What do say about a person who rejects hadeeth of Prophet (S)?
Assalam O Alaikum
Whoever rejects a hadith of Prophet SAW with an intention to reject Prophet SAW's words is a KAFIR. That is, if someone knows that such and such is an authentic hadith of Prophet SAW and then rejects, he or she is a sure KAFIR.
Wallaho Alam
Assalam O Alaikum
As long as it does not contradict the Quran, because the Quran is complete and fully detailed:
ยท Any creature on earth and any bird that flies with wings, are all nations like you. We did not leave anything out of this scripture. To their Lord they will all be gathered. Those who reject our revelations are deaf, dumb and in total darkness.(6:38)
The Quran incessantly reproduces the false arguments of idol-worshippers and hypocrites and rebuts them with proofs and with better arguments. We should do the same to expose falsehoods and confirm the truth.
It can be seen that many hadith began to emerge and multiply at the same time
as the emergence of divisions in the early Muslim community in three civil wars, beginning under Hazrat Ali's rule right up to the end Mu'awiya rule. The relations between these two phenomena were direct: power struggles giving
rise to divisions led to the fabrication of hadith to support each
contending group, and the fabrications of hadith further deepened
divisions. It is clear that the division originated in the power struggle
to fill the post of caliph to succeed the Prophet, but hadith were
fabricated to use the name of the Prophet to bolster politico-religious
sectarianism.
Nowadays, the Quran is available in most world languages. What is important is to make each of us communicate directly with the written words of God Himself. No matter how many books of hadith we read, it cannot compare with even one word of the Quran. Even if truly authentic, the hadith are only the words of a mortal human being. On the other hand, even one Word of the Quran is still the Word of God.
The Quran clearly lays out the challenge to anyone to find a single contradiction within it, this is because it the divine word of God. No hadith can be subjected to such a challenge, there is even a hadith which states the prophet (pbuh) forbid anyone to write any hadith!
As-Salaam 'Alaikum,
Camille,
Not quite sure what you mean by the Qur'aan is "fully detailed".
The Qur'aan is not fully detailed hence the need for the ahadeeth. For example, the Qur'aan does not explain how:
1) to make wudhu;
2) to pray;
3) to pay zakat;
4) to make Hajj;
etc ... etc ..
And there are many more. (2), (3) and (4) are from the five pillars of Islaam, yet are not explained in detail in the Qur'aan.
As regards the hadith prohibiting the writing of hadith, then this is true, but this was in the early stages. There is also another hadith where the Prophet (SAW) encouraged the writing of the hadith and Qur'aan, and indeed the Companions did exactly that.
As regards the original question, i.e. what do we say about one who rejects the hadith of the Messenger of Allaah (SAW) then this falls into two main categories:
1) Matters regarding Creed ('Aqeedah);
2) Matters regarding Jurisprudence (Fiqh);
If the person rejects hadith from category 1, then he is in danger of falling outside the pale of Islaam. He should be shown the error of his ways and asked to repent. If he does not do so, then he is considered outside of Islaam, i.e. not a Muslim. An example of this type would be the belief of Allaah being omnipresent. Such a belief, unless repented from would put a person outside the pale of Islaam because it is a matter of creed, and the proofs are many (from Qur'aan & Sunnah) to show that Allaah (SWT) is separate from His creation, and is above the seven heavens and seven earths, established above His 'Arsh (throne).
If the person rejects hadith from category 2, then he may or may not be sinful, but certainly does not become a disbeliever unless he is rejecting the hadith due to arrogance. For example, a person who prays with his hands below his navel. The method of praying is not decsribed in the Qur'aan, so we must turn to the ahadeeth on this matter. There is strong evidence to show that the hands should be placed on the chest, but one placing his hands below his navel can not be considered a disbeliever because the placing of the hands is not a matter of creed, but rather a matter of fiqh. At most, such a person may have some reward removed from his prayer, and Allaah (SWT) knows best.
A final category would be where the person refuses to accept a hadith because his teachers or parents have taught him otherwise. And on that basis, so as not to offend his teachers or parents, he rejects the hadith. In the time of the Companions, such a person would surely have lost his head.
And Allaah (SWT) knows best.
[This message has been edited by Abu Muhammed (edited February 09, 1999).]
Abu Muhammed,
Thanks for the above info, I'm not a learned person on Islam at all and I appreciate you passing any knowledge etc onto me, Inshallah it will help or prompt me in the right direction to become a better muslim. Sorry for the long post below by the way.
I agree with you about rejecting anything the prophet has said if we reject the message we reject the Quran and therefore are Kafirs. If we had followed the the prophet we would not be in the mess we are in today! Anyway back to the present issue:
The Quran clearly states that the obligatory prayers and all other religious observances (Salat and Zakat 2:43 and 2:125,Haj 22:26-27,Fasting 2:187) of Islam were originally taught to Abraham. All the prophets and their true followers since Abraham practiced them, but, as the Quran also informs us, later generations, including the Arabs at the advent of prophet Muhammad (pbuh), had lost these prayers. The prayers of the Arabs at the Shrine at the time were described by the Quran as "no more than deceit and alienation."
It should also be noted that the very early revelations, such as the chapter 73 entitled al-Muzzammil which was the third in order of revelation, already mentioned salat and zakat, indicating that these religious observances were well-known and were being practiced. This is confirmed by early historical sources, such as Ibn Ishaq's biography of the Prophet. Anyway we do not learn how to pray from the hadith, we learn to do so from our parents and teachers who inherit the practice through the generations from the first source, that is Prophet Abraham.
Although the Quran needs no longer teach us how to pray, since we have learnt and practiced it from the time of Abraham, still it gives us the main features of salat prayer, i.e. the normal ablution (5:6), the abnormal ablution (4:43), the proper dress (7:31), standing and facing the qiblah (2:144), the times (11:114, 17:78, 24:58, 2:238, 30:17-18 and 20:130), the bowing and prostrating (2:43,125,3:42, 22:77, 48:29), using moderate voice when saying prayers (17:110), not calling anyone else besides God in prayer (72:18) and modified mode of prayer at unusual times (4:101,103).
It is quite obvious that many important details regarding the mode of prayer are given in the Quran. It should be remembered that the Quran repeatedly teaches the people to be concerned with doing good sincerely and not to be concerned with form. It is obvious why this should be so. An obsession with form would defeat the purpose of an action. I read somewhere that there is an incident of the Saudi Prince Sultan Salman, who accompanied the American space mission Discovery in 1985 and who exposed the inability of the traditional Saudi ulama to answer the question of how he should pray in the space shuttle? This is a good modern illustration of the error of obsession with form.
As regards explaining and interpreting the Quran, Quranic statements and historical evidence have shown that it is not given to Prophet Muhammad or to any subsequent teachers to do so fully and all at once. The Quran, being from the omniscient knowledge of God, cannot all be understood fully, except through a prolonged process of rational understanding and scientific studies. The long history of Quranic exegeses prove this. The Quran itself attests to this when it declares about the allegorical verses:
"No one knows their correct interpretations, except God and those
well-grounded in knowledge."
While this verse refers only to the understanding of allegorical verses, God clearly states that it is He who teaches and explains the Quran. This means, on the one hand, that the Quran explains itself and, on the other, that God will, at the proper time, give man the necessary knowledge to understand it. The various discoveries and findings of modern science within the last four hundred years have thrown light on the meanings and corroborated the statements made in the Quran fourteen centuries ago when modern science was not yet born.
The Quran is fully detailed and complete, God does not run out of ink and leave anything out which he did want us to know, this kind of thinking is giving credability to some of the Christian beliefs that God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh (something like that anyway, can't remember the exact quote). - As if the creator of all existance needed a rest!
Camille
I'm sorry i didn't understand everything you were saying, but if the prayer of Muslims has been passed down generation through generation, then why don't Jews and Christians pray like you do?
How do you know, that Abraham didn't pray as the Christians often do today, on their knees, holding their hands in front of them?
[This message has been edited by John (edited February 10, 1999).]
John,
Please see all references provided in my post, example:
[al-Fath 48:29]"Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves. Thou (O Muhammad) seest them bowing and falling prostrate (in worship), seeking bounty from Allah and (His)
acceptance. The mark of them is on their foreheads from the traces of prostration. Such is their likeness in the Torah and their likeness in the Gospel - like as sown corn that sendeth forth its shoot and strengtheneth it and riseth firm upon its stalk, delighting the sowers - that He may enrage the disbelievers with (the sight of) them. Allah hath promised, unto such of them as believe and do good works, forgiveness and immense reward".
I don't know why the christians/jews don't pray as the muslims. I suppose if they had done what they had been ordered by God in the first place the question would not arise, as far as my limited knowledge goes Islam is reconfirming what all the other prophets had said but the people had not practiced.
As-Salaam 'Alaikum,
Camille,
Firstly, might I suggest that you read the thread "Tafsir of the Qur'aan" which I posted on this page some days back.
Secondly, I'm a bit confused about some of the things you have said.
The prayers of the earlier Prophets was definitely different from that taught to Prophet Muhammed (SAW). Without stating the obvious, we recite the Qur'aan in our prayers and the Qur'aan was revealed to Muahammed (SAW) and not to anybody before him. Therefore, the prayer that our parents learnt and taught to us is from Prophet Muhammed (SAW) and not from Prophet Ibrahim (AS). Also, our parents learnt it from hadith, either directly or indirectly via teachers who knew hadith.
The prayer is a good example to prove that the Qur'aan is in need of ahadith, which is why I stated it initially.
It is true, that the Qur'aan mentions certain aspects of the prayer, but if we were to follow ONLY the descriptions given in the Qur'aan, then we would be in difficulty.
For example, (and this is only one example of many that I could quote), when we pray, there are a set number of bowings and prostrations, collectively known as "rakat". Where have these numbers come from, if not the ahadith? In the early days of Islaam, when the Muslims were being persecuted in Makkah, all the prayers consisted of 2 rakats. Only when the Prophet (SAW) had reached the safety of Medina, were the prayers changed to 4 rakats (except Fajr and Maghrib). So we see that the prayer itself evolved during the lifetime of Muhammed (SAW), and was not passed down from Ibrahim (AS).
Also, the prayer consists of many actions not mentioned in the Qur'aan. For example, the takbeer, the recitation of the Qur'aan, the other du'as, the tashahud and the tasleem. Where have these come from if not the ahadith?
As for Saudi Prince Sultan Salman, then I don't think he was trying to expose anybody. Rather, he was concerned about the acceptance of his prayers. He wanted to know how to pray in space so that Allaah (SWT) would accept his prayers. So he did, what a lot of Muslims fail to do today, and that is he asked the people of knowledge (i.e. the Scholars) what he should do. They gave him an answer based on their understanding of Qur'aan and Sunnah. He then proceeded to pray in space, and may Allaah (SWT) reward him for his sincerity.
As for "who explains the Qur'aan", then it is Prophet Muhammed (SAW). Allaah (SWT) says:
<< Indeed we have sent down to you the remembrance (i.e. the Qur'aan), so THAT YOU MAY EXPLAIN to the people that which has been sent down to them (i.e. the Qur'aan) >> [Sura an-Nahl:44]
If the Qur'aan is "fully detailed", then why the need for the Prophet Muhammed (SAW) to explain it further? These "explanations" are the ahadith!! As we are told, the "explanations" of the Prophet (SAW) were also revelation. Allaah (SWT) says:
<
Also, Prophet Muhammed (SAW) said:
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So his sayings and actions are also revelation, "similar" to the Qur'aan.
This discussion is based on the prayer alone, but what of the details concerning Hajj, Zakat, Purification (not just wudhu, but also ghusl and tayamum etc) and many other aspects of our Deen.
As for Hajj, the rites are not those practised by Ibrahim (AS), but rather re-enactments of events that took place in the time of Ibrahim (AS). Again, these rites were taught to us by Muhammed (SAW).
Please do not apologise for long posts. Your questions seem sincere, and therefore I do not mind the long posts. If you don't ask questions, then you will never know. I wish more people would take a page out of your book and ask questions about things they do not understand.
My only advice to you is that be careful in what you say. It is a major sin in Islaam to speak about Allaah (SWT) and His Deen without knowledge. [Sura al-'Araaf:33]
I pray to Allaah (SWT) that He guides you to the Truth, and that He increases your knowledge of His Deen.
Wa Salaam.
Assallaam 'alaikum,
Jazaak'Allaah Khair brother Abu Muhammed, for that beneficial explanation. Not only does it benefit the person it's for, but all of us, as we often tend to forget the importance of the Sunnah ... and you explained it very well Masha'Allaah.
Wassallaam
Assalam O Alaikum
Jazakumullah khair ya Abu Mohammed. No doubt, without sunnah it is impossible to understand Quran.
Assalam O Alaikum
Abu Muhammed,
Thanks for the post, as usual its informative and prompted me to think deeper. I take on your point about being careful about what I am saying.
I want to be a good muslim and in order to do that I have to fully answer all of the questions which I have and be satisfied with the answers using my brain, ears, eyes and heart which Allah (SWT) has given me. We are also encouraged by the Quran to verify everything before we accept them using the God given abilities we have. So please don't think I am being difficult or trying to be undermine anyone, I just want to know and learn more.
On the point of prayers, what signifcance do you think the following verses have?
[al-Anbiya' 21:72] And We bestowed on him Isaac and, as an additional gift, (a grandson), Jacob, and We made righteous men of every one (of them).
[al-Anbiya' 21:73] And We made them leaders, guiding (men) by Our Command, and We sent them inspiration to do good deeds, to establish regular prayers, and to practise regular charity; and they constantly served Us (and Us only).
What did prophet Abraham, Jacob and son establish when it refers 'regular prayers'? I accept that the way we pray today may be different from then but the question is where those prayers invlaid, non islamic or very different in content from what we recite from the Quran today? Also there so many verses in which we are asked to follow the religion of Abraham and told how the prophet also follows this religion. What significance do these verses have then?
Also on more of a general note on Hadith and sunna which also links in with the above: Am I right in assuming that :
1).All muslims are required to uphold the hadith or sunna as a primary source of law apart from the Quran? And this is in according to the teachings of classical jurisprudence theory promulgated by imam Shafi'i about 200 hundred yrs after the prophets death?
2). And the Six Authentic Books of hadith were compiled, precisely after the promulgation of this theory, by Bukhari (d. 256/870), Muslim (d. 261/875), Abu Daud (d. 275/888), Tirmidhi (d. 279/892), Ibn Maja (d. 273/886), and al-Nasa'i (d. 303/915) during the second half of the second and the beginning of the third centuries of Islam, between 220 and 270 years after the Prophet's death?
3).Based on the above theory of jurisprudence and the consensus of the scholars the hadith/sunna were propagated and accepted as interpretor and complement to the Quran?
4). All of the above were intiated on the basis of Quranic guidance?
I will come back with more questions if anyone can verify whether the above points are indeed correct.
Thanks everyone for their input.
As-Salaam 'Alaikum,
Camille,
Please read the answers that I posted to the thread entitled "Where will people born before rasool Allaah go after death?". I have retrieved it to the top of the list to make it easy for you.
Once you have understood what the term "Muslim" means, then you should also be able to understand the context of the verse you mentioned and the verses in the Qur'aan that refer to us following the religion of Ibrahim (AS).
The religion of all the Prophets was Islaam - that is the worship and submission to Allaah (SWT), alone and without partner. This is the religion of Ibrahim (AS) and of all the other Prophets before and including Muhammed (SAW).
The differnce lay in the revelation given to each Prophet. The basic tenets of the religion were the same, i.e. establishing prayers, charity, fasting etc., but the rules and regulations were different. Basically, the religion of Islaam evolved from the time of Adam (AS) to Muhammed (SAW). The key reason being that ALL the other Prophets were sent to their people only, so the laws were aimed at those people only. Muhammed (SAW) on the other hand was sent to the whole of mankind, and the Jinn, and his laws were the final ones until the Day of Judgment. Therefore, the rules and regulations revealed to him (SAW) had to be more complete, in order to cover all the ages up until the Last Day.
I'm not sure what you are implying by #1, but the sayings and actions of the Prophet (SAW) were always considered an explanation of the Qur'aan, because of Allaah's saying:
<< Indeed we have sent down to you the remembrance (i.e. the Qur'aan), so that you may explain to the people that which has been sent down to them (i.e. the Qur'aan) >> [Sura an-Nahl:44]
And this was the understanding of all the Companions (R).
As regards the ahadith, then I will answer in detail later, Inshallaah. But briefly, the Companions themselves wrote and taught hadith, and each successive generation did likewise. However, at the beginning, each person had personal collections of ahadith. These were eventually merged into larger collections, and still larger collections by men such as Imam Malik, Imam Muslim and Imam Bukhari (R). It is incorrect to think that after after 2/3 centuries some of the scholars decided to start writing hadith collections. The collections of hadith always existed in written form from the time of Muhammed (SAW), but in personal collections.
Anyway, I will try provide more details later, Inshallaah. I am a little busy at the moment.
Wa Salaam.
Regarding collection of Ahadiths, i would like to add that Imam Bukhari did not collected those Ahadiths in few days or weeks. It took him several years to finalise them. Whenever he came to know about any hadith, he personally met the "ravi" of that hadith and then traced its origin and through which persons it had been passed on and even what was the character of the persons involved.
So those Ahadiths may be collected in one place after few hundred years but this does not mean that the people were not aware of the Ahadiths and were not following them for the true understanding of Islam.