Objections of Hadith Deniers and Their Answers:
Dear readers! Hadith deniers raise some objections to reject Hadith. Now we carefully examine each of these objections to see how much weight they carry or if they are masterpieces of absurdity.
We clarify the nature of these objections so that the difference between truth and falsehood becomes clear to people.
قل جاء الحق وزهق الباطل ان الباطل كان زهوقا
First Objection:
Dear readers! One objection of the Hadith deniers to reject Hadith is that there is a lot of disagreement in the blessed Hadiths. This causes discord, due to which the Muslim Ummah has been divided into groups, therefore we do not accept Hadith at all.
Answer:
Dear readers! What is the reality of the disagreement in Hadith? We are not discussing that here. The discussion is whether Hadith should be rejected because of disagreement? And is disagreement itself a reason for rejection?
If the reason for not accepting Hadith is disagreement, then there are dozens of verses in the Holy Quran that apparently differ. If disagreement itself is a reason for rejection, then reject these verses as well. Consider a few verses as examples.
وَالَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَاجًا وَصِيَّةً لِّأَزْوَاجِهِم مَّتَاعًا إِلَى الْحَوْلِ غَيْرَ إِخْرَاجٍ ۚ فَإِنْ خَرَجْنَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي مَا فَعَلْنَ فِي أَنفُسِهِنَّ مِن مَّعْرُوفٍ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
“Those of you who die and leave wives behind, they should make a bequest for their wives to benefit from for one year without being expelled. But if they leave themselves, there is no sin on you for what they do with good intention for themselves. And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.”
From this verse, it is established that women whose husbands die should be allowed to benefit for one year and should not be expelled from their homes. But in another verse it is stated:
وَالَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَاجًا يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنفُسِهِنَّ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا ۖ فَإِذَا بَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِيمَا فَعَلْنَ فِي أَنفُسِهِنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ
“And those of you who die and leave wives behind, those women shall wait for themselves four months and ten days. Then when their term is completed, there is no sin on you for what they do with good intention for themselves. And Allah is fully aware of what you do.”
This verse establishes that women whose husbands die should wait for four months and ten days, i.e., observe the waiting period (iddah) and stay in their husbands’ homes. From this verse, it is proven that the waiting period is four months and ten days, whereas the above verse mentions one year. So there is an apparent disagreement between the two verses. Allah Almighty says:
إِن يَكُن مِّنكُمْ عِشْرُونَ صَابِرُونَ يَغْلِبُوا مِائَتَيْنِ ۚ وَإِن يَكُن مِّنكُم مِّائَةٌ يَغْلِبُوا أَلْفًا مِّنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَّا يَفْقَهُونَ
“O Prophet, urge the believers to fight. If there are twenty patient ones among you, they will overcome two hundred. And if there are a hundred, they will overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve.”
From this verse, it is understood that you can defeat an army ten times your size, so fight an army ten times larger than you. But in the next verse, it is said that you can defeat an army twice your size. So fight an army twice your size. The first verse encourages fighting an army ten times larger, and the second encourages fighting an army twice as large. Both verses are apparently contradictory.
Allah Almighty says:
لَّا يَحِلُّ لَكَ النِّسَاءُ مِن بَعْدُ وَلَا أَن تَبَدَّلَ بِهِنَّ مِنْ أَزْوَاجٍ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكَ حُسْنُهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا مَلَكَتْ يَمِينُكَ ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ رَّقِيبًا
“After this, it is not lawful for you to marry any other women, nor is it proper for you to replace them with others, even if their beauty pleases you, except those whom your right hand possesses. And Allah is ever Watchful over all things.”
From this verse, it is established that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) cannot marry any other woman after this. Whereas another verse states:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَحْلَلْنَا لَكَ أَزْوَاجَكَ اللَّاتِي آتَيْتَ أُجُورَهُنَّ وَمَا مَلَكَتْ يَمِينُكَ مِمَّا أَفَاءَ اللَّهُ
“O Prophet, We have made lawful for you your wives to whom you have given their dowries, and those whom your right hand possesses from what Allah has returned to you as spoils of war.”
From this verse, it is established that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is permitted to marry and can marry. The above verse forbids marriage, while this verse permits it. There is an apparent contradiction between the two; accepting one necessitates rejecting the other.
These are just three examples of apparent contradictions in Quranic verses; dozens of such verses can be presented before the false deniers. So will they try to resolve these contradictions according to their blasphemous ideology? If they resolve these contradictions by interpretation, then can the contradictions in Hadith not be resolved by interpretation? If it can be done, then why reject it? Therefore, repent from your blasphemous ideology; this is the path to safety.
If to resolve the contradictions in these verses, the concepts of abrogation (Nasikh and Mansukh) and other evidences are used, then why can this not be done in the blessed Hadiths?
According to the Hadith deniers, if Hadith is accepted, it causes disagreement. Dear sir! If Hadith is not accepted, will disagreement end? If disagreement will end, then please demonstrate it!
Two Hadith deniers have a disagreement; one is Zaid and the other is Bakr.
Zaid says: Five prayers are obligatory.
Bakr says: No, three prayers are obligatory.
Who among them is right and who is wrong? Who will decide?
Zaid says: Zuhr prayer has four rak’ahs.
Bakr says: It has three rak’ahs.
Zaid says: I will give salam sitting.
Bakr says: I will give salam standing.
Zaid says: One prostration is sufficient; the second is not necessary.
Bakr says: I will do three prostrations in each rak’ah.
Please answer calmly: where will the solution to their disagreement come from?
You rejected Hadith because there was disagreement. Disagreement remains despite rejecting Hadith, not only remains but has greatly increased. Severe disagreement can occur between every two individuals on every issue, as we have tried to clarify with three examples. There will be disagreement on dozens of issues such as prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, zakat, travel and non-travel prayer times, etc. Who will resolve this disagreement?
If according to them, the ruler of the time will determine these issues, then we ask: who gave the ruler the authority to determine Allah’s religion, while this authority was not even given to Allah’s Prophet (peace be upon him)? The Divine command is:
وَلَوْ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَيْنَا بَعْضَ الْأَقَاوِيلِ ﴿٤٤﴾ لَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِالْيَمِينِ ﴿٤٥﴾ ثُمَّ لَقَطَعْنَا مِنْهُ الْوَتِينَ ﴿٤٦﴾
“If he (our Prophet) had attributed any saying to Us, We would have seized him by the right hand and cut off his aorta.”
Dear readers! Imagine! Allah did not give even His Prophet (peace be upon him) the authority to add or subtract from religion, so who is the ruler who can add or subtract from religion? When the ruler cannot add or subtract, then determination and clarification cannot be made. When it cannot be made, disagreement remains. When you rejected Hadith to get out of difficulty, by rejecting it you have fallen into a greater calamity and difficulty. Therefore, the path to peace and safety is to repent from rejecting Hadith and accept the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) from the depths of your heart, so that you may be saved from the difficulties of this world and the Hereafter. Because this is the path to salvation and success.
Second Objection (Hadith is against the Quran):
Dear readers! The objection of the deniers is also extremely weak. Because Hadith is the interpretation of the Quran, not something that contradicts it. It is a different matter if God has blinded the minds of those who have lost the ability to think and understand, and who have made a minor apparent contradiction seem like a very dangerous disagreement.
The deniers present this Hadith from Sahih Bukhari as evidence of their claim, in which three lies of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) are mentioned. While the Quran declares Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) to be truthful. The Hadith accuses him of lying. Therefore, they reject the Hadith. Below, the mentioned incidents are attributed by the Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to lying, whereas the reality is that the mentioned lies of Prophet Ibrahim are not lies but Tawrīyah, meaning a manner of speech in which the listener reaches the intended meaning after reflection. In other words, this style is used to explain something better, as Ibrahim (peace be upon him) adopted.
بَلْ فَعَلَهُ كَبِيرُهُمْ هَٰذَا
“Rather, it is their great mischief.”
1: He left the big idol and broke the rest. When asked, he replied that the big one broke it. Now consider, if he was going to lie, should his answer have been this or should it have been that he knew nothing? Surely, it should have been that he knew nothing, but he did not say that; rather, he said the big one broke it. So that it would become clear to them in a better way that these idols made of stone cannot do anything. So how could they have broken? Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) succeeded in his purpose using the words of the Quran, and the disbelievers themselves admitted that these idols could do nothing.
Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) adopted this manner so that falsehood would be clearly recognized as falsehood. Not to lie, nor did he lie. Rather, this style is called Tawrīyah. If this is also a lie, then the Quran has also mentioned it. Therefore, reject the Quran as well, because on one hand it calls Ibrahim truthful and on the other hand it narrates this lie.
Therefore, according to their theory, they have two reasons not to accept the Quran:
① Accusing Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) of lying.
② Contradiction between two verses of the Wise Quran.
They can decide about their theory themselves.
Although my style of expression is not sharp,
Perhaps my words will settle in your heart.
2: Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) passed through the territory of a tyrannical ruler with his wife Sarah. That ruler used to seize beautiful women and if their husbands were present, he would have them killed. When he demanded Sayyida Sarah (may Allah be pleased with her), Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) told Sarah to present herself as his sister.
This Hadith further clarifies:
«و الله ان على الأرض من مؤمن غيرى وغير ك»
“By Allah! There is no believer (couple) on the face of the earth except you and me.”
At this occasion, he called his wife his sister. Now this also appears to be a lie, but in reality, it is not a lie. In truth, all children of Adam are brothers and sisters because all are descendants of Adam (peace be upon him), and in this respect, all are siblings. Therefore, it is not a lie. Moreover, this is not a lie because it causes no harm to anyone but is to protect oneself from oppression and injustice. And this lie is not considered a lie. Allah Almighty says:
إِلَّا مَنْ أُكْرِهَ وَقَلْبُهُ مُطْمَئِنٌّ بِالْإِيمَانِ
“Whoever is compelled while his heart is at peace with faith, there is no sin upon him.”
3: The third incident is that when the people of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) invited him to a fair, he expressed an excuse, saying اني سقيم “Indeed, I am ill.” Since every human has some illness, this was not a white lie, or perhaps he was afflicted with the illness of the idols.
This manner is adopted to greatly humiliate the opponents and to nullify all their arguments. Just as when we say to opponents on an issue, “Come, we are also with you; you prove it,” but they cannot prove it, so we withdraw and abandon their support. No one calls our character a liar but rather the opponents are humiliated because they were ready to accept but could not prove it. Here, Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) used the same manner, which no sane person can call a lie because the real purpose is reform. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
«ليس الكذاب الذى يصلح بين الناس ويقول خيرا وينمي خيرا»
“He is not a liar who reconciles between people. Whatever he says for reform is rightly said, and whoever backbites for reform is also not a liar.”
If the objection is that the Hadith is rejected because it contradicts the Quran, then the objectors themselves face this objection that two lies are mentioned in the Quran. Therefore, there is contradiction in the Quran as well, so it is not a proof or argument.
Third Objection:
Hadith is not revelation. That which is not revelation cannot be a proof. Revelation is only the Holy Quran.
The Sunnah was not revealed to you. Therefore, it is not a proof. Allah has said in the Quran:
وَأُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنُ
“The Quran has been revealed to me.”
Answer:
This argument of the deniers of Hadith does not prove their claim. There is no doubt that the Quran was revealed to our master Muhammad (peace be upon him). Their argument is not according to their claim because there are many evidences for the Quran being revelation. But there is no verse that restricts revelation only to the Quran and excludes everything else; rather, the Hadith of the Prophet is also revelation. Allah Almighty says:
وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ ﴿٣﴾ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَىٰ ﴿٤﴾
“And they do not speak from their own desires. It is only revelation that is revealed.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was bound by this that he could not say anything on his own in matters of religion. The Divine command is:
وَلَوْ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَيْنَا بَعْضَ الْأَقَاوِيلِ ﴿٤٤﴾ لَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِالْيَمِينِ ﴿٤٥﴾ ثُمَّ لَقَطَعْنَا مِنْهُ الْوَتِينَ ﴿٤٦﴾ فَمَا مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ عَنْهُ حَاجِزِينَ ﴿٤٧﴾ وَإِنَّهُ لَتَذْكِرَةٌ لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿٤٨﴾
“And if he had made up about Us some sayings, We would have seized him by the right hand; then We would have cut off his life artery, and none of you could have held him back.”
Imagine! The Prophet (peace be upon him) was given the most severe warning against interfering in religion on his own accord. So when the Prophet (peace be upon him) does not say anything in religion from his own desire, but whatever he says is according to Allah’s command, then certainly every word of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is divine revelation. This is why Allah, the Most Merciful, has clarified in many verses of the Quran that My Prophet is only bound by Our commands. Whatever is told to him, he conveys to you. Allah has explicitly stated this so that those with ill intentions may believe that every word of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is divine revelation. The Divine command is:
قُل لَّا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ عِندِي خَزَائِنُ اللَّهِ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ وَلَا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ إِنِّي مَلَكٌ ۖ إِنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلَّا مَا يُوحَىٰ إِلَيَّ ۚ قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الْأَعْمَىٰ وَالْبَصِيرُ ۚ أَفَلَا تَتَفَكَّرُونَ
“Say: I do not tell you that I have the treasures of Allah, nor do I know the unseen, nor do I say to you that I am an angel. I only follow what is revealed to me.”
Consider that all extraordinary claims have been negated from the Prophet (peace be upon him), and it has also been clarified that he only follows revelation (the message of Allah). It is understood that Hadith is divine revelation.
وَإِذَا لَمْ تَأْتِهِم بِآيَةٍ قَالُوا لَوْلَا اجْتَبَيْتَهَا ۚ قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَتَّبِعُ مَا يُوحَىٰ إِلَيَّ مِن رَّبِّي ۚ هَٰذَا بَصَائِرُ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ
“And when you do not bring them a sign, they say, ‘Why have you not brought us a sign?’ Say, ‘I only follow what is revealed to me from my Lord. This is clear evidence from your Lord, and guidance and mercy for a people who believe.'”
Reflect! The disbelievers demanded a miracle from the Prophet (peace be upon him), but he replied that he is only bound by Allah’s commands. He cannot show miracles at will; his task is to follow divine revelation. Because the Prophet (peace be upon him) was bound by this. Further, Allah Almighty says:
وَاتَّبِعْ مَا يُوحَىٰ إِلَيْكَ وَاصْبِرْ حَتَّىٰ يَحْكُمَ اللَّهُ ۚ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الْحَاكِمِينَ
“So follow what is revealed to you, and be patient until Allah gives His judgment. He is the best of judges.”
Dear readers! Reflect on all these verses and you will find that the Prophet (peace be upon him) is bound by Allah’s revelation. He follows only divine revelation. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is absolutely not allowed to interfere in divine revelation. So how can it be that the Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is not divine revelation? Surely, the blessed Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is also divine revelation; there is no room for doubt in this. Now we present before you some incidents mentioned in the Quran which show that the Quran also considers the Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) as divine revelation.
وَإِذْ أَسَرَّ النَّبِيُّ إِلَىٰ بَعْضِ أَزْوَاجِهِ حَدِيثًا فَلَمَّا نَبَّأَتْ بِهِ وَأَظْهَرَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ عَرَّفَ بَعْضَهُ وَأَعْرَضَ عَن بَعْضٍ ۖ فَلَمَّا نَبَّأَهَا بِهِ قَالَتْ مَنْ أَنبَأَكَ هَٰذَا ۖ قَالَ نَبَّأَنِيَ الْعَلِيمُ الْخَبِيرُ
“When the Prophet told his wife this matter, she said, ‘Who told you this?’ He said, ‘The All-Knowing, the All-Aware has informed me.’ O wives of the Prophet! If you both repent to Allah, it is better for you.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was informed of this entire incident through revelation, which the Quran itself clarifies:
نَبَّأَنِيَ الْعَلِيمُ الْخَبِيرُ
“The All-Knowing, the All-Aware has informed me.”
If revelation is only and exclusively the Quran, and Hadith is not divine revelation, then show from the entire Quran the incident mentioned in this verse which was informed to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and which the Quran itself acknowledges that the Prophet says, “The All-Knowing, the All-Aware has informed me.” This is impossible. Since it cannot be proven, one must accept that the Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is also divine revelation, as explicitly stated in the mentioned verse of the Quran.
The second incident is mentioned in the Quran:
لَقَد صَدَقَ اللهُ رَسُولَهُ الرُّويَا بِالْحَقِّ لَتَدْخُلْنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامَ إِنْ شَاءَ الله مِنينَ مُحَلَقِينَ رُءُوسَكُمْ وَمُقَصِّرِينَ لَا تَخَافُونَ فَعَلِمَ مَا لَمْ تَعْلَمُوا لَّقَدْ صَدَقَ اللَّهُ رَسُولَهُ الرُّؤْيَا بِالْحَقِّ ۖ لَتَدْخُلُنَّ الْمَسْجِدَ الْحَرَامَ إِن شَاءَ اللَّهُ آمِنِينَ مُحَلِّقِينَ رُءُوسَكُمْ وَمُقَصِّرِينَ لَا تَخَافُونَ ۖ فَعَلِمَ مَا لَمْ تَعْلَمُوا فَجَعَلَ مِن دُونِ ذَٰلِكَ فَتْحًا قَرِيبًا ﴿٢٧﴾ هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ ۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ شَهِيدًا ﴿٢٨﴾
“Indeed, Allah showed His Messenger the vision in truth: You will surely enter al-Masjid al-Haram in safety, with your heads shaved and hair shortened, not fearing. He knows what you do not know. And before that, He granted you a near victory.”
This verse mentions the dream of the Prophet (peace be upon him). What was that dream which Allah, the Glorious and Exalted, mentioned in this verse? Take the entire Quran; nowhere will you find this dream except in the Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him), which the Quran alludes to. This also proves that Hadith is divine revelation, which is why the Quran confirms and clarifies it.
The third incident proving that the Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is divine revelation:
The Divine command is:
وَمَا جَعَلْنَا الْقِبْلَةَ الَّتِي كُنتَ عَلَيْهَا إِلَّا لِنَعْلَمَ مَن يَتَّبِعُ الرَّسُولَ مِمَّن يَنقَلِبُ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ
“And thus We have made you a just community that you will be witnesses over the people and the Messenger will be a witness over you.”
Dear readers! Reflect on this Divine command that the first Qiblah was appointed by Us. The command to make Bayt al-Maqdis the Qiblah is not found throughout the Quran. If the Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is not considered divine revelation, then what will you say about this command of the Quran?
Dear readers! There are dozens of such incidents in the Quran which prove that the Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is also divine revelation, and there is no doubt about its being divine revelation. A few incidents have been presented before you which are sufficient to understand, provided there is faith in the heart and Allah has not sealed the heart, because if hearts are closed, then thousands and millions of evidences will not be effective.
In any case, the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is also clear evidence that the words coming from his sacred tongue are divine revelation. The only difference is that the Quran is the word of Allah, while the words of the Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) explain the meaning of Allah to the people; both are from Allah.
The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) made numerous prophecies, some of which have been fulfilled and the rest, God willing, will be fulfilled. All of these were revelations from Allah Almighty, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself acknowledged this and used to say:
① He said to Lady Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her): “O Fatimah! You will meet me first.”
② He said to Sayyid Suraqah (may Allah be pleased with him): “Suraqah, I see the bracelets of Kisra on your hands.”
③ When Sayyid Khalid ibn Walid (may Allah be pleased with him) was sent to Akidar, he said, “You will find him hunting cows,” and it happened exactly as he said.
④ He gave information about Khyber that tomorrow it will be conquered by one man, and in the morning Khyber was conquered by Sayyid Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).
⑤ He (may Allah be pleased with him) pointed to Sayyid Hasan ibn Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said, “This son of mine will be a cause of unity between two large groups of Muslims.”
Similarly, the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) informed about the signs of the Day of Judgment and events preceding it, which relate to the knowledge of the unseen. The definitive texts of the Quran and Hadith clarify that no one knows the unseen except Allah, because it is His attribute. No one shares with Allah in His essence or His exalted attributes. So when no one shares His essence and attributes, how did the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) give these news of the unseen? While the explicit texts of the Quran and Hadith also clarify that the Prophet (peace be upon him) does not know the unseen. Allah Almighty says, say:
وَلَوْ كُنتُ أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ لَاسْتَكْثَرْتُ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ وَمَا مَسَّنِيَ السُّوءُ
“Say: If I had knowledge of the unseen, I would have acquired much good, and no harm would have touched me.”
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) does not know the unseen, then from where is he giving these news of the unseen? The definite answer is that these news of the unseen are given to the Prophet (peace be upon him) by Allah’s revelation. Allah Almighty says:
وَمَا هُوَ عَلَى الْغَيْبِ بِضَنِينٍ
“And he is not stingy in conveying the news of the unseen to you.”
It is understood that the news of the unseen given by the Prophet (peace be upon him) is also divine revelation. Although it is not mentioned in the Quran, it is also Allah’s revelation besides the Quran. And it is certainly the blessed Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Therefore, it is proven that the Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is also divine revelation, and there is not even a speck of doubt in its being divine revelation. Whoever doubts this, surely his faith will not remain safe; rather, he will be unfortunate and doomed.
Sayyid Hassan bin Atiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) says:
«كان جبريل بنزل على النبى صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم بالسنة كما ينزل عليه القرآن.»
“Gabriel (peace be upon him) came to the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) with the Sunnah just like the Quran.”
Revelation is sent to the Prophets in many forms, for example, that which is recited, i.e., in written form. And that which is not recited, i.e., not in written form or the words of the Lord, but the meaning and sense are from Allah, while the words are in the language of the Prophets themselves. For example, the Quran calls the conversation of Prophet Musa (Moses) with Pharaoh divine revelation, although the Torah was revealed after that. So what will you say about this? Did the Quran say wrongly? Or have the minds of the mischief-makers become corrupted?
Sheikh al-Hadith Abu Muhammad Hafiz Abdul Sattar Hamad (may Allah preserve him) writes: Even an ordinary Muslim is aware that the revelation sent to Prophet Nuh (Noah), Ismail, Ishaq (Isaac), Yaqub (Jacob), Ayyub (Job), Yunus (Jonah), Harun (Aaron), and Sulaiman (Solomon) (peace be upon them) was of the hidden revelation type, i.e., it was recited revelation. In fact, Prophet Musa (Moses) fought the intellectual battle with Pharaoh using the weapon of Hadith, because the Torah was given after Pharaoh drowned. These verses show that the command of Allah was revealed to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) through all three types of revelation. Since the Holy Quran consists of only one type of revelation, therefore, Hadith and Sunnah were revealed through other types of revelation. If Hadith is not counted among these types of revelation, then the question arises: where did the other two types of divine revelation disappear? Their disappearance is impossible; rather, we must accept that the remaining types were revealed to the Messenger of Allah in the authenticity of Hadith.
The Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ is the interpretation of the Quran:
The Hadith of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is the true interpretation of the Quran. The responsibility of this interpretation has been assigned by Allah Almighty to His beloved Himself. The Divine command is:
وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ
“We have sent down the Reminder (Quran) to you so that you may explain to the people what has been sent down to them.”
From this blessed verse, it can be understood that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was obligated to explain and clarify the Quran to the people, to make its meanings and concepts understood. Since the Prophet, peace be upon him, was bound by this, it is also true that he did not say anything on his own accord. What is the status of the explanation, clarification, and meaning of the Prophet, peace be upon him? And from whom is it? The answer to both questions is that this explanation and clarification are also from Allah Almighty. So when this interpretation is from Allah Almighty, then it is the foremost and best, because the words, meanings, and concepts of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, are from the same Merciful One. The Divine command is:
فَإِذَا قَرَأْنَاهُ فَاتَّبِعْ قُرْآنَهُ ﴿١٨﴾ ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا بَيَانَهُ ﴿١٩﴾
“When We recite it, follow its recitation; then it is for Us to explain it.”
Fourth Objection:
The deniers of Hadith object that Hadith is narration in meaning (riwayat bil-ma’na), and in narration in meaning, the intended speech of the Prophet ﷺ can be altered. Therefore, Hadith is not a proof. Their doubt is based on three premises:
① Whatever is narration in meaning is not a proof.
② Hadith and Sunnah are all narration in meaning.
③ In narration in meaning, there is a fear of alteration of the intended meaning.
First Premise:
All three of their premises are false. Because there is no evidence in the Qur’an that narration in meaning is not a proof. Most of Allah’s Prophets and Messengers were non-Arabs, and their nations were also non-Arabs. Allah Almighty mentioned their news, stories, and sayings in the Qur’an in Arabic, which are narration in meaning. If it is accepted that narration in meaning is not a proof, then most of the Qur’an would also not be a proof, because the majority of the Qur’an is narration in meaning. Their premise has neither rational nor textual evidence, therefore it is false.
Second Premise:
This is also false, because the words of the verbal and narrative traditions are not originally from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Therefore, these narrations cannot be verbal narrations. Many narrations in the remaining verbal traditions are indeed verbal narrations. For example, the words of the prescribed prayers and the “At-Tahiyyat” are all verbal narrations of this type. Hence, the claim that all narrations are verbal in meaning is false.
Third Premise:
One of the conditions for accepting a narration is that the narrator must be trustworthy, and if he narrates verbally, he must have complete mastery over the meaning so that the intended speech cannot be altered. With these strict conditions for accepting narration, there remains no fear of the intended speech being changed. However, if the narrator is weak or lacks knowledge of the language, we do not accept his hadith as authoritative.
Fifth Objection:
The hadith has reached us through the method of solitary report (khabar wahid), therefore the hadith is speculative (dhanni) and speculative matters are not considered proof because the Quran states:
وَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ لَا يُغْنِي مِنَ الْحَقِّ شَيْئًا
“Indeed, conjecture does not avail against the truth.”
The doubt of the hadith deniers is based on three premises.
① The entire corpus of hadith and Sunnah has reached us through solitary report.
② Solitary report is speculative. It does not provide certainty or knowledge of certainty.
③ That which is speculative cannot be considered proof.
First Premise:
All three premises and their doubts are false. The first premise is false because many hadiths have reached us through mutawatir (consecutive transmission).
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) explained in شرح نحبة الفكر that many narrations in hadith and Sunnah are mutawatir. While Allama Suyuti (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote a dedicated book on mutawatir hadiths called الا از هار المتناثره فى الاخبار المتواتر. Imam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) stated that mutawatir is that hadith which provides knowledge of certainty even if it reaches us through solitary report. According to this view, most of the hadith corpus would become mutawatir.
Second Premise:
This is also incorrect, because many ahadith also provide the benefit of certain knowledge. This is because sometimes a person is characterized by qualities that surpass the attributes of many people. Especially when the ahadith is مختف با القرائن, it provides the benefit of definitive knowledge. Imam Shafi’i argued on this point that Allah sent one messenger to different nations. The report of each messenger is considered an ahadith for them.
لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَيْكُمْ حُجَّةٌ
It is also argued from this that the Prophet’s governors and officials were sent one each to different regions, and upon reaching those regions, they conveyed the sayings and actions of the Prophet, and their words were binding for them. Therefore, saying that ahadith are speculative is incorrect. Most ahadith are not speculative but rather certain.
Third Premise:
The third argument is also invalid.
Because sometimes conjecture serves as proof. It is in the Quran:
الَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُم مُّلَاقُو رَبِّهِمْ
“Those who believe that they will meet their Lord.”
Here, Allah has considered conjecture as proof.
In this blessed verse, the meeting with Allah Almighty is also called certainty.
قَالَ الَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُم مُّلَاقُو اللَّهِ
“Those people who believed that they would meet their Lord.”
These verses indicate that conjecture is accepted and acted upon and serves as proof. And the verse they present is not evidence because Allah Almighty has said:
إِنَّ الظَّنَّ لَا يُغْنِى مِنَ الْحَقِّ شَيْئًا
“Conjecture is false compared to certainty.”
However, it is mentioned in the Quran that conjecture is accepted. As for the principle written in the books of Hadith that Hadith is conjectural, it means conjecture in the sense of certainty. No Hadith scholar calls Hadith conjectural. Then conjecture is also related to reasoning with Hadith.
Sixth Objection:
Hadiths sometimes contradict the Quran, and whatever contradicts the Quran is not a proof. Therefore, Hadith is not a proof. As stated in the Quran:
﴿وَيَسْئلُونَكَ عَنِ الْمَحِيضِ قُلْ هُوَ أَذًى فَاعْتَزِلُوا النِّسَاء فِي الْمَحِيضِ وَلَا تَقْرَبُوهُنَّ حَتَّى يَطْهُرْنَ ﴾
Whereas in Bukhari’s Hadith it is stated:
«وكان يأمرني فاتزر فيباشرني وأنا حائض»
“The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would command me to tie a waist-wrapper, then he would have intercourse with me.”
This Hadith contradicts the Quran.
Answer:
If the meaning of something is not in the Quran but is in the Hadith, this is not a contradiction. Something may not be in the Quran but is in the Hadith, such as the Prophet (peace be upon him) declaring the domestic donkey forbidden or stating that keeping a paternal aunt, niece, or maternal aunt in one marriage is not permissible; this is not a contradiction. If contradiction means affirming something in the Quran and negating the same thing in the Hadith, or vice versa, then that would be a contradiction. But such contradiction between the Quran and Hadith does not exist at all. The claim that an authentic Hadith contradicts the Quran is completely wrong, and the example given is not a contradiction with the Quran. Because the Quran forbids intercourse with a menstruating woman, and the Hadith permits intimacy which is other than intercourse.
Another type of contradiction is when the Quran’s ruling is general and the Hadith’s is specific, or the Quran’s is absolute and the Hadith’s is restricted, but this is also not a contradiction. If this is called contradiction, then there would be contradictions within the Quran itself. For example, إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةَ وَالدَّمَ
is restricted by other verses دَمًا مَّسْفُوحًا
. Yet this is not a contradiction, just as Quranic verses can restrict and specify each other, Sunnah and Hadith can also specify and restrict each other. According to Hanafi jurisprudence, if a ruling in the Quran is general, it cannot be restricted by Hadith, and even weak Hadiths are used to restrict the Quran. As the following noble verse is evidence:
وَالسَّارِقُ وَالسَّارِقَةُ فَاقْطَعُوا أَيْدِيَهُمَا
“And cut off the hands of the thief, male or female.”
The Hanafis say that hands are not cut off for theft of less than ten dirhams.
There appears to be a contradiction between the Quran and the noble Hadith, but in reality, there is no contradiction.
Seventh Objection:
Hadith and Sunnah contradict each other, and how can something that contradicts each other be a proof?
Answer:
Two narrations that appear to be contradictory are either both authentic or both not authentic, or one is authentic and the other is not, or both are weak, or one is weak and the other is authentic, then there is no contradiction at all, because in such narrations the concept of contradiction does not exist. But when both narrations are authentic, if reconciliation is possible between them, then reconciliation will be done, or due to the precedence and delay, one will be considered abrogating and the other abrogated, or one will be preferred over the other based on reasons of preference. If something is apparently not a proof due to contradiction, then the Quran cannot be a proof either. Because there is also apparent contradiction in the Quran. For example, the Divine command is:
فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ
“That Day will be a thousand years of your reckoning.”
And in another place it is stated:
تَعْرُجُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ
“The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years.”
Is there contradiction in the Quran as well? Because in the above-mentioned verses, one says that the length of that Day is a thousand years, while the other says fifty thousand years.
Similarly, there appears to be contradiction in these verses as well. In one it is said that the earth was created first, while in the other it is the heaven.
هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ لَكُم مَّا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَسَوَّاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ
“He it is Who created for you all that is on earth, then He turned to the heaven and made them seven heavens.”
وَالْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ دَحَاهَا
“And after that He spread the earth.”
Eighth Objection:
There are many things within the Hadith that are against reason; something that is against reason is not considered proof. This is a very big doubt. The Mu’tazila and the Jahmiyyah also rejected many Hadiths on this basis. The reason is that when Greek philosophy came into Arabic, many scholars were influenced by this philosophy and they considered reason superior to transmission. The Mu’tazila denied that Allah is the Speaker. The Hanafis, influenced by this, rejected Hadiths, for example, the rejection of Hadith Masrat, etc.
Answer:
There are many types of reason. The reason of disbelievers, the reason of hypocrites, the reason of Muslims and believers, and even among believers there are many types of reason. Determine whose reason it is against, and for the reason you determine, provide evidence from the Quran. If they say that the Hadith is against universal reason, this is unreasonable. If they say it is against a particular reason, they have no evidence for that. If they say it is against the Prophet’s reason, how can that be? If they say it is against some people’s reason, then we say that many verses of the Quran are also against the reason of many people, so God forbid, does that mean the Quran is not proof? For example:
إِنَّهَا شَجَرَةٌ تَخْرُجُ فِي أَصْلِ الْجَحِيمِ
“It is a tree that grows in the bottom of Hell.”
Apparently, this too is against reason. Similarly, the mention of the hoopoe’s conversation in the Quran, the mention of the ants’ conversation, and all the miracles of the Prophets (peace be upon them) are against reason.
Therefore, according to you and your principle, God forbid, the Quran would also not remain a proof. The truth is that if a hadith and sunnah are proven with an authentic chain, they cannot be against reason unless reason itself is correct. If a hadith is against reason, then either that reason is not correct or the hadith is weak.
The detailed answer to this is present in the book of Allama Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, معرفة المعقول الصريح.
Ninth Objection:
Hadith and Sunnah contradict history, therefore they are not a proof. Their argument is that the marriage of Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), the Mother of the Believers, took place at the age of (6) or (7), whereas history states her age at the time of marriage as (16) or (17).
Answer:
When Hadith and Sunnah are established from the Prophet (peace be upon him), just as they cannot contradict the Quran and reason, similarly Hadith cannot contradict authentic history. If such a contradiction appears, then certainly the historical narration is not established. Because according to the scholars of Hadith, the care given to the chain of narration and the text of Hadith is far greater than that given by historians. Such Sunnah which contradicts history is Sunnah that rules over history, not history over Sunnah. Whereas the historical narration which states the age as (16 or 17), which is preferred, is rejected. In fact, it is not established at all. Therefore, no contradiction arises. Just as there is a contradiction between Sunnah and history, there is also such a contradiction between the Quran and history. Therefore, both will still be proofs. For example, history states that the mother of Yusuf (peace be upon him) had died in Egypt before his death, but the Quran states that she was alive at the time of their meeting. Therefore, since it contradicts the Quran, the Quran would also not remain a proof.
Tenth Objection:
Many things within Hadith contradict scientific research and modern experiments, therefore Hadith is not a proof.
Answer:
(1) A Sahih Hadith cannot contradict correct scientific research.
(2) If we accept that Hadith contradicts research and experiments, then the Quran also contradicts them. Therefore, it would not be a proof either. For example, scientists say that the sun is stationary, and the earth revolves around it. The Quran states that the sun moves.
كُلٌّ يَجْرِي لِأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى
Then science says the sun does not set, but the Quran says the sun sets. Also, the intensity of the fire of Hell, the existence of fruits and trees in Paradise are against science, so the Quran would also not be a proof. Moreover, scientists themselves disagree. According to old scientists, the earth is stationary, and according to new ones, it moves; the old said the heavens are material things, and the new say they are not material.
The main point is that the reach of science is limited to human intellect, and where the intellect ends, religion begins.
Eleventh Objection:
Allah Almighty Himself has taken the responsibility of protecting the Quran and has not taken the responsibility of protecting the Hadith. Therefore, Hadith is not a proof. Allah Almighty says:
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ
“Indeed, We have sent down the Reminder, and indeed, We will be its guardian.”
Answer:
Their claim is not proven by this verse of the Quran, because this verse does not say that Allah has not taken the responsibility of protecting the Hadith. From the Quran, it is evident that the Reminder (Dhikr) includes many things besides the Quran, as Allah Almighty says فَاسْئلُوا أَهْلَ الذِكرِ إن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ. In this verse, the Reminder refers to the Torah and the Gospel, so it is proven that there is Reminder besides the Quran.
Similarly:
قَدْ أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكُمْ ذِكْرًا ﴿١٠﴾ رَّسُولًا يَتْلُو عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ مُبَيِّنَاتٍ
“Indeed, Allah has sent down the Reminder to you, and a Messenger who recites to you the clear verses of Allah.”
Here, the Reminder refers to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Allah Himself has specified that the sayings and actions of the Messenger of Allah are Reminder. From this, it is proven that both the Quran and Hadith are Reminder. Allah has taken the responsibility of protecting both. In fact, Allah’s entire religion is Reminder, and Allah has taken the responsibility of protecting the entire religion. The objection is raised that if Allah Almighty has also taken the responsibility of protecting the Hadith, then how did weak Hadith come about?
The existence of weak Hadith is evidence that Allah Almighty has also taken the responsibility of protecting the Hadith, because whoever tried to tamper with the Hadith and include falsehood, the scholars of Hadith exposed their lies and exposed the weak and fabricating narrators.
