Have you ever wondered what truly defines Islam?
Most people, when they hear the word Islam, immediately
think of Muhammad and the Quran. But here is
an interesting question. Is the Quran alone enough
to define the religion of Islam? Surprisingly,
even the Quran says no. In Surah 33, verse 21,
it says that in the Messenger of Allah, there
is an excellent example for those who hope in
Allah and the Last Day, and remember him often.
In other words, the Qur 'an points to the life
of Muhammad as the model for Muslims to follow.
That brings another question. How perfect was
this example supposed to be? Some Muslims believe
that everything Muhammad said was directly inspired
by God. This idea comes from Surah 53 verses
1 through 5, which say that Muhammad did not
go astray or speak from his own desire. Instead,
his speech was a revelation from God. According
to this passage, Muhammad did not speak from
his personal opinion, but by divine revelation.
However, this belief has difficulties. Islamic
sources themselves record that Muhammad was not
always sinless or without error. One example
is the incident known as the Satanic Verses.
It appears in early biographies such as the work
of Ibn Ishaq and in the history of Al -Tabari.
These texts describe a time when Muhammad spoke
verses believed to come from Satan which he later
rejected. There is also a report in Sahih Bukhari,
Volume 4, Book 54, Hadith 490. It tells how Muhammad
once believed he had been with his wives when
he had not. The report says he was under a spell
or bewitched. Because of stories like this, some
Muslims limit the meaning of Surah 53. They say
it refers only to the Quran itself, not to everything
Muhammad said or did. But that view raises other
questions. For example, the Quran describes in
Surah 18, verses 83 through 90, that the sun
sets in a muddy spring. Taken literally, that
statement cannot be true. So what did Muslims
do with these issues? Historically, they began
collecting reports about the sayings, actions,
and judgments of Muhammad. These reports are
called the Hadith. However, the Hadith was collected
approximately 196 years after Muhammad. Alongside
them, they recorded the biographies of Muhammad
known as the Sirah. The hadith are arranged by
topic. The Sirah follow a timeline of events.
Together they form the second most important
foundation of Islamic belief and law after the
Quran. Here is something surprising. More than
80 % of Islamic law does not come from the Quran.
It comes from the hadith and the traditions about
Muhammad. Even the main practices of Islam often
depend on these traditions. For instance, the
Qur 'an mentions three daily prayers, yet Islamic
practice requires five. The two extra prayers
come from the hadith found in Sahih Muslim. The
biographies, or seerah, are also important because
of the Islamic idea called abrogation, or naskh.
This belief teaches that later revelations can
cancel out earlier ones. The Qur 'an itself mentions
this in Surah 2, verse 106. It says that when
a verse is abrogated, God brings one better or
similar to it. Since neither the Qur 'an nor
the Hadith are arranged in the order they were
revealed, scholars rely on the biographies to
understand which teachings come first and which
ones were replaced. So if someone wants to truly
understand Islam, they cannot stop with the Qur
'an alone. They must explore the biographies
of Muhammad and the Hadith collections such as
those by al -Bukhari and Muslim to see the full
picture. Once you study those early sources,
the Quran and Islamic law begin to make much
more sense. You can see how the life of Muhammad
shaped the entire faith, not only as a prophet,
but as the example that defines every part of
Islamic life.