A Review of the Compilation and Authenticity of Hadith (Part 6)
Quranic Evidence for the Authenticity of Hadith
Is Hadith proven or not? Can a Muslim ignore a Hadith? The answer to this question is also clarified in another way, which is that the Holy Quran states: “Following the path and customs of the early believers of Islam” has been declared obligatory and necessary: «وَ مَنْ یشاقق الرسُولَ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَينَ لَهُ الْهُدَى وَيَتَّبِعْ غَيْرَ سَبِيْلِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ نُوَلِّهِ مَا تَوَلَّى وَنُصْلِيْهِ جَهَنَّمَ وَ سَاءتْ مَصِيراً» Translation: “And whoever opposes the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) after guidance has become clear to him and follows other than the way of the believers, we will surely make him follow what he has followed and send him to Hell, and what an evil destination.”
In this verse, Allah the Almighty has given a severe warning to those who abandon the path of the believers and follow other than the way of the believers, and they will surely be punished. He declared him worthy of Hell. So it is necessary to know what was the way of the “first believers”? And did they consider the Hadith and Sunnah as evidence and use it as a guide of the path or not? When we refer to the Hadiths and the history of Islam to determine the way and method of the first believers, the following situations and events become clear to us:
1. It is mentioned in “Tarikh al-Kholafa: 29”: “When an issue or case was brought to Hazrat Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) for resolution, he would first refer to the Book of Allah, if the solution to it appeared in the Book of Allah, he would act according to it, and if it was not found, he would refer to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and if a solution was possible, he would issue a ruling according to it, and if he himself did not know of the existence of a solution in the Sunnah, he would refer to the honorable Sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them) and inquire that such an issue was brought to me. do you know of a solution for it from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)?” Sometimes several people would come and say: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ruled on this issue. Then Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) would say: “Praise be to Allah who has appointed among us people to preserve the matters of our Prophet and convey them to others.”
After the death of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), the most important issue for the Islamic community was the issue of the successor to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and in this regard, the noble Sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them) referred to the Sunnah of the Prophet.
In “Tabaqat Ibn Sa’ad”, “Tarikh Al-Kholafa” etc., it is narrated from Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): “After the death of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), we pondered and thought about the issue of his successor (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and came to the conclusion that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) appointed Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) as the Imam for prayers during his lifetime. So, whoever he chose for our religion, we also chose for our worldly life and appointed Abu Bakr as the successor of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
In “Tarikh Al-Kholafa” etc., it is narrated from Ibn Masoud (may Allah be pleased with him): “After the death of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), the Ansar proposed that an Amir be chosen from us and an Amir from you from among the Muhajirin. When Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was informed of this, he went to the Ansar and said: O group of Ansar! Do you not know that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) appointed Abu Bakr as the Imam of the people in prayer? If you know, then tell me [in view of this matter] who is willing to precede Abu Bakr. Then the Ansar realized this and said: “We seek refuge in Allah from preceding Abu Bakr.” And after the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was clarified, all the Ansar became confident and accepted the caliphate of Abu Bakr without any hesitation.
It is also mentioned in the same book: After the death of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) addressed Hazrat Sa’ad (may Allah be pleased with him) in the company of the Ansar and said: Sa’ad, do you remember that once we were sitting in the presence of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and he said: “Quraysh are the guardians of the matter of caliphate.” Hazrat Sa’ad (may Allah be pleased with him) said without hesitation: Yes, you are right. We are your ministers and assistants and you are your leaders and governors. Then Sa’ad (may Allah be pleased with him) gave up his claim about the issue of caliphate.
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