Page 8 - Ulum Al Quran An Introduction To The Sciences Of The Quran

Other Names of the Qur'an
The revelation from Allah to the Prophet Muhammad is referred to in the Qur'an itself by the name qur'an (recitation) as
well as by other names, such as e.g.

 Furqaan (criterion, see 25: 1).

 Tanzil (sent down, see 26: 192).

 Dhikr (reminder, see 15: 9).

 Kitab (scripture, see 21:10).

Other references to the Qur'an are by such words as Nur (light), Huda (guidance), Rahma (mercy), Majid (glorious),
Mubarak (blessed), Bashir (announcer), Nadhir (warner), etc.

All these names reflect one of the various aspects of the revealed word of Allah.

The Meaning of hadith
[For details on hadith see: A'zami, Muhammad Mustafa: Studies in Hadith Methodology and Literature, Indianapolis,
1977.]

The word hadith means news, report or narration. It is in this general sense that the word is used in the Qur'an. [e.g.
Sura 12:101.] Technically, the word hadith, (pl. ahadith) means in particular the reports (verbal and written) about the
sunna of the Prophet Muhammad. Hadith reports about the Prophet Muhammad are of the following kinds:
 What he said (qaul).

 What he did (fi'l).
 What he (silently) approved (taqrir) in others' actions.

There are also reports about him, i.e. about what he was like (sifa).
The difference between the Qur'an and Hadith.

There is agreement among most Muslim scholars that the contents of the sunna are also from Allah. Hence they have
described it as also being the result of some form of inspiration. [For details see kitab al-risala, by Imam al-Shafi'i, Cairo,
n.d., especially pp. 28-9. In English: Khadduri Majid, Islamic Jurisprudence. Shafi'i's Risala, Baltimore, 1961, chapter 5,
especially pp. 121-2.] The contents of the sunna are however expressed through the Prophet's own words or actions,
while in the case of the Qur'an the Angel Gabriel brought the exact wording and contents to the Prophet, who received
this as revelation and then announced it, in the very same manner that he received it.
The difference between these two forms has been illustrated by Suyuti (following Juwaini) in the following manner:

'The revealed speech of Allah is of two kinds: As to the first kind, Allah says to Gabriel: Tell the Prophet
to whom I sent you that Allah tells him to do this and this, and He ordered him something. So Gabriel
understood what His Lord had told him. Then he descended with this to the Prophet and told him what
His Lord had told him, but the expression is not this (same) expression, just as a king says to someone
upon whom he relies: Tell so-and-so: The king says to you: strive in his service and gather your army for
fighting ... and when the messenger (goes and) says: The king tells you: do not fail in my service, and do
not let the army break up, and call for fighting, etc., then he has not lied nor shortened (the message) ...

'And as to the other kind, Allah says to Gabriel: Read to the Prophet this (piece of) writing, and Gabriel
descended with it from Allah, without altering it the least, just as (if) the king writes a written
(instruction) and hands it over to his trustworthy (servant) and says (to him): Read it to so-and-so.
Suyuti said: The Qur'an belongs to the second kind, and the first kind is the Sunna, and from this derives
the reporting of the Sunna according to the meaning unlike the Qur'an." [Sabuni, tibyan, p.52]

It is generally accepted that the difference between Qur'an and sunna is as follows: