3.2. QUR’AN AND SUNNAH DISTINGUISHED
The Qur’an was recorded in writing from beginning to end during the lifetime of the Prophet, who ascertained that the Qur’an was preserved as he received it through divine revelation. The Prophet clearly expressed the concern that nothing of his own Sunnah should be confused with the text of the Qur’an. This was, in fact, the main reason why he discouraged his Companions, at the early stage of his mission in any case.’ from reducing the Sunnah into writing lest it be confused with the Qur’an. The Sunnah on the other hand was mainly retained in memory by the Companions who did not, on the whole, keep a written record of the teachings of the Prophet. There were perhaps some exceptions as the relevant literature suggests that some, though a small number, of the Companions held collections of the Hadith of the Prophet which they wrote and kept in their private collections. The overall impression obtained is, however, that this was done on a fairly limited scale.
The Companions used to verify instances of doubt concerning the text of the Qur’an with the Prophet himself, who would often clarify them through clear instruction. This manner of verification is, however, unknown with regard to the Sunnah.
The entire text of the Qur’an has come down to us through continuous testimony (tawatur) whereas the Sunnah has in the most part been narrated and transmitted in the form of solitary, or Ahad, reports. Only a small portion of the Sunnah has been transmitted in the form of Mutawatir.
The Qur’an in none of its parts consists of conceptual transmission, that is, transmission in the words of the narrator himself. Both the concepts and words of the Qur’an have been recorded and transmitted as the Prophet received them. The Sunnah on the other hand consists, in the most part, of the transmission of concepts in words and sentences that belong to the narrators. This is why one often finds that different versions of the one and the same Hadith are reported by people whose understanding or interpretation of a particular Hadith is not identical.
The scope of ikhtilaf, or disagreement, over the Sunnah is more extensive than that which may exist regarding the Qur’an. Whereas the ulema have differed in their understanding/interpretation of the text of the Qur’an, there is no problem to speak of concerning the authenticity of the contents of the Qur’an. But disagreement over the Sunnah extends not only to questions of interpretation but also to authenticity and proof, issues which we shall further elaborate as our discussion proceeds.
by M. H. Kamali
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