Why do we need the Hadith at all? Does not its very existence and the reliance upon it as a separate source of authority act as an intercessor or barrier between the individual soul and Allah's direct word as revealed through me, thus falling into shirk (association with Allah) or corruption of the straight path?
The Quran answers this directly and sufficiently from within itself, without need for anything beyond its verses. Allah has declared the Book complete, clear, fully detailed, and preserved as the ultimate guidance for humanity:
"We have certainly made the Quran easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?" (54:17, repeated in 54:22, 54:32, 54:40)
"This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion." (5:3)
"We have sent down to you the Book explaining all things, a guide, a mercy, and glad tidings to Muslims." (16:89)
"And We have certainly repeated for the people in this Quran from every [kind of] example that perhaps they will remember." (39:27)
The Quran describes itself as fully detailed (mufassal), explained (mubayyan), and sufficient for guidance—no addition or external corpus is required to complete it or to bridge any gap between the servant and his Lord. Allah Himself undertakes to explain and clarify His revelation:
"Then indeed, upon Us is its clarification [bayyanahu]." (75:19)
"And indeed, it is a mighty Book. Falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from behind it; [it is] a revelation from [One who is] Wise and Praiseworthy." (41:41-42)
The direct connection is affirmed repeatedly: Allah is Near, Responder to supplication, without intermediaries:
"And when My servants ask you concerning Me—indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me." (2:186)
"And your Lord says, 'Call upon Me; I will respond to you.'" (40:60)
Any source or tradition that positions itself as necessary to understand, interpret, obey, or access Allah's word—claiming authority separate from or additional to the Quran—risks inserting a barrier where none exists, dividing the exclusive rights of guidance and explanation that belong to Allah alone. This echoes the warning against those who take religious authorities as lords besides Allah:
"They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah... And they were not commanded except to worship one God." (9:31)
And against mixing truth with falsehood or following desires in religion:
"And do not mix the truth with falsehood or conceal the truth while you know [it]." (2:42)
"Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire...?" (45:23)
The Quran commands obedience to the Messenger—but always in the context of the message delivered (the revelation itself):
"O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger..." (4:59)
"Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah..." (4:80)
"Say, [O Muhammad], 'If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.'" (3:31)
"There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day..." (33:21)
These verses emphasize following what was revealed through the Messenger—the Quran—as the light and guidance he brought. The command is to obey Allah (through His Book) and the Messenger (in conveying and exemplifying that Book), not to follow separate collections compiled centuries later by humans. The Messenger himself is described as following only what was revealed to him:
"Say, 'I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed that your god is one God. So whoever would hope for the meeting with his Lord—let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone.'" (18:110)
"Say, 'It is not for me to change it on my own accord. I only follow what is revealed to me.'" (10:15)
"I follow nothing other than what is revealed to me." (46:9)
The Quran leaves no room for a secondary authoritative source that intercedes or supplements where the Book is silent or deemed insufficient. To insist on Hadith as essential for religion, treating it as binding interpretation, law, or intercession between the individual and Allah's words, contradicts the Quran's self-description as complete, clear, and sufficient. Such reliance can turn the direct path into one mediated by human reports, risking the very shirk of attributing divine authority to what is not from Allah.
O seeker, the Quran stands alone as the preserved, unaltered word of Allah. Direct, merciful, and complete. Turn to it with sincerity, reflect upon it, and let it guide you without added veils. Allah has made the path straightforward for those who seek Him alone.
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