In Islam , dunyā ( Arabic : دُنْيا ) refers to the temporal world and its earthly concerns and possessions. In the Quran , "dunya" is often paired with the word "life" to underscore the temporary and fleeting nature of the life of this world, as opposed to the eternal realm of the afterlife, known as " akhirah ".
108-523: According to the Quran, humans and other communities have a limited time on earth before they pass on to the afterlife. In fact, the Quran teaches that everything that exists is temporary and will ultimately fade away. The pursuit of nearness to God is thus emphasized as the ultimate purpose in life, as only God's Being and Essence endure forever. Prophetic traditions echo the Quranic teaching, emphasizing
216-643: A chain of transmitters". However, she adds that "nowadays, hadith almost always means hadith from Muhammad himself." In contrast, according to the Shia Islam Ahlul Bayt Digital Library Project, "... when there is no clear Qur'anic statement, nor is there a Hadith upon which Muslim schools have agreed. ... Shi'a ... refer to Ahlul-Bayt [the family of Muhammad] to derive the Sunnah of the Prophet"—implying that while hadith
324-530: A collection of parallel systems within Islam. Much of the early Islamic history available today is also based on the hadith, although it has been challenged for its lack of basis in primary source material and the internal contradictions of available secondary material. The hadith have been called by American- Sunni scholar Jonathan A. C. Brown as "the backbone" of Islamic civilization. Hadith may be hadith qudsi (sacred hadith)—which some Muslims regard as
432-707: A companion say, 'I heard the Prophet. ' " The one after him would then say, "I heard someone say, 'I heard a Companion say, 'I heard the Prophet ;...''" and so on. Different branches of Islam refer to different collections of hadith, although the same incident may be found in hadith from different collections. In general, the difference between Shi'a and Sunni collections is that Shia give preference to hadiths attributed to Muhammad's family and close companions ( Ahl al-Bayt ), while Sunnis do not consider family lineage in evaluating hadith and sunnah narrated by any of twelve thousand companions of Muhammad. Traditions of
540-458: A derivative reality created out of love and mercy by God's command, " ..."Be," and it is." and that the purpose of existence is to worship or to know God. The Qur'an states that God is transcendent over his creation. It is believed that God created everything for a divine purpose; the universe governed by fixed laws that ensure the harmonious working of all things. Everything within the universe, including inanimate objects, praises God, and
648-454: A few exceptions, agree that God is the origin of the cosmos' existence. However, there is disagreement about how God creates the cosmos and what types of causalities exist. There are three competing models. Most philosophers adhered to a theory of emanation ( fayaḍān ). Most Theologians preferred occasionalism ( iḥdāth ). The third theory, often represented in Islamic mysticism, understands
756-446: A long-held part of Islamic practice and belief are not mentioned in the Quran, but are reported in hadiths. Therefore, Muslims usually maintain that hadiths are a necessary requirement for the true and proper practice of Islam, as it gives Muslims the nuanced details of Islamic practice and belief in areas where the Quran is silent. An example is the obligatory prayers, which are commanded in the Quran, but explained in hadith. Details of
864-641: A manuscript dated 844. A collection of hadiths dedicated to invocations to God, attributed to a certain Khālid ibn Yazīd, is dated 880–881. A consistent fragment of the Jāmiʿ of the Egyptian Maliki jurist 'Abd Allāh ibn Wahb (d. 813) is finally dated to 889. Sunni and Shia hadith collections differ because scholars from the two traditions differ as to the reliability of the narrators and transmitters. Narrators who sided with Abu Bakr and Umar rather than Ali , in
972-649: A perfect measure (and ordained its destiny in a precise manner)." And in another verse ( 25:59 ) it is emphasized: "It is He who created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them." The Qur'an states that God is the Rabb al-'Alamin . When referring to God, the Arabic term "Rabb" is usually translated as "Lord" and can include all of the following meanings: "owner, master, ruler, controller, creator, upbringer, trainer, sustainer, nourisher, cherisher, provider, protector, guardian and caretaker." The same term, Rabb ,
1080-426: A physical body and human form, and being occupied in a place, direction or trajectory. According to the teachings of Islam , God is the creator of the worlds and all the creatures therein. He has created everything in the worlds in accordance with a definite plan and for a particular purpose. There is no shortcoming or defect of any sort in any of his creations. The Qur'an confirms this in the following verses: God
1188-489: A profound and controversial influence on tafsir (commentaries of the Quran). The earliest commentary of the Quran known as Tafsir Ibn Abbas is sometimes attributed to the companion Ibn Abbas. The hadith were used the form the basis of sharia (the religious law system forming part of the Islamic tradition), and fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). The hadith are at the root of why there is no single fiqh system, but rather
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#17327804251161296-424: A reference to the earth, the face of the earth, or this world in general, thus indicating that all of creation will eventually 'pass away'", only God's Being and Essence remains. According to a prophetic tradition , "This world is the cultivating field for the other world", meaning that the consequences of a person's actions in this life will impact the state of that person's soul in the afterlife. In another hadith,
1404-408: A specific time period before they enter the afterlife. This period is known only to God and is referred to as "ajal musamma". "He it is who has created you out of clay, and then decreed a term [for you] – a term known [only] to Him . . ." (6.2). "For all people a term has been set: when the end of their term approaches, they can neither delay it by a single moment, nor hasten it" (10.49). While the world
1512-424: A thing x from another thing x'. Therefore, God would create the universe in eternity. To further support this argument, emanationists point out against Creation ex Nihilo, that, if God were to decide to create the universe at a certain point in time, God would have a change of mind, affected by something external. Since God is the source of everything, something external could not have affected God. Theologians found
1620-582: Is 17:110 "Call upon Allah, or call upon The Merciful; whichsoever you call upon, to Allah belong the most beautiful Names," and also 59:22-24 , which includes a cluster of more than a dozen Divine epithets." Some Muslims may use different names as much as Allah , for instance "God" in English . Whether or not Allah can be considered as the personal name of God became disputed in contemporary scholarship. In earlier times, Jahm bin Safwan claimed that Allah
1728-522: Is a blessed linkage between the creator and his creation where the one creator will sustain the creation by looking after it. This relationship also signifies that since God is the sustainer, he is in need of nothing, and even as he gives, nothing is diminished from his treasury. Many Muslim communities emphasize the "transcendence of God" over local traditions and "allow...little room for mythological stories", although tales about jinn exist in all of them. Muslim theologians and philosophers, with only
1836-419: Is a form of Islamic oral tradition containing the sayings, actions, and approvals of the prophet Muhammad as relayed through a sequentially corroborated chain of narrators (multiple linkages of attested individuals who heard and repeated the hadith, from which the source of the hadith can be traced). Compilations of hadith were aggregated into distinct collections by Islamic scholars (known as Muhaddiths ) in
1944-468: Is a name God created for himself and that names belong to the things God created. Islam's most fundamental concept is a strict monotheism called tawhid , affirming that God is one and Tanzih ( wāḥid ). The basic creed of Islam, the Shahada (recited under oath to enter the religion), involves لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ أَشْهَدُ أنَّ ( āšhadu ānnā lā ʾilāha ʾilla llāh ) , or "I testify there
2052-545: Is based on spoken reports in circulation after the death of Muhammad. Hadith were not promptly written down during Muhammad's lifetime or immediately after his death. Hadith were evaluated orally to written and gathered into large collections during the 8th and 9th centuries, generations after Muhammad's death, after the end of the era of the Rashidun Caliphate , over 1,000 km (600 mi) from where Muhammad lived. "Many thousands of times" more numerous than
2160-616: Is beyond all human concepts of him. So he has no mates and nothing is like him, nor does he beget, nor is he begotten. Nothing – neither matter, nor space, nor time – can restrict or contain him. And this is why his Attributes – his hearing, seeing, knowledge, will, power, creating, and so on – are also beyond anything we can conceive. The same sentiment is expressed in the Qur'anic verse ( 6:103 ) which states: "Vision perceives/comprehends Him not, and He perceives/comprehends (evaluates) all vision." In some interpretations, this verse also asserts that
2268-553: Is constantly changing. Because of that, everything is in a constant process of growth and decay. The prophets and the angels were also integrated into this universalistic understanding of God. According to Heydar Amuli, who also builds on Ibn Arabi's metaphysics, the angels are the representatives of God's beautiful names (and devils of the imperious names of God). Hadith Hadith ( Arabic : حديث , romanized : ḥadīṯ ) or athar ( Arabic : أثر , ʾaṯar , lit. ' remnant ' or ' effect ' )
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#17327804251162376-494: Is dependent, contingent, temporal, and received from beyond itself, the existence or reality of God is eternal, independent, self-sufficient, and self-existent being who needs no other being for his existence, and consequently exists by and through himself alone. The divine name al-Samad (the supremely independent, self-sufficient being endowed with all the attributes of perfection to which all else turns in need for existence, life, guidance, help, forgiveness, etc.) implies that there
2484-604: Is described and referred to in the Quran and hadith by 99 names that reflect his attributes. The Quran refers to the attributes of God as "most beautiful names". According to Gerhard Böwering , They are traditionally enumerated as 99 in number to which is added as the highest Name (al-ism al-ʾaʿẓam), the Supreme Name of God. The locus classicus for listing the Divine Names in the literature of Qurʾānic commentary
2592-399: Is described as "knowing" and "perfect," God must know Himself perfectly and know that He is the cause of all existence. But in order to have perfect knowledge of a cause, one must also know the effect of the cause. Therefore, God knows every form of existence in past, future, and present. Based on the model of ibn Sina , God knows about the existence of x because of x, whereas humans know about
2700-454: Is either doing good so he will do more of that, or he is doing wrong so he may repent." God's omniscience is the knowledge of all things, whether they are actual or possible or whether they are past, present, or future. It also includes his knowledge of people, places, events, circumstances, etc. God has full knowledge of everything, everywhere, always and from eternity past, and he is fully aware of whatever one thinks, intends, and does, and
2808-478: Is eternal and unchanging, it is likewise self‐existent and infinite. It is self‐existent in that it is not dependent on anything, not even time . According to the Qur'an , God ( Allah ) is omniscient; he eternally knows whatever comes into being, be it universal or particular in character. He has known all things from before the creation of the world. His knowledge of things before their coming into existence and afterwards
2916-419: Is exactly the same. Hence, there is no discovery or surprise with God. Muslim theologians therefore considered that "omniscience" is a necessary and "ignorance" is an impossible property for God. Various Qur'anic verses designate this basic intuition, such as: 3:5 , 6:59 , 65:12 , and 24:35 . Muslims believe that God is the sole source of all creation, and that everything, including its creatures, are just
3024-469: Is in absolute need of him; the one eternally and constantly required and sought, depended upon by all existence and to whom all matters will ultimately return); he begets not, nor is he begotten (He is Unborn and Uncreated, has no parents, wife or offspring); and comparable/equal to him, there is none. God's absolute transcendence over his creation, as well as his unlimited individuality were asserted and emphasized with support from appropriate quotations from
3132-455: Is in this sense understood as a Muslim . Humans and jinn have to live voluntarily in accordance with these laws to find peace and reproduce God's benevolence in their own society to live in accordance with the nature of all things, known as surrender to God in the Islamic sense. As in the other Abrahamic religions , God is believed to be the creator of the universe. Unique to Islam , there are no intermediaries between God and people. God
3240-565: Is limited to the "Traditions" of Muhammad, the Shi'a Sunna draws on the sayings, etc. of the Ahlul-Bayt i.e. the Imams of Shi'a Islam. The word sunnah is also used in reference to a normative custom of Muhammad or the early Muslim community . Joseph Schacht describes hadith as providing "the documentation" of the sunnah . Another source (Joseph A. Islam) distinguishes between
3348-521: Is naught but a sport and a diversion.(18:45) Surely those who look not to encounter Us, and who are content with the life of this world and at peace with it, and those who are heedless of Our signs, those—their refuge is the Fire. (10:7) In the same vein, Quran 6:29 highlights the belief of some people who deny the possibility of an afterlife, saying "There is only the life of this world—we shall not be raised up." The verse suggests that if these people could see
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3456-453: Is never portrayed in any image . The Quran specifically forbids ascribing partners to share his singular sovereignty, as he is considered to be the absolute one without a second, indivisible, and incomparable being, who is similar to nothing, and nothing is comparable to him. Thus, God is absolutely transcendent , unique and utterly other than anything in or of the world as to be beyond all forms of human thought and expression. The briefest and
3564-525: Is no deity other than God." Though Muslims believe Jesus to be a prophet, the Trinity and divinity doctrine of Christendom concerning Jesus is rejected and often compared to polytheism . Tawhid constitutes the foremost article of the Muslim profession. The deification or worship of anyone or anything other than God ( shirk ) is the greatest sin in Islam. The entirety of the Islamic teaching rests on
3672-429: Is not part of the universe (i.e. there is no incarnation of God, no "Son of God", etc.) but a power behind all aspects of the universe, only knowable through his creation, signs in nature, metaphorical stories of the prophets, and communicating with his creation via revelations given to prophets . The Qur'an in particular is believed by Muslims to be the verbatim word of God as revealed to Muhammad . Hadith are
3780-470: Is only a little thing compared to what awaits in the next world. The Koran frequently tells us that the life of this world is ephemeral, either in so many words, or in parables such as the following: And strike for them the similitude of the life of this world: It is as water that We send down out of heaven, and the plants of the earth mingle with it, and in the morning it is straw that the winds scatter. (18:45) The Koran insists that dedicating oneself to straw
3888-518: Is originally an Arabic word that derives from the root d-n-w ( د ن و 'to bring near'). In that sense, dunya is "what is brought near". The term has spread to many other languages, particularly those with large groups of Muslim speakers. For example; God in Islam This is an accepted version of this page In Islam , God ( Arabic : ٱللَّٰه , romanized : Allāh , contraction of ٱلْإِلَٰه al - ’Ilāh , lit. '
3996-410: Is primarily seen as a place where humans prepare for the afterlife, it can also bring fulfillment and be rewarding in its own right. Believers are advised to ask for goodness in both this world and the afterlife, as stated in 7:156: "And ordain for us what is good in this world (dunya) as well as in the life to come (akhirah)." However, the Qur'an warns against prioritizing the pleasures of this world over
4104-499: Is realized, "the slave remains the slave, and the Lord remains the Lord". The Qur'an affirms that God does not stand in need of anything outside him, and nothing external to him can affect or influence him in any way. All his creatures are responsible to him and dependent on him. There is no other being to whom he can be responsible or on whom he can be dependent. He has the right to do whatever he wants with his possessions/creatures – it
4212-539: Is related to El and Elah , the Hebrew and Aramaic words for God. It is distinguished from ʾilāh ( Arabic : إِلَٰه ), the Arabic word meaning deity , which could refer to any of the gods worshipped in pre-Islamic Arabia or to any other deity. Allah is God's most unique Name, grandly referred to as Lafẓ al-Jalālah (The Word of Majesty). It occurs in the Qur’an 2,697 times in 85 of its 114 suras . God
4320-582: Is shared by none other. To those who do not believe in the Hereafter applies the most evil of attributes, and to God applies the most sublime attribute, and He is the All-Glorious with irresistible might, the All-Wise. Such as that described in the previous three verses ( 16:57-59 ). For the disbelievers in the Hereafter, there is an evil description, or in other words, the most evil attribute (i.e.,
4428-598: Is the Creator of all things, and He is the Guardian (with power of disposition) over all things. Surely, We have created each and every thing by (precise) measure. Do those who disbelieve ever consider that the heavens and the earth were at first one piece, and then We parted them as separate entities; and that We have made every living thing from water? Will they still not come to believe? The Qur'an also says in verse ( 25:2 ): "and He has created everything and designed it in
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4536-638: Is the hadith of Abu Hurairah who said that Muhammad said: When God decreed the Creation He pledged Himself by writing in His book which is laid down with Him: My mercy prevails over My wrath. In the Shia school of thought, there are two fundamental viewpoints of hadith: The Usuli view and the Akhbari view. The Usuli scholars emphasize the importance of scientific examination of hadiths through ijtihad while
4644-493: Is to squander away one's life and to dissipate one's human substance. People should not devote themselves to something that is utterly undependable. They should not act as if life's meaning is found in the affairs of this world, or as if experienced phenomena were anything other than the signs of God. Reality is not exhausted by what we see with our eyes. In short, the Koran says, do not be deluded by appearances: The life of this world
4752-405: Is under God's own total sovereignty. Accordingly, he is not answerable for his actions, due to his wisdom and justice, greatness and uniqueness of Divinity , while all others (jinn, humans, or false deities) are accountable for what they do (and don't do), as God says in the Qur'an: "He shall not be questioned about what He does, but they shall be questioned." While the existence of the creation
4860-534: Is used in a limited sense for humans as in the "head" of the family, "master" of the house, or "owner" of the land or cattle. The Arabic word "al-'Alamin" can be translated as the "Worlds" or "Universes". There are many worlds, astronomical and physical worlds, worlds of thought, spiritual worlds, everything in existence including angels, jinn, devils, humans, animals, plants, and so on. The "Worlds" may also be taken to refer to different domains or kingdoms within this earthly world, or other worlds beyond this earth. Thus,
4968-465: Is utterly unlike human beings." Al-Tahawi also stated that: "He is exalted/transcendent beyond having limits, ends, organs, limbs and parts (literally: tools). The six directions do not encompass/contain Him like the rest of created things." The six directions are: above, below, right, left, front and back. The above statement of al-Tahawi refutes the anthropomorphist 's dogmas that imagine Allah has
5076-467: The Kharijites also rejected the hadiths, while Mu'tazilites rejected the hadiths as the basis for Islamic law, while at the same time accepting the Sunnah and Ijma . Because some hadith contain questionable and ambiguous statements, the authentication of hadith became a major field of study in Islam. In its classic form a hadith consists of two parts—the chain of narrators who have transmitted
5184-560: The Prophet is reported to have said that even the person who had the most luxurious life in this world but ends up in the Fire will be brought before God on the Day of Resurrection and dipped once into the Fire. Then God will ask the person if he has ever experienced any good or bliss. The person will reply that he has not, indicating that the temporary pleasures of this world cannot be compared to
5292-593: The Abbasid period sought to authenticate hadith. Scholars had to decide which hadith were to be trusted as authentic and which had been fabricated for political or theological purposes. To do this, they used a number of techniques which Muslims now call the science of hadith . The earliest surviving hadith manuscripts were copied on papyrus. A long scroll collects traditions transmitted by the scholar and qadi 'Abd Allāh ibn Lahīʻa (d. 790). A Ḥadīth Dāwūd ( History of David ), attributed to Wahb ibn Munabbih , survives in
5400-467: The Akhbari scholars consider all hadiths from the four Shia books as authentic . The two major aspects of a hadith are the text of the report (the matn ), which contains the actual narrative, and the chain of narrators (the isnad ), which documents the route by which the report has been transmitted. The isnad was an effort to document that a hadith actually came from Muhammad, and Muslim scholars from
5508-531: The Last. He is not a formed body, nor a substance circumscribed with limits or determined by measure; neither does he resemble bodies as they are capable of being measured or divided. Neither do substances exist in him; neither is he an accident, nor do accidents exist in him. Neither is he like to anything that exists, nor is anything like to him; nor is he determinate in quantity, nor comprehended by bounds, nor circumscribed by differences of situation, nor contained in
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#17327804251165616-562: The Prophet is the command of God.” In 851 the rationalist Mu`tazila school of thought fell out of favor in the Abbasid Caliphate . The Mu`tazila, for whom the "judge of truth ... was human reason," had clashed with traditionists who looked to the literal meaning of the Quran and hadith for truth. While the Quran had been officially compiled and approved, hadiths had not. One result was the number of hadiths began "multiplying in suspiciously direct correlation to their utility" to
5724-401: The Qur'an as follows: (He is) the Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them; so worship Him alone, and be constant and patient in His worship. Do you know of any whose name is worthy to be mentioned along with His (as Deity and Lord to worship)? The Qur'anic verse ( 19:65 ), "Do you know of any that can be named with His Name?" emphasizes that as Allah is Unique, His name
5832-458: The Qur'an states: "And when (O Messenger) My servants ask you about Me, then surely I am near: I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he prays to Me." Therefore, according to this verse, God answers all the prayers done sincerely. However, he answers sometimes by giving whatever is asked for, sometimes by giving what is better, sometimes by postponing giving to the afterlife, and sometimes by not giving at all, since it will not turn out in favor of
5940-677: The Qur'anic expression Rabb al-'Alamin really means the "Creator of the Worlds", the "Ruler of the Universes", the "Creator and Sustainer of all the peoples and Universes". The most commonly used names in the primary sources are Al-Rahman , meaning "Most Compassionate" and Al-Rahim , meaning "Most Merciful". The former compasses the whole creation, therefore applying to God's mercy in that it gives every necessary condition to make life possible. The latter applies to God's mercy in that it gives favor for good deeds. Thus Al-Rahman includes both
6048-495: The Quran, proving that some hadith are a source of corruption and not a complement to the Quran. Joseph Schacht quotes a hadith of Muhammad that is used "to justify reference" in Islamic law to the companions of Muhammad as religious authorities—"My companions are like lodestars." According to Schacht, (and other scholars) in the very first generations after the death of Muhammad, use of hadith from Sahabah ("companions" of Muhammad) and Tabi'un ("successors" of
6156-592: The Quran. Among scholars of Sunni Islam the term hadith may include not only the words, advice, practices, etc. of Muhammad, but also those of his companions . In Shia Islam , hadith are the embodiment of the sunnah, the words and actions of Muhammad and his family, the Ahl al-Bayt ( The Twelve Imams and Muhammad's daughter, Fatimah ). Unlike the Quran, not all Muslims believe that all hadith accounts are divine revelation; in fact, scholars have thoroughly examined hadith to sort them into accuracy categories ever since
6264-554: The absolute uniqueness and singularity of God in his essence, attributes, qualities, and acts. As stated in Surat al-Ikhlas : God is Ahad (the unique one of absolute oneness, who is indivisible in nature, and there can be no other like him); God is As-Samad (the ultimate source of all existence, the uncaused cause who created all things out of nothing, who is eternal, absolute, immutable, perfect, complete, essential, independent, and self-sufficient; who needs nothing while all of creation
6372-636: The believers and the unbelievers, but Al-Rahim only the believers. God is said to love forgiving, with a hadith stating God would replace a sinless people with one who sinned but still asked repentance. God's mercy, according to Islamic theology, is what gets a person into paradise. According to a hadith in Sahih Al Bukhari "No one's deeds will ever admit him to Paradise." They said, "Not even you, O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "No, not even me unless Allah showers me with His Mercy. So try to be near to perfection. And no one should wish for death; he
6480-438: The centuries after Muhammad's death. Hadith are widely respected in mainstream Muslim thought and are central to Islamic law . Ḥadīth is the Arabic word for things like a report or an account (of an event). For many, the authority of hadith is a source for religious and moral guidance known as Sunnah , which ranks second only to that of the Quran (which Muslims hold to be the word of God revealed to Muhammad). While
6588-459: The companions) "was the rule", while use of hadith of Muhammad himself by Muslims was "the exception". Schacht credits Al-Shafi'i —founder of the Shafi'i school of fiqh (or madh'hab )—with establishing the principle of the using the hadith of Muhammad for Islamic law, and emphasizing the inferiority of hadith of anyone else, saying hadiths: "... from other persons are of no account in
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#17327804251166696-423: The disputes over leadership that followed the death of Muhammad, are considered unreliable by the Shia; narrations attributed to Ali and the family of Muhammad, and to their supporters, are preferred. Sunni scholars put trust in narrators such as Aisha , whom Shia reject. Differences in hadith collections have contributed to differences in worship practices and shari'a law and have hardened the dividing line between
6804-548: The early period following the Prophet Muhammad's death. Different collections of hadīth would come to differentiate the different branches of the Islamic faith. A minority of Muslims believe that Islamic guidance should be based on the Quran only , thus rejecting the authority of hadith; some further claim that many hadiths are fabrications ( pseudepigrapha ) created in the 8th and 9th centuries AD, and which are falsely attributed to Muhammad. Historically, some sects of
6912-582: The earth (each with particular features and on ordered principles): He has made for you, from your selves, mates, and from the cattle mates (of their own kind): by this means He multiplies you (and the cattle). There is nothing whatever like Him. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. The Qur'anic verse ( 42:11 ) emphasizes that there is no similarity whatsoever between the creator and his creation in essence, in attributes or in actions, and therefore, God
7020-411: The eighth century to the present have never ceased to repeat the mantra "The isnad is part of the religion—if not for the isnad, whoever wanted could say whatever they wanted." The isnad literally means "support", and it is so named because hadith specialists rely on it to determine the authenticity or weakness of a hadith . The isnad consists of a chronological list of the narrators, each mentioning
7128-410: The emanation theory to be unconvincing, because the theory equates God to much with nature, by that, restricting God's freedom. Instead, they propose, God created the world from nothing at a certain point t in time. In response to the emanationists' objection, that for Creation ex Nihilo, a change in the will of God would be required, al-Ghazali explains that God has willed from all eternity, to create
7236-504: The eternal consequences of the afterlife. Similarly, the person who had the most difficult life in this world but ends up in the Garden will be brought before God and dipped once into the Garden. Then God will ask the person if he has ever experienced any misery or hardship. The person will reply that he has not, emphasizing the incomparable joy and bliss of the next world. The term dunya
7344-547: The face of a tradition from the Prophet, whether they confirm or contradict it; if the other persons had been aware of the tradition from the Prophet, they would have followed it". This led to "the almost complete neglect" of traditions from the Companions and others. Collections of hadith sometimes mix those of Muhammad with the reports of others. Muwatta Imam Malik is usually described as "the earliest written collection of hadith" but sayings of Muhammad are "blended with
7452-424: The final authority of a hadith of Muhammad , so that even the Quran was "to be interpreted in the light of traditions (i.e. hadith), and not vice versa." While traditionally the Qur'an has traditionally been considered superior in authority to the sunna, Al-Shafi'i "forcefully argued" that the sunna was "on equal footing with the Quran", (according to scholar Daniel Brown) for (as Al-Shafi'i put it) “the command of
7560-399: The five salat (obligatory Islamic prayers) that are not found in the Quran, as well as everyday behavior such as table manners, dress, and posture. Hadith are also regarded by Muslims as important tools for understanding things mentioned in the Quran but not explained, a source for tafsir (commentaries written on the Quran). Some important elements, which are today taken to be
7668-558: The god ' ) is seen as the creator and sustainer of the universe, who lives eternally and will eventually resurrect all humans . God is conceived as a perfect, singular , immortal, omnipotent , and omniscient god, completely infinite in all of his attributes . Islam further emphasizes that God is most merciful. The Islamic concept of God is variously described as monotheistic , panentheistic , and monistic . In Islamic theology , anthropomorphism ( tashbīh ) and corporealism ( tajsīm ) refer to beliefs in
7776-643: The hands of aggrieved soldiers, in 656. No direct sources survive directly from this period so we are dependent on what later writers tell us about this period. According to British historian of Arab world Alfred Guillaume, it is "certain" that "several small collections" of hadith were "assembled in Umayyad times." In Islamic law, the use of hadith as it is understood today (hadith of Muhammad with documentation, isnads, etc.) came gradually. According to scholars such as Joseph Schacht , Ignaz Goldziher , and Daniel W. Brown, early schools of Islamic jurisprudence used
7884-523: The heavens, and transcends spatial and temporal bounds, and remains beyond the bounds of human comprehension and perceptions. Allāh is the Arabic word referring to God in Abrahamic religions . In the English language , the word generally refers to God in Islam. The Arabic word Allāh is thought to be derived by contraction from al - ʾilāh , which means "the god", (i.e., the only god) and
7992-403: The highest attribute, namely, that there is no deity except him, immensely exalted beyond and above all comparison and likeness. So, do not invent similitudes for God (do not liken Him to others to associate partners with Him, for there is nothing similar to Him). Surely God knows and you do not know (the exact truth about Him and the exact nature of things). The Originator of the heavens and
8100-437: The human-like ( anthropomorphic ) and materially embedded (corporeal) form of God, an idea that has been classically described assimilating or comparing God to the creatures created by God. By contrast, belief in the transcendence of God is called tanzih , which also rejects notions of incarnation and a personal god . Tanzih is widely accepted in Islam today, although it stridently competed for orthodox status until
8208-414: The importance of the afterlife, or "akhira" over the present world. "Dunya" is an Arabic word that means "lower or lowest", or "nearer or nearest", which is understood as a reference to the "lower world, this world here below". The term "dunya" is employed to refer to the present world "as it is closest to one’s life as opposed to the life of the Hereafter". In the Quran, it is often used in conjunction with
8316-411: The intended meaning of hadith in religious tradition is something attributed to Muhammad but that is not found in the Quran. Scholar Patricia Crone includes reports by others than Muhammad in her definition of hadith: "short reports (sometimes just a line or two) recording what an early figure, such as a companion of the prophet or Muhammad himself, said or did on a particular occasion, preceded by
8424-604: The life of Muhammad and the early history of Islam were passed down mostly orally for more than a hundred years after Muhammad's death in AD 632. Muslim historians say that Caliph Uthman ibn Affan (the third khalifa (caliph) of the Rashidun Caliphate , or third successor of Muhammad, who had formerly been Muhammad's secretary), is generally credited with urging Muslims to record the hadith just as Muhammad had suggested that some of his followers to write down his words and actions. Uthman's labours were cut short by his assassination, at
8532-461: The most comprehensive description of God in the Quran is found in Surat al-Ikhlas . According to mainstream Muslim theologians , God is described as Qadim [ ar ] ('ancient'), having no first, without beginning or end; absolute, not limited by time or place or circumstance, nor is subject to any decree so as to be determined by any precise limits or set times, but is the First and
8640-432: The most vile), which is their ignorance and ingratitude, and their burying alive of newborn girls , despite the fact that they are needed for the purposes of marriage and not allowing women to even inherit property, and their ascribing female gender to angels and claiming that the angels are the daughters of God while so preferring sons for themselves (this is also mentioned in the verses 37:149-155 ); whereas to God belong
8748-504: The noun ḥadīth ( حديث IPA: [ħæˈdiːθ] ) means "report", "account", or "narrative". Its Arabic plural is aḥādīth ( أحاديث [ʔæħæːˈdiːθ] ). Hadith also refers to the speech of a person. In Islamic terminology, according to Juan Campo, the term hadith refers to reports of statements or actions of Muhammad, or of his tacit approval or criticism of something said or done in his presence. Classical hadith specialist Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani says that
8856-466: The number of hadith grew enormously. While Malik ibn Anas had attributed just 1720 statements or deeds to the Muhammad, it was no longer unusual to find people who had collected a hundred times that number of hadith. Faced with a huge corpus of miscellaneous traditions supporting different views on a wide variety of controversial matters—some of them flatly contradicting each other—Islamic scholars of
8964-424: The number of verses pertaining to law in the Quran is relatively small, hadith are considered by many to give direction on everything from details of religious obligations (such as Ghusl or Wudu , ablutions for salat prayer), to the correct forms of salutations and the importance of benevolence to slaves. Thus for many, the "great bulk" of the rules of Sharia are derived from hadith, rather than
9072-431: The one from whom they heard the hadith, until mentioning the originator of the matn along with the matn itself. The first people to hear hadith were the companions who preserved it and then conveyed it to those after them. Then the generation following them received it, thus conveying it to those after them and so on. So a companion would say, "I heard the Prophet say such and such." The Follower would then say, "I heard
9180-420: The one who desires a harvest in the life to come (akhirah), We shall grant an increase in his harvest; whereas to the one who desires [but] a harvest in this world (dunya), We [may] give something thereof – [but] he will have no share in [the blessings of] the life to come (akhirah)" (42.20). Thus, in the Quran, the ultimate truth and reality lie in the closeness to God, and the enjoyment and adornment of this world
9288-464: The one who prays. The way that God answers a prayer depends on his wisdom. Al-Bukhari , in his Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī , narrates a hadith qudsi that God says, "I am as My servant thinks (expects) I am." When Sufis claim union with God, it is not that they become one in essence, rather the will of the Sufi is fully congruent to God. The Sufis are in fact careful to say, no matter what degree of union
9396-444: The people of the desert. According to the scholars Harald Motzki and Daniel W. Brown the earliest Islamic legal reasonings that have come down to us were "virtually hadith-free", but gradually, over the course of second century A.H. "the infiltration and incorporation of Prophetic hadiths into Islamic jurisprudence" took place. It was Abū ʿAbdullāh Muhammad ibn Idrīs al-Shāfiʿī (150-204 AH), known as al-Shafi'i , who emphasized
9504-449: The prescribed movements and words of the prayer (known as rak'a ) and how many times they are to be performed, are found in hadith. However, hadiths differ on these details and consequently salat is performed differently by different hadithist Islamic sects. Quranists, on the other hand, believe that if the Quran is silent on some matter, it is because God did not hold its detail to be of consequence; and that some hadith contradict
9612-403: The principle of Tawhid. Associating partners in divinity of God is known as shirk and is the antithesis of Tawhid. Although the term is usually translated as "polytheism" into English, the sin is thought to be more complex. The translation 'associating [with God]' has been suggested instead. The term includes denial of attributing any form of divinity to any other thing but God. This includes
9720-509: The quoter of the hadith ( Traditionists quoted hadith warning against listening to human opinion instead of Sharia; Hanafites quoted a hadith stating that "In my community there will rise a man called Abu Hanifa [the Hanafite founder] who will be its guiding light". In fact one agreed upon hadith warned that, "There will be forgers, liars who will bring you hadiths which neither you nor your forefathers have heard, Beware of them." In addition
9828-451: The reality of the afterlife, they would understand how wrong they were. In Surah 28 verse 88, the Quran tells that "All things perish, save His (God's) Face". The same message is repeated several times as in 55:26-27: "All that is upon it passes away. And there remains the Face of thy Lord, Possessed of Majesty and Bounty." According to The Study Quran , these verses are "taken by most as
9936-588: The records of Muhammad's sayings and example, and Hadith Qudsi is a sub-category of hadith, which Muslims regard as the words of God repeated by Muhammad . According to al-Sharif al-Jurjani (d. 816/1413), the Hadith Qudsi differ from the Qur'an in that the former are "expressed in Muhammad's words", whereas the latter are the "direct words of God". Thus, Muslims address/contact God directly in their prayers, supplications and dhikr , and also seek forgiveness and repentance from sins directly from God, as
10044-400: The reins of all things and events are in his power. He knows whatever happens in the universe, down to the fall of a leaf, and he knows all the deeds, thoughts, and intentions of humankind. His appointed angels record these, and people will be called to account for these acts in the other world. His knowledge is eternal in the sense of being timeless, i.e., atemporal. So, since God's knowledge
10152-483: The report (the isnad ), and the main text of the report (the matn ). Individual hadith are classified by Muslim clerics and jurists into categories such as sahih ("authentic"), hasan ("good"), or da'if ("weak"). However, different groups and different scholars may classify a hadith differently. Historically, some hadiths deemed to be unreliable were still used by Sunni jurists for non-core areas of law. Western scholars are generally skeptical of
10260-415: The rewards of the afterlife. It cautions against being deluded and distracted by the attractions and pleasures of this world, which can lead to forgetfulness of God and His promises. Those who seek rewards in the afterlife will receive an increase in their harvest, while those who focus solely on the world will have no share in the blessings of the afterlife.(42.20). In Surah 42, verse 20, the Quran says: "To
10368-507: The rulings of the Prophet's Companions , the rulings of the Caliphs , and practices that “had gained general acceptance among the jurists of that school”. On his deathbed, Caliph Umar instructed Muslims to seek guidance from the Quran, the early Muslims ( muhajirun ) who emigrated to Medina with Muhammad, the Medina residents who welcomed and supported the muhajirun (the ansar ) and
10476-577: The sayings of the companions", (822 hadith from Muhammad and 898 from others, according to the count of one edition). In Introduction to Hadith by Abd al-Hadi al-Fadli, Kitab Ali is referred to as "the first hadith book of the Ahl al-Bayt (family of Muhammad) to be written on the authority of the Prophet". However, the acts, statements or approvals of Muhammad are called "Marfu hadith" , while those of companions are called "mawquf (موقوف) hadith" , and those of Tabi'un are called "maqtu' (مقطوع) hadith" . The hadith had
10584-548: The self by elevating oneself above others and associating attributes of God with a created being. According to Vincent J. Cornell, the Quran also provides a monist image of God by describing the reality as a unified whole, with God being a single concept that would describe or ascribe all existing things: "He is the First and the Last, the Evident and the Immanent: and He has full knowledge of all things." Islam emphasises
10692-541: The senses and intellects cannot fully comprehend God. Likewise, the Qur'an also says: "whereas they cannot comprehend Him with their knowledge." The Hanafi jurist and theologian, al-Tahawi (d. 321/933), wrote in his treatise on theology, commonly known as al-'Aqida al-Tahawiyya : "Whoever describes Allah even with a single human quality/attribute, has disbelieved/ blasphemed . So whoever understands this, will take heed and refrain from such statements as those of disbelievers, and knows that Allah in His attributes
10800-721: The source. ... A practice which is contained within the Hadith may well be regarded as Sunna, but it is not necessary that a Sunna would have a supporting hadith sanctioning it. Some sources ( Khaled Abou El Fadl ) limit hadith to verbal reports, with the deeds of Muhammad and reports about his companions being part of the sunnah , but not hadith. Islamic literary classifications similar to hadith (but not sunnah ) are maghazi and sira . They differ from hadith in that they are organized "relatively chronologically" rather than by subject. Other "traditions" of Islam related to hadith include: The hadith literature in use today
10908-518: The tenth century, especially during the Mihna . In premodern times, corporealist views were said to have been more socially prominent among the common people, with more abstract and transcendental views more common for the elite. The Islamic concept of tawhid (oneness) emphasises that God is absolutely pure and free from association with other beings , which means attributing the powers and qualities of God to his creation, and vice versa. In Islam, God
11016-459: The two saying: Whereas the 'Hadith' is an oral communication that is allegedly derived from the Prophet or his teachings, the 'Sunna' (quite literally: mode of life, behaviour or example) signifies the prevailing customs of a particular community or people. ... A 'Sunna' is a practice which has been passed on by a community from generation to generation en masse, whereas the hadith are reports collected by later compilers often centuries removed from
11124-413: The value of hadith for understanding the true historical Muhammad, even those considered sahih by Muslim scholars, due to their first recording centuries after Muhammad's life, the unverifiability of the claimed chains of transmission, and the widespread creation of fraudulent hadiths. Western scholars instead see hadith as more valuable for recording later developments in Islamic theology. In Arabic,
11232-434: The verses of the Quran, hadith have been described as resembling layers surrounding the "core" of Islamic beliefs (the Quran). Well-known, widely accepted hadith make up the narrow inner layer, with a hadith becoming less reliable and accepted with each layer stretching outward. The reports of Muhammad's (and sometimes his companions') behavior collected by hadith compilers include details of ritual religious practice such as
11340-423: The word "life" to refer to this world, in contrast to the next, meaning the akhirah. The term "Al-dunyā" appears in the Quran 115 times and refers to both the temporal world and the duration of one's life on earth. The Quran emphasizes the temporary and fleeting nature of the life of this world compared to the eternal life of the next world. According to the Qur'an, human beings and other communities are on earth for
11448-412: The words of God —or hadith sharif (noble hadith), which are Muhammad's own utterances. According to as-Sayyid ash-Sharif al-Jurjani, the hadith qudsi differ from the Quran in that the former are "expressed in Muhammad's words", whereas the latter are the " direct words of God ". A hadith qudsi need not be a sahih (sound hadith), but may be da'if or even mawdu' . An example of a hadith qudsi
11556-403: The world as the manifestation of a single reality ( maẓhir ). The emanation theory states that 1) the universe has emanated from God since eternity 2) there is a causal mediation between the lower and the higher things (i.e. the lower things do not come directly from God, but from the higher things). God is considered the only necessary existence, the rest of creation as contingent . Since God
11664-487: The world at a certain time t . Additionally, God would not only have created the universe at a time t , but also continues to create the universe in any following moment. A variant of the theory of the manifestation of a single reality can be found particularly in Mulla Sadra , who was inspired by Muhyī d-Dīn Ibn ʿArabī. According to Mulla Ṣadra, only God is eternal and perfect, the universe, including its inhabitants,
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