Interpretation in the Light of the Qur’ān The Hadīth should be
interpreted in the light of the Qur’ān. The status occupied by
the Qur’ān has already been alluded to earlier. It is the most
definite and authentic record of whatever Muhammad (sws) did in
his status of a prophet and a messenger. Consequently, most
topics covered in the Hadīth are related to the Qur’ān the way a
branch is related to a stem or the way an explanation is related
to the text it explains. Without a recourse to the original
text, it is obvious that its corollaries and explanations cannot
be understood. If all the mistakes in interpreting the Hadīth
are minutely analyzed, this situation becomes abundantly clear.
The incidents of stoning to death in the times of the Prophet
(sws), the assassination of Ka‘b Ibn Ashraf, punishment meted
out in the graves, narratives of intercession and directives as
أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أُقَاتِلَ النَّاسَ (I have been directed to wage
war against these people) and مَنْ بَدَّلَ دِينَهُ فَاقْتُلُوهُ
(Execute the pe