Almost every Muslim has encountered a conversation like this at least once.
A person hears yet another religious prohibition or obligation, opens the Qur'an, and cannot find its basis there. Naturally, they ask:
"Where is this in the Qur'an?"
Very often, instead of an answer, they hear an irritated response:
"The Qur'an isn't everything! Where is the prayer in the Qur'an? Didn't Allah command us to follow the Prophet?"
This has long become one of the most common arguments used in support of the traditional approach. Yet if we examine it carefully, it becomes obvious that it does not actually answer the question that was asked.
The person did not ask whether Muslims should follow the Prophet.
They asked:
Where did Allah establish this law?
Those are two entirely different questions.
Before discussing what it means to follow the Prophet, we must first examine what the Qur'an itself says about its own role.
What Does the Qur'an Say About Itself?
When Muslims discuss the sources of religion, they often begin not with the Qur'an but with later books. Yet the most logical place to start is with the Book that Allah Himself describes as His revelation.
The Qur'an says:
"Today I have perfected your religion for you..." (5:3)
It also says:
"We have sent down to you the Book as an explanation of all things..." (16:89)
And elsewhere:
"We have neglected nothing in the Book." (6:38)
Moreover, the Prophet himself says:
"I only follow what is revealed to me." (10:15)
And Allah commands him:
"Follow what has been revealed to you from your Lord." (6:106)
Together, these verses present a coherent picture.
The religion is described as complete.
The Qur'an is described as an explanation.
The Prophet is commanded to follow revelation.
This naturally raises an important question.
If a particular religious law is binding upon every Muslim, where is its foundation? If it cannot be shown, at least in principle, within the Qur'an itself, then why should it be considered part of the religion that Allah declared complete?
What Does It Mean to Follow the Prophet?
Many people understand the command to follow the Prophet as meaning that he serves as an independent source of religious legislation alongside the Qur'an.
But does the Qur'an actually present him in that way?
Throughout the revelation, the Prophet is portrayed as someone who does not create religion on his own. He does not speak from himself regarding revelation, nor does he establish religious laws independently. His mission is to deliver Allah's message and to follow it himself.
For this reason, it makes little sense to contrast following the Prophet with following the Qur'an.
To follow the Prophet means to walk the path that he himself followed.
And what path was that?
The Qur'an answers directly: he followed what Allah revealed to him.
Therefore, following the Prophet and following the Qur'an are not competing ideas. On the contrary, one cannot truly exist without the other.
Analogy: The Mentor and the Instruction Manual
To better understand the difference between following a mentor and turning every one of the mentor's actions into a binding rule, consider a simple analogy.
This analogy does not compare the status of the Prophet to that of any ordinary person, nor does it place them on the same level. Its sole purpose is to illustrate a logical principle: the distinction between official guidance and the practical habits of the one who applies that guidance.
Imagine that a person starts working for a large company. They receive an official orientation that explains the workplace rules, responsibilities, and the fundamental principles they are required to follow. In addition, they are assigned an experienced mentor who understands the process better than anyone else and helps the newcomer learn how to perform the job correctly.
When the management says,
"Follow your mentor,"
it means: learn from them how to apply the rules correctly, benefit from their experience, and understand their approach to the work.
However, this does not automatically mean that every action performed by the mentor becomes part of the official instruction.
Suppose the mentor always opens the door in a particular way. Perhaps this is simply a personal habit. Or perhaps there was once a practical reason for doing so that no longer exists today. For example, a certain part of the door or the room may once have had characteristics that made this method more convenient or safer. But if that reason no longer exists, and the company's official policies contain no such requirement, then turning that habit into a mandatory rule would be a human interpretation rather than part of the original instruction.
The same principle applies to practical advice.
A mentor may recommend using a particular tool or method because it was useful under specific circumstances. Yet future employees may preserve only the action itself while forgetting the original reason that made it meaningful.
The problem does not lie with the mentor or with the instruction itself. The mentor fulfilled their role, and the instruction remained the foundation of the work. The mistake arises when people begin to confuse different categories: mandatory rules, practical recommendations, and the personal characteristics of the individual who implemented those rules.
A similar principle helps us understand the question of following the Prophet.
The Prophet is an example for believers because he conveyed Allah's revelation and demonstrated how to live according to that guidance. However, the mere fact that he performed a particular action does not, by itself, determine its religious status. It still requires understanding whether that action was part of the revealed religious guidance, a practical way of applying an already established principle, or a personal aspect of a specific historical situation.
To follow the Prophet means to follow the path that he brought and that he himself followed, rather than turning every historical detail of his life into a separate obligatory rule without clear evidence.
Prayer: The Most Common Example
Perhaps the most frequently repeated argument is this:
"Where is the prayer in the Qur'an?"
At first glance, it may sound convincing. But once we actually open the Qur'an, it becomes clear that the claim is incorrect.
The Qur'an repeatedly speaks about prayer. It establishes its obligation, refers to prayer times, ablution, congregational prayer, shortening the prayer during travel and danger, the direction of prayer, bowing, and prostration.
In other words, the foundation of prayer is firmly established in the Qur'an.
Yes, the Qur'an does not describe every individual movement. But nowhere does it claim to be a manual explaining every position of the hands and feet.
The Prophet demonstrated how to practice what the Qur'an had already established. That does not mean the law itself originated outside the Qur'an.
Moreover, the practice of prayer was transmitted through the Muslim community long before the major hadith collections were compiled. Sahih al-Bukhari was assembled roughly two centuries after the Prophet's death.
Were Muslims unaware of how to pray during all those years?
Obviously not.
Prayer was preserved through the living practice of the community, not because hadith collections had already been written.
Then What Is the Role of Hadith?
None of this means that hadith are without value.
Historical context is extremely important. Through hadith literature, we learn about the circumstances surrounding certain events, aspects of the lives of the earliest Muslims, details of the society in which they lived, and many other historical insights that help us better understand the past.
But a historical source and a source of religious legislation are not the same thing.
The Qur'an holds a unique status. Allah says:
"Indeed, We have sent down the Reminder, and indeed, We will preserve it." (15:9)
The Qur'an makes no comparable promise regarding hadith.
Every hadith collection is ultimately the product of human effort: collecting reports, evaluating transmitters, and assessing authenticity. Even the most respected collections are built upon human methodology.
That does not make hadith worthless.
But it does make it highly problematic to establish religious obligations, prohibitions, or declarations of what is halal and haram solely on their basis.
Where Does the Real Problem Begin?
Imagine two different statements.
In the first, someone says:
"This ruling is established by the Qur'an, while the hadith help us understand the historical context of its application."
In the second, they say:
"It isn't in the Qur'an, but it is found in a hadith."
The second statement raises a serious issue.
It effectively claims that there exists a binding religious law that cannot be demonstrated in the very Book that Allah describes as complete and as explaining everything necessary for religion.
That is why the Qur'an warns:
"Do not falsely declare with your tongues, 'This is lawful and this is forbidden,' inventing lies against Allah..." (16:116)
When speaking about what Allah has permitted or forbidden, the responsibility is too great to rest solely on historical reports.
An Illustration of the Problem
A well-known example is the famous hadith claiming that there once existed a Qur'anic verse prescribing stoning, which was later lost.
Regardless of how this narration is explained, its logic raises significant questions.
Allah clearly says:
"Indeed, We have sent down the Reminder, and indeed, We will preserve it." (15:9)
If one accepts that part of the Qur'an disappeared, this appears to conflict with that promise.
Some argue that the verse was abrogated. Yet even then another question arises.
If it truly was part of the Qur'an, why does the Qur'an itself never mention its disappearance? Why did the thousands of people who had memorized the Qur'an not insist on preserving it? Why did the gradual prohibition of alcohol remain within the Qur'an, while this alleged verse supposedly vanished completely?
These questions illustrate how problematic it becomes to construct religious laws upon reports that appear to stand in tension with the Qur'an itself.
Following the Prophet Means Understanding What He Himself Followed
Following the Prophet does not mean mechanically copying every aspect of his everyday life, nor does it mean turning every historical report into a permanent religious obligation.
It means striving to understand the path that the Prophet himself followed.
And on this point, the Qur'an is remarkably clear.
He followed Allah's revelation.
Therefore, the real question is not:
"Is there a hadith about it?"
Rather, it is:
"Is it consistent with the Qur'an? Does it have a foundation in the Qur'an, even at the level of principle?"
If the answer is yes, then historical context can deepen our understanding of how that principle was applied.
But if an entire religious law cannot be connected to the Qur'an at all, then a serious question remains: is that law truly part of the religion that Allah Himself declared complete?
For this reason, a Muslim who sincerely seeks to follow the Prophet begins with the very Book that the Prophet himself followed. Other sources may help illuminate its historical context, but they cannot replace it, nor can they be elevated above it.
