A LETTER FROM SAIMA
I am writing this letter due to a
matter that has been confusing me or the past week or so. I did
not know anyone who was learned enough to ask for their opinion,
and so, was left with the option of writing letters to magazines
and other Islamic organizations. In order to get a reasonably
accurate answer which will inshallah be backed up by evidence
from Quran, (if possible), I decide to write to you. I will try
to represent my views and question in a factual format, so that
you may understand my queries.
Inshallah I will begin .
Question : What are Hadith?
Everyone puts a lot of
confidence and trust into the Hadith. There are those of us who
look to Hadith as well as the Quran to guide our lives. And there
are also some of us who look to the Hadith alone, even though the
Quran is the divine law.
The meaning of hadith is
'utterances'. Some hadith were collected and appeared in the
first century after the prophet Muhammads death. However
these hadith were restrained in their range of facts which were
recorded.
Then just before 200 years (after
Muhammads death) the most important collection appeared
'Al-Bukari' and 'Muslim', which gave a much wider
and trustworthy insight into the prophets life.
"Hadiths may legitimately be
compared to the Gospels they have a point in common
neither of them were compiled by an author who was an eyewitness
of the events which are described. Nor did they appear until some
time after the events recorded. Collections of Hadith, like the
Gospels have not all been accepted as authentic.
Only a small number of them
receive the quasi unanimous approval of specialist in
Muslim Tradition, so that in the same book, one finds Hadiths
presumed to be authentic side by side with those which either
dubious or should be rejected outright"
(Extract taken from Quran and
Bible in the light of Modern Science By Dr. Maurice
Bucaille).
The Hadith were written a long
time after the Prophet Muhammads death. So then how can we
believe which hadith is correct and which isnt? What was
the need for the hadith, when Allah had given us the Quran to
read and follow?
One example of where many
Muslims follow the Hadith is the dress of women.
Example on womens
dress:
We can take the Hadith that
states women should cover themselves completely except for
their hands and face.
However the Quran states in
Surah 24 Ayat 31:
"
.Say to the
believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their
modesty, that they should not display their beauty and ornaments
except what ordinarily appear. Thereof they should draw their
veils over their bosom and not display their beauty..."
Here we can see quite plainly that it is not stated in the Quran that one should cover ones hair completely. One is told to dress 'modestly' and have a 'veil', over ones bosom; and not to display ones 'beauty'. Hence we should refrain from wearing tight clothes, as this would be displaying ones beauty. One should have their bosoms covered with a veil or something of this nature, if the clothing is not loose. Also one should not make oneself beautiful by wearing decorative clothes, setting the hair to attract attention and wearing jewelry and make-up, in public.
It is not said that one should cover ones hair. All those who follow the Hadith cover their hair completely. If Allah would have wanted us to cover our hair would he have not told us directly in the Quran, so that there was no confusion in the matter?
We are told in the Quran in,
Surah 4 Ayat 17, 22, 32, 40 the following
"
And we have indeed
made the Quran easy to understand and remember
" Then
in Surah 16 Ayat 64, it is said
"
And we sent down the
book to you (O Prophet) for the express purpose that you should
make clear to them those thing in which they differ (about their
faith) and that it should be a guide and mercy to those who
believe
"
Hence it clearly tells us of
the importance of the Quran and of how clear its message is
conveyed to the reader. The Quran mentions nothing of Hadith or
of the schools of thought, which were formed so long afterwards.
Allah has also said that, He will
protect the Quran from corruption. Again there is no mention of
Hadith. If Hadith had been so important would not have Allah have
protected them from corruption also? And wouldnt He have
assured it was compiled at the same time as the Quran?
The world survived without Hadith for almost two hundred years after Muhammads death, so therefore what was the need of forming the collection of Hadith? We have to remember that the compilation of the Hadith were sayings of the Prophet which had passed through generations for two hundred years, does this indicate a severe case of 'Chinese Whisper' where each time the story is told it is changed and adulterer with? How can we take these words so seriously?
One might say there was confusion in how the Quran was followed and interpreted, but hadnt Allah made the Quran easy to understand in 'easy Arabic', as stated in the Quran? So then, how can we believe in Hadith and put so much faith in them?
The argument, which is often put across, is the fact that Allah tells us in the Quran to follow his Prophet However does this mean we should refer to a different book. There are example of the Prophets life, actually in the Quran, so wouldnt Allah have meant for us to look at these and follow them?
Some people argue that the Quran and Hadith go, 'hand in hand', surely if Allah had wanted this, He would have ensured a 'Book of Hadith' was compiled at the same time as the Quran. The Quran teaches and tells us many things such as how to do wudu about haram/halal food, gambling, reproduction, inheritance etc., all of which are very clear. Those that argue that we need the Hadith, say that the Quran does not tells us how to say Salat although the Quran does mention the five daily prayers, it does not tells us the method in which we should pray but surely if Allah intended us all to pray in one way, would He not have written it in the Quran? Surely Salat is a way of praising Allah and asking for forgiveness etc., so does it really matter about the method of prayer?
IN CONCLUSION even if the most authentic Hadith were supposedly correct the questions still remain Are we as Muslims supposed to refer to a Book other than the Quran alone enough to follow? What evidence is there in the Quran, that Allah would wanted this? And if He did, how can we believe which Hadith is correct and which isnt? Should the Hadith therefore be looked upon as a collection of religious books or a collection of historical evidence?
Here are my queries and
arguments, as well as evidence to back up what I am saying,
Inshallah I sincerely hope you will reply
(When answering my
questions please state evidence to back up your answers).
SAIMA HABIB
YORKSHIRE
ENGLAND.
It appears
that you have answered many of your own questions. The subjects you have raised are adequately
discussed from a Quranic perspective in previous issues of Signs
magazine. Articles from Signs magazine provide stimulating
discussion and are very informative.