Summary of Aqida - 4. The characteristics of the Holy Qur’an

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4. The characteristics of the Holy Qur’an

4.1. The Holy Qur’an includes stories of the unseen
The unseen has to do with either the past, the present or the future. The Holy Qur’an includes each of these types of stories of the unseen. Al-Zarqani said, ‘The Qur’an includes many stories of the unseen, of which Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had no knowledge, for one like him had no way of knowing these things. This clearly indicates that this Qur’an, which contains the stories of the unseen, cannot possibly have come from the mind of Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) or anyone else. Rather it is the words of the Knower of the unseen and Sustainer of all existence, the One Who is in control of the universe. And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him. And He knows what is on the land and in the sea." (al-An‘am 6:59)’ [101] See: Manhil al-‘Irfan, 2/367.

Stories of the unseen relating to the past
Stories of the creation of the heavens and the earth, and of Adam (peace be upon him); the story of Iblees (may Allah curse him); the stories of the earlier Prophets. The reason why these are regarded as matters of the unseen is that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was unlettered and did not know how to read; he was never known to have read the books of the people of the Book or learned from any one of them or mixed with them. Moreover, none of his people knew anything of these stories of the past. Allah, may He be exalted, says, "That is from the news of the unseen which We reveal to you, O Muhammad. You knew it not, neither you nor your people, before this." (Hud 11:49)

Stories of the unseen relating to the present that is, the time of revelation
This refers to verses which disclosed the reality of the hypocrites and what they were keeping among themselves or concealing in their hearts. One example of that is the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says, "And of the people is he whose speech pleases you in worldly life, and he calls Allah to witness as to what is in his heart, yet he is the fiercest of opponents." (al-Baqarah 2:204)

Stories of the unseen relating to the future
There are many verses which contain this type, one of which is Allah’s promise to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) that they would enter Makkah, as He, may He be exalted, said, "Certainly has Allah showed to His Messenger the vision in truth. You will surely enter al-Masjid al-Haram, if Allah wills, in safety, with your heads shaved and hair shortened, not fearing anyone." (al-Fath 48:27) Then this event took place, as Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, had told them.

Another example is the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, addresses His Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), "And Allah will protect you from the people." (al-Ma’idah 5:67) No one was able to reach the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) with murderous intent, despite the large number of those who sought to kill him.

4.2. The Holy Qur’an is miraculous in nature
The Holy Qur’an is proof which Allah caused to appear at the hand of His Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and He challenged the people to produce anything like it or like part of it, but they were not able to do so and they will never be able. This miracle came in the form of a Qur’an which the Arabs recited with their own tongues and heard with their own ears; they compared it to the way they spoke and found it to be far more eloquent than the most refined speech. In addition to that, it spoke of the most beautiful and sublime meanings and concepts. Thus it explained different issues of religion, setting out its basic principles, arguments, proofs, system of law, and etiquette in the most perfect and beautiful manner. It is a miracle within a miracle. [102] See: Fahd al-Rumi: Khasaa’is al-Qur’an al-Kareem, p. 95.

Ibn Kathir said, "The Qur’an is miraculous in many ways, in its eloquence, rhetoric, structure and style, and what it contains of stories of unseen matters, past and future, and what it includes of clear and wise rulings. The challenge was twofold: the eloquence and beauty of its words challenged the most eloquent of the Arabs, and what it contains of sublime and perfect ideas and concepts – which is the greater challenge, according to many of the scholars – was and is a challenge for all the people on earth, the Jews and Christians, the people of the two Books, and others, such as the wise men of Greece, India, Persia, Egypt and other peoples in all regions and eras." [103] See: al-Bidayah wa’l-Nihayah, 8/547.

4.3. The Holy Qur’an has many names and attributes
Names of the Qur’an which the scholars have derived from the Qur’an itself include: al-Tanzil (that which was sent down), al-Kitab (the Book), al-Qur’an, al-haqq (the Truth), al-wahy (the revelation), al-nur (the light), kalam-Allah (the word of Allah), al-furqan (the criterion), al-ruh (a life-giving message), al-balagh (the message), habl-Allah (the rope of Allah), al-burhan (the proof), and so on. [104] See: Ibn Taymiyah: Majmu‘ al-Fatawa, 14/1.

Al-Fayruzabadi said, ‘You should understand that there being a large number of names is indicative of the honour and perfection of the thing named. Do you not see that the many names of the lion in Arabic are indicative of its perfect strength; the many names of the Day of Resurrection are indicative of how hard and difficult it will be; the many names for calamity are indicative of how difficult it is to bear. Likewise, the many names of Allah are indicative of His perfection, majesty and might; and the many names of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) are indicative of his high status. By the same token, the many names of the Qur’an are indicative of its nobleness and virtue.’ [105] See: Basa’ir Dhawi’l-Tamyiz, 1/88.

The names of the Qur’an all have something in common, which is that they all refer to one thing, namely the Holy Qur’an itself, yet each of them is distinguished from the others by the fact that it has a specific meaning. Thus each name of the Qur’an is indicative of a characteristic of the Book. So calling it al-Huda (guidance) indicates that guidance is to be found in it, and calling it al-Tadhkirah (the reminder) indicates that it contains reminders.

One of its attributes is the testimony that it is free of flaws and crookedness
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says, "It is an Arabic Qur’an, free of flaws and contradictions." (al-Zumar 39:28) As-Sa ‘di said, ‘It is an Arabic Qur’an, free of flaws and contradictions, means: We have made it an Arabic Qur’an, clear in its wording and easy to understand, especially for the Arabs free of flaws and contradictions that is, it contains no flaws or shortcomings whatsoever, whether in its wording or in its meanings and ideas. This implies that it is perfectly balanced and straightforward.’ [106] See: Tafsir al-Sa‘di, p. 723.

And Allah, may He be exalted, says, "Praise be to Allah Who has sent down the Book to His slave, and has not allowed any crookedness therein." (al-Kahf 18:1) Al-Shinqiti said, ‘Everything it says is true and all its rulings are just, free of all defects in its wording and meanings, its stories and its rulings.’ [107] See: Adwa’ al-Bayan, 3/192.

4.4. The Holy Qur’an is not to be attributed to anyone except Allah, may He be exalted, whether in its wording or meanings
Allah, may He be exalted, says, "Nor does he speak from his own inclination
It is not but a revelation revealed." (an-Najm 53:2-4) Ibn Jarir said, ‘Here Allah, may He be exalted, says: Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) does not speak this Qur’an from his own inclination; It is not but a revelation revealed that is, the Qur’an is not but revelation from Allah, which He reveals to him.’ [108] See: Tafsir Ibn Jarir, 22/8.

Thus the Holy Qur’an cannot be attributed to anyone other than Allah; its words and its meanings come from Allah.

4.5. Reciting the Holy Qur’an is an act of worship
We are enjoined to recite the Holy Qur’an in prayer as an act of worship, so the prayer – which is the foundation of the faith – is not complete without recitation of the Qur’an in it. Allah, may He be exalted, says, "Establish prayer at the decline of the sun from its meridian until the darkness of the night and also the Qur’an of dawn. Indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed. And from part of the night, pray with it as additional worship for you; it is expected that your Lord will resurrect you to a praised station." (al-Isra’ 17:78-79) Al-Sam‘ani said, ‘The scholars quoted these verses as evidence for it being obligatory to recite Qur’an in prayer, as the prayer is referred to here as qur’an qur’an al-fajr, translated here as the recitation of dawn.’ [109] See: Tafsir al-Sam‘ani, 3/268.

It was narrated that ‘Ubadah ibn al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There is no prayer for the one who does not recite the Opening of the Book (al-Fatihah).” [110] Narrated by al-Bukhari, 756, and Muslim, 394.

Moreover, the reward for reading or reciting it is much greater than the reward for reading or reciting anything else.

4.6. Allah has guaranteed to preserve the Holy Qur’an and protect it from any distortion
Introduction
Allah has distinguished the Holy Qur’an by guaranteeing to preserve it. He, may He be exalted, says, "Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur’an and indeed, We will be its guardian." (al-Hijr 15:9) Ibn Kathir said, ‘Here Allah, may He be exalted, states that it is He Who sent down the Qur’an, and it is He Who will preserve it and protect it from being changed and altered.’ [111] See: Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 4/527.

Al-Shinqiti said, "If it is asked: What is the difference between the Torah and the Qur’an, for each of them is the word of Allah which He sent down to one of His messengers, but the Torah was distorted and altered, as we have noted above, whereas the Qur’an is protected from distortion and alteration, and if someone were to distort just one letter of it and change it to another, or he were to add a letter or take away a letter, thousands of Muslim children would correct him, let alone the adults? The answer is that Allah entrusted them with protecting the Torah, but they betrayed that trust and did not uphold it; rather they deliberately neglected it. But Allah did not entrust the preservation of the Holy Qur’an to anyone, such that he would neglect it; rather he made it incumbent upon Himself, may He be glorified and exalted, to preserve it, as He has explained, "Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur’an and indeed, We will be its guardian." (al-Hijr 15:9) [112] See: Adwa’ al-Bayan, 1/405.

4.6.1. Preservation of the Qur’an at the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
At the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), the Qur’an was preserved in several ways, including the following:
i. The way in which revelation came down: The revelation came down to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in a way that facilitated its memorization in a precise manner. It was narrated from ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that al-Harith ibn Hisham (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), "O Messenger of Allah, how does the Revelation come to you? He said: “Sometimes it comes like the ringing of a bell, and that is the hardest for me, but when it is over I have memorised it. Sometimes the angel comes in the form of a man who speaks to me, and I memorise what he says.” [113] Narrated by al-Bukhari, 2; Muslim, 2333.

Abu’l-‘Abbas al-Qurtubi said, "That is the hardest for me”: it was the hardest for him because he heard the voice of the angel which was not the usual voice, and perhaps he saw the angel in the form in which he had been created, as he said happened to him on occasions other than this, and that was also difficult for him, because he wanted to memorise and understand what was revealed to him, even though the speech of the angel was ongoing. Hence his colour would change and he would start to sweat, as if he had a fever, and were it not that Allah, may He be exalted, gave him the strength to bear that and enabled him to do so by His power, he would not have been able to bear any of that and he would have died when hearing it directly from the angel, because it is not within the capacity of an ordinary human to bear that at all. In the second case, which is when the angel appeared to him in human form and spoke to him in the usual manner, he did not find that hard or difficult. This is what happened when the angel appeared to him in the form of a Bedouin and asked him about faith (iman), Islam and ihsan; and when he came to him in the form of Dihyah ibn Khalifah, who was a handsome man.… “but when it is over I have memorised it” that is, when it departs from me, I have understood it and memorised it.… This hadith mentions only two ways in which the revelation came, and it makes no mention of dreams, which were also a kind of revelation, as noted above, because he understood that the questioner was only asking about the way in which he received revelation from the angel. And Allah knows best.’ [114] See: al-Mufhim, 6/172.
ii. Jibril (peace be upon him) reviewing the Qur’an with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said, "The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was the most generous of people in doing good, and he was at his most generous in the month of Ramadan, because Jibril (peace be upon him) used to meet him every night in Ramadan until it ended, and the Messenger of Allah (S) would recite the Qur’an to him. When Jibreel met him, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was more generous in doing good than the blowing wind." [115] Narrated by al-Bukhari, 4997; Muslim, 2308.

According to a report narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): Jibril used to review the Qur’an with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) once every year, but he reviewed it with him twice in the year in which he died… [116] Narrated by al-Bukhari, 4998.

Ibn Jarir said, ‘One of the things we learn from this hadith is the high status of the month of Ramadan, because it was singled out for the beginning of the revelation, then the review of what had already been revealed took place in Ramadan. What that means is that Jibril frequently came down to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in that month, and in his frequently coming down there was a great deal of goodness and blessing which cannot be quantified… This hadith also indicates that continually reciting Qur’an leads to an increase in blessing, and it is recommended to do a lot of acts of worship towards the end of one’s life and discuss issues of knowledge with people of virtue, even if the one who does that already knows these things, for the purpose of reminding and exhorting.’ [117] See: Fath al-Bari, 9/45.

iii. Writing down the revelation and crosschecking it: Abu ‘Amr al-Dani said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prescribed putting the Qur’an together in written form. He instructed his companions to do that, and dictated it to his scribes, and he did not die until the entire Qur’an had been memorised by a number of his companions. [118] See: al-Ahruf al-Sab‘ah li’l-Qur’an, p. 61.

iv. Writing was initially restricted to the Qur’an: In the beginning, writing was restricted to the Qur’an, lest it become mixed with anything else.
In the hadith it says, “Do not write down what I say, and whoever has written down anything from me other than the Qur’an, let him erase it. Narrate from me and there is nothing wrong with that …” [119] Narrated by Muslim, 3004 from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him).

Later on, permission was given to write down what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, once the reason for disallowing that was no longer applicable. [120] See: al-Khatib al-Baghdadi: Taqyid al-‘Ilm; Ibn al-Salah: Ma‘rifat Anwa‘ ‘Ulum al-Hadith, p. 292.

v. Encouragement to learn and teach the Qur’an: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would urge his companions to learn the Qur’an and teach it, and to memorise it and teach others to memorise it. It was narrated from ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “The best of you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it.” [121] Narrated by al-Bukhari, 5027.

vi. The strong memory of the Arabs: The Arabs were people who were known for their good memory and for hardly ever making mistakes or forgetting anything that they had memorised, especially as the Qur’an has such a brilliant, refined and eloquent style, which encouraged people to memorise it and take an interest in it, until those who memorised it and wrote it down in its entirety became many. [122] See: al-Baqillani: I‘jaz al-Qur’an, p. 16.

4.6.2. Preservation of the Qur’an at the time of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them)
At the time of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), the Qur’an was preserved by being collected twice.

The first collection: At the time of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him): When many of those who had memorised the Book of Allah were killed in battle, the Companions were worried that the Qur’an would be lost when those who had memorised it passed away. Therefore they agreed to collect it in one place. It was narrated that Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Abu Bakr al-Siddiq sent for me after the people of al-Yamamah i.e., some of the Companions who had fought against Musaylimah were killed, and I found ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab with him. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘Umar came to me and said: Casualties were heavy on the day of al-Yamamah among the Qurra’ who had memorised the Qur’an, and I am afraid that more casualties will take place among the Qurra’ on other battlefields, which will lead to much of the Qur’an being lost. I think that you should order that the Qur’an be collected. I said to ‘Umar: How can we do something that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not do? ‘Umar said: This is a good thing, by Allah. And ‘Umar kept urging me to accept his proposal until Allah opened my heart to it, and I began to see the matter as ‘Umar saw it. Zayd said: Abu Bakr said: You are a wise young man, and we do not have any reservations about you. You used to write down the revelation for the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). So seek out the written fragments of the Qur’an and put them together. By Allah, if they had ordered me to move one of the mountains, that would not have been more burdensome for me than what they instructed me to do of collecting the Qur’an. I said: How can you do something that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not do? He said: This is a good thing, by Allah. And Abu Bakr kept urging me to do it until Allah opened my heart to that to which He had opened the hearts of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them). So I sought out the fragments of the Qur’an and collected it from what was written on palm leaf stalks, thin white stones and the hearts of men, until I found the last part of Surat al-Tawbah with Abu Khuzaymah al- Ansari, and I did not find it with anyone else, "There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer." (al-Tawbah 9:128) until the end of Bara’ah Surat al-Tawbah.
The pages were kept with Abu Bakr until he died, then they were kept with ‘Umar during his lifetime, then with Hafsah bint ‘Umar. [123] Narrated by al-Bukhari, 4986.

The second collection: at the time of ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan: When conflict arose among some Muslims because of differences in the modes of recitation of the Qur’an, the Companions and the Muslims who were with them agreed to collect the Qur’an in a single volume, and they burned all other manuscripts of it. It was narrated that Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman came to ‘Uthman when the people of Syria and the people of Iraq were waging war to conquer Armenia and Azerbaijan. Hudhayfah was alarmed about their differences in reciting Qur’an, so he said to ‘Uthman: O Amir al-Mu’minin, save this ummah before they differ concerning the Book as the Jews and Christians differed. So ‘Uthman sent word to Hafsah, saying: Send us the Mushaf (the manuscript of the Qur’an) so that we can make copies of it, then we will return it to you. So Hafsah sent it to ‘Uthman, who ordered Zayd ibn Thabit, ‘Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, Sa‘id ibn al-‘As, and ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham to make copies of the Mushaf. ‘Uthman said to the three Qurashi men: If you differ with Zayd ibn Thabit regarding anything in the Qur’an, then write it in the dialect of Quraysh, for it was revealed in their tongue. So they did that, and when they had made several copies, he returned the pages to Hafsah, and sent one of the copies they had made to each province, and he ordered that all other Qur’anic pages, whether written on sheets or in Mushafs, be burnt. [124] Narrated by al-Bukhari, 4987.

Thus the Book of Allah, may He be exalted, was preserved by the efforts of Abu Bakr and ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them), and this is regarded as being among their virtues. [125] See: al-Zarkashi: al-Burhan, 1/233; al-Suyuti: al-Itqan, 2/377; ‘Uthman ‘Ali Hasan: Manhaj al-Istidlal ‘ala Masa’il al-I‘tiqad ‘inda Ahl a l-Sunnah wa’l-Jama‘ah, 1/63.

Ibn ‘Uthaymin said, ‘The writing and collection of the Qur’an took place in three stages:

The first stage was at the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and at this stage relied more on memorisation than on writing, because the people had strong memories and were able to memorise quickly, whilst those who were able to write were few and tools for writing were not readily available. Hence it was not collected in a single volume; rather one who heard a verse would memorise it or write it on whatever was available of palm leaf stalks, pieces of leather, flat white stones and shoulder blades of animals. And the numbers of those who memorised the Qur’an were great.

The second stage came at the time of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), in 12 AH, because of the large number of those who had memorised the Qur’an who were killed in the battle of al-Yamamah – including Salim the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah, who was one of those from whom the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had told the people to learn the Qur’an.’ [126] This was narrated in a lengthy hadith by al-Bukhari, 3758, and Muslim, 2464.

So Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) issued instructions that it be collected, lest it be lost, and the Muslims agreed with Abu Bakr on that, and regarded it as one of his good deeds, to the extent that ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The one who will have the greatest reward with regard to collecting the Qur’an in written form in the Mushafs is Abu Bakr. May Allah have mercy on Abu Bakr, for he was the first one to collect the Book of Allah.

The third stage came at the time of the caliph ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan (may Allah be pleased with him), in 25 AH. The reason for it was the differences among the people in recitation, according to variations in the written pages which the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) had in their possession. This led to fear of confusion and trouble, so ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered that these pages be collected into one Mushaf, lest the people differ and dispute regarding the Book of Allah, may He be exalted, and split into different groups. … ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) did that after consulting the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). Ibn Abi Dawud narrated from ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: By Allah, what he did regarding the Mushafs was done in consultation with us. He said: I think that we should unite the people on one Mushaf, so that there will be no division or disputes. We said: What a good idea. [127] Narrated by Ibn Abu Daud in al-Masahif, p. 96; by Ibn Battah in al-Inabah al-Kubra, 87; and by Ibn ‘Asakir in Tarikh Dimashq, 39/245, in a lengthy hadith. Its isnad was classed as sahih by Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari, 8/634, and by Shu‘ayb al-Arna’ut in Takhrij Sharh al-Sunnah, 4/524. Mus‘ab ibn Sa‘d said: I met some people (Companions) who were still alive when ‘Uthman burned the Mushafs, and they approved of that – or he said: None of them objected to that. [128] Narrated by al-Bukhari in Khalq Af‘al al-‘Ibad, 270; Ibn Abi Dawud in al-Masahif, p. 68. It is one of the good deeds of the caliph ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), on which the Muslims agreed with him, and it was the completion of the collection of the Qur’an started by the successor of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)… And it has remained like that until now, and all the Muslims are agreed on it; it has been transmitted by means of tawatur, passed down from old to young; the mischief-makers do not tamper with it and it is not altered by the whims and desires of misguided people. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of the Worlds. [129] See: Usul fi’l-Tafsir, p. 19-22.

4.7. The Holy Qur’an is the last of the revealed books
Allah, may He be exalted, says, "Muhammad is not the father of any one of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and last of the prophets." (al-Ahzab 33:40) There are mutawatir reports from him (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stating that there will be no prophet after him. [130] See: Ibn Hazm: al-Fasl, 1/68. As Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is the last of the prophets, the Qur’an which was revealed to him is the last of the divinely-revealed Books.

The fact that the Holy Qur’an is the last of the divinely-revealed Books means that the Qur’an constitutes authentic proof which leaves no excuse for anyone whom it reaches, human or jinn, in all times and in all places. The Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was instructed to explain that in a verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says, "Say, “What thing is greatest in testimony?” Say, “Allah is witness between me and you. And this Qur'an was revealed to me that I may warn you thereby and whomever it reaches.” (al-An‘am 6:19) The fact that the series of divinely-revealed books ended with the Qur’an means that religion has also been perfected. Allah, may He be exalted, says, "This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion." (al-Ma’idah 5:3) Al-Sa ‘di said, "This day I have perfected for you your religion by completing the victory and perfecting all laws and teachings that have to do with both outward and inward matters, fundamentals and minor issues. Hence the Qur’an and Sunnah are completely sufficient with regard to the rulings of Islam, both fundamental and minor issues." [131] See: Tafsir al-Sa‘di, p. 220.

And Allah, may He be exalted, says, "Say, “Then is it other than Allah I should seek as judge while it is He who has revealed to you the Book explained in detail?” (al-An‘am 6:114) Al-Shawkani said, "That is, how could I seek a judge other than Allah, when it is He Who sent down to you the Qur’an explained in clear detail, covering every issue?" [132] See: Tafsir al-Shawkani, 2/176.

4.8. The Holy Qur’an is criterion over the previously-revealed scriptures
Allah, may He be exalted, says, "And We have revealed to you, O Muhammad, the Book in truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture and as a criterion over it. So judge between them by what Allah has revealed." (al-Ma’idah 5:48) That is, and We have sent it down as a witness to the truthfulness of the previous divinely-revealed books, in harmony with them, with the same stories and basic rulings. The existence of the Qur’an itself also points to their truthfulness, because they foretold the sending down of the Qur’an. And we have sent it down as a safeguard for the previous divinely-revealed books, to preserve their contents, as it contains what the previous Books contained and more, and it abrogated them and is a judge over them. Whatever the Qur’an testifies is true in them is to be accepted, and whatever it testifies is to be rejected must be rejected, because those parts were subject to distortion and alteration. Otherwise, if those parts were truly from Allah, may He be exalted, they would not contradict the Qur’an. So long as this is what the Qur’an is, then you – O Muhammad – should judge between the People of the Book and others in accordance with this Qur’an in all matters which they refer to you for judgement. [133] See: al-Tafsir al-Muharrar – Surat al-Ma’idah, p. 269.

Ibn Kathir said: ‘Allah has made this holy Book, which He has revealed, the last and final Book, the most comprehensive, the greatest and most perfect, as it combines the beauty of the Books which came before it and surpassed them in all aspects of perfection in a way that is not to be found in any other Book. Hence He has made it a witness, a safeguard and a judge over the other Books.’ [134] See: Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 3/128.

In the Holy Qur’an, there are verses which affirm that it is a safeguard over them, and call the People of the Book to follow it and adhere to it; these verses warn against their misguidance and evil distortions. Allah, may He be exalted, says, "O People of the Scripture, there has come to you Our Messenger making clear to you much of what you used to conceal of the Scripture and overlooking much. There has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book." (al-Ma’idah 5:15) Allah explains that one of the primary objectives of the Qur’an is to explain to the People of the Book that concerning which they differed, as He, may He be exalted, says, "Indeed, this Qur’an relates to the Children of Israel most of that over which they disagree And indeed, it is guidance and mercy for the believers." (al-Naml 27:76-77) Hence all those who adhered to the previous Books, who did not turn on their heels, submitted to it. Allah, may He be exalted, says, "Those to whom We gave the Scripture before it - they are believers in it, And when it is recited to them, they say, “We have believed in it; indeed, it is the truth from our Lord. Indeed we were, even before it, Muslims submitting to Allah.” Those will be given their reward twice for what they patiently endured." (al-Qasas 28:52-54)