"The Difference Between the Qur'an and

Hadith Qudsi "

A hadith Qudsi is a hadith in which the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)
narrates a statement from Allah. For example, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam ) said, 'Allah said,'O My servants, l have made injustice haram for Me, and
have made it haram between you also, so do not be unjust to one
another."[Muslim]

There are a number of differences between hadith Qudsi and the Qur'an:

1) The primary difference that is given by most scholars is that the Qur'an is the
Speech of Allah, revealed to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam ) in meaning
and wording. Thus, the Qur'an is from Allah even in wording. Hadith Qudsi ,
according to many scholars, is only from Allah in meaning."[1]

Therefore, the Qur'an is attributed directly to Allah. It is said, Allah said...' with
regards to a verse of the Qur'an, but this cannot be used for a hadith Qudsi
without adding the phrase, 'The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said that
Allah said...'

2) The Qur'an has been put forth as a miracle that can never be imitated in its
style, prose or content. It is an open challenge for all of mankind to produce even
a chapter similar to it. A hadith Qudsee, on the other hand, has no miraculous
nature in it.

3) Allah has promised to preserve the Qur'an, whereas no such promise exists for
the Hadith Qudsi .

4) The Qur'an has reached us in mutawatir chains of narration. There is no

difference of opinion over the Qur'an; all scholars are in agreement as to what its
verses and letters are. Hadith Qudsi , on the other hand, mainly exist in the form
of Ahad (i.e., non-mutawatir) hadith. There are authentic, weak and even
fabricated hadith Qudsi [2] for it is still a hadith that must be checked with all the
rules of the scholars of hadith .

5) It is an act of worship to recite the Qur'an, whereas this is not the case for a
Hadith Qudsi . The person who reads hadith Qudsi will be rewarded for seeking
knowledge, just as if he read other hadith.

The recitation of the Qur'an, on the other hand, is an act of worship in and of
itself. This point also implies that a hadith Qudsi cannot be read in prayers, and if
done so then such a prayer will not be valid. Only the Qur'an may be recited in
prayer.

It should be mentioned that all of the hadith of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam whether they are Qudsi or not, are a type of inspiration sent down to him.
As the Qur'an says, "And he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) does not speak of his
own desires; rather it is only a revelation sent down to him"[53:3-4]

This verse does not speak only of the Qur'an but also of the Sunnah. The Prophet
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, "Verily, I was given the Qur'an and something
equivalent to it (i.e., the Sunnah)!"[abu dawood, tirmidhi, ahmad] Since the
Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, '...I was given...' this implies that his
Sunnah is also a type of inspiration.

The difference, therefore, between the Qur'an and the Sunnah is that the Qur'an
is the Speech of Allah, inspired to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) in
wording and meaning, whereas the Sunnah is the speech of Muhammad
(sallallahu alayhi wa sallam ), inspired only in meaning. Even though the Sunnah
is an integral part of Islamic belief and law, and its meanings safeguarded by
Allah, the Qur'an is superior to it since it is the actual kalam of Allah.

notes:

[1] This is the opinion that almost all authors of 'uloom al-Quran quote. Some
scholars, however, say that even the wording of hadith Qudsi is from Allah, and
this is the opinion that this author inclines towards. The reason is that most of the
authors of the works of 'uloom al-Qur'an have been Asharees, and the opinion
that hadith Qudsi are inspired in 'meaning' and are not the actual kalam of Allah
reeks of the Asharee faith. There is absolutely no proof to show that the words of
the hadith Qudsi are not from Allah. When the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam) says, 'Allah says...... it should be held upon its literal, apparent meaning;
namely, that Allah actually spoke these words, and the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam) was inspired these words; and Allah knows best. However, the
wordings of the hadith Qudsi have not been promised to be preserved by Allah (in
contrast to the Qur'an); only their meanings have been preserved. Therefore, the
same hadith Qudsi is found in different works of hadith with different wordings.
The Qur'an, on the other hand, has been preserved in wording and meaning.
[2] There have also been attempts to fabricate Qur'anic recitations, but the
difference is that these rejected recitations of the Qur'an are agreed upon by all
the scholars. Certain hadith Qudsi , on the other hand, are subject to a difference
of opinion over their authenticity, just like other hadith .