What about those Hadiths that don't clash with the Quraan?

[Zainab_M]

 


Just to make sure that certain errors are indeed made clear and, consequently, corrected, it's advisable to stress certain points.  There may be people who would come up arguing that the hadiths that do not clash with the Quran and stand to reason might, after all, be accepted as true. The fact is that these hadiths are also transmitted by the same source.  Even though the hadiths may not contradict the verses of the Quran, as long as additional concepts of sins or good deeds and imagery related to hell and paradise are introduced, they should be discarded, since they are but commentaries and interpretations.  Anyway, there is no need for any further considerations since the Quran is there, complete and whole and the sole source of Islam.

And (bethink you of) the day when We raise in every nation a witness against them of their own folk, and We bring thee (Muhammad) as a witness against these. And We reveal the Scripture unto thee as an exposition of all things, and a guidance and a mercy and good tidings for those who have surrendered (to Allah). (16:89) Surah An-Nahl

To come up with concepts of sins and good deeds with the intention of making additions to the Quran, clashes with the verses of the Quran and its ideology.  If a given hadith tries to explain something supposedly not clearly expounded or if certain new concepts are put forward, concepts not existing in the Quran related to good deeds, sins, sunna or acts not forbidden by God but prohibited by Muslim scholars, that hadith would necessarily be a false one.

Since the Quran explicitly states that we must not abide by conjectural prescriptions, we must surely beware of hadiths every one of which being a matter of conjecture.  

This leads us to another consideration.  If a given hadith does not clash with the Quran, with another hadith and with logic and makes no addition to religious concepts, should we accept it as true? The answer is: “We are not in a position to give an answer to what we do not know.”  How can we?  All the hadiths in circulation have their source in the books of the transmitters that after all contains huge quantums of falsehood. Most importantly, since we have the Quran, infallible in every respect, why do we have to have recourse to any of the hadiths?  There are some Hadiths that say and teach good things that are compatible with the Quraan, and you would find similar dictates in the Quraan.  So, those religious/spiritual/ethical or/practical commandments and values are already present in the Divine Quraan, that should be enough for reference.  Why must we try to find other sources written by man?  It's okay to read the 'good' hadiths just the way we would read any decent man-written book.  However, nothing should be given the same status as the Quraan or even brought close to it.  Such a mentality could spell the beginning of great deviations in future .. a lot of which has already happened.

Besides, how can we, in 1400 AH, sort out the contradictions, the paradoxes, the lies and the illogicalities that infiltrated them during their collection in 200-300 AH?  All these vain efforts are the result of failing to see the Quran as a complete book.

To illustrate the argument of this post, here are a few examples.

Hadith on congregational salaat carrying more blessings:
The salat (ritual prayer) performed in congregations is 27 times superior to the salat performed individually. [Bukhari Ezan, Muslim Mescid, Muvatta Jamaat]

You may consider this hadith not in contradiction with the Quran, nor in conflict with another hadith or is in any way illogical; yet you may be sure that it is a contrived hadith, for there is no such information in the Quran. There are also hadiths that say that the salat offered after having performed one’s ablutions using the miswak ( toothbrush made with wooden stick)  is 27 times or 70 times superior to the salat offered with ablutions performed with one’s turban on.  Needless to say, this cannot possibly be accepted by anyone in their right mind.

Hadith stopping the use of left hand:
Do not use your left hand while eating or drinking, for Satan uses his left hand while eating and drinking. [Hanbal]

During the courses conducted by certain traditional religious groups particularly in underdeveloped societies, the hands of children, who use their left hands while eating, are beaten till they become red and swollen; a consequence of such hadiths in circulation.

Hadith on birth ceremonies:
The Prophet ordained that on the seventh day of a child’s birth his/her name be whispered in his/her ear, and be washed and cleansed and a sheep be sacrificed. [Tirmizi Adab, Abu Davud]

The reader may not see any irrelevance in this hadith. Yet there is no prescription to this effect in the Quran. It follows that this hadith that has no place in the Quran is a contrivance. A fabricated hadith may be harmless, but so long as it adds something that does not exist among the religious prescriptions, it is concocted. The reason of some fabrications may be the attempt at giving the religion an attraction. However, no matter what the reason may be, to add what is of human origin to the word of Almighty Allah is nothing but treachery.

Hadith totally false Hadith on killing black dogs:
Kill all the black dogs for they are Satan personified. [Hanbal]

In Sura, The Cave (Al-Kahf) youth and dogs are mentioned. The youth in question are praised and there is absolutely nothing against the dog.  In the light of those beautiful verses of Surah Al-Kahf, such illogical hadiths must be trashed right away.  Since this hadith introduces into the religion something that the Quran does not mention, it must be counted out, so should all the hadiths that speak against dogs. Such hadiths lead some people to consider dogs as unclean and the most faithful of animals have been outcast.  It is also worth mentioning here that such hostile Hadiths against dogs contradicts another Hadith. Thus, Hadith contradicting Hadith.  For example, there is one Hadith that categorically states that during the lifetime of the Prophet, dogs wandered in the mosques.

(To know what Islam says about dogs, also check our post on Muslim Villa).

There are an infinite number of hadiths about the animal kingdom that are just too ridiculous. For instance, in a hadith it is said that a rooster had crowed because it had seen an angel and that the donkey brays when it sees the Devil. (see Sahihi Muslim).  Again, a hadith alleges that the crow is a pervert (see Bukhari, Hanbali Musnad).  The fact that the camel was created from Satan is a phenomenon that biology should look into! (see Hanbal, Musnad). There are also hadiths that claim that the cat was created as a consequence of a lion’s sneezing and that the swine was a consequence of an elephant’s sneezing (see Al Majruhin).  All these hadiths have caused religion to be considered illogical and irrelevant.

Hadith prohibiting eating on golden and silver plates:
The Prophet prohibited us to eat off of silver and golden plates. [Bukhari]

There is absolutely nothing to suggest such a prohibition in the Quran. Such interpolations are made by those who deem the contents of the Quran to be insufficient.

These are just a few examples.  If you scan the Hadith books, you'll find many more such ones.

How to reconcile such Hadiths with Islam?
Having stressed the fact that a hadith cannot be a source of Islam, hadiths can be evaluated according to:

1. The Quran
2. Other hadiths
3. Logic
4. Interpolations of hadiths

There are some hadiths that totally contradict the Quran, some clash with other hadiths, some are paradoxical, while others are mere additions.   We hope that this will enable people to perceive the light shed by the Quran and the darkness enveloping the hadiths.

We wonder whether the members of the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi and Hanbali sects still contend that these hadiths are worthy of being considered part of Allah's religion.  If they acknowledge that these hadiths are unworthy, they must abandon them altogether.  If,  these hadiths are considered unreliable, the mentality of the sects will automatically suffer a reversal and the sects themselves will, of necessity, be rendered null and void.  Thus, they ought to abandon all preconceived notions and habits, and start from the very beginning by returning to the Quran.  The consequence will be the victory of the only source of religion, the Quran; the Will of Allah.  The Quran asserts that it is a complete work where everything is explained sufficiently.  

And lo! it is a guidance and a mercy for believers. (27:77) Surah An-Naml


Source :  Quranic.org (Quranic Research Group) - edited slightly for convenience of readers.

[Heba E. Husseyn]

MaashAllah, great article.   From my logical view point, if a hadith clashes with the Quran, it must of course be discarded immediately.  And if a hadith does not clash with the Quran, i.e. if it says something that's already confirmed in the Quran, in that case again we don't need hadith for reference because the point is already contained in the Quran.  The Quran is the first and last Book for reference.

So, I think either way, the presence of hadith is unnecessary.