❖ Apparent Contradictions in Authentic Hadith: Reality or Misconception? ❖
Adapted from responses to Hadith-rejecters' objections, with structured clarification for deeper understanding.
How can both be true if horses are seen as both a means of reward and misfortune?
✔ “Wealth and children are a trial (fitnah)...” (Sūrah al-Taghābun: 15)
✔ “Those who spend in the way of Allah... will have their reward.” (Sūrah al-Baqarah: 274)
These are context-based truths. Likewise, a horse, house, or woman may become a source of trial only if they distract from religion. Otherwise, they are not inherently misfortunate.
☑ The hadith mentioning misfortune uses a conditional tone:
“If there was misfortune in anything, it would be in these three.”
This is not an absolute declaration of misfortune.
Is this a contradiction?
✔ The other hadiths show that voluntary participation in supportive roles (not combat) was permissible.
These narrations are complementary, not contradictory.
This is like referring to someone by a tribal name and also by a regional or ancestral identifier—both are accurate.
Using a single phrase from another language does not imply fluency or regular usage.
Persian words were part of the region’s vernacular during that time.
“Whatever verse We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring one better or similar.”
(Sūrah al-Baqarah: 106)
✔ Abrogation (naskh) is part of Allah’s wisdom.
✔ Just as Prophets were sent to people who later killed them, yet Allah knew this would happen, these verses served a purpose at their time.
☑ Belief in such divine acts without objection is a requirement of faith.
✔ Just as the Qur’an requires contextual interpretation to resolve apparent conflicts,
✔ The same method applies to Hadith.
The correct approach is reconciliation (taṭbīq) between narrations rather than rejection.
Adapted from responses to Hadith-rejecters' objections, with structured clarification for deeper understanding.
◈ The Allegation: Contradiction in Authentic Hadith
Some objectors claim that certain authentic (ṣaḥīḥ) hadiths appear contradictory. For instance:- One hadith states that keeping horses for Jihad brings reward even for their feeding and waste.
- Another hadith mentions that misfortune (nuhūsat) lies in three things: a horse, a house, and a woman.
How can both be true if horses are seen as both a means of reward and misfortune?
◈ Reality: No Contradiction—Only Misunderstanding
This is a misconception similar to how some Qur’anic verses may appear to conflict:✔ “Wealth and children are a trial (fitnah)...” (Sūrah al-Taghābun: 15)
✔ “Those who spend in the way of Allah... will have their reward.” (Sūrah al-Baqarah: 274)
These are context-based truths. Likewise, a horse, house, or woman may become a source of trial only if they distract from religion. Otherwise, they are not inherently misfortunate.
☑ The hadith mentioning misfortune uses a conditional tone:
“If there was misfortune in anything, it would be in these three.”
This is not an absolute declaration of misfortune.
◈ Objection: Contradiction on Women’s Participation in Jihad
- One hadith tells ʿĀʾishah (RA) that women’s jihad is Hajj.
- Other narrations depict women in battlefields, serving the wounded and assisting the army.
Is this a contradiction?
◈ Clarification: Different Contexts, No Conflict
✔ ʿĀʾishah’s hadith indicates that jihad is not obligatory for women—rather, Hajj is their equivalent.✔ The other hadiths show that voluntary participation in supportive roles (not combat) was permissible.
These narrations are complementary, not contradictory.◈ Objection: Lineage—Quraysh vs. Naḍr ibn Kinānah
Some point to a supposed conflict: The Prophet ﷺ is said to be from Quraysh in one narration and from Naḍr ibn Kinānah in another.◈ Response: Lineage Clarified
There is no contradiction here. The Quraysh are descendants of Naḍr ibn Kinānah.This is like referring to someone by a tribal name and also by a regional or ancestral identifier—both are accurate.
◈ Objection: Use of Persian Words by the Prophet ﷺ
The Prophet ﷺ reportedly used the Persian phrase “kakh kakh” to stop Hasan (RA) from eating a date meant for charity. Critics ask: Did the Prophet ﷺ or his household speak Persian?◈ Explanation: Multilingual Influence is Normal
Languages often borrow words. Even today, non-native words are commonly used in daily speech.Using a single phrase from another language does not imply fluency or regular usage.
Persian words were part of the region’s vernacular during that time.
◈ Objection: Martyrs and Abrogated Verse
A hadith refers to 70 Companions martyred, and their message being mentioned in a now-abrogated Qur'anic verse. Some question: Didn’t Allah know they would be martyred?◈ Answer: Divine Wisdom and Abrogation
Allah says:“Whatever verse We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring one better or similar.”
(Sūrah al-Baqarah: 106)
✔ Abrogation (naskh) is part of Allah’s wisdom.
✔ Just as Prophets were sent to people who later killed them, yet Allah knew this would happen, these verses served a purpose at their time.
☑ Belief in such divine acts without objection is a requirement of faith.
◈ Final Conclusion
There is no real contradiction in authentic hadiths—only misinterpretation or incomplete understanding.✔ Just as the Qur’an requires contextual interpretation to resolve apparent conflicts,
✔ The same method applies to Hadith.
The correct approach is reconciliation (taṭbīq) between narrations rather than rejection.
