❖ A Historical Review of Orientalist Objections on Hadith ❖
✿ The Authority of Hadith and Sunnah
Hadith and Sunnah have always been acknowledged as the second foundational source of Islamic law after the Qur’an. While there may be varying schools of thought in jurisprudence and ijtihād, there has never been a dispute over the authority of Qur’an and Hadith. No recognized jurist or Islamic scholar has ever challenged the foundational role of the Sunnah.
❖ Orientalist Attempts: Questioning the Authority of Hadith
In the past century, some non-Muslim Orientalists made concerted efforts to cast doubt on the authenticity of Hadith. Their objective was to undermine Islamic beliefs and distort its teachings. These writings particularly influenced Muslims lacking direct access to Islamic sources, creating confusion and skepticism. These Orientalists often worked with the underlying motive of spreading hatred against Islam and misrepresenting its values through deceptive scholarship.
❖ Orientalist Research: Prejudice and Bias
A neutral researcher seeks truth with fairness, but the writings of Orientalists are filled with prejudice and double standards. One notable name is Ignác Goldziher, who extensively researched Hadith. His book "Muhammedanische Studien" (1890) presented numerous objections against Muslims. According to Dā’irat al-Maʿārif al-Islāmiyyah, Goldziher’s writings profoundly influenced later Orientalist thought (Ḍiyāʾ al-Binnī, Vol. 7, p. 15).
These Orientalists ignored 1400 years of Islamic scholarly work, basing their conclusions on limited and faulty assumptions. Their focus was never to understand the principles of Hadith or its historical context, but simply to criticize Islam.
❖ The Double Standards of Orientalists
It is astonishing that Orientalists do not apply the same level of criticism to their own religious texts. Christians themselves are unaware of the identities of the authors of the Gospels, yet they accept them as divinely inspired. However, when it comes to Islam, their attitude becomes excessively critical and skeptical.
❖ Testimony of Professor Ghulam Ahmad Hariri
Professor Ghulam Ahmad Hariri stated that he had read Orientalist literature and met many Orientalists personally. He affirmed that most of them held deep-rooted biases against Islam and the Prophet ﷺ. Even scholars like Philip Hitti, who appeared academically refined, were not free from prejudice. When questioned, they often evaded direct answers. Hariri’s experiences confirm that the true aim of Orientalist writings was to discredit Islam.
❖ The Subtle Tactics of Orientalists
Orientalists often concealed their venom within scholarly prose, making it difficult for the average reader to detect their bias. Their sophisticated rhetoric misled many educated Muslims, especially youth who lacked direct knowledge of Islamic teachings and viewed Orientalist writings as authoritative.
❖ Mawlānā Abul Ḥasan ʿAlī Nadwī’s View
Mawlānā ʿAlī Nadwī (رحمه الله) wrote that the Orientalists studied the Qur’an, Hadith, and Islamic history with a preconceived agenda—to present a distorted image of Islam. They deliberately misinterpreted Islamic principles and historical facts to weaken the foundations of Islamic belief.
❖ The Intellectual Onslaught of Orientalists
Orientalists launched intellectual attacks on the Muslim world through Western philosophical frameworks, most of which were speculative rather than factual. As a result, a segment of the Muslim population became alienated from Islamic values, influenced by Western ideologies devoid of divine guidance.
✿ Conclusion
The Orientalists systematically targeted Islam, the Qur’an, and Hadith, aiming to create doubt, atheism, and inferiority complexes among Muslims. Their writings had a lasting negative impact on the intellectual and religious atmosphere of the Muslim world—a challenge that remains to this day. This represents a significant intellectual and civilizational test for Muslims, demanding awareness, scholarship, and a strong commitment to Islamic foundations.
