New Introduction:

Allah (SWT) Commanded the Prophet: 
"Say (O' Muhammad), 'Allah's Guidance is the (only) Guidance." (Q. 6: 71). The same Message is repeated in 2: 120

also see Q. 4: 87

"And whatsoever he (the Prophet) forbiddeth, abstain (from it). And keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is stern in reprisal."

Qur'an 59: 7

Caution: Allah (S.W.T.) knows, I am hundred percent for the Prophetic Sunnah.  Following the Prophet's Sunnah is an explicit Command of Allah.  I am a Sunni Muslim. The subject here under is of the legitimization of the "unspoken words" of the Prophet, through the creation of Secondary Documents. Please click link Why my wife and I became Sunni Muslims?

One the day when Allah will gather the Messengers together, and ask: "What was the response ye received (from men to your teaching)?" They will say: "We have no knowledge: it is Thou who knowest in full all that is hidden."  Qur'an 5 : 109

     Please examine the following response by Prophet 'Isa (a.s.): 

And behold! Allah will say: "O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, 'Worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah"? He will say: "Glory to Thee! Never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, Thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart, though I know not what is in Thine. For Thou knowest in full all that is hidden. 

"Never said I to them aught except what Thou didst command me to say to wit, 'Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord'. And I was a witness over them whilst I dwelt amongst them; when Thou didst take me up thou wast the Watcher over them and Thou art a Witness to all things."

"If Thou dost punish them, they are Thy servants: If Thou dost forgive them, Thou art the Exalted, the Wise." 5: 116 - 117

The Primary Document:
This document was sent by Allah to His Prophet

   We learn from the Glorious Qur'an that Allah (s.w.t.) had Revealed to Jesus Christ 'Injeel' (Good news - The Gospel). This was the Primary Document. In it was the Divine Guidance, the Divine Light and the confirmation of the earlier Message, delivered by the earlier prophets. (Qur'an 5: 46). The above conversation communicates that Prophet 'Isa (a.s.) had NOT taught his followers, what they have been believing and practicing, after his departure. 
In fact Jesus Christ had no knowledge of the creation of an  ADDITIONAL Document. It is essential to learn the history of the earlier communities to understand, the factors that deviated the followers of Christ from the Divine Message. Who were the authors of this Secondary Document that lead the past community astray? Why is the community  upholding TWO Documents, one sent by Allah and the other created by men? Is there a similarity between the past and the present? How did this post-Christ Document get so deeply implanted into Christianity that it has overshadowed the Real Message? 

Let us first briefly examine the teachings of the Primary Document:

        When 'Isa (a.s.) was asked by a scribe (calligrapher of the scriptures); 
"Which Commandment (of God) was the foremost of all?" Jesus answered;

"The foremost is; 'Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord; And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength".  (Mark 12: 28-29 and 30). 'Isa (a.s.) was quoting a text from the earlier Scripture - Deuteronomy 6: 4. 

     One more important Message of Jesus that had shown the True Path:

"And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given me to do." John 17 : 3-4. 

a) There is only ONE True God.
b) All others who claim to be god or gods are the False gods. 
c) Worshiping any god besides the True God is a worship of the False god. 
d) Jesus was NOT a god or the God but was SENT by The One True God. 
e) Jesus was entrusted with a specific work of "Glorification of True God". 
f) Jesus had successfully completed his mission when he spoke the above. 
g) Whatever happened to Jesus after he had accomplished the entrusted work
could not alter or change, the above Explicit Message of "One True God".

        Unfortunately, those who have the access to TWO parallel documents and have EQUAL choice for adopting texts from the TWO may not see the above. 
One may wonder how can an entire community, ignore such an Explicit Message of Jesus and take pride in worshiping Jesus as their Lord God!!! 
As the outsiders, we know that the Realities of the Primary Document have been overshadowed by the Falsehood propagated as being the inspired addition and/or the true interpretation of the Primary Document, which it is NOT.

 "Ye People of the Book! Why reject ye the Signs of Allah of which ye are witnesses? Ye People of the Book! Why do ye clothe truth with falsehood and conceal the truth while ye have knowledge?" --Say (O Muhammad): "True guidance is the guidance of Allah-- 
                  Qur'an 3: 70, 71 and 73

The Secondary Document:
This document was created by men and the Prophet had no knowledge of it...

    Shortly after the departure of Jesus and before the Four Gospels were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, this Secondary Document was created. Saul, a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin and traditionally a Pharisee - who fervently despised the disciples of Jesus, joined a group of the followers of Jesus living in the city of Damascus. Saul was a well educated Roman citizen and a learned scholar of the Jewish Traditions. He changed his name to Paul, after joining the movement. Paul admits in his own letter; "I was more extremely zealous for my ancestral tradition... I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure, and tried to destroy it." Galatians 1: 14 and 13. 

     Surprising, a passionate persecutor of the early followers, who had never seen or heard the living Jesus, became the most prominent Minister and Apostle of Jesus. Paul being a learned theologian, he ingeniously raises his own status by writing: "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me..." Galatians 2: 20. In other words, everything that came from him as a Secondary Document was coming from the Crucified Jesus. Paul traveled extensively in the Asia Minor and Greece (also spent three years in Arabia), preaching his Innovated Beliefs for Jesus that directly contradicted what the Primary Document had taught while Jesus was alive. Paul was now in direct conflict with the preaching of the elders of the community living in Jerusalem. These elders (among whom was a brother of Jesus named James), had heard with their own ears the "Words of Jesus", which he had personally delivered to them. Apostle Peter was one of the active and serious opponents of Paul. However, he was no match for an educated orator and writer like Paul. One can not say it with certainty that Paul had succeed in his original motive of destroying the church of God from within. But, Paul's writings that have been added to the New Testament, clearly demonstrate that he had cleverly perverted the true teachings of Jesus and has firmly implanted his own creation. Paul wrote his Personal Letters to various Churches. When these Letters of Paul and of other anonymous writers that have were attributed to Paul, got their sacred place within the New Testament, the so called Paulin Christianity became the center stage of the Christian faith. One has to also bear in mind that nearly thirteen years after Jesus had departed from the community, the disciples of Jesus were called "Christians" for the first the time during Paul's visit to Antioch in 45 C.E. (Acts 11: 26). 

Comparing of the Primary Document with Secondary

Jesus who claimed to be the Righteous Messenger of God (John 5: 46), said: 
      "I speak these things as the Father taught me." (John 8: 28). 

Paul who proclaimed himself to be a trustworthy of God, said:
       "I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who 
       by the mercy of the Lord is trustworthy." (1 Corinthians 7 : 25). 

Can the teachings of Jesus and the opinions Paul be of EQUAL STATUS?
As for Paul being "trustworthy", the Book of Acts records that Paul had given

Final analysis: 
Those who abide by the Primary Document are the true disciples...

"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." John 8 : 31/32.

Islam

      The above examples are the eye-opening Guidelines for the Ummah:

"Allah would explain to you and guide you by the examples of those who were before you, and would turn to you in mercy. Allah is Knower, Wise."  Qur'an 4 : 26

The Primary Document:
This document was sent by Allah to His Prophet

The Qur'an (Koran) - the revealed "Words of Allah" to the Prophet of Allah, is an uncompromising Primary Document. NONE can change its Message. 

"No change there can be in the Words of Allah that is the Supreme Triumph." Qur'an 10 : 64 The Word of thy Lord doth find its fulfillment in truth and in justice: none can change His Words: for He is the one who heareth and knoweth all. Wert thou to follow the common run of those on earth they will lead thee away from the Way of Allah. They follow nothing but conjecture: they do nothing but lie.  Qur'an 6 : 115 - 116

"No falsehood can approach it ("Words of Allah - Qur'an") from before or behind it: it is sent down by One Full of Wisdom, Worthy of all Praise. "  Qur'an 41: 42

"Say: 'Allah's guidance is the (only) guidance, and we have been directed to submit ourselves to the Lord of the worlds.'" Q. 6: 71
...and We have revealed to thee the Scripture explaining all 
things, and a guide, and a Mercy, and glad tidings, to those who have surrendered themselves to Allah.  Qur'an 16 : 89

"Such are the Signs of Allah which We rehearse to thee in truth: then in what exposition will they believe after Allah and His Signs?" Qur'an  45 : 6. 
"Then what Message after that will they believe in? Qur'an 77: 50. "And whose word can be truer than Allah's?" Qur'an 4 :87.

"This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favor unto you, and have chosen for you as religion Al-Islam." Qur'an 5 : 3

      When Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) noticed that his followers were writing what he was speaking before them, he asked the followers not to write anything besides the dictated Revealed Verses of the Qur'an. (al-Baghdadi in Taqyid).
The Prophet then ordered his followers to erase whatever they had written.
He had forbidden the creation of a Document based upon his own "Sayings". 

      Later on, when the followers exerted greater pressure upon the Prophet for the writing of his Narrations and the Deeds, he refused and cautioned them that if they were to do that, they may end up following the path of the earlier communities that went astray. These words of CAUTION demonstrate, without any doubt, that the prohibition for the writing of the Prophetic Narrations was NOT TEMPORARY as often propagated. It was a PERMANENT BAN. 
After having examined the plight of the followers of Jesus, we can now say it with confidence that the Prophet's CAUTION was based upon the past history.

"Allah would explain to you and guide you by the examples of those who were before you, and would turn to you in mercy. 
Allah is Knower, Wise."  Qur'an 4 : 26.  
"Those who turn back as apostates after Guidance was clearly shown to them, the Satan has instigated them and buoyed them up with false hopes. 
Qur'an 47 : 25

And whoso disobeyeth Allah and His messenger and transgresseth His limits, He will make him enter Fire, where such will dwell for ever; his will be a shameful doom. Qur'an 4 : 14

And when it is said unto them: Follow that which Allah hath revealed, they say: We follow that wherein we found our fathers. What! Even though their fathers were wholly unintelligent and had no guidance? Qur'an  2 : 170
And if it be said unto them: Follow that which Allah hath revealed, they say: Nay, but we follow that wherein we found our fathers. What! Even though the devil were inviting them unto the doom of flame?   Qur'an 31 : 21

      The history records that the reported "Sayings and Acts of the Prophet" (singular Hadeeth, plural Ahadeeth), that are in the circulation today were compiled more than two centuries after the passing away of the Prophet by the non Arabs. It was easy enough for the people of Arabia, amongst whom the Prophet lived his entire life, to collect and write down the Prophet's "Sayings and Acts" in their own language. But, they did no such thing as the non Arabs did. The first five or six generations of the Ummah strictly obeyed the Prophet's directive and had no other written Document besides the Qur'an. These early followers were United and strictly obeying the Primary Document as well as following the Sunnah of the Prophet by learning from one generation to another. That was the period from Islamic history of greater glory and the expansion. Hadeeth and Sunnah are not the synonyms, as often misunderstood.
Majority of Muslims today, who recite the ritual prayer Salah, will acknowledge that they have learnt this ritual from a person and not from a "Book of Hadeeth". On the other hand these written documents which had no guarantee of protection by Allah, such as the one for the Qur'an, has given the opportunities to the propagators of falsehood, to legitimize all kinds of inauthentic materials, age old inherited tribal rituals, egoistic male customs that would give domination over women, contradict and/or extend the original "Commands of Allah" beyond their limits placing additional hardship upon the Ummah, and legitimate many more such things in the name of the Prophet.
One can say there are more disadvantages than the benefits and not to forget the disobedience of the Prophet's own directive and ban for writing anything besides the Revealed "Words Of Allah" That He Had Dictated.

The profoundly significant questions before the Islamic Ummah are should it or should it NOT revert to those days of true glory? Should it learn or ignore the lessons from the earlier community?

"Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves."  Qur'an 13: 11

The above were the facts, mostly based upon the recorded "Words of Allah".
Below is a CONJECTURE, based upon the Ummah's 1400 years history.
BUT... it is worth having a glance... It may open the eyes of the Ummah...

What if...  Prophet (s.a.s.) was to respond similar to what 'Isa (a.s.) did? 

Glory to Thee! Never could I say what I had no right to say. Had I said to create a document of my sayings and my acts, Thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart, though I know not what is in Thine. For Thou knowest in full all that is hidden. I asked my followers to efface whatever they had written besides Thy Words. When some followers insisted upon the writing of my sayings, I cautioned them and suggested not to follow the footsteps of the earlier communities that had gone astray from Thy Path. 

My followers obeyed my order and created no other written document besides what Thy had revealed to me. 
And, I was a witness over my followers whilst I dwelt amongst them. If they disobeyed my order after I left them and wrote what I had forbidden them to write, and if they attributed to my name spurious narrations that I had never spoken, Thou art a Witness to all things. If Thou dost punish them, they are Thy servants. If Thy forgive them, Thou art the Exalted in power, The Wise." 

A precise quote from an earlier statement by a Brother on the topic:
"The Qur'an does not recognize any other source than itself..." 
"Allah SWT repeatedly says that his Message in the Qur'an is full of details (except for those who are contentious) and easy." The verses referred to were:
 

"Alif Lam Ra. These are the Ayats of Revelation of a Qur'an that makes things clear." [15:1].
"We have explained in detail in this Qur'an for the benefit of mankind every kind of similitude: but man is in most things contentious." [18:54].
"We have not instructed the (Prophet) in Poetry, nor is it meet for Him: This is no less than a Message and a Qur'an making things clear:" [36:69].  
"And We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember: then is there any that will receive admonition?"
This last verse has been repeated in 54: 17; 54: 22; 54: 32; 54: 40. February 28, 2003

I was most interested to read this analysis of the Ahadith (plural of Hadith), which is a secondary document.  In my opinion there are two issues at stake. The first is that all Ahadith should be purified of all texts that are demonstrably untrue, inaccurate or which contradict the Holy Qur'an. The second issue is how the revised texts should be regarded. I believe that they are important texts which portray the culture and beliefs of the society in which the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) lived. As such they are relevant and essential to an understanding of Islam. However they are not, and do not claim to be, the revelations of the Word of God to the Prophet. This alone is the Holy Qur'an.

Three more comments added on March 6th:
1. This comment is reproduced from Dr. Shabbir Ahmed's public BAZM Forum at  http://www.galaxydastak.com/under my article.  "The only thing I take issue with is using a hadith to invalidate ahadith. In my humble opinion, It comes back to a variation of: “do as I say not as I do”… and it leaves the door open to utilizing ahadith all the way around. Do you agree? Allah Hafiz." Christina.

2. A surfer of this site wrote  "It is interesting that you used a hadith to specify that we should not have written hadiths:"

My response to the above: The Qur'an mentions that the Children of Israel had "changed the words from their (right) places and forgotten a good part of the Message that was sent (in the Torah) to them." (5 : 13). In other words the Torah was no longer hundred percent uncorrupted and pure...  Allah SWT also Commands His Messenger to go before the Children of Israel and the Christians and "Say" to them: "O People of the Book Ye have no ground to stand upon unless Ye stand fast by the Torah, the Gospel and all the revelation that has come to you from Your Lord." (5: 68). Indicating that there is the Truth, within the corrupted scripture. The Qur'an also reveals to us that the name of our Prophet is mentioned in "the Torah and the Gospel". (7: 157).
The Muslim scholars often quote the various texts of "Prophecies" from the Torah and the Gospel and that is not considered as a tautology. I wish to repeat what I had written earlier concerning the Secondary Document: 
"One can say there are more disadvantages than the benefits."  Akbarally. 
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3rd Comment: "A suggestion for being on the safe side. After reciting a verse from the Qur'an one should add without fail; Allah has spoken the Truth. After quoting a Hadith one should add without fail; Allah alone knows the Truth."
March 6th 2003.

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Akbarally Meherally at  webmaster9@mostmerciful.com