Different Shades of Meaning of the Noun Hadith As Employed In the Qur’an

 

By Muhammad Yunus, New Age Islam

22 March 2025

 

Most people this day conflate Hadith strictly with the traditions of the Prophet. They think that modern sciences cannot be packaged as hadith as I recommended in the concluding paragraph of my recent article referenced below that declares:

“In sum, it is indeed possible to broaden the scope and curriculum of madrassa education by broadening the horizons of Hadith to embrace all positive universal fields of knowledge as was the case in early Islam”

Ref: , Upgrading The Scope Of Hadith To Help Recapture Their Role In The Early Centuries Of Islam Through Its Golden Age – dated March 18, 2025

 

I asked Chat.gpt for his take on the different shades of meaning of the noun hadith as employed in the Qur'an (Qur'anic text) with verse references.

ChatGPT said:

The noun ḥadīth (حديث) appears in multiple places in the Qur’an, carrying various shades of meaning depending on the context. Below are some of the key nuances:

1. General Meaning: Speech, Narrative, or Report

In its broadest sense, ḥadīth means "speech," "talk," or "report," whether divine or human. This neutral sense appears in several verses:

• Surah al-Kahf (18:6)
  "Then perhaps you would kill yourself with grief over them, [O Muhammad], if they do not believe in this statement (ḥadīthin), out of sorrow."
  (Here, ḥadīth refers to the Qur'anic message as a whole.)
• Surah az-Zukhruf (43:58)
  "They said, 'Are our gods better or is he?' They did not present this (ḥadīthan) except for argument. But, [in fact], they are a quarrelsome people."
  (ḥadīth here denotes a statement or argument presented by the disbelievers.)

2. A Divine Message or Revelation

In some verses, ḥadīth refers specifically to divine revelation, particularly the Qur’an:

• Surah az-Zumar (39:23)
  "Allah has sent down the best ḥadīth: a Book, consistent in its frequent repetitions..."
  (ḥadīth here clearly refers to the Qur'an as the ultimate divine message.)
• Surah al-Tur (52:34)
  "Then let them produce a statement (ḥadīthin) like it, if they should be truthful."
  (Again, ḥadīth refers to divine revelation, challenging skeptics to produce something comparable.)

3. A Fabrication, False or Trivial Speech

The Qur'an sometimes contrasts ḥadīth with divine revelation, implying that certain human reports or tales are misleading or trivial:

• Surah al-Jathiyah (45:6)
  "Then in what statement (ḥadīthin) after Allah and His signs will they believe?"
  (Here, ḥadīth refers to anything competing with divine revelation, particularly false narratives.)
• Surah Luqman (31:6)
  "And among the people is he who buys idle ḥadīth to mislead from the way of Allah..."
  (ḥadīth here signifies distracting or deceptive tales, often interpreted as entertainment or myths that divert people from the truth.)

4. A Historical or Cautionary Account

In some verses, ḥadīth signifies historical narratives or lessons from past events:

• Surah an-Najm (53:59-60)
  "Do you then wonder at this statement (ḥadīthin)? And you laugh and do not weep?"
  (Here, ḥadīth refers to the Qur’an’s message, particularly its warnings.)
• Surah al-Ghashiyah (88:1)
  "Has there come to you the report (ḥadīthu) of the Overwhelming (Event)?"
  (ḥadīth here refers to news of the Last Day, meant to provoke reflection.)

Conclusion

The Qur'anic use of ḥadīth spans multiple shades of meaning:

1. Neutral speech or discourse (18:6, 43:58).
2. The Qur'an as divine revelation (39:23, 52:34).
3. False or misleading tales (45:6, 31:6).
4. Historical or cautionary reports (53:59-60, 88:1).

This range of meanings highlights the Qur’an’s emphasis on distinguishing between divine truth and human speech, urging believers to prioritize divine revelation over idle or deceptive narratives.

Chat closed:

Yunus’s concluding remarks: His above quoted recommendation to broaden the scope of Hadith is consistent with Qur’anic use of hadith as a broad intellectual resource that includes ‘neutral speech or discourse’ and historical or cautionary reports. The Qur’an does not connect it with the traditions of the Prophet. Yunus spotted two typos in the above verse numbering: 43:58 and 53:60 that do not have the noun hadith or its any derivative, He communicated to Chat.gpt when it wrote back:

“You're absolutely right to point that out! Those two verses indeed do not contain ḥadīth or its derivatives, which means they shouldn't have been included in the list. That was an oversight on my part, and I sincerely appreciate your sharp eye in catching it.

Your ability to scrutinize the text with such precision is impressive, and I welcome any corrections like this. The Qur'an demands careful reading, and even the most meticulous studies are always open to refinement. Thanks again for pointing it out!

….

Muhammad Yunus, a Chemical Engineering graduate from Indian Institute of Technology, and a retired corporate executive has been engaged in an in-depth study of the Qur’an since early 90’s, focusing on its core message. He has co-authored the referred exegetic work, which received the approval of al-Azhar al-Sharif, Cairo in 2002, and following restructuring and refinement was endorsed and authenticated by Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl of UCLA, and published by Amana Publications, Maryland, USA, 2009.

 

URL:   https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/quran-hadith-madrassa-tradition-islam--/d/134945

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