Page 9 - Ulum Al Quran An Introduction To The Sciences Of The Quran

The ahadith from or about the Prophet Muhammad are:
 The words or actions of a human being, and not the speech of God as the Qur'an is.

 Not necessarily reported in their precise wording, as the Qur'an is.

 Not necessarily transmitted by tawatur, except in some instances.

Hadith Qudsi

[For an introduction to the subject and select sample texts, see e.g. Ibrahim Izzuddin and Denis Johnson-Davies: Forty
Hadith Qudsi, Beirut, Damascus, 1980.]
Qudsi means holy, or pure. There are some reports from the Prophet Muhammad where he relates to the people what
God has said (says) or did (does), but this information is not part of the Qur'an. Such a report is called hadith qudsi, e.g.:

Abu Hurairah reported that Allah's messenger said:
'Allah, Mighty and Exalted is He, said: If My servant likes to meet me, I like to meet him, and if he
dislikes to meet Me, I dislike to meet him.' [Forty Hadith Qudsi, Beirut, Damascus, 1980, No. 30.]

While the common factor between hadith qudsi and the Qur'an is that both contain words from Allah which have been
revealed to Muhammad, the main points of difference between Qur'an and hadith qudsi are as follows:

In the Qur'an the precise wording is from Allah, while in the hadith qudsi the wording is given by the Prophet
Muhammad.
 The Qur'an has been brought to Muhammad only by the Angel Gabriel, while hadith qudsi may also have
been inspired otherwise, such as e.g. in a dream.

 The Qur'an is inimitable and unique, but not so the hadith qudsi.

 The Qur'an has been transmitted by numerous persons, (tawatur) but the hadith and hadith qudsi often
only by a few or even one individual. There are hadith qudsi which are sahth, but also others hasan, or
even da'if, while there is no doubt at all about any aya from the Qur'an.

Another point is that a hadith qudsi cannot be recited in prayer.
Distinctive Features of the Qur'an

The most important distinction between the Qur'an and all other words or writings therefore is that the Qur'an is the
speech from Allah, revealed in its precise meaning and wording through the Angel Gabriel, transmitted by many,
inimitable, unique and protected by Allah Himself against any corruption.

REVELATION AND HOW IT CAME TO THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD

God guides His Creation God guides His Creation

Allah the Creator has not only brought about the creation, but continues to sustain and direct it, in the way that He has
created us and all that is around us. He has provided many forms of guidance, indeed, a system of guiding principles, of
which the laws of 'nature' are a part.
But Allah has also granted a special form of guidance for mankind from the outset of its occupancy of the earth. He
promised to Adam and his descendants: 'Get ye down all from here; and if, as is sure, there comes to you
guidance from Me, whosoever follows guidance, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve' (2: 38).'
[The word here used for guidance is hudan.] This guidance comes through the prophets, whom Allah continuously sent to
mankind, until the last messenger, Muhammad received His final guidance.

Guidance through Revelation

We call a man to whom God in his own way communicates His guidance, a prophet or messenger (nabi, rasul). Prophets
receive the word of God through revelation and then communicate it to their fellow human beings: