Topic :
Hadith: Taking Qur'an & Leaving Sunnah
Question:
I have recently been approached by a friend who sayd that he is a pro Ahsanal Hadiis. They believe that the Quran contains everything there is to know about Islam and there should not be recourse to the Hadiis and Sunnah. They assert that the Hadiths contains numerous errors and cannot be relied upon. They also assert that although Prophet Muhammad(saw) was the last prophet. He is not the last messenger. They rely much on the translation of the Quran by Rashad Khalifa who state that the Quran contains a miracle in the number 19. I would greatly appreciate if you can give your opinion on this group and it would be very useful if you can guide me to books, sites or whatever that will show me the fallacy of their arguments.
Answer:
Dear H. As-salaamu alaykum. The fallacy of their argument is embedded within their own words. Such groups are extremely dangerous and far from being close to Islam. It is sufficient to pinpoint to the following verses of the Qur'an (which they claim is the only authentic source) to prove how wrong they are: Surah al-Imran (3) verses 32, 132, Surah an-Nisa' (4) verses 59 and 64 Surah al-Maidah (5) verse 92, Surah al-Anfal (8) verses 1, 20, 46, Surah Taha (20) verse 90, Surha an-Nour (24) verses 54, 56, Surah ash-Shuara' (26) verses 108, 110, 126, 131, 144, 150, 163, 179, Surah Muhammad (47) verse 32, etcÉ These and other examples are proofs that a person claiming to be a Muslim is actually a Kafir if he doesn't follow the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). In addition, believing that he is not the last messenger is another apostasy and act of belief. Such groups always appear in times when Muslims are not united, but soon they vanish because Allah will protect Islam. Thank you for asking and God knows best.
Reference:
IslamiCity
Topic :
Hadith: Its meaning & authority
Question:
How to Distigush a Hadith is "Swahih" or "Laeef" (True or False)? What is the Conditions to look a Hadith is "Swahih" or "Laeef"?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear brother in Islam, we really commend your interest and concern about the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. May Allah bless your efforts in pursuit of knowledge!
In Islam, Sunnah is the second source of Shari`ah, after the Glorious Qur'an. There is no difference amongst Muslim scholars on this point. Therefore, a Muslim has to follow the authentic Hadith of the Prophet in the same way he follows the Qur'an. A Muslim abides by the Prophet's instructions in all aspects of his life. This comes in tune with Allah's command: "And whatsoever the Messenger giveth you, take it, and whatsoever he forbiddeth, abstain (from it)," (Al-Hashr: 7) and "Whoso obeyeth the Messenger obeyeth Allah, and whoso turneth away: We have not sent thee as a warder over them." (An-Nisa': 80)
In response to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
"One should remember that everything that is recorded is not per se the words of the Prophet, peace and blessings be on him. Our scholars have recorded everything - they did not burn the evidence. But at the same time they were very careful to scrutinize Hadiths. They established the criteria for scrutinizing the evidence in order to sift the authentic ones from those which were false or spurious. Hundreds of scholars gave their lives to this noble task.
Thanks to their efforts, all Hadiths have been sorted out and labeled according to their degrees of authenticity and non-authenticity.
Therefore if you hear a speaker quoting a certain Hadith that sounds strange, ask for sources. Chances are that it could be one of the many Hadiths labeled as weak or outright fabrication, and therefore, should never be used by speakers or writers.
One of the most disheartening things about some speakers today is that they are not careful in using Hadiths. For general information we give below three of the most common categories of Hadith.
1. Sahih: A Hadith that is of unquestionable authenticity.
2. Da`if: A Hadith that has weakness in its chain or text.
3. Mawdu`: A Hadith that is undoubtedly an outright fabrication.
All Hadiths of the famous collection of Al-Bukhari, known as Sahih Al-Bukhari are considered authentic. If, however, a Hadith in Sahih Al-Bukhari does not sound rational to you, please check with a scholar of Islam who should be able to explain and interpret it for you."
Wassalam and Allah Almighty knows best.
Reference:
Islam Online
Topic :
Hadith
Question:
I am faced with a question which I cannot answer. The Prophet (pbuh) told us not to write anything down but the Qur'an (i.e. The Prophet said, "Do not write down anything from me except the Quran."[Ahmed, Vol. 1, Page 171, and Sahih Muslim]also [Ahmed, Vol. 1, Page 192] )So if even he said this, why do we continue to follow Hadith? I would like to be able to answer this question, so I would be grateful of anything you had to say.
Answer:
Dear A. As-salaamu alaykum. It is true that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) ordered the Muslims not to write down the Hadith, but this was valid when the Qur'an was being revealed. The reason behind this order was to prevent any risk of confusing the Qur'an with the Hadith. However, once the revelation was completed and it was secure that no more verses were going to be descended, it was permissible and even an obligation to write down the Hadith to preserve it throughout time, because, had the memorisers of the Hadith passed away before writing it down, the Hadiths would have disappeared. As to your other question, we have to follow the Sunna of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) because it is an order clearly stated in the Qur'an in several places such as in Surah al-Imran (3) verses 32 and 132, Surah an-Nisa' (4) verse 59, Surah al-Maidah (5) verse 92, Surah al-Anfal (8) verses 1, 20, 46, Surah an-Noor (24) verses 54, 56, Surah Muhammad (47) verse 33, etc. and in many other places. Thank you for asking and God knows best.
Reference:
IslamiCity
Topic :
Hadith
Question:
how do we know if hadith are really what the prophet (saws) really said?
Answer:
Dear Br. A. As-salaamu alaykum. The process of collecting the Hadith is a fascinating science that the early collectors have developed using extremely strict guidelines to classify what was reported to them. ThatÕs why, the Hadiths collected by people like Bukhari and Muslim and classified as Sahih can be regarded as highly authentic with little doubt about their truthfulness. But not all Hadith are Sahih, and those which are fabricated are rejected while others ones can be classified as good, weak, etc. You can learn how this process works, which criteria are used, how many years it took to collect it, and how authentication of the findings took place by reading a book on the science of Hadith. You will enjoy it a lot. Thank you for asking and God knows best.
Topic :
Quran and Hadiths
Question:
1. If someone says: "There are so much wrong hadiths, so it is nearly impossible to say, if a hadith is right or wrong, so the only one way is: Quran. We dont need any of the hadiths!" 2. "A muslim woman dont need to carry something on her head, (so that nobody can see her hairs), there is not written in Quran, that she must do it." I think it is wrong! Both of the written texts. But there are people, who believe in it. How can I show them! Please write me an email! And important: Is a man, who says such wrong things, (altough he had studied Islamic), a muslim? He makes a lot of nonbelievers, and this is very dangerous. I think. Thanks.
Answer:
1649 Dear Br. Y. As-salaamu alaykum. The person who claims any of the two mentioned points is, at best, GROSSLY ignorant about Islamic Law, about the QurÕan, and about the science of collecting and classifying the Hadith. While there are indeed some fabricated and weak Hadiths, the collections of the authentic Hadiths (such as Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim) have gone through the strictest scientific methodology to verify their authenticity. They were sifted and verified and selected from over 500,000 sayings/actions of prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to come up with just a few thousands. There are actually too many verses in the QurÕan which order Muslims to follow prophet MuhammadÕs (pbuh) teachings (see for example: Surah al-Imran verses: 32, 132, Surah an-NisaÕ verse 59, Surah al-Maidah verse 92, al-Anfal verses 1, 20, 46, etc.) Therefore, disbelieving in such QurÕanic verses means disbelieving in GodÕs orders, and this is pure and simple Kufr. This person should be reminded that the procedures we follow to pray, to fast, to pay zakat, to perform pilgrimage, to sign contracts, etc. are all explained in the Hadith and not in the QurÕan. The Sunnah of prophet Muhammad (pbuh) came to explain and clarify the application of Islam. As to the issue of the Hijab (covering the head), the person is also not familiar with the following verses of the QurÕan (See for example Surah al-Ahazab (33), verse 59; and Surah an-Nour (24), verse 31). Therefore, the best approach you can follow with the person is to educate him/her as much as you can and be patient with him/her. If you find you donÕt have the sufficient knowledge, then let him/her meet with a person knowledgeable in Islam and carry a respectful conversation. Then, if he/she still refuses to change his/her mind, then, it is better to stay away from him/her. Thank you for asking and God knows best.
Reference:
IslamiCity
Topic :
Hadith
Question:
How are the hadith used in establishing Islamic Law? Jazak-Allah-Khair Imran
Answer:
Dear Br. S. As-salaamu alaykum. This is an extremely elaborate science that has its fundamentals, principals, codes, and rules. To answer the question in brief, the Qur'an and the Hadith are considered in Islam the legitimate sources and proofs upon which rulings can be based. The Faqih (or the Islamic jurisprudent) has to take such legitimate sources and extract for them legal rulings. But before forming an opinion, he/she has to understand their Arabic meaning correctly, then understand the conditions they were revealed or acted or said, then be aware of the environment that surrounded them and their purpose. If you need more help, please ask us again or refer to an introductory book regarding Islamic Jurisprudence that describes step by step this procedure. Thank you for asking and God knows best.
Reference:
IslamiCity
Topic :
Hadiths: Revelations or intuitions
Question:
If Hadith is not revelation, can it be termed as "lofty intuition"?
Answer:
Hadith is much more than what can be described as 'lofty intuition'. Everything that the Prophet has taught us of our religion has been revealed to him. The Qur'an is revealed in meaning and in word and every Muslim believes that every single word in the Qur'an is Allah's own word. A sacred or Qudsi Hadith is the one which the Prophet attributes to Allah Himself, by stating something to this effect: "Allah, the Most Sublime, saysÉ". There is no doubt that such sacred Hadiths have been revealed to the Prophet in meaning. Many scholars say that they are also revealed by Allah in word. However, the difference between them and the Qur'an is that they have been conveyed to us through a chain of single narrators, rather than chains of numerous narrators at every stage, which is the mark of the Qur'an. Unlike the Qur'an, a sacred Hadith may not be recited in prayer, nor is its recitation an aspect of worship. Ordinary Hadith is the word of the Prophet, although in meaning it is revealed. The Prophet has not given us anything concerning our religion of his own accord. Everything that relates to our faith has been revealed by Allah. However, such revelations are put in Hadith in the Prophet's own words. We cannot say that it is the word of Allah. Statements are attributed to their authors who shape and express them the way they like. In short, the meaning of Hadith is revelation, but its wording we attribute to the Prophet.
Reference:
Arab News
Topic :
Hadith: Its meaning & authority
Question:
You often speak of the importance of Hadith and Sunnah. It is well known that the best compilations of Hadith are those made by the six famous scholars. However, I have read in some of these books reports of the type that the Prophet and his wife, Aisha, used to take a bath together and pour water on each other. There are many similar narratives which set you thinking if they could ever be true. They are repulsive to human dignity, sensibility and logical thought. I refuse to accept them. If some of these Hadiths, or even one, is untrue or doubtful, how are people like myself expected to believe in the rest? How is a normal Muslim, with average knowledge, expected to sort the true from the false in thousands of these Hadith? If this is not possible, then what other sources of Hadith and Sunnah remain?
Answer:
Professor Moustafa Azami has written a short but invaluable book entitled Studies in Hadiths Methodology and Literature which is published by the American Trust Publications, 7216 Madison Avenue, Suite 8, Indiana, U.S.A. I recommend you to read this book because it throws ample light on Hadith and how it was documented. In giving an answer to your question within the limitation of this column, I begin with a brief summary of the first chapter in this book before I discuss the report you have quoted. The Arabic word Hadith literally means "communication, story, conversation; Religious or secular, historical or recent." Whenever used as an adjective, it means "new;" it occurs 23 times in the Qur'an in the sense of story or communication. According to scholars of Hadith, it stands for "what was transmitted on the authority of the Prophet, his deeds, sayings or tacit approval". Thus, Hadith literature means the literature which consists of the narration of the life of the Prophet and the things approved by him. However, the term was used sometimes in a much wider sense covering the narration about the Prophet's companions and their successors. Sunnah, according to Arabic lexicographers, means: "a way, course, rule, mode, or manner, of acting or conduct of life." In the Qur'an the word Sunnah and its plural have been used 16 times in the sense of an established course of rule, mode of life, and line of conduct. In Islamic history, the Arabic definite article "Al" was affixed to the word Sunnah in order to denote the Sunnah of the Prophet, while the general use of the word continued, though decreasing day by day. At the end of the second century, the word began to be used almost exclusively in the legal books to denote the norms set by the Prophet or the norms deduced from the Prophet's norm. The two words, Hadith and Sunnah soon began to be used interchangeably, though there is a slight difference between them. The science of Hadith was developed to evaluate every single statement ascribed to the Prophet. The aim of this branch of Islamic study is to make clear which Hadith is authentic and which is not. The scholars are unanimous that the authority of the Qur'an is binding on all Muslims. The authority of the Prophet comes next only to the Qur'an. His authority is not derived through the community's acceptance of the Prophet. It is Allah who has outlined the Prophet's position and his authority. It is expressed through divine will. Allah states in the Qur'an that He has sent down His revelations to the Prophet that he "may explain to mankind what has been revealed for them." Thus, the Prophet's task is to expound and explain the Qur'an to people. To give one example, the Qur'an commands us to attend regularly to our prayers, but does not tell us how to pray. It was the Prophet's task to demonstrate the form of prayer in word and practice. The Prophet also has been given a position with legislative powers. Allah describes him in the Qur'an in these words: "He (meaning the Prophet) will make lawful for them all good things and prohibit only foul things. He will relieve them of their burden and the fetters which had encumbered them." There are several examples of actions or practices initiated by the Prophet and later sanctioned by Allah. In his actions and practices, the Prophet provides a model to be followed by the Muslim community. All Muslims have to follow the Prophet's example in every way, particularly since they have been specifically commanded by Allah to do so. Allah states in the Qur'an that obedience to the Prophet is a duty required by all people. Numerous are the Qur'anic statements which require us to obey Allah and His messenger: "Believers, obey Allah and obey the messenger and those in authority among you." (4;59) Also: "Whatever the messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you, refrain from it." (59; 7) From these Qur'anic references we conclude that the Prophet's authority does not rest on acceptance by the community or on the opinion of certain lawyers or scholars, or the founders of the schools of thoughts. This point has been made absolutely clear in the Qur'an. For this reason, the Muslim community has accepted the authority of the Prophet from the beginning of his mission and has accepted all his verbal commands, deeds, tacit approval as the way of life, a binding duty and a model to be followed. All the Prophet's activities have been covered by the Sunnah which remains one of the main sources of Islamic law, second only to the Qur'an. From this summary of what Professor Azami has written, it is clear that following the Sunnah is part of our religion of Islam which cannot be disregarded. It is simply not possible for a Muslim to deny the Prophet's Sunnah and hope to win acceptance by Allah. That is because such disregard of the Sunnah flies in the face of clear and decisive Qur'anic orders requiring us to implement the Prophet's Sunnah. As Hadith and Sunnah were reported from one generation to another, there was bound to be some inaccuracies of reporting. In addition, people hostile to Islam started to fabricate statements and attribute them to the Prophet. Hence, scholars recognized that it was their duty to sort out the true from false in what is attributed to the Prophet. This has led to the establishment of the science of Hadith, which is a unique branch of Islamic study that has won the admiration of scholars throughout the world. Muslim scholars of Hadith studied the character and history of every person that has been known to report even a single Hadith and established whether he was a man of trust and honesty or not. If they found him trustworthy, truthful, accurate in his reporting, God-fearing, then they accepted what he has reported, provided that he had heard it from a similar trustworthy person. Thus we have a chain of transmitters for every Hadith. Each one of them must be of the highest caliber. Otherwise, the reported Hadith would be classified as weak, doubtful or false. Among those scholars of Hadith, Al-Bukhari and Muslim stand out as the most reliable and perfectionist in their work. The other four, At-Tirmithi, Abu Dawood, An-Nassaie and Ibn Majah occupy a position close to that of Al-Bukhari and Muslim. Hence, the compilations made by these six have acquired a higher status, since they include Hadiths of the highest authorities. However, there are many other scholars, some of whom lived earlier than these six , most notably Al-Shaf'ie, Malik and Ahmad ibn Hanbal who were also scholars of Hadith in addition to their eminencies as scholars of Fiqh or Islamic law. The last of these three, Imam Ahmad, was one of the greatest authorities on Hadith. You have mentioned that some of the Hadiths you have read in these books are not acceptable. You have used descriptions which suggest that you are a very strict person with a very keen and restrictive sense of propriety. This is commendable when it comes to matters of religion, provided that it does not exceed the proper limits. When you use such words to describe a practice attributed to the Prophet by highly renowned scholars of Hadith, then you have actually overstepped your limits. You have to ask first how is it possible that the Prophet is reported to have done so and so? Is such a practice to be judged in such a strict light? The story which you have referred to is a very simple one. What you have to remember is that we have learned many of the very intimate aspects of the life of the Prophet because his life served as a model or us to follow. When he is reported to have done something, then that very report indicates very clearly that such a practice is permissible. Hence, no one with an exaggerated sense of propriety can tell us that it is not permissible. Therefore, if a man and his wife take a bath together in the privacy of their own home, when no one else sees them, and they pour water on each other's heads, no one can tell them not to do so. If they derive pleasure from that, they are welcome to it. The Prophet and his wife did it. Who, then, can suggest that such a practice is unacceptable? If we know certain practices of the intimate life of the Prophet, then we have to thank Allah for that, because such knowledge tells us how far we can go without contravening Islamic teachings.
Reference:
Arab News
Topic :
Hadiths: Conditions established for authenticity
Question:
Is there any Hadith which is included in the two collections of Al-Bukhari and Muslim which can be described as "weak"?
Answer:
Scholars look at each Hadith, or statement attributed to the Prophet, from two angles: its chain of reporters and its text. As you realize, by the time the great scholars of Hadith such as Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Al-Bukhari and Muslim, made their valuable collections, each Hadith should have been reported by four or more reporters. This is what we call sanad or chain of reporters. Before each text, you will find Al-Bukhari or Muslim or any other scholar of Hadith stating who told him the Hadith he is quoting and from whom that person heard it, and on whose authority that second person is reporting it, and so on until he reaches a companion of the Prophet who says: "I heard Allah's messenger saying ..." The text of the Hadith then follows. Scholars have laid down five conditions for the acceptability of any Hadith. Three of these conditions relate to the sanad or chain of reporters and two to the text. The first three are:
Reference:
Arab News
Topic :
Qudsi Hadith
Question:
You often use the _expression in your replies such as "Allah says" or "Allah says in a Qudsi Hadith". Are these sayings a deduction by the Prophet from the Qur'anic injunctions? Please explain.
Answer:
The Prophet has attributed certain statements to Allah, although these are not included in the Qur'an. These statements are given the title of a Qudsi Hadith. These always begin with the Prophet stating that: "Allah has said," or "Allah says." This is a clear indication that the statement that follows such a phrase is not made by the Prophet himself, but by Allah. Such a Hadith attributed to Allah takes a position in between the Qur'an and ordinary Hadith which is a statement by the Prophet, expressing in his own words a thought or an idea that has been revealed to him by Allah. In other words, a Hadith is revealed in meaning, stated in the Prophet's own words. A Qudsi Hadith, on the other hand, is revealed in words and meaning. That is, the precise statement is made by Allah to express His own meaning. It is different from the Qur'an in the sense that it may not be recited in prayer and its transmission is in the form of a chain of single reporters. When the authenticity of a Qudsi Hadith has been established, it must be taken as correct and acted upon. The number of Qudsi Hadiths exceed 100. One of the most important statements that the Prophet (peace be upon him) related from his Lord is that Allah has said: "My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden for you, so do not oppress one another. My servants, all of you are astray except for those I have guided, so seek guidance from Me and I shall guide you. My servants, all of you are hungry except for those I have fed, so seek food from Me and I shall feed you. My servants, all of you are naked except for those I have clothed, so seek clothing of Me and I shall clothe you. My servants, you sin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness of Me and I shall forgive you. My servants, you will not attain harming Me so as to harm Me, and you will not attain benefiting Me so as to benefit Me. My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you or the jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of any one man of you, that would not increase My kingdom in anything. My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise in one place and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone what he requested, that would not decrease what I have, any more than a needle decreases the sea if you put into it. My servants, it is but your deeds that I reckon up for you and then compensate you for, so let him who finds good praise Allah and let him who finds other than that blame no one but himself." (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
Reference:
Arab News
Topic :
Hadiths: Their authenticity
Question:
When I read Hadiths in some of the six compilations of authentic Hadiths, I have strong doubts about the authenticity of some Hadiths included in them. How is it that inauthentic Hadiths were included in these books?
Answer:
Those great scholars who compiled the six books of authentic Hadiths spared no effort in making their selections complete. You must not forget that they were human beings and, as such, liable to error. It is true that a few entries in each compilation remain less authentic than the rest, but we have to assume that an eminent scholar such as Al-Tirmithi or Abu Dawood must have concluded that they were authentic. If he was mistaken in that, this mistake does not detract from the value of his work. Moreover, each of these scholars set himself certain rules and criteria which he applied to each Hadith in order to determine its authenticity. The rules and criteria set by Imam Al-Bukhari were much stricter than those set by others. Hence, you find some entries in their collections, which are not as authentic as those included in the Sahih of Al-Bukhari or Muslim. Indeed, you have such a classification of Hadiths as "Authentic according to the conditions and criteria set by Al-Tirmithi, or Abu Dawood." Such Hadiths should be considered authentic, unless there is reason to classify them otherwise.
Reference:
Arab News
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