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Hadith rejectors (Arabic: منكرو الحديث), also known as Hadith deniers,[1] are Muslims who reject the authority of the hadiths (sayings attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad). Reasons for rejecting the Hadith include opposition to an extra-Quranic source of scriptural authority, problematic contents of the Hadith, and authenticity of the Hadith. Opponents of the Hadith often say that the Hadith have nothing to do with the Islamic prophet Muhammad.[2] Critiques of the rejectors of Hadith have existed both in the contemporary Islamic world and the greater modern-secular world.[3]

Hadith rejectors often include Quranists, who consider the Qur'an to be the only dependable religious text.[4] While Quranism is a form of Hadith rejection, not all Hadith rejectors fit into the Quranist label, as their reasons, scope, and interpretations vary greatly. Other subsets of Hadith rejectors have included Ahl al-Kalām, some sects of the Mu'tazilites and Kharijites, and some modernist Muslims, neo-Mu'tazilites, and Shias.

The term Hadithist is a term of reference or depiction, used by Hadith-rejecting Muslims to describe those who adhere to the Hadith.[5]

Rashidun and Umayyad periods

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According to a historical tradition, the "Ban on Hadith" instituted by caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab (r. 634–644 CE) continued through the caliphate of the Rashidun caliphs into the Umayyad period and did not cease until the period of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (r. 717–720 CE).[6]

Ahl al-Kalām, Mu'tazilites, and Kharijites

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Historically, Ahl al-Kalām, who have been described as the forerunners of the Mu'tazilites (Arabic: المعتزلة), rejected the authority of the hadith on the grounds that its corpus was "filled with contradictory, blasphemous, and absurd" reports, and that in jurisprudence, even the smallest doubt about a source was too much. Thus, they believed, the true legacy of the Islamic prophet Muhammad was to be found elsewhere, i.e. in the Sunnah, which is separate from the hadith.[7][8] In the early history of Islam, the sunnah of Muhammad was not necessarily associated with the hadith.[9] The association between the sunnah of Muhammad and the hadith was established later, particularly by the Sunni scholar Al-Shafi'i (d. 820 CE).[10][11]

Under the Abbasid caliph Al-Ma'mun (r. 813-833 CE), the adherents of Kalam were favoured and the supporters of Hadith were dealt harshly. Al-Ma'mun was inclined towards rational inquiry in religious matters, supported the proponents of Kalam and persecuted the adherents of Hadith. His two immediate successors, Al-Mu'tasim (r. 833-842 CE) and Al-Wathiq (r. 842-847 CE), followed his policies. Unlike his three predecessors, Al-Mutawakkil (r. 847-861 CE) was not inclined to rational inquiry in religious matters, and strove to bolster the Hadith as a necessary source of the Sunnah.[12]

Similarly, some sects of the Kharijites (Arabic: الخوارج) also rejected the hadith; there were some who opposed even the writing down of the Hadith itself for fear that it would compete, or even replace the Qur'an.[13] The Khawarij believed in the Qur'an as the only source of Islamic law.[14]

Like Ahl al-Kalām, Mu'tazilites also rejected the hadiths as the basis for Islamic law, while at the same time accepting the Sunnah and Ijma. For Mu'tazilites, the basic argument for rejecting the hadiths was that "since its essence is transmission by individuals, [it] cannot be a sure avenue of our knowledge about the Prophetic teaching unlike the Qur'an about whose transmission there is a universal unanimity among Muslims".[15] According to the historian Ahmad Amin, the Arab Mu'tazilite scholar Ibrahim Al-Nazzam (d. 845 CE) "almost used to believe in nothing other than the Qur'an and logic".[16]

Quranists, modernist Muslims, neo-Mu'tazilites, and Shias

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Hadith rejectors include Quranists,[17][18] who view the hadiths as un-Quranic; they believe that obedience to the Islamic prophet Muhammad means obedience to the Qur'an;[19][20] some further claim that most hadiths are fabrications (pseudepigrapha)[21] created in the 8th and 9th century AD, and which are falsely attributed to Muhammad.[21][22][23]

Similar to Quranists, modernist Muslims also believe that the problems in the Islamic world come partly from the traditional elements of the hadith and seek to reject those teachings.[24] Some modernist Muslims have applied historical-critical methods which incorporate external evidence like Islamic archaeology and scientific facts to critique the hadiths.[25][26] This is similar to the methodology of medieval Muslim polymaths like Al-Biruni (d. 1052 CE). According to Yasir Qadhi, Al-Biruni was "not pro-Hadith" and was "sceptical of the Hadith".[27] Al-Biruni rejected hadiths which contradicted science, including those reported in Sahih al-Bukhari.[28][29]

Neo-Mu'tazilites, who adopt some of the rationalist and interpretative methodologies of the classical Mu'tazilite school, have a relationship to faith that relativizes the hadiths and questions them.[30] The reformist program of Sayed Ahmad Khan (d. 1898 CE) included a rationalist, neo-Mu'tazilite understanding of Islamic scripture, questioning much of the corpus of Hadith as either apocryphal or relevant only to prophet Muhammad's day and age, rejecting the validity of ijma (consensus), broadening the horizon of ijtihad (independent reasoning), and interpreting Biblical scripture from a sympathetic Muslim point of view (see: Muslim Hebraism).[31] Another notable neo-Mu'tazilite is Ayatollah Seyed Kamal Heydari (b. 1956 CE), who argues that the dominant trend in Iranian Shia seminaries since the 10th century CE has been to favor the hadiths over the Qur'an. He defines his position as "Qur'an-centric" (ghor'an-mehvar), favoring the Qur'anic text over the hadiths and rejecting the latter where they deviate from the Qur'an.[32]

Imam Mohammad Tawhidi, a Shia who identifies as a Muhtaat, has explicitly stated his rejection of the books of Hadith, and has stated, "The political, historical, social, ethical, and jurisprudential books that cover aspects of the life of Mohammad were written by scholars from many sects. They vary and contradict each other due to the different perceptions of Mohammad within all 70+ Islamic schools of thought. I encourage my co-religionists to review and evaluate their historical texts".[33]

Other movements

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The Nation of Islam (NOI), which claims to form its foundation in Islam, has a "tangential relationship" with the hadith. The movement has been critisized by mainstream Muslims for its "inade­quate emphasis on the hadith". Instead of the hadith, the NOI is primarily guided by the Qur'an and the writings and teachings of its key figures, such as its founder Wallace Fard Muhammad (b. 1877 CE) and his successors Elijah Muhammad (d. 1975 CE) and Louis Farrakhan (b. 1933 CE).[34][35][36]

References

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  1. ↑ https://kharchoufa.com/en/the-quest-for-authenticity-modern-critiques-of-classical-hadith-collections/
  2. ↑ https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Bw7UEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA12&dq=hadith+rejecters&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjA6_3nr7eFAxVg1QIHHRU9DRI4HhDoAXoECAUQAw#v=onepage&q&f=false
  3. ↑ Erdil, Mustafa (5 September 2023). On the Path of the Prophet: Fethullah Gulen's Understanding of Sunnah. Tughra Books. ISBN 978-1-59784-990-6.
  4. ↑ "Islamic movement emphasizing Quran solely". onelook.com.
  5. ↑ https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=xhtpuBYpDlEC&pg=PA10&dq=hadithist&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiOwcztovmLAxVVQUEAHWpbIDQQ6AF6BAgNEAM#v=onepage&q&f=false
  6. ↑ Kate H. Winter (1989). The Woman in the Mountain: Reconstructions of Self and Land by Adirondack Women Writers. SUNY Press. p. 45. ISBN 9781438424255.
  7. ↑ https://jsr.usb.ac.ir/article_836_66f3c74ac6651881aeb32f7fbef47109.pdf
  8. ↑ Brown, Rethinking tradition in modern Islamic thought, 1996[broken anchor]: p.15
  9. ↑ Brown, Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic Thought, 1996: p.10-12
  10. ↑ Cite error: The named reference Juynboll was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
  11. ↑ Brown, Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic Thought, 1996: 10-12, p.14
  12. ↑ https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=vdbGAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA63&dq=Al-Ma%27mun+was+inclined+towards+rational+inquiry+in+religious+matters,+supported+the+proponents+of+Kalam+and+persecuted+the+adherents+of+Hadith.&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiU1KbvnPmJAxWpQEEAHYwXEHQQ6AF6BAgDEAM#v=onepage&q&f=false
  13. ↑ Sindima, Harvey J. (2 November 2017). Major Issues in Islam: The Challenges within and Without. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-7618-7017-3.
  14. ↑ https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=coMlEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT3055&dq=Khawarij+-+they+believe+in+the+Qur%27an+as+the+only+source+of+Islamic+law&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi_2fGE7LeFAxXi8wIHHSb-Ab4Q6AF6BAgNEAM#v=onepage&q&f=false
  15. ↑ Deen, Sayyed M. (2007). Science Under Islam: Rise, Decline and Revival. Lulu.com. ISBN 9781847999429.
  16. ↑ "Duha Al-Islam".
  17. ↑ https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Bw7UEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA12&dq=hadith+rejecters&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjA6_3nr7eFAxVg1QIHHRU9DRI4HhDoAXoECAUQAw#v=onepage&q&f=false
  18. ↑ https://kharchoufa.com/en/the-quest-for-authenticity-modern-critiques-of-classical-hadith-collections/
  19. ↑ "DeRudKR - Kap. 27: Was bedeutet 'Gehorcht dem Gesandten'?". Alrahman (in German). 2006-03-06.
  20. ↑ Dr Rashad Khalifa (2001), Quran, Hadith and Islam (in German), Dr. Rashad Khalifa Ph.D., retrieved 2021-06-12
  21. 1 2 "Hadith and the Corruption of the great religion of Islam | Submission.org - Your best source for Submission (Islam)". submission.org. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
  22. ↑ Aisha Y. Musa, The Qur’anists, Florida International University, accessed May 22, 2013.
  23. ↑ Neal Robinson (2013), Islam: A Concise Introduction, Routledge, ISBN 978-0878402243, Chapter 7, pp. 85-89
  24. ↑ "10 Forgotten Sects of Major Religions". 8 April 2016.
  25. ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361409940_The_Place_of_Archaeological_Studies_and_Historical_Geography_in_Contemporary_Interpretations
  26. ↑ https://seekersguidance.org/answers/hadith/hadiths-at-odds-with-science/
  27. ↑ https://muslimcentral.com/yasir-qadhi-library-chat-12-al-biruni-d-1048-ce-and-the-making-of-muslim-civilization/
  28. ↑ https://www.duas.org/falsefast.htm
  29. ↑ https://archive.org/details/chronologyofanci00biru/page/327/mode/1up?ref=ol&q=Thora
  30. ↑ https://shs.cairn.info/journal-etudes-2023-5-page-83?lang=en
  31. ↑ https://mrmo.org/islamic-reformers/sayyid-ahmad-khan/
  32. ↑ https://shs.cairn.info/journal-etudes-2023-5-page-83?lang=en
  33. ↑ https://imamtawhidi.com/imam-tawhidi-these-are-my-religious-beliefs/
  34. ↑ https://www.equip.org/articles/louis-farrakhan-and-the-nation-of-islam/
  35. ↑ https://libcom.org/article/proletarian-critique-nation-islam-melancholic-troglodytes
  36. ↑ https://www.premierunbelievable.com/articles/what-is-the-nation-of-islam-and-how-does-it-differ-from-christianity/17757.article#:~:text=As%20mentioned%20above%2C%20though%2C%20the%20NOI%20does,Muhammad)%20guide%20the%20NOI's%20beliefs%20and%20practices.
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