The word al-hikmah (Wisdom) in the Quran 2:151
Due to the fact that the Quran does not contain any mention of the words 'sunna of Muhammad', the followers of the hadith and sunna found it necessary to manipulate the meaning of some Quranic words so as to create a Quranic reference to the hadith and sunna. The word on which they base their claim is "al-hikmah" as found in a number of verses, such as:
We also sent a messenger to you from amongst you who recites to you Our revelations, purifies you, teaches you the Scripture and the wisdom, and teaches you what you knew not. 2:151
The word "al-kitab" means the Book, in this case, it is the Quran. The word"al-hikmah" means 'the wisdom'. This is the meaning of "al-hikmah" that is found in every Arabic dictionary in print. Nevertheless, in an attempt to create a reference to the sunna of Muhammad in the Quran, when there is none, it is claimed that the word "al-hikmah" in such verses as 2:151 refers to the sunna of prophet Muhammad.
Since the word sunna is already used in the Quran, always referring to the Sunna of God, any impartial reader will question why God did not just use the words 'sunna of Muhammad' in these verses. The answer to such a legitimate question is given in the Quran. The reason why God did not use the words 'the sunna of prophet Muhammad' anywhere in the Quran is because God already stated that the only sunna is the Sunna of God:
You will find that there is no substitute for the Sunna of God, and you will find that there is no diversion from the Sunna of God. 35:43
Not only there is no substitute for the Sunna of God, but there should be no diversion away from the Sunna of God.
With a close analysis, it can be shown that the word "al-hikmah" in 2:151 cannot mean anything other than 'wisdom'.
1- The first verse we need to look at is 2:231:
When you have divorced the women, and they have fulfilled their interim, then either retain them equitably or release them equitably. Do not retain them against their will in order to be vindictive. Anyone who does that has indeed wronged himself. Do not take God's revelations in mockery, and remember God's blessings upon you and what He has brought down upon you of the Scripture and the wisdom; He advises you with it. And reverence God and know that God is Knowledgeable of all things. 2:231
Let us look at the following sentence:
God's blessings upon you and what He has brought down upon you of the Scripture and the wisdom; He advises you with it.
Now let us focus on the following two nouns:
1- The Scripture
2- The wisdom
After the mention of those two nouns, the sentence ends with the words, "He advises you with it". The word "it" is singular. If the Scripture and the wisdom were two separate items (the Quran and the Sunna), the last word would have been plural, or in other words: He advises you with them. The singular "it" confirms that the Scripture and the wisdom are one and not two items. In other words, the wisdom is an inherent ingredient of the Scripture (Quran).
2- Next we look at the following verse:
If it were not for God's favour upon you and His mercy, a group of them were about to misguide you, but they do not misguide except themselves, and they do not harm you in any way. God has brought down upon you the Book and the wisdom and has taught you what you knew not. Indeed, God's favour upon you is great. 4:113
Now let us focus on the words:
"God has brought down upon you the Book and the wisdom."
Both 'the Book and the wisdom' were brought down to the prophet from God. On the other hand, the sunna of the prophet, which includes how he conducted and performed every little daily chore was not a revelation brought down to him from God. Once again, this confirms that the word 'wisdom' cannot mean the sunna of the prophet.
3- Throughout the Quran, we read that the only revelation brought down to prophet Muhammad was the Quran. To establish this truth in the hearts of the believers, prophet Muhammad was commanded to testify to what he received from God:
Say, "What thing is the greatest testimony?" Say, "God is Witness between me and you, and this Quran has been revealed to me to warn you with it and whomever it reaches. Do you bear witness that there are other gods besides God?" Say, "I do not bear witness." Say, "He is but One God, and I am innocent of the shirk that you commit." 6:19
The revelation the prophet was commanded to witness for having received from God was the Quran. If the sunna of the prophet, which is sourced from the books of hadith, was part of the revelation, the testimony of what the prophet received from God would have surely included the Quran and the hadith/sunna.
4- The word "Hakim" (Wise) is the adjective from the noun "al-hikmah". "Al-Hakim" is one of God's Glorious Names and is also used as an adjective of the Quran. The following are two such verses:
Y.S. and the Quran Al-Hakim(the Wise Quran). 36:1-2
A.L.R. These are the signs of the 'Kitab Al-Hakim' (the Wise Book). 10:1 also 31:2
It is clear that the word "Al-Hakim" (The Wise) speaks of the wisdom contained in the Quran and not that the Quran has a built-in Sunna of the prophet.
5- One of the examples that confirm that the 'hikmah' mentioned in conjunction with the Quran, such as in 2:231, is the wisdom contained in the Quran and not in any additional source besides the Quran is found in Sura 17 where we read a sequence of wise advice:
- Do not set up another god with God 17:22
- Treat your parents kindly 17:23
- Be charitable without being wasteful 17:26
- Do not kill your children for fear of poverty 17:31
- Do not go near adultery 17:32
- Do not kill 17:33
- Do not waste orphans' money 17:34
- Give full measure when trading 17:35
- Do not follow what you have no knowledge of 17:36
- Do not act arrogantly 17:37
After those instructions, God tells the messenger:
That is some of the 'hikmah' (wisdom) inspired to you by your Lord. 17:39
Every one of those pieces of wisdom are included in the Quran confirming that the 'hikmah' is contained in the Quran and is not a separate external source (Sunna of the prophet).
6- The same word "al-hikmah" is used in the Quran in connection with other prophets who lived before the time of prophet Muhammad. Interpreting the word "al-hikmah" to mean Sunna would be quite problematic. The following are two examples:
a- The following are God's words to Jesus:
I taught you 'al-kitab' (the Book/Scripture), 'al-hikmah' (the wisdom), the Torah and the Injeel. 5:110
If the word "al-hikmah" means the Sunna, then in 5:110 it would be referring to the sunna of Jesus. However, the verse tells us that Jesus received the hikmah from God and was also taught the hikmah by God. If the source of the hikmah is God and the teacher of the hikmah is also God, it would discard the claim that the hikmah is a personal sunna devised by any messenger.
b- The following were the words of Abraham as he implored his Lord:
Our Lord, and raise in their midst a messenger from themselves to recite to them Your revelations, and teach them 'al-kitab' (the Scripture) and 'al-hikmah' (the wisdom.) 2:129
Once again, if the word "al-hikmah" meant the personal Sunna, then when Abraham implored God to teach his descendants the hikmah, he was imploring God to assign to each one of Abraham's descendants his own personal sunna. Naturally, that would be totally irrational.
7-Further evidence that the word "al-hikmah" is used in the Quran to mean wisdom and not the sunna of any person is found in the following verse:
He grants 'al-hikmah' (wisdom) to whom He wills, and whoever is granted 'al-hikmah' (wisdom) has indeed been granted much good, but none will remember except those who possess intelligence. 2:269
The words "whomever He wills" in this verse indicate that God bestows wisdom upon any of the believers and not just His messengers. Now if the word "al-hikmah" meant the sunna we would have to believe that any ordinary believer whom God bestowed upon "al-hikmah" will also have his own personal sunna. That of course is not the case. The only possible meaning of "al-hikmah" in 2:269 is once again the wisdom.
8- We know that God is neither vague nor are God's revelations composed in the form of puzzles. God asserts that the Quran is straightforward and that it contains no crookedness:
An Arabic Quran without any crookedness so that hopefully they may be reverent. 39:28
Had God willed that we should follow the teachings of the Quran plus the sunna of the prophet, God would have mentioned the sunna of the prophet explicitly in the Quran. Needless to say, the only sunna that is mentioned in the Quran is the 'Sunna of God', which is nothing other than the manner and method of doing things in accordance with God's law.
You will find that there is no substitute for the Sunna of God, and you will find that there is no diversion from the Sunna of God. 35:43
The "Sunna of God" is to be found in the Quran. For previous people, it was found in their own Books.
Had the sunna of the prophet been indeed a source of religion that we must follow, and that it was revealed by God to the prophet, we would expect God to say words along the lines 'We have revealed to you the Quran and the sunna'. Instead, the only revelation confirmed to be revealed to Muhammad is the Quran:
And We brought down to you the Book (the Quran) with truth. 5:48
9- Further conclusive Quranic evidence is found in the following verse:
No blame falls upon the prophet concerning what God has decreed for him; the Sunna of God, as was decreed for those who passed away before. God's command is a pre-ordained decree. 33:38
The words, "what God has decreed for him; the Sunna of God" conclude that the only sunna which the prophet was commanded to follow was the sunna of God and not his own sunna.
10- Finally, God commands the prophet to rule and arbitrate between the people with the Quran and nothing but the Quran:
We brought down to you the 'kitab' (Book) with the truth so that you may judge among the people in accordance with what God has shown you. 4:105
To conclude, the word "al-hikmah" is used in the Quran in only one meaning, and that is wisdom. This word, when searched in any Arabic dictionary, means wisdom. To disregard the correct meaning and accept a manipulated meaning is to reject the truth of the Quran.