Sola Qurana?

American evangelical Christians are big on Sola Scriptura, the idea that the Bible contains all truth necessary for our salvation and spiritual life. At least a growing number of us are. At least in theory. We hold to the Bible and don’t let anything sneak up next to it; not Oprah, not “how Grandma used to do it,” and not even Max Lucado books (usually).

We listen to preachers, we read commentaries and if it didn’t look so Catholic, we’d probably make C.S. Lewis a saint. But the Bible stands alone.

So if you find yourself chatting with a Muslim (And I cannot say how strongly I hope you do!), you might assume they think similarly about the Quran. I tend to think that. Sola Qurana!

But it’s really not the case. Muslims see the Quran as supreme, but also give significant consideration to the Hadiths and Sunnah and probably additional things I don’t even know about. (I only act like I understand this stuff!)

The Hadiths are collections of the sayings of Muhammad. The Sunnah, as I understand it, is the agreed upon path, the tradition passed down from person to person, from generation to generation. These both provide considerable input on how a Muslim believes and lives.

I’m not writing this to throw shade on Muslims because they get direction from multiple sources or to imply that Christians are oh-so-cool because we just believe the Bible. I’m writing to remind myself, and you if it’s helpful, that Muslims view the Quran highly, but not solely. If you’re in a theological conversation, that can be a huge and frustrating reality.

Read more about the Hadith and Sunnah here.