So when the
hadith reads “these Jews and Christians read the Tawrah and the
Injil, but they do not act upon anything of what is in them?” it is referring to
the Jew and Christians not acting upon the scriptures revealed to their
Prophets, rather they abandoned it and instead followed their rabbis and monks
and own desires.
And
[mention, O Muhammed], when Allah took a covenant from those who were given
the Scripture, [saying], "You must make it clear [i.e., explain it] to the
people and not conceal it." But they threw it away behind their backs and
exchanged it for a small price. And wretched is that which they purchased.
[Surah 3:187]
We also read
in the Qur’an that the People of the Book were entrusted with the scriptures,
i.e., to preserve them, yet they did the contrary and followed their own
desires, even writing their own books.
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. So do not fear the people but fear Me, and do
not exchange My verses for a small price [i.e., worldly gain]. And whoever does
not judge by what Allah has revealed – then it is those who are the
disbelievers. [Surah 5:44]
Conclusion:
The hadith
is a prophecy of the future regarding the disappearance of knowledge. This
hadith is very concerning, and we pray to Allah Swt to grant us knowledge and
preserve it. The hadith also gives an example of what became of the Jews and
Christians, showing how they had the scriptures given to the Prophets Pbut by
Allah Swt, yet they dismissed them and instead took another path that led to
misguidance i.e., following their vain desires and adhering to what their
rabbis and monks told them. This does not mean they had or have the Torah and
Injil; rather, they had something they chose to reject. While the hadith does
mention that Jews and Christians 'read the Torah and the Injil,' it doesn't
necessarily imply that the versions they possess today are the same as the
original, unaltered scriptures revealed to the Prophets Pbut.
This can also be proven by sources found within Jewish and Christian literature. The Talmud and Mishna hold more authority than the Torah, just as the Church Fathers possess authority, often rejecting what the earlier scriptures stated. Take a look at the screenshot below, where the rabbis explicitly say that the Mishnah has precedence over the Torah.
Without they
Qur’an the jews and Christians have nothing to stand upon.
Say, "O
People of the Scripture, you are [standing] on nothing until you uphold [the
law of] the Torah, the Gospel, and what has been revealed to you from your Lord
[i.e., the Quran]." And that which has been revealed to you from your Lord
will surely increase many of them in transgression and disbelief. So do not
grieve over the disbelieving people. [Surah 5:68]
Allah Swt
knows best.
