Followers

Friday, June 19, 2015

Are you rejecting the Prophet if you reject lies attributed to him?

(a reader has asked me to repost this.)


Are you rejecting the Prophet if youREJECT lies attributed to him?

ITOTALLY agree that to aspire to be a Muslim, one can take guidance primarily from the Quran and secondarily from the Sunnah of the prophet and thirdly, from the signs of God.

The Quran is in front of you and you can take all the steps necessary to verify whether the copy of the Quran that you have before you is authentic or not. This is easily done by comparing copies from various countries. Then, if you are like me and would like to explore whether the Quran is indeed the "word of God" and not that of human creation, you can also do it - though it takes much of your time, effort and thinking. My research has convinced me that it is indeed not theWORK of any mortal. For me, there are “no issues” as far as the Quran is concerned - It is from the Creator.

Now the Sunnah. The Sunnah is often understood as the conduct of the Prophet by the ulema of Hadith.  To the ulema of hadith, “sunnah” refers to all that is narrated from the prophet, his acts, his sayings, whatever he has tacitly approved plus all the reports of his physical attributes and characters. Today, this “Sunnah” is in a written from often called the Hadith (on hadith later).  In the Quran, the word “ Sunnah” has been used on 16 occasions and it has been used to imply anESTABLISHEDpractice or course of conduct.  

Example (1): Quran 15:13: “That they should not believe in the (Message); but the ways (Sunna) of the ancients have passed away”.

Example (2): Quran 33:38 “There can be no difficulty to the Prophet in what Allah hasINDICATED to him as a duty. It was the practice of Allah (sunnata Allahi ) amongst those of old that have passed away. And theCOMMAND of Allah is a decree determined”.

Example (3): Quran 35:43 “OnACCOUNT of their arrogance in the land and their plotting of Evil, but the plotting of Evil will hem in only the authors thereof. Now are they but looking for the way the ancients (sunnata alawwaleena) were dealt with? But no change wilt thou find in Allah.s way (lisunnati Allahi)  (of dealing): no turning off wilt thou find in Allah.s way (lisunnati Allahi) (of dealing)”.

Quran 35:43 isINTERESTING that the word “sunna” in the first instance refers to the “practice/ways of the ancients” while in the second and third instance it refers to the “practice/ways of Allah”.

However, in all the instances the word “Sunnah” is used in the Quran, there is not a single instance where it is used in relation to the Prophet. In the Quran, however, you do have Allah referring to the Prophet as an excellent example of conduct in surah 33 verse 21 as follows:

“Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example (oswatun hasanatun) for him who hopes in Allah and the latter day and remembers Allah much”.

In recorded literature, therefore, it is the ulema of Hadith that have linked this word to the Prophet, hence the word “Sunnah Rasul”. According to Professor Dr Hashim Kamali, “There is evidence to suggest that the Sunnah of the Prophet was introduced into the legal theory by the jurists of Iraq towards the end of the first century”. (Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence, page 45). This means therefore, that you can either believe the jurists wholeheartedly that everything they allege to be the sunnah of the prophet is indeed the sunnah of the prophet or you may want to take personal responsibility by verifying the same. This is an important decision to make if indeed you truly believe in Allah’s words in the Quran in surah 6 verse 94:

“And certainly you have come to Us alone as We created you at first, and you have left behind your backs the things which We gave you, and We do not see with you your intercessors about whom you asserted that they were (Allah's) associates in respect to you; certainly the ties between you are now cut off and what you asserted is gone from you”. 

Many like to use the jurists or ulemas as their intercessors in determining their faith in Allah with the excuse that the jurists are experts and they themselves are not. Of course, the role of some jurists in assisting research is commendable and helpful. We may draw useful information and knowledge from their work. However, this is not the same as being negligent or lazy or apathetic by delegating our responsibility in shaping our faith based on grounds that we are personally convinced to others. However, it is also a fact that the majority prefer to blindly believe based on conjectures and lies as in Quran 6:116

“And if you obey most of those in the earth, they will lead you astray from Allah's way; they follow but conjecture and they only lie”.

And there are quite a number who would rather follow what their families have taught them then to reflect and examine the Quran for themselves as in Quran 7:70:

“They said: Have you come to us that we may serve Allah alone and give up what our fathers used to serve? Then bring to us what you threaten us with, if you are of the truthful ones”. 

Now the “hadith”. Ulemas have often used the word “hadith” and “Sunnah” interchangeably.  Hadith literally means a narrative, communication or news consisting of factual account of an event. The word “hadith” occurs in the Quran 23 times and not once does it refer, in the technical sense, to the exclusive sayings of the Prophet.  On the other hand, the Quran has referred to itself as the “ahanal hadees” in Quran 39:23 as follows:

“Allah has revealed the most beautiful Message (ahsana alhadeethi) in theFORM of a Book conformable in its various parts, repeating, whereat do shudder the skins of those who fear their Lord, then their skins and their hearts become pliant to the remembrance of Allah; this is Allah's guidance, He guides with it whom He pleases; and (as for) him whom Allah makes err, there is no guide for him”.

In fact, the Quran goes further to challenge human beings as to “which other hadees” after the narrations in the Quran will they believe in?

Quran 77:50 “Then what message (hadeethin), after that, will they believe in?”

Today, for all practical purposes, when you speak of hadith literature in the Sunni world, you are referring to what is known as the Al-Sihah al-Sittah" translated literarily to mean "The Six Authentic", even though they are not all considered authentic (sahih), except for the first two collections. (The Shias have their own collections of hadith). 
Sunni Muslims view the Six major Hadith collections as their most important. They are, inORDER of authenticity:
  1. Sahih Bukhari, collected by Imam Bukhari (d. 870), includes 7275 hadiths
  2. Sahih Muslim, collected by Muslim b. al-Hajjaj (d. 875), includes 9200
  3. Sunan al-Sughra, collected by al-Nasa'i (d. 915)
  4. Sunan Abi Da'ud, collected by Abu Da'ud (d.888)
  5. Sunan al-Tirmidhi, collected by al-Tirmidhi (d. 892)
  6. Sometimes referred to as Al-Muwatta, collected by Imam Malik (d. 796) and sometimes, Sunan Ibn Majah, collected by Ibnu Majah (d. 886). Some have even considered Sunan al-Darami to be the sixth.
The first two are referred to as the Two Sahihs as anINDICATION of their authenticity. Combined the Two Sahihscontain approximately seven thousand hadith without repetition according to Ibn Hajar.
All these hadiths collections were said to be complied some 150 to 200 years after the passing away of the Prophet. It is alsoINTERESTING to note that the Muwatta of Imam Malik contains 1,720 hadiths out of which 822 are attributed to the Prophet while the rest are attributed to the companions, successors and others (Prof Dr Hashim Kamali, Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence, page 48). 

I shall not discuss here the hadith collections of the Shias as Malaysians are primarily Sunnis. 

Hadith “science” is complex. There are many hadiths that have been forged in the name of the Prophet and many more that are considered weak or daif as to its authenticity. There numerous classification of the authenticity ofA hadith. For the active and sincere believer, I would suggest that you check on the authenticity of a hadith before you negligently attribute it to the Prophet. Sincerity should not be confused with laziness or apathy or blind faith. 

If anyoneQUOTES a hadith or attributes it to the Prophet, ask for its reference so that you can verify it for yourself. Do not go around accusing that if someone rejects a particular hadith, he must therefore be rejecting the Prophet. (It will also help if you self examine whether you have a solid basis for your own views.) If this is so then, you will be accusing scholars like Imam Bukhari and Muslim who have rejected many hadiths on grounds that it is forged and where it is unverifiable according to their standards. The fact is: we are required to reject lies attributed to our Prophet. 

Peace!

NOTE: The above views are entirely my understanding and no one is required to agree with them. Kindly check with your own copy of the Quran and make up your own minds and thoughts. If I have erred in my facts, kindly highlight to me. 

4 comments:

amanasyanti said...

Hadis adalah riwayat atau penceritaan. Apabila hadis dikategorikan, kriteria yang digunakan ialah tahap kebolehpercayaannya. Hadis yang boleh dipercaya seratus peratus ialah ialah hadis yang ada ramai (tiga atau lebih) pencerita yang mendengar hadis yang sama dari nabi. Hadis seperti ini sangat sedikit. Bagi kategori selanjutnya tahap kebolehpercayaannya menurun.
Walaupun hadith sahih (Bukhari & Muslim) menjadi pegangan ahli Sunnah, namun banyak dari hadis itu tidak diketengahakan dan diajar kerana ceritanya terlalu kotor, susah hendak diercayai atau tidak logik. Ada juga hadis yang terang terang tidak dikuti oleh masyarakat seperti “… tiada jangkitan bagi penyakit” atau ‘.. jika lalat jatuh keair minuman, tenggelamkan seluruh badannya (syap kanan dan kiri). kemudian air itu selamat diminum…”. Kalau ini berlaku dikedai kopi semua orang tidak akan minum air itu dan meminta gantian. Jadi sesetengah hadis sahih pun pada praktiknya tidak dipercayai umum.
Hadis daif (lemah) berada ditingkat yang rendah. Oleh itu kurang boleh dipercayai, atas sebab yang telah diterangkan.
Kebanyakan hadis daif diterimapakai untuk membolehkan sesetengah orang melakukan ibadat sunat. Mengikut pandangan ini, walaupun suruhan untuk mengadakan “amalan” sembahyang dan puasa tambahan serta wirid tiada bukti yang kukuh, namun diharapkan akan diterima Allah dan dengan itu mendapat pahala lebih. Pengamal amalan tersebut percayakan tentang taman raudah dimana setiap wirid, sembahyang sunat dan puasa sunat akan memebuahkan hasil di syurga.
Saranan ulamak yang dicedok oleh seorang ulamak lain seperti diabawah sangat menarik hati
“Walaupun jumhur mengharuskan meriwayatkan hadith dhaif, namun perlu di ingatkan mereka menyatakan bahawa tidak harus menggunakan perkataan yang menunjukkan kepastian (sighah jazam) seperti “sabda Rasullalah s.aw” ketika meriwayatkan hadith dhaif ini kerana untuk mengelakkan daripada menisbahkan kepada Rasulullah s.a.w apa yang tidak disabdakannya bahkan hendaklah digunakan kalimah yang menunjukkan ketidakpastian (tamridh), seperti “diriwayatkan atau dikatakan bahawa nabi s.a.w pernah bersabda” dan seumpamanya. (تقريب النووي: ص 22)”
Yang saya dapat fahami dari saranan itu, ialah hadis daif tidak boleh dianggap sebagai kata-kata yang datang dari Nabi. Jua, tahap kebolehpercayaannya pun perlu disorok. Jadi hadis daif bukanlah hadis sebenarnya. Dengan itu saudara kita ini dengan tidak langsung mengaku hadis daif bukanlah hadis dari ucapan nabi. Ternyata pemikiran para ulama tentang hadis sangat keliru
Islam ialah cara menjalani kehidupan didunia ini mengikut petunjuk Allah. Kehidupan ini perlu dilalui. Orang yang mengharungi kehidupan dengan amalan baik akan mendapat ganjaran dipenghujung kehidupan. Amalan bermaksud, berakhlak mulia sesama manusia, bertimbangrasa kepada manusia dan binatang, memlihara cipataan Tuhan dialam ini dan perkara lain dalam kehidupan. Ibadat menguatkan keyakianan kita kepada petunjuk Allah dan membaca Quran memebolehkan kita memahami kehendak Tuhan. Melakukan ibadat sunat yang tidak pasti akan diambilkira oleh Tuhan, mensiasiakan masa. Berlebihan dalam apa jua bukanlah satu kebaikan. Adakah yang disuruh Allah untuk manusia berlumba membuat amalan baik itu sembahyang sunat mahupun puasa sunat atau wirid beratus kali? Adakah Allah mengharapkan atau memerlukan apa apa dari hambanya?

Anonymous said...

amanasyanti

maaf, awak yg keliru, ulama tak keliru ttg hadis.
1. membaca hadis satu hal, mengambil pengajaran dari hadis adalah hal lain, membuat hukum menggunakan hadis adalah hal lain. hanya kerana hadis itu dari sahih bukhari atau muslim tidak bermakna semuanya diamalkan bulat2 kerana itu bidang ilmu yg lain.
2. sahih bukhari & muslim adalah sahih dari segi sanad, maknanya matan hadis tersebut belum tentu sahih dan perlu penilaian yg lain.
3. Allah mmg tak perlukan hamba, tapi hamba yg taat akan patuh pd perintah Allah. sembahyang sunat itu dr hadis daif ke hadis sahih ke atau al-qur'an? jangan pukul borong semua ibadah sunat dr hadis daif. tp seolah2 hadis sahih pun ditolak. apakah semua yang diperintah Allah dalam al-qur'an boleh dipraktik tanpa panduan hadis?
4. cerita apa yg terlalu kotor?

Anonymous said...

I may sound like a typical of those defending hadith, but it is whts im thinking currently.

Based on the above article/ posting, we should always counter check hadith with the quran. I agree. tht make sense.

but typically those defending hadith would point out tht the quran never specifies how to pray (ruku, sujud, takbir) im guessing some are mentioned but not down to the detail from wudhu to salam.

so then they argue how do we know tht the way we perform shalat (doesnt matter which mazhab) is actually the correct way since we have no way of doing counter check with the quran.

eventually tht means tht the ultimate way to pray is to just follow whtever mentioned in the quran (if any, to me wallahualam, i havent completely study the quran yet) since thts the only way it is guaranteed correct (since mentioned in quran)

then how come we reach to one conclusion tht how we pray now is the accepted way, the way Allah will approve? are we then taking the leap of faith? or is this where we would just say redha since we have no way of verifying these.

i guess i could argue with common sense, tht such obvious things like prayers cannot simply be tempered with, it must be exactly like how the prophet prayed.

but message, citation, narration tends to change during the course of time. so our prophet wafat like wht 1k years plus? then wht kind of conclusion do we use to conclude how we pray.

if theres a set of rules to determine these, then how do we know this is the best way? wht if someone some group out there suggest or claimed tht their method is better?

islam is perfect, right now due to diff opinion theres chaos? now but we cannot change the fact tht people will see things differently all the time. so which is right which is wrong. eventually there must be one ultimate correct answer. but now theres so many loopholes, diff opinions, uncertainty. does this shows tht islam is inperfect ?

to have unity u must only stand by one set of rules. but if we are govern by diff views, then I can only see chaos, hence technically (nauzubillah) shows islam is inperfect ?

I do believe islam is perfect, id just like to know ur take on these.

amanasyanti said...

Saudara Anonymous June 25, 2015 at 1:04 PM
Nampaknya saudara sangat bersetuju dengan saya terbukti dari pendapat saudara "membuat hukum menggunakan hadis adalah hal lain. hanya kerana hadis itu dari sahih bukhari atau muslim tidak bermakna semuanya diamalkan bulat2" dan "sahih bukhari & muslim adalah sahih dari segi sanad, maknanya matan hadis tersebut belum tentu sahih dan perlu penilaian yg lain". Maknanya saudara bersetuju bukan semaua hadis sahih boleh diterimapakai. Penulis blog bertanya: adakah menolak kepalsuan yang diceritakan mengenai Rasul merupakan penolakkan kepada ajarannya? Jawabnya tentulah tidak, sebab terdapat hadis (seperti pendapat saudara) yang tidak boleh diterimapakai walaupun diriwayatkan oleh "Al-Sihah al-Sittah".Kalau tidak palsu (bukan dusta)mengapa tak diterimapakai atau "tak layak dibuat hukum"?