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In the name of Allah
the Merciful the Compassionate

 INTRODUCTION

The present book, a selection of Hadith Qudsi (i. e. the Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad as revealed to him by the Almighty) with a translation into English, is a companion volume to our translation of the Forty Hadith of the Imam an -Nabawi.We thought it might be useful to preface the book with a short study about Hadith Qudsi (Sacred Hadith), their source books, the subjects treated, and the considerations taken into account when making our selection and preparing the translation.

Sacred Hadith are so named because, unlike the majority of Hadith which are Prophetic Hadith, their authority (Sanad) is traced back not to the Prophet but to the Almighty. The epithets rahhiini and iliihi are also applied to them, both words giving the meaning of 'divine'.

Among the many definitions given by early Muslim scholars to Sacred Hadith is that of as-Sayyid ash-Sharif al-Jurjani (died 816 A.H.) in his lexicon At-Tacrfflit where he says: "A Sacred Hadith is, as to the meaning, from Allah the Almighty; as to the wording, it is from the Messenger of Allah, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him. It is that which Allah the Almighty has communicated to His Prophet through revelation or in dream, and he, peace be upon him, has communicated it in his own words. Thus the Qur'an is superior to it because, besides being revealed, it is His wording."

A more comprehensive definition is provided by a later scholar, al-Mulla Ali ibn Muhammad al-Qari, the Hanafi jurisprudent (died 1016 A.H.) in which he says of Sacred Hadith that "it is that which is related by the foremost of relaters and the most reliable of authorities, the best of blessings and salutations be upon him, from Allah, may He be glorified, sometimes through the medium of Gabriel, upon whom be blessings and peace, and sometimes by revelation, inspiration and dreams, Allah having entrusted to him the expressing of it in such words as he wished. It differs from the Holy Qur'an in that the revelation of the latter was only through the medium of the Upright Soul and is restricted to the wording specifically revealed from the Preserved Tablet, which was then passed on by tawiitur2, absolutely unchanged in every generation, age and time. Many and well known are the consequences that flow from this: that [unlike the Holy Qur'an] Sacred Hadith are not acceptable for recitation in one's prayers; they are not forbidden to be touched or read by one who is in a state of ritual impurity, or by a menstruating woman or one confined to childbed; if repudiated, such repudiation does not result in the person so doing being guilty of unbelief; and they are not characterised by the attribute of illimitability. "

It can thus be seen that, when dealing with Sacred Hadith, Muslim scholars throughout the ages have concerned themselves with clarifying the following four Issues:

I. The distinction to be made between Sacred Hadith and Prophetic Hadith
As previously stated, the chain of authorities in the latter ends with the Prophet, while in Sacred Hadith the final attribution is to the Almighty. Generally, therefore, Sacred Hadith are to be found recorded in the first person. This does not of course mean that Prophetic Hadith are not based on divine inspiration, for it is said in the Holy Qur'an2: "He does not speak by whim"

2. The distinction to be made between Sacred Hadith and the Holy Qur'an
As indicated by al-Mullrt al-Qrtri in the above quotation, the Holy Qur'an has been handed on down the centuries in its revealed wording by tawtltur whereas Sacred Hadith have been transmitted in versions recorded by chains of individuals (ahad). Sacred Hadith, moreover, are subject, in regard to establishing their authenticity, to the same stringent rules as are Prophetic Hadith, being regarded as sound and good or as weak and of doubtful authenticity according to whether they comply with the demands of these rules.

Minor differences between Sacred Hadith and the Holy Qur'an, additional to those gjven by al-Qrtri, include the fact that the Holy Qur'an is divided into chapters and verses; that he who recites it is rewarded tenfold for every letter recited that the Almighty has promised that it will be preserved from change and alteration; also that, when quoted from, the exact words should be given and not merely the meaning.

3. Whether the divine nature of Sacred Hadith extends both to the wording and the meaning
Scholars are divided in their opinions, some holding that both the meaning and the wording are from Allah the Almighty, supporting their view by the fact that Sacred Hadith are clearly ascribed to the Almighty, being called sacred or divine, also that the words of a Sacred Hadith are generally given in the first person. Other scholars interpret the same facts as showing that w hile the meaning is from Allah the Almighty, the actual wording is from the Prophet, duly authorised by the Almighty to provide the wording. Thus Sacred Hadith differ from the Holy Qur'an in not possessing the attribute of inimitability, are capable of having
variations in wording, and when being quoted the meaning may at times be given without necessarily giving the exact words.

With both schools in agreement that the meaning is from the Almighty, the divergence of thought between them regarding the wording consists in effect in the first holding the belief that the actual wording has been revealed, while the second school holds that it has been inspired. The difference is thus relatively slight.

4. The forms in which Sacred Hadith are recorded
Two main forms have been singled out by scholars for relating Sacred Hadith: the first-and that preferred by early Muslim scholars-being that the Sacred Hadith should start with the words "The Prophet, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, says from among the sayings he relates from his Lord, may He be glorified", while the second form opens with the words Allah the Almighty has said, from among the sayings related from Him by the Messenger of Allah, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him." The meaning is one and the same.

However, a study of Sacred Hadith reveals that they can also assume the following forms :

I. The Hadith starts with the words to The Messenger of Allah, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, said that Allah, may He be glorified, said" . This is a commonly used form.

2. The words of the Almighty are given in a form other than that of speech, as for instance in the Hadith where the words "My mercy prevails over My wrath"  take the form of writing and clearly refer to the Almighty.

3. Where the Hadith is not sacred from beginning to end but in which the sacred portion is clearly ascribed to the Almighty and follows introductory words by the Prophet explaining the particular circumstances in which the Hadith is being related.

4. The sacred portion of the Hadith is given within the whole Hadith and is ascribed to the Almighty in an indirect manner e.g. by being introduced by some such words as "it is said" it being clear from the context that the words that follow are those of the Almighty or are given at His bidding. Also the fact that the Arabic word 'yughfar" (it is forgiven), which occurs in the same Hadith, is given in the passive voice, is a sure indication that in both instances reference is being made to the Almighty.

Of all these six forms, therefore, the first two traditional forms, together with the form ..He said, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, that Allah, may He be glorified, said" are employed when the Hadith is wholly sacred from beginning to end. The remaining forms are used in all other cases. All these forms are described as sacred owing to the presence in them of at least a phrase that is ascribed to the Almighty.