The Importance of Sunnah

Hadeeth

Hadeeth means the words, actions, approvals or attributes that have been narrated from the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). 

A hadeeth may either confirm things that are mentioned in the Quran, such as prayer, zakah (poor-due), etc., or it may give details of things that are mentioned in the Quran in general terms, such as the numbers of rak’ahs (units) in each prayer, the thresholds for paying zakah, the details of Hajj, etc. It may also explain rulings which are not mentioned in the Quran, such as the prohibition on being married to a woman and her (paternal or maternal) aunt at the same time. 

Allah revealed the Quran to His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and commanded him to explain it to the people, as He said (interpretation of the meaning): “And We have also sent down unto you (O Muhammad) the Dhikr [reminder and the advice (i.e. the Quran)], that you may explain clearly to men what is sent down to them, and that they may give thought.” [al-Nahl 16:44] 

The hadeeth of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is a revelation (wahy) from his Lord. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Your companion (Muhammad) has neither gone astray nor has erred. Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only a Revelation revealed.” [al-Najm 53:2-4] 

Allah sent His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to call mankind to worship Allah alone, and to disbelieve in any (god) apart from Him, and (He sent him) to bring the glad tidings of Paradise and warnings of Hell: “O Prophet (Muhammad)! Verily, We have sent you as witness, and a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner, And as one who invites to Allah [Islamic Monotheism, i.e. to worship none but Allah (Alone)] by His leave, and as a lamp spreading light (through your instructions from the Quran and the Sunnah/the legal ways of the Prophet). [al-Ahzab 33:45-46 – interpretation of the meaning] 

The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was anxious over this ummah; he did not know of anything good but he told them of it, and he did not know of anything evil but he warned them against it: “Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger (Muhammad) from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He (Muhammad) is anxious over you; for the believers (he is) full of pity, kind, and merciful.” [al-Tawbah 9:128 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Every Prophet was sent only to his own people, but Allah sent His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to all of mankind: “And We have sent you (O Muhammad) not but as a mercy for the ‘Alameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists).” [al-Anbiya 21:101 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Because the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) conveyed the revelation that was sent down to him from His Lord, it is obligatory to obey him. Indeed, obedience to him is obedience to Allah: “He who obeys the Messenger (Muhammad), has indeed obeyed Allah.” [al-Nisa 4:80 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Obedience to Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the way to salvation and victory, and to happiness in this world and in the Hereafter: “And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hellfire and will be admitted to Paradise).” [al-Ahzab 33:71 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Hence it is obligatory for all people to obey Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), because therein lies their success and salvation: “And obey Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad) that you may obtain mercy.” [Al ‘Imran 3:132 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) only harms himself, he does not harm Allah in the slightest: “And whosoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad), and transgresses His limits, He will cast him into the Fire, to abide therein; and he shall have a disgraceful torment.” [al-Nisa 4:14 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Once Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) have decided a matter, no one has the right to choose concerning it or to object to it; rather it is obligatory to obey and to believe in the truth: “It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed into a plain error. [al-Ahzab 33:36 – interpretation of the meaning] 

A person's faith is not complete until he loves Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and love implies obedience. Whoever wants Allah to love him and forgive his sins must follow the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): “Say (O Muhammad to mankind): ‘If you (really) love Allah, then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Quran and the Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’” [Al ‘Imran 3:31 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Love of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is not simply the matter of words to be repeated, rather it is the matter of belief and conduct, i.e., obedience to what he commands, belief in what he tells us, avoidance of what he forbids, and avoidance of worshipping Allah in any way except that which he prescribed. 

When Allah had perfected this religion and the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had conveyed the message of his Lord, Allah took him to be with Him. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) left this ummah (his followers) with clear proof in which there is no ambiguity. No one deviates from it but he is doomed: “This day, those who disbelieved have given up all hope of your religion; so fear them not, but fear Me. This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” [al-Maidah 5:3 – interpretation of the meaning] 

By the grace of Allah, the Sahabah/Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) preserved the ahaadeeth (prophetic teachings) of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them), then the righteous salaf (pious predecessors) who came after them compiled them in books which are known as the Sihah (Saheehs/authentic collections), Sunan and Musnads. The most sound of them are Saheeh al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim, the four Sunans, the Musnad of al-Imam Ahmad and the Muwatta of al-Imam Malik, etc. 

Allah has perfected this religion. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not know of anything good but he taught it to his ummah, and he did not know of anything evil but he warned them against it. So whoever introduces anything into the religion,  of bid’ah (innovation) or myths, such as praying to the dead or circumambulating (tawaf) their tombs, or praying to the jinn and awliya (“saints”), and other things that have not been prescribed by Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), all of this is to be rejected and not accepted, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours (Islam) that is not a part of it will have it rejected.” (Narrated by Muslim, 1718).

The saheeh Sunnah is wahy (Revelation) from Allah

Firstly:  

It is essential that it be established in the mind and heart of every Muslim that the Sunnah – which is the words, deeds and approval that are attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) – is one of the two parts of divine Revelation that were revealed to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The other part of the Revelation (Wahy) is the Holy Qur'an.  

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only a Revelation revealed” [al-Najm 53:3-4]

It was narrated from al-Miqdaam ibn Ma’di Yakrib (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Verily I have been given the Qur'an and something similar to it along with it. But soon there will be a time when a man will be reclining on his couch with a full stomach, and he will say, ‘You should adhere to this Qur'an: what you find that it says is permissible, take it as permissible, and what you find it says is forbidden, take it as forbidden.’ But indeed, whatever the Messenger of Allah forbids is like what Allah forbids.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2664). He said: It is hasan ghareeb with this isnaad. It was classed as hasan by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (2870). 

This is what was understood by the righteous salaf (may Allaah be pleased with them): Hassaan ibn ‘Atiyah said in al-Kifaayah by al-Khateeb (12): Jibreel used to bring the sunnah down to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as he used to bring the Qur’aan down to him. End quote. 

Narrated by al-Daarimi in his Sunan (588) and by al-Khateeb in al-Kifaayah (12). It was attributed by al-Haafiz in al-Fath (13/291) to al-Bayhaqi, and he said: With a saheeh isnaad. 

The importance of the Sunnah is first of all that it explains the Book of Allah and is a commentary on it, then it adds some rulings to those in the Book of Allah. 

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And We have also sent down unto you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) the Dhikr [reminder and the advice (i.e. the Qur'an)], that you may explain clearly to men what is sent down to them, and that they may give thought” [al-Nahl 16:44]. 

Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said in Jaami’ Bayaan al-‘Ilm wa Fadlihi (2/190): The commentary of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) on the Qur'an is of two types: 

1 – Explaining things that are mentioned in general terms in the Holy Qur'an, such as the five daily prayers, their times, prostration, bowing and all other rulings. 

2 – Adding rulings to the rulings of the Qur’aan, such as the prohibition on being married to a woman and to her paternal or maternal aunt at the same time. End quote. 

Secondly: 

As the Sunnah is the second of the two parts of Revelation, it is inevitable that Allaah will protect it, so as to preserve the religion from distortion and additions or subtractions. 

Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him) said in al-Ihkaam (1/95): Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr and surely, We will guard it (from corruption)” [al-Hijr 15:9] 

“Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم): “I warn you only by the Revelation (from Allah and not by the opinion of the religious scholars and others). But the deaf (who follow the religious scholars and others blindly) will not hear the call, (even) when they are warned [i.e. one should follow only the Qur'an and the Sunnah (legal ways, orders, acts of worship, and the statements of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم , as the Companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم did)]” [al-Anbiya’ 21:45]

Allah tells us that the words of His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) are all Wahy (revelation), and Wahy is undoubtedly Dhikr, and Dhikr is preserved according to the text of the Qur'an. Thus it is correct to say that his words (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) are all preserved by Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and He has promised that none of them will be lost to us, because that which Allah preserves can certainly not be lost at all; it has all been transmitted to us and Allah has established proof and left us with no excuse. End quote.  

Thirdly: 

Once it is established that the Sunnah is part of the divine revelation, it is essential to note that there is only one difference between it and the Qur’aan, which is that the Qur'aan is the word of Allaah, may He be exalted, which was revealed verbatim to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), whereas the Sunnah may not be the words of Allah, rather it is only His Revelation, so it need not necessarily come to us verbatim, but the meaning of it comes to us. 

Once we understand this difference, we see that the point in transmission of the Sunnah is to convey the meanings, not the exact same words that were uttered by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Islam tells us that Allah only preserves the words of the Qur'an in full, and He preserves the general meanings of the Sunnah, and that which explains the Book of Allah, not the exact words and phrases. 

However, the scholars of this ummah throughout the early centuries strove to preserve the sharee’ah and the Sunnah. They have transmitted to us the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as he said them, and they distinguished between the reports that were right and wrong, true and false. 

What the questioner sees of multiple reports of a single hadeeth does not mean that there is any shortcoming in the preservation and transmission of the Sunnah. Rather the reports vary for numerous reasons, and once they are understood the answer will become clear. 

Fourthly: 

Reasons for multiple reports: 

1-Multiple incidents

Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him) said in al-Ihkaam (1/134): The existence of different versions does not represent a fault in the hadeeth if the meaning is the same, because it is proven that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) uttered a hadeeth he would repeat it three times, so each person would narrate it according to what he heard. This difference in the reports does not mean that the hadeeth is weak, if the meaning is the same. End quote. 

2-Reporting the meaning

This is the most common reason for there being multiple versions of a single hadeeth. What matters in transmission of a hadeeth is that the meaning be conveyed. As for the wording, it is not the matter of worship as is the case with the Qur’an. 

For example, the hadeeth “Actions are but by intentions” is also narrated as “Action is by intention” and “Actions are but by intention” and “actions are by intention.” The reason for these multiple versions is that the meaning was narrated. The source of the hadeeth is one, namely Yahya ibn Sa’eed from Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem from ‘Alqamah from ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). It may be noted that the meaning that is understood from these sentences is the same, so what does it matter if there are multiple reports? 

In order to be more certain that the narrator had transmitted the correct meaning of the hadeeth, the scholars would not accept a report of similar meaning unless it came from a scholar of the Arabic language, then they would compare his report with that of another trustworthy narrator; then they would be able to spot the mistake in narration if there was any mistake. There are many such examples but this is not the place to discuss them in detail. 

3 – Narrator’s shortening of the hadeeth 

i.e., the narrator memorized the hadeeth in its entirety, but he quoted only part of it in one place, and narrated it in full elsewhere. 

For example: Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated the story of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forgetting two rak’ahs of Zuhr prayer. The entire story was narrated from Abu Hurayrah, and it is one story. This indicates that the difference in reports is due to some narrators shortening it. See Saheeh al-Bukhaari, 714, 715, 1229. 

4 – Mistakes 

One of the narrators may have made a mistake, so he narrated the hadeeth in a way that it was not narrated by others. It is possible to spot the mistake by comparing the reports with one another. This is what was done by the scholars in the books of Sunnah and takhreej. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said in al-Jawaab al-Saheeh (3/39): But Allah has preserved for this ummah that which He revealed. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr and surely, We will guard it (from corruption)” [al-Hijr 15:9]

So there is no error in the interpretation of the Qur'an or in the transmission of hadeeth or interpretation thereof. Allah guaranteed that there would always be in this ummah those who would explain it and highlight evidence against the errors of those who err and the lies of those who lie. This ummah will not agree on misguidance, and there will remain among them a group who will adhere to the truth until the Hour begins. For they are the last of the nations and there is no Prophet after their Prophet and no Book after their Book. When the nations before them changed, Allah sent a Prophet to show them the way with commands and prohibitions, but there will be no Prophet after Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and Allah has guaranteed to preserve the revelation that He has sent down. End quote. 

The Sunnah, as we explained at the beginning, is revelation (wahy) from Allah, which explains to the people that which was revealed to them in the Book of Allah, may He be exalted, and it teaches them the rulings that they need to practice their religion. Even if the details or the basic principles are mentioned in the Book of Allah, we say: in this sense the Sunnah is one of the attributes of Prophethood and one of the missions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The people still regard the Sunnah in this manner, whether it is mentioned in books or in oral reports which may differ in some wording or in different contexts. None of that gives cause to doubt its status or worry that it has not been preserved properly or to dispute its validity as evidence or to say that the people have no need of it, despite the many difference among people about theoretical and practical issues.  

The great scholar Shaykh ‘Abd al-Ghani ‘Abd al-Khaaliq (may Allah have mercy on him) said: We do not find in the books of al-Ghazaali or al-Aamidi or al-Bazdawi, or any of the scholars of usool who follow their method of writing, any suggestion or hint of any dispute with regard to this matter. They are the ones who examined all the books and madhhabs of the earlier scholars and studied the disputes, even the odd views, and they took great care to refute them. 

Then he quoted from the author and commentator of al-Musallam: The Qur’aan, Sunnah, scholarly consensus and analogy are he valid foundations of Islam, as is discussed in the field of ‘ilm al-kalaam. But the scholars of usool focused on the validity of scholarly consensus and analogy, because there were too many foolish people who tried to undermine their validity, such as the khawaarij and Raafidis (may Allaah humiliate t hem). As for the validity of the Qur’aan and Sunnah, the ummah is unanimously agreed on that, which is why there was no need to discuss their validity. End quote. See: Hujjiyyat al-Sunnah (248-249). 

Justification for following the Sunnah

Proof of the importance of the Sunnah

(1) The Qur'an speaks of the importance of the Sunnah, for example:

(a) Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “He who obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah . . .” [al-Nisaa’ 4:80] Allah described obedience to the Prophet (peace be upon him) as being a part of obedience to Him. Then He made a connection between obedience to Him and obedience to the Prophet (peace be upon him): “O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger . . .” [al-Nisaa’ 4:59]

(b) Allah warns us not to go against the Prophet (peace be upon him), and states that whoever disobeys him will be doomed to eternal Hell. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “. . . And let those who oppose the Messenger’s commandment beware, lest some fitnah (trial, affliction, etc.) befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them.” [al-Nur 24:63]

(c) Allah has made obedience to His Prophet a religious duty; resisting or opposing it is a sign of hypocrisy: “”But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you [Muhammad] judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission.” [al-Nisaa’ 4:65]

(d) Allah commands His slaves to respond to Him and His Messenger: “O you who believe! Answer Allah (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he calls you to that which will give you life . . .” [al-Anfaal 8:24]

(e) Allah also commands His slaves to refer all disputes to him: “. . . (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger . . .” [al-Nisaa’ 4:59]

(2) The Sunnah itself indicates the importance of the Sunnah. For example:

(a) Al-Tirmidhi reported from Abu Raafi’ and others that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “I do not want to see any one of you reclining on his couch and, when he hears of my instructions or prohibitions, saying ‘I don’t accept it; we didn’t find any such thing in the Book of Allaah.’” Abu ‘Eesaa said: This is a saheeh hasan hadeeth. (See Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Shaakir edition, no. 2663).

Al-’Irbaad ibn Saariyah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Would any of you think, reclining on his couch, that Allah would only describe what is forbidden in the Qur'an? I tell you, by Allah, that I have warned and commanded and prohibited things that are as important as what is in the Qur'an, if not more so.” (Reported by Abu Dawud, Kitaab al-Khiraj wa’l-imaarah wa’l-fay’).

(b) Abu Dawud also reported from al-’Irbaad ibn Saariyah, may Allah be pleased with him, that “the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) led us in prayer one day, then he turned to us and exhorted us strongly . . . (he said), ‘Pay attention to my sunnah (way) and the way of the Rightly-guided Khaleefahs after me, adhere to it and hold fast to it.’” (Saheeh Abi Dawud, Kitaab al-Sunnah).

(3) The scholars’ consensus (ijmaa’) affirming the importance of the Sunnah.

Al-Shaafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “I do not know of anyone among the Sahaabah and Taabi’een who narrated a report from the Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) without accepting it, adhering to it and affirming that this was sunnah. Those who came after the Taabi’een, and those whom we met did likewise: they all accepted the reports and took them to be sunnah, praising those who followed them and criticizing those who went against them. Whoever deviated from this path would be regarded by us as having deviated from the way of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the scholars who followed them, and would be considered as one of the ignorant.

(4) Common sense indicates the importance of the Sunnah.

The fact that the Prophet (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah indicates that we must believe everything he said and obey every command he gave. It goes without saying that he has told us things and given instructions in addition to what is in the Qur’an. It is futile to make a distinction between the Sunnah and the Qur'an when it comes to adhering to it and responding to it. It is obligatory to believe in what he has told us, and to obey his instructions.

The ruling concerning those who deny the importance of the Sunnah is that they are kaafirs, because they deny and reject a well-known and undeniable part of the religion.

Ruling on one who rejects a saheeh hadith

Firstly: 

The Prophet’s Sunnah is the second source of Islamic sharee‘ah. The revelation came down to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) with the Sunnah as it came down to him with the Qur’an. The proof of that is the words of Allah, may He be exalted (interpretation of the meaning): “Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is but a revelation revealed” [an-Najm 53:3-4]. 

Allah, may He be exalted, has enjoined upon the believers complete submission to the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and his hadith and rulings, to the extent that He, may He be glorified, swore by His divine self that whoever hears the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), then rejects them and does not accept them, has nothing to do with faith at all. He, may He be glorified and exalted, said (interpretation of the meaning): “But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission” [an-Nisa’ 4:65]. 

Hence there was consensus among the scholars that whoever denies that the Sunnah constitutes shar‘i evidence in general terms, or rejects a hadith of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him – knowing that it is the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) – is a disbeliever, who has not attained even the lowest level of Islam and submission to Allah and His Messenger. 

Imam Is-haaq ibn Raahawayh (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Whoever hears a report from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that he accepts as being sound, then rejects it, not by way of dissimulation (when he has no choice because of a threat), is a disbeliever. End quote 

As-Suyooti (may Allah have mercy on him) said: You should understand, may Allah have mercy on you, that whoever denies that the hadith of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) constitutes shar‘i evidence – whether he denies a report that speaks of something that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said or did, if that hadith fulfils the conditions stipulated in usool al-hadith – has committed an act of disbelief that puts him beyond the bounds of Islam, and he will be gathered (on the Day of Resurrection) with the Jews and Christians, or with whomever Allah wills of the disbelieving groups. End quote. Miftaah al-Jannah fi’l-Ihtijaaj bi’s-Sunnah (p 14) 

Al-‘Allaamah Ibn al-Wazeer (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Rejecting the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) when one is aware that it is his hadith constitutes blatant disbelief. End quote. Al-‘Awaasim wa’l-Qawaasim (2/274) 

It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah: The one who denies that we should follow the Sunnah is a disbeliever, because he is expressing disbelief in Allah and His Messenger, and rejecting the consensus of the Muslims. End quote. Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah (vol. 2, 3/194) 

Secondly: 

As for the one who rejects a hadith and does not accept it, denying that it is the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), he is not like those who come under the first category. We understand that many followers of the new “enlightenment” trend – who have taken it upon themselves to judge the Prophet’s Sunnah on the basis of their views and affiliation – in fact, have not come up with anything new. Rather they are a continuation of the innovators who came before them, whose specious arguments the scholars quoted and took it upon themselves to refute them. 

To these people and others like them we say: Academic methodology dictates that we should examine several important matters before rejecting a hadith or denying that it is the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). These conditions are as follows: 

The first condition: 

We should see whether there is a complete contradiction between what is mentioned in the hadith and what is mentioned in a Qur’anic text that is clear and unambiguous in meaning and not abrogated. We should emphasise here the condition of complete contradiction – and not just an apparent contradiction that may come to the mind of one who hastens to jump to conclusions when examining hadith. Perhaps those who are involved in denying the hadiths will agree with us on this condition, because most of the apparent contradictions that occur to many people are not contradictions in reality; rather they are mere speculation in the mind of the objector and it is possible, with deliberation and by examining the shades of meaning of different words, to answer the one who thinks that there is a contradiction, and demonstrate how the hadith is in harmony with the fundamentals and sublime aims of sharee‘ah. Whoever studies the book of al-‘Allaamah Ibn Qutaybah ad-Deenoori entitled Mukhtalif al-Hadith will realise how reckless many of them were in their denial of hadiths on the basis of the claim that they are not in accordance with the Qur’an, or that they contradict sound reasoning, but when Ibn Qutaybah mentions the correct explanation of these hadiths given by the scholars, it becomes clear that there is a sound interpretation for them that is in harmony with Islamic teachings, and that the notion that these hadiths contradict the Quran is based on corrupt understanding. 

We ask these people and their ilk, who have the audacity to reject the Sunnah and cast aspersions on the hadiths of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) without any academic methodology or acceptable critical guidelines, and without properly understanding the fundamentals of hadith science that they are talking about, the following: 

Do you think that it is possible for a hadith to completely contradict the Holy Qur’an to the extent that the examiner may think that this hadith is not the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), at the time when we see all the scholars of Islam, from the time of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) up until the present day, in agreement on accepting this hadith and commenting on it, interpreting it, quoting it as evidence and acting upon it? 

Doesn’t rational thinking – on which they claim to base their argument – dictate that they should respect the consensus of specialists on the matter that is at the heart of their specialty? 

Can anyone have the audacity to say that physicists, chemists, mathematicians, educationalists or economists, for example, have made a mistake if they agree on a matter – especially when the one who is objecting to them is not one of the specialists in that field; rather all that can be said is that he has read some articles about it or a few books along the lines of Science For Dummies or The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Science [i.e., books that offer a basic introduction to a field]? 

The second condition: 

There should be a weakness in one of the links of the isnaad that could have led to the mistake mentioned in the text. 

Similarly, we think that this condition is in harmony with sound methodology and is a valid condition. No one should disagree on this point who understands anything about the principles of academic criticism. Denying that a text is the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) should mean that there is a weak link in the chain of narration that led us to mistakenly believe that this hadith is the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), when in fact it is not. 

Imam ash-Shaafa‘i (may Allah have mercy on him) – who is prominent in terms of knowledge and faith, and was the first one to write on the topic of usool al-fiqh – said: If a hadith is narrated by trustworthy narrators from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), then that is sufficient to regard it as a sound hadith. Ikhtilaaf al-Hadith, in al-Umm (10/107). 

And he said: There is no other way to determine whether a hadith is sound or otherwise except by knowing how honest and trustworthy the narrators are, with the exception of very few hadiths. Ar-Risaalah (para. 1099) 

And he also said: Muslims of good character are those who are good and sound in and of themselves… As for what they say and do, it is to be regarded as sound and acceptable, unless we find something in their actions that indicate otherwise. So we should be cautious with them in cases where their actions differ from what is expected of them. Ar-Risaalah (para. 1029-1030); see also al-Umm (8/518-51 9) 

After narrating some of the academic principles concerning this matter, which is something that he discussed a great deal in his various books, Imam ash-Shaafa‘i (may Allah have mercy on him) says that what he stated – some of which we have quoted here – is not the view of only a few scholars, or his own personal view; rather these are the principles on which there was consensus among the scholars who came before him. He says: 

At the beginning of this book of mine, I quoted, in support of what I discuss of principles and guidelines, from a number of earlier scholars who had knowledge of the Qur’an and Sunnah, different scholarly opinions, analogy and rational thinking, and none of them differed with another. They said: This is the view of the scholars among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, the Taabi‘een, and the generation who followed them, and it is our view. Whoever diverges from this path is, in our view, diverging from the path of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and the path of the scholars who came after them, until the present day, and he is one of the people of ignorance. And all of them said: we cannot see anything but the consensus of the scholars in all regions, unanimously agreeing to regard as ignorant the one who departs from this path. And they – or most of them – went even further and expressed more stringent views with regard to the one who departs from this path, but there is no need to quote them here. Ikhtilaaf al-Hadith, al-Umm (10/21). See also: ar-Risaalah (para. 1236-1249). 

The first thing that the one who rejected a hadith that is attributed to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) must do is research and find out the identity of the narrator who was mistaken in his transmission of this hadith. If the one who denies the hadith cannot find an acceptable reason in the isnaad for rejecting the hadith, then this indicates that he is mistaken in his methodology. It also indicates that it is essential to have another look and try to understand the hadith and the Qur’an and the aims and goals of sharee‘ah. 

So how about if the hadith was narrated with the soundest isnaads on the face of the earth? How about if the hadith was narrated via many chains of transmission – as is the case with most of the hadiths that are rejected by the proponents of “enlightenment” – and from a number of the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them)?  

The third condition: 

One should express his reservations about a hadith as a personal view based on his own reasoning, which may be right or wrong, and he should avoid stating his view as certainty, as if it is the correct view. He should also avoid making accusations against others who differ with him or casting aspersions on the intelligence of Muslim scholars. This applies in cases where there is a valid reason to hold such a view, and provided that one is qualified to speak about such matters and is proficient in the skills needed to understand and research them. A hadith may appear to be da‘eef (weak) to one scholar for a particular reason, but he should not speak in accusatory tones of those who accepted the hadith. 

Whoever does not comply with these three conditions and persists in denying and rejecting the hadiths is exposing himself to grave danger, because it is not permissible for a Muslim to reach a conclusion that is not based on proper methodology and without following any guidelines, and criticise other scholars (who disagree with him), otherwise he may fall into sin and error. 

Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Whoever rejects the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is on the brink of doom. End quote. 

Al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali al-Barbahaari said: If you hear a man casting aspersions upon a hadith or denying a hadith, or giving precedence to something else over a hadith, then suspect his commitment to Islam, for he is undoubtedly following whims and desires and innovation. 

If you hear a man, when you quote a hadith, showing no interest in it on the basis that he only wants to hear quotations from the Qur’an, you should not doubt that he is a man who is following the path of the heretics, so get up and leave him, and bid him farewell. End quote. Sharh as-Sunnah (113-119)

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Whatever the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) narrates from his Lord, it is obligatory to believe in it, whether we understand its meaning or not, because he is the most truthful one [namely the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)]. Whatever it says in the Qur’an and Sunnah, every believer must believe in it, even if he does not understand its meaning. End quote.Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (3/41)