Author: Obaidullah Nimruzi
The Scholarly Biography of Imam Tirmidhi ‘may Allah have mercy on him’ (Part 14)
The Authenticity of Hadith
The authenticity of hadith, as one of the pillars of legislation in Islam, is subject to consensus among the Islamic Ummah. Along with the Holy Quran, which is known as the holy book and the main source of legislation, the hadith of the Prophet is the second source of religion and is especially relied upon in practical and jurisprudential matters. However, in the early twentieth century, with the spread of Western thought in the Islamic world, some Muslims, influenced by these movements, began to distort and weaken the authenticity of hadith. These movements are known as the modernists, and their members believe that many religious rulings cannot be adapted to the conditions of the new time and place. Therefore, a new interpretation of religion must be pursued.
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan in India, Taha Hussein in Egypt, and Zia Gök Alp in Turkey were among the first to spread this thought in the Islamic world. Those who believed in intellectual and social reforms based on Western standards attempted to interpret Islam in a manner that was in harmony with Western civilization and thought. To achieve these goals, in cases such as usury transactions, denial of the miracles of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and negation of the Islamic veil, hadiths that conflicted with these views were denied or reinterpreted.
Theories of Hadith Deniers
The Hadith Deniers have put forward three main theories throughout the history of Islam, as follows:
1. Only the Holy Quran is accepted as the mission of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). This view posits that the primary duty of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was solely to convey the Quran and that obedience to him is obligatory only in cases where the Quran has issued directives; therefore, obedience to the Prophet as the messenger and representative of Allah is not obligatory for the Companions and Muslims after him.
Answer to the First Theory of the Hadith Deniers:
One of the theories put forward by the Hadith deniers is that the duty of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was only to convey the Holy Quran to the people. Therefore, obedience to the Prophet (PBUH) as a messenger is not obligatory. This view, based on a specific interpretation of revelation, claims that revelation is limited to the Quran only, and that any statement other than the Quran that comes from the Prophet (PBUH) is not valid. To refute this claim, we will first look at some Quranic evidence and then present rational evidence.
A) Quranic Evidence:
1. Verse 51 of Surah Al-Shura: «وَمَا کَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَن یُّكَلِّمُهُ اللَّٰهُ إِلَّا وَحْیًا أَوْ مِن وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ أَوْ یُرْسِلَ رَسُولًا» And it is not for a human being that Allah should speak to him except by revelation or from behind a veil or by sending a messenger.”
This noble verse explicitly refers to the existence of three types of relationships between man and Allah: revelation, communication from behind a veil, and sending a messenger. Here, “revelation” is mentioned in an absolute sense, which means that revelation is not limited to the Quran. In fact, the Prophet (PBUH) also communicated with Allah through unmediated revelation. This clearly shows that unmediated revelation (whatever the Prophet (PBUH) received from Allah) is also valid.
2. Verse 143 of Surah Al-Baqarah: «وَمَا جَعَلْنَا القِبْلَةَ الَّتِي كُنتَ عَلَيْهَا إِلَّا لِنَعْلَمَ مَن يَتَّبِعُ الرَّسُولَ مِمَّن يَنقَلِبُ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ». “And We did not change the Qiblah which you were facing except that We might know who follows the Messenger from who turns back on his heels.”
In this verse, the ruling on changing the Qiblah from Jerusalem to the Ka’bah was specifically conveyed to the Prophet (PBUH) through unmediated revelation, because there is no reference in the Quran to such a ruling on the Qiblah. Therefore, it must be accepted that this ruling was given to the Prophet (PBUH) through unmediated revelation directly from Allah. This emphasizes the necessity of obeying the Prophet (PBUH) in all rulings, both in the Quran and the Sunnah.
3. Verse 13 of Surah At-Tahreem: «عَلِمَ اللَّٰهُ أَنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ تَخْتَانُونَ أَنفُسَكُمْ» “Allah knows that you used to circumcise yourselves.” This verse specifically mentions the prohibition of sexual intercourse during the nights of Ramadan before the ruling was changed. Although the Quran did not explicitly mention the prohibition of sexual intercourse, this ruling was conveyed to Muslims through unspoken revelation in the form of the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH).
4. Verse 123 of Surah Al-Imran: «وَلَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ اللَّٰهُ بِبَدْرٍ وَأَنتُمْ أَذِلَّةٌ» “And Allah certainly helped you at Badr, and you were humiliated.” This verse also refers to the descent of angels during the Battle of Badr, which is not explicitly mentioned in the Quran. This information was conveyed to the Prophet (PBUH) through unmediated revelation. This further legitimizes the authority of the words of the Prophet (PBUH) because this information and teachings could not have been communicated to the Prophet (PBUH) without the medium of revelation from Allah.
5. Verse 9 of Surah Anfal: «وَإِذْ يَعِدُكُمُ اللَّٰهُ إِحْدَى الطَّائِفَتَيْنِ أَنَّهَا لَكُمْ» “And when Allah promises one of the two parties that it is for you.” This promise, mentioned in this verse, since it is not addressed in the Quran, indicates that it was also given to the Prophet (PBUH) through unspoken revelation, highlighting the Prophet’s role in receiving and transmitting divine messages.
6. Verse 4 of Surah At-Tahreem: «وَإِذْ أَسَرَّ النَّبِيُّ إِلَىٰ بَعْضِ أَزْوَاجِهِ حَدِيثًا فَلَمَّا نَبَّأَتْ بِهِ وَأَظْهَرَ اللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ عَرَّفَ بَعْضَهُ وَأَعْرَضَ عَنْ بَعْضٍ» “And the Prophet revealed to some of his wives a hadith; when it was prophesied to him, Allah revealed it to some of his wives.”
This verse also clearly emphasizes the reception of information from the Prophet (PBUH) through non-mediated revelation. There is no mention of this event in the Quran, indicating that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, received this information through divine revelation.
7. Verse 12 of Surah Al-Fath: «سَيَقُولُ الْمُخَلَّفُونَ إِذَا انطَلَقْتُمْ إِلَىٰ مَغَانِمَ لِتَأْخُذُوهَا ذَرُونَا نَتَّبِعُكُمْ» In this verse, Allah announces the non-participation of the hypocrites in the Battle of Khaybar before it took place. This information was also conveyed to the Prophet (PBUH) through unspoken revelation.
8. Verse 129 of Surah Al-Imran: «وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ» “And He will teach them the Book and wisdom.” In this verse, the duty of the Prophet (PBUH) to teach the Book and wisdom is clearly stated. This teaching is not possible without the words and speech of the Prophet (PBUH). Furthermore, this verse implicitly indicates that the words of the Prophet (PBUH) are part of the religious evidence for Muslims.
9. Verse 59 of Surah An-Nisa: «أَطِيعُوا اللَّٰهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ» “Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you.” This verse directly emphasizes obedience to the Prophet (PBUH) and reinforces the authority of hadith and the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH).
B) Rational Evidence for the Authority of Hadith:
1. The details of the rulings in the Qur’an: Although the Holy Qur’an has stated many of the principles and foundations of religion, the methods and details of many rulings are not mentioned in the Qur’an, and these are elucidated in the hadith. For example, the exact method of prayer and the number of raka’ats are not stated in the Qur’an. If the hadith has no value, how can one act upon the injunction to “Establish prayer”? If someone claims that the literary meaning of “prayer” is simply “an invitation to prayer,” how can that meaning be accepted? This requires a more detailed explanation, which is only possible through the words of the Prophet (PBUH).
2. The necessity of the Prophet (PBUH): The Arab polytheists asked the Prophet (PBUH) to have the Quran revealed to them directly. This request itself indicates the necessity of a teacher to explain the concepts of the Quran and illustrate how to act upon its rules. If the Quran alone were sufficient, there would have been no need to send the Prophet (PBUH).
3. Consensus (Ijma) of the Ummah: The entire Islamic Ummah has been unanimous throughout history, even in the early ages, on the authority of the Hadith and Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH). If these words were not authoritative, how is it possible that Muslims have agreed on their authenticity and authority for 14 centuries?
Continues…
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