The Last Hadith of Sahih Bukhari

Perspicacious Explanation and Scholarly Lecture

By:
Hakim al-Islam Hadhrat Maulana
Qari Muhammad Tayyib
Ex-Mohtamim, Darul Uloom Deoband

Recorded and Compiled by:

Maulana Nisar Ahmad Qasmi

Translated into English by:

Muhamamdullah Khalili Qasmi
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FOREWORD
Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Isma'il al-Bukhari (194-256 AH) is
one of the greatest scholars of hadith, a researcher and author. His
each work is an academic masterpiece, but the most valuable and
remarkable of them is the al-Jami' al-Sahih al-Bukhari which he
completed with utmost research and minutest care within a span of
sixteen years. Sahih Bukhari contains 7275 hadiths in total, which
after excluding the repetitions shrink to four thousand. Sahih
Bukhari is duly called "the most authentic book after the Quran".

The order of compilation in Bukhari is very perspicacious and

sapient. The last hadith of the book is very meaningful which was
explained by scholars of hadith in every age in their own styles.

Hakim al-Islam Hadhrat Maulana Qari Muhammad Tayyib (1315-

1403 AH), Mohtamim of Darul Uloom Deoband, delivered a
comprehensive and effective lecture at an occasion of Khatm-e-
Bukhari on 23 Rajab 1397 (11 July 1977) in Jamia Ashrafia (Muslim
Town Lahore) founded by Hadhrat Maulana Mufti Muhammad
Hasan. First it was published by the weekly Khuddam al-Deen
Lahore in Ramadhan 1377. Now, Dawat al-Haq Roorkey is pleased to
publish this lecture so that the area of its benefit is wider.

Nisar Ahmad Qasmi

July 2009
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The Last Hadith of Sahih Bukhari

With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful

May praise be to Allah and blessings and prayer to the Prophet!

It is reported by Sayyidna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with

him) that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him
peace) said: "There are two words that are very light on the tongue to
say, and very heavy in the balance (of reward) and very lovely to the
Gracious Almighty Allah. (And they are:) Subhan Allah wa bi-hamdihi,
Subhan Allahi al-'Azim."

This is the last hadith of Sahih Bukhari on which the great Imam
finished his book. First, let us deliberate the sanad of the hadith. How
uniquely he started the book and how peculiar end he gave to it. As
per the popular pattern of the muhaddithin, a jami' type of book is
started from the chapter of iman (faith) and then the later chapters
follow and if it is sunan type of book it starts with the chapter of
tahara and then the chapter of salah, zakah, hajj etc follow. But, Imam
Bukhari started it with the chapter of wahy (revelation) instead of
iman.

Why he started it with Wahy?

He started the book with the chapter 'how the wahy began'; since
wahy is in fact the source of all matters of religion and shari'ah. Then,
it branched out to the kitab al-iman, kitab al-salah, kitab al-zakah etc. The
wahy is infused in all these chapters and apparently it has different
forms. The same wahy sometimes appears in the form of salah,
sometime in the form of hajj while sometime in the shape of other
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chapters, but the source of all these chapters is wahy. Therefore,

Imam Bukhari first mentioned the source of the Shari'ah and then its
branches followed.

Iman is the base of all A'mal (Actions)

The chapter of wahy was followed by the chapter of iman; since the
validity of all actions depends on the purity of iman. No action is
acceptable without iman. Thus, iman was the foundation and base of
all sciences. Therefore, he followed it by kitab al-'ilm (knowledge);
since now when a person had iman, he needed to know how to fulfill
its requirement and obviously it cannot be observed in ignorance.
Therefore, kitab al-iman was followed by kitab al-'ilm so that the
importance and significance of 'ilm is stressed. When a person had
iman and knowledge, now he needed an ideal to express how he can
translate the knowledge in practice. Obviously, the finest ideal is the
way of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). Therefore,
he then brought kitab al-sunnah; since when the sunnah of the Prophet
will be followed, the knowledge will come into action and an action
will be effective when one will already have iman. So, Imam Bukhari
first wrote kitab al-iman, then kitab al-'ilm and then the chapter of
following Sunnah.

Objective of Life

Then, he brought the chapter of prayers and duties ('ibadat) which

are the main objectives of the human life. 'Ibadat means the link
between Allah and the creature, the link between the Creator and the
created is called 'ibadat. Thereafter, he mentioned the dealings and
links among the creature itself. Thus, he then mentioned kitab al-
mu'amalat (transactions and dealings) like nikah, business,
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inheritance, endowments etc. These subjects were followed by a

thing which is meant to protect all these acts from fitna so that it is
easy to act upon them. It was kitab al-maghazi which is meant to
protect religion from all mischief and to uproot the evil. Having
mentioned jihad, he presented the biographies of these mujahidin; so
he mentioned the biographies of the Companions (Sahaba, may
Allah be pleased with them) and the Prophets (may peace be upon
them); since they were the real mujahids and their footprints are
followed. Finally, he concluded these chapters at the virtue of this
Ummah and at last mentioned this hadith which was recited before
you. In short, he started the book from the world and finished it at
the hereafter.

The World and the Hereafter

In this world, man is asked to have iman and Islam, then to observe
a'mal (practices), then mu'amalat (transactions) and so on. Here, the
question arose what will we get from these things and what will be
the result? So, Imam Bukhari concluded the book with this hadith
which mentions tasbih and tahlil (chanting glory and greatness of
Allah). He started it with the world and finished at the hereafter.
This was a peculiar chain; it began with Allah's name, ended with
qiyama and resurrection day, while in between is Islam and entire
life. So, as the book is lofty, the author is great, the sanad (chain) is
also very high. In this hadith "There are two words (sentences) which
are very light on the tongue to say, and very heavy in the balance (of
reward) and very lovely to the Gracious Almighty Allah. (And they
are:) Subhan Allah wa bi-hamdihi, Subhan Allahi al-'Azim". There are
three characteristics of the words that have been indicated; one is
hissi (physical), the other is ma'nawi (invisible) and the third is
ukhrawi (related to the hereafter).
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First Characteristic

First characteristic of it is 'light on tongue' i.e. there is no difficulty in

pronouncing them, no complication and no need to wring the
tongue. These are words of Arabic language which is light, rather
lighter language. The language is also light and the words are also
light.

Virtue of Arabic

Arabic is very light and subtle language. The meaning conveyed by

the Arabic words are so subtle and delicate that it is not possible to
convey the sense but with these words. This language is very
sublime and soft. This is the language of Allah; He speaks this
language and chose the very language to reveal the holy Quran. The
holy Quran is a mu'jiza (miracle) which cannot be presented by
anyone except Allah. No language can afford the 'ijaz (miraculous
nature of the Quran) but the Arabic language; since it has fewer
words and encompasses wider meanings and facts. So, this language
is light, delicate and can afford the mu'jiza as Allah has
communicated through this language. Therefore, it was narrated that
the language of people in Jannah will be Arabic. The language of
barzakh (the transitional life after death and before resurrection) will
be Syriac through which the dead will communicate and the angels
will question. But, the language used from after resurrection will be
Arabic that will continue to Jannah and will last up to eternity. So, the
language of the Quran is Arabic, the language of Allah is Arabic and
the language of Jannah is Arabic. Being light and soft is a clear proof
that it surpasses other languages.
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Language of Heavenly Scriptures

In early ages, Allah Ta'ala revealed scriptures in Hebrew and Syriac

languages. The Hebrew language was heavy and difficult; when it
was elucidated and lightened it was transformed into Arabic;
otherwise it was difficult in the beginning. For example, Torah was
revealed in Hebrew, there is a verse which prophesized the advent of
the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), it
read: "Naabi ma kharbakh makhukh yakhim lakh uluhakh fa tasma'un" the
only sound that appears is of 'kha'. But, when it was translated into
Arabic it turned like this: "Nabi min qurbik min akhik yuqimu lak ilahak
fa tasmau'n", (it means: there will be prophet after you from your
brethren, he will establish your God for you, so you should follow
him). In this statement Sayyidna Musa (may peace be upon him) was
given the glad tiding of a prophet to come close to him i.e. he was
from Bani Israel and the prophet will be from Bani Ismail, thus they
became cousin brothers. The prophet will establish the divinity of
Allah and will retain His sovereignty and glory. So, having
transferred it to Arabic, the difference between the two languages
was clearly known that in one language one has to twist the tongue
while in the other it flows very smoothly.

So, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said that these
two words are very light and easy on tongue to pronounce. This is a
physical attribute in which the ears hear and feel its lightness.

Second Characteristic

Second characteristic is that they are heavy in mizan (scale of actions)

i.e. light on tongue and heavy in the scale of deeds. The reward of it
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will be so greater that such a reward will not be received in other

similar deeds. So, they will be heavier and weightier in the scale.

Quality of the Weight

Weights are of two types; material weight and imperceptible weight.

The material weight is of solid objects; one is of one kilogram, the
other is of two kilos or three kilos and so on. These are physical and
perceptible weights related to materials. The bigger the materials will
be the heavier they will become. The second type is of imperceptible
weight. Both these words have imperceptible weight. If you weigh it
in scale it will give no weight. But, if you deliberate the meaning, it
would seem to have great sense which is very heavy. Weights are not
only material, rather they are spiritual, as it is said that so and so
came and it made my heart heavier i.e. one felt the weight of his
personality and his spirituality.

So, Allah Ta'ala is free from materials and thus His speech is also free
from materialism and it is spiritual and subtle. If an illiterate speaks
it has no effect, but if a scholar speaks, one pays attention and
deliberates. One comments it to have weight and requests to hear it
time and again. Hadhrat Maulana Ataullah Shah Bukhari (may Allah
have mercy on him) visited Hadhrat Thanwi (may Allah have mercy
on him) in Thana Bhawan. The later commented that his heart felt
heavier on his visit. This was not a material weight, rather a spiritual
weight. The soul receives effect from those who are great. This is an
imperceptible weight. So, the same imperceptible weight is meant
here. When these words will be weighed in the scale of deeds, the
scale will become heavier due the greatness of these words.

Hadith Describing the Weight of Deeds

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A hadith states that a person will be presented before Allah on the

Day of reckoning in qiyamah with his piles of sins in ninety nine
registers, out of which one register will suffice to cover the heaven
and the earth. He will be presented. Allah Almighty will ask him to
weigh his deeds. He will say for what I should get my deeds
weighed, I have only bad deeds and sins on my account. It should
have been weighed when I would have had bad deeds along with
some good deeds. Allah Almighty will say to him: No, We have a
virtue done by you. Out of these stocks of ninety nine registers, He
will take out a piece of paper saying that he read the kalima (la ilaha
illAllah) once in his lifetime. He will express surprise what a piece of
paper can do in the face of the ninety nine piles of sins. I deserve
Jahannam and I did nothing which can win me your pleasure. Allah
will say to him: "There is no injustice today. Surely, Allah is swift in
reckoning." [40:17] i.e. there is no injustice, every matter whatever
small will be reckoned. Everyone will be asked to get his register of
actions weighed before his eyes, lest he say that the angels appointed
for writing their actions made additions. All the ninety nine registers
will be kept in one pan of scale while the single piece of paper in the
other pan, the pan carrying the single piece of paper will become
heavy. As the Quran says: "Indeed remembrance of Allah is the
greatest of all things" [29:45] and whose name is heavier than His
name, Who has the weight of Greatness. These words (Subhan Allah
wa bi-hamdihi, Subhan Allahi al-'Azim) also have the same holy name
for which the scale will go down and become heavy though the other
pan of scale has countless sins.

Briefly, it meant that weights are of two kinds; first material and
physical, second spiritual and academic. Here the later spiritual and
academic weight is meant. As it is reported in hadith that a person of
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Muslim Ummah will be ordered to be thrown into Jahannam (hell)

and he will be dragged by the angels to hell. He will look around for
help. Sayyidna Adam (may peace be upon him) will see him in this
state, and all of a sudden will see the Prophet Muhammad (Allah
bless him and give him peace). He will call the Prophet and will say
that a person from your Ummah is being driven to Jahannam. So, the
Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) will chase the angels
and will ask them to stop. The angels will reply that they are
zabaniya, the angels appointed in hell, and they were so ordered by
Allah; therefore they cannot obey him; since the order from Allah is
furnished.

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) will regret and
will pass his hands over his beard in helplessness. He will move to
the Throne, prostrate under it and beseech: "O Allah! This is one of
my people, in fact he is sinner, but Your mercy is greater. Allah will
reply that He will not disappoint him. The angels will be called upon
not to be in hurry. The angels will come to a halt. The Prophet (Allah
bless him and give him peace) will approach them and take out a
piece of paper from his pocket (Allah knows what type of shirt and
pocket he will have at that time). He will put it in his scale of deeds;
this will suddenly make his pan of good deeds heavier. And thus he
will attain salvation. He will not be recognizing the Prophet (Allah
bless him and give him peace) and will say: "Who you are, O kind
man, who helped me in this critical condition and saved me from
hell." The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) will respond
that he was Ahamd, his prophet. He will express wonder and will
question how his scale got heavier. The Prophet (Allah bless him and
give him peace) will reply that once you sent me durood (blessing)
with abounding sincerity which I kept with me. The durood was
recited with so sincerity of heart that when it was put in the scale it
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inclined the scale with its weight and all the sins got lighter in the
face of it.

So obviously, if you write durood on a paper and put it in pocket, you

will feel no weight, but the weight imbibed in it is felt only by the
soul. It is the weight of ikhlas (sincerity and dedication).

So, Allah Ta'ala will not see the structure of the good deeds in
qiyamah, rather he will see how much dedication and sincerity it
carries, how true it is and how deep sense of love it has. The hadith
indicates to the same that these two words are lighter on tongue and
are heavier in the scale of good deeds due to their meaning. This is
not a physical attribute, rather a spiritual one which are felt by the
souls and hearts.

Third Characteristic

The third characteristic is that "they are beloved to Allah" i.e. Allah
Ta'ala likes them the most. Obviously, when one will be offered his
favourite gift he will accept it wholeheartedly and when he will be
presented some thing not liked by him, he will not accept it. If one is
offered favourite present he will be grateful and feel pleased. So,
these words are loved by Allah. They are loved because they
describe the divine stages of Allah almighty. The divine stages which
are exclusively characteristic to Allah are four and there is no room
for shirk (ascribing partner to Allah) in the same.

First Divine Stage

The first thing is tanzih i.e. to declare the glory and purity of Allah
who is free from every defect, from every evil, from every shape. So,
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tasbih (saying SubhanAllah) is in fact tanzih i.e. He is free from every

defect. This has been described in the holy Quran in different styles,
some where it says: "neither dozing overtakes him nor sleep" (2:255)
since it is a sign of fatigue and fatigue indicates to weakness, whereas
He is Powerful, He has nothing to do with weakness. While at some
places it said: "my Lord does neither err nor forget". (20:52) Someone
errs or forgets due to weakness whereas He is Powerful, He is far
away from error and forgetfulness. He has strong memory, perfect
and broad knowledge which leaves no room for doubt. So, the word
'subhan' includes all these senses and this was indicated at numerous
places in the holy Quran. Somewhere it said: "So, proclaim Allah‘s
purity (from shirk) when you see the evening and when you see the
morning. [30:17] i.e. morning and evening is a sigh of changing and
change means weakness. Allah is far away from all changes found in
ourselves. While at other place it was said: "Glorious is He Who
made his servant travel by night from Al-Masjid-ul-Haram to Al-
Masjid-ul-Aqsa" [17:1], while at some place: "Pronounce the purity of
the name of your most exalted Lord" [87:1] and "All that is in the
heavens and all that is in the earth proclaim the purity of Allah"
[62:1]. However, the Quran used the word of tasbih repeatedly
proclaiming that Allah is free from every defect, dirt and impurity.
So, the first stage is of tanzih (to proclaim His purity).

Second Divine Stage

The second divine stage is of tanwib i.e. His greatness and glory, He
is very Great and Peerless. He possesses limitless greatness; therefore
the Shariah has taught us the kalimah of hamd that means: "Praise
belongs to Allah, the Lord of heavens". One is praised for his good
qualities, not for bad ones. When it is said that all praise is due for
Him it means that all good qualities belong to Him, He is the source
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of all perfections. Every good and virtue belongs Him, every

perfection and knowledge is from Him, He is fountainhead of all
excellencies. This kalimah of hamd comprised all these meanings; since
hamd means to praise someone for his good deeds and virtue. So, the
Quran has described it different styles:

"Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of heavens" (1:1)

"All praise belongs to Allah, the Originator of the heavens and the
earth, who appoints the angels as messengers having wings, in twos,
threes and fours. [35:1]"

"All praise belongs to Allah who created the heavens and the earth,
and made darkness and light." [6:1]

"Praise be to Allah, to whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all
that is on the earth." [34:1]

These verses have the words of hamd (praise of Allah), while some
other chapters begin with hamd. So, they describe His greatness and
glory. This is second Divine stage.

Third Divine Stage

Obviously, who can possess greatness and glory except the One Who
is free from every defect and Who is origin of all excellencies. He
owns all the blessings and all the greatness. "And to Him belongs
majesty in the heavens and the earth." [45:37] In order to express this,
Islam introduced the kalimah of takbir that means he is Akbar
(Greatest of all). "He is Great, the High." [13:9] Every height is down
before Him and every greatness is low before His. A lamp is nothing
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before the sun; its all light disappears in the sun. So, all lights fell
eclipsed before the Divine Light. At a place, it is said: "Greatness is
my cloak and majesty is my loincloth; one who will try to snatch it, I
will break his neck and will put him down." Therefore, if anyone tells
tall, he is caught very soon and feels ashamed. The repercussion of
every sin is delayed, but pride and arrogance are charged right away
and it is not forgivable in the hereafter. So, the third kalimah was
chosen in order to chant His glory and highness. This is the third
stage.

Fourth Divine Stage

Obviously, the One who is free from every defect and source of
every virtue and Who has every greatness, then who except Him is
able for oneness and unity. Thus, the concept of tawhid (oneness of
Allah) comes into being. Therefore, the kalimah of tahlil (la ilaha
illaAllah) was chosen which declares that there is no god but Allah.
We shall bow down before Him, beseech Him, seek help from Him
and repent to Him alone. He alone can cure the diseases. He deserves
all the worship and prayer. So, this claim of tawhid is the fourth stage.

Completion of Claim of Tawhid

Now, it is clear that unless these three stages are not covered, the
claim of tawhid is not perfect and complete. Tanzih is complete when
He is free from every defect, tanwib completes when He is called to
have all virtues, while takbir completes when every greatness
ultimately belongs to Him. So, when all these three stages will be
established the concept of tawhid will develop. If someone does not
proclaim tanzih for Allah, rather he believes the mundane qualities
for Him or he believes the divine qualities in some creature, one
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cannot claim tawhid for God. If someone will claim, this will be futile
and baseless.

The first step of tawhid is tanzih i.e. to proclaim His purity from every
defect; "He neither begot anyone, nor was He begotten."He has
neither wife and children nor peer, He Himself is permanent. He is
free from all these things. So, one who regards God free from these
things he will reach to the stage of tawhid; since tanzih is the first step
to believe in tawhid. Neither the Christians not the polytheists have
right to claim tawhid as they do not have tanzih. In the same way, all
the greatness is due for Him alone. If someone will believe even in
minor shortcoming in Allah, it will go against tanzih and one will not
reach to the goal of tawhid. As the Jews believed in mundane
qualities in God and said: when the Flood of Noah came, God started
crying in the pain that His creature was drowning. Allah forbid, He
did have power to save His creature. So, He wept so profusely that
His eyes were hurt and angels paid Him visits in order to know His
health. Allah forbid, Allah forbid!!

So, the Jews established the mundane qualities of the creature in the
Creator Himself. At the other hand, the Christians established the
Divine qualities in human being and they claimed that Sayyidna Isa
[Jesus Christ] was God's Son and one of the three Gods. They
believed that he had the knowledge of all unseen. The Christians
claimed that Jesus has the knowledge of all unseen, He is sovereign,
He gives life and death. So, the Christians believed Divine qualities
for human being and the Jews established human qualities for God.
Thus, they leveled the difference between the Creator and creature
and transgressed the boundaries. So, when there is no longer tanzih
and tanwib, one cannot reach to tawhid.
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Then, the third thing is takbir i.e. proclaiming all greatness for Him,
every greatness beside him is the reflection of His greatness. None
has greatness per se, all greatness belongs tom Him alone. If He
grants someone with greatness he becomes great and if He takes
back greatness from one, he will be deprived of greatness. If He
favours one with government, he becomes ruler and if He snatches
this tile from anyone, he will no more remain a ruler. But, Allah is
the Master from beginning to eternity, His government is not
bestowed by anyone, it belongs to Him per se. Therefore, Allah alone
possesses all greatness; this is the reason we recite subhan rabbi al-
Azim (Glory be for my Lord, the Great).

Last Stage of Divinity

These are four stages. The last stage is tawhid, while the first stage is
tanzih, second is tanwib, then takbir and finally tawhid. None can reach
tawhid by overtaking all the three stages. So, the word 'subhanAllah'
consisted of tanzih, the next part 'biHamdihi' had tanwib, while the last
part 'subhanAllah al-Azim' credited all the greatness to Allah. So,
when all greatness and excellencies belong to Him, and when He is
free and far away from all defects, then He alone can be Peerless. So,
this automatically resulted in la ilaha illAllah (there is no god but
Allah).

Loved Words

All these four words have been described in a single hadith too. The
hadith says: "The most loved words to Allah are four; subhanAllah, al-
Hamdulillah, la ilaha illAllah, Allahu Akbar. These words called loved
ones. This hadith mentions these four words subhanAllah, al-
Hamdulillah, la ilaha illAllah, Allahu Akbar, while the hadith under
 17

discussion mentions three words and one is established as

conclusion. SubhanAllah has tanzih, 'biHamdihi' had tanwib, while the
last part 'al-Azim' implies His greatness. All these three resulted in
Him who is One and Peerless, which automatically implied la ilaha
illAllah. In one hadith, all the four stages are clearly mentioned while
in this one three stages have been mentioned clearly and the final
stage is derived as conclusion.

These four words are loved by Allah. Why? They are loved since
they describe His stages and it is natural that one likes the statements
which describe the facts. For instance, if you praise anyone he will
pay heed to you and be pleased. And if you criticize someone he will
feel hurt. In the same way, if one praises Allah with his special
attributes, Allah will of course like it. These words describe the
characteristics of Allah, therefore when one will pronounce them,
Allah will love them; since the words are loved and one who
pronounces them will also be loved.

I said that the hadith describes three qualities; one is physical, the
other is invisible while the third is ghaibi (unseen). The physical
quality is that they are light on tongue. The invisible quality is that
they are heavy in the scale of actions and they have the weight of
their greatness. The ghaibi quality is that they are liked the most by
Allah.

The sanad of Imam Bukhari is laudable. First of all, he mentioned

wahy that it is pleasant thing; since the reality of wahy is 'ilm
(knowledge) and 'ilm is the best quality among all qualities; since all
other qualities need 'ilm in order to perform, but 'ilm depends upon
no quality, it is independent. First of all is irada (will), but will is
made only when one has the 'ilm (knowledge) of the goal. If the goal
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is unknown, how will you make a will? The similar case is with
qudrat (power). Qudrat will be utilized only when the task is known
and where the power is to be used. If the task is unknown, you will
spend the power vainly at unnecessary places. So, qudrat also needed
knowledge in its performance as well as irada (will) needed 'ilm.
Power needs that it already has the knowledge of the things under its
effect. If you want to occupy power of a country, you will have the
knowledge of the country. If you want to protect anything, you will
have to know about it. If it is not known, how will you protect it? So,
the quality of protection (as hafeez) will not work until one is 'aleem
(having knowledge). However, every quality needs 'ilm in its
performance, but 'ilm depends upon no quality, neither on will nor
power. If you travel by train and pass by pond, you will come to
know that it was pond. It is not so that you will come to know after
will and shall know nothing without a will.

So, it is established that 'ilm (knowledge) is the mother of all

qualities. Thus, when 'ilm is the best quality with other qualities
depending on it, wahy will also be pleasant thing like knowledge as
wahy means the divine knowledge. Imam Bukhari began his book
with pleasant thing and completed it on pleasant thing. So, evidently
when a book will begin with pleasant thing and will end at pleasant,
all the contents in between will turn into pleasant, as it is said 'the
beginning is well connected with the end' and the things in between
follow the both ends.

Greatness of Imam Bukhari

The sanad of Imam Bukhari is in fact unique and distinctive. He

arrived where no one else could reach. The greatness of Imam
Bukhari required the book to be full of such excellencies. So, Imam
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Bukhari has exclusive way in narrating a hadith. The hadiths in his

book fulfill the conditions which are high-ranking. But, it does not
mean that there is no sahih hadith in any other book, rather Sahih
Muslim has sahih hadiths, Sunan Tirmidhi, Sunan Nasai and other
collections of hadith contain sahih hadiths. But, the conditions and
parameters followed by Imam Bukhari are better than others. His
conditions are very tough; none can find a room to turn it down.
Therefore, the hadiths narrated by him are more authentic than those
of other collections. Therefore, the Ummah has agreed that Sahih
Bukhari is the most authentic book after the Quran and it has the best
position after the Book of Allah; since the Quran consists of the
knowledge of Allah, while this book is the 'book of the Messenger' as
it contains the knowledge of the Messenger (Allah bless him and give
him peace). And obviously, the Messenger (Allah bless him and give
him peace) holds most prestigious position after Allah, so the 'book
of the Messenger' also will be next in position after the Book of Allah
i.e. the Quran. So, the Quran is most authentic book as no heavenly
scripture has an authenticity, authority, perfection and
comprehensiveness like that of the holy Quran. Rather we can say
that the holy Quran only exists as the word of Allah.

Status of Quran in the Heavenly Scripture

The Torah and Injil are not in fact the kalam (words) of Allah, as kalam
means 'what is spoken'. If something is given in written it is not
called kalam, rather letter. It can be regarded kalam only as metaphor.
Or if you whisper any thought in one's heart, it will not be called
'ilm; since it was not pronounced and spoken. Sayyidna Musa (may
peace be upon him) was given Torah, but Allah Almighty did not
read it out, rather it was written on tablets and handed over to him.
So, the Torah is the Divine book not the Divine words, it can be
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presented as book metaphorically only, but in fact it is the Divine

book.

As far as Injil is concerned, it was revealed by Allah in heart and then

Sayyidna Isa (may peace be upon him) expressed it in his own
words, as the case is with hadith; the content is from Allah and the
words are of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).
Therefore, hadith is called 'wahy ghair matlu' (wahy which is not
recited) while the Quran is wahy matlu (recited) i.e. both the words
and the message are from Allah. But, in the case of Injil, the message
is from Allah and the words are from Sayyidna Isa (may peace be
upon him). Therefore, Injil will be called 'Divine message' not speech
of Allah; since He did not speak it. Yes, one can call it as word of
Allah in metaphor nor real. But, the Quran is in fact the speech of
Allah as He has read it out. He wrote it in the Preserved Tablet, so it
is the Book of Allah and He has read it out before Sayyidna Jibril
(may peace be upon him), so it is the speech of Allah. As the Quran
mentions that the angels used to get senseless due the force of the
wahy when the Quran was revealed, and when they came in senses
would ask: what was said by our Lord? Sayyidna Jibril would reply
them: "He said the truth, and He is the High and the Great." (43:23)
So, Allah Ta'ala read the entire Quran to Jibril and he revealed the
whole Quran to our Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).

So, the Quran is the Book of Allah as it was first written in the
Preserved Tablet and then on the forehead of Sayyidna Israfil (may
peace be upon him). The letters on his forehead were small, while the
letters in the Preserved Tablet were big. Some hadiths mention that a
single letter was equal to Qaaf Mountain. The greater the writer, the
huger the pen and the bigger the letters, the larger the Tablet! The
Writer is of infinite Greatness, so the writing of His words will be
 21

like Him. The Quran was written on the forehead of Sayyidna Israfil
(may peace be upon him). This became a proof of the micro Quran.
Muslims publish the Quran in big and small sizes. Allah Ta'ala wrote
in both the ways. So, this is the Book as well the word of Allah. First
of all, it was spoken by Allah, then by Sayyidna Jibril before the
Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). It is mentioned in
hadiths that Sayyidna Jibril used to recite the full Quran with the
Prophet and completed reciting it two times in the last Ramdhan of
the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). So, the speech
took place from the Prophet, from the angel as well as from Allah
Ta'ala. So, in fact the real and the Divine speech is only the Quran.
The other books are either a book of Allah or message from Allah;
they are not Allah's words. So, we should say that hadiths are Divine
messages and the words are from the Prophet (Allah bless him and
give him peace), while in the Quran both the message as well as the
words are from Allah. Therefore, the Quran is called wahy matlu
(recited) and the Hadith is called wahy ghair matlu i.e. it is not recited
rather love and benefit requires to recite it. However, some ulama
had a habit of reciting some fixed portions from Sahih Bukhari as
they used to recite the holy Quran. Now also, there are some ulama
who recite it. Reciting, first of all, will fetch blessing and increase our
attachment with the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)
since the more you will recite someone's words the more you will
feel attracted to him. If one recites with understanding, he gets into
the depth of the facts and if one recites with muraqabah (deep
concentration) he feels its properties.

Statement of Shah Abdul Aziz

Shah Abdul Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) states that at the
time of tilawat, you should consider that you were not reciting, rather
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Allah Ta'ala is reciting and just my tongue is moving. I am using the

tongue and words are His, as Allah said in the Quran about the
Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace): "He does not speak
out of [his own] desire, it is but revelation revealed to him. (53:3-4)

Statement of Shah Rafiuddin

Shah Rafiuddin (may Allah have mercy on him) state: we should

recite the Quran with an intention that it is the speech of Allah which
He speaks while our tongue is moving. If this concentration is
established, you will come to know that you start hearing clear
voices from ghaib as kashf (revealing in heart) that you are not in fact
reciting, rather He is reciting. And when He will recite the entire
existence will speak, you will hear the leaves of trees reciting.

Characteristics of Allah's Words

However, it is the characteristic of the Divine word that one who will
recite it earnestly one will be absorbed. If one recites it excessively,
one will feel attached to Allah. If it is recited with muraqaba (utmost
concentration), the heart will start receiving the properties infused in
the verses. It will be felt by the heart and soul, while in the hereafter
it will be felt by the eyes too.

Glorious Aspect of the Quran

It is said in hadith that Allah Ta'ala will ask the Preserved Tablet to
bring the Quran. It will reply that it was taken away by Jibril. So,
Sayyidna Jibril will be called. He will be present trembling with fear.
Allah Ta'ala will ask him 'whether he took the Quran from the
Preserved Tablet'. He will reply in positive. Allah Ta'ala will ask him:
 23

where did you take it to? He will say: I took it to Muhammad (Allah
bless him and give him peace). The Prophet (Allah bless him and
give him peace) will be sent for. Allah Ta'ala will question him
whether he was delivered the entire Quran by Jibril. He will reply:
He did deliver it to me. Then, he will be asked what did you do with
it? He will say: I recited it before my Ummah, taught them and made
them understand. Allah Ta'ala will ask him then to recite it before
Him and before the entire people therein.

Greatness of the Messenger

It is mentioned in hadith that his pulpit will be spread at the same

place where now the pulpit of al-Masjid al-Nabwi stands. He will sit
on it and recite the Quran from beginning to end with full intonation
and all people of the world will listen to him. The Companions
(Sahaba) will say that they were listening such a Quran which they
never listened; since the properties felt once by the soul are now
before eyes. The Quran will be in the form of beautiful garden which
will blossom wonderful and unique flowers and aromatize the
atmosphere. The Quran will become embodied and the properties
now felt by the souls will be visible in qiyamah. Obviously, when
Allah Ta'ala is before eyes, the prophets and angels are present and
the Quran is recited by the Head of all humanity, the properties and
feelings dwelling on heart shall become boundless and shall be felt
by naked eyes. So, the Quran in fact comprises of words first of all,
then the message, then the facts and finally the properties beneath
the facts which are felt by the souls as some time fear overtakes some
time hope, while some time mercy makes an appearance and some
time anger. Here in the world, the souls feel it and in the hereafter
the eyes will see it.
 24

Difference between the Quran and Hadith

I said that the Quran assimilates the Divine properties and the
hadiths have the properties of nubuwwah (prophethood). If you recite
the Quran, you will feel the Divine properties on your heart and if
you recite the Hadith, you will feel the properties of nubuwwah upon
your heart. Then, you will feel how unique and wonderful speech it
is and how deep oceans lie hidden under it! However, this tale is so
long. In short, I wanted to mention two things; first the characteristic
of the Book, secondly the characteristics of the Hadith. I have
mentioned both the things to a degree. May Allah accept the same!
Amen!

I love the righteous and pious persons, though I am not amongst them
But I hope that Allah will favour me with righteousness and piety

•••