Tirmidhi

Bismillahir rahman nir raheem
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5001 Narrated byAbuHurayrah
When a man complained to the Prophet (peace be upon him) of having a hard heart, he said,
"Stroke orphans' heads and feed the poor."
Ahmad transmitted it.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5002 Narrated bySuraqah ibn Malik
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Shall I not guide you to the most excellent sadaqah? It
is to provide for your daughter when she is sent back to you and has no one but you to provide
for her."
Ibn Majah transmitted it.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that when a Muslim visits his brother, Allah Most High
says, "You are happy and your walking is happy, and you will come to an abode in Paradise."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib tradition.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5017 Narrated byAnas ibn Malik
A man passed the Prophet (peace be upon him) when some people were with him, and one of
those who were with him said, "I love this man for Allah's sake." The Prophet (peace be upon
him) asked if he had informed him, and when he replied that he had not he said, "stand up and
go to him and inform him." He stand up, went to him and informed him, and he replied, "May
He for Whose sake you love me love you!" He then returned, and when the Prophet had asked
him and he had told him what he had replied, he said, "You will be with him whom you love
and you will have the reward you sought from Allah."
Bayhaqi transmitted it in Shu'ab al-Iman. In Tirmidhi's version the Prophet (peace be upon
him) said, "A man will be with him whom he loves and he will get what he has earned."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5020 Narrated byYazid ibn Na'amah
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "When a man makes another his brother he
should ask him his name, his father's name and the stock from which he comes, for it binds
friendship more closely."
Tirmidhi transmitted it.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5021 Narrated byAbuDharr
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) came out to us and said, "Do you know which action is
dearest to Allah Most High?" When one man had suggested prayer and zakat, and another,
jihad, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The action dearest to Allah Most High is love for
Allah's sake and hatred for Allah's sake."
Ahmad transmitted it, and AbuDawud transmitted the second part.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5022 Narrated byAbuUmamah
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "No man loves another for Allah's sake without
his Lord, Who is Great and Glorious, honouring him."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5023 Narrated byAsma', daughter of Yazid
Asma' heard Allah's messenger (peace be upon him) say, "Shall I not tell you who are the best
among you?" They replied, "Certainly, Messenger of Allah." He said, "The best of you are
those who when seen are a means of Allah being brought to mind."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5033 Narrated byAsma', daughter of Yazid
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Lying is allowed only in three cases: falsehood
spoken by a man to his wife to please her, falsehood in war, and falsehood to put things right
between people."
Transmitted by Ahmad and Tirmidhi.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5039 Narrated byAz-Zubayr
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The disease of the peoples before you, namely
envy and hatred, has crept to you, and it is the unhappy thing. I do not say that it shaves off the
hair, but it shaves off the religion."
Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Avoid bad relations with one another, for that is the
unhappy thing."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5042 Narrated byAbuSirmah
The Prophet said, "He who causes harm will be harmed by Allah and he who acts in a hostile
manner will be treated in a hostile manner by Allah."
Ibn Majah and Tirmidhi transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a gharib tradition.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5043 Narrated byAbuBakr as-Siddiq
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Accursed is he who harms a believer, or acts
deceitfully towards him."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5044 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Umar
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) mounted the pulpit and called in a loud voice, "You
who have accepted Islam with your tongues but whose hearts have not been reached by faith,
do not annoy the Muslims, or revile them, or seek out their faults; for he who seeks out the
faults of his brother Muslim will have his faults sought out by Allah and he whose faults are
sought out by Allah will be exposed by Him, even though he should be in the interior of his
house."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5055 Narrated bySahl ibn Sa'd as-Sa'idi
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Deliberation comes from Allah, but haste from the
devil,"
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib tradition, and that some traditionists have
criticised AbdulMuhaymin ibn Abbas the transmitter on the score of his memory.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5056 Narrated byAbuSa'id
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "There is no clement one who does not stumble
and no sage who does not have experience."
Ahmad and Tirmidhi saying this is a hasan gharib tradition.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5059 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Sarjis
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "A good manner of conduct, deliberation and
moderation are a twenty-fourth part of prophecy."

The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked AbulHaytham ibn at-Tayyihan if he had a servant, and
when he replied that he had none he told him to come to him when captives arrived. Two
captives were brought to the Prophet, and when AbulHaytham came to him he told him to
choose one of them. He asked Allah's Prophet to choose for him, and he said, "The one who is
consulted is in a position of trust. Take this one, for I have seen him praying, and treat him
kindly."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Modesty is part of faith and faith is in Paradise,
but obscenity is a part of hardness of heart and hardness of heart is in Hell."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said to him, "Fear Allah wherever you are; if you
follow an evil deed with a good one you will obliterate it; and deal with people with a good
disposition."
Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Darimi
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5084 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Mas'ud
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Shall I not tell you who is kept away from Hell
and from whom Hell is kept away? From everyone who is gentle and kindly, approachable and
of an easy disposition".
Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying it is a hasan gharib tradition.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5086 Narrated byMakhul

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The believers are gentle and kindly like a
tractable camel which when guided lets itself be guided and when made to sit even on stones
does so."
Tirmidhi transmitted in mursal form.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "He who mixes with people and endures the harm they
do is better than he who does not mix with them or endure the harm they do."
Transmitted by Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5099 Narrated byAisha
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) used to say, "O Allah, as Thou hast made my form
beautiful so make my character beautiful."
A man reviled AbuBakr and the Prophet (peace be upon him) was sitting showing pleasure and
smiling, but when the man went on at length and AbuBakr replied to some of what he said the
Prophet (peace be upon him) became angry and got up and left. AbuBakr caught up with him
and said, "Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), he was reviling me while you were sitting,
but when I replied to some of what he said you became angry and got up and went away." He
replied, "There was an angel with you replying to him, but when you replied to him a devil
came down." He then added, "AbuBakr, there are three things all of which are true: No one is
wronged and ignores it for the sake of Allah who is Great and Glorious without Allah giving
him great help for it. No one begins to give intending thereby to unite ties of relationship
without Allah providing him with much more because of it. And no one will begin to beg
seeking thereby to gain abundance without Allah giving him still more scantiness because of
it."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5111 Narrated bySalamah ibn al-Akwa'

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "A man will continue to exalt himself till he is
recorded among the imperious ones and is smitten as they are."
Transmitted by Tirmidhi.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5112 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The proud will be resurrected like specks on the
Day of Resurrection in the form of men, covered all round with ignominy. They will be driven
to a prison in Jahannam called Bawlas with the hottest fire rising over them, and will be given
to drink the liquid of the inhabitants of Hell, which is tinat al-khabal.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "When one of you becomes angry while standing
he should sit down. If the anger leaves him, well and good; otherwise he should lie down."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5115 Narrated byAsma', daughter of Ùmays
Asma heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) say, "He is a bad servant who is proud and
puts on airs and forgets the Most Great and Sublime One. He is a bad servant who is
overbearing and overweening and forgets the Overpowering and Most High One. He is a bad
servant who is neglectful and careless and forgets the graves and corruption. He is a bad
servant who is corrupt and excessively disobedient and forgets the beginning and the end. He is
a bad servant who deceptively uses religion. He is a bad servant who is let by greed. He is a
bad servant who is misled by passion. He is a bad servant who is debased by worldly desire."
Tirmidhi and Bayhaqi, in Shu'ab al-Iman transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying its isnad is not strong
and also that this is a gharib tradition.

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "No one has swallowed back anything more
excellent in the sight of Allah, Who is Great and Glorious, than anger he restrains, seeking to
please Allah most high."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5129 Narrated byHudhayfah
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Do not be people without minds of your own,
saying that if others treat you well you will treat them well and that if they do wrong you will
do wrong; but accustom yourselves to do good if people do good and not to do wrong if they
do evil."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5130 Narrated byMu'awiyah
Mu'awiyah wrote to Aisha asking her to write him a letter giving him advice but not to make it
lengthy. She wrote: Peace be upon you! To proceed: I heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon
him) say, "If anyone seeks Allah's good pleasure at the cost of men's displeasure Allah will
keep from him the trouble caused by men; but if anyone seeks men's good pleasure at the cost
of Allah's displeasure Allah will leave him in men's hands."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Among those who will be in the worst station
with respect to Allah on the Day of Resurrection, will be a man who has squandered his future
life at the expense of someone else's worldly interests."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "By Him in Whose hand my soul is, you must enjoin
what is reputable and forbid what is disreputable, or Allah will certainly soon send punishment
from Himself to you. Then you will make supplication and not receive an answer."
You people recite this verse, "You who believe, care for yourselves; he who goes astray cannot
harm you when you are rightly guided." I heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) say,
"When people see something objectionable and do not change it, Allah will soon include them
all in His punishment."
Ibn Majah and Tirmidhi, who declared it to be sahih, transmitted it.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5144 Narrated byAbuTha'labah
AbuTha'labah swore by Allah that he had asked Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him and
grant him peace) about the words of Allah Most High, "Care for yourselves; he who goes
astray cannot harm you when you are rightly guided." He had replied, "No, enjoin one another
to do what is reputable and forbid one another to do what is disreputable. But when you see
niggardliness being obeyed, passion being followed, worldly interests being preferred,
everyone being charmed with his own opinion, and you see something you are inclined to do,
care for yourself and leave alone what people in general are doing; for ahead of you are days
which will require endurance, in which he who shows endurance will be like him who grasps
live coals. The one who acts rightly during that period will have the reward of fifty men who
act as he does." The hearers said, "The reward of fifty of them, Messenger of Allah! (peace be
upon him)." He replied, "The reward of fifty of you."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5145 Narrated byAbuSa'id al-Khudri
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) stood up among us to deliver an address after the
afternoon prayer, and he did not leave out anything that would happen up to the Day of
Resurrection without mentioning it. Some remembered and some forgot his words. In the
course of his address he said, "The world is sweet and verdant and Allah is putting you as
successors in it, so consider how you act. Be on you guard against the world, and be on your
guard against women." He mentioned that everyone who had betrayed a trust would have a
banner on the Day of Resurrection to the extent of his betrayal in the world, and that no
betrayal was greater than that of the ruler of the common people, whose banner would be fixed
onto his posterior. And he said, "Let not respect for men prevent any of you from speaking the
truth when he knows it." One version says "From changing a disreputable thing if he sees it."
AbuSa'id then wept and said: We have seen it, but respect for men has prevented us from
speaking about it. The Prophet then said, "The descendants of Adam have been created in
various categories. Some are born believers and live and die believers; some are born infidels
and live and die infidels; some are born believers and live as believers, but die infidels; some
are born infidels and live as infidels, but die believers." It is said that he mentioned anger,
saying, "Some are swift to anger and swift to cool down, the one characteristic making up for
the other; some are slow to anger and slow to cool down, the one characteristic making up for
the other; but the best of you are those who are slow to anger and swift to cool down, and the
worst of you are those who are swift to anger and slow to cool down." He continued, "Beware
of anger, for it is a live coal on the heart of the descendant of Adam. Do you not notice the
swelling of the veins of his neck and the redness of his eyes? So when anyone experiences
anything of that nature he should lie down and cleave to the earth." The Prophet (peace be
upon him) mentioned debts saying, "Some among you are good payers, but make immoderate
demands when a debt is owed to them, the one characteristic making up for the other. Some
are bad payers, but make gentle demands when a debt is owed to them, the one characteristic
making up for the other. But the best among you are those who are good payers when they owe
a debt and make gentle demands when a debt is owed to them, and the worst among you are
those who are bad payers when they owe a debt and make immoderate demands when a debt is
owed to them." Then when the sun was shining over the tops of the palm trees and the
extremities of the walls he said, "No more of the world remains in relation to what has passed
than there remains of this day in relation to what has passed."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5150 Narrated byAmmar ibn Yasir
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The table was sent down from Heaven with
bread and meat, and they were commanded not to be unfaithful nor to store up for the morrow.
But they were unfaithful, sorted up and laid by for the morrow, so they were changed into apes
and swine."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5154 Narrated byAbuMusa al-Ash'ari
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "By Him in Whose hand Muhammad's soul is,
what is reputable and what is disreputable are two creatures which will be set up for mankind
on the day of resurrection. What is reputable will give good news to those who followed it and
will promise them good, but while what is disreputable will tell them to go away, they will be
unable to keep from adhering to it."
Ahmad and Bayhaqi, in Shu'ab al-Iman, transmitted it.

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Who will accept those words from me and act
upon them, or teach people who will act upon them?" When he replied that he would he took
him by the hand and counting five characteristics, said, "If you guard against the things which
are forbidden, you will be the most devout of men; if you are pleased with what Allah has
allotted, you will be the richest of men; if you are kind to your neighbour, you will be a
believer; if you like others to have what you like for yourself, you will be a Muslim; and do not
laugh immoderately, for immoderate laughter causes the heart to die."
Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a gharib tradition.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) told that Allah said, "Son of Adam, if you devote your
heart to unpreoccupied worship of me I shall fill your breast with sufficiency and make your
poverty cease; but if you do not do so I shall fill your hand with work and not make your
poverty cease."
Ahmad and Ibn Majah transmitted it.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5173 Narrated byJabir ibn Abdullah
When a man was mentioned in the presence of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) for
devotion to worship and serious effort, and another was mentioned for ri'ah, the Prophet said,
"It is not equivalent to ri'ah," meaning self-restraint.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5174 Narrated byAmr ibn Maymun al-Awdi
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said to a man in the course of an exhortation, "Grasp
five things before five others: your youth before your decrepitude, your health before your
illness, your riches before your poverty, your leisure before your work, and your life before
your death."
Tirmidhi transmitted it in mursal form.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "None of you is expecting anything but wealth which
produces injustice, or poverty which makes one forgetful, for an illness which causes
deterioration, or decrepitude which weakens the mind, or death which suddenly gives the last
stroke, or the Dajjal who is the worst of what is expected but has not yet come, or the last hour
which is most calamitous and most bitter."
Transmitted by Tirmidhi and Nasa'i.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The world is accursed and what it contains is
accursed, except remembrance of Allah and what He likes, a learned man, or a learner."
Transmitted by Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah..
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5177 Narrated bySahl ibn Sa'd
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "If the world were equivalent to a gnat's wing in
Allah's sight, He would not give an infidel a drink of it."
Transmitted by Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah..
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Do not own an estate and so be pleased with the
world."
Tirmidhi and Bayhaqi, in Shu'ab al-Iman, transmitted it.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Do not own an estate and so be pleased with the
world."
Transmitted by Tirmidhi and Bayhaqi, in Shu'ab al-Iman.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5179 Narrated byAbuMusa
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "He who loves his present life does damage to his
hereafter and he who loves his hereafter does damage to his present life, so prefer what is
lasting to what is evanescent."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Cursed be the slave of the dinar and cursed be the
slave of the dirham."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5181 Narrated byKa'b ibn Malik
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Two hungry wolves let loose among sheep are
not more destructive to them than a man's greed for property and self-esteem are to his
religion."
Tirmidhi and Darimi transmitted it.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5182 Narrated byKhabbab
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "No believer spends anything without being
rewarded for it, except for what he spends on this dust."
Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "All spending is in Allah's cause except that on
building, for there is no good in it."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5185 Narrated byAbuHashim ibn Utbah
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) gave him the following instruction, "A sufficient
amount of property for you to gather is a servant and a mount in Allah's cause."
Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Nasa'i and Ibn Majah transmitted it.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5186 Narrated byUthman ibn Affan
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The son of Adam has a right only to the following: a
house in which he lives, a garment with which he conceals his private parts, dry bread and
water."
A man came and said, "Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), direct me to a deed for which
I shall be loved by Allah and by men when I have done it." He replied, "If you practise
abstinence in the world Allah will love you, and if you abstain from people's possessions men
will love you."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) slept on a reed mat and got up with the marks of it on
his body, so Ibn Mas'ud said, "Messenger of Allah, I wish you would order us to spread
something out for you and make something." He replied, "What have I to do with the world?
In relation to the world I am just like a rider who shades himself under a tree, then goes off and
leaves it."
Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it,

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The most enviable of my friends in my estimation is a
believer with little property who finds pleasure in prayer, who performs the worship of his
Lord well, who obeys Him in secret, who is obscure among men, who is not pointed out by
people, and whose provision is a bare sufficiency with which he is content." He then snapped
his fingers and said, "His death will come speedily, the women who bewail him will be few,
and what he leaves will be little."
Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, his Lord suggested turning the valley of Mecca
into gold for him but he replied, "No, my Lord, but let me have enough to eat and be hungry on
alternate days; then when I am hungry I shall make supplication to Thee and make mention of
Thee, and when I have enough I shall praise and thank Thee."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5191 Narrated byUbaydullah ibn Mihsan
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "If anyone among you is secure in mind in the
morning, healthy in body, possessed of food for the day, it is as though the whole world has
been brought into his possession."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5192 Narrated byAl-Miqdam ibn Ma'dikarib
Al-Miqdam heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) say, "A human being has not filled
any vessel which is worse than a belly. Enough for the son of Adam are some mouthfuls which
can keep his back straight: but if there is no escape he should fill it a third with food, a third
with drink, and leave a third empty."

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) heard a man belching and said, "Diminish your
belching, for the one who will suffer the severest hunger on the Day of Resurrection will be the
one who has had the most to eat in the world."
It is transmitted in Sharh as-Sunnah, and Tirmidhi transmitted something to the same effect.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5194 Narrated byKa'b ibn Iyad
Ka'b heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) say, "Every people has a temptation, and
my people's temptation is property."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The son of Adam will be brought on the Day of
Resurrection as though he were a lamb and will be made to stand before Allah who, telling him
He has given him gifts, bestowed good things on him and granted him favours, will ask him
what he has done. He will reply that he has amassed wealth, made it productive and left it in
greater quantity than it was originally, and he will tell his Lord that if He sends him back he
will bring it all to Him. He will ask him to show Him what he has sent before, and he will reply
to his Lord that he has amassed it, made it productive and left it in greater quantity than it was
originally, saying that if He sends him back he will bring if all to Him. Now that is a man who
has not sent any good before him and he will be taken away to Hell."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, but declared that it is weak.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, that the first question a man would be asked
about Allah's favours on the Day of Resurrection would be, "Did We not make your body
healthy and give you cool water to drink?"
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "On the Day of Resurrection the feet of the son of
Adam will not move away till he is questioned about five matters: on what he spent his life, in
doing what he made his youth pass away; whence he acquired his property, on what he spent it,
and what he did regarding what he knew."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said to him, "You are not better than people with red or
black skins unless you excel them in piety."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "He has been successful whose heart Allah has
made sincere towards faith, whose heart He has made free from unbelief, his tongue truthful,
his soul calm, his nature straight, whose ear He has made attentive and his eye observant. The
ear is a funnel and the eye is a repository for what the heart learns. He is successful whose
heart is made retentive."
Ahmad and Bayhaqi, is Shu'ab al-Iman, transmitted it.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5201 Narrated byUqbah ibn Amir
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "When you see Allah, Who is Great and Glorious,
giving a man such worldly goods as he likes in spite of his acts of disobedience, it is just a way
of bringing him little by little nearer to destruction." Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him)
then recited, "When they forgot what had been called to their attention We opened to them the
gates of everything, and when they were happy about what they were given We suddenly
seized them, and lo, they were desperate."

When one of the men in the Suffah died leaving a dinar, Allah's Messenger (peace be upon
him) said it was a branding. When another died leaving two dinars, Allah's Messenger (peace
be upon him) said they were two brandings.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5203 Narrated byAbuHashim ibn Utbah
Mu'awiyah told that he went in to visit his maternal uncle, AbuHashim ibn Utbah, and that
when AbuHashim wept he asked him what was making him weep, whether he was disturbed
by a pain or by eagerness to stay in the world. He replied that that was not the reason, but that
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) has given them an exhortation and he had not held to
it. He asked what it was and he replied that he had heard him say, "A sufficient amount of
property for you to gather is a servant and a mount in Allah's cause," whereas he saw that he
had amassed goods.
Ahmad, Tirmidhi Nasa'i and Ibn Majah transmitted it.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "This wealth consists of various kinds of
treasures and those treasures have keys. Blessed is the man whom Allah has made a key for
good and a lock for evil, but woe to the man whom Allah has made a key for evil and a lock for
good."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The world is the dwelling of him who has no
dwelling and the property of him who has no property. For he who has no intelligence amasses
goods."

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5218 Narrated byAbudDarda,
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The sun does not rise without having on either
side of it two angels who call out and cause all creatures but men and jinn to hear, 'O people,
come to your Lord. What is little and sufficient is better than what is abundant and causes
negligence.'"
AbuNu'aym transmitted this tradition in al-Hilyah.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5221 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Amr
When Allah's Messenger was asked who was most excellent, he replied, "Everyone whose
heart is clear of pollution (makhmum al-qalb) and whose tongue is truthful." On being told by
his hearers that they understood "whose tongue is truthful," but not makhmum al-qalb he
replied, "The one who is pure, the one who is pure, with no sin, iniquity, deceit, or envy."
Ibn Majah and Bayhaqi, in Shu'ab al-Iman, transmitted it.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "If you have four characteristics, whatever
worldly advantage passes you by does not matter to you: keeping a trust, speaking the truth, a
good character, and abstemiousness in food."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, Deeds will come. Prayer will come and say, "My
Lord, I am prayer," to which He will reply, "You are engaged in good." Sadaqah will come and
say, "My Lord, I am sadaqah," to which He will reply, "You are engaged in good." Fasting will
come and say, "My Lord, I am fasting," to which He will reply, "You are engaged in good."
Deeds will come in a similar manner and Allah Most High will say, "You are engaged in
good." Then Islam will come and say, "My Lord, Thou art peace (salam) and I am Islam," to
which Allah Most High will reply, "You are engaged in good; today by means of you I shall
mete out punishment and by means of you I shall give." Allah Most High has said in His
Book, "If anyone desires a religion other than Islam it shall not be accepted of him, and in the
hereafter he shall be one of the losers."'
Aisha had a curtain containing representations of birds and Allah's Messenger (peace be upon
him) said, "Remove it, Aisha, for when I see it I remember worldly things."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5226 Narrated byAbuAyyub al-Ansari
When a man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) asking him to give him an injunction
and to make it brief, he said, "When you stand up to pray perform your prayer as if it were your
last, do not say anything you will have to make an excuse for tomorrow, and resolve to give up
all hopes of what men posses."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5227 Narrated byMu'adh ibn Jabal
When Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) sent him to the Yemen, he went out with him
giving him advice, Mu'adh riding and Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) walking beside
his riding beast. Then when he finished he said, "Perhaps, Mu'adh, you may not meet me after
this year, but perhaps, you may pass this mosque of mine and my grave." Mu'adh wept from
grief over the departure of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be
upon him) then turned facing Medina and said, "Those nearest to me are the pious, whoever
they are and whenever they are."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The poor will enter Paradise five hundred years,
i.e. half a day, before the rich."

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5244 Narrated byAnas ibn Malik ; AbuSa'id
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "O Allah, grant me life as a poor man, cause me to die
as a poor man, and resurrect me in the company of the poor." Aisha asked him why he had
said this, and he replied, "Because they will enter Paradise forty years before the rich. Do not
turn away a poor man, Aisha, even if all you can give is half a date. If you love the poor and
bring them near you, Aisha, Allah will bring you near Him on the Day of Resurrection."
Tirmidhi and Bayhaqi, in Shu'ab al-Iman, transmitted and Ibn Majah transmitted it up to "in the
company of the poor" on the authority of AbuSa'id
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The world is the believer's prison and famine,
but when he leaves the world he leaves the prison and the famine."
It is transmitted in Sharh as-Sunnah.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5250 Narrated byQatadah ibn an-Nu'man
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "When Allah loves a man He protects him from
the world just as one of you continue to protect his patient from water."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5251 Narrated byMuhammad ibn Labid
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "There are two things which the son of Adam dislikes.
He dislikes death, but death is better for the believer than temptation; and he dislikes few
possessions, but few possessions involve less reckoning."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5252 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Mughaffal
A man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, "I love you." When he had told him
to consider what he was saying, and the man declared three times, "I swear by Allah that I love
you," he replied, "If you are speaking the truth, prepare a complete armour for poverty, for
poverty certainly comes quicker to those who love me than a flood does to its destination."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a hasan gharib tradition.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "I have been made afraid regarding Allah's cause
when no one was afraid, I have been made to endure harm in Allah's cause when no one was
suffering harm, and thirty nights and days have come to me when Bilal and I had no food
which creatures possessed of a liver eat, except something which was kept under Bilal's
armpit."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying the meaning of this tradition is that when the Prophet went out
in flight from Makkah accompanied by Bilal, Bilal had only as much food as he could carry
under his armpit.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5254 Narrated byAbuTalhah
When we complained to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) of hunger and raised our
clothes to show we were each carrying a stone over the belly, Allah's Messenger (peace be
upon him) raised his clothes and showed that he had two stones on his belly.
Tirmidhi transmitted it saying this is a gharib tradition.
When they were smitten by hunger Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) gave them a date
each.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever has two characteristics will be
recorded by Allah as grateful and showing endurance. He who regarding his religion considers
his superior and copies him, and regarding his worldly interests considers his inferior and
praises Allah for the bounty He has bestowed on him, will be recorded by Allah as grateful and
showing endurance. But he who regarding his religion considers his inferior, and regarding his
worldly interests considers his superior and grieves over what has passed him by will not be
recorded by Allah as grateful and showing endurance."
While I was sitting in the mosque at the same time as some of the poor ones among the
Emigrants were seated in a circle, the Prophet (peace be upon him) entered and sat with them,
so I got up and went over to them. The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said, "Let the poor
ones among the Emigrants rejoice over what makes their faces glad, for they will enter
Paradise forty years before the rich." Abdullah ibn Amr said he saw their colour shine so that
he wished to be along with them, or to be one of them.
Darimi transmitted it.
My friend ordered me to observe seven things. He ordered me to love the poor and be near
them; he ordered me to consider my inferior and not consider my superior; he ordered me to
join ties of relationship even when relatives were at a distance; he ordered me not to ask
anyone for anything; he ordered me to speak the truth even when it was bitter; he ordered me
not to fear for Allah's sake reproach anyone may cast on me; and he ordered me to repeat often
"There is no might and no power except in Allah," for these words were part of the treasure
under the Throne.
Three worldly things used to give pleasure to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him): food,
women and perfume. He acquired two, but one he did not acquire. He acquired women and
perfume, but not food.

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Perfume and women have been made dear to
me, but my comfort has been provided by prayer."
Ahmad and Nasa'i transmitted it. After "Have been made dear to me" Ibn al-Jawzi added, "in
the world".
When Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) sent him to the Yemen, he said, "Beware of
living sumptuously, for Allah's servants do not live sumptuously."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5265 Narrated byImran ibn Husayn
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Allah loves His poor, believing servant who
refrains from begging and yet has children."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) came upon us when my mother and I were plastering
something and asked, "What is this, Abdullah?" On my telling him it was something we were
repairing, he said, "What has been commanded is more urgent than that."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "This is the son of Adam and this is his appointed
period," putting his hand on the back of his neck. He then spread out his hand saying, "And
there is his hope.'

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "My people live from sixty to seventy years, and very
few live longer."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The term of life of my people ranges between
sixty and seventy years, and very few live longer."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5285 Narrated byAbuBakr
When a man asked Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him), who among men was best, he
replied, "He who has a long life and does what is good." He asked who among men was worst
and he replied, "He who has a long life and does what is evil."
Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Darimi transmitted it.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5286 Narrated byUbayd ibn Khalid
The Prophet (peace be upon him) made a brotherhood between two men, one of whom was
killed in Allah's cause. A week or so later the other died, and when they had prayed at his
funeral the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked what they had said. On their replying that they
had besought Allah to forgive him, show mercy to him, and join him to his companion, the
Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "What about his prayers since the time the other died and his
good deeds since the time the other died?" (Or he said, 'his fasting since the time the other
died). The distance between them is greater than that between Heaven and Earth."
AbuDawud and Nasa'i transmitted it.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5287 Narrated byAbuKabshah al-Anmari

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "There are three things which I swear to be true,
and I shall tell you something else, so keep it in mind. The three things which I swear to be true
are that a man's property does not become less on account of sadaqah; that when a man is
wronged and bears it patiently Allah will give him greater honour on that account; and that
when a man opens a door towards begging Allah opens for him a door towards poverty. The
thing I am going to tell you which you must keep in mind is this. The world has only four types
of people: 1) A man whom Allah provides with property and knowledge, in which he fears his
Lord and joins ties of relationship, acting in it towards Allah as is due to Him, this man being
in the most excellent station. 2) A man whom Allah provides with knowledge but not with
property, who says with a sincere intention that if he had property he would act as so and so
does, their reward being equal. 3) A man whom Allah provides with property but not with
knowledge, in which he acts in a random manner ignorantly, not fearing his Lord respecting it,
or using it to join ties of relationship, or dealing with it in a right way, this man being in the
worst station. 4) A man whom Allah provides with neither property nor knowledge, who says
that if he had property he would deal with it as so and so does and has this intention, the load
they have to bear being equal."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a sahih tradition.
The Prophet (peace be upon him), said, "When Allah desires good for a man He employed
him," He was asked how He employs him and replied, "He helps him to do what is good before
he dies."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5289 Narrated byShaddad ibn Aws
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The prudent man is he who subdues himself and
works for what comes after death, but the incapable man is he who lets himself follow his
passion and puts his hope in Allah."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5290 Narrated byOne of the companions of the Prophet
When we were sitting together, Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) appeared with a trace
of water on his head, and when we told him that he appeared to us to be in a happy frame of
mind, he agreed. The people then began to discuss wealth and Allah's Messenger (peace be
upon him) said, "There is no harm in wealth for him who fears Allah, Who is Great and
Glorious, but for him who fears Allah health is better than wealth, and a happy frame of mind
is one of Allah's favours."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5293 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Shaddad
When three members of the Banu Udhrah came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and
accepted Islam, he asked who would look after them for him and Talhah said he would, so they
stayed with him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) sent out an expedition which one of them
joined, and he was martyred. Afterwards he sent out an expedition which a second man joined,
and he was martyred. Later the third man died in his bed. Talhah said he had seen these three in
paradise and had seen that the one who died in his bed was their leader, the one who was
martyred second coming next to him and the first coming next to him. He had misgivings
about that, so he mentioned the matter to the Prophet (peace be upon him) who said, "What
objection have you to that? No one is more excellent in Allah's sight than a believer whose life
is prolonged in Islam to glorify and magnify Allah and declare His uniqueness."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5294 Narrated byMuhammad ibn AbuAmirah
Muhammad ibn AbuAmirah, who was one of the companions of Allah's Messenger, said: "If a
man were to fall on his face from the day he was born till the day he died of old age, showing
obedience to Allah, he would consider it insignificant on the day and wish to be sent back to
the world to acquire more recompense and reward."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5299 Narrated byUmar ibn al-Khattab
Umar heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) say, "If you were to trust in Allah
genuinely He would give you provision as He does for the birds which go out hungry in the
morning and come back full in the evening."

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Abstinence regarding worldly things does not consist
in treating as unlawful what is lawful or wasting property, but abstinence regarding worldly
things means that you do not place more reliance in what you possess than you do in what
Allah possesses, and that when you are afflicted you are most desirous that it should be made
lasting for the sake of the reward which accrues from it."
Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a gharib tradition and that the
tradition of Amr ibn Waqid the transmitter are rejected.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5302 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Abbas
One day he was riding behind Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) who said, "Young man,
if you are mindful of Allah He will be mindful of you, and if you are mindful of Allah you will
find Him before you. When you ask for anything ask it from Allah, and if you seek help seek
help Allah. Know that if the people were to unite to do you some benefit they could benefit you
only with what Allah had recorded for you, and that if they were to unite to do you some injury
they could injure you only with what Allah had recorded for you. The pens are withdrawn and
the pages are dry."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5303 Narrated bySa'd
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Part of the happiness of a son of Adam consists
in his pleasure with what Allah has decreed for him, part of the misery of a son of Adam
consists in his abandonment of asking Allah's blessing, and part of the misery of a son of Adam
consists in his displeasure with what Allah had decreed for him."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, he knew a verse which would suffice men if they
would but apply it, "For him who fears Allah He will appoint a way out and He will give him
provision from an unimagined source.'"
Ahmad, Ibn Majah and Darimi transmitted it.

There were two brothers in the time of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him), one of whom
used to come to the Prophet while the other worked at a trade. When the one who worked at a
trade complained of his brother to the Prophet (peace be upon him) he replied, "Perhaps you
obtain your provision by means of him."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a sahih gharib tradition.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5309 Narrated byAmr ibn al-'As
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The heart of the son of Adam has a piece in
every wadi and if anyone lets his heart follow all the pieces, Allah will not care in which wadi
He destroys him; but to anyone who trusts in Allah He will supply enough for all the pieces."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that their Lord, Who was Great and Glorious had said,
"If My servants were to obey Me, I should give them rain by night, make the sun rise on them
by day, and not cause them to hear the sound of thunder."
When a man went in to his family and saw their needy condition he went out to the desert.
When his wife saw his embarrassment she got up, and when she had made the mill ready and
lit a fire under the oven she said, "O Allah, grant us provision." She then looked and saw that
the platter had become full, and when she went to the oven she found it had become full. The
husband returned, and on his remarking that they had got something since his departure, his
wife replied, "Yes, from our Lord," and the man went and lifted the millstone. The matter was
mentioned to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and he said, "If he had not raised it, it would
have kept turning till the Day of Resurrection."

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5318 Narrated byAbuSa'd ibn AbuFadalah
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "When Allah assembles men on the Day of
Resurrection 'for a day about which there is no doubt', a crier will call saying that if anyone has
associated someone in a deed which he did for Allah's sake, he can seek his reward from
someone other than Allah, for Allah is the One who has least need of partners."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5320 Narrated byAnas ibn Malik ; Zayd ibn Thabit
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "If anyone's intention is to seek the hereafter Allah will
place his sufficiency in his heart and order his affairs, and the world will come to him
submissively; but if anyone's intention is to seek worldly good Allah will place poverty before
him and disorder his affairs, and only so much of it as has been ordained for him will come to
him."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Ahmad and Darimi transmitted it on the authority of Aban whose
authority was Zayd ibn Thabit.
AbuHurayrah said, "Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) while I was in my house, in my
place of prayer, a man came in to visit me and I was charmed with the condition in which he
saw me." Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) replied, "Allah have mercy on you,
AbuHurayrah! You will have a double reward, one for praying in secret and one for praying in
public."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "In the last times men will come forth who will
fraudulently use religion for worldly ends and wear sheepskins in public to display meekness.
Their tongues will be sweeter than sugar, but their hearts will be the hearts of wolves. Allah
will say, 'Are they trying to deceive me, or are they acting presumptuously towards me? I
swear by myself that I shall send trial upon those people which will leave the intelligent man
among them confounded.'"
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that Allah, Who is Blessed and Exalted had said, "I have
created creatures whose tongues are sweeter than sugar but whose hearts are more bitter than
aloes. I swear by myself that I shall certainly bring upon them trial which will leave the
intelligent man among them confounded. Are they trying to deceive me, or are they acting
presumptuously towards me?"
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "For everything there is eagerness, but every eagerness
has a slack period; so if the one who experiences it does what is right and pursues a middle
course place hopes in him, but if fingers are pointed at him do not consider him of any
account."
Umar went out one day to the mosque of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) and found
Mu'adh ibn Jabal sitting by the Prophet's grave, weeping. He asked what was making him weep
and he replied that it was something he had heard from Allah's Messenger (peace be upon
him). He had heard him say, "a little hypocrisy is polytheism, and anyone who is hostile to a
friend of Allah has gone forth to fight Allah. Allah loves the upright, pious and retiring ones
who are not missed when they are absent and are not given invitations or treated with honour
when they are present. Their hearts are the lamps of guidance, and they come forth from every
dusty and dark place."
Ibn Majah and Bayhaqi, in Shu'ab al-Iman transmitted it.

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, When a man prays publicly in a good manner and
prays secretly in a good manner Allah Most High says, "This is my servant indeed."
Transmitted by Ibn Majah.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "In the last days there will be people who will be
brethren in public but enemies in secret." He was asked how that would come about and
replied, "Because they will have ulterior motives in their mutual dealings and at the same time
will fear one another."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5331 Narrated byShaddad ibn Aws
Shaddad heard Allah`s Messenger (peace be upon him) say, "He who prays hypocritically has
attributed a partner to Allah; he who fasts hypocritically has obtained a partner to Allah; and he
who gives sadaqah hypocritically has attributed a partner to Allah."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) came out to them when they were discussing the
antichrist and asked if they would like him to tell what caused him more fear for them than the
antichrist. They replied that they certainly would, so he said, "Latent polytheism, meaning that
a man will stand up and pray and lengthen his prayer because he sees someone looking at him."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5334 Narrated byMahmud ibn Labid
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The thing I fear most for you is the lesser polytheism."
He was asked what the lesser polytheism was and replied that it was hypocrisy.
Ahmad transmitted it, and Bayhaqi added in Shu'ab al-Iman that on the day when men are
rewarded for their deeds Allah will say to them, "Depart to those towards whom you were
hypocritical in the world and see whether you can find any reward or any good with them."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5338 Narrated byAl-Muhajir ibn Habib
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, that Allah Most High said, "I do not accept
everything a wise man says, but I accept his ambition and his desire. If his ambition and desire
are to obey me I shall make his silence praise of me and calmness even if he does not speak."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "He who fears sets out at nightfall and he who
sets out at nightfall reaches the destination. Allah's commodity is dear. Allah's commodity is
Paradise".
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Allah Whose praise is glorious, says, "Bring forth
from Hell those who have remembered me at any time or feared me in any place."
Tirmidhi and Bayhaqi, in Kitab al-Ba'th wan-Nushur, transmitted it.
Aisha asked Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) about this verse, "And those who bring
what they have brought while their hearts are quaking," whether they were the people who
drank wine and stole. He replied, "No, daughter of as-Siddiq, but they are those who fast, pray
and give sadaqah while fearing that it may not be accepted from them. They are those who
compete with one another in good deeds."

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5351 Narrated byUbayy ibn Ka'b
When two-thirds of the night had passed the Prophet (peace be upon him) got up and said, "O
people, remember Allah, remember Allah. The first blast is surely coming and the second
follows it. Death has come with what it contains; death has come with what it contains."
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) went out to the prayer and saw the people looking as if
they were grinning he said, "If you were to keep much in remembrance death which is the
cutter-off of pleasures, it would distract you from what I see. Keep much in remembrance
death which is the cutter-off of pleasure, for a day does not come to the grave without its
saying, 'I am the house of exile, I am the house of solitude, I am the house of dust, I am the
house of worms.' When a believer dies the grave says to him, 'Welcome and greeting; you are
indeed the dearest to me of those who walk upon me. I have been given charge of you today
and you have come to me and you will see how I shall treat you.' It will then expand for him as
far as the eye can see and a door to Paradise will be opened for him. But when the profligate or
infidel is buried the grave says to him, `No welcome and no greeting to you; you are the most
hateful to me of those who walk upon me. I have been given charge of you today and you have
come to me and you will see how I shall treat you.' AbuSa'id told that Allah's Messenger
indicated it by interlacing his fingers. Then he said, "Seventy dragons will be put in charge of
him of such a nature that if one of them were to breathe on the earth it would produce no crops
as long as the world lasted, and they will bite and scratch him till he is brought to the
reckoning." He also reported Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) as saying. "The grave is
one of the gardens of Paradise, or one of the pits of Hell."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5353 Narrated byAbuJuhayfah
When some people remarked to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) that he had become
grey-haired, he replied, Surah Hud and those which are similar to it have made my hair grey."

When AbuBakr remarked to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) that he had become grey-
haired, he replied, "Hud, al-Waqi'ah, al-Mursalat, 'About what are they asking one another?'
and 'When the sun is folded up' have made may hair grey."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Avoid sins which are considered insignificant,
Aisha, for they have one sent by Allah to question about them."
Ibn Majah, Darimi and Bayhaqi, in Shu'ab al-Iman, transmitted it.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "If, through fear of Allah, tears--even to the
extent of a fly's head--fall from any believer's eyes and drop on some part of his cheek, he will
be kept away from Hell by Allah."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "When my people swagger and are served by the
sons of kings, the sons of the Persians and Byzantines, Allah will give their worst ones rule
over their best ones."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The last hour will not come till you kill your leader,
fight together with your swords, and your worst ones inherit your worldly goods."

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The last hour will not come till the most
fortunate of men in the world will be Baseborn, son of Baseborn."
Tirmidhi and Bayhaqi, in Dala'il an-Nubuwwah, transmitted it.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5366 Narrated byAli ibn AbuTalib
When we were sitting with Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) in the mosque, Mus'ab ibn
Umayr came to us, wearing only a cloak of his patched with fur. When Allah's Messenger saw
him he wept to think of his former affluence and his condition at that time. He then said, "How
will it be with you when one of you goes out in the morning wearing a mantle and goes out in
the evening wearing another, when one dish is placed before him and another removed, and
you cover your houses as the Ka'bah is covered?" On receiving the reply, "Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him), we shall then be better than we are today, having leisure for worship and
possessing all we require," he said, "No, you are better today than you will be at that time."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "A time is coming to men when he who adheres
to his religion will be like one who seizes live coals."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a tradition whose isnad is gharib.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "When your commanders are your best people,
your rich men are your generous people and your affairs are conducted by mutual consultation,
the surface of the earth will be better for you that its interior. But when your commanders are
your worst people, your rich men are your niggardly people and your affairs are in the hands of
your women, the interior of the earth will be the better for you than its surface."

Aisha heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) say, "The first time it (meaning Islam, as
Zayd ibn Yahya, the transmitter, said) will be overturned will be like a vessel being
overturned," the reference being to wine. Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) was asked
how that could be when Allah had given such clear directions about it, and replied, "They will
call it by another name and consider it lawful."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5378 Narrated byHudhayfah ibn al-Yaman
An-Nu'man told on Hudhayfah's authority that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said,
"Prophecy will remain among you as long as Allah wishes it to remain, then Allah Most High
will remove it. Then there will be a caliphate according to the manner of prophecy as long as
Allah wishes it to remain, then Allah Most High will remove it. Then there will be a distressful
kingdom which will remain as long as Allah wishes it to remain, then Allah Most High will
remove it. Then there will be a proud kingdom which will remain as long as Allah wishes it to
remain, then Allah Most High will remove it. Then there will be a caliphate according to the
manner of prophecy." Then he stopped. Habib said: "When Umar ibn AbdulAziz became
caliph I wrote to him, mentioning this tradition to him and saying, "I hope you will be the
commander of the faithful after the distressful and the proud kingdoms." It pleased and
charmed him, i.e. Umar ibn AbdulAziz."
Ahmad and Bayhaqi, in Dala'il an-Nubuwwah, transmitted it.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5398 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Amr ibn al.-'As
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "How will you do when you are left among dregs of
mankind whose covenants and guarantees have been impaired, who have disagreed and
become thus?" interwining his fingers. He asked what he ordered him to do and he replied,
"Keep to what you approve, abandon what you disapprove, attend to your own affairs and
avoid the generality." One version says, "Keep to your house, control your tongue, accept
what you approve, abandon what you disapprove, attend to your own affairs and leave alone
the affairs of the generality."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, calling it sahih.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5400 Narrated byUmm Malik al-Bahziyyah

When Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) mentioned civil strife and its nearness, she asked
him who would be the best of the people during it and he replied, "A man with his cattle who
pays the zakat due on them and worships his Lord, and a man who holds his horse's head and
causes fear to the enemy while they are causing him fear."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "There will be civil strife which will wipe out the
Arabs, and their slain will go to Hell. During it the tongue will be more severe than blows of
the sword."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5408 Narrated byAbuWaqid al-Laythi
When Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) went out to the battle of Hunayn he passed a tree
called Dhat Anwat belonging to the polytheists, on which they hung their weapons. The
people asked him to appoint a Dhat Anwat for them just as those people had one, to which
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) replied, "Glory be to Allah! This is like what the
people of Moses said when they asked him to appoint them a god just as other people had gods.
By Him in Whose hand my soul is, you will certainly follow the practices of your
predecessors."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The last hour will not come before time
contracts, a year being like a month, a month like a week, a week like a day, a day like an hour,
and an hour like the kindling of a fire."

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "When the booty is taken in turn, property given
in trust is treated as spoil, zakat is looked on as a fine, learning is acquired for other than a
religious purpose, a man obeys his wife and is unfilial towards his mother, he brings his friend
near and drives his father far off, voices are raised in the mosques, the most wicked member of
a tribe becomes its ruler, the most worthless member of a people becomes its leader, a man is
honoured through fear of the evil he may do, singing-girls and stringed instruments make their
appearance, wines are drunk, and the last members of this people curse the first ones, look at
that time for a violent wind, an earthquake, being swallowed up by the earth, metamorphosis,
pelting rain, and signs following one another like bits of a necklace falling one after the other
when its string is cut."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "When my people do fifteen things trial will
alight on them." He enumerated these things, but did not mention that learning would be
acquired for other than a religious purpose. He said, "Shows kindness to his friend and repulses
his father." He also said, "Wine is drunk and silk is worn."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said in the course of the story about the Mahdi, that a man
would come to him and say, "Give me, give me, Mahdi," and he would pour into his garment
as much as he was able to carry.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "By Him in Whose hand my soul is, the last hour
will not come before wild beasts speak to men, the end of a man's whip and the thong of his
sandal speak to him, and his thigh informs him what his family have done since he left them."

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5460 Narrated byAbuQatadah
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The signs will come after the end of the second
century."
No locusts were seen in one of the years of Umar's caliphate, the year in which he died, and
becoming very anxious on this account he sent a rider to the Yemen, another to Iraq and
another to Syria to enquire whether any locusts had been seen. The rider who came from the
Yemen brought him a handful and scattered it in front of him, and when Umar saw it he said,
"Allah is Most Great," and told that he had heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) say,
"Allah who is great and glorious created a thousand species, six hundred in the sea and four
hundred on the land. The first species to perish will be the locusts, and when they perish the
species will follow one another like beads on a string."
Bayhaqi transmitted it in Shu'ab al-Iman.
Amr ibn Hurayth quoted AbuBakr as-Siddiq as saying that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon
him) told them the Dajjal would come forth from a land in the East called Khurasan, followed
by people whose faces resembled shields covered with skin.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5513 Narrated byAl-Mustawrid ibn Shaddad
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "I have been commissioned when the end of time is
near and I have preceded it as this has preceded that," indicating his forefinger and his middle
finger.

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "How can I be at ease when the one who blows
the trumpet has put it to his mouth, inclined his ear and bent his forehead, waiting to see when
he will be ordered to blow it?" Allah's messenger (peace be upon him) was asked what
command he had to give them and told them to say, "Allah is sufficient for us and an excellent
guardian is He."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) recited this verse, "On that day it will tell its news, and
asked whether they knew what its news would be. On their replying that Allah and His
Messenger knew best he said, "Its news will be that it will tell what every man and woman did
when they were on it, saying they did such and such a thing on such and such a day. This will
be its news."
Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a hasan sahih gharib tradition.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Everyone who dies will repent." He was asked
the nature of their repentance and replied, "If one did what was good he will repent of not
having done more, and if one did evil he will repent of not having restrained himself."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Mankind will be assembled on the Day of
Resurrection in three classes, one walking, one riding and one on their faces." He was asked
how people could walk on their faces and replied, "He who caused them to walk on their feet
has power to make them walk on their faces. They will guard themselves by their faces from
every acclivity and from thorns."

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "If anyone would like to look at the Day of
Resurrection as though it were before his eyes, he should recite: 'When the sun is obscured
'When the sky shall be split open", and 'When the sky shall be rent asunder'."
The truthful one whose word is believed told him that mankind would be assembled in three
groups: one riding with food and clothing, one being dragged on their faces by the angels who
would assemble them for Hell, and one walking and running. Allah would cast a calamity on
riding-beasts so that none would remain, with the result that a man who had a garden would be
ready to give it for a saddled she-camel, but would be unable to get one.
Nasa'i transmitted it.
AbuUmamah heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) say, "May Lord has promised me
to bring into Paradise seventy thousand of my people without any reckoning or punishment,
each thousand accompanied by seventy thousand and three handfuls added by my Lord."
Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it.
Al-Hasan quoted AbuHurayrah who reported Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) as
saying, "On the Day of Resurrection mankind will be reviewed three times, the first two
consisting of disputing and excuses, but at the third the records of men's deeds will go quickly
into their hands, some receiving them in their right hands and some in their left."
Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it, but Tirmidhi said this tradition is not sound, as al-Hasan
did not hear anything from AbuHurayrah and some have transmitted it on al-Hasan's authority
quoting AbuMusa as his authority.

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said that on the Day of Resurrection Allah will
separate a man belonging to his people in presence of all creatures and spread ninety-nine
scrolls over him, each scroll extending as far as the eye could see, then say, "Do you object to
anything in this? Have my scribes who keep note wronged you?" He will reply, "No, my
Lord." He will ask him if he has any excuse, and when he tells his Lord that he has none, He
will say, "On the contrary you have with Us a good deed, and you will not be wronged today."
A document will then be brought out containing, "I testify that there is no god but Allah, and
that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger," and He will say, "Come to be weighed." He
will ask his Lord, "What this document along with these scrolls is? And He will reply, "You
will not be wronged." The scrolls will then be put in one side of the scale and the document in
the other, and the scrolls will become light and the document heavy, for nothing could compare
in weight with Allah's name.
A man came and when he had sat down in front of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) he
said, "Messenger of Allah, I have slaves who lie to me, deceive me and disobey me, and I
revile and beat them. How do I stand with respect to them?" He replied, "On the Day of
Resurrection account will be taken of the extent of their deceit, disobedience and lying towards
you, and of the punishment you administered to them. If your punishment of them was in
accordance with their offences, its being exactly right will count neither for you nor against
you. If your punishment of them was less than their offence deserved it will be something extra
to your credit. But if your punishment of them was greater than their offences deserved requital
will be taken from you on their behalf for the excess." The man went aside and began to shout
and weep, so Allah's Messenger asked him if he did not recite the words of Allah Most High:
"We shall place the just scales for the Day of Resurrection and no soul will be wronged in any
respect, and even if there is only the weight of a grain of mustard-seed We shall bring it, and
We are sufficient to take account." The man said, "Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), I
find nothing better for myself and these men than to separate from them. I call you to witness
that they are all free."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5592 Narrated byThawban
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "My reservoir is like the distance between Aden and
Amman in al-Balqa'. Its water is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey, and its cups are as
numerous as the stars in the sky. He who takes one drink of it will never thirst thereafter. The
first to come down to it will be the poor emigrants, those with dishevelled heads and dirty
clothes, who do not marry delicate women and do not have doors opened for them."
Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a gharib tradition.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5594 Narrated bySamurah
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Every prophet has a reservoir and they will vie
with one another about which of them will have the largest number coming down to it. I hope
that I may have the largest number."
Anas asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) to intercede for him on the Day of Resurrection,
and when he replied that he would do so he asked Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him)
where he should look for him. He replied, "Look for me first at the path." He asked,
"Supposing I do not find you at the path?" and received the reply, "Look for me at the scale."
He asked, "Supposing I do not find you at the scale?" and received the reply, "Look for me at
the reservoir, for I shall not go beyond these three places."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5597 Narrated byAl-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "On the Day of Resurrection the distinguishing
sign of the believers on the path will be, 'My Lord, keep safe, keep safe'."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5600 Narrated byAwf ibn Malik
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "One came to me from my Lord and gave me a
choice between half of my people entering Paradise and intercession, and I chose intercession.
It will apply to those who have died and have associated nothing with Allah."

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5601 Narrated byAbdullah ibn AbulJad'a
Abdullah heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) say, "More than the number of the B.
Tamim will enter Paradise through the intercession of a man of my people,"
Tirmidhi, Darimi and Ibn Majah transmitted it.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Some of my people will intercede for a large
number, some for a tribe, some for a group, and some for a single man, till they enter
Paradise."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Allah, Who is Great and Glorious, has promised
me that four hundred thousand of my people will enter Paradise without being taken to
account." AbuBakr asked Allah's Messenger to tell them more, and he replied that Allah did
thus, taking up two handfuls and joining his hands together. AbuBakr asked him to tell them
more, and he did the same again. Umar then said, "Let the matter alone, AbuBakr," to which
AbuBakr replied, "What harm would it do you if Allah were to bring us all into Paradise?"
Umar said, "If Allah Who is Great and Glorious, wishes to bring all His creatures into Paradise
simultaneously He can do so," and the Prophet said, Umar has spoken the truth."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The inhabitants of Hell will be drawn up in line,
and when one of the inhabitants of Paradise passes them one of them will say, 'So and so, do
you not recognise me? I am the one who gave you a drink.' And one of them will say, 'I am the
one who gave you water for ablution.' He will then intercede for him and bring him into
Paradise."

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Two men of those who enter Hell will shout
loudly, and the Lord Most High will say, 'Bring them out.' He will ask them why they shouted
so loudly and they will reply, 'We did that in order that Thou mightest have mercy on us.' He
will say, 'My mercy to you is that you should go and throw yourselves where you were in Hell.'
One of them will do so and Allah will make it coolness and peace for him, but the other will
stand and not do so. The Lord Most High will ask him, 'What has prevented you from
throwing yourself in as your companion did?" and he will reply, 'My Lord, I hope that Thou
wilt not send me back into it after taking me out of it.' The Lord most high will then say to
him, 'You will have your hope realised,' and they will both be brought into Paradise by Allah's
mercy."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Mankind will go down to Hell and then come up
from it because of their deeds, the first of them like a flash of lighting, the next like the wind,
the next like a horse's gallop, the next like one riding on his pack-saddle, the next like a man's
running, the next like his walking."
AbuHurayrah asked Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) what the creation was made of and
he replied that it was made of water. He was asked what Paradise was constructed of and
replied, "A brick of gold and a brick of silver with mortar of strong-scented musk; its pebbles
are pearls and rubies and its soil is saffron. Those who enter it will be in affluent circumstances
and will not be destitute, they will live for ever and not die, their garments will not wear out,
and their youth will not pass away."
Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Darimi transmitted it.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The trunk of every tree in Paradise is of gold."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "There are a hundred grades in Paradise with a
distance of hundred years between every two."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "There are a hundred grades in Paradise; if the
universe were gathered in one of them it would hold it all."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said regarding the words of Allah Most High, "And couches
raised high," that their height was like the distance between Heaven and Earth, a distance of
five hundred years.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The faces of the first company to enter Paradise
on the Day of Resurrection will be as bright as the moon on the night when it is full, and the
second company will be like the most beautiful shining planet in the sky. Every man among
them will have two wives, each wife wearing seventy mantles through which the marrow of
her leg will be seen."

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "In Paradise the believer will be given such and such
power to conduct sexual intercourse." He was asked whether he would be capable of that and
replied that he would be given the capacity of a hundred men.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5637 Narrated bySa'd ibn AbuWaqqas
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "If as much of what is in Paradise as could be carried by
a fingernail were to appear, the space between the cardinal points of the Heavens and the Earth
would be adorned on account of it. If a man of the inhabitants of Paradise were to look down
and his bracelets were to appear, his light would obliterate the light of the sun just as the sun
obliterates the light of the stars."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The inhabitants of Paradise are hairless,
beardless and have black eyes, their youth does not pass away and their garments do not wear
out."
The Prophet (peace be upon him), said, "The inhabitants of Paradise will enter Paradise
hairless, beardless with their eyes anointed with collyrium, aged thirty or thirty-three years."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5640 Narrated byAsma', daughter of AbuBakr
Asma' heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) say when the lote-tree of the boundary
was mentioned to him, "A rider can travel in the shade of a branch of it for a hundred years," or
"a hundred riders can take shelter in its shade (the transmitter being in doubt); in it there are
golden butterflies and its fruit looks like earthenware jars."
When Allah's Messenger was asked what al-Kawthar was he replied, "That is a river Allah has
given me (meaning in Paradise), whiter than milk and sweeter than honey, containing birds
whose necks are like the necks of sacrificial camels." Umar remarked, "These have a pleasant
life," and Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) replied, "Those who eat them have a
pleasanter life."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5642 Narrated byBuraydah ibn al-Hasib
When a man asked Allah's Messenger whether there were any horses in Paradise, he replied,
"If Allah brings you into Paradise you will not wish to be conveyed in it on a horse of red ruby
which will fly with you in paradise wherever you wish without doing so." A man asked Allah's
messenger whether there were any camels in paradise and he did not give him the same reply
as he gave the other, but said, "If Allah brings you into Paradise you will have what your soul
desires and your eye takes pleasure in."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5643 Narrated byAbuAyyub
A nomadic Arab came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, "Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him), I am fond of horses, are there any horses in Paradise?" He replied, "If
you are granted entrance into Paradise, you will be brought a winged horse made of a ruby and
will be mounted on it, then it will fly with you wherever you wish."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a tradition whose isnad is not strong, that AbuSawrah its
transmitter is declared to be a weak traditionist, and that he had heard Muhammad ibn Isma'il
say this. AbuSawrah's traditions were rejected, he being one who transmitted disacknowledged
traditions.

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The inhabitants of Paradise will be in a hundred
and twenty rows, eighty of them from this people and forty from the rest of the peoples."
Tirmidhi, Darimi and Bayhaqi, in Kitab al-Ba'th wan-Nushur, transmitted it.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The breadth of the gate by which my people will
enter Paradise will be a three years' journey for a fine rider, yet they will be so crushed that
they will almost lose their shoulders."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying that this is a weak tradition, and that when he asked Muhammad
ibn Isma'il about this tradition he did not know it, adding that Yakhlud ibn AbuBakr
transmitted disacknowledged traditions.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "In Paradise there is a market in which there is no
buying or selling, but only the forms of men and women; and when a man desires a form he
enters it."
Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab met AbuHurayrah who said, "I ask Allah to bring us together in the
market of Paradise." Sa'id asked if it contained a market and he replied that it did, for Allah's
Messenger (peace be upon him) had informed him that when the inhabitants of Paradise will
enter it they will alight in it by virtue of their deeds. They will then be granted permission for
the period of a Friday in this world and will visit their Lord whose throne will be shown to
them, and He will appear to them in one of the gardens of Paradise. Pulpits of light, pulpits of
pearls, pulpits of rubies, pulpits of chrysoprase, pulpits of gold and pulpits of silver will be
placed for them, and the humblest of them, for there would be no one worthless among them,
will sit on mounds of musk and camphor, not considering that those who are on the chairs are
in a more excellent position than they. AbuHurayrah told that he asked, "Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) shall we see our Lord?" To which he replied, "Yes, are you in doubt about
seeing the sun and the moon on the night when it is full?" On receiving the reply that they were
not, he said, "Similarly you will have no doubts about the vision of your Lord, and no man will
remain in that assembly without Allah conversing with him, till he says to one of them, 'So and
so, son of so and so, do you remember the day you said such and such?' and He will remind
him of one of the dishonest things he did in the world. He will say, 'O my Lord, hast Thou not
forgiven me? And He will reply, 'Yes; by the breadth of my forgiveness you have reached this
station of yours.' While that is taking place a cloud will overshadow them from above and rain
on them perfume whose fragrance will be such as they have never experienced anything to
compare with, and our Lord will say, 'Stand up and go to the honour I have prepared for you,
and take what you desire.' We shall then come to a market surrounded by angels, containing
such things as eyes have never seen, ears have never heard, and hearts have never thought of.
What we desire will be conveyed to us, there being no buying or selling in it, and in that
market the inhabitants of Paradise will meet one another. A man of exalted station will come
forward and meet one who is humbler than him, though there would be no one worthless
among them, who will be charmed by the clothing he sees him wearing, but before their talk
comes to an end he will imagine that he has something more beautiful than the other. That is
because it is not appropriate for anyone to grieve in it. We shall then go to our dwellings and
our wives will meet us and say, 'Welcome; you have come with more excellent beauty than you
had when you left us.' We shall reply, 'To-day we have had a meeting with our Lord, the
Overpowering One, and it is fitting that we should come away as we have done'."
Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a gharib tradition.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The lowliest of the inhabitants of Paradise will
be he who has eighty thousand servants, seventy-two wives, and for whom a round pavilion of
pearls, chrysoprase and rubies as large as the distance between al-Jabiyah and San'a will be set
up." By the same isnad he said, "Those who are to go to Paradise, who die whether young or
old, will come into Paradise aged thirty and never grow older. The same applies to those who
will go to Hell." By the same isnad he said, "They will wear crowns, the smallest pearl of
which will illuminate the space between the east and the west." By the same isnad he said,
"When a believer in Paradise wishes for a child, its conception, delivery and growth to full age
will be accomplished in a moment as he wishes." Ishaq ibn Ibrahim said regarding this
tradition that when a believer in Paradise wish for a child it would come in a moment, "But he
will not wish for one."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib tradition. Ibn Majah transmitted the fourth part,
and Darimi the last statement.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, in Paradise there is a meeting-place for the large-
eyed maidens who will raise voices such as created beings have never heard and say, "We are
the women who live for ever and do not pass away, we are the women in affluent
circumstances who will not be destitute, we are the women who are pleased and not displeased.
Blessed are those who belong to us and to whom we belong!"
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5650 Narrated byHakim ibn Mu'awiyah
Allah's Messenger said, "In Paradise there are a great river of water, a great rivers of honey, a
great river of milk and a great river of wine; then the smaller river will be divided off."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Darimi transmitted it from Mu'awiyah.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The lowest in station among the inhabitants of
Paradise will be he who looks at his gardens, his wives, his bliss, his servants, and his couches
stretching a thousand years' journey, and the one who will be most honoured by Allah will be
he who looks at His face morning and evening." He then recited, "Faces on that day will be
bright, looking at their Lord."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "While the inhabitants of Paradise are in their bliss a
light will shine out to them, and raising their heads they will see that their Lord has looked
down on them from above. He will then say, 'Peace be to you, inhabitants of Paradise,' the
proof of that being the words of Allah Most High, 'Peace, a word from a Merciful Lord., He
will then look at them and they will look at Him, and they will not turn aside to any of their
bliss as long as they are looking at Him till He veils Himself from them and His light remains."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Hell was kindled for a thousand years till it became
red, then it was kindled for a thousand years till it became white, then it was kindled for a
thousand years till it became black, and it is black and dark."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "On the Day of Resurrection the molar tooth of
an infidel will be like Uhud, his thigh like al-Bayda', and his abode in Hell a three-nights'
journey like ar-Rabadhah."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The thickness of an infidel's skin will be forty-
two cubits, his molar tooth will be like Uhud, and his seat in Jahannam will be like the distance
between Mecca and Medina."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The infidel will drag his tongue a league and two
leagues with people treading on it."
Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it, the latter saying this is a gharib tradition.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The ascent is a mountain in Hell, up which
people will be made to climb for seventy years and down which they will be made to fall a
similar distance, and so on for ever."

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said about Allah's words, "Like molten copper," that it is like
the sediment of olive-oil, and that when it approaches one's face the skin of one's face will fall
into it."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The hot water will be poured over their heads and the
hot water will penetrate till it comes inside a man. It will scour what is inside him till it comes
out at his feet; and that is the melting. He will then be restored as he was."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said about Allah's words, "He will be given to drink some
liquid pus which he will gulp: It will come near his mouth and he will dislike it, then when it is
brought near him it will scald his face and the skin of his head will fall away. Then when he
drinks it, it will cut his entrails to pieces till it comes out at his posterior. Allah Most High
says, "They will be given to drink a boiling liquid and it will cut their entrails to pieces." He
also says, "And if they ask for help they will be helped with a liquid like molten copper which
will scald their faces. How evil a drink it is!"
Tirmidhi transmitted.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The awnings of Hell have four thick walls, each wall a
distance of forty years."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5686 Narrated byAbudDarda'
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Hunger will be cast upon the inhabitants of Hell
and will be equal to the punishment they are experiencing. They will cry for help and will be
helped with food of dari' which neither fattens nor satisfies hunger. They will then call for food
and will be fed with food which chokes. So remembering that they helped down choking food
with drink when they were in the world they will ask for drink and the scalding drink will be
presented to them on iron flesh-hooks. When these approach their faces they will scorch their
faces, and then they enter their bellies they will cut in pieces the contents of their bellies. They
will then ask the guards of Jahannam to be called who will say, 'Did your messengers not bring
you the clear signs?' and when they reply, 'Yes,' they will say, 'Then make supplication, but the
supplication of the infidels is only in error.' They will then ask Malik to be called and will say,
'O Malik, would that your Lord might put an end to us!' He will reply to them, 'You are
remaining' (al-A'mash saying he had been informed that the period between their appeal and
Malik's reply to them would be a thousand years). They will then say, "Call your Lord, for no
one is better than your Lord,' and they will say, 'O our Lord, our adversity was too much for us
and we were a people who went astray. O our Lord, bring us out of it; then if we return to evil
we shall indeed be wrongdoers.' He will then answer them, 'Retreat into it in shame and do not
speak to me.' They will then despair of all good and will begin to sigh, grieve and bemoan
themselves." Abdullah ibn AbdurRahman said that people do not trace this tradition back to the
Prophet.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) pointed to something like a bowl and said, "If a piece
of lead like this were sent from Heaven to Earth, which is journey of five hundred years, it
would reach the earth before night; and if it were sent from the top of the chain it would travel
forty years night and day before reaching its foot (or its bottom)."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Only he who is miserable will enter Hell." He
was asked to whom that referred and replied, "He who has not done an act of obedience for
Allah's sake, or has left an act of disobedience undone."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Allah created Israfil who has been keeping his
feet in line from the day he was created and not raising his glance. Between him and the Lord
Who is Blessed and Exalted, there are seventy lights, not one of which he could approach
without being burned."
Tirmidhi transmitted it and called it sahih.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "A believer is held by Allah in more honour than
some of His angels."
While Allah's Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions were sitting clouds came over
them and Allah's Prophet (peace be upon him) asked, "Do you know what these are?" On their
replying that Allah and His Messenger knew best, he said, "These are the clouds (anan), these
are the water-carriers of the Earth, which Allah drives to people who do not thank Him or call
upon him." He then asked, "Do you know what is above you?" On their replying that Allah and
His Messenger (peace be upon him) knew best, he said, "It is the firmament, a ceiling which is
guarded and waves which are kept back." He then asked, "Do you know what is between you
and it?" On their replying that Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) knew best, he
said, "Between you and it are five hundred years." He then asked, "Do you knew what is above
that?" On their replying that Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) best he said, "Two
heavens with a distance of five hundred years between them." He went on speaking like that
till he counted seven heavens, the distance between each pair being like between Heaven and
Earth. He then asked, "Do you know what is above that?" On their replying that Allah and His
Messenger (peace be upon him) knew best, he said, "Above that is the Throne, and the distance
between it and the (seventh) heaven is the same as that between each pair of heavens." He then
asked, "Do you know what is below you?" On their replying that Allah and His Messenger
(peace be upon him) knew best, he said, "It is the earth." He then asked, "Do you know what is
under that?" On their replying that Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) knew best,
he said, "Under it there is another Earth with a journey of five hundred years between them,"
and so on till he had counted seven earths with a journey of five hundred years between each
pair. He then said, "By Him in Whose hand Muhammad's soul is, if you were to drop a rope to
the lowest earth it would not pass out of Allah's knowledge." He then recited, "He is the First
and the Last, the Outward and the Inward, and He is omniscient." (Tirmidhi commented that
Allah's Messenger's recitation of the verse indicates that it would go down within Allah's
knowledge, power and authority, for Allah's knowledge, power and authority are everywhere,
while He is on the Throne, as He described Himself in His Book.)

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5754 Narrated byKhabbab ibn al-Aratt
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) led us in prayer and prolonged it, and when the people
said, "Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), you have prayed a prayer such as you have not
been accustomed to pray," he replied, "Yes, it was a prayer of hope and fear during which I
asked Allah for three things, two of which He granted me but one of which He refused me. I
asked Him not to destroy my people by famine and He granted me that, I asked Him not to let
an enemy from another people rule over them and He granted me that, and I asked Him not to
let them experience one another's violence but He refused me that."
Tirmidhi and Nasa'i transmitted it.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5757 Narrated byAl-Abbas ibn AbdulMuttalib
Al-Abbas came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) who seemed to have heard something and
so mounted the pulpit and asked, "Who am I?" On being told that he was Allah's Messenger
(peace be upon him) he said, "I am Muhammad, son of Abdullah son of AbdulMuttalib. Allah
created all creatures and placed me among the best of them, then put them in two sections and
placed me in the better section, then made them into tribes and placed me in the best tribe, then
made them into families and placed me in the best family, and I am inherently the best of them
and come of the best family."
When Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) was asked when the office of Prophet had been
established for him, he replied, "When Adam had not yet had his spirit joined to his body.
Allah's Messenger said, "I shall be pre-eminent among the descendants of Adam on the Day of
Resurrection, and this is no boast; and in my hand will be the banner of praise, and this is no
boast. There will be no prophet, Adam or any other, who will not be under my banner. I shall
be the first from whom the Earth will be cleft open, and this is no boast."
When some of the companions of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) were sitting he came
out, and when he came near them he heard them discussing. One of them said Allah had taken
Abraham as a friend, another said He spoke direct to Moses, another said Jesus was Allah's
word and spirit, and another said Allah chose Adam. Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him)
then came out to them and said, "I have heard what you said, and you wonder that Abraham
was Allah's friend, as indeed he was; that Moses was Allah's confidant, as indeed he was; that
Jesus was His spirit and word, as indeed he was; and that Adam was chosen by Allah, as
indeed he was. I am the one whom Allah loves, and this is no boast. On the Day of
Resurrection I shall be the bearer of the banner of praise under which will be Adam and the
others, and this is no boast. I shall be the first intercessor and the first whose intercession is
accepted on the Day of Resurrection, and this is no boast. I shall be the first to rattle the
knocker of Paradise, and Allah will open for me and bring me into it accompanied by the poor
ones among the believers, and this is no boast. I shall be the most honourable in Allah's
estimation among those of earliest and latest times, and this is no boast."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "I am the leader (qa'id) of the messengers, and this is no
boast; I am the seal of the prophets, and this is no boast; and I shall be the first to make
intercession and the first whose intercession is accepted, and this is no boast."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "I shall be clothed with one of the robes of Paradise and
shall then stand at the right of the Throne, a place where no other creature than I shall stand."
Tirmidhi transmitted it. The version on his authority in Jami' al-Usul has "I shall be the first
from whom the earth will be cleft open and I shall be clothed....."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Ask Allah to grant me the Wasilah." Allah's
Messenger (peace be upon him) was asked what the Wasilah meant and replied, "The highest
grade in Paradise, which only one man will attain, and I hope I may be he."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5772 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Salam
The description of Muhammad is written in the Torah and also that Jesus, son of Mary, will be
buried along with him. AbuMawdud said that a place for a grave had remained in the house.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) was neither tall nor short, he had a large head and
beard, the palms of his hands and his feet were calloused, he had a reddish tinge, he had large
joints, the hair on his breast was long, and when he walked he bent forward as though he were
descending a slope. I have never seen anyone like him before or since.
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a hasan sahih tradition.
When Ali described the Prophet (peace be upon him) he said: He was neither very tall nor
excessively short, but was a man of medium size. He had neither very curly nor flowing hair
but a mixture of both. He was not obese, he did not have a very round face, but it was so to
some extent. He was reddish-white, he had wide black eyes and long eyelashes. He had
protruding joints and shoulder-blades, he was not hairy but had some hair on his chest, and the
palms of his hands and his feet were calloused. When he walked he raised his feet as though he
were walking on a slope; when he turned round he turned completely. Between his shoulders
was the seal of prophecy and he was the seal of the prophets. He had a finer chest than anyone
else, was truer in utterance than anyone else, had the gentlest nature and the noblest tribe.
Those who saw him suddenly stood in awe of him and those who shared his acquaintanceship
loved him. Those who described him said they had never seen anyone like him before or since.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5794 Narrated byJabir ibn Samurah
I saw the Prophet (peace be upon him) on a cloudless night and began to look at Allah's
Messenger and at the moon. He was wearing a red robe, and he appeared more beautiful than
the moon to me.
I have seen nothing more beautiful than Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) who looked as
if the sun were pursuing its course in his face. And I have seen no one who walked more
quickly than Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him), for it seemed as if the earth were being
contracted for him. We exerting ourselves, but he was unruffled.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5796 Narrated byJabir ibn Samurah
The legs of Allah's messenger (peace be upon him) were slender, his laughter was no more
than a smile, and when I looked at him I thought that there was collyrium in his eyes, but there
was not.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) was not unseemly or lewd in his language, nor was he
loud-mouthed in the streets, nor did he return evil for evil, but he would forgive and pardon.

Anas used to tell of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he would visit the sick, attend
funerals, accept a slave's invitation, and ride on a donkey. He said he had seen him on a donkey
at the battle for Khaybar using a rein of palm-fibres.
Ibn Majah and Bayhaqi, in Shu'ab al-Iman, transmitted it.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) used to patch his sandals, sew his garment and conduct
himself at home as anyone of you does in his house. He was a human being, searching his
garment for lice, milking his sheep, and doing his own chores.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5823 Narrated byZayd ibn Thabit
Some people visited Zayd ibn Thabit and asked him to tell them some stories about Allah's
Messenger (peace be upon him). He replied: "I was his neighbour, and when the inspiration
descended on him he sent for me and I went to him and wrote it down for him. When we talked
about his world he did so along with us, and when we talked about the next world he did so
along with us, and when we talked about food he did so along with us. All this I tell you about
Allah's Messenger.
When Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) shook hands with a man he did not withdraw his
hand till the other did so, he did not turn his face away till the other did so, and he was not seen
to put forward his knees in front of one with whom he was sitting.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5829 Narrated byAbdullah ibn al-Harith ibn Jaz'
Abdullah had seen no one more given to smiling than Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him).

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5918 Narrated byAbuMusa
AbuTalib went to ash-Sham (Syria) accompanied by the Prophet (may Allah bless him) along
with some shaykhs of Quraysh. When they came near where the monk was they alighted and
loosened their baggage, and the monk came out to them although when they had passed that
way previously he had not done so. While they were loosening their baggage the monk began
to go about among them till he came and, taking Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) by the
hand, said, "This is the chief of the universe; this is the messenger of the the Lord of the
universe whom Allah is commissioning as a mercy to the universe." Some shaykhs of Quraysh
asked him how he knew, and he replied, "When you came over the hill not a tree or a stone
failed to bow in prostration, and they prostrate themselves only before a prophet. I recognize
him by the seal of prophecy, like an apple, below the end of his shoulder-blade." He then went
and prepared food for them, and when he brought it to them the Prophet (peace be upon him)
was looking after the camels, so he told them to send for him. He came with a cloud above him
shading him and when he approached the people he found they had gone before him into the
shade of a tree. Then when he sat down the shade of the tree inclined over him, and the monk
said, "Look how the shade of the tree has inclined over him. I adjure you by Allah to tell me
which of you is his guardian." On being told that it was AbuTalib he kept adjuring him to send
him back until he did so. AbuBakr sent Bilal along with him and the monk gave him provisions
of a bread and olive-oil.
Once when I was with the Prophet in Mecca and we went out into one of its districts in the
neighbourhood, not a mountain or tree which confronted him failed to say, "Peace be upon
you, Messenger of Allah."
On the night when the Prophet (peace be upon him) was taken up to Heaven, al-Buraq was
brought to him, bridled and saddled, but it proved refractory, so Gabriel said to it, "Is it to
Muhammad you are doing this? No one more honourable in Allah's sight than he has mounted
you." It then poured with sweat.

A nomadic Arab came to Allah's Messenger and asked, "By what means can I know that you
are a prophet?" He replied, "If I call this raceme from this palm-tree it will testify that I am
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him). He called it and it began to come down from the palm-
tree and fell beside the Prophet. He then told it to go back, and when it returned, the nomadic
Arab accepted Islam.
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying it is sahih.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5928 Narrated bySamurah ibn Jundub
We were with the Prophet (peace be upon him) and were taking turns out of a large bowl from
morning till night; ten getting up and ten sitting down. He was asked from what it was being
replenished and replied, "What are you wondering at? It was being replenished only from
here," pointing with his hand to the sky.
I brought the Prophet (peace be upon him) some dates saying, "Ask Allah for a blessing on
them, Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)." He took them, prayed that I might have a
blessing on them and said, "Take them and put them in your provision-bag; and as often as you
wish to take any, put in your hand and take them, but do not scatter them." I carried such and
such a number of camel-loads from those dates in Allah's cause, eating of them and giving
others something to eat. It never left my side until the day Uthman was killed, for the bag was
cut away.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5963 Narrated byAbuBakr
When Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) died the people disagreed about his burial, and
AbuBakr said he had heard something from Allah's Messenger. He had said, "Allah takes a
prophet only in the place where he wishes to be buried." So he told them to bury him where his
bedding lay.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5979 Narrated bySa'd
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "He who wishes Quraysh to be humiliated will be
humiliated by Allah."
Allah's Messenger said, "O Allah, Thou hast caused the first members of Quraysh to
experience punishment; now cause the last of them to experience generosity."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5981 Narrated byAbuAmir al-Ash'ari
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Asad and the members of Ash'ar are good. They
do not fly when fighting and are not treacherous. They pertain to me and I to them."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Azd is Allah's Azd Earth. People wish to lower
them, but Allah refuses to do anything but exalt them. A time is certainly coming to mankind
when a man will express the wish that his father had belonged to Azd and that his mother had
belonged to Azd."

The Prophet (peace be upon him) at the time of his death disliked three tribes: Thaqif, the Banu
Hanifah and the Banu Umayyah.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Thaqif will have among them a great liar and
one who causes destruction." Abdullah ibn Asma told that it was said the great liar was al-
Mukhtar ibn AbuUbayd and the one who caused destruction al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf. Hisham ibn
Hassan said they calculated the number of those in custody killed by al-Hajjaj and it reached a
hundred and twenty thousand.
When the people said, "Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), Thaqif's arrows have
scorched us, so supplicate Allah to punish them," he said, "O Allah, give guidance to Thaqif."
AbuHurayrah said that when they were with the Prophet (peace be upon him), a man whom he
thought belonged to Qays came to him and said, "Messenger of Allah, curse Himyar." He
turned away from him, so he came round the other side, but he turned away from him. He then
came round the other side, and the Prophet turned away from him again and then said, "May
Allah show mercy to Himyar! Their mouths speak peace, their hands provide food, and they
are people of security and faith."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib tradition which he knew only among the
traditions of AbdurRazzaq, and rejected traditions are transmitted on the authority of this Mina'
(a sub-narrator).

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) asked him to which tribe he belonged, and that when
he replied that he belonged to Daws he said, "I did not think that Daws had a single man with
any good in him."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5989 Narrated bySalman
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Do not hate me and so abandon your religion."
He asked how he could hate him when he was the means by which Allah had guided them, and
he replied, "By hating the Arabs and so hating me."
Allah's Messenger said, "He who is treacherous to the Arabs will not be included in my
intercession and will not receive my love."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib tradition which he knew only among the
traditions of Husayn ibn Umar who is not considered by traditionists to be strong.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5991 Narrated byTalhah ibn Malik
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "One of the signs of the approach of the last hour
will be the destruction of the Arabs."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The kingdom will belong to Quraysh, the legal
authority to the Ansar, the office of making the call to prayer to the Abyssinians, and
faithfulness to Azd," i.e. the Yemen. In a version it is in mawquf form. Tirmidhi said, the
mawquf is sounder
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this (mawquf) is sounder.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6005 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Mughaffal
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Fear Allah regarding my companions, and do not
make them a target after I am gone. He who loves them does so from love of me, and he who
hates them does so from hatred of me. He who injures them has injured me, he who injures me
has injured Allah, and he who injures Allah will soon be punished by Him."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Not one of my companions will die in a land without
being raised as a leader and a light for its people on the Day of Resurrection."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "No one has helped me without my making it up
to him except AbuBakr, for he has given me help which Allah will make up to him on the Day
of Resurrection. No one's property has benefited me to the extent of AbuBakr's, and if I were
taking a friend I should take AbuBakr as a friend, but your companion is Allah's friend."
AbuBakr is our chief, the best among us, and the one of us who is dearest to Allah's Messenger
(peace be upon him).
Allah's messenger (peace be upon him) said to AbuBakr, "You were my companion in the
cave, and you will be my companion at the reservoir.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "It is not fitting for a people among whom
AbuBakr is, to be led by anyone else"
AbuBakr came in to visit Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) who said, "You are Allah's
freedman (atiq) from Hell." So on that day he was named Atiq.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "I am the first from whom the Earth will burst
open, then AbuBakr and then Umar. I shall then come to those who are buried in al-Baqi' and
they will be gathered along with me. After that I shall wait for the people of Mecca so as to be
gathered among the inhabitants of the two sacred cities."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Allah has placed truth upon Umar's tongue and
heart."
Tirmidhi transmitted it. In AbuDawud's version on the authority of AbuDharr he said, 'Allah
has placed truth on Umar's tongue and he speaks it."

The Prophet (peace be upon him), said, "O Allah, strengthen Islam with AbuJahl ibn Hisham,
or Umar ibn al-Khattab." In the morning Umar went to the Prophet and accepted Islam; then
prayed openly in the mosque.
When Umar addressed AbuBakr as the best of men after Allah's Messenger (peace be upon
him), AbuBakr replied that seeing he had said that, he could tell him he had heard Allah's
messenger (peace be upon him) say, "The sun has not risen on a better man than Umar."
When Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) was seated we heard confused sounds and boys'
voices, so he got up and saw an Abyssinian woman dancing with the boys around her. He said,
"Come and look, Aisha," So I went and placed my chin on the shoulder of Allah's messenger
and began to look at her over his shoulder. He then said to me, "Have you not had enough?
Have you not had enough?" I began to say, "No," in order that I might look where I was with
him. But Umar came along, and when the people ran away from her Allah's Messenger said, "I
am looking at the devils of jinn and men, who have fled from Umar." I then went back.
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a hasan sahih gharib tradition.
Allah's Messenger said, "That man will have the highest grade among my people in Paradise."
AbuSa'id said, "I swear by Allah that till the end of his life we thought that that man was no
one other than Umar ibn al-Khattab."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6050 Narrated byAnas ibn Malik ; Ali ibn AbuTalib
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "AbuBakr and Umar will be the chiefs of the
middle-aged inhabitants of Paradise, of those who belonged to the earliest and latest times,
except the prophets and messengers."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Ibn Majah transmitted it on Ali's authority.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "I do not know how long I shall remain among
you, so copy those two who will remain after I am gone: AbuBakr and Umar."
When Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) entered the mosque no one but AbuBakr and
Umar raised his head. They would smile to him and he would smile to them.
Tirmidhi transmitted it , saying this is a gharib tradition.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) went out one day and entered the mosque with AbuBakr and
Umar , one on his right and the other on his left, holding their hands. He said, "We shall be
raised thus on the Day of Resurrection."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6055 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Hantab
The Prophet (peace be upon him) saw AbuBakr and Umar and said, "These are hearing and
sight."
Tirmidhi transmitted it in mursal form.

Allah's Messenger said, "There is no prophet who does not have two wazirs from the
inhabitants of Heaven and two from the inhabitants of Earth. My two wazirs from the
inhabitants of Heaven are Gabriel and Michael, and my two wazirs from the inhabitants of
Earth are AbuBakr and Umar."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "One who will be one of the inhabitants of Paradise will
come to you;" then AbuBakr came along. He then said, "One who will be one of the
inhabitants of Paradise will come to you;" then Umar came along.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6061 Narrated byTalhah ibn Ubaydullah ; AbuHurayrah
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Every prophet has a companion, and my
companion (i.e. in Paradise) will be Uthman,"
Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Ibn Majah transmitted it on AbuHurayrah's authority. Tirmidhi
said this is a gharib tradition whose isnad is not strong, and is broken.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6063 Narrated byAbdurRahman ibn al-Khattab
I was with the Prophet when he was urging the people to help the army of distress. Uthman
got up and said, "Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) I shall provide for Allah's cause a
hundred camels with their cloths and saddles." Afterwards he urged that help be given to the
army, and Uthman got up and said, "I shall provide for Allah's cause two hundred camels with
their cloths and saddles." Again he urged and Uthman got up and said, "I shall provide for
Allah's cause three hundred camels with their cloths and saddles." I saw Allah's Messenger
(peace be upon him) coming down from the pulpit, and he was saying, "Anything he does will
not count against Uthman after this; anything he does will not count against Uthman after this."

When Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) gave orders for the oath of allegiance of Allah's
good pleasure, Uthman had gone to Mecca as the delegate of Allah's Messenger's. Then when
the people had taken the oath of allegiance, Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said,
"Uthman is engaged in Allah's business and in His Messenger's business." He then struck one
of his hands on the other, and the head of Allah's messenger on behalf of Uthman was better
than the people's hands on their own behalf.
Thumamah ibn Hazan al-Qushayri said, "I was present at the house, when Uthman looked out
on the people and said, Ì adjure you by Allah and by Islam, are you aware that when Allah's
Messenger (peace be upon him) came to Medina and it had no water considered fresh but Bi'r
Rumah, desiring that he and the Muslims might dip their buckets in it, he asked who would buy
Bi'r Rumah for a better one in Paradise, and I bought it from my capital? Yet you are
preventing me from drinking from it today so that I have to drink salty water.'" When they
swore by Allah that they were aware, he said, "I adjure you by Allah and by Islam, are you
aware that when the mosque became too small for the people and Allah's Messenger (peace be
upon him) asked who would buy the plot of the family of so and so for a better one in Paradise
and add it to the mosque, I bought it from my capital? Yet today you are preventing me from
praying two rak'ahs in it." When they swore by Allah that they were aware he said, "I adjure
you by Allah and by Islam, are you aware that I equipped the Army of Distress (Jaysh al-
Usrah) from my property?" When they swore by Allah that they were aware he said, "I adjure
you by Allah and by Islam, are you aware that when Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him)
was on Thabir at Mecca, accompanied by AbuBakr, Umar and myself, the mountain shook so
that its stones were falling one after another to the ground below, he kicked it with his foot and
said, 'Be still, Thabir, for there are only a prophet, a Siddiq and two martyrs on you '?" When
they swore by Allah that they were aware he said three times, "Allah is most great. They have
testified by the Lord of the Ka'bah that I am a martyr."
Tirmidhi, Nasa'i and Daraqutni transmitted it.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6067 Narrated byMurrah ibn Ka'b
I heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) when he mentioned the civil wars and their
nearness; and when a man who was veiled by a garment passed by he said, "On that day this
man will be rightly guided." I got up and went to him and found he was Uthman ibn Affan,
then, making him face the Prophet (peace be upon him), I asked if this were the man, and he
replied, "Yes."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a hasan sahih tradition.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Perhaps Allah will clothe you with a shirt, Uthman,
and if the people want you to take it off, do not take it off for them."
Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying the tradition contains a long story.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) mentioned a civil commotion and said of Uthman,
"This one will be wrongfully killed in it."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a hasan tradition whose isnad is gharib.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6070 Narrated byAbuSahlah
Uthman said to him on the day of the house, Allah's messenger (peace be upon him) made a
covenant with me and I shall show endurance in adhering to it."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is hasan sahih tradition.
When Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) was alive we used to say, "AbuBakr, Umar and
Uthman, Allah be pleased with them!"
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Ali pertains to me and I pertain to him, and he is
the guardian of every believer."

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6082 Narrated byZayd ibn Arqam
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "When I am anyone's patron, Ali is his patron also."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6083 Narrated byHubshi ibn Junadah
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Ali pertains to me and I pertain to Ali and no
one will conclude anything on my behalf but myself or Ali."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Ahmad transmitted it on the authority of AbuJunadah.
When Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) arranged brotherhoods among his companions,
Ali came weeping and said, "You have arranged brotherhoods among your companions, but
you have arranged no brotherhood between me and anyone." He replied, "Your are my brother
in this world and the next."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) had a bird and said, "O Allah, bring me Thy creature who is
dearest to Thee to eat this bird along with me." Ali then came and ate along with him.
"When I asked Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) for anything he gave it to me, and when
I said nothing he was the first to speak."

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "I am the house of wisdom and Ali is its door."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib tradition, adding that some transmit this tradition
on Sharik's authority without mentioning regarding it that it is transmitted on as-Sunabihi's
authority. He said the only reliable authority from whom he knew this tradition was Sharik.
"On the day Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) sent Ali to at-Ta'if, he called him and
spoke in private to him." The people said, "He has had a long private conversation with his
cousin," and Allah's Messenger replied, "It was not I but Allah who had a private conversation
with him."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said to Ali, "It is not allowable, Ali, for anyone but you
or me to be in a state of ceremonial impurity in this mosque." Ali ibn al-Mundhir told that he
asked Dirar ibn Surad what was the meaning of this tradition, and he replied that the meaning
was, "It is not allowable for anyone but you or me to walk through it in a state of ceremonial
impurity."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6090 Narrated byUmm Atiyyah
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) sent off an army of which Ali was a member, and that
she heard Allah's Messenger say with his arms upraised, "O Allah, do not cause me to die
before Thou let test me see Ali."

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6091 Narrated byUmm Salamah
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "A hypocrite does not love Ali and a believer
does not hate him."
Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a hasan tradition whose isnad is
gharib.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "He who reviles Ali has reviled me."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said to him, "You have a resemblance to Jesus whom
the Jews hated so much that they slandered his mother and whom the Christians loved so much
that they placed him in a position not rightly his." Ali afterwards said, "Two people will perish
on my account, one who loves me so excessively that he praises me for what I do not possess,
and one who hates me so much that he will be impelled by his hatred to slander me."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6094 Narrated byAl-Bara' ibn Azib and Zayd ibn Arqam
When Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) alighted at the pool of Khumm, he took Ali by
the hand and asked those present, "Do you not know that I am closer to the believers that they
themselves?" They replied, "Certainly." He then asked, "Do you not know that I am nearer to
every believer than he himself?" They replied, "Certainly." He then said, " Allah, he whose
patron I am has Ali as his patron. O Allah, be friendly to those who are friendly to him and
hostile to those who are hostile to him." After that Umar met him and said, "Congratulations,
son of AbuTalib. Morning and evening you are the patron of every believing man and woman."

AbuBakr and Umar asked for Fatimah's hand in marriage, but Allah's Messenger (peace be
upon him) said, "She is young." Then Ali asked for her hand in marriage and he married her to
him.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) ordered all the doors (opening on the mosque) to be
shut except Ali's.
I had a position in relation to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) which no other creature
had. I would come to him at the break of day and say, "Peace be upon you, Prophet of Allah
(peace be upon him)." If he then cleared his throat I went off to my family, otherwise I entered.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) came upon me when I had a complaint and was saying,
"O Allah, if my appointed time has come grant me rest, if it is to be delayed grant me abundant
means of subsistence, but if this is a testing grant me endurance." Allah's Messenger asked
him how he had expressed himself, and when he repeated to him what he had said, he gave him
a kick and said, "O Allah, heal him," or "Cure him." The transmitter was doubtful about the
exact words. He said that he did not afterwards complain of his pain.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6109 Narrated byAbdurRahman ibn Awf
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "AbuBakr will go to Paradise, Umar will go to
Paradise, Uthman will go to Paradise, Ali will go to paradise. Talhah will go to Paradise, az-
Zubayr will go to Paradise, AbdurRahman ibn Awf will go to Paradise, Sa'd ibn AbuWaqqas
will go to Paradise, Sa'id ibn Zayd will go to Paradise, and AbuUbayd ibn al-Jarrah will go to
Paradise."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Ibn Majah transmitted it on the authority of Sa'id ibn Zayd.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The most compassionate member of my people
towards my people is AbuBakr, the most rigorous regarding Allah's affair is Umar, the most
genuinely modest is Uthman, the one who knows most about obligatory duties is Zayd ibn
Thabit, the one who knows best how to recite the Qur'an is Ubayy ibn Ka'b, and the one who
has most knowledge about what is lawful and what is prohibited is Mu'adh ibn Jabal. Every
people has a trustworthy guardian, and the trustworthy guardian of this people is AbuUbayd
ibn al-Jarrah.
Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a hasan sahih tradition. It is also
transmitted in mursal form, on the authority of Ma'mar who cited Qatadah as his authority, and
it contains the phrase "The most learned in legal matters is Ali."
At the battle of Uhud the Prophet (peace be upon him) was wearing two coats of mail. He stand
up to go to the rock but was unable to climb up, so Talhah let him step on his back and thus he
was able to settle himself on the rock. I heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) say,
"Talhah has made (Paradise certain for himself)."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) looked at Talhah ibn Ubaydullah and said, "If anyone
wants to look at a man walking on the face of the earth when he has died, let him look at this
man." One version says "If anyone finds pleasure in looking at a martyr walking on the face of
the earth, let him look at Talhah ibn Ubaydullah."

Ali's ear had heard the following being uttered from the mouth of Allah's Messenger: "Talhah
and az-Zubayr will be my neighbours in paradise."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said that day, i.e. the day of Uhud, "O Allah,
strengthen his shooting and answer his supplication."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him and grant him pace) as saying, "O Allah, answer Sa'd
when he supplicates Thee."
Sa'd was the only one for whom Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) named his parents
together. At the battle of Uhud he said to him, "Shoot, my father and my mother be your
ransom!" He also said to him, "Shoot, strong young man."
Sa'd came forward and the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "This is my maternal uncle; now
let any man show me his maternal uncle."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, explaining that Sa'd belonged to the Banu Zuhrah, the tribe to which
the Prophet's mother belonged, and that on that account the Prophet said, "This is my maternal
uncle."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) used to say to his wives, "I am concerned about what
will happen to you after I am gone, when only the self-sacrificing and truly generous will
continue to care for you." Aisha said his meaning was those who give sadaqah. Then Aisha
said to AbuSalam ibn AbdurRahman, "May Allah give your father drink from Salsabil in
Paradise!" Ibn Awf had given as sadaqah for the mothers of the faithful a garden which had
been sold for forty thousand.
Umm Salamah heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) say to his wives, "He who treats
you generously after I am gone is the sincere and kindly one. O Allah, give AbdurRahman ibn
Awf drink from Salsabil in Paradise."
When Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) was asked whom they should appoint
commander after he had gone, he replied, "If you appoint AbuBakr as commander you will
find him trustworthy, with little desire for worldly goods but eager for the next world; if you
appoint Umar as commander you will find him trustworthy and strong, fearing for Allah's sake
no one's blame; and if you appoint Ali as commander, but I cannot see you doing so, you will
find him a guide who is rightly guided who will lead you in the straight way."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Allah, show mercy to AbuBakr! He gave me his
daughter as wife, he conveyed me to the abode of the emigration, he accompanied me in the
cave, and he freed Bilal out of his property. Allah, show mercy to Umar! He speaks the truth
even if it is bitter, and the truth has left him without a friend. Allah, show mercy to Uthman!
The angels display bashfulness before him. Allah, show mercy to Ali! O Allah, cause the truth
to accompany him wherever he goes!"
Jabir saw Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) when performing the hajj seated on his she-
camel al-Qaswa' on the day of Arafah giving an address, and he heard him saying, "O people, I
have left among you something of such a nature that if you adhere to it you will not go astray:
Allah's Book and my close relatives who belong to my household."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "I am leaving among you something of such a
nature that if you lay hold of it you will not go astray after I am gone, one part of it being more
important than the other: Allah's Book, a rope stretched from Heaven to Earth, and my close
relatives who belong to my household. These two will not separate from one another till they
come down to the reservoir, so consider how you act regarding them after my departure."
Allah's messenger (peace be upon him) said of Ali, Fatimah, al-Hasan and al-Husayn, "I am
war to him who makes war on them and peace to him who makes peace with them." I went in
with my paternal aunt to visit Aisha and asked who was dearest to Allah's Messenger (peace be
upon him). When she replied that it was Fatimah she was asked who was dearest among men
and she replied that it was her husband.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6147 Narrated byAbdulMuttalib ibn Rabi'ah
Once when I was with Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) al-Abbas came in angrily, and
when he asked him what was making him angry he said, "What is wrong between us and
Quraysh? When they meet one another they do so with cheerful faces, but when they meet us
they act differently." Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) became so angry that he was red
in the face, and he then said, "By Him in Whose hand my soul is, faith will not enter a man's
heart till he loves you for Allah's sake and His Messenger's." He then said, "O you people, he
who injures my paternal uncle has injured me, for a man's paternal uncle is the same as his
father."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Al-Abbas pertains to me and I to him."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said to al-Abbas, "When Monday morning arrives
come to me with your children so that I may make for you a supplication by which Allah may
benefit you and your children." He and they came in the morning, and when he had put his
cloak over them he said, "O Allah, grant al-Abbas and his children such forgiveness without
and within as will not leave a sin. O Allah, guard him in his children."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Razin added, "And cause the Caliphate to remain among his
descendants." Tirmidhi said this is a gharib tradition.
Ibn Abbas had seen Gabriel twice and that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) invoked a
blessing on him twice.
Allah`s Messenger (peace be upon him) made supplication for me twice that Allah might give
me wisdom.

Ja'far used to love the poor. He would sit with them and talk to them and they would talk to
him. Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) used to address him by the kunya AbulMasakin
(father of the poor).
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "I saw Ja'far flying in Paradise along with the
angels."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Al-Hasan and al-Husayn will be the chief ones
among the youths who go to Paradise."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Al-Hasan and al-Husayn are my offspring in the
world."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6156 Narrated byUsamah ibn Zayd
I went to the Prophet (peace be upon him) one night about something I required and he came
out with something (I did not know what) under his cloak. When I had finished telling him my
business I asked him what he had under his cloak, and when he opened it I saw al-Hasan and
al-Husayn on his hips. He then said, "These are my sons and my daughter's sons. O Allah, I
love them, so I beseech Thee to love them and those who love them."
Salma said, "I went to visit Umm Salamah and found her weeping. I asked her what was
making her weep and she replied that she had seen Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him)
(meaning in a dream) with dust on his head and beard. She asked him what was the matter and
he replied, Ì have just been present at the slaying of al-Husayn.'"
When Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) was asked which member of his family was
dearest to him, he replied, "Al-Hasan and al-Husayn." He used to say to Fatimah, "Call my two
sons to me," and then would sniff and cuddle them.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6160 Narrated byYa'la ibn Murrah
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Husayn pertains to me and I to him. May Allah
love him who loves Husayn! Husayn is a grandson."
Al-Hasan resembled Allah's Messenger from the breast to the head and al-Husayn resembled
the Prophet below that.

I asked my mother to let me go to the Prophet (peace be upon him), pray the sunset prayer with
him, and ask him to pray for forgiveness for her and me. I went to the Prophet (peace be upon
him) and prayed the sunset prayer along with him, and he remained in prayer till he prayed the
night prayer. When he went off I followed him, and when he heard my voice he said, "Who is
this? Is it Hudhayfah?" When I told him that it was, he said, "What do you require? Allah
forgive you and your mother! Here is an angel who has never come down to Earth before to-
night. He asked his Lord's permission to give me a greeting and give me the good news that
Fatimah will be the chief lady among the inhabitants of Paradise, and that al-Hasan and al-
Husayn will be the chief ones among the youths who go to Paradise."
When Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) was carrying al-Hasan ibn Ali on his shoulder, a
man said, "You are mounted on a fine steed, boy." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
"And he is a fine rider."
Umar allotted to Usamah three thousand five hundred and to Abdullah ibn Umar three
thousand, so Abdullah ibn Umar said to his father, "Why have you treated Usamah as superior
to me? I swear by Allah that he has never reached to any battle before me." He replied, "It is
because Zayd was dearer to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) than your father and
Usamah was dearer to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) than you, so I have given
preference to the one who was beloved by Allah's Messenger over the one who is loved by
me."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6165 Narrated byJabalah ibn Harithah
I came to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) and said, "Messenger of Allah, send my
brother Zayd along with me." He replied, "Here he is; if he goes with you I shall not prevent
him." But when Zayd said, "Messenger of Allah, I swear to Allah that I choose no one in
preference to you," I considered my brother's opinion better than mine.

When Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) became very weak the people and I came down
to Medina. I went in to visit Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) who was tongue-tied and
unable to speak; but he was placing his hands on me and raising them, and I recognized that he
was invoking a blessing on me.
Once when the Prophet (peace be upon him) wanted to wipe Usamah's nose she asked to be
allowed to do it, and he said, "Love him, Aisha. for I love him."
While Usamah was sitting, Ali and al-Abbas came to ask permission to enter. They told him to
ask Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) for permission to enter, and he said, "Messenger of
Allah Ali and al-Abbas are asking permission to enter." He asked if he knew what had brought
them, and when he replied that he did not, he said, "But I know; give them permission." Then
when they entered they said, "Messenger of Allah, we have come to ask you which member of
your family is dearest to you." On his replying, "Fatimah, Muhammad's daughter," they said,
"We have not come to ask you about your immediate family." So he said, "The member of my
family who is dearest to me is he to whom Allah has shown favour and to whom I have shown
favour, viz. Usamah ibn Zayd." They asked who came next, and when he replied that it was Ali
ibn AbuTalib, al-Abbas said, "Messenger of Allah you have made your paternal uncle the last
of them." He replied, "Ali emigrated before you."
I was with Ibn Ziyad when al-Husayn's head was brought in and he began to tap on his nose
with a wand and say, "I have never seen anyone as good-looking as this man." I said," I assure
you that he was one of those who resembled Allah's Messenger most closely."
Tirmidhi transmitted it and said this is a sahih hasan gharib tradition.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6171 Narrated byUmm al-Fadl daughter of al-Harith
Umm al-Fadl went in to see Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) and said, "Messenger of
Allah, I had an objectionable dream last night." He asked what it was and she replied, "It was
terrible." He asked, "But what was it?" She replied, "I seemed to see a piece of your body cut
off and placed in my lap." He said, "You have seen something good. If Allah wills Fatimah
will give birth to a son who will be in your lap." Fatimah then gave birth to al-Husayn who was
placed in her lap as Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) had said. One day she went in to
see Allah's messenger and placed him in his lap. She turned round, and noticing tears falling
from the eyes of Allah's Messenger, she said, "Prophet of Allah, for whom I would give my
father and mother as ransom, what is the matter with you?" He replied, "Gabriel came to me
and informed me that my people will kill this son of mine." She asked if he really meant this
one and he replied, "Yes, and he brought me a piece of red earth."
Bayhaqi transmitted it in Dala'il an-Nubuwwah.
One day at midday he saw in a dream the Prophet (peace be upon him) dishevelled and dusty
with a bottle containing blood in his hand and said, "You for whom I would give my father and
mother as ransom, what is this?" He replied, "This is the blood of al-Husayn and his
companions which I have been collecting today." He told that he was reckoning that time and
found that he had been killed at that time.
Ahmad transmitted it and Bayhaqi in Dala'il an-Nubuwwah.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Love Allah for the favours with which He
provides you, love me because of the love of Allah, and love my family from love of me."

While holding the door of the Ka'bah, AbuDharr told that he had heard the Prophet (peace be
upon him) say, "My family among you are like Noah's ark. He who sails in it will be safe, but
he who holds back from it will perish."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Among the women of the universe, Mary, daughter of
Imran, Khadijah, daughter of Khuwaylid, Fatimah, daughter of Muhammad, and Asiyah, the
wife of Pharaoh are enough for you."
Gabriel brought a picture of her on a piece of green silk to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon
him) and said, "This is your wife in this world and the next."
When Safiyyah heard that Hafsah had called her a Jew's daughter she wept. Allah's Messenger
(peace be upon him) came in where she was while she was weeping and asked her what was
making her weep. When she told him Hafsah had called her a Jew's daughter the Prophet
(peace be upon him) said, "You are a prophet's daughter, your paternal uncle was a prophet,
and you are married to a prophet, so what has she to boast of over you?" He then said, "Fear
Allah, Hafsah."
Tirmidhi and Nasa'i transmitted it.
In the year of the Conquest Allah's messenger (peace be upon him) called Fatimah and spoke
privately to her and she wept; he then spoke to her and she laughed. When Allah's Messenger
(peace be upon him) died she asked her about her weeping and her laughing and she replied,
"Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) informed me that he was going to die, so I wept; he
then informed me that, with the exception of Mary, daughter of Imran, I should be the chief
lady among the inhabitants of Paradise, so I laughed."
In the year of the Conquest Allah's messenger (peace be upon him) called Fatimah and spoke
privately to her and she wept; he then spoke to her and she laughed. When Allah's Messenger
(peace be upon him) died she asked her about her weeping and her laughing and she replied,
"Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) informed me that he was going to die, so I wept; he
then informed me that, with the exception of Mary, daughter of Imran, I should be the chief
lady among the inhabitants of Paradise, so I laughed."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6186 Narrated byMusa ibn Talhah
Musa had seen no one whose speech was more chaste than Aisha's.
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a hasan sahih gharib tradition.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "When I am gone copy those two of my companions,
AbuBakr and Umar, follow the guidance of Ammar, and hold fast to the injunction of Ibn
Umm Abd." Hudhayfah's version says "Believe what Ibn Mas'ud tells you" instead of "Hold
fast to the injunction of Ibn Umm Abd."

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "If I were to appoint anyone as commander
without (need for) consultation I should appoint Ibn Umm Abd."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6223 Narrated byKhaythamah ibn AbuSabrah
I came to Medina and asked Allah to grant me a good companion to sit with and He granted me
AbuHurayrah. I sat with him and told him I had asked Allah to grant me a good companion to
sit with and that he suited me. He asked where I came from and I replied that I belonged to al-
Kufah and had come desiring and seeking good. He then said, "Do you not have among you
Sa'd ibn Malik whose prayers are answered, Ibn Mas'ud who looked after the water of Allah's
Messenger (peace be upon him) for ablution, and his sandals, Hudhayfah who was the
confident of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) confidant, Ammar to whom Allah gave
protection from the Devil at the tongue of His Prophet (peace be upon him), and Salman who
was a believer in the two Books?" meaning the Injil and the Qur'an.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "AbuBakr is a fine man, Umar is a fine man,
AbuUbaydah ibn al-Jarrah is a fine man, Usayd ibn Hudayr is a fine man, Thabit ibn Qays ibn
Shammas is a fine man, Mu'adh ibn Jabal is a fine man, and Mu'adh ibn Amr ibn al-Jamuh is a
fine man."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Paradise is desirous of three people: Ali, Ammar
and Salman."
When Ammar asked permission to come in to see the Prophet (peace be upon him) he said,
"Let him come in. Welcome to the very good man!"
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Ammar is not given a choice between two things
without choosing the more difficult and the lesser."
When Sa'd ibn Mu'adh's bier was carried, the hypocrites said, "How light his bier is!" that
being because of his decision regarding the Banu Qurayzah. When the Prophet (peace be upon
him) was told of that he said, "The angels were carrying it."
Abdullah heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) say: "The sky has not covered and the
Earth has not carried anyone more truthful than AbuDharr."

Allah's Messenger said, "The sky has not covered and the Earth has not carried anyone who
speaks more truthfully or is more faithful in keeping his word than AbuDharr. He resembles
Jesus, son of Mary," i.e. in asceticism.
Mu'adh was on his deathbed and he said, "Seek knowledge from four people, from Uwaymir
AbudDarda', from Salman, from Ibn Mas'ud, and from Abdullah ibn Salam who was a Jewish
convert to Islam, for I heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) say he would be the tenth
to enter Paradise."
When the people expressed a desire that Allah's Messenger (my Allah bless him) should name
a successor, he said, "If I were to name a successor and you were to disobey him you would be
punished, but believe what Hudhayfah tells you and recite what Abdullah recites to you."

When the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw a lamp in az-Zubayr's house he said, "I think,
Aisha, that Asma' must have given birth to a child. Do not give it a name till I do so." He
named him Abdullah and with his own hand rubbed his palate with a moistened date.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6235 Narrated byAbdurRahman ibn AbuAmirah
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said of Mu'awiyah, "O Allah, make him a guide who is
rightly guided and guide others by him."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6236 Narrated byUqbah ibn Amir
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The people accepted Islam, but Amr ibn al-'As
had faith."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib tradition whose isnad is not strong.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) met me and said, "How is it, Jabir, that I see you
downcast?" I replied, "My father has died a martyr, leaving children and a debt." He asked,
"Shall I not give you good news of what Allah has caused your father to meet?" And when I
replied, "Certainly, Messenger of Allah," he said, "Allah has never spoken to anyone but from
behind a veil, but He brought your father to life and spoke to him face to face saying, 'My
servant, if you express a wish to Me I shall grant it.' He replied, 'O my Lord, my wish is that
Thou shouldest grant me life and let me be killed for Thy sake a second time.' But the Lord,
Who is Blessed and Exalted, said, 'I have already said that they will not return.'" Then came
down, "You must not consider those who have been killed in Allah's cause to be dead...."

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) asked forgiveness for him twenty-five times.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "There are many with dishevelled hair and dusty
bodies, who wear two ragged garments and to whom no attention is paid but who would be
declared righteous by Allah if they adjured Him. Among them is al-Bara' ibn Malik."
Tirmidhi and Bayhaqi, in Dala'il an-Nubuwwah, transmitted it.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "My confidants to whom I turn are my family,
and my close friends are the Ansar, so forgive those of them who do wrong and accept the
excuses of those of them who do good."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a hasan tradition.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Let no one who believes in Allah and the Last Day
hate the Ansar."

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6242 Narrated byAbuTalhah
Anas quoted AbuTalhah as telling that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said to him,
"Give your people a greeting, for they, so far as I know, are abstemious and show endurance."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) recited this verse, "If you turn back He will substitute
other people for you and they will not be like you. The people asked, "Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him), who are these people whom Allah has mentioned will be substituted for
us if we turn back and will not be like us?" He struck Salman al-Farisi on the thigh and said,
"This man and his people. If the religion were in the Pleiades men from among the Persians
would attain it."
When the foreigners were mentioned in the presence of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him)
He said, 'I have more trust in them or in some of them) than I have in you (or, in some of you).'
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Every Prophet has seven eminent men who are
guardians, but I have been given fourteen." Ali was asked who they were and replied, "I, my
two sons, Ja'far, Hamzah, AbuBakr, Umar, Mus'ab ibn Umayr, Bilal, Salman, Ammar,
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, AbuDharr and al-Miqdad."

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6247 Narrated byKhalid ibn al-Walid
Ammar ibn Yasir and I had words, and when I spoke roughly to him he went to Allah's
Messenger (peace be upon him) and complained to him of me. Khalid came when he was
complaining to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and began to speak roughly to him, with the
result that he made him all the more angry. The Prophet meanwhile kept silent without
speaking a word, so Ammar wept and said, "Messenger of Allah, (peace be upon him), do you
not see him?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) then raised his head and said, "He who is
hostile to Ammar is hostile to Allah and he who hates Ammar is hated by Allah." Khalid said:
I then went out, and there was nothing dearer to me than Ammar's goodwill, so I treated him in
a manner pleasing to him and he was well pleased.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6248 Narrated byAbuUbaydah
AbuUbaydah heard Allah's Messenger say, "Khalid is one of the swords of Allah, Who is
Great and Glorious, and he is the fine warrior of the tribe."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Allah, Who is Blessed and Exalted has
commanded me to love four people, and He has informed me that He loves them." He was
asked to name them and said, "Ali is one of them (saying that three times), also AbuDharr, al-
Miqdad and Salman. He has commanded me to love them, and He has informed me that He
loves them."

We alighted at a camping-place along with Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him), and when
the people began to pass he was asking, "Who is this, AbuHurayrah?" and I would tell him it
was so and so. He would then say, "This is a good servant of Allah." He would ask about
another, and when I told him he was so and so he said, "This is a bad servant of Allah." This
went on till Khalid ibn al-Walid passed by, and when he asked who he was and I replied that
he was Khalid ibn al-Walid, he said, "Khalid ibn al-Walid is a good servant of Allah; he is one
of Allah's swords."
Anas quoted Zayd ibn Thabit who told that the Prophet (peace be upon him) looked towards
the Yemen and said, "O Allah, turn their hearts towards us, and bless us in our sa' and our
mudd."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Blessed is Syria," and when his hearers asked
him why that was, he replied, "Because the angels of the Compassionate One are spreading
their wings over it."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "A fire will issue from the direction of
Hadramawt (or from Hadramawt) and assemble mankind." He was asked what he commanded
them to do and replied, "Go to Syria."

Shurayh ibn Ubayd told that when the people of Syria were mentioned in Ali's presence and
someone said, "Curse them, commander of the faithful," he refused, saying he had heard
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) saying, "The substitutes, a body of forty men, will be
in Syria, and as often as one dies Allah will put another in his place. By virtue of them rain will
be provided, by virtue of them help will be sought against enemies, and by virtue of them
affliction will be averted from the Syrians."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6269 Narrated byOne of the Companions
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Syria will be conquered, and when you are given
your choice of places in which to settle go to a city called Damascus, for it will be the fortress
of the Muslims to protect them in the wars during which it will be a place of assembly. In its
neighbourhood there is some land called al-Ghutah."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "The Caliphate will be in Medina and the
kingdom in Syria."
Bayhaqi, in Dala'il an-Nubuwwah, transmitted it.

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "I saw a pillar of light which came forth from
under my head and spread till it settled in Syria."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "My people are like the rain, it not being known
whether the first or the last of it is better."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6278 Narrated byJa'far as-Sadiq
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Rejoice and rejoice again. My people are just
like the rain, it not being known whether the last or the first of it is better; or it is like a garden
from which a troop can be fed for a year, then another troop can be fed for a year, and perhaps
the last troop which comes may be the broadest, deepest and finest. How can a people perish of
which I am the first, the Mahdi the middle and the Messiah the last? But in the course of that
there will be a crooked party which does not belong to me and to which I do not belong."
Razin transmitted it.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Which people's faith please you most?" On
receiving the reply that they were the angels he said, "But why should they not believe when
they are with their Lord?" It was suggested that they were the prophets to which he replied,
"Why should they not believe when inspiration descends on them?" The people suggested
themselves and he said, "Why should you not believe when I am among you?" He told that
Allah's Messenger then said, "The people whose faith pleases me most are people who will
come after my time who will find sheets containing a Book in whose contents they will
believe."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6280 Narrated byAbdurRahman ibn al-Ala' al-Hadrami
AbdurRahman was told the following by one who had heard the Prophet (peace be upon him)
say it: "Among the last of this people will be some who will have a reward like that of the first
of them. They will recommend what is reputable, forbid what is disreputable, and fight those
who cause dissensions."
Bayhaqi transmitted in Dala'il an-Nubuwwah.
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Blessed is he who has seen me, but seven times
blessed is he who has not seen me but has believed in me."
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6282 Narrated byIbn Muhayriz
Ibn Muhayriz asked AbuJumu'ah, one of the companions, to tell him something he had heard
from Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him), and he replied: 'Yes, I shall tell you a good
tradition. One day we had lunch with Allah's Messenger, and AbuUbaydah ibn al-Jarrah who
was with us asked, "Is anyone better, Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), than we are
who have accepted Islam and striven with you?" He replied, "Yes, people who will come after
your time and will believe in me without having seen me."
Ahmad and Darimi transmitted it.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 6283 Narrated byQurrah ibn Iyas al-Muzani

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "When the Syrians become corrupt there will be
good in you, but a section of my people will continue to be helped, not being injured by those
who desert them, till the last hour comes."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Allah has overlooked my people's mistakes and
forgetfulness, and what they are forced to do against their will." Ibn Majah and Bayhaqi
transmitted it.
Continued……..next page..
HADITH
A RE-EVALUATION
By
Kassim Ahmad
Translated from the Malay original

Monotheist Productions International
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A. 1997
© Copyright Kassim Ahmad, 1996

Translated from the Malay original,
first published in Malaysia in 1986.
First printing, 1996
Printed in the United States of America
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE iv
AUTHOR'S PREFACE TO THE ORIGINAL EDITION v
AUTHOR'S PREFACE TO THIS TRANSLATION vii
FOREWORD By Prof. Hassan Hanafi of the University of Cairo xi
CHAPTER I Introduction: Why we raise this Problem 1
CHAPTER II Refutation of the Traditionalist's Theory 21
CHAPTER III Source, Basis and Effects of the Hadith 50
CHAPTER IV Criticism of the Hadith 76
CHAPTER V Conclusion:
Return to Prophet Muhammad's Original Teaching — the Quran 106
ADDENDUM A Scientific Methodology for Understanding the Quran 126
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 152
INDEX 157
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE
I have undertaken this translation of Dr. Kassim Ahmad's important book, entitled Hadis —
Satu Penilaian Semula in its original Malay, published in Malaysia in 1986, because I thought
that a wider readership of this book is beneficial. There has also been much pressure from the
non-Malay literate public to translate it.
I have undertaken this translation voluntarily and also as a process to educate myself. By any
yardstick, this is an important subject. I am therefore obliged to Dr. Kassim for having agreed
to allow me this opportunity.
At the time of this translation, Dr. Kassim's book has been banned by the authorities in
Malaysia. The efficacy of banning a book, whose very purpose depends on readers exercising
critical and fair judgement, does not do justice to the intellectual growth of our people. I hope
that this ban will be lifted.
May God bless those who seek to obey Him and His messenger and who uphold the Scripture.
Translator
Kuala Lumpur, 1987.
AUTHOR'S PREFACE TO THE ORIGINAL EDITION
This book consists of five talks on the same topic, "Hadith — A Re-Evaluation" at the National
University of Malaysia organized by the Department of Anthropology and Sociology. The
background to these talks has been given in Chapter I.
This subject truly needs a larger volume and a much more comprehensive research. I have had
to take a short cut due to the particular circumstances of the talks. I sincerely hope that the
book achieves its purpose.
I would like to express my highest appreciation and thanks to the University's Department of
Anthropology and Sociology (with the kind permission and blessing of the University's
authorities) which was brave enough to organize these talks, in spite of the "sensitive" nature of
the topic. I would like also to thank the Hon. Minister for Education who intervened to allow
the talks to go on after they were first cancelled by the University authorities.
I must also thank the just and fair-minded people of Malaysia who spontaneously rose to
demand that the talks be held.
I owe a debt of gratitude to several friends who, at my request, have gone over the drafts of the
talks and made useful comments and criticisms. I am also very grateful to many ordinary
people in Malaysia and Singapore and to friends in the United States who gave me their
unstinting encouragement and support as I wrestled to prepare and complete the talks.
KASSIM AHMAD
Kuala Lumpur,
17 March, 1986.
AUTHOR'S PREFACE TO THIS TRANSLATION
I am grateful to my friend who has done a masterly translation of my book. I have had the draft
of the translation since he finished it in late 1987, one year after the publication of the Malay
original. I have had it put into my computer and left it there until recently when I thought that it
was time to have it published.
I therefore went over it and made what additions and changes I think necessary after eight
years since the book first saw the light of day. So, this is not an exact translation of the Malay
original, although the format and the arguments remain the same.
Political considerations had led to the banning of the book a few months after it was published.
However, after six years, I published a sequel, entitled Hadis — Jawapan Kepada Pengkritik
(Hadith — Answer to the Critics) as my answer to several books that have been published to
criticize me. This book, fortunately has not been banned. I have translated Chapter 7 of this
book (Scientific Methodology for Understanding the Quran) and include it as Addendum in
this translation, because I think it is an important and relevant matter to the topic.
I am also indebted to my friend Dr. Gatut Adisoma for his careful editing of the final draft.
Both he and Edip Yuksel provided useful suggestions that I incorporated in this book. Any
shortcomings that remain are due to the author.
KASSIM AHMAD
Bandaraya Tanjung,
Pulau Pinang – Malaysia,
31 August, 1995.
Postscript
My friend, Dr. Hassan Hanafi, of the Philosophy Department of Cairo University, has
graciously consented to write a Foreword to this translation. In his letter to me dated 18
January, 1996, together with his hand-written Foreword, he stated that "I made it critical to
initiate general debate. Praising is no good. Making a dialogue with you is better."
Since the publication of the Malay original in 1986, I have never been the one to refuse
dialogue, even when the odds were against me. My dialogue with the Malaysian Theologians'
Association just before the book was published was not concluded due to the Associations's
refusal to continue. My dialogue with the Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement (ABIM) one
month after publication failed to produced any positive result because they made a negative
unilateral judgement against me and my book in spite of their assurance given to me before the
dialogue that no decision would be taken.
It is in the same spirit of wanting to solve this problem through dialogue that I accept Dr.
Hassan's very critical Introduction to this translation. My slight surprise is Dr. Hassan's
methods of criticism. He has combined arguments from both the traditional and modernist
sources: that the Hadith as the second source of Muslim law has been the general consensus
and cannot be questioned anymore (traditional argument), and that debating the Hadith is
counter-productive as it is irrelevant to the modernization of Muslim society (modernist
argument).
I think my book adequately rebuts both these arguments, so I shall not say anything further on
that for now.
I do not accept Dr. Hassan's criticism for my using examples from Western cultural
development as external and inapplicable. The world has developed to be internationalist since
the European voyages of discovery in the 15th Century. In fact, it is truer to say with Iqbal that,
with the advent of Muhammad (the first and last prophet sent to the entire world community),
the world entered the modern Scientific-Technological Era. What we sometimes call modern
Western civilization is, in fact, world civilization, since it contains contributions from all
civilizations: Middle-Eastern, Greek, Roman, Persian, Arab, Indian and Chinese.
Dr. Hassan makes the astonishing assertion that the slogan "Back to the Quran" is common to
all Salafi (reform) movements, whether they are reformers, conservatives or modernists. As far
as I understand, Muhammad Abduh, the father of this movement, called for the rejection of
mazhab and taqlid, and for the reopening of the door of ijtihad and critical assimilation of
Western knowledge. His basic references are still the Quran and the Hadith. I have pointed out
that herein lies the failure of this movement. The Hadith, and everything else, have to be
judged by the Quran.
On this point, Dr. Hassan rightly replies that even the Quran can be criticized, as nothing is
exempt from criticism. Dr. Hassan must have meant that men's understanding and
interpretation of the Quran can be criticized, for the Quran is God's final revelation to mankind
and has from the beginning been under divine protection. However, the true aim of criticism is
to expose falsehood and establish the truth. In this sense, the Quran is criticism par excellence.
It is therefore above criticism.
On that note, I leave it to the reader to make his own conclusion.
K.A.
Bandaraya Tanjung,
Pulau Pinang,
28 January, 1996.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kassim Ahmad was born on 9 September, 1933 in Kedah, Malaysia. He took his Bachelor of
Art's degree in Malay language and literature, but also read widely in political science and
Islamic philosophy. He taught Malay language and literature for a time in the London School
of Oriental and African Studies and then in a secondary school in Penang where he has been
staying with his family since 1966.
He has written several books on Malay literature as well as on Islamic subjects.

FOREWORD
Hassan Hanafi
Professor of Philosophy
Cairo University
This book, Hadith — A Re-evaluation, of Kassim Ahmad is a real implementation of the

Kantian principle evoked in the book, "Dare to Know" against the authority of the Church. In
Islam, there is no Church. However, the common knowledge, the established notions and the
popular creed play the role of an intellectual and ideological Church which denies freedom of
thought and shackles free intellectual development.
The publication of such book in English does not represent any difficulty, either to the author,
or to the public. Many authors in the last four centuries tackled the question of authenticity of
the scriptures, Old and New Testaments, expressing much doubt about their historical
authenticity. The public became accustomed to such critiques of sources applied in Biblical
criticism in modern times. It was a big debate behind the Protestant rift, postulating Sola
Scriptura. Notions of historical authenticity, narratives, oral tradition, revelation and inspiration
became very familiar to the public in religious and literary studies.
The main thesis of the book is that Hadith has been compiled without permission, either from
the prophet, or from the four Righteous Caliphs for fear of confusing it with the Quran, the first
source of Islam. Because of the power struggles between different political factions, each
pretender legitimized his claim by recourse to a saying of Prophet Muhammad in his favor.
Pious Muslims such as Bukhari and Muslim tried to collect these sayings after verifying their
authenticity. Even then, they were not free from prejudice, in favor of the established authority,
the Sunnites. Shi'ite opposition had their Hadith compilations justifying their political claims.
Gradually, people forgot the Quran as the first source of Islam in favor of the Hadith, the
second source. Since many of Hadith narratives contradict the Quran and even contradict
themselves, the necessity to criticize the Hadith emerges as a prerequisite for any socio-
political change.
Most of these unauthentic narratives are more stringent, binding and compulsory. The Quran in
such topics is more lenient. Al-Shafiì (d. 204 H.) is responsible for this rigidity by blocking
the law and narrowing the Ijtihad by making Hadith a second source of law more binding than
the Quran and the Ijma' and minimizing the role of the Ijtihad, the fourth source of law. He
initiated this movement of Ahl al-Hadith in opposition to Ahl al-Ra'y.
The Hadith debate is not new. It is already known in Western Orientalism since the last century
and in contemporary Islamic thought.
Since Orientalists denied Islamic Revelation, not only the Hadith but also the Quran, and since
they have been accustomed to Biblical criticism, they applied the same rules to prophetic
narratives in Islam. Western public got used to this criticism since revelation and inspiration
are the same. Christ is God, the Apostle is the writer. The ideas are inspired by the Holy Spirit
while the words are chosen by the Apostle himself. Words can change according to the
language, the education and the culture of the writer, while ideas remain the same. Narratives
developed in history as personal witnesses. The narration is not a recording-machine, a simple
transmitter of a message, but a living witness. Historical authenticity requiring a concordance
in the message between the enunciator and the auditor is a mechanical notion of reporting. In
the case of the Gospel, the writer understands, interprets and creates the message. The message
becomes better transmitted, understood and communicated. The message is motivated by the
intentions of the narrator, expressing his level of education and culture and revealing his
loyalty to this or that group in the power struggle among the early disciples before Nicaea-I.
Maturation or deviation, creativity or inauthenticity, development or falsification? Judeo-
Christian tradition chose the first answer while Islam chose the second. Since Hadith went in a
similar way as the Jewish and Christian scriptures, it has been judged as an unauthentic
historical deviation.
Modern Arab and Muslim thinkers and reformers such as Syed Qutb have been accused of
minimizing the role of the Hadith in favor of the Quran, irrespective of their motives, either
similar or different from the Orientalists. Modern thinkers did not deny revelation, but they
tried to liberate Muslim societies from dogmatic and rigid adherence to the texts and calling for
Ijtihad, based on the spirit of Islam and the universal intentions of the Law. The general
guidelines of the Quran help more than the details of the Hadith. The Asl has a more liberating
power than the Fard. Many of the harmful laws and superstitious beliefs come from the
unauthentic prophetic narratives. The Hadith diverges while the Quran converges.
Ancient scholars were aware of this problem of the historical authenticity or inauthenticity of
the narratives. The Quran has been preserved in writing since the moment of its utterance. It
has been collected, compared and standardized during the era of Othman, the fourth caliph.
The Quran did not go through a period of oral transmission such as the Hadith. Ancient
scholars invented a whole discipline, the science of Hadith to put some rules to verify the
authenticity of the Hadith in history.
First, the analysis of the terms of the report into five degrees of certitude, from the more certain
to the less certain, guarantees the direct testimony as the high degree of witnessing: I heard; He
said; He ordered; He ordered us; They did.
Second, the multilateral report , the Mutawatir, is the highest degree of authenticity concerning
the chain of reporters. It is the one transmitted by several reporters with four conditions,
namely, first, a sufficient number which gives the certitude of authenticity and takes away all
doubts; second, the independence of reporters from each other to prevent any possibility of
connivance; third, the homogeneity of expression of the report in time through generations
without oscillation between the well-known and the unknown; fourth, the concordance of the
report with sensory evidence, with reason and with the course of events and the laws of nature
to prevent mythological and superstitious infiltrations.
Third, the unilateral report, Wahid, is that one which fails one of the four previous conditions.
It is hypothetical in knowledge but apodictic in action, while the multilateral report is apodictic
in both knowledge and action. The authenticity of the unilateral report is guaranteed by the
analysis of the consciousness of the reporter to verify its neutrality and objectivity, such as
justice, unity, maturity, intelligence, good hearing and memory and speech ability, since a
report is the passage from hearing to memorizing and finally to communicating. Ancient
scholars even invented a side-discipline, criteria to evaluate a reporter's neutrality and
objectivity, called Ilm al-Jarh Wa al-Ta'dil, a certain kind of a biographical description of the
reporter, his personality, motives, inclinations, loyalties and affiliations.
Fourth, the transmission can be both written and oral, from hand to hand, and from mouth to
mouth. The master can permit the disciple to report from this book handed to him (Munawala).
The disciple can read from the book and the master agrees (Ijaza). This rule of written
transmission excludes any possibility of alteration on falsification of the document.
Fifth, the report is not only the chain of reporters (Sanad) but also the report itself (Matn). The
highest degree of certainty is the literal report, the message with the same words. If the
message is transmitted in different words, with addition or omission, it becomes hypothetical.
In short, the whole science of Hadith aims to verify the historical authenticity of the narratives.
The whole theory is based on a tripartite division of the Hadith: Authentic, Unauthentic and
Undecided, on which judgement is suspended.
Ancient scholars, studying the Quran, also conceived the theory of abrogation and considered
the development of the text and the historical contexts of the Quran and the Hadith. The later
texts cancel the earlier texts as a source of law. The Quran is abrogated by the Quran, the
Hadith by the Hadith, but never the Quran by the Hadith, or the Hadith by the Quran. In this
case, it is called particularization, Takhsis, exception, Istithna' or restriction, Taqyid.
Ancient scholars also created side-disciplines to maintain the coherence of the judicial system
such as the science of opposition and preponderance, Ilm al-Taàrud wa al-Tarajih, in case of
an apparent opposition between two Quranic verses, between Hadith narratives, between a
Quranic verse and a Hadith narrative or between a Hadith unilateral narrative and reasoning by
analogy or Qiyas. An opposition between a text and consensus, or Ijma', does not occur since
Ijma' is based on texts and since it is not binding to future generations.
If this is the work of ancient scholars, what is the need to use Western culture as a system of
reference? Is the book intended for Western readers to understand Muslim modernists,
publicized in Western mass-media for fame? Western intellectual framework makes the thinker
liable to be accused of Westernization and consequently of being uprooted from his own
traditional culture. More knowledge of the ancient Hadith discipline and a deeper knowledge
of Arabic help the modernist in expressing his case. No modernism is possible without digging
deeper into the tradition. Modernism comes from within not from without. That is why the
introduction of the book on the crisis of the age is off-target. Which age? Western age or
Malaysian-Muslim age? The end of the twentieth century or the beginning of the fifteenth
century? Peoples and cultures do not live in the same historical periods.
The constant reference to the Western culture as a frame of reference gives the impression that
the main problematic of the book is a Western one. Biblical criticism is very common in the
West because the Judeo-Christian scriptures passed through a period of oral transmission. The
author refers constantly to Biblical criticism, to Western bibliography more than to Hadith
studies and Islamic bibliography. Maybe the lack of knowledge of Arabic is an obstacle to dig
in the classical sources and to use accurate Arabic technical vocabulary. The Christian calendar
is more used than the Islamic one. The Islamic calendar was only used for the compilers of the
Hadith. Only once both calendars were used, i.e. for Imam al-Shafiì (d. 820 AD/204 H.)
The author refers to the Judeo-Christian tradition: Jewish oral and written tradition in the 5th
century BC; the Jewish scholar O. Goldin, deviations of Christian fathers after Christ as a
model of Muslim deviants after Mohammed, Christ seen as God by the Christians. Western
cultural developments appear visibly in the book: the birth of modern secularism in Europe and
its failure; European awareness of the importance of freedom of thought following the Arabs
and their struggle for it, a model for the Muslims nowadays to follow; European success in
pioneering science and technology; the opposition between religion and science in the 19th
century as a model of the opposition between Hadith and science; European liberation from the
authority of the Church and the establishment of Kantian principle, "Dare to Know," Western
skepticism concerning the authenticity of the scripture, etc.
The author refers to many proper names, sociologists, such as Sorokin, and his book The Crisis
of Our Age; doctors, like Maurice Bucaille, the French physician, member of the French
academy of science, poets such as Yeats and T.S. Eliot, with quotations from their poems, and
novelists, such as Dostoyevsky, Camus and Sartre.
Technically speaking, from within the science of Hadith, taking Islamic culture as a frame of
reference, the following points can be made:
1. There is no general stand, accepting Hadith or rejecting it. There is only such stand
concerning certain Hadith oscillating between authenticity and inauthenticity. The authentic
Hadith is accepted, while the unauthentic is rejected, according to the tripartite division of
Hadith.
2. There is no general acceptance or rejection of the whole Hadith, but of special hadiths
concerning certain topics contrary to the Quran or to Hadith itself. Other hadiths are well-taken
such as "No testament for the inheritor," "There is zakat in the sheep in pasture."
3. The Hadith is not only of two kind: authentic and unauthentic but it has different degrees of
authenticity concerning the report (Matn) and the chain (Sanad). The literal report is more
authentic than the free quotation. The multilateral is more authentic than the unilateral. The
well-known, Mashhur, the discontinuous from the middle, Maktu', or from the end, Mursal, is
less authentic.
4. The inference is based on the generalization of judgement from the part to the whole. The
whole Hadith is discredited because of one discredited hadith. A better inference is the
rejection of an unauthentic hadith because it is unauthentic, case by case, not as a whole.
5. The authentic hadith cannot be rejected. The probable hadith can be accommodated with the
authentic hadith and the Quran by many devices: abrogation, particularization, exception,
restriction, interpretation, etc.
6. The critique of the Hadith is one thing and its rejection is something else. Ancient and
modern scholars criticized the Hadith in order to purify it from the unauthentic narratives. No
one, Shi'ite or Sunnite, rejected it as a second source of law.
7. The critique of the Hadith can be made internally, according to the same rules put forward
by ancient scholars — they were behind the birth of modern Biblical criticism, as Renan
confessed — applying the rules of the Hadith to scrutinize the narratives of the Old and New
Testaments in his volumes "Origin of Christianity" and "History of the People of Israel," The
four conditions of the multilateral report, Mutawatir, are sufficient to guarantee the
concordance of the report with reason and sensory evidence, called by the author logic, history
and science. The author could have readjusted the old rules of criticism making them more
rigorous rather than rejecting the hadith. No critics were more scrupulous than the ancient
scholars. What the author offered in criticism is much less than what the ancient scholars
created in laying the ground for modern criticism. Moreover, the book contains many
generalities and some sweeping judgements which sometimes contradict historical facts or
need more precise explanations, such as:
1. Muslims do not follow the Hadith and abandon the Quran, as the author says. No Muslim
can be accused of abandoning the first source of law in favor of the second.
2. The opposition between the Quran and the Hadith does not exist, as the author says. No one
says that minimizing the role of Hadith is a blasphemy, Kufr.
3. The Hadith is not a false teaching attributed to the prophet, as the author says. Only the
unauthentic hadith is, not the authentic.
4. The prayers that Muslim are doing were not given, according to the author, during the Night
Journey, al-Mi'raj, is a free and gratuitous judgement and have little impact on Hadith
criticism, and goes against the general consensus.
5. The law of inheritance giving the female the half of the male is mentioned in the Quran
before the Hadith. It is not misogynic since the female had no right to own or to inherit at all.
Islamic law tried to change her status gradually. Besides, the unity of analysis is the household.
Each has equal share, one and half.
6. Obeying the husband in optional fasting is not downgrading for the wife, but to solve the
conflict of loyalty between performing an optional ritual, fasting, and a compulsory duty, the
obedience to the husband.
7. The errors of al-Shafiì, in case that there are, do not justify doubts in the Hadith, but the
correction of his errors. Al-Shafiì wanted to codify the legal system, not to obstruct the Quran
or block Ijtihad.
In conclusion seven other points can be made:
1. Putting the Quran forward and the Hadith backward is a certain kind of higher bid that
nobody would object. But why holding the Quran requires necessarily releasing the Hadith?
Back to the Quran is a Salafi slogan uttered by all reformers, conservationists as well as
modernists. The problem is in whose benefit. The same Quran can also be criticized on
grounds of how it was written and compiled and on its interpretation. Nothing is exempt from
criticism. Because of the higher bid, the Addendum "A Scientific Methodology for
Understanding the Quran" is somehow outside the mainstream of analysis. It relates to another
discipline, the Tafsir, not the Hadith.
2. Neglecting the Quran and substituting it for the Hadith as the reason for Muslim decline is
common rhetoric. The decline cannot be due to one simple factor; there are socio-political and
historical factors to be taken into consideration. The renaissance is not that simple, to be
achieved by just coming back to the Quran and abandoning the Hadith. It has to be achieved by
changing the socio-political conditions in the Muslim world. Back to the Quran is a double-
edged weapon used by conservatism and modernism alike for social stability as well as for
social mobility. Ethical and religious imperatives express the ought and not the is. Sweeping
statements about the death of Muslim creativity after Ibn Khaldun is against historical evidence
from Muslim creativity in astronomy, mathematics and philosophy from the 9th till the 12th
centuries.
2. The theme is exciting, although not new. In this era of Islamic resurgence, doubting the
authenticity of the Hadith comes at the front page in big headlines. It is a good chance for
every modernist to hang upon and become famous, especially in Africa and Asia, in non-Arab-
speaking Muslim world. Making a case, a hypothetical one, without any practical implications
on the socio-political level is gratuitous. It is harmful more than useful. It generates dissent in
society, splitting it to pros and cons in a time calling for national unity. It incites traditional
Islam to defend itself against modernist thinkers. Since traditional Islam is the majority and
modernist Islam is in minority, the modernist case will always be the loser. Modernism, instead
of pushing society to more progress, generates a reaction against it. The modernist will be
excluded, excommunicated and may be exterminated. In traditional societies, progress cannot
be implemented with the denial of Usul. The challenge of modernism is not how to pray in the
space shuttle because Muslims on earth have not yet solved the problems of their basic needs.
Hypothetical fiqh was one of the reasons and expressions of decline.
3. The lack of Arabic technical terms, substituted then by inadequate English terms makes for a
lot of misunderstanding. For instance, decisive and allegorical dichotomy does not correspond
to Haqiqa and Majaz, Zahir and Muàwal, Muhkam and Mutashabihat, Mugmal and
Mubayyan, etc. Many other problems emerge from reading the Quran in English translation;
for instance, `touching women' does not mean the literal touching, but of having sexual
intercourse.
4. The author uses a lot of textual arguments to prove his case in spite of the limits of such
arguments, which depend on language, historical context, counter-textual arguments, etc.
Textual argumentation is a Salafi position, selective and double-edged. Many other problems
are debated in theology and not in Hadith, such as freedom and predestination, the miracles of
the prophets, the eschatological signs and the Messiah, faith and action, etc.
5. After all this debate and the division of the community into pro-Hadith and anti-Hadith
groups, the simple very traditional conclusion is accepted by all. The Hadith cannot be rejected
as a second source of law provided that it will not contradict the Quran! This is a unanimous
conclusion. Why, then, the whole debate between the pro-Hadith and the contra?
6. In spite of all these remarks, the author was able to revive an old problematic with new
courage. He put forward the importance of the multilateral report Mutawatir, the few number
of verses containing the law (14 verses), the exemption of the law from all kinds of figurative
speech, the necessity of a new kind of criticism of Hadith, not only of the chain of reporters,
Sanad, but of the report itself, Matn, the importance of re-classification of the Hadith topically
according to priority value-scale, putting social relations before the rituals, putting forward the
contribution of ancient scholars in laying the grounds for Hadith criticism, the role of political
disputes in the compilation of Hadith and even in formulating the wording.
7. The author, the former head of the Malaysian people's socialist party can concentrate more
on the socio-political condition of Malaysia and fight for freedom and social justice. He can be
more beneficial, more efficient and more able to forge unity for all the people in Malaysia,
instead of splitting the nation on pure academic debate.
Cairo – Egypt,
18 January, 1996.
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION:
WHY WE RAISE THIS PROBLEM
... Therefore, congratulate My servants who listen to all views, then follow the best. These are
the ones guided by God; these are the intelligent ones.
(Quran, 39:17-18)
All Muslims are required to uphold the hadith or sunna of the Prophet, i.e. the so-called
Prophetic traditions, as a primary source of law apart from the Quran, according to the
teachings of classical jurisprudence. Yet not many, indeed very few, realize that the basis of
this jurisprudential theory was promulgated two hundred years after Muhammad's death by the
famous jurist Imam Shafiì (d. 204/820). What have come to be known as the `Six Authentic
Books' of hadith of the majority Sunnite òrthodoxy' were compiled, precisely after the
promulgation of this theory, by Bukhari (d. 256/870), Muslim (d. 261/875), Abu Daud (d.
275/888), Tirmidhi (d. 279/892), Ibn Maja (d. 273/886), and al-Nasa'i (d. 303/915) during the
second half of the second and the beginning of the third centuries of Islam, between 220 and
270 years after the Prophet's death.
The `heterodox' Shiìte minority sect has its own sets of hadith compiled during the third and
fourth centuries, by al-Kulaini (d. 328 or 329), Ibn Babuwayh (d. 381), Jaafar Muhammad al-
Tusi (d. 411) and al-Murtada (d. 436), who compiled sayings attributed to Ali.
Based on this Shafiì theory and on what was later termed as the consensus of scholars, the
hadith/sunna was propagated to and accepted by the Muslims as interpreter and complement to
the Quran, implying thereby that the Quran needs an interpreter and is not complete in itself.
Although the Shiìtes have not accepted the classical Sunnite jurisprudential theory in toto,
they do accept the doctrine that the hadith/sunna constitutes a source of law on par with the
Quran.
Background to this Study
In accordance with this Sunnite tradition, I also accepted this position when I wrote my book
on modern Islamic social theory in 1981-82, although I qualified my acceptance according to
Ibn Khaldun's formula, which requires all acceptable traditions to be validated by the Quran
and rational criteria. However, this position, though a scientific one, is still not clear enough
until in 1985 the works of an outstanding Egyptian Muslim scholar, Dr. Rashad Khalifa,
particularly his The Computer Speaks: God's Message to the World, Quran, Hadith and Islam
and his superb translation of the Quran have opened for me a way to solve the problem of the
hadith. I therefore began to re-examine the hadith: how they came about; the social factors that
brought them into existence; a review of the classical criticism; the actual place of the hadith in
relation to the Quran; their negative effects on the Muslim community; their connections to the
decline and fall of the Muslims; and the way out of this impasse.
I am convinced that the time has come for the Muslim community and their intelligentsia to
critically re-evaluate the whole heritage of traditional Islamic thought, including theology and
jurisprudence. This is because the traditional formulation was made by the society and
intelligentsia of that time in accordance with their knowledge and level of understanding, and
conforming to needs of that time. Now the situation has changed tremendously and there is no
doubt that the traditional formulation must be reconsidered.
Since the emergence of the modern reformism movement of Jamaluddin al-Afghani,

Muhammad Abduh and Rashid Ridha at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the
twentieth centuries, many studies have been made on the decline and fall of the Muslims.
These include the works of thinkers like Iqbal, Malek Bennabi and Fazlur Rahman. However,
the condition of the Muslim community has not changed very much and continues to be
precarious. In comparison with other communities, especially those in Europe, United States,
Russia and Japan, the Muslim community is the most backward, especially in socio-economic,
scientific, technological and military fields.
What are the reasons for this backwardness? From the point of view of numbers, the Muslims,
now more than a billion, have outnumbered the Christians, and from the point of view of
natural resources, Muslim countries are among the richest in the world. Why, with such vast
resources and possessing an infallible divine scripture, are the Muslims unable to compete with
and surpass other nations?
This situation is exactly the opposite of the situation of their early ancestors who, within a short
period of time, climbed the heights of success and created a great world empire and a great
world civilization. These early successes which had astounded the world must have had their
reasons based on the laws of historical change. What are those reasons? This is the greatest
challenge facing Muslim intelligentsia at the close of the twentieth century and on the
threshold of the twenty-first: to seek the true causes of Muslim decline and thereby to lay the
ground for a new Muslim Renaissance.
As we have said, this study and review of our traditional formulation must encompass classical
theology and jurisprudence. The hadith, of course, is at the core of these traditional disciplines.
Our present knowledge point to many factors that contribute to the rise and fall of nations,
factors that are ideological, political, economic, social, cultural, historical, psychological,
demographic, geographical, scientific, technological and military in nature. But it is also quite
certain that within this pluralism of factors, not all play equally important roles. Technology
can surmount geographical limitations; military strategy can overcome numbers; political
leadership can offset economic weakness, and so on. Turning to the Quran as our infallible
guide, we find the following statements that can give us a clue to the understanding of the
problem under discussion.
Surely, God does not change the condition of any people until they themselves change.
That is because God does not change the blessings He had bestowed upon any people, unless
they themselves change.
If only the previous generations had some intelligent people who enjoined them from
corruption, they would have been saved. But We saved a few of them, while the rest pursued
their material things and became sinners. Your Lord never destroys any community unjustly
while the people are righteous.
We will surely give victory to our messengers and to those who believe, both in this life and on
the day the witnesses are raised.
You shall never waver, nor shall you worry; you are guaranteed victory for as long as you are
believers.
All the above Quranic statements point to a people's ideology as the most important component
in the determination of their fate. This means that insofar as a people is imbued with a
scientific, dynamic and progressive ideology, that far will it climb the ladder of success.
Conversely, insofar as a people revert to a previously held anti-scientific, static and regressive
ideology, that far will it degenerate. The strong unambiguous statements about victory being
granted to believers in both worlds necessarily follow from the definition of believers as those
possessing and practicing the true scientific ideology.
Basing ourselves on this premise, we can make the following hypothesis. The rapid rise of the
Arab nation from its dark period of paganism prior to Muhammad to become the most
powerful and civilized nation in the world then, within a short period of time, is due to the new,
inspiring, powerful and dynamic Islamic ideology of monotheism brought by Muhammad. The
Arabs, under his and his immediate successors' leadership, discarded their erstwhile polytheism
and super-stitions. They united to fight and struggle under the guidance of the Quran and set up
a just social order. Because this struggle was based on divine truth and justice as contained in
the Quran, it was invincible. It also gave rise to a great social movement, bringing forth with it
outstanding political, military and intellectual leaders who helped to create the first scientific-
spiritual culture in history.
This hypothesis, in contrast to the modernist or the traditionalist theses, appears to be the most
helpful in our effort to understand the history and the decline of the Muslims. The modernist
thesis, in brief, states that the Muslims declined because they have remained traditional and
have not modernized themselves according to Western secular values. The traditionalist thesis,
on the other hand, blame the secularization of Muslim societies and the neglect of orthodox
Muslim teachings as the major cause of Muslim decline.
It is obvious that the modernist and the traditionalist theses cancelled each other. Furthermore,
the modernists have to explain why the Turkish experiment with Westernized modernization
failed. They also have to explain why developed Western societies such as the United States
and Europe have been undergoing a multi-faceted crisis since the First World War, and why a
new philosophical trend of thought critical of Western-type modernization has developed in
Europe and America.
The traditionalists, on the other hand, must explain the failure of their system from the
beginning when it was first formulated around the third, fourth and fifth centuries of Islam.
Some Arab countries have hardly modernized and had been practicing the traditional system
for centuries – why have these not progressed? If they have not progressed, it is idle to expect
Muslim countries to progress if they implement the traditional system.
The answer lies in our hypothesis. The early Muslims rose to the pinnacles of success precisely
because they were in possession of and practiced the powerful and dynamic Islamic ideology
as preached in the Quran. They subjected other knowledge, local and foreign, to the
discriminative teachings of the Quran. As long as they did this, they progressed. A time came
when other teachings, local and foreign, gained the upper hand and submerged the Quran, as
witnessed by the following Quranic prophecy:
The messenger will say, "My Lord, my people have deserted this Quran." We thus appointed
for every prophet enemies from among the criminals, and God suffices as Guide and Protector.
After about three hundred years, extraneous harmful teachings not taught by Prophet
Muhammad but skillfully attributed to him gradually gained a foothold in the Muslim
community and turned them away from the dynamic invincible ideology that initially brought
them success. This ideology, as we shall show, is precisely the hadith. This is the main cause of
their downfall. It therefore follows that the purging of this harmful ideology, and with it other
foreign modern ideologies, from the Muslim community, and their return to the original
ideology brought by Muhammad in the Quran is the sine qua non for the regeneration of the
Muslim community and for a new Muslim Renaissance.
Age of "Great Disorder"
The time has now arrived for the Muslims to examine their situation more critically and boldly.
Actually, this perilous situation is not confined to the Muslims alone; it covers the entire
mankind. A number of twentieth century philosophers, historians and social critics have
unanimously stated that this century is the most critical century in human history. The late
Chinese leader, Mao Zedong, described the century as "Great Disorder under Heaven." The
American historical philosopher, P.A. Sorokin, has detailed the crisis of the twentieth century
in his able book, The Crisis of Our Age, published in 1941. It is in this century that two terrible
world wars occurred, and a third more horrible one might still occur, in spite of the end of the
Cold War, to destroy the present civilization.
It is in this century also that an array of philosophies, ideologies, theories, systems that
includes liberalism, Marxism, pragmatism, logical positivism, existentialism, Nazism, Fascism,
Stalinism, Ghandhism, Maoism and religious traditionalism collapsed. When dominant
existing philosophies and systems cannot solve the problems of human security and welfare, it
is a sure sign that a very serious crisis is upon us.
A number of modern writers and poets, such as Dostoyevsky, Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre,
Y.B. Yeats and T.S. Eliot, had expressed this atmosphere and sense of great crisis in their
works. Listen to the loneliness and poignant sorrow of Eliot:
I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope

For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love
For love would be love of the wrong thing;
there is yet faith
But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the
waiting.
and the deep despair and earnest prayer of Yeats:
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world;
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;

Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
This literature of pessimism and absurdity of life beginning in the twenties and thirties and
continuing after the Second World War is, of course, a reflection of the great disorder currently
existing in the world. This great disorder is evidenced by the great ideological cleavage, the
continuous raging of the fires of war, the massive starvation and poverty in the Third World,
the steep decline in public morality, world-wide financial and economic crisis and the inability
of the United Nations to function effectively.
The Muslims had long lost their intellectual and political leadership of the world. The break-up
of their empire in 1258 AD gave way to independent dynasties which continued until they were
colonized by European powers beginning in the sixteenth right up to the early twentieth
centuries. Then, with the rise of nationalism in Asia and Africa, nearly all of them regained
their independence and set up sovereign nation-states.
However, the Muslims had ceased to be creative around the fourteenth century. Their period of
intense creativity lasted three centuries from the ninth through to the eleventh. Their last great
philosopher was the Arab Ibn Khaldun (d. 1406). Since that time Muslim intellect stagnated
and even degenerated and Europe took over to develop dominant philosophies and disciplines
along materialist and hedonistic lines.
After more than a century of modern reformism efforts initiated by Jamaluddin al-Afghani and
Muhammad Abduh, the Muslim world, a world as disunited as any other, have not progressed
much. They have not been able to fight off the ideological influence and domination of the
world power-blocs. They are not united in their Muslim purpose. Their economies are
dependent and backward. Their sciences and technologies are non-existent. Militarily, they are
weak and dependent on the big powers.
However, there has been much talk, since the early seventies, of implementing the Sharià or
medieval Muslim law and the setting up of an Islamic state. This is the slogan of the
traditionalists who have taken over the reform movement of Muhammad Abduh. The examples
of mullah rule in Iran since the great popular anti-Shah revolution and the Islamization
programmes in some countries do not give support to the traditionalist alternative.
The main weakness of the Muslims is their disunity. This disunity takes the form in their
inability to cooperate for the good of Muslims in individual countries and the whole Muslim
world. It also surfaces in the form of conflicts and wars between Muslims, as typified by the
Iran-Iraq war and the civil wars in Lebanon.
What is the cause of this disunity? The Muslims claim that they worship one God and follow
His one religion. They also declare their religious brotherhood. How then are they so
disunited? This is the mystery that we have to unravel. This is the reason for our re-evaluation
of the hadith. Our hypothesis is that the hadith — in principle, a false teaching attributed to
Prophet Muhammad — is a major factor causing disunity and backwardness among Muslims.
Our study is to prove this hypothesis.
Where Have We Gone Wrong?

The time is ripe for Muslims and for mankind as a whole to undertake a fundamental study of
this great human crisis. At some point, somewhere, we have gone wrong. Where have we gone
wrong? It will be recalled that modern secular Europe emerged in the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries in rebellion against the Catholic Church in particular and against religion in general
to embrace secular humanism of the liberal or Marxist variety. For the last one to three hundred
years it experimented with these social philosophies and systems and the experiments have
proved a failure. Today the two philosophies and systems are seeking a synthesis. Can the
synthesis be achieved? Can it answer mankind's present quest for a new spiritual philosophy?
As for the Muslims, the new and young Muslim society and state set up by Muhammad and his
compatriots in seventh century Arabia developed and expanded so rapidly that within a century
it had become an empire to comprise also Persia and Byzantium, and within two to three
hundred years it had created a great world civilization. But, as quickly as it had arisen, so
quickly had it declined and fallen. Today, the Muslim polity, science and civilization, great
though they were in their time, are glories and things of the past. There seems to be no bridge
linking their great predecessors of the early centuries and present-day Muslims.
The great question mark hanging over the Muslims and the entire mankind today is: Why? The
short answer to the question, which is the thesis of this book, is that mankind, including the
Muslims, have deserted the true teachings of God. The true teachings of God in the era of
Muhammad is contained in His final scripture to mankind, the Quran. The People of the
Scripture, i.e. believers before Muhammad, especially the Jews and the Christians, rejected
Muhammad because they had idolized their own prophets and religious leaders and refused to
acknowledge Muhammad's divine message. Modern secular rebellious Europe not only turned
against their religious priesthood, in which action it was right, but also against religion
altogether, in which action it was wrong. This is the cause of the present Western impasse.
As regards the Muslims, Muhammad brought them the Quran, described by God Himself as an
invincible book, but no sooner did Muhammad die and leave them, they contrived to make
Muhammad bring two books and, after bitter quarrels, they legislated, two hundred and fifty
years later, that Muslims must uphold not only the Quran but also the hadith. However, in
truth, since then, they followed the hadith rather than the Quran. This explains God's warning
in the Quran that we have quoted earlier. So it came about that while secular Europe embraced
either liberalism or Marxism, the Muslim world embraced the hadith, with the philosophies of
secular humanism infecting the elites of Muslim societies, thus justifying the Quranic warning.
Avoiding Misunderstanding
Raising such a fundamental issue as this, it is difficult to avoid misunderstanding from both
sides. The secular side, being more open-minded and tolerant, will simply dismiss this call to
the Quran as antiquated, outmoded and irrelevant. Many secularists will simply not consider it.
On the other hand, the traditionalist side, being close-minded and intolerant of dissenting views
on matters regarded as their preserves, will raise a hue and cry and throw slanderous
accusations into the debate.
One cannot be discouraged by the prospect. It is part of the social struggle to expose falsehood
and confirm the truth. The secularists will be worthy opponents since they will be prepared to
fight it out in open battles. Open debate is part of their secular tradition. The traditionalists are
a different breed. Open debate is not part of their tradition. In fact, they came into being in
Muslim society by killing open debate. Authoritarianism is their culture. Thus, slander, threats
and falsehood will be their methods.
It will be claimed that the writer is trying to cause confusion and further divide Muslim society.
This is far from the truth. The Muslims cannot be further confused and divided than they
already have been for a long time. What worse confusion and division can there be than when
Muslims fight and kill one another?
My aim is to try to establish the truth. My personal history bears testimony to this tendency.
Like other Malays, I was born and brought up in an ordinary orthodox Malay Muslim family.
However, my early interest in social philosophy took me on a long spiritual quest, over a
period of thirty years, spanning liberal nationalism, Islamic liberalism and socialism, every
single one of which each time sat uneasily over traditional Islam. The failure became obvious
to me when the coherent integrated social philosophy that I was seeking eluded me. It was in
the Islam of the Quran, scientifically understood, that I discovered the framework of such a
philosophy.
Looking back, this is only logical, since the Quran contains the sure truth from God, while
most of human teachings, as the Quran points out, are mere conjecture. But at that time, the
Quran was, so to speak, covered up for me by the fog of hadith.
It will be claimed that calling the people back to the Quran alone will create a new sect, in
addition to the sects that already exist. This is standing the argument on its head. Since the
Quran is, in the first place, anti-sectarian, not only will it not create a new sect, but it will, on
the contrary, eliminate all existing sects and reunite all Muslims. This is precisely what we
want to do. History proves that under Muhammad the young Muslim society was completely
united and there was no sect whatever. It is ironic that the Ahl'ul-Hadith who talk so much
about following the example of the Prophet have completely abandoned this finest of his
examples!
It will also be claimed that in rejecting the hadith as a source of law, we shall be rejecting the
role of the Prophet. It will further be claimed that this is the first step to the ultimate rejection
of the Quran! As for the first part of the claim, it is obvious to anyone that it was only through
Muhammad that mankind received the Quran from God Almighty. That was his primary role
— God's messenger — indeed his only role, as the Quran stressed several times. Was not this
role great enough for Prophet Muhammad? Surely, it was.
As for the second part, it is too ridiculous to even think of it. But since the die-hard traditionists
would stop at nothing to slander their opponents, one would lose nothing to spend a few lines
exposing them. How can anyone, after calling the people back to the Quran, then reject the
Quran? Even if he does, and this means reverting to disbelief after belief, how can that benefit
him? He would lose everything, while the people, on the contrary, would benefit greatly by
going back to the Quran.
The Muslims must re-possess critical consciousness and discard prejudice and group
fanaticism. We must avoid throwing slanderous accusations at what we may not like at first.
God Himself has taught us to verify things before we accept or reject them. No less an
intelligent man than Sayyed Hossein Nasr who has said the following about those who deny
the authority of the hadith:
It is against this basic aspect of the whole structure of Islam that a severe attack has been made
in recent years by an influential school of Western Orientalists. No more of a vicious and
insidious attack could be made against Islam than this one, which undercuts its very
foundations and whose effect is more dangerous than if a physical attack were made against
Islam.
How can this scholar, who has quoted a blasphemous hadith in the same book, spout this
slander? Why should we Muslims, in possession of an invincible scripture from God Almighty,
be afraid of the criticisms and even attacks of Orientalists? Such fear, in fact, reflects our own
weakness. It shows that we are not sure of our own selves. The Quranic methodology should
be a lesson for us. The Quran incessantly reproduces the false arguments of idol-worshippers
and hypocrites and rebuts them with proofs and with better arguments. We should do the same
to expose falsehoods and confirm the truth. The methods of suppression and slander are alien
to the methods of truth.
Rejecting the authority of the hadith does not mean denying its existence. Some true reports of
what the Prophet said and did outside the Quran as leader of his community and as an ordinary
man must have been preserved. Such reports deserve to be treated as any other historical
account whose authenticity must be judged against other historical accounts, against the higher
authority of the Quran, and against rational criteria. While Quranic pronouncements are divine
and are eternally binding on believers, those of Muhammad in his capacity as leader must be
treated in accordance with the Quranic injunction regarding politico-social authority, i.e. that
they are only conditionally binding. The conditions are that they do not contradict the Quran,
they are binding only for the community of that time, and that for other communities of other
times they only constitute as precedents to be followed or bypassed as and when deemed
useful.
It should also be well understood that this re-evaluation of the hadith is in no way a slur upon
our classical scholars. They understood and reacted to their problems as best they could. We
who come after them are not bound by their solutions. As Muhammad Abduh has well said,
"They are human and we are human. We learn from them but we do not [blindly] follow
them." No doubt our re-examination constitutes a criticism. But this is normal scientific
procedure. It has been done by all our great philosophers and scholars from the beginning, by
Ibn Sina, al-Ghazzali, Ibn Rush, Ibn Taimiya, Shah Waliyullah, Muhammad Abduh and scores
of others. We owe it to them and to ourselves to constantly practice this method. For how else
can knowledge develop and society progress unless they continually be purged of errors. This
accounts for the very important Quranic directive, repeated many times, to believers:
Let there be a community among you who preach goodness, advocate righteousness and forbid
evil. These are the winners.
It must also be pointed out that this criticism and re-evaluation of the hadith that we are making
is nothing new. Imam Shafiì who first stipulated that the hadith should be accepted as a source
of law had opponents that he himself described in his book. In recent times there were such
proponents in Egypt, India and Indonesia. It may be that our treatment, thanks to recent
developments in Quranic and hadith studies, is more systematic than previous efforts.
In this study we have adopted what may be termed as Islamic scientific methodology. In is
unfortunate that today we associate scientific methodology to the Western empirical and
rational methods, when, in fact, it was Islam that introduced this methodology to the West. The
words of the English historian Robert Briffault deserve to be quoted in full:
"... It was under their successors at the Oxford school that Roger Bacon learned Arabic and
Arabic science. Neither Roger Bacon nor his later namesake has any title to be credited with
having introduced the experimental method. Roger Bacon was no more than one of the apostles
of Muslim science and method to Christian Europe; and he never wearied of declaring that
knowledge of Arabic and Arabic science was for his contemporaries the only way to true
knowledge. Discussions as to who was the originator of the experimental method ... are part of
the colossal misrepresentation of the origins of European civilization. The experimental
method of [the] Arabs was by Bacon's time widespread and eagerly cultivated throughout
Europe..."
However, the scientific methodology of Europe sought to bar supra-rational and supra-sensory
knowledge from science. It is now admitted that this is inadequate to conform to the truly
Islamic scientific methodology of combining sensory, rational and supra-rational knowledge to
produce true integrated knowledge. Using this methodology, we take the Quran as our basis
and starting point and subject all the evidence of the hadith, i.e. the hadith itself, the major
classical writings on them and modern European and Muslim criticisms, to Quranic and
rational judgements. We may, of course, take ten years to do this and produce five volumes
that few will have the time and the stamina to read. Our purpose is different. Ours is to write a
readable book for the general reader with enough matter for him to think and draw conclusions.
It is hardly necessary to state that this is a view offered to the reader for his consideration. God
Almighty Himself has ordered us to read in His name, for doing that we cannot fail to develop
our mind and increase our knowledge. A good book will do that positively; a bad one,
negatively. Reading in His name, therefore, cannot but produce good results. Yet, the Muslims
today are very bad readers. Centuries of subservience to bigoted religious authorities have
shackled their minds. This subservience plus their deplorable ignorance of the contents of the
Quran combine to make what they are today — a weak, backward and humiliated people. The
time has come for us to break out of this prison. It is for this purpose that this study is
undertaken.
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CHAPTER II
REFUTATION OF THE TRADITIONISTS' THEORY
Do not accept anything that you yourself cannot ascertain. You are given the hearing, the sight
and the mind in order to examine and verify.
(Quran, 17:36)
Modern Europe has succeeded in pioneering various fields of modern knowledge and becomes
a leader in these fields — especially science and technology — because it holds firmly to the
Kantian motto of the European Age of Enlightenment: Dare to know. The Islamic world, in the
early stages of its second renaissance, must do likewise. Since in Islam knowledge is based on
revelation, the motto of the new Islamic Renaissance must read: Dare to know under the
guidance of the Quran.
Any study of the hadith and sunna must, of necessity, be based on the Quran. Everything said
about the hadith must be subjected to the critical scrutiny of the Quran and science. Only what
passes this test is acceptable.
The word hadith means `news,' `story' or `message', while the word sunna means `law,'
`system,' `custom' or `behavior.' In the hadith literature, the word hadith carries the meaning of
a report of an alleged saying or action of Prophet Muhammad. Therefore, although sunna
originally refers to the customary behavior of the Prophet, in the hadith literature both the
terms sunna and hadith carry a similar meaning.
The Four Arguments of Traditionists
The Ahl'ul-Hadith or the Traditionists did not distinctly emerge in Muslim society until the
second Islamic century, more than a hundred years after the Prophet's death. There is a big gap
between the Prophet and the first legal digest that contains some traditions, i.e. the Muwatta' of
Imam Malik (d. 179 AH). It is historically known that the `four guided caliphs' — close
companions of the Prophet — not only did not leave us any collection of traditions, they did
not make use or made very little use of traditions.
Nevertheless, against all odds, the Traditionists prevailed in insisting the hadith/sunna was
binding on the Muslims from the beginning. They claim to derive this authority for the hadith
from the Quran itself, as we shall presently show. They cannot do otherwise than make this
claim, for without the authority of the Quran as the basis of its legitimacy, the hadith is
automatically rejected. It will be seen that this claim is false.
They put forward four principal arguments. Firstly, the hadith is also Divine revelation.
Secondly, God's command to the believers to obey the messenger means that they must uphold
the hadith. Thirdly, the Prophet is the interpreter of the Quran and the hadith is necessary in
order to understand and carry out Quranic injunctions. Fourthly and lastly, the Prophet is an
example for the believers to follow, and his sunna is binding on the believers.
We shall discuss these four principal arguments of the Traditionists in detail and show that they
are false.
Argument One: `Sunna is Revelation'
Their claim that hadith/sunna also constitutes revelation is based on the following Quranic
verses:
Our Lord, and raise among them a messenger who would recite for them Your revelations and
teach them the scripture and wisdom and sanctify them. (5)
Your friend is neither astray, nor a liar. He does not speak on his own. This is a divine
inspiration. (6)
The famous classical jurist, Imam Shafiì, basically the creator of the theory of classical
jurisprudence, interpreted the Arabic word hikmah in above verse and in similar verses as
meaning `sunna' or `hadith.' In his major work, al-Risala, he stated:
So, God mentions His scripture, that is the Quran, and wisdom, and I have heard from those
who are knowledgeable in the Quran — those whom I agree with — say that wisdom is the
traditions of the Prophet. This is the same as the Word [of God Himself]; but God knows
better! Because the Quran is mentioned, followed by Wisdom; then God mentions His blessing
to mankind by teaching the Quran and wisdom. So, it is not possible that wisdom means other
things than the traditions of the Prophet ... (Emphasis added).
Shafiì's interpretation of the word hikmah as meaning the Prophet's tradition cannot but give
rise to grave doubts. Was he justified in doing so? He did not produce any support from the
Quran for such an interpretation. He merely reported the view of "experts" whom he concurred
with. Who these "experts" were and what their reasons for advancing such a view Shafiì did
not say. According to the laws of logic, we can question any view put forward by anybody, but
we cannot question certainty. In the quotation above, we notice that Shafiì jumped from a
statement of the status of probability to a statement of the status of certainty without giving
proper proofs to enable the probable view to achieve the status of certainty. This is
unacceptable in any scientific discourse.
God Himself states in the Quran that it is He Who explains the Quran. This means that the
Quran explains itself. Taking this cue and examining the use of the word hikmah, occurring
twenty times in the Quran, it is obvious that it refers to the teachings of the Quran, or to general
wisdom that all prophet-messengers or moral teachers were endowed with. The following
Quranic usage will illustrate :
This is part of the wisdom that your Lord reveals to you.
where the word `wisdom' refers to some thirteen ethical teachings enumerated in verses 22 to
38. These teachings are the worship of God alone and the prohibition of idolatry, doing honor
and kindness to parents, giving charity to relatives, the poor and needy and the alien, to be
moderate in spending, prohibition against child-killing for fear of poverty, prohibition against
adultery, prohibition against killing any human being except in the course of justice, the safe-
keeping of an orphan's property until he or she becomes of age, honesty in trading, prohibition
against the acceptance of unverified news or views, censure against arrogant behavior and
general censure against evil.
Again the word `wisdom' in the following verse:

God has made a covenant with the prophets that He will give them the scripture and wisdom.
refers to the contents of all divine scriptures. Similarly in the following verse:
We have endowed Luqman with wisdom, for he was appreciative of God.
where the wisdom in question refers to general wisdom of spiritual teachers.
Muhammad Ali in his translation of the Quran mentions al-Hikmah as one of the names of the
Quran based on the verse 17:39 that we have quoted above.
Further evidence that the words hikmah or hakeem with the meaning `wisdom' can be seen
from the following:
These are the revelations and the message of wisdom that we recite to you.
Y.S. By the wise Quran! You are indeed one of the messengers.
It should also be note that the word hakeem in the Quran meaning `wise' without exception
refers to God, as for example:
Our Lord, and raise among them a messenger who would recite for them Your revelations and
teach them the scripture and wisdom and sanctify them. You are the Almighty, the Wise.
Glorifying God is everything in the heavens and the earth; He is the Almighty, the Wise.
Based on the above Quranic evidence we can make two conclusions. Firstly, the word
`wisdom' quoted by Shafiì in verse 2:129 refers to the ethical teachings of the Quran.
Secondly, general wisdom has been endowed to all prophets. Can we, therefore, infer that
Prophet Muhammad taught wisdom to his community through his leadership of the
community? The answer is, of course, Yes. History proves that. But that wise leadership is also
consequent upon his acting strictly in accordance with the ethical teachings of the Quran. All
this wisdom is contained in the Quran, although some hadith may also have preserved that
wisdom. The case for upholding the hadith apart from the Quran is, therefore, not proved by
this argument.
Further examination of the use of the words `sunna' and `hadith' in the Quran gives interesting
information. The word `sunna' is used in the Quran to refer to the divine system or law and to
the example of the fate suffered by ancient communities. None refers to the behavior of the
Prophet. The two usages are illustrated in the following verses:
This is God's system that has always prevailed. God's system never changes.
Tell those who disbelieve that if they repent, their past transgression will be forgiven. But if
they revert, then the examples of the past should be remembered.
The word `hadith' is used in the Quran to mean `news', `story', `message' or `thing'. Out of the
36 times it is used in various grammatical forms, none refers to what is known as the Prophetic
hadith as another source of law beside the Quran. On the contrary, in ten instances of very
powerful statements the word refers to the Quran and categorically rejects any hadith besides
the Quran. Here we give two of them:
God sent down the best hadith, a scripture consistent, repeating.
Some people uphold vain hadith in order to divert others from the path of God without
knowledge, and to create a mockery of it.
The other verses, 53:3-4, that the Traditionists quote as proof that the sunna is also divine
revelation have been given. Commenting on these verses, Fazlul Karim said:
The Holy Quran exhorts the people to believe the Hadith of the Prophet as nothing short of
revelation ... The only difference between the Quran and the Hadith is that whereas the former
was revealed directly through Gabriel with the very letters that are embodied from Allah, the
latter was revealed without letters and words...
This interpretation of the hadith as revelation is patently false and has its origin in earlier
Jewish practice, as we shall show. Let us look closer at the verses in question.
By the falling star. Your friend is neither astray, nor a liar. He does not speak on his own. This
is a divine inspiration. A teaching from a mighty one. The possessor of omnipotence, who
assumed (all authority). From the highest horizon. He came closer by moving downwards.
Until He became as close as possible. He then revealed to His servant what He revealed.
The above verses clearly describe the process of revelation to Muhammad. They refer to a
specially inspired state, not to the ordinary state of Muhammad's human existence. Apart from
the fact that the verses themselves make this clear, this is the interpretation given by all
authorities. Thus, the later extremely subjective meaning given to these verses to conform to
the Traditionists' theory, as exemplified by Fazlul Karim, must be rejected.
What should alert Muslims is the very close resemblance of this theory to the much earlier
Jewish theory of written and oral revelations. The Jewish Talmud, consisting of the Mishnah
and Gemara, the equivalent of Muslim Hadith and Sunna, is a body of oral teachings of Jewish
rabbis and jurists based on their interpretations and expositions of the scripture over a long
period. In the words of the Jewish scholar Judah Goldin,
"...[It was believed that] along with the revelation of the Written Torah was a revelation of an
Oral Torah, that is, that interpretations of and deductions from the Scriptures must have
accompanied the Scriptures themselves has at least this to recommend it: no written text,
particularly if it is meant as a guide for conduct, can in and of itself be complete; it must have
some form of oral commentary associated with it. This much however is clear : from the fifth
century BC onward there was a conscious effort on the part teachers to expound the canonical
books of the Torah, to make clear its meaning and its applicability. `To make clear the Torah of
the Lord and put it into practice, and to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances' (Ezra 7:10) was
not only the programme of Ezra but of the colleagues whom he attracted to himself, the
Soferim ... It was the Soferim who made what was implicit in the Book of the Torah of God
explicit and intelligible ..., and under their tutelage too, as times required, enactments and
decrees were issued. Such teaching and legislation as the Soferim conducted through their
schools and councils were carried on orally, in order to carefully distinguish between what was
the Written Torah, Scripture, and the body of exegesis, interpretation by [word of] mouth, Oral
Torah."
This historical testimony is self-explanatory. The theory of two revelations that the
Traditionists had propagated is Jewish in origin and had its beginning in the teaching of
scholar-priest Ezra, idolized by the Jews as the son of God, and his followers.
We should note that this theory, built with such elaborateness, is demolished by the Quran in
just two words with its declaration that the Prophet believes in God's words:
Therefore, you shall believe in God and His messenger, the gentile prophet, who believes in
God and His words, and follow him that you may be guided.
Argument Two: Òbey the Messenger' Means

Ùphold the Hadith'
The second principal argument advanced by the Traditionists relates to God's commandment to
the believers to obey the messenger, which they have interpreted to mean belief in the
hadith/sunna. Shafiì used this argument as his principal argument and tirelessly repeated it in
his book, al-Risala. He said,
But whatever is decided by him in the sunna God has decreed that we should obey, and He
considers [our] obedience to him as obedience to Him, and [our] refusal to obey him as our
denial of Him, which will not be forgiven ...
The Traditionists use the famous verse 4:59 as well as two other verses as their props for this
argument. Let us look at the verses carefully:
O you who believe, you shall obey God, and you shall obey the messenger and those in charge
among you. If you dispute in any matter, you shall refer it to God and the messenger, if you
truly believe in God and the Last Day. This is better for you and provides you with the best
solution.
Any gained spoils that the messenger gives you, you shall accept, and whatever he forbids you,
you shall desist from.
Never, by your Lord, will they be considered believers, unless they ask you to judge between
them, then find no hesitation whatsoever in their hearts regarding your judgement, and unless
they submit completely.
The Traditionists desire to convey two ideas by these quotations. Firstly, the messenger is an
independent power to be obeyed apart from God. Secondly, obedience to the messenger means
upholding the hadith/sunna. Are they right in these?
It seems obvious that obedience to the messenger in the above verse and in other similar verses
means obedience to God, since the messenger is not an independent agency. As messenger, he
was the agency that delivered the message, and obedience to him was equivalent to obedience
to God. As stated in the Quran several times, "The sole function of the messenger is to deliver
the message." It should be noted that the Quran uses the word `messenger' and not
`Muhammad'. The obedience is, therefore, to the messenger, that is, to the message that he
brought from God. In short, God and messenger in this context constitute one concept which
should not be separated.
We have said earlier that the Quran explains itself. Such verses where obedience to God is
coupled with obedience to the messenger is explained by other verses where obedience is made
due only to God. The following are examples:
Say, "I exhort you to do only one thing: that you totally submit to God in pairs or as
individuals, then reflect. Your friend is not crazy; he only alerts you to evade terrible
retribution."
You shall be obedient to your Lord and totally submit to Him before the retribution comes to
you.
The second idea that obedience to the messenger means upholding the hadith is therefore
categorically rejected by the Quran.
A question may still be asked: Did Muhammad the messenger not pronounce and act outside
the Quran? It is only too obvious that he did and must have done so. He did so as leader of the
then Muslim community and as an ordinary human being. Under such circumstances, the
Quranic directive regarding leadership and obedience in verse 4:59 applies: that the people are
duty-bound to obey their rightful leader or leaders in so far as he or they do not trespass the
bounds of God. We may assume that Muhammad, the leader and the man, would not have said
or done anything contrary to the divine message he brought, after he knew the message.
Therefore, the truly genuine hadith can only be the ones that do not contradict the Quran.
Certain decisions he made as leader of the community that history has recorded must
necessarily be circumscribed by the conditions of the time. The Madinah Charter is a good
example. Although the principles of religious freedom, inter-communal equality and unity,
local autonomy and just government underlying the charter conform to the teachings of the
Quran, the forms they took were conditioned by the circumstances then prevailing. In the same
manner, his decisions on other matters concerning methods that the Quran, for obvious
reasons, does not stipulate were determined by historical circumstances and do not bind the
Muslims after him. History records that this was precisely the attitude of the four righteous
caliphs, although they did consider those decisions as precedents. That past decisions are
precedents is normal legal procedure.
Argument Three: `Hadith Interprets the Quran'
The Traditionists claim that Prophet Muhammad is the interpreter of the Quran, and that this
interpretation is obtainable through the hadith. Without the hadith, they assert, we cannot
understand and carry out the commands of God in the Quran. A typical statement of the
Traditionists is as follow:
If the explanations of the Prophet (pbuh) regarding general matters were not preserved and
guaranteed from foreign interference, it is certain that Quranic commands cannot be
implemented. In this way, a great part of Quranic directives which are binding on us will lapse.
In this way, we shall be unable to know the true purpose of God.
The Traditionists quote the following verses to support their contention:
We reveal to you this Reminder so that you may explain to the people what is revealed to them
and to let them reflect.
We did not send this scripture down to you except that you may explain to them over what they
dispute, and to provide guidance and mercy for those who believe.
Commenting on these verses, one writer said that the Prophet detailed general or universal
matters in the Quran, such as the times and number of prostrations of prayer and the rate of
zakat or obligatory charity; the Prophet clarified matters that were not mentioned in the Quran,
such as the time of imsak (early morning just before dawn when fasting begins in Ramadan);
the Prophet specified general commands in the Quran, such as division of family property
where, it was claimed, that the hadith forbid any share for children who killed their parents;
and the Prophet defined the limits of Quranic orders, such as determining the methods of
carrying out the punishment for cutting off the hand.
It is clear from the above that what is meant by the Traditionists is the role of the Prophet as
leader, contained in the Quranic concept ulil-amr (those in authority) that has already been
explained.
As regards explaining and interpreting the Quran, Quranic statements and historical evidence
have shown that it is not given to Prophet Muhammad or to any subsequent teachers to do so
fully and all at once. The Quran, being from the omniscient knowledge of God, cannot all be
understood fully, except through a prolonged process of rational understanding and scientific
studies. The long history of Quranic exegeses prove this. The Quran itself attests to this when it
declares about the allegorical verses:
No one knows their correct interpretations, except God and those well-grounded in knowledge.
While this verse refers only to the understanding of allegorical verses, God clearly states that it
is He who teaches and explains the Quran. This means, on the one hand, that the Quran
explains itself and, on the other, that God will, at the proper time, give man the necessary
knowledge to understand it. The various discoveries and findings of modern science within the
last four hundred years have thrown light on the meanings and corroborated the statements
made in the Quran fourteen centuries ago when modern science was not yet born.
Mode of Prayer
The Traditionists invariably asks: If we do not have the hadith, how do we pray? This shows
that they have not studied the Quran nor Arab history prior to Muhammad carefully. The
Quran clearly states that the obligatory prayers and all other religious observances of Islam
were originally taught to Abraham. All the prophets and their true followers since Abraham
practiced them, but, as the Quran also informs us, later generations, including the Arabs at the
advent of Muhammad, had lost these prayers. The prayers of the Arabs at the Shrine at the time
were described by the Quran as "no more than deceit and alienation."
It should also be noted that the very early revelations, such as the chapter 73 entitled al-
Muzzammil which was the third in order of revelation, already mentioned salat and zakat,
indicating that these religious observances were well-known and were being practiced. This is
confirmed by early historical sources, such as Ibn Ishaq's biography of the Prophet. All these
conclusively prove that our salat prayers today were not originally given to Muhammad during
the Night Journey, as the Traditionists claim.
A moment's thought will also make us realize that we do not learn how to pray from the hadith.
We learn to do so from our parents and teachers who inherit the practice through the
generations from the first source, that is Prophet Abraham.
Although the Quran needs no longer teach us how to pray, since we have learnt and practiced it
from the time of Abraham, still it gives us the main features of salat prayer, i.e. the normal
ablution (5:6), the abnormal ablution (4:43), the proper dress (7:31), standing and facing the
qiblah (2:144), the times (11:114, 17:78, 24:58, 2:238, 30:17-18 and 20:130), the bowing and
prostrating (2:43,125,3:42, 22:77, 48:29), using moderate voice when saying prayers (17:110),
not calling anyone else besides God in prayer (72:18) and modified mode of prayer at unusual
times (4:101,103). It is quite obvious that many important details regarding the mode of prayer
are given in the Quran.
It should be remembered that the Quran repeatedly teaches the people to be concerned with
doing good sincerely and not to be concerned with form. It is obvious why this should be so.
An obsession with form would defeat the purpose of an action. The incidence of Saudi Prince
Sultan Salman who accompanied the American space mission, Discovery, in 1985 and who
exposed the inability of the traditional Saudi ulama to answer the question of how he should
pray in the space shuttle was a good modern illustration of the error of obsession with form.
Argument Four: `The Example of the Prophet'
This is the fourth and last argument of the Traditionists: that the Prophet constitutes a good
example for the believers to follow, and following his examples means following the sunna.
They base this argument on the following verses of the Quran:
The messenger of God is a good example for you, for any of you who truly seek God and the
Hereafter and commemorate God frequently.
Referring to this verse and the following verse

You are indeed endowed with a great character
one traditionalist writer remarked:
The messenger (pbuh) is a perfect man. He is the foremost example to be followed in all
aspects and fields, except in those that cannot be followed.
According to the hadith scholar, M.M. Azami,
If we consider the Prophet as the model for the community, the Muslims have to follow his
example in every way, especially as they have been specifically commanded to do so by Allah.
Even the late modern scholar Prof. Fazlur Rahman talks of the existence of the exemplary
conduct of the Prophet. However, if we look at the context of verse 33:21 quoted above, it is
clear that it does not refer to every detail of the Prophet's behavior, such as his eating, dress,
sleeping and other personal habits. Actually, it refers to the Prophet's faith in God's help and
victory. The verse is put in the middle of the account of the Battle of the Allies when the
believers were really shaken and thought that the cause of Islam was lost. Nevertheless, it
would not be wrong if we derive a general meaning for this verse that the Prophet provided a
good example for Muslims to follow. The Prophet's example is none other than his staunch
faith in God and strict adherence to the Quran.
That the phrase uswah hasanah, meaning à good example' in this verse, refers to one's
conviction, stand and struggle, and not to one's personal behavior, can be proved by its usage,
twice, for Prophet Abraham who was a staunch monotheist. Verse 4 of Surah 60 explains the
meaning of the phrase:
A good example has been set for you by Abraham and those with him. They said to their
people, "We disown you and the idols you set up besides God. We reject you, and you will see
from us nothing but enmity and opposition until you believe in God alone."
The above verse explains the meaning of uswah hasanah as referring to one's religious
conviction, ideological position and struggle. This is an instance of how the Quran explains
and interprets itself.
It is unreasonable and unthinkable that God would ask the Muslims to follow the prophet's
personal mode of behavior, because a person's mode of behavior is determined by many
different factors, such as customs, his education, personal upbringing and personal inclinations.
The prophet's mode of eating, of dress and indeed of general behavior cannot be different from
that of other Arabs, including Jews and Christians, of that time, except regarding matters which
Islam prohibited. If the Prophet had been born a Malay, he would have dressed and eaten like a
Malay. This is a cultural and a personal trait which has nothing to do with one's religion.
So were the methods of the Prophet's wars and his administration of the Medina city-state. The
weapons he used, such as swords, spears, arrows and shields, were in accordance with the
prevailing technology. Today, with the development of modern weapons, the Muslims
obviously cannot fight with the medieval weapons used by the Prophet, although they must
emulate his staunch faith in God and complete adherence to God's teachings.
In political administration, the same Islamic principles operate. Some examples: sovereignty of
the people under God's sovereignty, government based on just laws, complete freedom of
religious worship, obedience to God and due obedience to leaders, leadership to be exercised
by those who are competent and morally upright, and government through consultation.
However, methods and the institutions vary according to time and circumstances. The methods
and institutions used by the Prophet are not universally and eternally binding.
Actually, the ways of the Prophet were in strict conformity with the teachings of the Quran. He
held firmly to the Quran and obeyed its injunctions. Therefore, following the example of the
Prophet means upholding the Quran. The claim of the Traditionists that the Quran is general
and requires the hadith to explain it and make it specific is based on a false understanding of
the Quran. This claim has been partially dealt with here. It will be fully dealt with in Chapter V
where we shall discuss the comprehensiveness of the Quran as a guide.
The Quran is Complete, Perfect and Detailed
The hadith writers' allegations are clearly misleading. To say that the Quran is incomplete or
unclear can only be blasphemous. Such an opinion belittles God's power by implying that He
gave us an incomplete or unclear product. It is just like the Christian Bible insisting that God
created the heavens and the earth in six days and then on the seventh day He had to take a
break. In the Quran, God tells us that He created the heavens and the earth and God does not
need to take any breaks for such is the power of God.
Indeed your Lord is God; the one God who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then
assumed all responsibility.
It is not likely that the God who created the whole wide universe and then assumed all
responsibility including revealing the Quran and teaching and explaining it would reveal a
Quran that was incomplete or unclear.
Also consider the following:
Any creature on earth and any bird that flies with wings, are all nations like you. We did not
leave anything out of this scripture. To their Lord they will all be gathered. Those who reject
our revelations are deaf, dumb and in total darkness.
So if God "did not leave anything out of this scripture," how can the Quran be incomplete?
The word of your Lord is complete, in truth and justice. Nothing shall abrogate His words. He
is the Hearer, the Knower.
We have cited for the people every kind of example, that they make take heed.
These examples referred to in the above verse served the Prophet well such that he in turn was
able to learn from these examples and become a good example himself for his followers. How
then can the hadith writers insist that the Quran is incomplete when it also has every kind of
example quoted for mankind's reference? The Quran therefore contains details for all our
needs. The Quran states general principles in places where it would be too burdensome for us if
God were to make strict rules. This is especially true when the Quran touches on socio-cultural
matters as they differ from place to place and among different peoples.
But still, how do we come to a solution for a problem that we have to solve by ourselves, for
example, when Prince Sultan Salman wanted to pray aboard the space shuttle Discovery? God
answers:
O you who believe, you shall obey God, and you shall obey the messenger and those in charge
among you. If you dispute in any matter, you shall refer it to God and His messenger, if you
truly believe in God and the last day. This is better for you and provides you with the best
solution.
They respond to their Lord and observe the salat prayers. Their affairs are decided by
consensus among them, and from our provisions to them they donate.
The only way we can refer anything to God and His messenger today is by using the teachings
of God Almighty that is still with us in the Quran. We must use our own intelligence to
deliberate among ourselves to solve our problems, but always guided by God, i.e. through
knowledge of the Quran.
There are some matters whereby God clearly spells out exactly what we are required to do. The
rights of individuals, ownership of property, the rules of marriage and divorce, the laws of
inheritance, penal laws, the rules of witness, dietary laws, the methods of ablution, and so on
are all clearly detailed in the Quran.
At other places, whenever God pleases, He provides us both the principles and the methods.
Let us explore further the issue of penal laws. The punishments of hand-cutting for theft and a
hundred lashes for adultery mentioned in the Quran are forms, not principles, of punishment.
Furthermore, these forms are connected to specific historical circumstances.
What, then, are the Quranic principles for punishment? There are two, or one can say three, if
we include the principle that all crimes must be punished and not overlooked. The two
principles are: firstly, that every crime must be punished in accordance with the severity of the
crime, i.e. the principle of equivalence; and secondly, the principle of mercy, as evidenced by
the following verses:
Whoever works evil must be punished.
They counter aggression with an equivalent response. However, those who pardon and
conciliate receive a better reward from God.
They counter evil with good.
According to the first principle, every crime must be punished, but following from the second
principle, the punishment meted out must match the crime. This is the principle of justice
designed to deter criminals. But the last principle gives the power to our courts to lighten
punishments of crimes up to the point of pardon to encourage reformation on the part
individual criminals. What a beautiful penal system this is!
Similarly, God provides us the guiding principles and the detailed methods of dividing
property for inheritance purposes.
The man shall get a share of what the parents and relatives leave, and the women shall get a
share of what the parents and the relatives leave, be it small or large, a decreed share.
This verse therefore sets the principle that men and women can inherit property.
God decrees what you shall bequeath for your children; the male shall get the share of two
females.
It will be seen that the above verses establish the general principle of inheritability by both
males and females, while at the same time fixes the portions. The question arises: are the fixed
portions of two for men and one for women historically determined or absolute? Is it fair that
working women who also share the burden of family expenses be given less portion? At a time
when women looked after the home and men were sole breadwinners, such portioning was fair.
But when economic conditions change and women bear equal burden, is it allowed for us to
make adjustments, implying that we consider the second verse as historically determined?
(Hint: the above verses also talk about will; see also 2:180, 240). This is something, as in many
other matters, that Muslim society, through council and through their rightful leaders, must
decide.
The Quran also makes provisions for Muslims to handle problems in difficult or extraordinary
circumstances. For example, foods that are forbidden to eat under normal circumstances, like
pork, become permissible out of necessity and not by choice.
Thus, the Quran contains guidance and solutions to handle all of our affairs. The Quran is
complete, perfect and detailed. If God "leaves anything out" of the Quran at all, it is only
because God has put in place, elsewhere throughout the Quran, sufficient guidance with which
human beings can guide their lives.
God never sends any people astray without first pointing out the consequences for them. God is
fully aware of all things.
In spite of repeated Divine proclamations that the Quran is complete and perfect, the hadith
writers insist that when the Quran is silent on some issues, the Prophet steps in (allegedly) and
provides the hadith to fill in the gaps. Since, according to them, all the Prophet's words are
inspired by God, therefore, it is actually God Himself who indirectly fills the gaps that He
Himself created in the first place! A very neat and tidy explanation to justify their going around
in circles. However, God replies in the following verse:
O you who believe, do not ask about things if revealed to you, you will be hurt. If you consider
them in the light of the Quran, you will realize that God left them out as an alleviation. God is
Forgiver, Clement.
Muhammad Ali interprets this verse thus:
As Islam discouraged religious practices, such as monastic life, it also prohibited questions
relating to details on many points which would require this or that practice to be made
obligatory, and much was left to the individual will or circumstances of the time and place. The
exercise of judgement occupies a very important place in Islam and this gives ample scope to
different nations and communities to frame laws for themselves and to meet new and changed
situations. The hadith shows that the Prophet also discourages questions on details in which a
Muslim could choose a way for himself.
God does not mention some things altogether or in detail for two reasons. Firstly, like the
regular prayer, because He has taught mankind these things before Muhammad. Secondly,
because such things concern the forms their principles take at different times and different
places. These forms are therefore decided by the society's council or by customs or by personal
preference. The principles of decision-making through council, or through customary usage, or
through using reason are clearly enunciated in the Quran.
It is clear that the Quran, being the last of God's scriptures to mankind, is the only infallible
source of our guidance.
Other sources, including previous scriptures as well the hadith/sunna, are subject to Quranic
criticism. What passes this criticism is acceptable; what fails is automatically rejected. This is
plain, as the following verses state:
Shall I seek other than God as a source of law, when He revealed to you this Book fully
detailed? Even those who received previous scripture recognize that it came down from your
Lord, truthfully. Therefore, you shall not harbor any doubt.
... Those who do not rule according to God's scripture are the unjust.
You should judge among them according to God's scripture and do not follow their ideas, and
beware lest they divert you from some of God's revelations to you. If they turn away, then you
should know that God wants to punish them for their sins. Indeed, many people are wicked. Is
it the laws of the days of ignorance that they want to apply? Whose laws are better than God's,
for those who are firm believers?
Those who fabricate false doctrines are the ones who do not believe in God's revelations. They
are the liars.
Shall we treat the Muslims like criminals? What is wrong with you? How do you judge? Do
you have another book that you apply? One that gives you anything you want?
So, do the hadith writers have another book that they apply? One that gives them everything?
Is this why God revealed the earth-shaking verse that we have quoted several times?
The messenger will say, "My Lord, my people have deserted this Quran."
We cannot, therefore, use any other book other than the Quran to make our laws and punish the
guilty, attributing these laws to God. But what do the hadith writers say? They say that anyone
who does not accept the hadith books immediately become unbelievers. They insist that the
hadith, although it is not the Quran, must be accepted. To them the hadith is "the other book
that they apply, one that gives them anything they want," as the Quran puts it precisely and
beautifully.
What does God say to these allegations?
Who is more wicked than one who lies about God, or rejects His revelations? Indeed, the
wicked never succeed. On the day when We gather them all together, We will say to the idol
worshippers, "Where are the idols you had fabricated?" Their only response will be, "By God,
our Lord, we were not idolaters!" Note how they lied to themselves! Whatever they have
invented have misled them.
When God alone is advocated, the hearts of those who do not believe in the hereafter shrink
with aversion. But when others are mentioned besides Him, they rejoice.
They follow idols who decree for them religious laws never authorized by God. If it were not
for the predetermined decision, they would have been judged immediately. The wicked have
deserved painful retribution.
This is because when invited to worship God alone, you disbelieved, but when others were
made partners beside Him, you believed. Alas the judgement has been decreed by God, the
Most Exalted, the Great.
God cites the example of a man with partners who contradict one another and a man who relies
on one consistent source: are they the same? Praise be to God, the majority do not know.
To place the hadith on an equivalent footing with revelation is to create another source of
guidance – an idol. This is the major problem with the hadith. When we invite them to believe
in God alone through the Quran, they hesitate, but when we throw in the false hadith and other
false teachings, then they are happy!
In conclusion, the theory or doctrine that the hadith is an equal source of guidance with the
Quran, propounded by Shafiì, is the most important aspect of the hadith question. Even though
we totally reject this doctrine, we do not reject the hadith as a secondary source, provided that
it does not contradict the Quran. On this view also, we say that the hadith is an important
source of early Muslim social history. We shall have more to say about this in the last chapter.
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CHAPTER III
SOURCE, REASON AND EFFECTS OF HADITH
God created the heavens and the earth based on Truth.
(Quran, 29:44)
Everything has its reason for being and, in turn, has its consequences. Nothing that happens is
without its cause and, in turn, without its effect. This is a divine natural law, stated in the verse
we quote above, and acknowledged by all mankind. This law applies equally to the hadith
phenomenon. We shall show that the so-called Prophetic traditions did not originate from the
Prophet. They grew from the politico-religious conflicts that arose in the Muslim society then,
during the first and second centuries. It constituted a new teaching altogether, seriously
deviating from the Quran that Prophet Muhammad brought to them. It was done against his
will, but skillfully attributed to him.
According to the Traditionists, Prophet Muhammad left two legacies to his followers: a divine
scripture and his sunna. We shall show later that this hadith is a fabrication. As a matter of fact,
history has fully shown that at the time of the Prophet's death, only the completed written
Quran, duly arranged into chapters by the Prophet, existed as his only legacy. It was not yet
compiled into book form, but complete writings of it on parchments and other writing materials
were kept in the Prophet's house and other houses of the Prophet's scribes. The Prophet also
taught many Companions to memorize the Quran following the chapter arrangements he
himself had made.
During the second caliph Abu Bakr's administration, Abu Bakr himself ordered the Prophet's
secretary, Zaid ibn Thabit, to compile the Quran into book form, taking care that all its contents
were corroborated by two or more witnesses. When the third caliph, Uthman, prepared his
official version of the Quran for dissemination throughout the length and breadth of Islam, he
based it on this version. Thus, the Quran fully satisfies the requirements of a well-corroborated
text.
The Quran itself proclaimed the completion of Islam and of Muhammad's mission eighty-one
or eighty-two days before Muhammad's death with the following famous verse:
Today I have perfected your religion for you and completed My favor to you and I have chosen
Islam as a religion for you.
The Beginnings of Hadith
Although some traditions may have existed during the time of the Prophet, thus giving rise to
his prohibition, their number doubled and tripled only several decades after his death. At the
time of their compilations, stretching over a period of two to four centuries after his death, they
existed in hundreds of thousands. The compilations were made against Muhammad's expressed
order, but the Traditionists argued that this prohibition was conditional to his desire to avoid
mixing traditions with the Quran. When this condition no longer existed, the prohibition was
lifted. However, a historical report exists stating that thirty years after the Prophet's death, the
prohibition was still on, showing that it had never been lifted.
As we have seen, what came to be regarded by the Sunnites as the `Six Authentic Books'
compiled by Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud, Ibn Maja, Tirmidhi and al-Nasaì, and the four
Shi'ite compilations by al-Kulaini, Ibn Babuwayh, al-Murtada and Jaàfar Muhammad al-Tusi
did not exist at the time of the Prophet's death, as the Quran did, but were made between 210
and 410 years later. Why were the compilations not made earlier? Does not this fact alone
show that the hadith was a new development, not sanctioned by the Prophet?
Several modern hadith scholars claim that they possess new evidence to prove that the hadith
were written down at the time of the Prophet. They were memorized and handed down from
generation to generation until the second and third Islamic centuries when the official
compilations were made. The still unanswered question, even if we were to accept the claim, is
this: "Why was the official compilation not made earlier, especially during the time of the
righteous caliphs when the first reporters, i.e., the eye witnesses, were still alive and could be
examined?" When we remember that there was an alleged statement by the Prophet, made at
his final Pilgrimage Oration and heard by tens of thousands, exhorting his followers to hold on
to the Quran and his sunna, it is most unreasonable not to expect the great early caliphs to order
the writing down and compiling of the Prophet's sayings. That none of them did so could only
mean that the Prophet never made the statement, and that it was a later invention attributed to
him.
The answer given by the Traditionists that the hadith was not written down during the time of
the Prophet to avoid confusing them with the Quran is not satisfactory. Not only did it
contradict their own claim that the hadith were already being recorded during the lifetime of
the Prophet; several documents of the Prophet, such as the Medina Charter, his treaties and
letters, had been written on his orders. The hadith too could similarly be written down by
indicating that they were hadith, and not the Quran. However, this constraint no longer apply
when the Quran was completed, written down and compiled into a book, and the fear of mixing
the Quran with the hadith was no longer a valid concern. Yet the hadith was not immediately
compiled. The only conceivable reason why they were not compiled was precisely the
Prophet's standing order prohibiting it. It is apparent that later generations ignored this order.
We also have later historical sources which say that the Caliph Abu Bakr burnt his notes of
hadith (said to be 500 in all) for fear that they might be false, and that Caliph Omar ibn Khattab
cancelled his plan to compile the hadith because he did not want to divert the attention of the
Muslims from the Quran to the hadith. It is quite possible that these statements said to have
been made by the first two caliphs are false, having been fabricated by upholders of the hadith
in order to prove that hadith had already been written down at this early stage, but were not
compiled by Abu Bakr and Omar not because of the Prophet's prohibition (which they must
know), but because of other reasons.
Due to the fact that early historical writings about Muhammad and the early Muslim society
were not done until a hundred or a hundred and fifty years after the Prophet's death, such as the
works of Ibn Ishaq (d. 150) and Ibn Sa`d (d. 168), it is impossible to obtain documentary
evidence (apart from the Quran, of course) on the precise position of the hadith/sunna between
the time of the Prophet's death and the time of these works. However, Ibn Sa`d, an early major
historian, showed that the first three caliphs did not use the hadith at all. In any case, it is
interesting to note, as we have seen in Chapter II, that the phrases `the prophet's hadith' or the
`the prophet's sunna' are never used in the Quran. This shows that these concepts did not exist
in Arab society at the time of the Prophet. On the other hand, the phrases `tribal sunna' or `the
sunna of the people' to mean `customs' were in vogue. It is this concept of sunna that was later
transformed to mean the Prophet's practice.
Basing ourselves on the Quran, we learn that a community did not break up into sects after the
coming of divine revelation to them except due to jealousy and to vested interests. When
jealousy and considerations of vested interests overcame them, divisions occurred and sects
emerged:
He has decreed for you the same religion decreed for Noah, and what is revealed herein, and
what was decreed for Abraham, Moses and Jesus. `You shall uphold the one religion, and do
not be divided.' It is simply too difficult for the idol worshipers to accept what you advocate.
God is the one who brings towards Him whomever He wills; He guides towards Himself those
who submit. They became divided after knowledge had come to them due to sheer jealousy. If
it were not for a predetermined decision, they would have been judged immediately. Even
those who inherited the scripture continued to harbor doubts. You shall preach and uphold this
scripture as commanded and do not follow their wishes.
You shall hold fast to the rope of God, all together, and do not be divided. Be appreciative of
God's favors upon you; you used to be enemies and He reconciled your hearts. By His grace,
you become brethren. God thus explains His revelations for you that you may be guided. Let
there be a community among you who preach goodness, advocate righteousness and forbid
evil. These are the winners. Do not be like those who became divided and disputed among
themselves, despite the profound revelations that had come to them.
The above verses explain two things. Firstly, the divine revelations brought by Muhammad and
other messengers, although true and beneficial, were hard to accept by the idol worshipers.
They accepted them for a while and then lapsed into their former condition. Secondly, they
reverted to their former condition because of jealousy towards one another and because of their
love of material things. In short, human propensity for materialism and jealousy for one
another made it difficult for them to follow the teachings of the prophet-messengers, including
prophet Muhammad. These are the factors that cause division into sects and factions after the
teachings had come to them.
We shall see that many hadith began to emerge and multiply at the same time as the emergence
of divisions in the early Muslim community in three civil wars, beginning under Ali's rule right
up to the end Muàwiya rule. The relations between these two phenomena were direct: power
struggles giving rise to divisions led to the fabrication of hadith to support each contending
group, and the fabrications of hadith further deepened divisions. It is clear that the division
originated in the power struggle to fill the post of caliph to succeed the Prophet, but hadith
were fabricated to use the name of the Prophet to bolster politico-religious sectarianism.
Political Conflicts
A study of original sources, such as Ibn Sa`d (d. 230/845), Malik Ibn Anas (d. 179/795),
Tayalisi (d. 203/818), Humaydi (d.219/834) and Ibn Hanbal (d. 241/855) will show that all
`four guided caliphs' made use of very little sunna in their administrations. The very term "the
Prophet's sunna" was never used by the Prophet himself and did not emerge until the sixth and
seventh decades after the Prophet in the administration of Omar Abdul Aziz (d. 720), and was
first used by him. But later sources, such as Ibn Qayyim (d.691/1292), had connected the
names of the great caliphs Abu Bakr and Omar ibn Khattab with the practice of following the
sunna. It is clear that the àuthentication' of the sunna was carried out by the Traditionists to
ward off opposition to the hadith by using the names of these two great authorities.
The development of the hadith, it seems, began in the form of stories about the Prophet, told by
professional story-tellers, as praises for Ali and Abu Bakr and as guidance in matters permitted
and prohibited. These were later given the form of hadith.
Compositions in the form of eulogies for Ali and Abu Bakr which came into being after the
Prophet's death reflected the first political conflict between supporters of Ali (the Shiìtes) and
those of Abu Bakr (the Bakriyya). Ibn Abi'l-Hadid (d. 655/1257), commentator of the
compilation of famous sayings attributed to Ali Abi Talib, Nahj al-Balaghah, admitted that it
was the Shi'ite party who began to create hadith eulogies. He said,
... Know that the origins of fabrications in fada'il traditions were due to the Shi'ite, for they
forged in the first instance traditions concerning their leader. Enmity towards their adversaries
drove them to this fabrication ... When the Bakriyya saw what the Shi'ite had done, they
fabricated for their own master traditions to counter the former ... When the Shi'ite saw what
the Bakriyya had done, they increased their efforts ...
The same writer further wrote regarding hadith forgeries sponsored by caliph Muàwiya to
oppose Ali. According to him:
Then Muàwiya wrote to his governors saying: "Hadith about Uthman has increased and
spread in every city, town and region. When this letter from me reaches you, summon the
people to relate the merits of the Companions and the first caliphs. And do not let any Muslim
relate anything about Ali without bringing something contradicting this about the Companions.
This I like better and it pleases me more, it invalidates Abu Turab's claims and those of his
Shi'ite in a more definitive way and it is for them more difficult to bear than the virtues and the
merits of Uthman."
Muàwiya's letters were read out to the people. And many forged reports concerning the merits
of the Companions, in which there was no [grain of] truth, were related. The people went out
of their way in relating reports in this vein until they spoke thereof in glowing terms from the
pulpits. The teachers in the schools were instructed to teach their young pupils a vast quantity
of these until they related them just as they studied the Quran and they taught these to their
daughters, wives and servants. God knows how long they persisted in this.
It is abundantly clear from the above evidence that one of the sources of hadith forgery at the
early stage was the political rivalry between the supporters of Ali and those of Abu Bakr,
which continued unabated until Uthman's administration and then to the enmity and conflict
between the Shiìtes and the Umayyad. This and other sources were pointed out by a modern
Arab historian, Dr. Ahmad Amin, in his book The Dawn of Islam. According to him, five
factors were responsible for the fabrication of hadith. These are political conflicts between
various factions, differences of opinions regarding matters of theology and jurisprudence,
materialistic ambitions among certain religious scholars, the desire to promote good and forbid
evil by fabricating hadith to encourage and to discourage (tarhib wa-targhib), as well as to
provide a medium for transmitting good teachings from non-Islamic sources.
Although most of these hadith forgeries can no longer be found in the classical compilations,
anyone who studies the hadith carefully and objectively can still observe the characteristics
mentioned above. Hadith eulogies for the Companions in the Mishkat-ul-Masabih compilation
still portrayed political conflicts between the Shi'ite faction and the followers of Abu Bakr and
shows that the hadith was fabricated by the factions to support their respective sides. Note the
following hadith:
Anas reported that the Prophet ascended Uhud with Abu Bakr, Omar and Uthman. It trembled
with them and so he struck it with his foot and said: "Be firm, O Uhud, and verily on you there
are a prophet, a truthful man and two martyrs." (Bukhari)
Zerre-b-Hubaish reported that Ali said:

"By One who splits seeds and creates breath, the illiterate prophet gave me a covenant:
`Nobody except a believer will love me, and nobody except a hypocrite will hate me.' "
(Muslim)
The above traditions have been picked out at random from many others as examples to show
the characteristic partiality of hadith. The obvious omission of Ali in the first hadith points to
its fabrication by his detractors: there was no other reason why Ali was not in that company.
The second one takes the opposite side, having the Prophet affirm Ali's faith and condemn
those who maligned him.
We shall be taking a lot of time if we are to give examples of each type of hadith fabrication. It
is not necessary. We shall be satisfied with quotations from a few hadith scholars, namely
Ahmad Amin, Fazlur Rahman, Goldziher and M.M. Azami.
(a) Ibn 'Adli stated, "At the time when a forger of hadith by the name of Abdul Karim ibn Abu
al-'Auja was taken to the place of hanging, he said, Ì have forged four thousand hadith for you
whereby I prohibited and permitted.'"
(b) In the same book the author further noted, "Muslim reported from Muhammad ibn Yahya
ibn Said al-Qattan, and from his father, who said, Ì have never seen good people telling more
lies in any matter than when they do with the hadith.' Muslim explained these words: `The lies
were not intentional.' Some people who forged false hadith were motivated by good intentions,
i.e. they sincerely believed that all that they had heard were true. In their hearts there was no
desire to lie, and they repeated what they had heard. Then other people picked up from them
because they were deceived by their outward show of truth."
(c) That opposing political parties tried to influence public opinion through the medium of the
hadith and used the names of great authorities of Tradition is a fact no one conversant with the
early history of Islam may deny.
(d) ... Every stream and counter-stream of thought in Islam has found its expression in the form
of a hadith, and there is no difference in this respect between the various contrasting opinions
in whatever field. What we learn about political parties holds true too for differences regarding
religious law, dogmatic points of difference etc. Every ra'y (opinion) or hawa (personal desire),
every sunna and bidà (innovation) has sought and found expression in the hadith.
(e) ... Most likely the first fabrication of traditions began in the political circles, citing and
discrediting the parties concerned. In the well-known work of al-Shaukani concerning spurious
and similar tradition we find 42 spurious traditions about the Prophet, 38 spurious traditions
about the first three caliphs, 96 spurious traditions about Ali and his wife Fatima [and] 14
spurious traditions about Muàwiya. Therefore, it looks as if the spurious traditions began to
originate for political purposes at and about the period of the war between Ali and Muàwiya,
and continued later on as a counter-attack on the Umayyad dynasty ...
From the time of Muàwiya's rule (661-680) until the end of the second century Hijrah when
the hadith were officially compiled, the fabrication of hadith was done on a wide scale. Not
only did the hadith become the medium of stories and instrument for various political factions
and theological sects to support their sectarian positions, but, as Maurice Bucaille said,
In view of the fact that only a limited number of hadiths may be considered to express the
Prophet's thoughts with certainty, the others must contain the thoughts of the men of his time.
In order to stop the continued fabrication of the hadith and contain further divisions of Muslim
society at that time, there arose a movement to fix the sources of law in Islam and to
standardize the hadith. This is the main social determinant which gave rise to the major
jurisprudential figure in Islam in the person of Shafiì. He laid down the bases of Islamic
classical jurisprudence with his theory that the sources of Islamic law were the Quran, the
Hadith, Ijma' or consensus of religious scholars, and Qiyas or analogy.
The Compilation of Hadith
It was about this time that the hadith throughout the length and breadth of Islam were collected,
sifted and written down. What were later called the `Six Authentic Hadith Books' of the
Sunnites finally came into being. These are the compilations of Bukhari, Muslim, Ibn Maja,
Abu Daud, al-Tirmidhi and al-Nasa'i. The Shi'ites had their own four collections of hadith,
compiled each by al-Kulaini, Ibn Babuwayh and two by Ja'afar Muhammad al-Tusi. These
compilations were made within a period between 220 and 400 years after the death of the
Prophet.
With the victory and general acceptance of Shafiì's jurisprudential theory where the hadith
was given a position of almost equal importance with the Quran (the formula is "second
primary source"), the use of creative thought or ijtihad for all practical purposes was abolished.
This came to be known later as `the closing of the door of ijtihad' and the beginning of the
regime of taqlid or blind imitation of the great masters, a period beginning from about the
fourteenth century till the end of the nineteenth or beginning of the twentieth centuries AD.
It can be seen from the above account that the conflict between the trend favoring creative
thought an the trend favoring sunna (in both senses of the people's tradition and the prophet's
practice) in early Muslim community was won by the sunna party. If Shafiì's aim was to
combine and harmonize these two trends and thereby to contain the process of disunity in
Muslim society, it was obvious that he failed. Disunity continued to prevail in theology and
law. By institutionalizing the hadith to achieve what he termed as consensus, he with one
stroke killed creative thought in Muslim society. Fazlur Rahman rightly observed:
It is clear that al-Shafiì notion of Ijma' was radically different from that of the early schools.
His idea of Ijma' was that of a formal and a total one: he demanded an agreement which left no
room for disagreement ... But the notion if Ijma' exhibited by the early schools was very
different. For them, Ijma' was not an imposed or manufactured static fact but an ongoing
democratic process; it was not a formal state but an informal natural growth which at each step
tolerates and, indeed, demands fresh and new thought and therefore must live not only with but
also upon a certain amount of disagreement. We must exercise Ijtihad, they contended, and
progressively the area of agreement would widen; the remaining questions must be turned over
to fresh Ijtihad or Qiyas so that a new Ijma' could be arrived at. But it is precisely the living
organic relationship between Ijtihad and Ijma' that was severed in the successful formulation of
al-Shafiì. The place of the living Sunna-Ijtihad-Ijma' he gives to Prophetic Sunna which, for
him, does not serve as a general directive but as something absolutely literal and specific and
whose only vehicle is the transmission of the Hadith ...
Thus, by reversing the natural order, Ijtihad-Ijma' into Ijma'-Ijtihad, their organic relationship
was severed. Ijma', instead of being a process and something forward-looking — coming at the
end of a free Ijtihad — came to be something static and backward-looking. It is that which,
instead of having to be accomplished, is already accomplished in the past. Al-Shafiì's genius
provided a mechanism that gave stability to our medieval socio-religious fabric but at the cost,
in the long run, of creativity and originality.
The process of substituting ijtihad with the hadith was a complex process, which took two
centuries to complete. The social and historical factors causing it are still not clear to us. There
is no doubt that anti-Islamic forces from the nations conquered by the Muslim Arabs,
especially the Persians and the Jews, had infiltrated the various groups and played their
subversive role to divert the early Muslims from the true teachings of the Prophet, i.e. the
Quran, to other teachings in order to destroy them from within.
However, looking at the matter from our modern perspective, we cannot help but being amazed
as to why the conservative and indeed reactionary forces were able to defeat the dynamic and
progressive forces, despite the constant prodding of the Quran for human creative role and the
freedom of a community to administer its affairs.
The Effects of the Hadith
One of the most important aspects, neglected so far in any study of the hadith, is their
collective impact and effects on Muslim society. We have seen that the fabrication of hadith
took place because of the politico-religious divisions which later resulted in the emergence of
sects and legal schools. We have also seen that the hadith became the instrument to channel
views, prejudices, customs and superstitions current in society then. Most of these views and
ideas were nothing but superstitions and customs rejected by Islam.
It is logical for us to assume that Prophet Muhammad would not have said or done anything
contrary to the teachings of the Quran. We make this assumption because he was very
conversant with the teachings of the Quran that he himself had brought from God. As a
messenger of God, he would not have acted contrary to those teachings. This assumption is
most reasonable and consistent with his high moral character. Therefore, the greatest weakness
of most hadith, deemed to be àuthentic' by classical criticism, is that they contradict the
Quran. They are therefore false and could not have originated from him, but were falsely
attributed to him. They actually originated from the various factions and groups who, due to
reasons which we have stated, put into the hadith all manner of superstitions and customs
current in society then.
The Quran tells us that God in His mercy has always sent His guidance to mankind through His
messengers. He guides mankind with His revelations to the path of salvation, in this world and
in the Hereafter. These prophet-messengers began with Adam in the remote Primitive Age,
through Abraham at the beginning of the Ancient Age to the last prophet Muhammad at the
dawn of the Scientific Age. Deviations from these divine revelations and away from the path of
salvation, which is Islam (this is the meaning of the profound verse that the true religion with
God is Islam), spells doom and destruction for the deviating society. The Quran tells us of the
destruction of several ancient societies and civilizations as a consequence of their deviations.
In the modern age (`modern' here is taken to mean the birth of the scientific method beginning
with the rise of Muhammad), we have seen the destruction of the early Muslim empire and
civilization and the destruction of several Eastern medieval states and European empires.
Because this historical law operates objectively for all nations and civilizations, the decline and
fall of Muslim society must inevitably be connected with the historical deviation from divine
teachings that they had committed. We shall examine briefly the role of hadith in this historical
deviation.
(a) Sectarianism
One of the first major consequences of the hadith is the division of early Muslim community
into two major sects, the Sunnites and the Shi'ites. The Sunni sect splits into four major legal
schools, and the Shi'ite has several of its own, each with its own political and theological
beliefs. Without doubt, this division had its ground in the still strong Arab feeling of tribalism
of the period of ignorance. Although Muhammad succeeded in breaking Arab tribalism and
uniting them, this tribal spirit did not die with Muhammad. When he passed away, the
resurrected tribalism led to the power struggle for the position of caliph. Because of the very
strong Quranic prohibition against making factions in religion and the fact that they were
unable to use the Quran to support factional interests, the competing parties had to recourse to
the hadith — a convenient and clever way out. The Shi'ite faction that wanted Ali to be the
caliph after the prophet's death fabricated hadith to support their contention. They claimed that
the prophet had stated before his death:
Whoever recognized me as their master, Ali too is their master.
This forged hadith was then countered with another forged hadith by the opposing Bakriyya
group. This then was how forged hadith came into being — to support political factions.
Now, let us assume for a moment that the hadith did not exist (in line with the Prophet's wishes
that nothing should be written down from him except the Quran). This did not automatically
mean that the split between the supporters of Abu Bakr and the supporters of Ali would not
have existed. As the split was politically motivated, it would have happened anyway. But now,
without the hadith, the Bakriyya and the Shi'ites would have had only the Quran for their
guidance. In that case, how would they have solved their problems?
God answers this question for us:
They respond to their Lord, and observe the salat prayers. Their affairs are decided by
consultation among them, and from our provisions to them they donate.
Without the hadith they would have had to read the Quran. Thus, they would have had to read
the verse just quoted above. And they would have had to come to a consensus among them,
because they were all Muslims, submitters to God, "those who respond to their Lord and
observe the salat prayers." But such things never happened because they had more than enough
hadith which they could pull out of their hats and use it to stab each other. Even if the Sunnites
and the Shi'ites could not be reconciled, even if they had resorted to killing each other (which
they did), they still would not have had more evil thoughts to provoke them had there not
existed any hadith. They would have been forced to refer to the Quran. Therefore, sooner or
later, they are bound to have solved their differences.
But unfortunately, history has merely repeated itself. The devils had laid their plan well. The
Muslims listened to anything and everything except the Quran. The result is that they fell into
the pits, and they are still there today!
(b) Anti-Intellectualism
Beside factionalism between the Sunnites and the Shi'ites, the Sunnites themselves are divided
into different madhabs or schools of thought. They broke up into many schools of thought
because of the differences of opinion between their founders. At the beginning of the
establishment of these schools, over 16 of them came to exist, but today only the Hanafi, the
Maliki, the Shafiì and Hanbali schools predominate. There exist major differences between
the four dominant schools as well, due largely to the differences between Imam Abu Hanifa
and Imam Malik, the respective founders of the Hanafi and Maliki schools, which subsequently
influenced the Hanbali and Shafiì schools.
Imam Abu Hanifa (d.767) pioneered the use of creative thinking or ijtihad to settle his affairs.
He lived in Damascus, far away from the Hijaz and thus out of regular contact with any
descendants of the Prophet or his companions. Hence, he had little opportunity to listen to any
hadith or sayings of the Prophet. (These four theologian-jurists imams all existed before the
writing of the official hadith). He settled disputes by referring to the Quran and by exercising
his reason.
Imam Malik (d. 795) on the other hand lived in Medina. Throughout his life, he never traveled
outside Medina except once to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. Unlike Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam
Malik had the luxury of meeting with many descendants of the Prophet and his Companions.
Therefore, he could refer to many hadith to solve his problems. Thus, while Abu Hanifa
advocated creative thinking or ijtihad, Imam Malik advocated ijma' or referring to the hadith.
To compound this problem, the rulers at that time depended very much on these scholars to
advise them. More often than not, the opinions of a particular scholar who was eminent under a
particular ruler became the established rule in that territory.
Instead of being testimony to the dynamism of the Quran which allowed such diverse opinions
to exist and thus serve as a catalyst for Muslims to continuously exercise their intellect, these
differences of opinion gave birth to the rise of the likes of Imam Shafiì (d. 820) who found it
difficult to handle the freedom of thought and opinion that is allowed by the Quran. Imam
Shafiì came to view differences of opinion as a problem. To solve this problem he came up
with his neat little idea to freeze everything as it were. In other words, Shafiì came to the view
that all opinions existing at that time would be acceptable, but nothing more than that – no new
thinking could be allowed. The status quo would be set in stone with no possibility of new
participants. Thus the idea of ijma' first and ijtihad later was crystallized and given an official
authority.
Conformity became the norm. This was followed by the passivity and blind obedience that had
to be fostered to maintain this conformity. The conformity and the passivity soon fused
together to breed the pessimism and the fatalism which is a natural result of dead intellect. This
came to be the character of the majority of Muslims until today.
On the other hand, the Europeans, who were overawed by the success of the Arabs in the
earlier part of Muslim history, realized the importance of inquiry and free thought. The
Europeans have progressed ever since because they never closed their doors to free thinking.
The example that the Europeans copied was an excellent example of a Muslim people
unimpeded by any false teachings. The early Muslims strove hard and achieved the success
here on earth, precisely as God wanted them to achieve. By doing so, they earned the credits to
give them an honored place in the Hereafter.
As for the hadith writers, God tells them:
Shall we treat the Muslims like the guilty? What is wrong with you? How do you judge? Do
you have another book that you apply? One that gives you anything you want?
The Muslims developed the hadith that gave them everything they wanted. In fact, the hadith
would envelop the whole of Muslim behavior right from prescribing the "correct" methods of
sleeping to eating, dressing, etc. The Muslims under the ulama, therefore, effectively killed
themselves off. For some ulama looking for easy followers, the hadith became a most effective
tool to achieve that end. For other ulama with no proper objectives in sight, the hadith became
an end in itself.
(c) Pessimism and Political Opportunism
Among the many myths that have also found their way into the hadith is the belief in the
Mahdi. The Mahdi is expected to arise towards the Last Days and is expected to save all the
Muslims from their cruel oppressors. The Quran tells us to continuously strive to do good
deeds and to make strong efforts to improve ourselves. The Muslims are commanded to
encourage the good and to oppose evil. All this means continuous hard work in the path of God
to achieve good objectives.
God does not change the condition of any people, unless they change themselves.
Therefore, encouraging the Muslims to hang their hopes on something called the Mahdi is
actually a subtle attempt to make defeatists and pessimists out of them. The suffocating belief
in fate: to make the Muslims submissive to other than God and to wait for someone else to
come along to save them. The truth is that no one will help us unless we help ourselves first.
This pessimism, however, is further ensconced in another equally debilitating hadith about the
attestation of faith or the kalimah shahada. This fabricated hadith says that just by reciting the
kalimah shahada at the time of death, one can be forgiven by God and make it to Paradise.
Such hadith was a necessary precursor to the pessimism and the passive lethargy that was
imposed upon Muslims. For how else could the people be made to resign themselves to such
docility? The promise of a savior, the promise of Heaven, the "keys" to Heaven etc. were
necessary tools to maintain the people's subservience to the hadith and to the people who
propagated such hadiths.
These are just two of the very many fabricated hadith that can be quoted. Not only that; these
fabricated hadith, unlike other fabricated hadith, sought to freeze the dynamic thinking
encouraged by the Quran. These hadith sought to make vegetables of the people and hence
make them totally subservient to the hadith proponents. The result is that the Muslims lost
everything that they had striven so hard to achieve.
We also list here a few hadith that are attributed to the Prophet by way of Hudhayfa, a
Companion of the Prophet. They are set in a context of the civil conflict engulfing the
supporters of Abu Bakr and Ali. These hadith seek to impose a certain will on the people so
that the people may serve as useful tools for the vested interests behind these hadith. We begin
with a hadith which most cruelly attributes the qualities of a soothsayer to the Prophet.
The messenger of God took a stand to address us in which he did not omit to mention anything
that will occur in that place of his up to the occurrence of the Last Hour. Whoso got it to
memory remembered it and whoso did not remember it forgot it. These companions of mine
learnt it, and there will occur something therefrom which I forgot. When it is shown to me, I
remember it, just as a man remembers the face of a man when he remains absent from him, but
when afterwards he sees him, he recognizes him. (Bukhari and Muslim)
The people used to ask the Messenger of God of virtues, and I used to ask him of evils, fearing
lest they might overtake me. I asked, "O Messenger of God! Certainly we were in ignorance
and corruption. Then God brought this good for us. Will there be corruption after this good?"
"Yes," he replied. I asked, "Will there be good after this corruption?" "Yes," he replied. I
asked, "Will there be good after that corruption?" "Yes," he replied. "There will be darkness
therein." I asked, "What is darkness?" He said, "A people who will introduce ways other than
my ways and will give guidance other than my guidance. So you will recognize some of them
and reject some." I asked, "Will there be corruption after that good?" "Yes," he replied. "There
will be those who will invite towards the doors of Hell. Whoso will respond to them will be
thrown therein." I asked, "O Messenger of God, give us their description." He said, "They will
be our people, and they will speak with our tongues." I asked, "What do you enjoin me if I
reached that time?" He replied, "You shall stick to the united body of Muslims and their
leader." I asked, "If they have no united body and no leader?" He said, "Then keep aloof
entirely from those parties though you should have to cleave to the root of a tree till death
overtakes you ..." (Bukhari and Muslim)
The messenger of God said, "There will soon appear calamities in which one's sitting will be
better than one's standing, and one's standing will be better than one's walking, and one's
walking will be better than one's running..." (Bukhari and Muslim)
The messenger of God said, "... Keep to your house and hold your tongue, and take what you
recognize and give up what you do not know, and mind your own business and give up the
affairs of the public." (Tirmidhi)
The hadith concerning the Mahdi and the attestation faith and the hadith concerning the Last
Days quoted above all advocate a passive, pessimistic and submissive community. It is totally
contrary to the Islamic spirit of striving for the good in the name of God and in the way of God.
Why did the ulama advocate such defeatist hadith? Fazlur Rahman says that these hadith
reflect the ulama's thinking and their objectives with regard to the factionalism and the civil
war that was going on between the Muslim factions. To them the hadith appeared as very
handy tool to neutralize the dissenting and damaging effects of the Khawarij and the
Mu`tazilites camps. By this simple means of creating hadith and attributing it the Prophet, the
orthodox Ahl'ul-Sunna wa'l-Jamaah hoped to save the community from its internecine warfare.
Although these false hadiths were advocated to serve as a bridge to link up all the warring
factions in peace and harmony, it became evident soon enough that these false hadith standing
on their false foundations would collapse. How could the advocating of pessimism and
passivity guarantee peace and harmony, unity and justice? Obviously the orthodox scholars
were very short sighted. And on top of everything, all these false teachings were clearly against
the teachings of the Quran. It would become all too clear how easily the corrupted and cruel
rulers, the foreign invaders and the colonialists would overwhelm a docile and almost indolent
Muslim populace. The Muslims had been perfectly molded into its submissive and servile form
through the indoctrination of all these false hadith. This was the cause of their fall.
As we have stated, the passive political philosophy advocated by these hadith were completely
against the spirit of the Quran which advocated exactly the opposite philosophy upon all
Muslims. God enjoins believers in the Quran to get fully involved in community affairs, to
consistently advocate good and to oppose evil.
Therefore, did the Quran not pose a serious problem for the hadith writers then? Any careful
reading of the Quran and any serious discussion would definitely point out the errors of the
hadith. So, how did the ulama handle this potential threat to their hadith? Very simple. They
sought to cut off all intellectual discussion and inquiry in Islam. They came up with the not-
too-original but effective idea that only the ulama, the priestly class, would be allowed to
handle all matters pertaining to the religion.
They would teach people that they were the inheritors of the Prophet's mission. Despite the fact
that Islam never allowed any priesthood, the ulama would go on to successfully set up not only
a priestly class but a whole hierarchy of priests. Much like the Brahmins of Hinduism, they
would seek to impose this hierarchy upon the Muslim masses and deny the masses any access
to a true understanding of the religion without first being screened by them. Unfortunately,
these ulama have been most successful to this day. Once again, to sustain their position and to
nick any buds of dissent that might decide to bloom, the ulama resorted to their good old
panacea for all their ills — the hadith! Consider these:
The ulama are the heirs to the Prophet. (Abu Daud and Tirmidhi)
Ibn Abbas reported that the Prophet said, "Whoever seeks to interpret the Quran using his own
intellect, he should also prepare to burn in the hell fire." (Tirmidhi)
The following must remain a jewel among all the false hadith:
Jundub reported that the Prophet said, "Whosoever interprets the Quran, and his interpretation
is correct, that person has committed a sin." (Tirmidhi and Abu Daud)
It should not come as a surprise to us that after a thousand years of adhering to the false
teachings of such hadith, the Muslims' condition has progressively worsened as we have shown
in Chapter I. If the present Islamic movement for reform and regeneration aims to achieve its
objectives, it absolutely must face up to the reality of the corrupting influence of the hadith and
other false teachings arising from it, and return to the divine Quran. There is no evading the
issue. There is no shortcut to the truth except through the destruction of falsehood.
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CHAPTER IV
CRITICISM OF THE HADITH
These are God's revelations that we recite for you with the truth. In which hadith besides the
revelations of God, do they believe?
(Quran, 45:6)
It is a recorded historical fact, as we have seen in the last chapter, that at the time of the
Prophet's death in the 11th year of the Hijra (632 AD), the whole of the Quran, which had been
revealed to the Prophet, had been carefully written down and arranged in an order as directed
by the Prophet himself. This historical testimony supports the Divine assertion of the Quran's
arrangement under Divine direction.
On the other hand, there exists no hadith collection that Muhammad himself authenticated. In
fact, he was reported to prohibit the writing down of any hadith. Even among the religious
scholars there is much controversy over what is termed the mutawattir hadith, or multiple-
source reports. Some say that there are seven of these, some say only one while others say none
at all. If the hadith scholars cannot agree on the number of the very few multiple-source
reports, how could they impose the 6,000-odd so-called authentic hadiths of Bukhari on the
Sunnite Muslim community? We also know that the Shi'ite Muslim community have their own
hadith collections.
As we have seen in Chapter III, the so-called authentic hadith collections came into being after
much editing by the likes of Bukhari and Muslim only about 250 years after the Prophet's
death. The àuthentic' or `genuine' (sahih) label attached to the collected and edited works of
these six collectors is a subjective classification based on certain criteria, which may not be
agreed to by other scholars. This is the source of the hitherto endless debate on the authenticity
of the hadith.
What is not realized by the general Muslim community now is that all these hadith reporters
and scholars in their own day had their critics who are now conveniently forgotten. In some
cases, a particular scholar's opinion or writing came to dominate the Muslim mind because
those writings received support from the caliph or whatever authority existing at that time. A
good example is the action of Caliph Harun Al-Rashid who wanted to ban the writings of all
Muslim scholars except the book Al-Muwatta of Imam Malik ibn Anas. The caliph insisted on
making Al-Muwatta as the standard text by which to formulate the Sharià or Islamic law.
Fortunately, it was through the insistence of Imam Malik himself that such a course of action
was denied, hence allowing debate and fruitful discussion to continue in the caliph's realm.
Imam Malik felt compelled to speak up because he understood that, after all, his writings could
be mistaken. The human intellect is eminently fallible.
Compared to all these weaknesses which beset the hadith, the Quran is completely vouchsafed
for its authenticity by no less an authority than God Himself.
The majority follows only conjecture, and conjecture is no substitute for the truth. God is fully
aware of everything they do. But the Quran can never be invented by other than God. It
confirms all previous scriptures, and consummates them. There is absolutely no doubt that it
comes from the Lord of the Universe.
Criticism of the Hadith Has Always Existed
Criticism of the hadith, even the rejection of the hadith theory advocated by Imam Shafiì, is
not something new. Criticism of it existed from the earliest times. At the time of Imam Shafiì,
the Mu`tazilite rationalist school, one of the earliest Muslim theological schools, advanced two
very sound arguments to refute the hadith theory. They stated that the hadith was merely
guesswork and conjecture, and that the Quran was complete and perfect, and did not require
the hadith or any other book to supplement or complement it.
However, as we mentioned earlier, the hadith/sunna school mustered significant social and
political support for its teachings. The Mu`tazilite school was therefore subjugated and the
sunna school became dominant. It is not within the province of this book to delve much deeper
into this interesting controversy; it suffices to say that much remains to be understood from the
causes and effects of this controversy alone.
Closer to our time, namely towards the end of the nineteenth century, the reform movement
spearheaded by Jamaluddin Al-Afghani and Muhammad Abduh sought to curb the emphasis
on taqlid, or blind conformity to the opinions of early Imams. However, little effort was made
to address the problems of the hadith itself. These two renowned scholars only went so far as to
further tighten the criteria for accepting the hadith. At the same time, they still accept the
hadith as a principal source of law on par with the Quran.
Other schools of thought did arise in Egypt, India and Indonesia, seeking to question and even
repudiate the hadith. Although detailed information about them is rather scarce, in Egypt
Muhammad Tawfiq Sidqi (d. 1920) and Mahmud Abu Rayya, whose book on the hadith was
published in Cairo in 1958, questioned the reliability of the hadith. In India, the ahlul-Quran
group led by Ghulam Ahmad Parvez arose during the 1930's to take Muslims back to the
Quran. It is most probable that similar movements have sprung up in other Muslim societies
throughout Islamic history. Therefore, it is important for us to keep in mind that criticism of
the hadith has always been extant since the day the hadith was written down.
The Underlying Weakness of the Hadith:
Conjecture and Guesswork
Lately it has become a novelty for some writers to allude to historical evidence to prove the
existence of written hadith records from the time of the Prophet. These writers claim that
various sahifah or personal diaries of various Companions have been found. Unfortunately for
these writers, such writings do not exist at all. Perhaps the impetus for this sahifah theory was
sparked by the reference to the records of Hammam ibn Munabih (d. 101 or 102 Hijrah), a
pupil of Abu Huraira. Hammam ibn Munabih is reported to have recorded 140 alleged sayings
of the Prophet from Abu Hurairah. But we do not have conclusive evidence for the existence of
these personal diaries. The scholars have differing opinions on this subject. Therefore, to vouch
for the existence of a complete set of sahifah writings can only be an intellectual flight of
fancy.
It is also pertinent to note that the collecting, collating and editing of the hadith into the six
dominant books that we have today has never been conclusively witnessed or vouched for. To
make matters even more complicated for the hadith writers, there is a recorded hadith of the
Prophet which claims that the Prophet himself had expressly forbidden the writing down of any
hadith! According to Muslim and ibn Hanbal:
Abi Said al Khudri reported that the Prophet said, "Do not write down anything from me
except the Quran. Whoever writes down anything other than the Quran must erase it."
The hadith writers come up with the retort that the Prophet said what he said in order to
prevent his followers from confusing the Quran, which was still being revealed at that time,
with the hadith. Hence, his prohibition. It was later repealed, they argued, when the danger of
mixing the Quran with the hadith no longer existed.
But this appears to be a rather lame excuse to justify the writing of the hadith. Even after the
Prophet's death and even very much after the Quran had been carefully bound into its present
form, the true followers of the Prophet still refused to write down anything of the so-called
hadith. This is clear from another report of Ibn Hanbal:
"Zayd ibn Thabit (the Prophet's personal aide and scribe) was visiting the house of Muàwiya
and was narrating to the Caliph a story about the Prophet. The Caliph, who became much
impressed with the story, immediately asked his scribe to record the story. Zayd then cautioned
the Caliph, `The holy prophet has forbidden us from writing down anything from his hadith.' "
There is also the story regarding the first caliph Abu Bakr who could not lay his head down to
sleep upon finding out that there were some written records of the Prophet's sayings in the
house of his daughter Aisha, who was the Prophet's wife. Not until he had personally burnt the
written records was he able to sleep peacefully again. The second caliph Omar ibn Khattab also
refused to allow anyone to compile the hadith for fear that the people may take to them and
discard the Quran.
This is just another proof to deny the authority of the hadith. Not only that, but since the hadith
writers can show us other hadiths that does allow for the writing down of the hadith, it only
goes further to show that the hadith even contradict one another. To attribute all these
conflicting and preposterous hadiths to the Prophet and also to equate these hadiths with the
Quran is only being presumptuous and belittling the mission of the Prophet.
It would have been impossible for the Prophet to equate any of his own sayings with the
Quran. It would also be quite illogical for him to want his people to follow a set of writings
which he never authorized and whose authenticity would later give rise to so much confusion
and hardship for the Muslims. We must also remember that the Quran itself, although revealed
fully to the Prophet, was never fully compiled into one book during the Prophet's own lifetime.
It would only be bound into one complete book under the caliphs Abu Bakr and Omar. So if
this was the case for the Quran, can the case for the hadith be stronger? Definitely not. The
hadiths were never written down in the presence of the Prophet and neither was the Prophet
present to supervise the `transmission' of any of his sayings. That is why the hadiths differ so
much. That is why we have the split in Islam into the Sunnite and the Shi'ite sects, and among
the Sunnites into the Shafiì, the Hanafi, the Maliki, the Hanbali major and numerous other
minor schools. They all quote their own hadith to color their particular shade of ideology.
Another illuminating example that must be quoted is the hadith that records the Prophet's last
sermon during his final pilgrimage. This hadith has two chains of reporters: one as reported by
Jabir ibn Abdullah (which itself has two versions) and another as reported by Malik ibn Anas.
First let us quote the two different versions attributed to Jabir ibn Abdullah:
(a) Jabir ibn Abdullah reported during his farewell sermon the Prophet said, " ... and I have left
with you one thing; if you hold on to it firmly, you will never stray, i.e. God's Scripture. You
will be asked about me. So what will you say?" They said, "We will vouchsafe that you have
truthfully and completely delivered the message and brought the remainder." (Muslim)
(Emphasis added)
(b) Jabir ibn Abdullah reported that the Prophet said in his farewell sermon during his final
pilgrimage, "And I have left among you one thing; if you hold on to it firmly, you will never
stray – God's Scripture and whatever you have gained from questioning me (hadith) (Muslim)
(Emphasis added)
Surely Jabir ibn Abdullah could have narrated only one of the above versions. Version (b) with
its extra wording is an obvious addition to the original.
The second (or actually the third) record of this same event is attributed to Anas ibn Malik (a
companion) who concedes that it is only a weak hadith. It says:
I have left you two things, so long as you hold tightly to them both, you will never stray –
Allah's Holy Quran and the Sunnah of His Messenger (Muwatta) (Emphasis added)
It is interesting to note that this hadith is classified as a `weak' hadith by the hadith writers
themselves. To further highlight this incongruity, Ibn Ishaq, another early chronicler, reports,
Al-Zuhri informed me from Anas ibn Malik: "While Abu Bakr was receiving allegiance from
the followers the day after the Prophet had died, Omar stood up and spoke to the people, Ò
People! God has left you His Scripture, with which He guided His Messenger.' "
It is quite evident that the Prophet instructed us to hold on to the Quran only. This is consonant
with the later testimony and conduct of the Caliphs Abu Bakr and Omar regarding the hadith.
The allegation that the Prophet also made reference to the hadith in his Farewell Sermon can
only be a falsification of the truth. This falsification might likely have crept in after the death
of Omar, at the earliest, because we are aware that Caliph Omar ibn Khattab was a strict man
and a stickler for correct behavior.
However, it is the Quran itself that gives us the final say regarding the hadith. In Chapter II we
have referred to the usage of the words `hadith' and `sunna' in the Quran. We have seen that not
even in one of these references in the Quran is there any indication for the existence of the
prophetic hadith or tradition. The word `hadith' in all its forms is used thirty-six times in the
Quran, eleven of which refer to the Quran, while none refers to what has later been termed the
hadith or sunna. When we ponder on those verses containing the word `hadith' in the Quran,
we shall notice a subtle criticism of the so-called hadith:
These are God's revelations that we recite for you with the truth. In which hadith besides the
revelations of God, do they believe?
God sent down the best hadith, a scripture that is consistent, repeating.
It is a revelation from the Lord of the Universe. Are you then evading this hadith?
The first verse quoted above clearly forbids us from accepting anything other than the Quran as
a source of guidance and criterion for measuring things religious. The second makes reference
to the Quran as being the best hadith. The third chides us for resorting to sources that wish to
replace the Quran.
To further clarify any doubts that we might have about the supremacy of the Quran compared
to the distorted and fabricated recordings of the hadith, God uses an ingenious technique to
impress upon us that the Quran and only the Quran is our source of guidance. This must be part
of God's promise to permanently protect His teachings, i.e. the Quran. We refer in particular to
verse 31:6 of the Quran:
Some people uphold vain hadith in order to divert others from the path of God without
knowledge, and to create a mockery out of it. These have deserved humiliating retribution.
In verse 39:23 God refers to the Quran as ahsan'al- hadith or `the best hadith'. In 31:6 He refers
to the fabricators of false teachings as upholding `vain hadith' (lahw'al-hadith) to divert the
people from the path of God. These people, needless to say, are to be condemned. Therefore,
God uses the word `hadith' in two contradictory contexts to impress upon us the basic
difference between His teachings and the teachings of those who deny Him.
It is clear now that most of the hadith attributed to the Prophet are, in fact, nothing but vain talk
(lahw'al-hadith) which only serve to "divert others from the path of God without knowledge."
Weaknesses in the Methodology of
Chain-Reporters or Ìsnad'
The hadith writers are fond of saying that the collection and collating of the hadith was
undertaken with much care and accuracy, especially by Bukhari and Muslim – two of the
hadith writers held in the highest regard by their own followers. Bukhari and Muslim are
supposed to have used strict and meticulous techniques to criticize and evaluate the sources of
their hadith prior to writing them down.
The hadith writers founded a whole new branch of learning called Ilm al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil (the
science of accepting and rejecting narrations) whereby the narrators are examined for their
honesty and integrity. Although we must appreciate and praise them for the labor they had put
into the task, we cannot turn a blind eye to the basic weakness of their methodology.
We note that the majority of the hadith only appeared during the time of the tabiìn, i.e.
successors to the Companions, and the time of the tabi` tabiìn (successors to the successors of
the Companions). Who were the tabiìn and the tabi` tabiìn? The tabiìn were the generations
that succeeded the Companions of the Prophet. This is two and a half to four generations or 70
to 120 years thereabouts after the Prophet. The tabi` tabiìn were those people who succeeded
the aforementioned group, that is, four and a half to six generations or around 130 to 190 years
after the Prophet. That means the majority of the hadith arose around a hundred to two hundred
years after the Prophet.
However accurate the methodology of the isnad, the scholars first started talking about it and
started writing it down only about 150 - 200 years after the deaths of the very last tabiì tabiìn.
This means that when the research to establish the isnad got started, none of the Companions,
the succeeding generation or the generation coming after them were available to provide any
kind of guidance, confirmation or rebuttal. Therefore, the authenticity of the statements cannot
be vouched for at all.
It is not our intention to say that Bukhari, Muslim and others were fabricators. However, even
students of elementary psychology or communication will testify that a simple message of, say,
15 words will get distorted after passing through only about five messengers. (Our readers are
welcome to try out this experiment). Keep in mind that the hadith contains thousands of
detailed and complex narrations — everything from ablution to jurisprudence. These narrations
passed through hundreds of narrators who were spread out over thousands of miles of desert,
and spanned over two to three hundred years of history. All this at a time when news traveled
at the speed of a camel gait, recorded on pieces of leather or bone or scrolls in a land that had
neither paper nor the abundance of scribes to write anything down!
Even today in this modern day and age of the twentieth century, there have been major
historical events, which although well documented, still elicit much controversy. We cite, for
example, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy — an event that is surrounded by
much mystery. We also have the controversy surrounding the exact causes of the First World
War. In our own country, there is much debate as to the true story behind Mahsuri and Hang
Tuah. In every family there are always conflicting stories or versions of stories to explain
certain events that happen within families.
Therefore, it is not likely that the various hadith writers could have been accurate, however
much they wanted to, in checking the authenticity of the hadith which they wrote down. A
camel journey from Mecca to Damascus might take a month or two. In fact, any journey by
camel between the major populated areas of the Arabian deserts took much time. It makes it
highly unlikely that the hadith writers checked out all the thousands of details personally.
Otherwise, they must have spent a large part of their lives sitting on the backs of very fast-
moving camels. History has recorded who these hadith writers were, where they lived and how
much travelling they undertook. As for the camels, a camel's gait remains much the same then
as it is now.
It stands to reason that the hadith writers depended on much story-telling to fill in the blanks.
Many àuthentic' narrators whom the hadith writers allude to in their chains of isnad were
wholly fabricated names. To overcome this type of logical criticism, the hadith writers came up
with an ingenious device to actually pull the wool over our eyes. They came up with the
concept of ta`dil of the Companions. This concept states that the Companions of the Prophet
are wholly protected from committing any error whenever they recall or narrate the sayings of
the Prophet!
Although this concept is preposterous and defies all logic, we must note that Muslims were not
the first to make such blatant claims. In fact, the hadith writers have taken a page from the
Christian books. Although Jesus did not write anything down, the disciples and followers wrote
down the various books of the Bible. To lend credence to their work, these Bible writers were
also deemed to have been "inspired" and without fault whenever they undertook to record `the
Word of God'. In fact, there are even parts of the Bible that appeared to one of the Bible writers
in a dream while he was asleep!
Let us examine two examples of isnad for hadith compiled by the famous Bukhari.
Prophet Muhammad Prophet Muhammad
1. Omar ibn Khattab 1. Aisha
2. Al Qanmah ibn Waqqas al-Laithi 2. Urwah ibn Al-Zubayr
3. Ibni Ibrahim at Taimi 3. Ibni Shihab
4. Yahya ibn Said al Ansari 4. Uqail
5. Sufyan 5. Al-Baith
6. Abdullah ibn Az Zubair 6. Yahya ibn Bukhair
Bukhari Bukhari
As we have mentioned earlier, these isnad were recorded at least 150 years after the last tabi`
tabiìn had died. Therefore, what real proofs are there to show that Omar ibn Khattab or Aisha
were the real sources of this particular isnad ? The proofs simply do not exist. The only things
made available to us are strongly-held opinions and neat concepts like the ta`dil of the
Companions.
But what does God Almighty have to say about all these? We quote:
Additionally we have appointed for every prophet enemies from among the human devils and
the jinn devils, who invent and narrate to each other fancy words in order to deceive. Had your
Lord willed, they would not have done it. You shall disregard them and their inventions. This
is God's will so that the minds of those who do not really believe in the Hereafter may listen
thereto, and accept it, and to have them commit what they are supposed to commit. Shall I seek
other than God as a source of law, when He revealed to you this book fully detailed? Even
those who received previous scripture recognize that it came down from your Lord, truthfully.
Therefore, you shall not harbor any doubt. The word of your Lord is complete, in truth and
justice. Nothing shall abrogate His Words. He is the Hearer, the Knower. If you obey the
majority of people on earth, they will divert you from the path of God. They only follow
conjecture, and they only guess.
The majority follows only conjecture, and conjecture is no substitute for the truth. God is fully
aware of everything they do. But the Quran can never be invented by anything other than God.
It confirms all previous scripture, and consummates them. There is absolutely no doubt that it
comes from the Lord of the Universe.
In the verses above, God warns us that many `religious' books written by men are merely
guesswork and conjecture. Can anyone deny that the hadith books are also religious books
written by mere mortals?
But the hadith writers are still insistent. According to some, at least Bukhari's hadith is
infallible. Why? Because Bukhari is reported to have sifted through more than 600,000 hadiths
and had picked only 7,275 to be included in his àuthentic' collection. This fact is put forward
to impress upon the reader that Bukhari was meticulous and thorough in his life's work.
Bukhari merely took 1.25% of all the hadiths he came across as authentic. But a simple
calculation will show that these figures are preposterous and impossible to be achieved by
Bukhari or any other human being.
If, on the average, a hadith consists of three simple sentences (in truth many hadiths run into
paragraphs), then Bukhari would have had to collect, read, investigate, evaluate and record
over 1.8 million sentences over a period of 40 years. This is the equivalent of researching
(which include the long camel journeys to and fro across the desert) and attesting to the
authenticity of over 300 books, each equivalent to the thickness and complexity of a Quran,
over a period of 40 years! Compare this to the 6346 verses only of the one Quran which God in
His all encompassing mercy gave to the Prophet over a period of 23 years!
According to another source, Ibn Hanbal reported that there were over 7 million àuthentic'
hadiths. If this were true, then working for 23 years at a pace of 18 hours a day, seven days a
week, the Prophet would have had to produce one hadith every 77 seconds! There would
definitely have been no time left at all for the Prophet to have done anything like living his life
and carrying out his mission as a Prophet!
It is evident that to rely on the isnad alone to vouch for the hadith is wholly unacceptable. It
would be more correct to evaluate a hadith based on its content and logic of the content. Any
hadith whose isnad is satisfactory (to the hadith writers) but whose content does not satisfy
logic must be rejected as unacceptable. If we use this simple method, we will most probably
discover that the majority of the hadith in the six collections cannot be accepted anymore.
The weakness of the hadith can be analyzed from three aspects. Firstly, its contradiction with
the Quran. Such hadith is automatically rejected. Secondly, its contradiction with history,
scientific facts or common sense. Such hadith must also be rejected. Thirdly, its self-
contradiction. With such hadith, it is possible that one of them may be true and acceptable.
The Coherence Theory of the Hadith
Again in anticipation of criticism, the hadith writers came up with other neat tricks to
safeguard their position. Imam Shafiì postulated the theory of the coherence of the hadith. By
this fantastic theory, Shafiì held that the hadith could never contradict the Quran, or another
hadith. If any contradictions were found to exist, these were merely outward appearances but
not real contradictions. These rather simple tricks of word-play were set up to cover the
obvious discrepancies and contradictions that exist in the hadith. But whether this theory can
really save the hadith is another matter. We will see that this theory only condemns the hadith
further.
To prove his point that the hadith can never contradict the Quran or itself, Shafiì provides the
following convoluted explanation. He takes the Prophet not only as a Divine messenger but as
a Divine spokesman whose every word and action is divinely inspired. The Prophet must be
obeyed absolutely in every single way because it is only the Prophet who has the necessary
knowledge to explain those matters that are discussed in rather general terms in the Quran. In
this way, there can be no conflict between the sunna and the Quran. Contradictions may
sometimes be seen between one sunna and another due to certain peculiar circumstances which
gave rise to such sunna, or due to incomplete reporting of the sunna, but in reality the
contradictions do not exist. Note the following dialogue between Shafiì and a questioner
where this confusing and contradicting theory is explained:
He (i.e. the questioner) asked: Would it be possible for the sunna to contradict the Book [of
God]?
[Shafiì] replied: Impossible! For God, glorified be His praise, imposed on men the obligation
[of obedience to the law] through two avenues – the origin of both is in His Book – His Book
and the sunna: [The latter is binding by virtue of] the duty of obedience laid down in the Book
that it should be followed. So it was not permissible for the Apostle to allow the sunna to be
abrogated [by the Book], without the Apostle himself] providing another sunna to abrogate it.
The abrogating sunna is known because it is the later one, while most of the abrogating
[communications] of the Book can be known only by [indications provided in] the sunna of the
Apostle.
Shafiì does not provide any hard evidence or good examples to prove this coherence theory.
What he attempts to explain is what the hadith scholars allege to be the function of the sunna to
explain and detail the general rules mentioned in the Quran. We have already discussed this in
detail in Chapter II. However, let us discuss Shafiì's handling of a clear-cut case, the
punishment for adultery, where the hadith clearly contradicts the Quran.
On the subject of adultery, the Quran clearly lays down the punishment as follows:
The adulteress and the adulterer, you shall whip each one of them one hundred lashes, and do
not be swayed by pity from carrying out God's law, if you truly believe in God and the Last
Day. And let a group of believers witness their punishment.
On the other hand, the hadith holds the following:
Omar reported that God had sent His messenger Muhammad and revealed the Scripture to him.
Among the verses revealed by Almighty God is the commandment to stone (the adulterers)
until death. The Prophet stoned (the adulterers) until death and likewise we also stoned (the
adulterers) until death. Stoning until death in the Scripture is truly prescribed for husbands and
wives who commit adultery, if they are found guilty, or become pregnant, or confess their sins.
Shafiì explains this contradiction as follows:
The sunna of the Apostle specified that the penalty of scourging with a hundred stripes for
[fornication on the part of the] free unmarried couple was confirmed, but that it was abrogated
concerning the married; and that the penalty of stoning for [adultery on the part of the] free
married couple was confirmed.
This is an extremely interesting interpretation. Not only does the sunna punishment clearly
contradict the punishment in the Quran, but it is also given the power to confirm or overrule
the Quran! But surprisingly, in other places, Shafiì does not allow the sunna to contradict the
Quran or vice versa. He only allows the Quran to abrogate the Quran and the sunna to abrogate
the sunna. It is obvious that the coherence theory of the hadith is confusing and unacceptable.
The greatest weakness of the hadith is its contradiction with the Word of God, i.e. the Quran.
We quote here just a few of the samples:
1. The Rise of Imam Mahdi towards the Last Days
The hadith about the coming of the Mahdi to save mankind from the tribulations of the Dajjal
or Anti-Christ towards the end of the world is not consistent with the teachings of the Quran.
God commands us to strive in God's cause and to command good and to forbid evil every
second of our lives. These hadith instead advocate a passive response and surrender to `fate'
and await the Mahdi's arrival to save us.
The belief in the Mahdi arose from the Jewish belief in the coming of a savior. Actually this
savior, as foretold in their scripture, was Prophet Muhammad whom they rejected when he
arose among the Arabs. It is also consonant with the Christian belief about the Second Coming
of Christ. The Shiìtes, when they lost political power to the Umayyads, similarly created their
own myth about the return of the 12th Imam. He was believed to have disappeared, and will
return towards the Last Days as the Mahdi who would rule the world with justice.
2. The Miracles of Prophet Muhammad
There are quite a few hadiths that quote many miracles performed by the Prophet. The Quran
tells us clearly that the Prophet did not perform any miracles. The only miracle given to the
Prophet was the Quran itself, as witness the verse:
"They said, `How come no miracles were sent to him from his Lord?' Say, `Miracles come only
from God, and I am no more than a warner'. Is it not enough of a miracle that we sent down to
you this scripture, which is being recited to them? Indeed, it is a mercy and a message for those
who believe."
3. The Prophet's Intercession

Many other hadiths give the power of intercession to the Prophet. But there are many verses of
the Quran that clearly testify that no one can intercede on anyone's behalf. Verse 2:254 states:
"O you who believe, you shall give to charity from our provisions to you, before a day comes
wherein there will be no trade, no favoritism and no intercession. It is the disbelievers who
choose wickedness."
No intercession is allowed. Even if it is allowed, it can only be with God's permission, i.e. in
accordance with God's will only. In this case, intercession cannot be limited just to Prophet
Muhammad; it can be from anyone whom God allows. To insist that only Prophet Muhammad
can intercede is to discriminate among God's prophets, as well as to restrict God's omnipotence
in making decisions.
4. Punishment for Apostasy
The hadith prescribes the death penalty for apostasy. "If anyone leaves his religion, then kill
him." (Bukhari and Abu Daud) The Quran, on the other hand, makes no provision for the
killing of apostates. Verse 5:54 states:
"O you who believe, if any of you reverts from his religion, then God will bring people whom
He loves as they love Him, and humble themselves towards the believers, while being stern
towards the disbelievers; and strive in the cause of God; and never worry about any blamer
who might blame them. Such is God's grace that He bestows upon whomever He wills. God is
bounteous, omniscient."
Verse 2:256 affirms complete freedom of religious belief:
"There shall be no compulsion in religion ..."
On the contrary, the Quran informs us that the leaders of misbelief practiced murder or stoning
to death of those who believed in God, as witness this verse: ".... If they find out about you,
they would stone you, or force you back into their religion..." This refers to the story of the
monotheistic youths, the seven sleepers of Ephesus, who took refuge in a cave from the
persecution of Christians who had deviated from the monotheistic teachings of Christ around
the time of the promulgation of the Nicene Creed in 325 AD. In this respect, it is most
interesting to note that the Old Testament punishment for apostasy is also death.
5. Reward of Paradise by Just Uttering the Attestation of Faith
Before Death
A number of hadith promise Paradise to anyone who utters the kalimah shahada or attestation
of faith before death. This hadith seeks to annul all of God's teachings that only sound faith and
good works will get one to Heaven. Just by mentioning a few words is not going to cause one
to gain an entry into Heaven, just as forgetting or not mentioning these words does not mean
that Heaven is forbidden. Death can sometimes approach us suddenly without any warning.
The example of the drowning Pharaoh uttering the shahada and rejected by God from His
Paradise in the Quran shows that faith must be nurtured by good works before it can take root
in any individual. This hadith is self-abrogating.
6. Encouraging Passivity
We have already quoted several hadiths that advocate passivity and withdrawal from active
participation in society. This is clearly in contradiction not only with the Quran but with the
whole purpose of Islam. Surely if the Prophet had chosen to be passive, none of us would be
Muslims today!
7. Punishment for Adultery
We have already discussed this.
8. The Command to Pray
We have already dealt with this subject in detail.

9. The Prophet's Prophecies
Many hadiths tell us about the Prophet's own prophecies regarding the future. This contradicts
the Quran's assertion that the Prophet does not know the future. Verse 7:188 states:
"Say (O Muhammad), Ì possess no power to either benefit or harm myself. Only what God
wills takes place. Had I known the future, I would have increased my wealth, and no harm
would have afflicted me. I am no more than a warner and preacher for those who believe.' "
Verses 72:25-27 inform us thus:
"Say, Ì have no idea how soon or how far is that which is promised to you. Only God is the
knower of the future; He lets no one else acquire such knowledge. Only the messengers that He
chooses may be given certain information concerning the past or the future.'"
10. Fatalism
The sixth pillar of faith, drawn from the hadith, teaches fatalism among Muslims. This must be
one of the chief causes of Muslim decline in the last thousand years. This hadith is annulled by
the Quran in two verses, which states:
"Anyone who disbelieves in God, His angels, His scriptures, His messengers and the Last Day
has indeed strayed far away."
"Wherever you may be, death will catch up with you, even if you are in formidable castles.
When something good happens to them, they say, `This is from God,' and when something bad
happens to them, they say, `This is because of you.' Say, Àll things come from God.' What is
wrong with these people that they can hardly understand any preaching? Whatever good that
happens to you is from God. Whatever bad that happens to you is a consequence of your own
work..."
Self-Contradiction of Hadith
As we have said, the hadith reflects the views and opinions of various factions and groups,
many with vested interests, existing in society then. It is to be expected, therefore, that many of
them contradict one another. We list a few here:
1. Hadith on the Recording of Hadith
There exist àuthentic' hadiths which forbid as well as allow the writing down of hadith besides
the Quran. One that forbids the writing down of hadith reads as follows: "Abi Said al Khudri
reported that the Prophet said, `Do not write down anything from me except the Quran.
Whoever writes anything other than the Quran must erase it.' " (Bukhari and Ibn Hanbal). An
opposite hadith is the following: "Abdullah ibn Amr reported that the Prophet said, `Deliver
from me even one sentence ... Whoever betrays me intentionally let him prepare to burn in
Hell.'" (Bukhari)
M. Hamidullah claims that the prohibition was made due to certain circumstances, but that it
was later revoked. This is a very weak argument, as we have indicated earlier.
2. The Farewell Sermon
We have already discussed this.
3. Punishment for Adultery

We have shown earlier how the hadith on this matter contradicts the Quran. The earlier hadith
that we quoted wrongfully sets down the death penalty (by stoning) for adultery. Compare that
with the following hadith:
"Jabir ibn Abdullah reported that the Messenger of God said, `You have rights over your
wives, such that they should not bed with anyone else. If they transgress in this matter, you
may beat them without causing any injury.' " (Bukhari and Muslim).
It should be noted that this hadith makes adultery a light matter. It should also be noted that
stoning to death for adultery was a punishment stipulated in the Old Testament.
4. Striving in the Cause of God
While some hadith advocate passivity, there are others that call for striving in the way of God.
5. The Status of the Prophets
There are some hadith which correctly obey the Quran and forbid discriminating between the
Prophets. Yet there are hadith which seek to glorify the Prophet Muhammad over other
prophets.
6. On the Quran
Some hadith explicitly require us to refer to the hadith besides the Quran. But once again, there
are other hadiths which warn us of going astray if we were to seek guidance from other than
the Quran.
There are many more hadiths that contradict one another. We have quoted just a few for our
readers. Surely if we delve deeper into this area of hadith research, we can discover even more
contradictions. Perhaps this book will serve to stimulate further thought in this area.
Hadith Contradicting Science, History and Logic
Finally, we must test the hadith for their congruence with scientific facts, historical facts and
simple common sense. God tells us in the Quran that His signs are manifest in the physical
universe that surrounds us. Verses 10:5-6 inform us:
"God is the One Who made the sun luminescent, and the moon a light, and He designed its
phases to provide you with a timing device. God did not create all this in vain. He explains the
revelations for people who know. The alternation of the night and day, and of the things that
God created in the heavens and the earth, provide signs for the righteous."
Therefore, the physical world is full of God's signs. The natural laws of physics, biology,
chemistry and everything else are merely a manifestation of the system put into Nature by God
Almighty. Whenever our scientists ìnvent' something new, it is not an invention, instead it is
merely uncovering or coming to grips with a system that has already been put there. Therefore,
scientific observation and scientific knowledge can only confirm what God has placed in
Nature, the Unwritten Book of God. This is what the Quran, the Written Book of God, already
tells us. Established scientific facts are, therefore, in complete consonance with the Quran. Any
fact that cannot be scientifically established cannot be consonant with the Quran.
The same is true for recorded history. Anything that really happened in history can never
contradict the Quran. Therefore, if any `historical fact' contradicts any Quranic teachings, that
`fact' cannot be true. It must have been fabricated. The same applies also for simple logic and
common sense. Logic and common sense can never contradict the Quran.
In these respects, the hadith again fails miserably. An eminent French physician and member
of the French Academy of Sciences, Dr. Maurice Bucaille, a Muslim who has made a deep
study of the contents of the Quran and the hadith, has stated:
"The difference is in fact quite staggering between the accuracy of the data contained in the
Quran, when compared with modern scientific knowledge, and the highly questionable
character of certain statements in the hadith on subjects whose tenor is essentially scientific...
In view of the fact that only a limited number of hadith may be considered to express the
Prophet's thought with certainty, the others must contain the thoughts of men of his times, in
particular with regard to the subjects referred to here. When these dubious or inauthentic hadith
are compared to the text of the Quran, we can measure the extent to which they differ. This
comparison highlights ... the striking difference between the writings of this period, which are
riddled with scientifically inaccurate statements, and the Quran, the Book of Written
Revelation, that is free from errors of this kind."
We can provide numerous examples of the hadith contradicting scientific facts, historical facts
and simple logic. Some of them are as follows:
1. The Movement of the Sun
A hadith records the following,
"Abu Zarr reported that the Messenger of God said that when the sun wishes to set, it travels
until it prostrates itself below the Divine Throne. It requests for permission and is granted. It
prostrates but its supplication is not accepted and it will request for permission but is not
granted. It will then be commanded to return to whence it came. So it will rise at the place
where it sets ..." (Bukhari and Muslim)
Apart from the fact of its contradiction with what we know from science, the reader should
note what the Quran says on this matter. Verses 36:38-40 inform us:
"The sun runs in a specific orbit. Such is the design of the Almighty, the Omniscient. And we
designed the moon to appear in stages until it reverts to a thin curve. The sun never catches up
with the moon, nor does the night prematurely overtake the day. Each floats in its own orbit."
Not only is the hadith above ignorant of the Quran, but it also places the earth in the center
with the sun orbiting around it, when the truth is much to the contrary.
2. The Command to Pray

We have seen that the Divine command to pray, as with other religious rituals, was first given
to Prophet Abraham and his followers, and this ritual prayer was handed down from generation
to generation until Prophet Muhammad. This is testified both by the Quran and by history.
3. Discrimination Against Women
A hadith quotes Abu Sayeed al Khudri as reporting that a woman came to the Prophet and
complained that her husband had forced her to break her fast in order to have sexual
intercourse with him. To this the Prophet is alleged to have replied, "A woman cannot fast
without her husband's permission." (Abu Daud and Ibn Majah)
This hadith tries very hard to cast a terrible slur on the Prophet's good name. Such an attribute
is clearly against the chivalrous and good-natured character of the Prophet. Moreover, it is also
contrary to the Quranic teachings concerning the method of fasting and how to interact with
our wives and other human beings around us.
4. Discouraging Sport
A hadith quotes Oqabah ibn A'mer as reporting that the Prophet allegedly said, "All types of
sport is forbidden for men except archery, horse riding and playing with their wives."
(Tirmidhi, Ibn Maja and Abu Daud).
5. Anti-Reason
While God insists that we use our minds to think, some hadith falsely allege that humans can
never think. "Jundub reported that the Messenger of God said, `Whoever interprets the Quran
using his own intellect, even if the interpretation is correct, he is committing a grievous sin.' "
(Tirmidhi and Abu Daud)
Conclusion
As the Quran says so very precisely and accurately, many of the hadith contained in the six
àuthentic' books of hadith are nothing but "vain talk in order to divert others from the path of
God without knowledge, and to create a mockery of it."
The hadith/sunna, therefore, can never be referred to as an infallible source of guidance, as the
Quran is. This is not to say that we have to burn all the hadith books. They are useful social
and historical records, reflecting people and events of their times. However, we cannot agree
with the anxiety of the late Pakistani scholar, Professor Fazlur Rahman, who said that if we
were to neglect the hadith, then the historical basis for the existence of the Quranic teachings
would be destroyed. This argument has often been repeated and stressed by the hadith party on
behalf of the hadith, but it really has no basis. The historical proofs for the Quran and for
Prophet Muhammad who brought it to mankind is the Quran itself, the existence of the Muslim
community throughout history and the existence of many historical records. The Quran,
without the hadith, is not in the least affected. So is Prophet Muhammad. On the contrary, the
Prophet will emerge in a much better light without the fabrications of many so-called
hadith/sunna that had been attributed to him.
As historical records, the hadith is useful. However, as historical records go, they cannot be
fully accepted as true until they are criticized and evaluated by scientific, historical and divine,
i.e. Quranic, criticism.
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CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION:
RETURN TO PROPHET MUHAMMAD'S
ORIGINAL TEACHING — THE QURAN
You shall obey God and obey the Messenger and beware. If you turn away, then you should
know that the sole function of our messenger is to deliver the message.
(Quran, 5:92)
Say, "O people, I am God's messenger to all of you. To Him belongs the kingdom of the
heavens and the earth. There is no God except He. He grants life and death." Therefore, you
shall believe in God and His messenger, the gentile prophet, who believes in God and His
Words and follow him, that you may be guided.
(Quran, 7:158)
When Prophet Muhammad died, he left with us only the Quran and nothing but the Quran as
a guidance for Muslims and indeed for all mankind. This has been shown by solid historical
evidence. Moreover, the Quran pronounced this fact as well when God stated several times that
the function of the messenger was only to deliver the message. Verse 92 of Sura 5 that we
quote above is one of them. We also quote Verse 158 of Sura 7 which states that Prophet
Muhammad himself believes in the divine words, i.e. the Quran.
Nevertheless, the previous chapters have shown how Muslim society between 200-250 years
after the death of the Prophet, through their religious scholars (particularly Shafiì) built a new
doctrine to the effect that the Prophet has left them the Quran and the hadith and that they must
hold on to both.
Notwithstanding the conflicting versions of hadith that say otherwise, historical facts also
prove beyond any shadow of doubt that there were no hadith collections existing at the time of
the Prophet's death. History also proves that the early caliphs prevented the dissemination or
recording of hadith. Al-Muwatta' of Malik ibn Anas (d. 975) may be said to be the first hadith
collection, although, properly speaking, it was a law-book rather than a hadith collection. We
know that the official collections were made only after Shafiì pronounced the hadith to be also
divine and a source of law on par with the Quran.
Whether to go back and refer to the Quran alone to solve our many pressing problems today, or
to persist in our thousand-year old error of clinging to the unauthorized hadith and heresies
resulting out of it — this is the greatest dilemma facing the Muslims today. Are we brave
enough to admit our mistake, retrace our steps and make amends? Or, shall we continue
arrogantly to cling to and defend traditions that we have inherited from our forefathers? To let
ourselves drift aimlessly in confusion, backwardness, degradation and disunity that have
plagued us all these thousand years? To be divided not only among ourselves, but, more
importantly, divided within our own individual selves about what is right and what is wrong,
what is "religious" and what is "secular," who is an "alim" and who is not and the thousand
other conflicting teachings fed to us by the hadith? What a tremendous achievement indeed for
the hadith!
So what are we to do now? Is there any way out? Is there no "Second Comings" for us, for
mankind? But there is. Everything that we need, the primordial element, lies in the Quran,
latent and merely waiting for us to reach out to it again. The clearest spring with its purest
fount of knowledge still runs straight and true in the Quran, just as it has from the day it was
first revealed by God Almighty in His All-Encompassing Mercy for all mankind.
As we contemplate the fate of the Muslims and agonize over traditions that many of us have
come to love and fear to reject, let us be reminded by these verses:
"When they are told, `Follow God's commandments only,' they say, `We follow what we found
our parents doing.' What if their parents lacked understanding and guidance? The example of
such disbelievers is that of a parrot; they repeat what they heard without understanding. Deaf,
dumb and blind, they fail to understand."
So, we shall not be deaf, dumb and blind anymore. We shall not be like parrots and repeat what
others tell us without first questioning and understanding things. The answer to our dilemma,
therefore, lies in our going to the Quran for guidance.
"Why do they not study the Quran carefully? If it were from other than God, they would have
found many contradictions therein."
Such is the challenge written in the Quran. We are challenged to find even one contradiction
within it. Does any other book, revealed or not, have any such statement? Does the hadith
allow us to question itself, or does one become a heretic to do so? Is the hadith beyond
reproach – perhaps it occupies a plane higher than the above verse?
The True Position of the Hadith/Sunna
As we have explained, our rejection of the hadith/sunna as an infallible source of guidance on

par with the Quran in no way means our rejection of Prophet Muhammad. On the contrary, this
rejection is precisely to clear the name of the Prophet from false teachings attributed to him
against his will, in the same manner as the false teachings that Jesus is the Son of God has been
attributed to Jesus by later Christians. Let us summarize our reasons for our rejection of the
hadith/sunna as an infallible source of guidance as follows:
(1) The Quran is complete, perfect and detailed. It is the fundamental law and the basic
guidance for mankind covering every aspect of life. Other books are merely expositions either
for or against the grand ideas contained in the Quran.
(2) The sole mission of Prophet Muhammad was to deliver the divine message, the Quran. He
was, of course, also an exemplary leader and teacher, but these roles were secondary.
(3) The hadith compiled by hadith scholars consist of reports of alleged sayings and actions of
the Prophet and cannot be absolutely guaranteed as to their authenticity. Those hadith that
conform to the Quran are acceptable, while those that conflict with it are automatically
rejected.
(4) Religious duties of regular prayer, fasting, charities and the optional pilgrimage were not
delivered by way of hadith, but were religious practices handed down through generations
from the time of Prophet Abraham.
(5) Besides being prophet and messenger of God, Muhammad was also a leader of the Medina
city-state and later the Arab nation-state. In that role, he implemented the divine imperatives in
the context of 7th century Arabia. It is impossible that he would have done anything contrary to
God's commands.
We have with us records of the Medina Charter, the various letters sent by the Prophet to other
leaders and also the Prophet's treaties. If anything, these should be the real hadith. But
strangely, none of these treaties, constitutions etc. are made binding on us or given much
credence, even by the hadith writers themselves. However, it is only the Quran that is binding
upon us all, for all time. The status of the Medina Charter, for example, is the status of a legal
precedent. It is not binding on us because in it the Prophet applied Quranic principles of
administration to seventh century Arab tribal society. Our modern nation-state can study it and
learn whatever lessons we can from it.
But the hadith can still be read, just as we read other books: religious, philosophical, historical
or any other kind. Whatever good teachings that can be found in them — and there are many
— we can and should follow them. But those that are against historical facts, scientific facts,
reason, or the Quran, are obviously unacceptable. This should be plain.
A Recurring Weakness of Mankind
History is a good teacher to mankind as it bears true testimony. So let us look at history. God
sent Prophet Jesus to the children of Israel to bring them the Gospel and teach them to worship
the One God. However, some three hundred years after his death, the religious leaders
instituted a new doctrine not taught by him that he was the Son of God! Before that, God send
Prophet Moses to the same children of Israel with His scripture, the Torah. But a few centuries
after his death, their religious leaders set up another book, the Talmud, which they followed
while ignoring the Torah.
Ironically, after knowing all these, the Muslims repeated the same mistakes. God sent Prophet
Muhammad – the last prophet – to mankind with His final scripture, the grand Quran, to
correct once and for all the deviations that had been made by the Jews and the Christians. But
about 250 years after his death, our religious scholars set us the hadith to replace the Quran!
Thus, history repeated itself!
Why did this happen? It does seem that this is mankind's perennial disease: the desire to
associate God with gods. People set up idols thinking that these idols will bring them closer to
God. But this is only an excuse. Actually, they set up these idols beside God because they want
an illegal share in God's kingdom without having to work for it, and without having to answer
for their crimes. Through these idols, they legalize their whims and fancies without paying the
least regard to God's laws. This is what God has explained in the following verses:
Additionally we have appointed for every prophet enemies from among the human devils and
jinn devils, who invent and narrate to each other fancy words in order to deceive. Had your
Lord willed, they would not have done it. You shall disregard them and their inventions. This
is God's will in order that the minds of those who do not really believe in the Hereafter may
listen thereto, and accept it, and to have them commit what they are supposed to commit.
The Quran: The Final Solution to All Deviations
Before Muhammad, it was not possible to preserve God's revelations to the various
communities of mankind due to certain historical and intellectual circumstances of human
society. With Muhammad, however, the true scientific age of mankind began. Thus, God
commissioned Muhammad to deliver His final scripture, the Quran, not just to a specific
national community but to all mankind. This scripture is not only complete, perfect and
detailed, but also protected by God against human corruption. The aim of this scripture is to
finally free mankind from all manner of shackles, burdens and wrong teachings as well as to
lead mankind along the Path of Peace to the Light of God.
At the beginning, i.e. during a period of about three hundred years, the Muslim community
adhered to the teachings of the Quran. They scaled the heights of civilization and progress so
rapidly, surpassing the two superpowers of Byzantium and Persia then, that it astounded the
world. They created the greatest material, intellectual and spiritual civilization at that time. The
names of statesmen and administrators like caliphs Abu Bakr, Omar ibn Khattab, Uthman ibn
Affan and Ali ibn Abi Talib and others, military geniuses like Khalid ibn Walid and Abul Às,
brilliant scientist like Al-Biruni, Al-Khwarizmi and Al-Razi, world-class philosophers like Al-
Kindi, Al-Farabi and Ibn Sina, and famous historians like Al-Tabari, Al-Baladhuri and Al-
Masudi are names that make the first Muslim civilization justly famous. These are names
enshrined in the history of world culture. It is this supreme achievement of the first Muslim
civilization that made the famous British science historian, G. Sarton, remark:
"The main task of mankind was accomplished by Muslims. The greatest philosopher, Al-
Farabi, was a Muslim, the greatest mathematicians, Abu Kamil and Ibrahim ibn Sinan, were
Muslims, the greatest geographer and encyclopaedist, Al-Masùdi, was a Muslim; the greatest
historian, al-Tabari, was a Muslim."
Muslims Deviation
The process of change in Muslim beliefs from the Quran to the hadith, or the Quran and hadith,
with the hadith actually overshadowing the Quran, did not occur within a short period or
smoothly. It took a period of about four to five centuries, beginning from the second and
lasting in the sixth century of Islam. This was the period of the political infighting and the
alignment of the various power-blocs among the inheritors of the Prophet's legacy.
Prior to the political and ideological conflicts, caused by nothing more than greed and pride,
the Muslims had always settled their issues by referring to the Quranic teachings. Therefore,
they had remained united and strong. Guided by the Quran, they did not discriminate between
the weak and the powerful, the few and the many, and between factions and tribes. The Quran
points out the truth and the right course of action for them to follow.
But the hadith allowed leeway for some groups to still insist on an independent course of
action and attribute it to the Prophet and to God. Therefore, it was in their vested interests to
tout the hadith as a source of theology and law. Beside helping the various factions to maintain
a specific station, the hadith also introduces splits and diverse opinions that are always a
necessary cost to giving up a unified belief and world-view. Soon after this came the factional
fighting, the moral decay and the demise of the Muslim pre-eminence. That is why the
Omniscient God, knowing that this would happen, in His incredible mercy to the Muslims and
to mankind, put this warning in His Quran:
The messenger will say, "My Lord, my people have deserted this Quran." We thus appointed
for every prophet enemies from among the criminals. God suffices as guide and protector.
We should note that God never said, and neither did the Prophet, that some day the people
would desert the hadith. This is because the hadith is not the Word of God and neither is it the
word of the Prophet. The hadith are merely conjectures and opinions of Bukhari, Muslim, Abu
Daud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, al-Nasaì and others who took it upon themselves to record stories
about the Prophet and then accord these stories the labels of àuthentic,' `weak,' etc. Since the
Prophet had explicitly forbidden the writing down of the hadith (as witnessed by the hadith
itself), therefore the hadith contradicts the teachings of the Prophet by its very existence.
It is logical, therefore, that if our intention today is to honor and follow Prophet Muhammad,
we must return to his original and true teachings, i.e. the Quran, and cleanse his name of all the
heresies that have been falsely attached to him. We cannot avoid this responsibility, although
some of us do not like it. The Prophet himself told us that his mission was to deliver the Quran,
and he himself followed the Quran and nothing but the Quran.
The negative development that has occurred in Muslim society, as we have stated above, is due
to the general human weakness of wanting to idolize human beings. In his history human
beings have idolized prophets, saints, religious scholars and priests, leaders, material wealth,
their own egos and, of course, lifeless idols. This mistake has been committed by all religious
communities, not excepting the Muslims. The best way to avoid and overcome this weakness is
to apply Islamic scientific criticism to all beliefs, theories, philosophies and man-made systems
and towards all public figures, as we have explained in Chapter I. Only in this way can we
separate truth from falsehood and make the truth uppermost and falsehood low.
Due to the regime of taqlid or blind imitation, imposed in the name of religion from about the
12th century until the end of the 19th century, the Muslims swallowed the teachings of the so-
called `Four Great Imams', even the wholesale medieval theology and jurisprudence, in toto.
There were many factors that gave rise to this blind imitation regime of that period and we
cannot discuss them here. Nevertheless, it is important for us to realize that after nearly a
hundred years since the reopening of the door if ijtihad or critical thinking by Muhammad
Abduh's reform movement, this taqlid regime is still with us.
The confusion surrounding this talk is a clear evidence of the Muslims' servile and
unquestioning adherence to traditional religious authorities. If the Muslims, particularly their
leaders and intelligentsia, had held fast to God's command not to accept anything without
verification, to listen to all views and follow the best, and to apply Islamic scientific criticism
towards all important theological works as the intelligentsia of Europe had done, it is certain
this taqlid regime would not have lasted for seven centuries. In my opinion, the re-evaluation
of the whole Islamic heritage is one of the biggest tasks that has to be undertaken by the
Muslim intelligentsia in the next thirty years.
The Quran Promises Salvation to Mankind Again
The Quran informs us that the monotheistic religion, named by God as Ìslam' (meaning
`peace' or `surrender'), is taught by all prophets of God. It begins from Adam, through Idris,
Noah and Abraham (who was given the religious practices of prayer, fasting, charity and
pilgrimage), and handed down to Moses, Jesus and ending with Prophet Muhammad, when the
divine teachings to mankind were completed, perfected and forever protected in His final
scripture, the Grand Quran. Although the religion is the same, the laws introduced by
Muhammad are different from those brought by Jesus and Moses. This is due to the different
social conditions. While at the times of Moses and Jesus, human society was tribal and still at a
lower social evolution, with Muhammad it was entering a period of the international society
and scientific-technological era.
For that reason, the most important feature of the new laws is the liberation of mankind from
all forms of superstitions and wrong beliefs. This liberating feature of the law is stated thus in
the Quran:
...God said, "My retribution afflicts whomever I will, and My mercy encompasses all things.
However, I shall designate it for those who work righteousness, give to charity and believe in
Our revelations. Also for those who follow the messenger, the Gentile prophet, whom they find
written in their Torah and Gospel. He exhorts them to work righteousness and refrain from
evil, and he permits for them the good things and prohibits the bad, and he unloads the burden
of their covenant and remove the chains that bind them. Thus, those who believe in him, honor
him and follow the light that was sent down to him, they are the winners."
By this message, God freed the Prophet Muhammad and his followers from the restrictions and
covenants of the past. With this type of freedom thrust upon them, together with the
illuminating magnificence of the Quran to guide them, the Prophet and his followers went on,
within a very short space of 300 years, to build a civilization that is yet unparalleled in terms of
the rapidity of its advancement and in terms of the justice of its laws.
At a time when Europe was in the Dark Age, the Muslims founded an intellectual and material
civilization that would serve as the model and source of knowledge for the rise of modern
Europe later. But it would be a Europe that would inherit the mantle from the Muslims. The
knowledge founded by the Muslims was the spark that would ignite Europe. Europe would
develop further on this borrowed knowledge and build up a leadership in the intellectual arena
that perhaps has not been surpassed till this day. The Muslims, on the other hand, settled into a
complacency that would smother them until today and perhaps for some time to come. The
Muslims have ignored the source of their greatness and instead have shackled themselves with
superstitious and silly ideas. The teachings of the Quran have been almost completely put
aside. Today, with the hadith in their hands, the Muslims are still groping in the dark. They can
only exaggerate and fall back upon the memory of a great past that now escapes them.
The Twin-Deviation of the Modern World

However, Europe has also faltered. After waking up with a vengeance from the suffocating
strangulation of the Church, Kant's stirring exhortation to "Dare to know" helped to sever the
Church from all `worldly' affairs. There began the distinction between the secular and the
spiritual. Western civilization has therefore crippled itself. The complete severing of ties with
God opened a Pandora's box of ideologies and humanism that has brought the West to the
present relativistic ideologies and philosophies with nothing permanent or true to hold on to.
We can thus denigrate the West. But what about the Muslims? Between the turbans and the
modern suits and even the post-modern Islamists, the common denominator is the empty
rhetoric which, without any material and intellectual backing to it, these Muslims are perhaps
in a worse-off situation than the West. At least, the West has some tangible benefits which it
can call its own. Let us remind ourselves again of the old warning: "The messenger will say,
`My Lord, my people have deserted this Quran.' "
Not only the Muslims, but the Christians, the Jews and everyone else have yet to live up to the
lofty moral and intellectual position that God has assigned to them. The Prophet and the Quran
were sent as a blessing and a guidance for all mankind. While the West has adorned itself with
the material successes of its humanism, the Muslims have choked themselves with the alleged
spirituality of the hadith and their `Muslim fundamentalism.' All of this is surely wrong. We all
need to return to the Quran — now. Muslims especially need to read the Quran — just to read
it in any language of their choice if a translation exists in that language. Nowadays, the Quran
is available in most world languages. What is important is to make each of us communicate
directly with the written words of God Himself. No matter how many books of hadith we read,
it cannot compare with even one word of the Quran. Even if truly authentic, the hadith are only
the words of a mortal human being. On the other hand, even one Word of the Quran is still the
Word of God.
Humanity Ultimately Headed Towards The Quran
"This is the path of God, Who possesses everything in the heavens and the earth. To God all
matters ultimately return."
So goes Verse 53 of Sura 42 of the Quran. Therefore, in the end, all of our affairs must return
to God. By returning to God we do not only mean the Last Day and the Day of Judgement.
Even long before that, all our earthly affairs also have to be according to God's Will.
This is simply because it is God Who created us, Who designed the earth and the universe and
on the basis of Whose laws we act out our lives in this world. Therefore, all our behavior, in
order for it to reach a proper level of efficiency and to be of maximum benefit to us, must be
according to how the Master-Designer wants us to behave. The detailed instructions on how to
conduct ourselves are explicitly written down in the Quran.
In fact, a closer affinity towards God is manifesting itself in many branches of science and
technology. Take the design of automobiles, for example. Design engineers are discovering
that a particular, streamlined shape is best for the cars to have the least coefficient of
resistance. This is why more and more cars nowadays are all beginning to look alike, with their
similar curves and rounded edges. Wind resistance is due to air molecules, which in turn is a
function of gravity that holds the air molecules down. It is God who programmed the force of
gravity into the earth.
Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High. He created and perfected. He designed and
guided. He produces the pasture. Then He turns it into light hay. We shall recite for you, so do
not forget. Everything is in accordance with God's Will. He knows what is declared and what is
hidden.
The same also applies in the realms of philosophy, religion, the social sciences and the arts.
There can only be one optimum form which will maximize the efficiency of all social behavior
in human societies. Up till now, human beings have been struggling and are still struggling and
groping in the dark to find a solution and achieve a stable form of conducting their lives. Till
now, everything has failed us. As we mentioned earlier, secular humanism, encompassing
everything from liberalism to Marxism, is collapsing. All the holding on to rather man-made
religions (including the current practices of Christianity, Judaism and Islam) have all failed us.
So what is going to replace this large gap in human society?
This twentieth century human anguish has been poignantly expressed by the Irish poet,
William Butler Yeats:
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lacks all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
Surely the Second Coming is at hand! But the second coming is none other than the return of a
Book, the Quran, the spirit of God in written form, the Scripture that was for a brief period
with the Muslims and then was rejected for more than a thousand years. The necessary
precursors for the establishment of the philosophy and the system of God are already being laid
down. Despite the agnosticism and the atheism of logical positivism or dialectical materialism,
there has always been a strong undercurrent of theism running through all of modern thinking.
Man is always yearning for his real God.
In the last four to five decades this theistic stream of thought is gaining momentum. A
professor of philosophy has written:
The philosophy of nature is thus part of the area of overlap between science and philosophy as
species of knowledge. Modern science has progressed beyond the empirical attitude and tends
to become philosophical. Meanwhile modern philosophy has more and more become allied to
the sciences and our foremost philosophers are eminent scientific figures. This is no new
situation in the history of thought .... But the movement begun at the Renaissance, in reaction
against the theological tyranny of the Middle Ages, to split off the sciences as disciplines
independent of philosophy, has now come full circle, as science in the course of its own
independent investigations, has come to adopt a philosophical position which is at the same
time integral to the body of scientific theory ... Similarly, the 19th-century conflict between
science and religion has passed away ... the existence of God is the absolute and most
indispensable presupposition of science, and so far from there being an alienation of science
from religion in the modern era, there is and can only be the closest rapprochement between
them if both scientific and religious concepts are rightly interpreted ...
The same thing is also happening in Islam. Despite the heresy of certain concepts like taqlid or
blind imitation that have been dominant since the 12th century, there has always been a strong
anti-taqlid movement that has manifested itself through the likes of Ibn Rush (d. 1198), Ibn
Khaldun (d. 1406) and Shah Waliyullah (d. 1762). The anti-taqlid movement obtained its
strongest impetus from the reform movement of Muhammad Abduh towards the end of the
nineteenth century. It is most likely that within a short period of a few decades, the anti-taqlid
movement in Islam and the theistic spirit that is growing in Europe will unite and return to the
Quran in its entirety. This is a real possibility.
"Return to the Quran" — this is the most fitting slogan for the people of Muhammad, because
it is the Quran which is the message that he brought to mankind, and because it is the most
appropriate response to his famous complaint in the Quran. But, once again, a return to the
Quran does not mean that we destroy all the books of hadith and all the books of the religious
scholars, nor do we mean that we no longer need the religious scholars. It only means that we
must refer to the Quran alone as infallible guidance for our conduct. As regards other books, be
they books of hadith, books of religious scholars, books of the Marxist school or of the liberal
school, we shall use our discriminating faculty either to accept or reject, partially or totally,
their interpretations, explanations and recommendations in accordance with the teachings of
the Quran and the needs of modern life. Our religious scholars who, all this while, have been
trained according to the medieval method of rote learning only in religious knowledge, must
master the important secular sciences, according to the modern critical and historical method,
to enable them to have an integrated knowledge of the world. The same thing applies to the
secular intelligentsia: they too must muster the religious sciences. Only such people can be
called ulama, or learned.
As we conclude this book, we can say that Muslims have three major tasks that they must
undertake. Firstly, they must evaluate critically everything that has been inherited from their
Islamic tradition, in strict accordance with the bidding of the Quran. Secondly, Muslims have
to learn to accept things that are from outside their fold but which by themselves are inherently
good and therefore originate from God. Modern Western civilization and the other Eastern
civilizations have discovered many good things through much effort and pain. We too can
learn from these civilizations, if there is any good to be learnt.
If Muslims can learn to do these two things, then they can go on to the third and final task. To
build the second Islamic civilization that will doubtless be far superior to the first because it
will be the combined efforts of all united humanity. All these three tasks are inter-related. Our
Muslim thinkers must also seek to reach out to those intellectuals and thinkers in other faiths
and cultures, for they also seek to do good in the world. They must cooperate with the
followers of other religions, those "who believe in God and the Last Day and do good," in
order to carry out the major tasks of humanity at the closing decade of the twentieth century
and in the coming twenty first.
There will be no Second Coming of Christ and neither will there be any superhuman savior to
save the world. Our salvation lies in our own hands and through applying the teachings of the
Quran creatively and scientifically.
This is a task which we must embark upon. There is no need at all to feel intimidated or over-
awed. We must take courage, inspiration and encouragement from Words of God Himself:
I have made it a duty upon Myself to give victory to the believers.
He is the One who sent His messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, to make it
prevail over all religions. God suffices as witness.
Say, `The truth has come, and falsehood vanished. Surely, falsehood is destined to vanish.'
God has decreed, Ì and My messengers, will always win.' God is Powerful, Almighty.
The Prophet and his followers were people who firmly believed in these divine promises, held
on tight to the Quran, His revelations, and scaled the heights of success, as no human
community had done before. Following him and the early Muslim generations, we shall also
achieve success, far greater than any human society had ever achieved.
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ADDENDUM
A SCIENTIFIC METHODOLOGY
FOR UNDERSTANDING THE QURAN
"What did your Lord say?"

They will answer, "The truth." (Quran, 34:23)
The Beneficent.
He teaches the Quran. (Quran, 55:1-2)
Some people argue that, even if we hold on to the Quran, we shall still be faced with the
problem of different interpretations, and this in turn will bring about disunity. It is for purposes
of answering this question that we include this chapter. The two verses that we quote above not
only tell us that the Quran contains the truth; they also tell us that in the final analysis it is God
Who teaches us the Quran.
This topic itself can be the subject of a big volume, but our intention is not an exhaustive study
from all angles. We are not discussing history and comparative study of Quranic exegeses,
history of the Quran, Quranic language, its relations with previous scriptures and so on. We
shall only discuss the question of a scientific methodology for understanding the Quran.
What we have to avoid is not differences of opinion, but differences in aims. We can resolve
differences in opinion through discussions. But differences in aims cannot be settled in that
way, since both sides begin from different bases. Take for example the difference between a
colonial power and a colonized people: this contradiction can only be resolved through
pressure of the colonized people's movement against the colonial power.
A Clear Book
There is no doubt that there are differences in Quranic interpretation. This is proved by the
existence of many translations. However, God tells us that the Quran is `clear' and èasy.'
`Clear' here means `straight', `not crooked', `not deviating'. It also means èasy', because the
Quran has been sent down as guidance for all, and not for any elite class of people. Still, since
the Quran covers all matters, including Resurrection, Heaven, Hell, the creation of the
universe, the creation of mankind and the purpose of creation – subjects which are still beyond
human comprehension – it is not easy in a trivial sense.
It is due to the Quran's clarity that no one can falsify it or make it crooked. Nor can anyone
else, except God, invent it. It is in this sense that the teachings of the Quran cannot contradict
science and reason, for science and reason are nothing but manifestations of the laws created
by God in nature, human society and the human psyche. Therefore, God has proclaimed that
there is no discrepancy between the verses of the Quran. It is on this basis – the integrity and
unity of Quranic verses – that if we hold on to the Quran we shall succeed.
Two Types of Verses: Decisive and Allegorical
The Quran itself has given us a basic rule of interpretation, contained in the following verse:
He is the One Who revealed to you this scripture. Of its verses, some are decisive, constituting
the essence of the scripture; others are allegorical. Those who harbor doubts in their hearts
dwell on the allegorical verses, to create confusion and misrepresentation. No one knows its
interpretation except God and those well-grounded in knowledge...
The verse tells us that the Quran has two types of verse: those whose meanings are clear and
decisive, forming the bases of Quranic teachings, called muhkamat, and those with allegorical
meanings, called mutashabihat, whose interpretation should not be attempted by the people but
should rather be left to the experts in the field.
Let us test this division by taking one example of each type of verses. Below we quote fourteen
muhkamat verses containing a list of fourteen commandments:
1. You shall not set up beside God any other god, lest you end up despised and disgraced.
2. Your Lord has decreed that you shall not worship except Him, and your parents shall be
honored. For as long as they live, one of them or both of them, you shall not speak harshly to
them, nor mistreat them; you shall speak to them amicably. And lower for them the wings of
humility and kindness, and say, "My Lord, have mercy on them, for they brought me up from
infancy." Your Lord is fully aware of your innermost thoughts; if you are righteous, whenever
you turn to Him, you will find Him forgiving.
3. And you shall regard the relative, the needy, the poor and the alien equitably.
4. But do not be extravagant, for the extravagant are brethren to the devils, and the devil is
unappreciative of his Lord.
5. If you have to break up with any of them, in the cause of your seeking your Lord's mercy,
you shall continue to speak to them amicably.
6. Do not keep your hand tied to your neck, nor open it completely, in excessive charity, lest
you end up blamed and remorseful. Your Lord increases the provision for whomsoever He
wills, and withholds it. He is fully Aware of His creatures, Cognizant.
7. You shall not kill your children for fear of poverty; We provide for them along with you.
Indeed, killing them is a gross offense.
8. You shall not commit adultery, for it is a vice and a wicked path.
9. You shall not kill anyone, for life is made sacred by God, except in the course of justice.
Anyone who is killed unjustly, We give his kin authority to avenge; thus, he shall not avenge
excessively; he will then be helped.
10. You shall not touch the orphan's money, except for his own good, until he grows up.
11. You shall fulfil your covenants; you are responsible for your covenants.
12. You shall give full measure when you trade, and weigh with an equitable balance. This is
better and more righteous.
13. Do not accept anything that you yourself cannot ascertain. You are given the hearing, the
eyes and the mind in order to examine and verify.
14. Do not walk on earth proudly, for you can never rend the earth, nor become as tall as the
mountains. All the evil things are disliked by your Lord.
We have deliberately given an example of a long series of muhkamat verses, because they
contain fourteen command-ments that we need to carry out. If they are difficult to understand,
if their meanings are not clear, how are we to carry them out? This example serves to
demonstrate to us the meaning of muhkamat or decisive verses. Their meanings are clear; there
is no ambiguity whatsoever.
On the other hand, the mutashabihat or allegorical verses refer to a phenomenon that mankind
does not yet know, like Resurrection, Heaven, Hell, or even the creation of man and the
universe. Observe the following verses:
If you fail to do this, and most certainly you will fail, then beware of hellfire whose fuel is
people and rocks; it awaits the disbelievers. And give good news to those who believe and
work righteousness that they have deserved gardens with flowing streams. When given a fruit
therein, they would say, "This is what was given to us before." They will be given the same
kind. They will have pure spouses therein, and abide therein forever. Thus, God does not shy
away from any kind of allegory, from down to a mosquito and higher. Those who believe
know that it is the truth from their Lord, while the disbelievers would say, "What did God
mean by such an allegory?" He misleads many thereby and guides many thereby, but He never
misleads any except the wicked.
The above verses draw a picture of Heaven and Hell. They are allegorical, because man does
not, and never can, know the conditions in Heaven or Hell until those conditions themselves
exist on the Day of Judgement.
There are, of course, instances when the allegorical verses refer to something that, at the time
of the Prophet, was not yet known, but would later be known through scientific and
technological discoveries. The Miracle of Code 19 is an example. Note the following verses:
I will commit him to retribution. What a retribution! Thorough and comprehensive. Obvious to
all the people. Over it is nineteen. We appointed angels to be guardians of Hell, and We
assigned their number to disturb the disbelievers, to convince the Christians and the Jews, to
strengthen the faith of the faithful, to remove all traces of doubt from the hearts of Christians
and Jews as well as the believers, and to expose those who harbor doubts in their hearts, and
the disbelievers, for they will say, "What did God mean by this allegory?" God thus sends
astray whomever He wills, and guides whomever He wills. None knows the soldiers of your
Lord except He.
These verses in the beginning seem to indicate that the number 19 refers to the angels guarding
Hell, but later state that the number is allegorical, and finally deny that it refers to the guardian
angels of Hell.
There are verses which, at the time of their coming down, relate to future events, and they are
plain, straightforward verses, belonging to the muhkamat category, although they are not
command verses. One of them is with regard to the splitting of the atom, an event mentioned in
the Quran more than 1,300 years before it actually happened. At the time when the Quran was
being sent down, the world knew the atom to be the smallest particle. Only towards the end of
19th the century did European physicists discover that the atom can be broken into smaller
constituents.
The discovery of the remains of Merneptah, the son of Ramses II, the Egyptian Pharaoh who
was drowned in the Red Sea, is another example of a scientific discovery, not known at the
time of the Prophet, but was foretold in the Quran.
The muhkamat verses differ from the mutashabihat ones in their function. The function of the
first type is to clarify divine commandments, to state a principle or a rule, or simply to give
information. We have seen the above-quoted 17:22-38 verses which contains fourteen
commandments. Likewise, the short pitchy Sura Al-Ikhlas (Sura 112), also contain muhkamat
verses that inform us of five very important attributes of God.
On the other hand, the mutashabihat verses bring to us information regarding the invisible
worlds through the language of allegories. We have given some examples above. Other
examples of mutashabihat verses are those referring to Man's creation, the creation of the
Universe and to the coming of Gog and Magog or Anti-Christ towards the Last Day. These are
not command verses which require our obedience to them. Therefore, the ordinary people need
not concern themselves with their interpretations. We are required to believe in them, but we
are to leave them to be interpreted by God and those who are experts in the field.
We use metaphor or allegorical language in order to explain something which our listeners do
not know or have no experience of. For example, a father trying to impress upon his two-year
baby not to touch or play with fire. Or a teacher trying to explain the joys of married life to his
students of five or six years old. Such listeners have not yet the knowledge of these things, and
so we use allegorical language to make them understand. Yet, they will later come to know of
these things. In the same way, God uses metaphorical language to let us know Him, the Day of
Resurrection, Heaven, Hell and other invisible things. When the time comes, we too shall
know the worlds that are now incomprehensible to us.
This basic rule of interpretation taught by the Quran in order to understand its verses properly
will enable us to avoid the pitfalls of misinterpreting the mutashabihat verses. There are other
rules, comprising what we may call a scientific methodology for understanding the Quran, that
we need to follow to get a better understanding of the divine book. An example of
misinterpretation can be shown in the case of the famous verse concerning the sources of law,
verse 59 of Sura 4, although this is not a mutashabihat verse. We shall come to this later.
A Scientific Methodology of Interpretation
What do we mean by this scientific methodology? Whatever man wishes to do, from eating,
bathing, sleeping and playing to the understanding of his God, there is a method. This method
must of necessity be scientific, because only a scientific method can guarantee success. On the
other hand, an unscientific method can only result in failure.
If we wish to study Plato's philosophy, not only do we have to read Republic and Symposium,
we have to read all his dialogues. We also have to study the history of Athens around the time
of Plato, learn about other philosophers who were his contemporaries and go through his
genealogy and character. Only then can we gain a full and proper understanding of Plato's
philosophy. The same applies to the Quran.
However, when we come to the Quran, we are in a more fortunate position. Understanding the
Quran is, in fact, easier than understanding Plato. This is because God's revelations are
consistent and not self-contradictory. Furthermore, the Quran gives us a complete set of rules
for its own interpretation. We shall list out the following nine principles of scientific Quranic
interpretation:
1. Two types of verses that must be distinguished, which establish the principle of distinction
between straightforward and metaphorical language. (Quran, 3:7)
2. The principle of unity of the Quran's contents, meaning that its verses are not contradictory,
but in perfect harmony. (4:82)
3. The congruence of Quranic teachings with truth and logic, establishing the principle of truth,
and its congruence with science and right reason. (41:41-42; 42:24; 23:70-71; 8:7-8; 17:81;
10:100)
4. The principle of self-explanation, i.e. that Quranic verses explain one another. (55:1-2;
75:18-19)
5. The principle of good intention, i.e. that the Quran cannot be comprehended by anyone who
approaches it with bad intention. (41:44; 56:77-79; 17-45-46)
6. The principle of topical context, i.e. that the meaning of any verse or verses must be
understood in the context of the topic under discussion. (17:58; 53:3-4; 59:7)
7. The principle of historical context, i.e. that verses relating to a particular historical condition
must be interpreted in the light of that condition. (4:25, 92; 4:3)
8. The principle of easy practicability, i.e. that the teachings of the Quran are meant to facilitate
and not to render things difficult for mankind. (22:78; 20:2; 5:6, 101-102; 4:28)
9. The principle of distinction between principle and methodology and putting principle above
methodology. (22:67; 2:67-71)
Proof of the Truth of This Scientific Methodology

These are nine principles of scientific interpretation given either directly or indirectly in the
Quran. When we use these principles to evaluate existing translations, we shall discover
several weaknesses. Let us examine a few cases.
(a) Regarding Sources of Law
The famous verse stipulating the two sources of law reads as follows:
O you who believe, you shall obey God and you shall obey the messenger and those in charge
among you. If you dispute in any matter, you shall refer it to God and the messenger, if you
believe in God and the Last Day.
At first glance, it would seem that the verse stipulates three sources of law: God, the
messenger, and any secular authority. But, upon closer reading, and in reference with other
verses regarding obedience – where obedience to the messenger means obedience to God – and
regarding the function of the messenger solely to deliver the message, it becomes absolutely
clear that the verse refers to two sources of law. The primary source is, of course, God, Who is
the Absolute Sovereign. His Law is the fundamental law for mankind. Obeying God and the
messenger means obeying God, because the messenger, being God's instrument, cannot be
separated from Him in this case. Therefore, obeying God and the messenger means upholding
His Book, the Quran, as the fundamental law.
The secondary source of law is the recognized or duly constituted human authority in any
social unit, from the family right up to the nation. This source, however, is not independent; it
derives its authority from the Lawgiver God and acts only in consonance with His Law. Thus,
the secondary source can only draw up supplementary laws to implement the fundamental law.
It can in no way promulgate laws contradicting the fundamental law. If it does, then such laws
become null and void.
Now almost all translations of the Quran interpret obedience to God to mean upholding the
Quran, and obedience to the messenger to mean upholding the so-called hadith/sunna of
Prophet Muhammad. Although such an interpretation flies in the face of incontrovertible
Quranic evidence, it is claimed that it is based on an àuthentic' hadith.
(b) Regarding Man's Ability To Know

The verse informing us of the two types of Quranic verses that we discussed above have been
translated in two ways. More translators think that no one knows the interpretation of the
mutashabihat except God, while others think that a class of people, the experts, can have such
knowledge by God's leave.
Basing oneself on the Quranic premise that the whole Quran was meant by God as a guidance
for mankind, it is not logical to say that any of its verses are beyond human comprehension.
Moreover, verses 30-34 of Sura 2 tell us that God has endowed man with the ability to know
all of His creations, above the knowledge even of His angels. It is, therefore, conclusively
proved that the second minority group of translators are correct in this case.
(c) Regarding the Death of Jesus Christ
This is one of the good examples of the classical jurisprudential doctrine that the hadith
interprets the Quran. The Quran is quite clear about the death of Jesus Christ, although it
denies that he was killed on the Cross, as his enemies alleged. It states the fact on five
occasions, either directly or indirectly. Let us see the verse where the misinterpretation is
made.
Thus, God said, "O Jesus, I am terminating your life on earth, raising you to me and ridding
you of the disbelievers. I shall raise those who follow you above those who disbelieve from
now until the Day of Resurrection. To Me is your ultimate return. Then I shall judge among
you regarding everything you disputed."
Note the two key phrases used in this: `to terminate your life' (mutawaffika) and `to raise you'
(rafiùka). There is no ambiguity whatsoever. First, God took Jesus' life; then He raised his
soul as He does to all human souls when the body dies.
The above translation is Rashad Khalifa's. Let us look at the popular Marmaduke Pickthall's:
(And remember) when Allah said: "O Jesus! Lo! I am gathering thee and causing thee to
ascend to me, and am cleansing thee of those who disbelieve ..."
The phrase Ì am gathering thee' is ambiguous and is a mistranslation. Why? The answer lies in
the hadith that speaks not of Jesus's death but of his ascension and his Second Coming in the
Latter Days and the desire of many translators to bend the words of God to conform to the
hadith! Thus, the doctrine that the hadith interprets the Quran is here falsified.
So far, we have talked only of the translation of the relevant verse as against its text. When we
apply the principle of internal consistency of Quranic text, it becomes over-whelmingly clear
that this verse cannot mean other than what it says, that is that Jesus died, though not on the
Cross, as claimed by his persecutors who wanted to kill him.
(d) Regarding the Idolization of Muhammad
Muslims throughout the world will deny vehemently that they have idolized Muhammad, just
as the Christians had Jesus and other religious communities had their leaders. But it is highly
enlightening to look closely at the Quranic verse that has been used to promote this idolization.
It goes as follows:
God and His angels honor the prophet. O you who believe, you shall honor him and regard him
as he should be regarded.
On the basis of this verse, Muslims would call for the blessings of God on him every time his
name is mentioned. Strangely, the mention of God's name does not evoke the same response
from them! However, a careful reading the Quran would immediately tell us not to do so.
Firstly, a few verses before the above-quoted verse (verse 43), we are told that God and His
angels honor the believers to lead them out of darkness into light (the same Arabic root word
salla is used). This means that God puts the believers and the prophet on the same level,
deserving of God's and His angels' honor. How is that this verse has not been brought out
together with the other verse so that the Muslims would have a proper understanding of
Prophet Muhammad's status?
Secondly, Muslims should know that God prohibits them from discriminating His prophets and
messengers. They are all on the same level and we are not to elevate any of them above the
others.
(e) Regarding Touching the Quran Without Ablution
The belief the Quran cannot be touched prior to taking ablution is based on a misunderstanding
of the following verse:
This is an honorable Quran. In a perfectly preserved book. None can grasp it except the
righteous.
A literal translation of the verse in question would give us: "None can touch it except the
clean." When these verses are compared to others regarding the understanding of the Quran, it
becomes clear that the word `touch' means `grasp' or ùnderstand' and the word `clean' means
`pure,' `righteous' or `believer', so that the verse can be paraphrased thus: "None can achieve an
understanding of the contents of the Quran, except those who believe in it and strive sincerely
to understand it."
Such a translation is much more logical, for if it were a matter of touching, the disbelievers
have been touching and reading it too, for centuries! What they did not do is understand its
message.
(f) Regarding Loss of Ablution Through Touching Women
The Shafiì school of thought holds that touching women of the marriageable categories results
in loss of ablution. This erroneous belief is based on a misinterpretation of the Arabic word
lamastum whose literal meaning is `you touch' in verse 43 of Sura 4. In fact, it is an idiom
meaning `you have sexual intercourse'. This is proved by a reference to Sura 3, verse 47 which
speaks of Mary, the mother of Jesus, `not being touched' by man, using the same root word
massa. Here, again, we arrive at a correct understanding by using the principles of logic,
internal consistency and easy practicability mentioned above.
Methodology of Classical Jurisprudence
Studying the Quran without a scientific methodology definitely gives rise to many problems.
Orthodox translation uses the methodology of classical jurisprudence which is based on the
teachings of Imam Shafiì (d. 820 Hijra). According to him, the four sources of Islamic law are
: Quran, Hadith/Sunna, Ijma' or consensus of scholars and Qiyas or analogy. This methodology
places the hadith as interpreter of the Quran, in contradiction to the Quranic principle of self-
explanation (Principle 4). On the top of that, according the ijma' principle of classical
jurisprudence, it is ijma' that determines the authenticity of hadith as well as the correctness or
wrongness of Quranic interpretation.
It is due to this unscientific methodology of classical jurisprudence that the interpretation of

many Quranic verses has been rendered subjective, arbitrary and contradictory. We have seen
how the famous verse 4:59 on legal authority has been misinterpreted by this methodology to
mean that Prophet Muhammad brought two books, namely Quran and hadith. We have also
shown other misinterpretations. We can add to these examples.
The principle of topical context (Principle No. 6) is such an elementary principle in any
understanding of any text that one wonders how any educated person can make an error on this
point. Yet the error has been made regarding at least two crucial verses on the issue of the role
of the Prophet. Let us look at the verses:
The spoils of war that God bestowed upon His messenger from the banished inhabitants of the
town shall go to God and the messenger in the form of charity to the relatives, the needy and
the alien. In this way, it will not be monopolized by the rich among you. Whatever the
messenger gives you, you shall accept, and whatever he forbids you, you shall forgo.
By the falling star! Your friend is neither astray, nor a liar. He does not speak on his own. This
is a divine inspiration. A teaching from a Mighty One. The Possessor of omnipotence. So he
attained to perfection.
As can be seen, the first passage speaks of the division of the spoils of war. God ordered the
Muslims to accept whatever the Prophet gave them and to desist from taking whatever He
forbade them. However, the Ahlul-Hadith have interpreted it to refer to hadith! What a far cry!
The Ahlul-Hadith interpret the statement "He does not speak on his own" in the second passage
to mean that all the Prophet's words and actions are equally inspired, divine revelation not
being confined to the Quran alone. This inter-pretation is obviously a mistake, because the
passage clearly speaks of the process of Quranic revelation to the Prophet. Moreover,
Muhammad, being a human being like the rest of his followers, were subject to the same
human weaknesses. It was only when he was receiving and reciting the revelation that "He
does not speak on his own."
The Abrogation Theory
The principle of Quranic unity (Principle No. 2), stating that no Quranic verse contradicts
another, is a very important principle in our scientific methodology. This principle is found in
the following verse:
Why do they not study the Quran carefully? If it were from other than God, they would have
found many contradictions in it.
Since the Quran is a perfect divine revelation, it is logical that we do not find any
contradictions in its teachings. Although we know from history that a period of twenty-three
years lay between the first and the last revelations, the entire teachings of the Quran remain
integral and harmonious. If the Quran were a human composition, we shall no doubt find many
a contradiction in its parts, since human beings change.
However, human thinking is subject to the laws of evolution; it is to be expected that many
students of the Quran, including famous translators, see `contradictions' in its teachings. Due to
their failure to solve these `contradictions' in a logical way, some of them came to erect this so-
called theory of abrogation, meaning that some verses of the Quran have been abrogated by
some other verses. They base this theory on the following verse:
Any message which We annul or consign to oblivion We replace with a better or similar one.
Do you not know that God has the power to will anything?
The Arabic word ayat is used here to mean `message' or `revelation'. This is clear from the
context. Some translators have mistranslated it as `verse', thus giving rise to this abrogation
theory. The topic under discussion, however, is about the unbelievers from among the Jews and
the Christians as well as the idol worshippers who did not like the idea of a new message being
given to the Arabs. This meaning of the verse is supported by verse 16:101 which reads:
When We substitute one revelation in place of another, and God is fully aware of what He
reveals, they say, "You made it up!" Indeed, most of them do not know.
When we take into consideration the verses which reject totally the abrogation of any of its
parts, this theory collapses.
Take an example of a verse alleged to have been abrogated, according to this theory. Verse 6 of
Sura 109 on the freedom of religious practice, revealed in Mecca, is said to have been
abrogated by verse 5 of Sura 9, revealed later in Medina, ordering Muslims to kill unbelievers.
However, this view is falsified on our principle of historical context (Principle No. 7). The
historical context of the verse in question was a war situation between the Muslims and the
idolatrous tribes of Arabia. Hence the order to kill those enemies who broke their treaties with
the Muslims. Thus, there is no contradiction between this order and the fundamental policy of
the freedom of religion proclaimed by Islam.
Historical Context
The principle of historical context is another important principle of Quranic interpretation,

which, if neglected, would render the Quran to be an obsolete teaching. This can be shown in
matters relating to slaves, status of women, law of inheritance and penal law.
A careful study of the Quran would reveal that its contents consist of two types of statements:
the universal and the particular. The universal statements refer to absolute truths, while the
particular statements refer to relative truths that are limited to certain concrete situations. Take
the example of the concept of God itself: one the one hand, the Quran mentions `Lord of the
Universe', and `the God of mankind' (the universal concept); on the other, it mentions `my
Lord', `your Lord', or `the God of Moses, or `the God of your fathers Abraham, Ishmael and
Isaac' (the particular concept).
The same applies to other matters. Mankind is one and equal as creatures of God, but from a
historical point of view, there existed slave communities oppressed by free powerful
communities; there existed communities where the women were oppressed by the men with
laws that were not equitable to women, and there existed harsh penal laws. All these
inequalities can be explained by a recourse to historical circumstances and a historical process
which developed from a primitive human society to conditions of civilization, eliminating
slavery, giving equal status to women and practicing humane penal laws.
The Quran acknowledges the existence of slaves in the Arabia of the time the Prophet arose,
but advocates their freedom. The Quran acknowledges the low status of women at the time
when the Prophet arose, but it establishes the equality of men and women and advocates steps
towards achieving that. The Quran acknowledges the harsh laws that were in existence in the
Arabian Peninsula at the time of Prophet Muhammad, just as they existed in other countries,
but opens the way for lighter and more humane punishments.
In the matter of inheritance laws, the two portions given to men is a rule stipulated in the light
of historical conditions. These historical conditions refer the times and places when and where
men assume the role of bread-winners, thus deserving of two portions: one for the family and
one for himself. But when this condition changes and women become equal and assume an
equal role for the family, the rule also changes, as provided for by this general rule:
The men get a share of what parents and relatives leave. The women too shall get a share of
what parents and relatives leave. Whether it is small or large, a definite share.
A Practical Way of Life
God has made the religion of Islam easy for mankind to practice (Principle No. 8), because
God, being Merciful to His creatures, does not want to overburden men. This is another
principle that we must remember when interpreting the Quran. We can give many examples.
Here we cite three.
First: the prohibition against liquor or intoxicants. This prohibition is given in three stages.
During the first stage, God says that liquor contains more harm than good, but stops short from
prohibiting it. During the second stage, God prohibits us from praying while in a state of
drunkenness, yet not prohibiting liquor totally. The final stage comes when God prohibits
liquor totally.
It would be wrong for us to say that verses 5:90-91 which bring the total ban against liquor
have abrogated verses 2:219 and 4:43. Such an interpretation shows that we fail to take into
consideration this principle of easy practicability. This principle teaches us this wise strategy
when we convert idolaters who normally are heavy drinkers to Islam. This does not mean, of
course, that those who can give up liquor at once, cannot do so. But, generally, most people do
not possess such strong will power to accomplish that. Most people need time; hence this
flexibility is given by God to them.
The second example is the method of regular prayer. In extraordinary circumstance, we are
allowed to perform prayers in any manner suiting the circumstances we are in: as we walk or as
we travel in any type of vehicle, or while sitting or lying down, if we are prevented from
standing. Only under normal circumstances are we required to perform these prayers in the
usual way.
The last example is the allowance for the suspension of ordinary laws under circumstances of
extreme danger. Ordinarily, pork is prohibited, but in circumstances when pork is the only food
available to keep oneself from starving, its eating becomes permissible. Even outwardly
committing disbelief under compulsion is allowed.
Principle Is More Important Than Form
What is meant by the difference between principle and form (Principle No. 9) has been
explained above in the case of penal laws. The form of punishment may vary according to time
and place, but the principle of punishment occurs universally. That applies to other matters as
well.
There is a story in the Quran about the Jews being asked by God to make a sacrifice. They
were reluctant to do it and asked Moses all types of questions about the size, age and color of
the cow to be sacrificed in order to evade it. This story teaches us that form is less important
than the principle. Are we prepared to make sacrifices in the way of God? If we are, only that
matters; how we do it should depend on our capability and our situation.
The same applies to prayer. The purpose of prayer is to worship God, to praise and to
supplicate Him for man's own self-development. Although the salat prayer has its definite
form, in the end this form is not important, as this verse tells us:
For every community We have established its own devotional practices. Therefore, do not let
yourself be dragged into argument about these, but continue to invite to your Lord. Most
assuredly, you are on the right path.
What we have explained above regarding the principles of historical context and the supremacy
of principle over form also conforms to the principle of truth and logic (Principle No. 3), a very
important principle in this scientific methodology. This is because the Quran is the Word of
God and contains the Truth, as the verse we quoted at the beginning of this chapter shows. It is
a book of guidance for mankind designed to take them out from the realm of darkness into the
realm of light, from falsehood into truth, from injustice into justice and from slavery into
freedom.
Can such a grand book not encourage to free the slaves, not give equal status to women, not
advocate just and humane laws, not advocate fundamental human rights, not advocate science
and technology and scientific, rational and logical thinking for man's advancement?
Impossible! Only those who are narrow-minded, who cannot comprehend that God is the Most
Beneficent and the Most Merciful who would think otherwise. Our scientific methodology
must subsume these principles.
Although existing translations of the Quran, especially those in the Malay language, suffer
from certain weaknesses, it is far better that our people read and study the Quran in these
translations rather adhering to the old customs of `reading' the book in Arabic without
understanding. By reading the translation, they will have direct access to the source of their
religion. This is a thousand times better than just depending on middle men to teach their
religion for them.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY AND LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

The following bibliography contains only works which have been quoted in this book and does
not aim at being complete. As to quotations from the Quran, I have used mainly Dr. Rashad
Khalifa's translation (1981 edition), but I have also used T. B. Irving, A. Yusuf Ali, Maulana
Muhammad Ali, Marmaduke Pickthall and Muhammad Asad as well. Abbreviations are in
brackets.
Adams, Charles C., "The Authority of the Prophetic Hadith in the Eyes of Some Modern
Muslims," in Donald P. Little (Ed.), Essays on Islamic Civilization, E.J. Brill, Leiden, 1976.
(The Authority)
Ahmad Amin, Fajar Islam (trans. Mohd. Marzuki Hj. Shafie), Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka,
Kuala Lumpur, 1980. (Fajar Islam)
Ahmad Ibrahim, Islamic Law in Malaya, Malaysian Sociological Research Institute,

Singapore, 1965. (Islamic Law 2)
Ahmad Von Denffer, Ùlum al-Quran, The Islamic Foundation, London, 1983. (Ulum al-
Quran)
Briffault, R., The Making of Humanity, Islamic Book Foundation, London 1928. (Humanity)
Coulson, N.J., A History of Islamic Law, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 1964.
(Islamic Law 3)
Fazlur Rahman, Islam, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1966. (Islam)

__________, Islamic Methodology in History, Central Institute of Islamic Research, Karachi,
1965. (Islamic Methodology)
Goldziher, Ignas, Muslim Studies, vol. II, George Allen and Unwin, London, 1971. (Muslim
Studies)
Haji Said Haji Ibrahim, Penolakan Terhadap Penilaian Semula Hadith, Media Hasda, Kuala
Lumpur, 1987. (Penolakan)
Harris, Errol E., Nature, Mind and Modern Science, George Allen & Unwin, London, 1954.
(Modern Science)
Hibbert, Christopher, The Roots of Evil, Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, Middlesex, 1966.
(Roots of Evil)
Hitti, Philip K., History of the Arabs, 10th edition, Macmillan Press Ltd., London, 1974.
(Arabs)
Hj. Ismail bin Hj. Yusoff et.al., Salah Faham Terhadap Hadith: Satu Penjelasan, Majlis Ugama
Kelantan, Kota Baharu, 1986. (Salah Faham)
Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad (trans. A. Guillaume), Oxford University Press, London,
1955. (Life)
Juynboll, G.H.A., The Authenticity of the Traditional Literature, E.J.Brill, Leiden, 1969.
(Authenticity)
__________, Muslim Tradition, Cambridge University Press, London, 1983. (Muslim
Tradition)
Kassim Ahmad, Hadis — Satu Penilaian Semula, Media Intelek, Petaling Jaya, 1986. (Hadis)
__________, Teori Sosial Moden Islam, Penerbit Fajar Bakti, Petaling Jaya, 1984. (Teori
Sosial)
LaRouche, Lyndon H., The Science of Christian Economy, EIR, Washington, D.C., 1991.
(Christian Economy)
Mahmud Saedon A. Othman, Al-Sunnah: Kedudukan dan Peranannya di dalam Syariah Islam,
Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Kuala Lumpur, 1990. (Al-Sunnah)
Majid Khadduri (trans.), Islamic Jurisprudence: Shafiì 's Risala, Johns Hopkins Press,
Baltimore, 1961. (Shafiì 's Risala)
Malik ibn Anas, Al-Muwatta (trans. Aisha Abdarrahman dan Ya'qub Johnson), Diwan Press,
Norwich, England, 1982. (Al-Muwatta)
Mishkat-ul-Masabih (trans. Fazlul Karim), vol. I-IV, Lahore Book House, Calcutta, 1938.
(Mishkat)
Mohamed S. El-Awa, Punishment in Islamic Law, American Trust Publications, Indianapolis,

1982. (Punishment)
Mohammad Mustafa Azami, Studies in Early Hadith Literature, Beirut, 1968. (Early Hadith)
__________, Studies in Hadith Methodology and Literature, American Trust Publications,

Indianapolis, 1977. (Hadith Methodology)
Mohammad Thalib, Sekitar Kritik Terhadap Hadis dan Sunnah Sebagai Dasar Ilmu Hukum,
Alharamain Pte., Singapore, 1980. (Sekitar Kritik)
Mohd. Nor bin Ngah, "Islamic World-view of Man, Society and Nature among the Malays in
Malaysia" in Mohd. Taib Osman (Ed.), Malaysian World-view, Institute of Southeast Asian
Studies, Kuala Lumpur, 1985. (World-view of Malays)
Muhammad Hamidullah, Sahifah Hammam Ibn Munabih, Islamic Cultural Centre, Paris, 1979
(10th Edition). (Sahifah Hammam)
Muhammad Husain Haekal, Sejarah Hidup Muhammad, Tintamas, Jakarta, 1982. (Haekal)
Muhammad Iqbal, The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, S.M. Ashraf, Lahore,
1958. (Reconstruction)
Nazwar Syamsu, Al-Quran Tentang Manusia dan Masyarakat, Ghalia Indonesia, Jakarta, 1983.
(Masyarakat)
Rashad Khalifa, The Computer Speaks: God's Message to the World, Renaissance Productions
International, Tucson, 1981. (Computer Speaks)
__________, Quran: Visual Presentation of the Miracle, Islamic Productions, Tucson 1982.
(Visual Presentation)
__________, Quran: The Final Scripture, Islamic Productions, Tucson 1981. (Quran)
__________, Quran: The Final Testament, Islamic Productions,
Tucson, 1989. (Final Testament)
__________, Quran, Hadith and Islam, Islamic Productions, Tucson, Arizona, 1982. (Hadith)
Sahih Al-Bukhari (trans. Muhammad Asad), Dar Al-Andalas, Gibraltar, 1938. (Bukhari)
Said Ramadan, Islamic Law: Its Scope and Equity, Macmillan, London, 1961. (Islamic Law)
Sarton, George, Introduction to the History of Science, Vol. I, George McLeod Ltd., 1970.
(Science)
Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Ideals and Realities of Islam, George Allen & Unwin, London, 1966.
(Ideals)
Schacht, Joseph, The Origins of Muhammadan Jurisprudence, Oxford University Press, 1979.
(Origins)
Sorokin, P. A., Modern Historical and Social Philosophies, Dover Publications, New York,
1963. (Historical Philosophies)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INDEX
Abduh, Muhammad: 3, 11, 17, 78, 115, 123.
Abraham: 20, 21, 22, 38, 70, 88.
Abu Bakr: 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 42, 48.
Abu Kamil: 68.
Abu Huraira: 48.
Abdul Karim ibn Abu al-Awja: 34.
abrogation theory: 87.
Abu Daud: 1, 30, 36, 69.
Abu Hanifa: 40.
Adam: 38, 70.
adultery: 14, 56, 59, 60.
agnosticism: 73.
Ahmad Amin: 34.
Ahlul-Hadith: 9, 12, 86.
Ahlul-Quran: 47.
Aisha; 53.
al-Farabi: 68.
al-Ghazali: 10.
al-Kulaini: 1, 30, 36.
allegorical verses: 20, 78.
al-Masùdi: 68.
al-Murtada: 1, 30, 36.
al-Nasaì: 1, 30, 36, 69.
al-Tabari: 68.
al-Risala: 13, 17.
Ali Abi Talib: 1, 32, 33, 34, 35, 38, 39, 42.
another book: 27, 41.
anti-reason: 63.
anti-taqlid movement: 74.
apostasy: 58.
Arab: 20, 40.
Arabic science: 11.
ascension: 83.
atom, splitting of: 79.
atheism: 73.
authoritarianism: 8.
Azami, M. M.: 21, 34.
B
Bacon, Roger: 11,
Bakrite: 33, 39.
Battle of the Allies: 22
Bennabi, Malik: 2,
Bible: 23, 53.
Briffault, Robert: 11.
Bucaille, Maurice: 61.
Bukhari: 1, 30, 36, 42, 46, 52, 69.
Camus, Albert: 5.
Catholic Church: 7.
Christian: 2, 7, 71.
Christianity: 72.
Code 19: 79.
Cold War: 5.
computer: 2.
creation of Man: 80.
creation of the Universe: 80.
culture: 4.
D
decision-making, principles of: 26.
details: 26.
dialectical materialism: 73.
Discovery: 21, 24.
Dostoyevsky: 5.
Egypt: 10, 47.
Eliot, T.S.: 5.
Europe: 2, 6, 7, 11, 12, 40-41, 71, 74.
existentialism: 5.
Ezra: 16-17.
F
Farewell Sermon: 49-50, 60.
fatalism: 40, 59.
Fazlul Karim: 16.
Fazlur Rahman: 22, 34, 36, 43, 63.
First World War: 52.
food: 26.
form: 24, 89-90.
Gemara: 16.
Ghulam Ahmad Parvez: 47.
God: 3, 7, 8, 14, 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 42.
Great Disorder: 5.
Goldin, Judah: 16.
Goldziher: 34.
Gospel: 66.
hadith:
- Abu Bakr's collection burnt by himself: 48-49.
- beginnings of: 29-31.

- cause of Muslim downfall: 41-44.
- coherence theory of: 55-56.
- contradicting science, history and logic: 61-63.
- expressions of contrary views: 35, 60.
- expressions of political conflicts: 32-35.
- effects of: 37-44.
- fabrication of: 34.
- given equal importance with Quran: 36.
- Omar refused to compile: 49.
- officially compiled 200 years later: 1, 30.
- on Quran: 61.
- prohibited by Muhammad: 30, 48.
- protracted process of change to: 68.
- scarcely used by the four righteous caliphs: 32.
- started as stories: 32-33, 35.
- theory of: 12-22, 47.
- use of word in Quran: 50-51.
- weakness of isnad methodology: 51-53.
Hammam ibn Munabbih: 48.
Hang Tuah: 52.
heresy: 74.
humanism: 7, 8.
Humaydi: 32.
hypocrites: 9.
Ibrahim Ibn Sinan: 68.
Ibn Babuwayh: 1, 30, 36.
Ibn Hanbal: 32, 48, 55.
Ibn Ishaq: 20, 31.
Ibn Khaldun: 1, 6, 74.
Ibn Majah: 1, 30, 36.
Ibn Qayyim: 32.
Ibn Rushd: 10, 74.
Ibn Sa`d: 31, 32.
Ibn Sina: 10.
Ibn Taimiya: 10.
ideology: 3, 4, 5.
idol: 28, 67.
idol worshippers: 9, 28.
idolatry: 14, 67.
Idris: 70.
Ijma': 36, 37, 40, 85.
ijtihad: 36, 37, 40, 69.

India: 10.
Indonesia: 10.
inheritance: 25, 88.
intercession: 58.
intoxicant: 88. (See also liquor.)
Iqbal: 2.
Iran: 6.
Iran-Iraq War: 6.
Islam: 9, 12, 22, 72, 74.
Islamic liberalism: 8.
Jamaluddin Al-Afghani: 2, 6, 47.
Jesus: 66, 70, 83.
Jew: 7, 71, 89.
Judaism: 72.
Kennedy, John F.: 52.

Khalifa, Rashad: 2.
Khawarij: 43.
law, two sources of: 82.
liberalism: 5, 8, 72.
liquor: 88-89. (See also intoxicant.)
logical positivism: 5, 73.
Luqman: 14.
Mahdi, belief in: 41, 57.
Mahmud Abu Rayya: 47.
Mahsuri: 52.
Malik, Imam: 12, 32, 40, 46.
Mao Zedong: 5.
Marxism: 7, 8, 72.
Medina Charter: 19, 66.
Medina city-state: 22.
Merneptah: 80.
messenger: 3, 18.
Middle Ages: 73.
miracle: 57, 79.
Mishnah: 16.
monotheism: 3.
Moses: 67, 70, 89.
Muàwiyah: 33, 34, 35.
Muhammad:
- claimed to have brought two books: 49-50, 85.
- idolization of: 84.
- last prophet: 70.
- letters of: 66.
- messenger to all mankind: 64, 67.
- only task to deliver Quran: 64, 66.
- treaties of: 66.
- upholds Quran: 64.
Muhammad Ali: 14, 26.
Muhammad Tawfiq Sidqi: 47.
muhkamat verses: 77, 78, 80.
mutashabihat verses: 77, 78, 80, 83.
Muslims:
- dilemma faced by: 64-65.
- tasks of: 74.
Muslim (compiler of hadith): 1, 36, 39, 42, 48, 69.

Mu`tazilite: 43, 47.
mutawattir hadith: 46.
Muwatta': 12, 46, 64.
Nahj al-Balaghah: 33.
Nasr, Seyyed Hossein: 9.
nationalism: 6, 8.
Nazism: 5.
Nicene Creed: 58.
Noah: 70.
Old Testament: 60.
Omar Ibn Khattab: 31, 32, 34, 53.
Orientalists: 9.
P
paganism: 3.
passivity: 59.
penal laws: 88, 89.
Persia: 7.
pessimism: 6, 40-41, 43.
Plato: 81.
polytheism: 3.
pork: 26, 89.
pragmatism: 5.
precedent: 10, 66.
prayer: 19, 20, 21, 14, 26, 62, 66, 89. (See also salat.)
priesthood: 44.
punishment, principles of: 25.
Quran:
- arrangement of: 29, 46.
- authenticated by God: 47.
- coherence with science and reason: 77.
- complete, perfect and detailed: 23-28, 66.

- divine protection of: 67.
- disbelievers barred from understanding: 84.
- God, teacher of: 76.
- hadith on: 61.
- liberates mankind: 70.
- Muhammad's original teaching: 64 ff.
- purpose of: 67.
- rules of interpretation: 81-82.
- self-consistent: 77.
- two types of statement in: 87-88.
Ramadan: 19.
Rashid Ridha: 2.
reform: 2, 6.
rennaissance: 2, 5, 12, 73.
sahifah: 48.
salat: 20, 24, 89. (See also prayer.)
sacrifice: 89.
Sarton, G.: 68.
Sartre, Jean-Paul: 5.
scientific methodology: 10, 76, 80, 90.
schools of law: 39-40, 49.
Second Coming: 5, 57, 65, 73, 75, 83.
Second World War: 6.
sectarianism: 32.
secularization: 4, 8.
Seven Sleepers of Ephesus: 58.
Shafiì: 1, 10, 13, 17, 36, 37, 40, 47, 55, 56, 64, 85.
Shah Waliyullah: 10, 74.
Sharia: 6.
Shi'ite: 1, 33, 34, 38, 39, 46, 49.
slavery: 88.
Son of God: 67.
Sorokin: P.A., 5.
Sultan Salman: 21, 24.
Sunna: 1, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 27, 29, 31, 32, 36, 85.
Sunnite: 1, 38, 39, 43, 46, 49.

T
ta`dil of Companions: 53.
Talmud: 16, 67.
taqlid: 36, 47, 69, 70, 74.
Tayalisi: 32.
Third World: 6.
Tirmidhi: 1, 36, 69.
Torah: 16, 17, 67.
tradition, 12, 13, 29, 65.
Traditionist: 12, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20.
Uhud: 34.
ulil-amr: 20.
ulama: 44, 74.
Umayyad dynasty: 35.
United Nations: 6.
United States: 2
uswah hasanah: 22.
Uthman: 29, 33, 34.
women: 62, 88.
Yeats, Y.B.: 5, 73.
Zaid ibn Thabit: 29, 48.
zakat: 19.
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Bismillahir rahman nir raheem

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5001 Narrated byAbuHurayrah

Ahmad transmitted it.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5002 Narrated bySuraqah ibn Malik

Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5015 Narrated byAbuHurayrah

Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib tradition.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5017 Narrated byAnas ibn Malik

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5020 Narrated byYazid ibn Na'amah

Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5021 Narrated byAbuDharr

Ahmad transmitted it, and AbuDawud transmitted the second part.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5022 Narrated byAbuUmamah

Ahmad transmitted it.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5023 Narrated byAsma', daughter of Yazid

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5033 Narrated byAsma', daughter of Yazid

Transmitted by Ahmad and Tirmidhi.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5039 Narrated byAz-Zubayr

Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5041 Narrated byAz-Zubayr

Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5042 Narrated byAbuSirmah

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5043 Narrated byAbuBakr as-Siddiq

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5044 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Umar

Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5055 Narrated bySahl ibn Sa'd as-Sa'idi

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5056 Narrated byAbuSa'id

Ahmad and Tirmidhi saying this is a hasan gharib tradition.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5059 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Sarjis

Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5077 Narrated byAbuHurayrah

Transmitted by Ahmad and Tirmidhi.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5083 Narrated byAbuDharr

Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Darimi

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5084 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Mas'ud

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5086 Narrated byMakhul

Tirmidhi transmitted in mursal form.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5087 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Umar

Transmitted by Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5099 Narrated byAisha

Ahmad transmitted it.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5102 Narrated byAbuHurayrah

Ahmad transmitted it.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5111 Narrated bySalamah ibn al-Akwa'

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5112 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5114 Narrated byAbuDharr

Transmitted by Ahmad and Tirmidhi.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5115 Narrated byAsma', daughter of `Umays

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5116 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Umar

Ahmad transmitted it.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5129 Narrated byHudhayfah

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5130 Narrated byMu'awiyah

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5132 Narrated byAbuUmamah

Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5140 Narrated byHudhayfah

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5142 Narrated byAbuBakr as-Siddiq

Ibn Majah and Tirmidhi, who declared it to be sahih, transmitted it.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5144 Narrated byAbuTha'labah

Transmitted by Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5145 Narrated byAbuSa'id al-Khudri

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 5150 Narrated byAmmar ibn Yasir