that restrict the lawfulness of the food of the People of the Book to grains; that restrict the lawfulness of marrying women from among the People of the Book to temporary marriage; that generalize the prohibition of the four foods to the prohibition of animals other than swine; and other such narrations. It is clear that none of these narrations that conflict with the Quran could have been issued by the Prophet, unless they are by way of recommendation or discouragement, as non-binding rulings in cases where they are applicable. This is because deeming something recommended or detested that the Quran has deemed permissible—without making it obligatory or forbidden, in whole or in part—is not considered abrogating or specifying the Quran, given that detestation or recommendation of something permissible does not contradict its permissibility, and adherence to it, and accordingly awareness of it, is not necessary[1]. From here, it is understood that assessing narrations against the Quran is necessary in the limited cases where reliance on them is permissible; because their agreement or non-contradiction with the Quran is a precondition for their authenticity. A narration that contradicts the Quran—even if it is authentic in the view of the Ahl al-Hadith—cannot be binding; because the basis of the authenticity of a narration is not the assumptions of the Ahl al-Hadith, but rather rational certainty about its issuance, which cannot be achieved if it conflicts with the Quran[2].

The Prophet of Allah

The second source of Islam is the Prophet of Allah. He is the one to whom Allah has privately revealed His will and obligated him to reveal it to others, given that all people need to know Allah’s will in order to attain their perfection by acting upon it, and they have no way to know it except through communication with Allah. However, they are unable to establish such communication on their own; for this reason, it is incumbent upon Allah to establish communication from His side with at least one of them, inform him of His will, and obligate him to inform others of it. In this sense, that person is called a “Nabi,” meaning one who informs.

↑[1] . This is the view of the Imams from the Ahl al-Bayt; as narrated from Ali ibn Musa al-Rida, who said regarding conflicting reports: “Indeed, Allah, Exalted and Majestic, has forbidden what is unlawful, permitted what is lawful, and prescribed obligations. So whatever comes to permit what Allah has forbidden, forbid what Allah has permitted, or negate an obligation clearly established in the Book of Allah—without a verse having abrogated it—should not be accepted; for the Messenger of Allah was not to make unlawful what Allah has made lawful, nor to make lawful what Allah, Exalted and Majestic, has made unlawful, nor to change the obligations and rulings of Allah. In all of this, he was completely submissive and obedient to Allah, Exalted and Majestic. And this is the statement of Allah, Exalted and Majestic: ﴿إِنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلَّا مَا يُوحَى إِلَيَّ﴾ [‘I only follow what is revealed to me’ (Al-An‘am/ 50)]. So he was completely obedient to Allah concerning what he was commanded in conveying the message… And indeed, the Messenger of Allah prohibited certain things—not as a prohibition of the unlawful, but as discouragement and dislike—and he commanded certain things—not as obligatory or mandatory commands, but as recommendations and matters of merit and preference in religion…. So if two conflicting reports come to you, present them to the Book of Allah. Whatever is found in the Book of Allah, lawful or unlawful, then follow what agrees with the Book.” Ibn Babawayh (d. 381 AH) has narrated this in Uyun Akhbar al-Rida (vol. 2, p. 22).

↑[2] . Likewise, it has been narrated from the Messenger of Allah that he said: «إِنَّ الْحَدِيثَ سَيَفْشُو عَنِّي، فَمَا أَتَاكُمْ عَنِّي يُوَافِقُ الْقُرْآنَ فَهُوَ عَنِّي، وَمَا أَتَاكُمْ عَنِّي يُخَالِفُ الْقُرْآنَ فَلَيْسَ عَنِّي» (al-Umm by al-Shafi‘i, vol. 7, p. 358); “Indeed, hadith will spread from me. So whatever comes to you from me that agrees with the Quran is from me, and whatever comes to you from me that contradicts the Quran is not from me,” and he said: «إِنَّهُ سَيَكُونُ بَعْدِي رُوَاةٌ يَرْوُونَ عَنِّي أَحَادِيثَ، فَاعْرِضُوهَا عَلَى الْقُرْآنِ، فَمَا وَافَقَ الْقُرْآنَ فَخُذُوا بِهِ، وَمَا لَمْ يُوَافِقِ الْقُرْآنَ فَلَا تَأْخُذُوا بِهِ» (Mu‘jam ibn al-Muqri’, p. 356); “After me, there will be narrators who narrate hadiths from me. So present them to the Quran; whatever agrees with the Quran, take it; and whatever does not agree with the Quran, do not take it,” and he said: «إِنَّهُ سَيَكْثُرُ عَلَيَّ مِنْ بَعْدِي، كَمَا كَثُرَ عَلَى مَنْ قَبْلِي مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ، فَمَا حُدِّثْتُمْ عَنِّي بِحَدِيثٍ فَاعْتَبِرُوهُ بِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ، فَمَا وَافَقَ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ فَهُوَ مِنْ حَدِيثِي، وَإِنَّمَا هَدَى اللَّهُ نَبِيَّهُ بِكِتَابِهِ، وَمَا لَمْ يُوَافِقْ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ فَلَيْسَ مِنْ حَدِيثِي» (Musnad of al-Ruyani, vol. 2, p. 355); “Many reports will be attributed to me after me, just as many were attributed to the Prophets before me. So whatever report you are told from me, examine it in light of the Book of Allah; whatever agrees with the Book of Allah is from my hadith—for Allah guided His Prophet through His Book—and whatever does not agree with the Book of Allah is not from my hadith,” and he said: «سَيَأْتِي نَاسٌ يُحَدِّثُونَ عَنِّي حَدِيثًا، فَمَنْ حَدَّثَكُمْ حَدِيثًا يُضَارِعُ الْقُرْآنَ فَأَنَا قُلْتُهُ، وَمَنْ حَدَّثَكُمْ حَدِيثًا لَا يُضَارِعُ الْقُرْآنَ فَلَمْ أَقُلْهُ، فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ حَسْوَةٌ مِنَ النَّارِ» (al-Ihkam Fi Usul al-Ahkam by ibn Hazm, vol. 2, p. 76); “There will come people who narrate hadiths from me. So whoever narrates to you a hadith that corresponds to the Quran, I said it; and whoever narrates to you a hadith that does not correspond to the Quran, I did not say it; it is nothing but a mouthful of fire.” It has also been narrated from the Ahl al-Bayt that they said: “Any hadith that does not agree with the Book of Allah is an embellishment” (al-Mahasin by al-Barqi, vol. 1, p. 221). The narrations on this subject are widely transmitted.