Hadith Qudsi (or Sacred Hadith) are a
sub-category of hadith, which are sayings of
Muhammad. Muslims
regard the Hadith Qudsi as the words of
Allah, repeated by
Muhammad and recorded on the condition of an
isnad (chain of verification by witness(es) who heard Muhammad
say the hadith). At first, there seems to be no reason for
distinguishing Qur'anic verses from the verses in the Hadith
Qudsi, as both are regarded as directly inspired from God.
However, according to as-Sayyid ash-Sharif al-Jurjani, the
Hadith Qudsi differ from the Qur'an in that the former were
revealed in a dream or through revelation and are "expressed in
Muhammad's words", whereas the latter are the "direct words of
God".
Hence, Hadith Qudsi rank as a source of Islamic knowledge below
the Qur'an but above all other hadiths. A well-known text among
Muslims is the 40 Hadith Qudsi.
An example of a Hadith Qudsi is:
Hadith Qudsi 2:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),
who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah Almighty
has said:
The son of Adam denied Me and he had no right to do so. And he
reviled Me and he had no right to do so. As for his denying Me, it
is his saying: He will not remake me as He made me at first (1) -
and the initial creation [of him] is no easier for Me than
remaking him. As for his reviling Me, it is his saying: Allah has
taken to Himself a son, while I am the One, the Everlasting
Refuge. I begot not nor was I begotten, and there is none
comparable to Me.
(1) i.e., bring me back to life after death.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by an-Nasa'i). |
