This is a wrong belief introduced by Umar ibn al-Khattab on the last Thursday of the life of the Prophet . The Prophet said: «ائْتُونِي أَكْتُبْ لَكُمْ كِتَابًا لَا تَضِلُّوا بَعْدَهُ أَبَدًا»; “Bring me something so that I write for you a statement after which you will never go astray.” Umar said: “The Prophet is overwhelmed by pain, and you have the Quran. The Book of Allah is sufficient for us.” Then a group of the Sahabah followed him in this, and another group opposed him until they made much noise and differed greatly in the presence of the Prophet . Therefore, he said to them: «قُومُوا عَنِّي»; “Leave me,” driving them out of his house[1]. Undoubtedly, this was a great error on Umar’s part, and we do not know what led him to do this, but we hope that he fell into error due to his ignorance and his limited understanding; as he often prevented the Prophet from doing things and then regretted it. For example, he prevented him on the day of Hudaybiyyah, when the Prophet wanted to make peace with polytheists; he came to him complaining and objecting and said: “Are you not truly the Prophet of Allah?! Then why should we disgrace our religion?!”[2] Then he regretted it and said after that day: “I have never experienced anything like that day. I have not stopped fasting, giving charity, performing prayer, and freeing slaves because of what I did, for fear of the words that I spoke that day.”[3] He also prevented the Prophet on the day when Abdullah ibn Ubay died. The Prophet wanted to perform prayer for him, but Umar grabbed his garment, pulled him, and said: “Has Allah not forbidden you from performing prayer for hypocrites?!”[4] Then he regretted it and said after that day: “I have made an error concerning Islam that I have never made before,” referring to what he did that day[5], and he said: “I am amazed at myself and at my audacity toward the Messenger of Allah that day, and Allah and His Messenger know best.”[6] He also prevented the Prophet on Thursday from writing a statement for people so that they would never go astray after it. Undoubtedly, this was the greatest error he made, and it had the worst consequences; as ibn Abbas said: “The greatest disaster was what prevented the Messenger of Allah from writing that statement for them because of their disagreement and noise,”[7] and then he started crying until his tears wet the pebbles, and he said: “Thursday! What took place on Thursday!”[8] Regret and sorrow for what Muslims missed that day due to Umar’s words, and it appears that he retracted that as well, even though there is no mention of him expressing regret for it; because he consulted the Sahabah of the Prophet in various matters and acted on what they narrated from him during his caliphate[9], and this is a retraction of his previous statement: «حَسْبُنَا كِتَابُ اللَّهِ»; “The Book of Allah is sufficient for us.” However, some people in whose hearts was deviation continued to follow his previous statement, and they are called today “Quranists.” This is one of the calamities caused by an innovator in religion; because he may repent of his innovation, but some of his followers may not repent of it. Therefore, if Allah does not treat him with His grace and mercy, there will be no repentance for him and he will be one of the perished; as it has been narrated that a man from the children of Israel created an innovation and invited people to it, and some people followed him. He then regretted it and said: “I do not see any repentance for myself unless I go to those whom I invited to it and turn them away from it.” Therefore, he started going to his companions who had accepted his invitation, saying: “Indeed, what I invited you to is false, and it is only what I invented.” However, they said: “You have lied. It is the truth, but you have doubted it, thus retracting it!” When he saw that, he proceeded to fasten a chain and then put it on his neck and said: “I will not remove it until Allah forgives me.” Therefore, Allah revealed to one of the Prophets: «قُلْ لِفُلَانٍ: لَوْ أَنَّ ذَنْبَكَ كَانَ فِيمَا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكَ لَغَفَرْتُ لَكَ، وَلَكِنْ كَيْفَ بِمَنْ أَضْلَلْتَ مِنْ عِبَادِي، فَدَخَلُوا النَّارَ؟! فَلَا أَتُوبُ عَلَيْكَ»[10]; “Tell this man: ‘If your sin were only between Me and you, I would have forgiven you, but what about those whom you misled of My servants, and they entered the fire?! I will not accept your repentance.” Therefore, the human being should beware of speaking about religion without knowledge; because he may not be granted the opportunity to repent, or he may repent but his repentance may not be accepted due to the great evil consequences resulting from his words, which cannot be remedied, and it has been narrated from the Prophet that he said: «مَنِ ابْتَدَعَ بِدْعَةً فِي الْإِسْلامِ»; “Whoever creates an innovation in Islam,” or «سَنَّ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ سُنَّةً سَيِّئَةً»; “introduces in Islam an evil practice,” or «سَنَّ سُنَّةَ ضَلَالٍ»; “introduces a misleading practice,” «كَانَ عَلَيْهِ وِزْرُهَا وَوِزْرُ مَنْ يَعْمَلُ بِهَا مِنْ بَعْدِهِ، مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يَنْقُصَ مِنْ أَوْزَارِهِم شَيْءٌ»; “will shoulder its sin and the sins of all those who will act upon it after him, without diminishing their sins.”[11]

As for the evidence for the invalidity of this belief, it is too numerous to be counted, but its basis is that the Quran indicates the authority of the Sunnah of the Prophet with utmost frankness; as it says:﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ﴾ [12]; “O you who believed! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger,” and there can be no greater frankness than this; as one of our companions informed us, he said:

«سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ﴾، فَقَالَ: أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ بِإِطَاعَةِ كِتَابِهِ، وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ بِإِطَاعَةِ سُنَّتِهِ، قُلْتُ: أَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي يُطِيعُ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ وَلَا يُطِيعُ سُنَّةَ الرَّسُولِ؟ قَالَ: لَا وَاللَّهِ، لَا يُطِيعُ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ حَتَّى يُطِيعَ سُنَّةَ الرَّسُولِ، وَإِنْ جُدِعَ أَنْفُهُ.»[13]; “I ask Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani about this word of Allah Almighty that says: ‘Obey Allah and obey the Prophet’, he said: Obey Allah by obeying His Book and obey the Prophet by obeying his Sunnah, I said: How is the one who obeys the Book of Allah but does not obey the Sunnah of the Prophet? He said: No, I swear to Allah, he does not obey the Book of Allah until he obeys the Sunnah of the Prophet, although his nose is cut off!”

Similarly, the Quran commands obedience to the Messenger in numerous verses and says: ﴿أَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ﴾[14]; “Obey the Messenger so that you may receive mercy,” and says: ﴿وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ﴾[15]; “And We did not send any Messenger unless he was to be obeyed with the permission of Allah,” and says: ﴿مَنْ يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ﴾[16]; “Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah,” and says: ﴿يَوْمَ تُقَلَّبُ وُجُوهُهُمْ فِي النَّارِ يَقُولُونَ يَا لَيْتَنَا أَطَعْنَا اللَّهَ وَأَطَعْنَا الرَّسُولَا﴾[17]; “On a Day when their faces will be turned upside down in the fire, they will say: ‘If we had only obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger!’” It also prohibits ﴿مَعْصِيَتِ الرَّسُولِ﴾[18]; “disobedience to the Messenger” in many verses and says: ﴿فَلْيَحْذَرِ الَّذِينَ يُخَالِفُونَ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ أَنْ تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ أَوْ يُصِيبَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ﴾[19]; “So those who disobey his command should beware, lest a trial befall them or a painful punishment befall them,” and says: ﴿يَوْمَئِذٍ يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَعَصَوُا الرَّسُولَ لَوْ تُسَوَّى بِهِمُ الْأَرْضُ﴾[20]; “On that Day, those who disbelieved and disobeyed the Messenger will wish that they were reduced to dust,” and says: ﴿وَتِلْكَ عَادٌ ۖ جَحَدُوا بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ وَعَصَوْا رُسُلَهُ﴾[21]; “That was Ad. They rejected the signs of their Lord and disobeyed His Messenger,” and says: ﴿فَعَصَوْا رَسُولَ رَبِّهِمْ فَأَخَذَهُمْ أَخْذَةً رَابِيَةً﴾[22]; “And they disobeyed the Messenger of their Lord, so He punished them with a severe penalty.” It also combines command and prohibition and says: ﴿وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُوا﴾[23]; “And whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids you from, leave it,” and says: ﴿وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلَا مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْرًا أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ ۗ وَمَنْ يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا مُبِينًا﴾[24]; “And it is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter, to have a choice regarding the matter, and whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has gone far astray,” and says: ﴿وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ يُدْخِلْهُ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ وَذَلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ ۝ وَمَنْ يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَيَتَعَدَّ حُدُودَهُ يُدْخِلْهُ نَارًا خَالِدًا فِيهَا وَلَهُ عَذَابٌ مُهِينٌ﴾[25]; “And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, He will make him enter Gardens under which rivers flow, to stay there forever. That is the great triumph! And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger and transgresses His limits, He will make him enter the fire to stay there forever, and there is a humiliating punishment for him.” It is surprising that some of their devils, when these verses are recited to them, say that the intended meaning of “the Messenger” is Jibreel not Muhammad because he is a Prophet, despite the fact that the Quran explicitly says: ﴿وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ﴾[26]; “Muhammad is but a Messenger,” and it does not only command obedience to “the Messenger,” but also commands obedience to “the Prophet” and says: ﴿الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِنْدَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنْجِيلِ يَأْمُرُهُمْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَاهُمْ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَالْأَغْلَالَ الَّتِي كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ﴾[27]; “Those who follow the Messenger, the illiterate Prophet, whom they find written down with them in the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins them to (do what is) right, forbids them (from doing what is) wrong, makes pure things lawful for them, make impure things unlawful for them, and removes from them their burdens and the shackles that were upon them.” Rather, it commands obedience to him specifically without mentioning the titles, and says: ﴿قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ﴾[28]; “Say: ‘If you love Allah, then follow me (so that) Allah will love you and forgive your sins. Allah is the Most-Forgiving, the Most Merciful,’” and it says the story of every Prophet by his name: ﴿فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ﴾[29]; “So fear Allah and obey me.” All of this explicitly states the authority of the Sunnah of Muhammad in the sense of his words and actions, to the extent that it can be considered one of the essentials of Islam, and undoubtedly, denying an essential of Islam is evident disbelief, and even if it is combined with the Two Testimonies, it is hypocrisy; as the Quran informs of this, where it says in description of hypocrites: ﴿وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْا إِلَى مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ وَإِلَى الرَّسُولِ رَأَيْتَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ يَصُدُّونَ عَنْكَ صُدُودًا﴾[30]; “And if they are told to come toward that which Allah sent down and toward the Prophet, you see hypocrites deterring from you strongly.” Therefore, it specifies that their sign of hypocrisy is that they stop people from going to the Messenger and say that what Allah has sent down, meaning the Quran, is sufficient; as one of our companions informed us, he said:

«سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْا إِلَى مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ وَإِلَى الرَّسُولِ رَأَيْتَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ يَصُدُّونَ عَنْكَ صُدُودًا﴾، قَالَ: إِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْا إِلَى كِتَابِ اللَّهِ وَإِلَى سُنَّةِ الرَّسُولِ، رَأَيْتَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ يَصُدُّونَ عَنْ سُنَّةِ الرَّسُولِ صُدُودًا، يَقُولُونَ: حَسْبُنَا كِتَابُ اللَّهِ»[31]; “I asked Mansoor about the words of Allah Almighty that has said: ‘And if they are told to come toward that which Allah sent down and toward the Prophet, you see hypocrites deterring from you strongly’, so he said: When they are told to come toward the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet, you will see hypocrites deterring from the Sunnah of the Prophet strongly, saying: The Book of Allah is sufficient for us!”

Moreover, the Quran further clarifies and says: ﴿لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا﴾[32]; “Undoubtedly, you have in the Prophet of Allah an excellent model for whoever has hope in Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah often.” Therefore, it indicates by this verse that whoever does not take the Messenger of Allah as an excellent model is not one of those who have ﴿يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا﴾; “hope in Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah often,” and undoubtedly, whoever is like that is a disbeliever, even if he claims to be a Muslim, but rather the Quran explicitly states this and says: ﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَيُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يُفَرِّقُوا بَيْنَ اللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَيَقُولُونَ نُؤْمِنُ بِبَعْضٍ وَنَكْفُرُ بِبَعْضٍ وَيُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يَتَّخِذُوا بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ سَبِيلًا ۝ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ حَقًّا ۚ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابًا مُهِينًا﴾[33]; “Indeed, those who disbelieve in Allah and His Prophet and wish to make a distinction between Allah and His Prophet and say: ‘We believe in some and disbelieve in some,’ and wish to take a way in between that; they are indeed disbelievers, and We have prepared a humiliating punishment for disbelievers”; as one of our companions informed us, he said:

«قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ: مَنِ اسْتَغْنَى بِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَنْ سُنَّةِ رَسُولِهِ فَقَدْ فَرَّقَ بَيْنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، وَمَنْ فَرَّقَ بَيْنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ فَهُوَ كَافِرٌ حَقًّا، وَذَلِكَ قَوْلُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَيُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يُفَرِّقُوا بَيْنَ اللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَيَقُولُونَ نُؤْمِنُ بِبَعْضٍ وَنَكْفُرُ بِبَعْضٍ وَيُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يَتَّخِذُوا بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ سَبِيلًا ۝ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ حَقًّا ۚ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابًا مُهِينًا﴾، قُلْتُ: وَمَا يُرِيدُونَ بِقَوْلِهِمْ: ﴿نُؤْمِنُ بِبَعْضٍ وَنَكْفُرُ بِبَعْضٍ﴾؟! قَالَ: يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا جَاءَهُمْ عَنِ اللَّهِ وَيَكْفُرُونَ بِمَا جَاءَهُمْ عَنْ رُسُلِهِ.»[34]; “Mansoor said: ‘Whoever thinks that with the Book of Allah he is not in need of the Sunnah of His Prophet, he has indeed made division between Allah and His Prophet, and whoever makes division between Allah and His Prophet is indeed a disbeliever, and this is the words of Allah Almighty that has said: “Indeed, those who disbelieve in Allah and His Prophets and want to make division between Allah and His Prophets and say, we believe in one and disbelieve in the other, and want to take a course between the two; they are indeed disbelievers, and We have prepared for disbelievers a humiliating punishment”!’ I said: ‘What do they mean by the words “we believe in one and disbelieve in the other”?!’ He said: ‘They believe in what has come to them from Allah, and disbelieve in what has come to them from His Prophets!’”

Another thing that indicates the authority of the Sunnah of the Prophet is the words of Allah Almighty that the Prophet does not teach only the Book, but he teaches ﴿الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ﴾[35]; “the Book and wisdom.” Clearly, the wisdom that is in addition to the Book is the Sunnah, and there is nothing else that can be called wisdom. Therefore, Allah Almighty has said: ﴿لَقَدْ آتَيْنَا لُقْمَانَ الْحِكْمَةَ﴾[36]; “Indeed, We gave wisdom to Luqman,” while He did not give the Book to him and only gave him good words that were in line with the Book and helped him to purify people, and that is what is called the Sunnah. There is no doubt that it is also from Allah, except that it has been revealed in meaning, not in word. Therefore, Allah Almighty has said to His Prophet: ﴿أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ﴾[37]; “Allah sent down the Book and wisdom to you”; as one of our companions informed us, he said:

«سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ﴾، فَقَالَ: هُمَا الْقُرْآنُ وَالسُّنَّةُ، وَإِنَّ السُّنَّةَ نَزَلَتْ كَمَا نَزَلَ الْقُرْآنُ!»[38]; “I ask Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani about this word of Allah Almighty that says: ‘And Allah sent down the Book and wisdom to you’, he said: They are Quran and the Sunnah, and indeed, the Sunnah was sent down as Quran was sent down!”

Thus, the intended meaning of the words of Allah Almighty becomes clear as well, where He has said: ﴿الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِالْكِتَابِ وَبِمَا أَرْسَلْنَا بِهِ رُسُلَنَا ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ﴾[39]; “Those who denied the Book and that with which We sent Our Messengers will soon know”; as one of our companions informed us, he said:

«سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِالْكِتَابِ وَبِمَا أَرْسَلْنَا بِهِ رُسُلَنَا ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ﴾، مَا هَذَا الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ اللَّهُ بِهِ رُسُلَهُ بَعْدَ الْكِتَابِ؟! قَالَ: هُوَ الْحِكْمَةُ الَّتِي آتَاهُمْ، وَأَنْتُمْ تَقُولُونَ لَهَا السُّنَّةَ، أَمَا سَمِعْتَ قَوْلَهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ﴾[40]؟! ثُمَّ قَالَ: مَنْ كَذَّبَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ فَقَدْ كَذَّبَ بِالْكِتَابِ.»[41]; “I asked Mansoor about this word of Allah Almighty that says: ‘Those who denied the Book and that which We sent Our Prophets with, will soon know’, What is that which Allah sent His Prophets with after the Book?! He said: It is the wisdom He gave them and you call it ‘Sunnah’! Have you not heard the word of Allah Almighty that says: ‘And He teaches them the Book and wisdom’?! Then he said: Whoever denies the wisdom has denied the Book.”

Another thing that indicates the authority of the Sunnah of the Prophet is the words of Allah Almighty that the Prophet does not only recite the Book, but he also explains it; as He says: ﴿وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ﴾[42]; “And We sent down the Remembrance to you so that you explain to people what has been sent down to them.” It is clear that the explanation of the Quran is not the Quran itself, and it is manifested in detailing its brief terms, interpreting its ambiguities, and specifying its intended meanings in cases of disagreement; as He says: ﴿وَمَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ إِلَّا لِتُبَيِّنَ لَهُمُ الَّذِي اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ ۙ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ﴾[43]; “And we have not sent down the Book to you except that you explain to them what they disagree about and as guidance and mercy for those who believe.” This is because the Quran undoubtedly contains brief terms, ambiguities, and matters of disagreement, which necessitates the existence of an infallible person to be referred to so that he explains its brief terms, interprets its ambiguities, and judges between them concerning what they disagree about. Without this reference, it would not be possible for people to unite in religion or to avoid division in it despite being obligated to do so, and this reference is undoubtedly the Prophet . Therefore, Allamah Mansoor has said that the intended meaning of ﴿حَبْلِ اللَّهِ﴾; “the rope of Allah” where He has said: ﴿وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا﴾[44]; “Hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided,” is the Prophet ; as one of our companions informed us, he said:

«سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ حَبْلِ اللَّهِ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا﴾، فَقَالَ: مَا يَقُولُ هَؤُلَاءُ؟ قُلْتُ: يَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُ الْقُرْآنُ، فَقَالَ: الْقُرْآنُ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ، وَكَانَ حَبْلُهُ النَّبِيَّ، أَلَا تَرَى أَنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَتَفَرَّقُوا مَا دَامَ النَّبِيُّ فِيهِمْ، فَلَمَّا مَاتَ تَفَرَّقُوا وَالْقُرْآنُ فِيهِمْ؟!»[45]; “I asked Mansoor about the rope of Allah in His words that has said: ‘Hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided.’ So he said: ‘What do they say?’ I said: ‘They say that it is the Quran.’ So he said: ‘The Quran is the Book of Allah, and the rope of Allah is the Prophet. Do you not see that they were not divided as long as the Prophet was among them, then, when he passed away, they were divided while the Quran was among them?!’”

Also, one of our companions informed us, he said:

«سَمِعَ الْمَنْصُورُ قَارِئًا يَقْرَأُ قَوْلَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿أَنْ أَقِيمُوا الدِّينَ وَلَا تَتَفَرَّقُوا فِيهِ﴾، فَقَالَ: يَقْرَؤُونَ الْقُرْآنَ وَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَهُ، كَأَنَّهُمْ بَبَّغَاوَاتٌ نَاطِقَةٌ! أَنَّى لَهُمْ أَنْ يُقِيمُوا الدِّينَ كُلَّهُ وَلَا يَتَفَرَّقُوا فِيهِ إِلَّا إِذَا كَانَ لَهُمْ إِمَامٌ وَاحِدٌ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ يُعَلِّمُهُمْ كُلَّهُ وَيَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ فِيمَا هُمْ فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ؟!»[46]; “Mansoor heard a reciter recite these words of Allah Almighty: ‘That you should establish religion and make no divisions in it.’ So he said: ‘They recite the Quran but do not ponder on it, as if they are talking parrots! How can they establish the entire religion and not make any division in it unless there is an Imam from Allah, who teaches them the entire religion and judges among them about what they disagree on?!’”

Yes, all of these verses indicate that the Sunnah of the Prophet is necessarily in line with the Quran and cannot contradict it either totally or partially. The total contradiction is abrogation, and the partial contradiction is specification or generalization. This is because if the Sunnah contradicts the Quran in anything, it would cease to be an explanation of it. Therefore, Allamah Mansoor asserts the impermissibility of abrogating, specifying, or generalizing the Quran with the Sunnah, and he considers it to be from the words of Allah Almighty; as one of our companions informed us, he said:

«قَالَ رَجُلٌ لِلْمَنْصُورِ: أَنْتَ الَّذِي يَقُولُ أَنَّ السُّنَّةَ لَا تَزِيدُ الْقُرْآنَ وَلَا تَنْقُصُهُ؟ قَالَ: أَنَا؟! وَمَنْ أَنَا حَتَّى أَقُولَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ وَالسُّنَّةِ شَيْئًا؟! إِنَّهُ قَوْلُ اللَّهِ! قَالَ الرَّجُلُ: مَتَى قَالَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ؟! قَالَ: إِذْ قَالَ: ﴿أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ﴾[47]، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَسْتَقِيمُ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ قَوْلُهُمَا مُتَوَافِقَيْنِ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، فَإِنْ تَخَالَفَا فِي شَيْءٍ فَلَا يُطَاعُ أَحَدُهُمَا إِلَّا بِمَعْصِيَةِ الْآخَرِ، قَالَ الرَّجُلُ: صَدَقْتَ.»; “A man said to Mansoor: ‘Are you the one who says that the Sunnah does not add or reduce (anything) from the Quran?’ He said: ‘Me?! Who am I to say anything about the Quran and the Sunnah?! It is the words of Allah!’ The man said: ‘When did Allah say that?’ He said: ‘When He said: “Obey Allah and obey the Messenger”; because this is not correct unless the words of the Two are in agreement in everything. If they contradict each other in anything, then it is not possible to obey One of Them without disobeying the Other.’ The man said: ‘You spoke the truth.’”

This is one of the important matters regarding the authority of the Sunnah. The other matter is that the Sunnah does not explain the Quran unless it is definite in terms of issuance; because the Quran is definite in terms of issuance, and only what is similar to it in this respect can explain it. The Sunnah is not like that unless it is something that has been heard from the Prophet in his presence, or a mutawatir report from him that leads to certainty about its issuance by the indication of the intellect, and this is what is indicated by the words of Allah Almighty, where He has said: ﴿إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَذِكْرَى لِمَنْ كَانَ لَهُ قَلْبٌ أَوْ أَلْقَى السَّمْعَ وَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ﴾[48]; “Indeed, in this, there is a reminder for one who has a heart or gives ear while witnessing”; since the heart refers to the intellect in the Quran according to the interpretation of Allamah Mansoor ; as one of our companions informed us, he said:

«سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَذِكْرَى لِمَنْ كَانَ لَهُ قَلْبٌ أَوْ أَلْقَى السَّمْعَ وَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ﴾، فَقَالَ: إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَحُجَّةً لِمَنْ بَلَغَهُ مُتَوَاتِرًا عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَأَيْقَنَهُ بِعَقْلٍ، أَوْ سَمِعَهُ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ شَاهِدٌ، وَأَمَّا لِغَيْرِهِ فَلَا.»; “I asked him about the words of Allah Almighty that has said: ‘Indeed, in this there is a reminder for one who has a heart or gives ear while witnessing.’ So he said: ‘Indeed, in this, there is proof for one to whom it has reached in a mutawatir manner from the Prophet so he has become certain of it by the intellect, or he has heard it from him while being a witness. As for (anything) other than that, then no.’”

Therefore, Allamah Mansoor asserts the non-authority of ahad reports; because they do not lead to certainty and only lead to conjecture by the consensus of people of knowledge, ﴿وَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ لَا يُغْنِي مِنَ الْحَقِّ شَيْئًا﴾[49]; “while conjecture is not sufficient for (proving) the truth” based on a text from Allah Almighty in His Book. As for a mutawatir report, it necessarily leads to certainty; because it is the report of a group that their agreement on lies or error is rationally impossible. Therefore, it is definitely proof, and if we do not assert its authority, we will weaken the authority of the Quran; because one of its pillars is its tawatur.

It is hereby understood how misguided the Quranists are and how far they are from the Quran, despite their belonging to it; as Allamah Mansoor has said in one of his sayings: «إِنَّ الْقُرْآنِيَّةَ يَنْتَمُونَ إِلَى الْقُرْآنِ وَهُوَ بَرِيءٌ مِنْهُمْ، إِنَّ الْقُرْآنِيَّةَ هُمُ الضَّالُّونَ»; “Indeed, Quranists belong to the Quran while it disavows them. Indeed, Quranists are the misguided ones.”

Nevertheless, we hope that Allah Almighty will guide some of them with this clear explanation; because many of them have gone astray due to what they have heard from the majority of Muslims about the authority of ahad reports and the permissibility of specifying the Quran with them, as well as what they found in their narrations that disagrees and conflicts with the Quran. Therefore, if they become aware of the words of Allamah Mansoor about the non-authority of ahad reports and the absolute impermissibly of specifying the Quran with reports, which is the most moderate and the most just manner, they will have no choice but to correct their manner, and undoubtedly, whoever of them insists on their manner after that has revealed his hypocrisy, ﴿وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ﴾[50]; “and indeed, Allah will surely make known the believers, and He will surely make known the hypocrites.”