> A gem of wisdom from Surah Al Kahf

Surah Al Kahf (Chapter 18) in the Quran is full of wisdom. In the previous posts in our blog, we covered the insights into the three stories of the Moosa (AS) and their relevance to his own life.

Recently Shaikh Obaid spoke about a further analysis of those three events that the Quran mentions  while Moosa (AS) and the Pious man (some refer to him as Al Khidr (AS)) were together.

Briefly; the three events are,

1) Al Khidr makes a hole in the boat they are on.

2) Al Khidr slays boy they meet on the way.

3) Al Khidr and Moosa (AS) repair a wall near a town , though its people refuse to entertain them as guests.

Al Khidr then goes to talk about 'Hikmah' (wisdom) behind his actions,

1) The boat belonged to the poor men who worked on the river and with a hole, it was saved from a king who would cease every boat by force, because it had been damaged.

2) The slain boy's parents were believers and it was feared that boy would make disobedience and ingratitude to his parents if he lived. And the parents were given a child better than him in purity and near to having compassion.

3) And the wall belong to two orphan boys in the town, and there was beneath it a treasure belonging to them, and their late father was a righteous man. So it was a plan by Allah (SWT) that they should attain their maturity and take out their treasure.

If we think about each event , we find that the 'Hikmah' (wisdom) of Allah (SWT) was revealed to the affected parties at different points in time.

1) In the first incident, the men of the boat found the reason shortly after the damage was done when their boat was spared by the cruel king.

Wisdom: Sometimes Allah reveals the reason for an event shortly after it happens.

2) In the second, the parents of the slain boy were perhaps unaware of the wisdom behind killing of their child. They would have grieved for a long time and saddened by the event mostly for rest of their lives without knowing why it happened, until of course Allah discloses it to them on the day of Judgement.

Wisdom: Sometimes Allah does not reveal the reason for an event at all, and is left to Aakhirah.

3) And finally, the orphan boys would have discovered the repair to the wall and treasure under it when they reached maturity (the word used in the Quran implies when they were 40 years old).

Wisdom: And , sometimes Allah reveals the reason after a long time , sometimes after many years.

We learn from above that it is befitting for us, as slaves of Allah (SWT) to stay patient in the face of calamities and problems even if we don't understand the reason or wisdom behind them immediately. This is because, and as is evident from three events mentioned, nothing in this life is devoid of Allah's divine wisdom and plan.

The aspect of Ihsaan we have forgotten

(This is my article. It is not directly related to the theme of this blog, but I am posting it to keep all my wirting it in one single blog)


In Urdu , and most of the Hindi speaking belt, Ihsaan broadly is understood as 'doing a favour'. In reality it is just a part of Ihsaan.

 Islam assigns a very significant place for Ihsaan, which in Arabic means 'beautification', 'perfection' or 'excellence'. The gist of Ihsaan as per the Hadith of Jibrael (as) is attaining a deeper and higher level of Eiman (faith , belief in Allah and unseen) until we feel the presence of our Lord while worshiping Him. This is the highest level of excellence in Eiman, and is best of Ihsaan surely. But Ihsaan transcends this definition, so for example, in the wordly affairs, Ihsaan is paying that extra on top of agreed wages to a labourer. Yet another example will be, not only forgiving your relative or friend for a mistake or shortcoming, but also going beyond it to actually make them feel comfortable and even doing something generous or charitable for them. The aspect of Ihsaan mostly ignored is that of 'perfection', perfection in every walk of life. Be it our job,  our behaviour / treatment / etiquette with fellow humans or animals, bringing up children, our ways while undertaking mundane or significant tasks, even our hobbies and things as simple as driving, dressing up for occassions, preparing for speech, researching something, performing a DIY job, and even washing up your car. Allah says in the Quran that He 'loves' the 'Muhsineen' - those who practise Ihsaan, consistently. We Muslims have simply forgotten this pivotal principle of our Deen, and we generally live our lives simply pushing ourselves ,somehow,  on the daily basis, with no due regards to the Ihsaan. One of the worst enemies of spirit of living by Ihsaan is laziness. 99% of us regard things we do as trivial, coincidental, insignificant or as if they were forced upon us, even our jobs after a certain period. The result of such attitude is lack of willingness  to take that extra effort to push our game a bit higher. Perfection is seldom our aim, when we go do some job for living, say a plumber or a carpenter, we cut corner and would skip the finer finish even if we are capable of achieving it, thus not only robbing customer of their right but also losing an opportunity to attain Ihsaan. Perfection is not only desireable in Islam, but also is central to our faith - it invites love of Allah, and there are two benefits broadly- which are,  gaining satisfaction of achieving perfection and secondly, achieving the glory and success in the world inviting respect from people in our lives and around us. When the Muslims were fully aware of the importance of living by Ihsaan, and lived by it, the history tells us that they were the vanguards of every fine thing - be it in science, architecture, warfare, administration,arts, literature or any other walk of life. Allah gave them Izzah and glory in the world, and the non Muslims idealised them and learned from them. And when we collectively forsook  Ihsaan, Zalalah became our destiny in all wordly matters. This calls us to start re-thinking about our lives putting Ihsaan at the centre - it is not impossible to attain the same Izzah again as individuals and as world community.

Huruf Muqatt'at (حروف مقطعات‎) part-2

Continuing from part-1, I would like to present some of the interesting findings regarding the Huruf al Muqatt'at in the Quran. Allah knows the best.

Broadly looking at these huruf; it appears that the number 7 is consistently ingrained in them with some harmony. Here are some examples based on the numbers. When I say 'divisible by 7' below, it is implied that it is 'divisible by 7 without a remainder'.

1) Total number of unique combinations of the Huruf al Muqatt'at in the Quran is 14 - divisible by 7 (Fig.1)



Fig.1

2) Total number of unique individual Arabic Huruf (letters) used is 14 - divisible by 7. (Fig.2)



Fig.2

3) Unique number of occurrences of the combinations of huruf are 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 times - adding to 21 - divisible by 7. (Fig.3)



Fig.3

4) There 19 Surahs in which the Huruf al Muqatt'at appear as separate verses. For example Surah Al Baqrah (Chapter 2) verse 1 only has الم  . There are 19 such Surahs in the Quran. If we add each Surah number to its total verses, we get a sum (we call it Sum X). There are 19 such Sum X available to us.
Out of which, 7 are even Sum Xs, and 12 are odd. There are some interesting facts about these Sum Xs
         4.1) Adding the 7 even Sum Xs - we get 868 - divisible by 7 (and 14 and 28). (Fig.4)
         4.2) Adding the 12 odd Sum Xs - we get 1624 - divisible by 7 (and 14 and 28). (Fig.5)
         4.3) Adding all 19 odd Sum Xs - we get 2492 - of course divisible by 7 (and 14 and 28). (Fig. 6)



Fig.4



Fig.5



Fig.6



> Age and life phases of Rasul Allah (SAW) in the Quran

Recently heard from Shaikh Obaid these amazing numerical facts about the blessed age of Rasul Allah (SAW). In the Quran, the word نتوفينّك (meaning: we take you/will take you in death) is used only 3 times, refering to his death.
These verses are,
10:46
13:40
40:77

Observation 1:- The sum of surah numbers gives age of Rasul Allah (SAW) ie. 10+13+40=63

Observation 2:- Surah numbers precisely give phases of his blessed life, ie.

40 years - Makkan period , pre Nubuwwah(prophethood)
13 years - Makkan period, post Nubuwwah
10 years - Madinan period.

> Mathematical Harmony of Numbers in the Chapters & Verses in the Quran

As Muslims, we believe that the Quran is the word of Allah (SWT)- and it is protected from any changes or variations until the day of judgement.

 

Allah (SWT) revealed the Quran to Rasool Allah (SAW) over a period of 23 years. The chronological order of the revelations was different from the one present in the final compilation of those revelations i.e. as in the book form we see. Jibrael (AS) would bring to Rasool Allah (SAW) the portions of Quran that Allah (SWT) decided to reveal at a given juncture. At times, it was a few verses, and at times, the complete Surahs (Chapters). If a Surah was revealed over a period of time, Jibrael (AS) would inform Rasool Allah (SAW) of the exact place each portion belonged in that specific Surah- and its conclusion.

 

I would like to give an analogy of a coin sorting machine. You can drop many coins, randomly mixed together into the machine. They will end up in their correct slots in the end.

 

The Quran has 114 Surahs (Chapters), each Surah has a number of verses. We find an amazing mathematical harmony working with the Surah numbers and the number of verses they contain.

 

Base Data:

 

1. Figure-A shows Surah numbers and the number of verses in each- followed by the sum of two. e.g. Surah 2 has 286 verses - so sum is 2+286=288. Let's call it 'Sum-X'
2. Sum of the Surah numbers (i.e. 1+2+3…+114) = 6555.
3. Sum of the verses in all Surahs -  (i.e. total number of verses in the Quran) = 6236.
4. The last column tells if Sum-X is an even or odd number.
1. Figure-B only lists the Surahs where Sum-X is odd.
2. Figure-C only lists the Surahs where Sum-X is even

Conclusions:

1. Total number of Surahs with odd Sum-X = 57 (exactly half of 114)
2. Total number of Surahs with even Sum-X = 57 (exactly half of 114)
3. Sum of 57 odd Sum-X numbers = 6555 (exactly equal to sum of Surah numbers)
4. Sum of 57 even Sum-X numbers = 6236 (exactly equal to total verses in the Quran)

The Quran was revealed in chronologically random sequence, before Allah (SWT) taught the final sequence to Rasool Allah (SAW). It is humanly impossible to force the kind of harmony of numbers that we have witnessed above. This can only be possible by the infinite wisdom of Allah (SWT).

> A closer look into story of Moosa (AS) in Surah Al-Kahf - Part 2

Shaikh Obaid recently talked about 2 more beautiful benefits we can derive from the story of Moosa (AS) in Surah Al-Kahf. This is the second post on this topic, the first was published in January, 2017- available HERE on this blog.

A lesson in remaining mindful of the limits set by Allah (SWT)
We will focus on the following 3 ayaat of Surah Al-Kahf.
                                                               

Moosa (AS) set out in the pursuit of knowledge, intending to learn more. From the narrations, we know that Allah (SWT) instructed Moosa (AS) with the exact place where to find the pious man (Al-Khidr)- it was at the junction of two seas (or rivers). Allah (SWT) guiding Moosa (AS) towards the knowledge was indeed a supreme privilege for Moosa (AS) - pure from any notion of reprimand as some may mistakenly imagine. Nothing could be more rewarding for a slave of Allah (SWT) than this privilege that Moosa (AS) fortunately received.

In ayat 60, Moosa (AS) shows his resolve when he says to the boy travelling with him that he won't stop until he reaches the place Allah (SWT) had fixed for the meeting - else he would continue for a 'long period'. The Arabic word used in ayat for the 'long period' is actually حُقُبًا (huqabah). As per Arabic dictionary, حُقُبًا means a duration of eighty years. By saying eighty years, Moosa (AS) is figuratively showing his strong determination to meet Al-Khidr at the place fixed by Allah (SWT).
                                                 

Before we proceed; let's take a quick look at Surah An-Nab'a 78 ayat 23 (above). Here, Allah (SWT) refers to the people of hell- who will remain therein for a long time- consisting of recurring periods of eighty years- hence the plural - أَحْقَابًا (ahqaaba)- and there is no end to such extensions consisting of eighty years each. 

As Moosa (AS) and the boy continued with the journey - they passed beyond the place of meeting with Al-Khidr that Allah (SWT) had fixed. In ayat 62, we find Moosa (AS) shows the signs of suffering and fatigue. Hunger has set in too. It looks that Moosa (AS) came to experience the suffering only after travelling 'beyond' the limit set by Allah (SWT). Moosa (AS) doesn't seem to have undergone suffering and hunger up to the point of crossing the junction of the seas(or rivers)- but once he goes beyond that, suffering, fatigue and hunger set in.

Allah (SWT) encompasses all the knowledge- and the benefit that can be derived from this portion of Moosa (AS)'s story is that- we will eventually suffer if we transgress / cross the limits set by Allah (SWT)  (حدود الله). This calls for our sincere and conscious efforts to observe carefully the boundaries / limits which Allah (SWT) has set for us (حدود الله) in every walk of life- be it in religion or worldly affairs.

A lesson in the expression of humility
We learn from the narrations of Rasool Allah (SAW) that the reason Allah (SWT) intended for Moosa (AS) to undertake the journey to meet Al-Khidr was because Moosa (AS) - from the scope of his understanding - opined that he was the most knowledgeable. Allah (SWT) did not approve this notion - and decided to edify Moosa (AS) through a series of incidents that occurred after he met Al-Khidr.

So- when Moosa (AS) finally met Al-Khidr, Al-Khidr suggested that Moosa (AS) could not remain patient in his company. On the other hand,  Moosa (AS) was determined to accompany Al-Khidr - to learn from him, as Allah (SWT) had ordained.

In ayat 69 (below), Moosa (AS) insists on accompanying him, and assures Al-Khidr that he will be 'patient' (صَابِرًا). This was not too distant from his expression before the journey began, when he said that he was the most knowledgeable person (عالم )- whereas Allah (SWT) intended to enlighten him that the knowledge is not a prerogative of one person.

We know that Moosa (AS) did not remain patient with Al-Khidr, during the three incidents that followed. As was the case of possessing the knowledge, it looks to be Allah's way of saying that the patience is not a prerogative of one person.

Let's compare and contrast ayat above with the similar words spoken by Ismail (AS)- as mentioned in Surah As-Saaffaat 37 ayat 102.

In this ayat, Ibrahim (AS) is informing his son Ismail (AS) about his dream wherein he sacrifises  Ismail (AS). Ismail (AS)'s response is almost identical to that of Moosa (AS) to Al-Khidr - except that Ismail (AS) assured his father that he would be 'among the patient ones' (مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَ). This was closer to the truth- as the patience of Ibrahim (AS) was much higher in the situation, where he is tasked to sacrifise his son with his own hands. And as we know, Ismail (AS) remained patient throughout - until Allah (SWT) saved him and rewarded Ibrahim (AS) for his steadfastness.

This is a beautiful lesson from Allah (SWT) in the expression of humility- and it calls for our efforts to always stay humble and speak with humility.

Huruf Muqatt'at (حروف مقطعات‎) part-1

Question: Shaikh Obaid, the scholars have explored the many interpretation of the حروف مقطعات‎ ("disjoined letters" or "disconnected letters") that appear at the beginning of 29 Surahs of the Quran. My question is specific to two Surahs that start with حروف مقطعات namely Surah 15 (Al-Hijr) and Surah 27 (Al-Naml)- both start with similar first Ayats, but we see that the sequence in which the words Kitaab and Quran are mentioned is different. What is your view on this difference ?

 

الٓر  ۚ  تِلْكَ ءَايٰتُ الْكِتٰبِ وَقُرْءَانٍ مُّبِينٍ

"Alif, Lam, Ra. These are the verses of the Book and a clear Qur'an."

(QS. Al-Hijr 15: Verse 1) 

 

طسٓ  ۚ  تِلْكَ ءَايٰتُ الْقُرْءَانِ وَكِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ

"Ta, Seen. These are the verses of the Qur'an and a clear Book"

(QS. An-Naml 27: Verse 1)

Answer:

Brother Tanweer,

As we see, the first ayat Surah Al-Hijr mentions  الْكِتٰبِ(The Book) as definite noun (المعرفة)-, and قُرْءَانٍ (Quran) comes as indefinite noun( النكرة )-. In Surah Al-Naml, this sequence is reversed.

The key to understanding is to look at subjects in the ayats that follow the first ones.

In Surah Al-Hijr- where the emphasis is on الْكِتٰبِ (The Book), because the ayats that follow do mention the disbelievers in general first- and in particular those whom Allah punished from the people before Islam. This is clear from Ayat 4.

وَمَآ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ إِلَّا وَلَهَا كِتَابٌ مَّعْلُومٌ

"And We did not destroy any city but that for it was a known decree."

(QS. Al-Hijr 15: Verse 4)

 

Followed by above, the focus then shifts to the Quran itself in Ayat 9-thus towards the Muslims- as the people of the Quran.

 

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحٰفِظُونَ

"Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian."

(QS. Al-Hijr 15: Verse 9)

 

So we see the sequence in the first Ayat corresponds to the sequence in which the two groups of people are mentioned in the following ayats - الْكِتٰبِ (The Book) relates to the disbelievers in general, and people of the book that came before the Quran, which is followed by قُرْءَانٍ (Quran) relating to the Muslims.

 

In Surah Al-Naml- the emphasis is placed on  الْقُرْءَانِ (The Quran), because the ayats that follow relate to the believers (مُؤْمِنِينَ), and their characteristics (Ayats 2 and 3).

 

هُدًى وَبُشْرٰى لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

"As guidance and good tidings for the believers"

(QS. An-Naml 27: Verse 2)

 

 

الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلٰوةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكٰوةَ وَهُمْ بِالْأَاخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ

"Who establish prayer and give zakah, and of the Hereafter they are certain [in faith]."

(QS. An-Naml 27: Verse 3)

 

The focus then is directed towards the people of the Book who came before Islam, see Ayat 7.

 

إِذْ قَالَ مُوسٰى لِأَهْلِهِۦٓ إِنِّىٓ ءَانَسْتُ نَارًا سَئَاتِيكُمْ مِّنْهَا بِخَبَرٍ أَوْ ءَاتِيكُمْ بِشِهَابٍ قَبَسٍ لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَصْطَلُونَ

"[Mention] when Moses said to his family, Indeed, I have perceived a fire. I will bring you from there information or will bring you a burning torch that you may warm yourselves."

(QS. An-Naml 27: Verse 7)

 

A Beautiful Balance

There is an amazing balance showed not only within the Surahs , but also between them.

 

In Surah Al-Hijr - Allah put emphasis on الْكِتٰبِ (The Book) mentioning it first in the opening Ayat as definite noun, we find the word كِتَابٌ in all forms appears 2 times in this Surah. Whileas - the word قُرْءَانٍ in all forms appears 3 times. So even though emphasis is on الْكِتٰبِ in first ayat, the balance is maintained by mentioning قُرْءَانٍ more number of times than كِتَابٌ .

Similarly, In Surah Al-Naml, Allah put emphasis on الْقُرْءَانِ (The Quran) by mentionining it first in the opening Ayat as definite noun, we find the word قُرْءَانٍ in all forms appears 4 times- while كِتَابٌ  in all forms appears  5 times- thus retaining the theme. 

 

It does not stop here - we see that a balance is further maintained if we count each word in both Surahs- the words قُرْءَانٍ  and كِتَابٌ in all forms come exactly 7 times each- totalling 14, which is total number of letters used in حروف مقطعات. 

 

See table below for the count showing the balance.

 

 

> Topic of the Rejecters of Hadith ( منكر الحديث ) - Part-1

Question: Shaikh Obaid, we all acknowledge and accept the Quran to be the word of Allah SWT and authority over our matters. There is group of people who reject the authenticity and thus authority of Hadith in general. Recently I came across someone calls himself 'Ahl al Quran' who said we didn't need Hadiths or any book other than the Quran as Allah SWT said in the Quran that He has detailed everything in the Quran and it is sufficient for us, supporting Ayats he quoted were 12:111, 16:89 and 17:12. I asked him how would you determine the words of Adhan if you didn't believe in Hadith, he casually said I would go on the roof and call people to the prayer in my own way ! What do you have to say to clarify on the absurdity of this faction historically referred to as 'Rejecters of Hadith'?

Answer:

Brother Tanweer,

It's a vast topic and we need to break it into separate talks.

The followers of this philosophy call themselves as Quranists ( قرآنيّون )  or people of the Quran ( أهل القرآن‎ ) - we will call them Rejecters of Hadith (منكر الحديث ). It amazes me these so called people of the Quran, not only misinterpret the Quran itself, but at times go against the command of Allah (SWT) by doing so. Rejection of hadith is a serious topic, and therefore, before we go into specific Ayats you referred to, I would like to talk about some basic principles.

The knowledge of Hadith ( علم الحديث‎) is an established study area and many prominent Islamic scholars over the centuries have researched and written volumes to promote and further it. To paint all hadiths with one broad brush as  unauthentic is an unjust oversimplification. There exist a rigorous verification and validation methods by which the scholars have painstakingly segregated the authentic hadiths from the fabricated ones. We will talk more about various types of hadiths in detail some other time, but here to start with, I would like to focus on two key questions on this issue,
 

         1. What does Quran say about obedience to Rasool (SAW) (أسلوب طاعة الرسول)?  

In Islam, we are commanded to obey Allah (SAW) and his Rasool Allah (SAW). It is mandatory part of our faith- it is waajib / mafrooza (واجب، مفروضة).. There are many places in the Quran where Allah (SWT) enjoins us to obey His Rasool Allah (SAW), if we look closely - command to obey Rasool Allah (SAW) is covered in 5 different ways (طريقة) in the Quran.  

 

يٰٓأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۥ  وَلَا تَوَلَّوْا عَنْهُ وَأَنْتُمْ تَسْمَعُونَ

"O you who have believed, obey Allah and His Messenger and do not turn from him while you hear [his order]."

(QS. Al-Anfaal 8: Verse 20)
 

قُلْ أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ  ۖ  فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْكٰفِرِينَ

"Say, Obey Allah and the Messenger. But if they turn away - then indeed, Allah does not like the disbelievers."

(QS. Aal-i-Imraan 3: Verse 32)

وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَاحْذَرُوا  ۚ  فَإِنْ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَاعْلَمُوٓا أَنَّمَا عَلٰى رَسُولِنَا الْبَلٰغُ الْمُبِينُ

"And obey Allah and obey the Messenger and beware. And if you turn away - then know that upon Our Messenger is only [the responsibility for] clear notification."

(QS. Al-Maaida 5: Verse 92)
 

يٰٓأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِى الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ  ۖ  فَإِنْ تَنٰزَعْتُمْ فِى شَىْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْأَاخِرِ  ۚ  ذٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًا

"O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result."

(QS. An-Nisaa 4: Verse 59)


وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلٰوةَ وَءَاتُوا الزَّكٰوةَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ
"And establish prayer and give zakah and obey the Messenger - that you may receive mercy."
(QS. An-Noor 24: Verse 56)

 

Each Ayat has something different to convey, which in itself is an interesting topic related to the eloquence of the Quran. The topic of أسلوب طاعة الرسول deserves some detailed explanation, and we will talk about it in future. So we clearly see that obeying Rasool Allah (SAW) is in line with the command of Allah (SWT) in the Quran itself.
 

2. Is Rasool Allah  (SAW) the legislative authority of Islamic law ( مشرع )?  

Above, we have seen it has been commanded by Allah (SWT) to [also] obey Rasool (SAW), but does that also mean we have to accept his law authority (مشرع ) that Allah (SWT) granted to him  from His supreme mercy, over the [limited] affairs that Allah (SWT) chose from his infinite wisdom? The orders of Allah (SWT) decreed in the Quran were explained and clarified by Rasool Allah (SAW), and form the part of the Islamic laws (حديث تشريع). When I refer to term 'hadith' in this talk, mainly I refer to (حديث تشريع). By rejecting such hadiths (حديث تشريع), one is actually rejecting the legislative authority of Rasool Allah (SAW).  Common sense suggests, how else could we know the correct method of Salaat, Zaka't, Hajj etc if we choose to disregard the hadiths?

Rejecters of hadith might argue that obeying Rasool Allah (SAW) doesn't necessarily mean accepting his legislative authority- so in effect they follow Rasool Allah (SAW) but not his orders - an 'order less' following, it makes no sense.

As against that, if we truly obey Rasool Allah (SAW) we also need to accept him as legislative authority of Islamic law (مشرع ), and we must accept what he legislated to complement the Ayats- and thus what has been carefully preserved in the hadiths (حديث تشريع).

 

Let's look what the Quran has to say about Rasool Allah (SAW) being the authority (مشرع )

 

مَّآ أَفَآءَ اللَّهُ عَلٰى رَسُولِهِۦ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرٰى فَلِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ وَلِذِى الْقُرْبٰى وَالْيَتٰمٰى وَالْمَسٰكِينِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ كَىْ لَا يَكُونَ دُولَةًۢ بَيْنَ الْأَغْنِيَآءِ مِنْكُمْ  ۚ  وَمَآ ءَاتٰىكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهٰىكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُوا  ۚ  وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ  ۖ  إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ

"And what Allah restored to His Messenger from the people of the towns - it is for Allah and for the Messenger and for [his] near relatives and orphans and the [stranded] traveller - so that it will not be a perpetual distribution among the rich from among you. And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty."

(QS. Al-Hashr 59: Verse 7)

Ayat above is not just about obeying Rasool Allah (SAW) (طاعةالرسول), here Allah (SAW) is ordering us regarding accepting Rasool Allah's (SAW) as authority over the affairs (تشريع), 'Taking what he gave us, and refraining from what he forbade us from'. This Ayat should make it crystal clear that Rasool Allah  (SAW) is legislative authority (مشرع ) only second to Allah (SWT), and what he orders must be considered as (تشريع), that he decreed by the will and permission of Allah (SWT).

3. Can we understand Ayats of the Quran fully without hadiths - in other words , without (تشريع) given by Rasool Allah (SAW)?

We can ask the rejecters of hadiths to explain and expand on many Ayats of the Quran - and without knowing the context [only available from hadith] they would struggle, and at times feel lost. There are Ayats which deal with the methods to perform obligatory duties (فرائض) like Salaat, Zaka't or Hajj - one might be able to tolerate some difference of opinion on how they must be conducted ritually. But then there are places in the Quran - where we will not be able to differentiate the forbidden (حرام) from the lawful (حلال) if we refuse to accept Rasool Allah (SAW) as authority (مشرع ) so to turn a blind eye to hadiths. 


Example 1:

In Surah Annis'a (4:22-23) , Allah SWT speaks about women who are prohibited to marry. In these two Ayats, prohibition of marriage came regarding various types of women. They fall into 4 categories, 

1. Prohibition due to parentage (المحرمات بالنسب): Mothers, Daughters, Sisters, Fathers' sisters, Mother's sisters, Brother's daughters, Sister's daughters, Step daughters under your guardianship [born] of your wives who had intimacy with, Wives of your real sons
2. Prohibition due to nursing (المحرمات بسبب الرضاع): Foster mothers who nursed you, Your sisters through nursing
3. Prohibition of marrying sisters simultaneously (المحرمات بسبب الجمع بين الاختين)
4. Prohibition among in laws: Wives' mothers  (المحرمات بسبب المصاهرة)

So if one does not accept Rasul Allah's (SAW) تشريع on Ayats above, we can ask -  Is a man free to marry outside these prohibited relations? Let's say for example - are we free to marry women below, not mentioned in the Quran 4:22-23?

Grandmother(Maternal or Paternal)

Grand daughter(Maternal or Paternal)
Sister of your foster mother
Mother of your foster mother
Your wife's aunt

Rasul Allah (SAW) said - "(Women) Forbidden due to parentage are (women) also forbidden by reason of nursing," (يحرم بالرضاع ما يحرم بالنسب). 

 

This list is not exhaustive, and there are 30+ types of women prohibited for marriage.

Even the rejecters of Hadith would agree these relations are prohibited- but what is source of their understanding, where did they get it from? They may say, isn't that logical that you can't marry our grandmothers or grand daughters. We say, it's even more logical that we cannot marry our mothers, but Allah SWT made it clear in the Quran explicitly. So we find that those who reject the authority of Rasul Allah (SAW) risk making mistakes while deciding what is permissible and prohibited.

Example 2:

If we look at the Ayat of the Quran, we see Allah (SWT) forbids us to eat meat of already dead animal ( مَيْتَة) (Surah Al Baqara 2:173 - see below). We know in Arabic we call fish as ( مَيْتَة) - so if we literally go by the word used ( مَيْتَة) of the Quran, fish should be Haraam also. But what makes it Halaal ? It is upon the authority of Rasul Allah (SAW) (تشريع) that the fish is permissible to eat. So if we reject the associated حديث تشريع how can we make the fish Halaal on us?  

إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةَ وَالدَّمَ وَلَحْمَ الْخِنْزِيرِ وَمَآ أُهِلَّ بِهِۦ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ  ۖ  فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَلَآ إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ  ۚ  إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
"He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."
(QS. Al-Baqara 2: Verse 173)

From the same Ayat above, Allah (SWT) forbids us to eat blood (دَمًا ). We know the liver of Halaal animals is made up of blood. So it should be Haraam. What makes it Halaal to eat? It is from the following Hadith of Rasul Allah (SAW)

أُحِلَّتْ لَنَا مَيْتَتَانِ وَدَمَانِ فَأَمَّا الْمَيْتَتَانِ فَالْحُوتُ وَالْجَرَادُ وَأَمَّا الدَّمَانِ فَالْكَبِدُ وَالطِّحَالُ

Two kinds of dead meat and two kinds of blood have been permitted to us. The two kinds of dead meat are fish and locusts, and the two kinds of blood are the liver and spleen.

(Sunan Ibn Majah - English Ref. Vol4, Book 29, Hadith 3314)

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In the next discussion we will go through specific Ayats you referred to in your question- and see that these Ayats are used out of the context by rejecters of Hadith to prove their point.