Analysis and Criticism of Modernism in the Light of Islam (Part 23)

Author: Mohajer Azizi

Analysis and Criticism of Modernism in the Light of Islam (Part 23)

Introduction

In the previous section, the views of the followers of modernism in denying the authenticity of the Holy Quran were examined and criticized. Based on narrative and rational evidence, it became clear that the Quran is the first and most authentic source of Islamic legislation and no movement or thought can question its unique position. The doubts raised by the Westernized and modernist movements have neither a scientific basis nor are they based on logic; rather, they are more based on false assumptions and selfish desires.

Now, in this section, the discussion will focus on the axis of “denial of the authenticity of the Prophetic Hadith” by the movement of modernism and groups aligned with it. Just as the Holy Quran has been the target of doubts, the Hadith of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has also been denied and questioned under various pretexts. In this article, with a historical look at the formation of this deviant trend and an analysis of the goals and motivations behind it, the most important doubts related to the denial of the authenticity of the hadith will be examined; including the claim that the Quran is sufficient, doubting the possibility of preserving and transmitting narrations, and limiting the mission to the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

In the following, well-reasoned answers based on the Quran, intellect, and history will be presented to these doubts in order to clarify that the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) – as an perfect revelation and practical interpretation of the Quran – has always been the second source of Islamic law and has maintained its authenticity. Any attempt to separate religion from this fundamental pillar will result in nothing but innovation and deviation.

Modernist Thoughts and Beliefs

2. Denial of the Authenticity of the Sunnah

Followers of modernism, like the Quranists and other false sects, deny the authenticity of the hadith. Denying the authenticity of the Sunnah is not a new phenomenon, but it has been criticized and denied in the past by some sects, such as a group of Khawarij, Mu’tazilah, and Batinis, under various pretexts and to achieve personal goals and benefits. Similarly, Westerners, especially Western Orientalists, have also attacked the Sunnah in the past and attributed forgery to it, as was first proposed by Joseph Schacht (a German orientalist) in the second and third centuries.

New religions and schools of thought have also attacked the Sunnah and criticized it. Atheists, Jews, and Christians are fiercely hostile to the Sunnah and criticize it. Qadianis, Baha’is, and the enemies of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) deny and reject the Sunnah in general, falsely believing that the narrators of the Hadith and the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them) are infidels. Likewise, Quranists, thinking that the Quran is sufficient for them, completely ignore the Sunnah and reject its authority. Schools of thought and philosophy such as rationalists, secularists and liberals, including modernists, also focused their denial and criticism on the noble Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in order to exclude it from the scene of action. When hostility towards the Sunnah and its rejection was raised by Western modernists, some of their students spread this theory in the Islamic world, to the extent that it was welcomed with great enthusiasm by Westernized and free-thinking people. Among the modernists who played an active role in spreading the theory of denial of the Sunnah were Muhammad Tawfiq, Rashid Reza, and Ahmad Sobhi Mansoor, etc. Muhammad Tawfiq Sedqi wrote his famous article on this subject under the title “Islam is the Quran alone.” Rashid Reza published articles related to the denial of the authority of the Sunnah in Al-Minar magazine. Their motivation from these is to return to the Quran as a general source, and to get rid of the hadiths that, according to them, are incompatible with intellect and civilization.

But why do modernists deny the authority of the hadith? Yes, this is obvious. As long as the hadith is considered as evidence, the goals and desires of modernists will not be met. Because there is a comprehensive and constructive guide for every part of life in the hadiths that is incompatible and contradictory with Western thoughts; therefore, modernists, like the Quranists and other false sects, try to completely deny the Sunnah and its authority.

Continues…

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