❖ A Scholarly Response to Orientalist Objections on Hadith Compilation ❖
✿ Orientalist Objection
Western Orientalists, along with their Eastern admirers, often claim that Prophetic Hadiths were compiled in the 3rd or 4th century Hijri. They allege that Muslim scholars merely gathered popular stories and folk narratives and gave them the title of Hadith literature. According to them, Hadith compilation lacked any authentic foundation and was nothing more than a collection of public tales.
❖ Examining the Claim: Historical Inaccuracy
Over the past century, extensive scholarly research has been conducted to examine this objection. The evidence clearly refutes the claim and affirms that the compilation of Hadith began during the life of the Prophet ﷺ. Numerous scholars and researchers have written books and papers substantiating the historical authenticity and foundational basis of Hadith compilation.
❖ Early Compilation of Hadith
✔ During the Prophetic Era
Several Companions preserved the sayings of the Prophet ﷺ in written form with his explicit permission.
- ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ (رضي الله عنه) used to write every statement of the Prophet ﷺ. When advised against writing during moments of anger or joy, the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Write whatever you hear from me, for nothing comes from this tongue except truth." - His collection, known as "al-Ṣaḥīfah al-Ṣādiqah", was preserved through ʿAmr ibn Shuʿayb and is cited in Musnad Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.
✔ Compilation by the Companions
- The Companions transmitted Hadiths both orally and in written form to the Tābiʿīn (Successors).
- Numerous Companions led study circles, where hundreds of students memorized and documented Hadiths.
- At least 48 documented Hadith compilations are attributed to the Companions, many of which are still accessible today.
✔ Role of the Tābiʿīn and Tabiʿ al-Tābiʿīn
- During the era of the Tābiʿīn, more than 250 Hadith compilations were developed.
- Dr. Muḥammad Ḥamīdullāh edited and translated 7 such collections into English in his publication titled "Kitāb al-Sard wa al-Fard".
- Hammām ibn Munabbih, a student of Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه), preserved his teacher's narrations in written form—also published by Dr. Ḥamīdullāh in multiple languages.
❖ Transition to Comprehensive Collections
- The early smaller collections formed the foundation for later comprehensive compilations.
- Tābiʿīn compiled the works of multiple Companions, and by the time of the Tabiʿ al-Tābiʿīn, these works were thoroughly expanded.
- Imams like al-Bukhārī, Muslim, and others based their monumental compilations on these written and oral traditions.
❖ Academic Refutations of Orientalist Claims
✔ Rigorous Methodology of Hadith Scholars
- Turkish scholar Dr. Fuat Sezgin demonstrated that Imām al-Bukhārī’s Ṣaḥīḥ was not solely reliant on oral reports but was based on authentic written sources.
- He referenced works of ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-Ṣanʿānī and Muʿammar ibn Rāshid, whose narrations align exactly with those found in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī.
✔ Unbroken Chain from the Companions to Imām al-Bukhārī
- The claim that Hadiths were first compiled in the 3rd or 4th century Hijri is factually incorrect.
- Later collections were based on centuries of prior preservation, beginning with the Companions.
- The modern analogy: just because books are stored on a CD today doesn't mean they were authored after the invention of CDs.
❖ Importance and Impact of Hadith Compilation
✔ Comprehensive Structure of Hadith Literature
- Collections like Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim offered comprehensive access to Hadith, fulfilling public need and reducing reliance on smaller compilations.
- Nevertheless, earlier individual compilations retain significant research and historical value.
✔ Preservation of the Prophetic Biography
The compilation of Hadith also preserved key aspects of Prophetic sīrah, including:
- The Constitution of Madinah
- Major battles (Ghazawāt)
- Conquest of Makkah
- Farewell Sermon (Khuṭbat Ḥajjat al-Wadāʿ)
✿ Conclusion
The objections raised by Western Orientalists and their Eastern sympathizers regarding the compilation of Hadith are not grounded in fact. Academic research and manuscript evidence decisively establish that the process of Hadith documentation began in the time of the Prophet ﷺ and continued through the Companions, Tābiʿīn, and Tabiʿ al-Tābiʿīn.
By the era of Imām al-Bukhārī, Hadith sciences had matured into a comprehensive and sophisticated discipline, built on generations of preservation, scrutiny, and authentication. The claims of the Orientalists are, therefore, historically inaccurate and fail to undermine the integrity of the Hadith tradition.
