Authentic Source of Islam

S. A. wrote and asked: 

Dear Sister,

There is only one authentic source of Islam and that is alQuraan. The very belief in the second source is the rejection of the first one and that is a serious crime leading straight out of the heavens of ALLAH taala.

Please confirm if that is your chosen path.

وَهَـذَا كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ مُبَارَكٌ فَاتَّبِعُوهُ وَاتَّقُواْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ 6:155

6:155 And this is a Book which We have revealed as a blessing: so follow it and be righteous, that ye may receive mercy. 

S.A. ,

Muslim.

My Reply: 

Brother S. A., 

Salam. 

Yes, of course, the arabic Quran is the authentic and primary source of guidance for Muslims. 

As it states in the Quran that all things have been explained in detail in the Quran[1], it is an article of faith for me to believe that it contains guidance in all matters.  

As it states in the Quran that we have been given but little knowledge [3], I humbly believe that there is much left to know and learn. 

As the Quran directs us to ask those who 'follow the reminder' [4], I do refer to the interpretations of various scholars to help broaden my perspective and understanding. 

As it states in the Quran itself that belief in the revelation of the prior scriptures (reminders) is a pre-requisite for the God-conscious (muttaqin) [5], hence I also believe that the prior scriptures have been sent by Allah, the Ar-Rehman, who has been guiding humanity, as promised, since our exile here on Earth [2]. 

However, as the Quran also informs us that those to whom the prior scriptures were entrusted have corrupted their scriptures, as well as hidden portions of it, thus I only refer to or abstain from consulting the prior scriptures, as guided in the Quran [6]. Hence, I have kept this in consideration when researching, as mentioned in my blogposts [7]. 

As regards the hadith attributed to our dear Prophet (may peace be upon him), I think it is a monumental human effort to try to document and preserve the sayings of our dear Prophet. However, as all human efforts are riddled with errors and mistakes, I do not take hadith works as an article of faith. However, I do try to follow the example and some of the teachings. For more on my position on hadith, please see: [8].   

Please find listed below the verses and links to my blogposts, as referenced above. 

[1] All Kinds of Similitudes: 

Quran 17:89 And verily We have displayed for mankind in this Qur'an all kind of similitudes, but most of mankind refuse aught save disbelief. 

Explained in Detail [http://signsandscience.blogspot.com/2015/03/explained-in-detail.html]

Abstract

Starting with verses 7:52 and 7:58, the relevant verses of the Quran have been collected in this post to help realise the significance of the Quran’s insistence upon itself being well-explained. Life is an open-book exam, and we cannot afford to put off taking guidance from the Quran. As verse 7:53 begins with the question: ‘Do they await except its result?’  

[2] Guidance promised: 

Quran 2:38 We said, "Go down from it, all of you. And when guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My guidance - there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.  

[3] Little Knowledge 

Quran 17:85 They are asking thee concerning the Spirit. Say: The Spirit is by command of my Lord, and of knowledge ye have been vouchsafed but little. 

[4] Consult those who Know 

Quran 16:43 And We sent not (as Our messengers) before thee other than men whom We inspired - Ask the followers of the Remembrance if ye know not! - 

Quran 21:7 And We sent not (as Our messengers) before thee other than men, whom We inspired. Ask the followers of the Reminder if ye know not? 

[5] Belief in prior scriptures: 

Quran 2:4 And who believe in what has been revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what was revealed before you, and of the Hereafter they are certain [in faith]. 

Quran 4:136 O you who have believed, believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Book that He sent down upon His Messenger and the Scripture which He sent down before. And whoever disbelieves in Allah , His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day has certainly gone far astray. 

[6] Changes in Prior Scriptures, and when to or not to take guidance from People of the Book: 

Quran 5:15 O People of the Scripture! Now hath Our messenger come unto you, expounding unto you much of that which ye used to hide in the Scripture, and forgiving much. now hath come unto you light from Allah and plain Scripture, 

Quran 18:22 They will say there were three, the fourth of them being their dog; and they will say there were five, the sixth of them being their dog - guessing at the unseen; and they will say there were seven, and the eighth of them was their dog. Say, [O Muhammad], "My Lord is most knowing of their number. None knows them except a few. So do not argue about them except with an obvious argument and do not inquire about them among [the speculators] from anyone." 

Quran 29:46 And do not argue with the People of the Scripture except in a way that is best, except for those who commit injustice among them, and say, "We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you. And our God and your God is one; and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him."  

[7] Relevant Blogposts

People of the Cave [http://signsandscience.blogspot.com/2014/05/people-of-cave.html]:  

Al-Qur’an Chapter 18 starts with the statement that Allah has sent this Book and allowed therein no crookedness. It then goes on to relate three very strange stories, the first of which is about the People who slept in a Cave, in verses 9-26. The following is an attempt to understand these verses in the light of what scientists have discovered so far.  As verse 22 warns us that there are debates & guesswork regarding the number of Sleepers, and expressly forbids us from entering into controversies regarding them, comparisons with similar stories in other religions have been deliberately avoided.

Mission of the Messengers [http://signsandscience.blogspot.com/2015/06/mission-of-messengers.html]: 

Biblical Predictions 

Quran 29:43 asserts that though these examples are being presented, none will understand it except the learned / knowledgable. Quran 29:46 states that: And (do) not argue (with the) People of the Book except by which [it] (is) best, except those who (do) wrong among them,and say, "We believe in that (which) has been revealed to us and was revealed to you. And our God and your God (is) One, and we to Him submit.” 

So, what do the books of the People of the Book say about these past civilisations? The following passages of the Bible help comprehend the meanings of the Quranic passages further:

Matthew 24:37-39 and Luke 17:26-30 both foretell that as was in the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of Man be. The Luke 17 passage compares the coming to the days of Lot as well. 

What was the sin of these civilisations?...  

[8] Hadith 

My understanding, as explained in various posts over the years [http://islam-qna.blogspot.com/search?q=hadith]

Humble softening of my stance [http://signsandscience.blogspot.com/2015/03/orientation-right-or-left.html] 

May Allah guide us to a clearer understanding and perfect our light for us. 

Hope the above answers your question.  

Source of the Quran

Question: The very first thing you should always do is look at the source of anything. The source was the new testament in the Bible. The Bible is thousands of years older than the Quran. The New Testament is 600 years older than the Quran. If you want to follow the one God you must learn all about him. The very oldest writings are not Quranic. Read the words of Y'Shua and you will hear of the love he had for you. And that we all are the children of our Father. Our Father does not say anywhere in the old or new testament that anyone is an infidel. To him anyone can be forgiven and loved. And our beloved Y'Shua so loved the world that he gave his precious life for us. In heaven they rejoice when a sinner turns to God. Not rejoice at ones death. God does not have us as slaves, he gave us free will like our own Father would. If God is Father to us all than we are all brothers and sisters to each other.

Answer: The source of Torah (Old Testament), Bible (New Testament) and Quran are all the same: Allah. He has sent Messengers, Prophets and Books for our guidance from time to time, because He loves us, and knows that we need help in this trial …. This life in this world…. and He repeatedly reminds us (specifically in the Holy Quran) that this is a temporary period of trial and then we shall be returned to an eternal life, and where we spend our eternity will depend on our beliefs, intents and deeds in the life of this world. Allah again and again calls people to repent….. To him anyone can be forgiven and loved! We all have time and opportunity to mend our ways, and purify our beliefs, thoughts and deeds. For help, He has blessed us with Holy Books. If you read the Holy Quran without any preconceived notions about Allah, Islam and Muslims, you will be surprised. The problem is, like all religions, the followers of Islam also do not adhere strictly to the Holy Book(Quran) sent for their guidance. Thus, they stray from the path, misinterpret verses out of context, and do things NOT ordained…. They may be causing pain and suffering to others, but the real loss is their own, as every soul will have to account for all its done, and that is because we have been given Free Will!

Study of Islam

Question: It is hard to believe that this is the work of a Supreme Being. One has to be unbelievably brainwashed to think this is sublime. In Pakistan however, you will be beheaded if you throw the Quran in a waste-bin.Many a Muslim will claim that what I have written has nothing to do with Islam and that all of it are culture-related issues. This is completely false. The situation of the Muslim has nothing to do with a so called backward culture in Islamic countries but has everything to do with true Islam itself. In my opinion Islam is in violation with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on many issues and poses a danger to society. Reformation of Islam is impossible since everything is described in detail in the Quran and the Hadith/traditions of Muhammad. The Quran and the Hadith are complementary and provide explanations for one another. The so-called reformers or moderate Muslims pretend that a large part of the Quran does not exist. Or they try to distort the truth because it so ugly.The extremists (Wahabi, Salafists, ... ) or so-called “radicalized youth” just go for the whole story. If in the West Islam is considered as an “approved” religion, one cannot blame these people that they use their right to effectively follow the Quran and the Hadith.One forgets that Islam is not only a religion but also a culture, a social system, a legislation, a political system, a military system, ....and that these cannot easily be separated. An example: one would expect that prayer belongs to the religious domain. During prayer muslims read a chapter of the Quran. When they choose chapter 9 and recite that polytheists should be killed (9:5) and that Christians and Jews have to be fought until they submit (9:29) and that you may not spend time with your ‘unbelieving’ family members (9:23), one enters in the military, social and political domain. And then muslims are surprised that they have to explain to those Polytheists, Jews, Christians or atheist relatives that these verses are no longer valid and were meant only for specific circumstances, wherease Islamic scholars claim the exact opposite. When I put everything in perspective I cannot understand how anyone who has studied Islam thoroughly on the basis of the Islamic sources, still can remain a Muslim. I am no longer a Muslim. i hope every Muslim will study Islam thoroughly and follow suit.

Answer: If any were to study Talmud and other writings along with the Torah, if one were to study all the literature ascribed to all the world religions, one would most definitely become an ‘non-believer’ in any or all of those religions simply because most of the religious literature is human work……….. full of errors, mistakes, omissions, aspirations, motives, slander, lies and the list can go on. The primary works: the books which were revealed to humans, example the Torah, the Bible, the Vedas, the Quran, etc, can only be considered as sources; the rest, if one is not careful, is all misleading!

Study from original sources

Q: A few years ago, I mentioned to my wife that all news about Islam was so negative that I wondered what Islam really teaches. She told me there were no secrets and that everything was written in the books. Of course, I had Muslims confirm that these were the best sources and I could buy them from online Islamic bookstores. I searched the Internet to make a list of original source-books on Islam and I purchased these books. I have read the following 20 books:
1. The Quran
2. The authentic traditions of Muhammad (Sahih Hadith) by Bukhari: 9 books
3. A summary of the authentic traditions of Muhammad by (Sahih) Muslim: 2 books
4. Life of the Prophet: oldest biography by Ibn Ishaq
5. Life of the Prophet: Tabari: 4 books
6. Life of the Prophet: Ibn Sa'd: 2 books
7. Shariah book called Umdat as-salik / Reliance of the Traveller of the Shafi'i school (1 of the 4 large schools of Islam recognized by the Al-Azhar university in Egypt). This is not an original source but it is how the Quran, the hadith and the biographies of the Muhammad are interpreted by Muslim scholars and are being turned into laws. This book is incredibly user-friendly and I use it to check my interpretation of the Quran and the Hadith.This Shariah book does not contain any surprises because it is consistent with the Quran and the Sahih Hadith.
After reading these books, I could no longer remain a Muslim. There is no greater insult to Muhammad as a prophet and for Islam as an ideology, than the Quran and the original sources of Islam: books written by Allah and Muslims for Muslims. That is why websites that criticise Islam advise everyone to study Islam from these original sources.What is written in these books is too crazy for words. Many practices that we consider as immoral in the 21st century have been permitted by Muhammad.

A: Only the Quran is Allah’s words and a guidance for mankind. The rest are works of humans……….. whether they were honest mistakes, or deliberate attempts to taint Islam, I do not know, and I shall not judge. But, personally, I can only accept the Quran as the final true revelation of Allah Almighty for my guidance and I find it sufficient enough.