Story ofḤadīth

Someoneasked,“Couldyoutellmewhereḥadīthscomefrom

and how they were compiled?”

ḤadīthscomefromtheBringeroftheQur’āneandthey

wereheard,learnt,practiced,narrated,preserved,andcompiled

according to his instructions and in obedience to Its commands.

Whenthebestgenerationofhumankindevertowalkthe

earthrealizedthattheLordoftheHeavenwasaddressingthem

directlywithHistimelessSpeechinthelanguagewhichtheyhad

masteredbetterthananyhumannationevermasteredalangu

age,theyrealizedthatnotonlyhadAllahAlmightydeputizedthe

worthiestofthemasthecarrierofthefinalMessagetohumanity,

butHehadalsomadebeliefinthatmosthonorable,mostdis

tinguished,andmostaccomplishedMessengerourliegelord

MuḥammadeanintegralconditionofbeliefinAllahHimself

by saying repeatedly “Believe in Allah and the Messenger.”

eyalsoheardAllahagainandagaincommandthemto

“obeyAllahandtheMessenger.”eyalsorealizedthatAllah

AlmightystressedtothemthatthatMessengerwastheirpara

mountmodelofbehaviorandofbeliefinAllahandtheLastDay.

eyalsoheardandunderstooditmeanttheyhadtofollowhim

and love him before they could claim to follow and love Allah.

eyfurtherunderstoodtherequiredlevelsoffollowingthe

Propheteproperlyandtrulyonwhichone’sactualbeliefin

AllahMostHighdepended:{Butnay,byyourLord!theywillnot

believe(intruth)untiltheymakeyoujudgeofwhatisindispute

betweenthem}.(4:65)ButtomaketheProphetejudgeisnot

enough,thismustbedonewithoutanymentalreservationto

wardthePropheteandhisdecision:{andfindwithinthemselves

no dislike of that which you decide} (ibid.).

  EventhisunalloyedacceptanceoftheProphet’sjudgmentisnot

enough,theremustbefullembraceoftheheart,mindandsoul

for the Prophet e: {and submit with full submission} (ibid.)!

eyalsonoticedthatAllahhadmadesuchloveandfol

lowingofHisProphetetheeasiestandmostnaturalthingin

theworldforpeopleofsoundhearts,becausethatblessedman

encompassedallthehumanqualitiesimaginable.Sotheyunder

stooditallthemorewhenAllahHimselfstressedthatwhatever

magnificenthumancharactertherecouldexist,theProphetpos

sessedit,andmore.Hence,bylisteningtothemajesticQur’ān

andtakingtoheartitsmessage,theCompanionsrealizedthatits

studyandpracticenecessitatedtheabsolutestudy,understanding,

andimitationoftheProphetehimself.AllahMostHighfurther

reassuredthemthatthatsameProphetedidnotspeakoutof

whim.Accordinglythosemostpragmaticandwisestofpeople–

whomAllahHimselfchoseasthefriendsandcompanionsofHis

dearestBeloved–settothetaskofobeying,following,imitating,

andlovingtheProphetMuḥammadeasnootherleaderand

saviorwaseverfaithfullyobeyed,followed,imitated,andloved

before.eybecameabsorbedintohisparadigmyetwiththeir

eyeswideopenandinasystematicmannerlikethededicated

and uncompromising hunters of blessings that they were.

SotheylearnedfromthePropheteandtheyworshipped

withtheProphete.eylivedwiththePropheteandforthe

Prophete.eymovedwiththePropheteandtheyrestedwith

theProphete.eysoughttolookthroughhiseyes,hearwith

hishearing,fightwhenhefought,makepeacewhenhemade

peace,tastewhathetasted,lovewhatheloved,andhatewhathe

hated.eywishedtothinkhisthoughts.eylongedtovisit

himagain,gazeathimagain,beaddressedbyhimagain.ey

foundtheycouldnotexhaustnorbegintodescribetheen

dearmentofhisvoice,histouch,hisscent,hisgaze,hisgait,his

energy,hisrepose,hisbravery,hisintelligence,hiseloquence,his

generosity,hisgentleness,hishumbleness,hismajesty.Hiscom

fortandsafety,orratherthecomfortandsafetyofhisveryfoot

theywouldransomwiththeirlivesandthatoftheirownparents.

eylivedtoactashishumanshieldsfromspearsandarrowsor

spendthelastoftheirhonorindefenseofthefirstofhis.When

hespoketheywereattentiveandwhenhewassilenttheyobser

vedhimwithbaitedbreath.eirheartskeptcustodyovertheir

sensesinhispresencesothattheyunderstood,theyobeyed,they

memorized,andtheytaughtoneanotherinturnwithfulldis

cipline.eyknewAllahhadchangedthemforeverathishands,

turning the humblest of them into a reformer for humanity!

ePropheteencouragedthemandsaid,“BrightdoesAllah

makethefaceofhisservantthatrecordsandconveyswhathe

hearsfromme.”Andhesaid,“Narratefrommeandletthosethat

arepresentteachthosethatareabsent.”Andhepointedtohis

noblemouthandsaid“Nothingbuttruthissuesfromthis.”And

heformedthemunderhiskindgaze,askingAllahMostHighto

givethisoneaflawlessmemory,thatoneanencyclopedicpen,

thethirdonesuperlativeunderstanding,thefourthonefaithto

leadallothers,thefihonethewisestjudgment.HiswifeʿA’isha

zbecameintenineffableyearsthemostknowledgeablewo

man of humankind.

Allahthenturnedthem,atHisProphet’sehands,intothe

paragonteachersofthenextlayerandsoforth:“Fromevery

succeedinggenerationitsuprightfolkshallcarrythisknowledge

inturn....”and“isknowledgeisReligion,sowatchfromwhom

you take it....”