A doctrine of hadith inerrancy is at odds with Islamic
monotheism.
To assert hadith inerrancy, one must take the position that
Muhammad (pbuh) was infallible and that every word he said was
divinely inspired and inerrant - not just the revelations from
Jibreel recorded in the Quran!
This is a incredible claim is restricted by proponents of hadith
inerrancy to Muhammad (pbuh) and for good reason: If one were to
argue that every word of every prophet was divinely inspired and
inerrant, then the so-called "science" of hadiths would be required
to search the Christian, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, and Hindu
scriptures and traditions to find true
ahadith of earlier prophets,
including Moses, David, Jesus, John the Baptist,
Zarathusra and Guatama Buddha.
Parenthetically, I should note that the claim that "every
accurately recorded word of the Prophet (pbuh) was divinely
inspired and inerrant" is actually more extreme than some Christian
claims concerning the divinity of Jesus (pbuh). I say this,
because the Christians (I am not including Unitarians,
who would agree with
Islam on the divinity issue) acknowledge Jesus (pbuh)had a human
nature. Because of this human nature Jesus (pbuh) entertained
moments of doubt and made statements that a being whose every word
was the word of God would not have said.
On the cross, Jesus (pbuh) is quoted as saying:
"‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which means, "My God, my God,
why did you abandon me?"
Mark 15:34 (Today’s English Version).
Hadith inerrancy advocates, however, would raise the non-Quranic
words of Muhammad (pbuh) to a level of inerrancy higher than
Christians attribute the words of Jesus (pbuh) - even though (most)
Christians claim that Jesus was God incarnate!
Hadith inerrancy is inconsistent with the Quran on a number of
counts:
I. THE QURAN TELLS US ALL PROPHETS ARE HUMAN AND EQUAL
2.285
The Messenger believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his
Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah,
His angels, His books, and His messengers. "We make no distinction
(they say) between one and another of His messengers." And they
say:"We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and
to Thee is the end of all journeys."
4:150-152:
Those who deny Allah and His Messengers, and (those who) wish to
separate Allah from His Messengers, saying: "We believe in some but
reject others": and (those who) wish to take a course midway.
They are in truth (equally) Unbelievers; and We have prepared for
Unbelievers a humiliating Punishment.
To those who believe in Allah and His Messengers and make no
distinction between any of the Messengers, We shall soon give their (due) rewards: for
Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful.
2:136:
Say ye: "We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and
to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given
to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) Prophets from their
Lord : we make no difference between one and another of them: and
we bow to Allah (in Islam)."
3:84:
Say: "We believe in Allah, and in what has been revealed to us and
what was revealed to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes,
and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus, and the Prophets, from
their Lord: we make no distinction between one and another among
them, and to Allah do we bow our will (in Islam)."
18.110
Say: I am only a mortal like you; it is revealed to me that your
god is one Allah, therefore whoever hopes to meet his Lord, he
should do good deeds, and not join any one in the service of his
Lord.
014.011
Their messengers said to them: "True, we are human like yourselves,
but Allah doth grant His grace to such of his servants as He
pleases. It is not for us to bring you an authority except as Allah
permits. And on Allah let all men of faith put their trust.
17.093
"Or thou have a house adorned with gold, or thou mount a ladder
right into the skies. No, we shall not even believe in thy mounting
until thou send down to us a book that we could read."
Say: "Glory to my Lord! Am I aught but a man,- a messenger?"
Emphases added.
All prophets are human, and we are directed to "make no distinction
between one and another of [Allah's] messengers" (Quran 2.285).
Because all Messengers are human, none was infallible except when
he or she was receiving revelations directly from Allah or Allah's
angels:
"The original verb naba, usually translated as "to foretell" or
"to prophesy," and the noun nabi, "a prophet" has given the
impression that a
prophet is a person who foretells the future or
past events by the aid of divine revelation. This definition is
only partially true. The complete definition of the word "Prophet"
must be: "one who receives oracles or messages from God, and
delivers them faithfully to the person or people intended." It is
evident that a divine message need not necessarily a foretelling of
past and future events. In the same way verb "prophesy" does not
necessarily mean to reveal the past or future occurrences, but
rather to preach or promulgate the message from God. Consequently
to prophesy is to deliver and utter a new oracle, its nature or
character being quite immaterial. To read the words of a prophet
would be to prophesy no more than would a prophet deliver an oracle
when making a discourse or public speech of his own accord. In the
Quran God orders His beloved servant Muhammad to declare: "I am
flesh like unto yourselves; only revelation comes to me,"
etc., so that we may be careful not to attribute to any of the
prophets the quality of knowing and saying everything through the
revelation. The divine revelations used to come at intervals,
while the prophets in their personal
intercourse and knowledge
might be liable to mistakes and errors. A prophet is not appointed
by God to teach humanity physics, mathematics, or any other
positive science. It would be very unjust on our part to blame a
prophet for
a slip of language or a mistake committed as a man.
"A prophet, therefore, is the subject of test and examination only
when he officially and formally delivers the message he has received
from his Lord. His private affairs, his family concerns, and his
personal attainments do not concern us so much as his mission and
office. In order to find out whether a
prophet is genuine or an
impostor, it is not fair to give a verdict against
his prophetical character because he is reported to have been a
little harsh or rude to his mother or because he believed in the
literal inspiration and the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch.
. . ."
"It is mala fides and ill will to accuse prophets of sensuality,
rudeness, ignorance in sciences, and of other personal frailties.
They were men like ourselves and subject to the same natural
inclinations and passions. They were protected only from mortal
sins and from the perversion of the message they had to hand
further. We must be extremely careful not to exalt the
prophets of God too high in our imagination, lest God be displeased
with us. They are all His creatures and servants; they accomplished
their work and returned to Him. The moment we forget God and
concentrate our love and admiration upon the person of any of the
messengers of God we are in danger of falling into the sin of
polytheism.
"Muhammad In The Bible," Abdul Ahad Dawud (Malaysia Edition, 1969),
pp.106-107,
emphasis partially added.
Apart from the fact that a prophet's humanity implies his or her
fallibility other than when the prophet is delivering messages
revealed by Allah or Allah's angels, we must consider the Quran's
directive to "make no distinction between one and another of
[Allah's] messengers" (Quran 2.285).
If Allah's prophets are equal, and all non-scriptural words of
Muhammad (pbuh) are
inerrant, then so are the words of Moses, David,
Jesus, and Zarathusra!
This means that the "science" of hadiths must be expanded to search
the Christian, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, and Hindu scriptures
and traditions to find true ahadith of earlier prophets, including
Moses, David, Jesus, John
the Baptist, Zarathusra and Gautama
Buddha!
One can argue about the "inaccuracy" of existing Christian and
Jewish Scriptures, but it is a fact that true historical facts and
revelations are recorded in those scriptures (such as predictions
of the coming of Muhammad (pbuh)).
So why not apply the "science" of hadith to the existing records
and traditions of earlier prophet's words and acts?
II. THE QURAN SAYS THAT MUHAMMAD (PBUH) MADE MISTAKES
AND WAS REPROVED BY ALLAH FOR THEM
The Quran also contains reproval of the Prophet (pbuh) by Allah:
"O Prophet! Why bannest thou that which Allah hath made lawful for
thee, seeking to please thy wives? And Allah is Forgiving,
Merciful."
Quran, 66:1, emphasis added.
If the Prophet (pbuh) was always acting under divine inspiration
and all his words were inerrant, why would Allah have occasion to
reprove the Prophet (pbuh) for banning what Allah had made lawful?
Of course, Allah would have no occasion to reprove Muhammad
(pbuh) if all Muhammads words were inerrant!
In fact, they were not, hence the reproval!
III. "WAHY" OR INSPIRATION IS NOT INFALLIBLE REVELATION
The claim that authentic ahadith are inerrant because they were
received by Muhammad (pbuh) under "divine inspiration," rests on a
failure to distinguish between "prophethood" and "lesser
inspiration."
"Prophethood" involves receipt by the prophet of a revelation that
is recited in words by Allah or Allah's angels. In Arabic this is
called "wahy matluww."
"Wahy matluww" has two peculiar characteristics: (1) It is
infallible (see
Quran 2:2 (Quran is inerrant). (2) Muhammad is
the last prophet (Quran 33:40).
There is a lesser form of "inspiration," which in Arabic, is
called "wahy" (inspiring of an idea into the heart), "ru'ya"
(dream), "kashf" (vision) or "ilham" (voices heard while the
recipient is in a state of trance). See Quran 42:51, which refers
to the existence of both "prophethood" and this "lesser
inspiration."
"Lesser inspiration" differs from "prophethood" in
at least three respects:
(1) "Lesser inspiration" may be received by persons who are not
prophets -
indeed, even nonbelievers!
In Quran 5:111 ALLAH says:
"And behold I inspired the Disciples to have faith in
Me and My Messenger
[in this case, Issa (pbuh)] . . ."
Emphasis added.
In Quran 12:43, we are told that a Pharaoh of Egypt
WHO WAS A NONBELIEVER was sent a Vision from ALLAH:
"The King (of Egypt) said: I do see (in a vision) seven fat kine,
whom seven lean ones devour, - and seven green ears of corn, and
seven (others) withered. O ye chiefs! Expound to me my vision if
it be that ye can interpret visions.™"
Emphasis added.
(2) While Muhammad (pbuh) is the Last Prophet (Quran 33:40),
people continue to received "wahy" or "lesser inspiration" to the
present day. receive "wahy". I could receive "wahy". Even a
Chinese Communist could receive it!
As a contemporary example, I cite the numerous reported visions at
the Medjugorje, Bosnia. These visions have included :
1. Recognition by devout Christians that Muslims are NOT
"infidels" - indeed,
possibly even that a Muslim is "near
sainthood."
2. Express acknowledgment that THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD.
3. Prescriptions to follow ISLAMIC PRACTICES, such as
daily prayer, fasting,and abstinence from alcohol.
See http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~marco/medjugorje;
http://www.medjugorjeusa.org/miracles.htm;
http://www.medjugorje.org/msgmisc.htm.
Since "lesser inspiration" or "wahy" continues to be sent by Allah
to this day, if
the products of such "lesser inspiration" are to
be accepted as inerrant ahadith,
then the "science" of hadiths must
logically be applied to many documented instances of "lesser
inspiration" which post-date the Prophet (pbuh). Thus,
Islamic
scholars would be obliged to study the cases of Bernadette of
Lourdes, Fatima, and Medjugorje, to determine what authentic
ahadith were
produced in these instances!
(3) "Wahy" or "lesser inspiration" differs from "wahy matluww"
or "a
revelation that is
recited in words by Allah or Allah's
angels" in its clarity. The difference
might be analogized to
comparing reception that a high quality radio will receive from
a strong local station with that of a ham radio trying to receive
communications from China.
In the first, case reception will be perfect; in the latter,
it may be poor, fade in and out, and receive "bleed" from nearby
radio bands.
"Wahy matluww" - what Muhammad (pbuh) and other prophets received
from Allah and Allah's angels - is infallibly correct.
Quran 2:2. It is like listening
to a local channel on a
state-of-the-art radio.
However, ordinary "wahy" or "lesser inspiration" is like the ham
radio transmission from China: Because the inspiration is not
presented in the form of words from Allah, the person receiving
"lesser inspiration" may not receive a complete message, or may
not understand or transmit it accurately.
There may be "bleed" in the form of other thoughts in the mind
of the recipient which get mixed in with the recipient's
expression of the "lesser inspiration." In short, "wahy" does not
produce infallible communication of truths from ALLAH.
We can see this in the case of Jesus' disciples and apostles, whom
the Quran says received "wahy" (Quran 5:111). Most of the
New Testament (I am excluding here the direct quotations from Jesus
(pbuh)) is not claimed even by Christians to have
been revealed in the form of words from Allah, but only under
"lesser inspiration."
For instance, Paul, in most cases, does not
claim he is recording what Allah or Allah's angels told him!
The same is true of James and Peter. Thus, many statements in the
New Testament are recognized to be the opinions of the writers and
not the inerrant word of Allah - even by Christians!
An example is Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 11:7-9
"But woman reflects the glory of man; for man was not created from
woman, but woman from man. Nor
was man created for woman's sake,
but woman was created for man's sake."
Paul may have been receiving "lesser inspiration," but this
statement is flat-out WRONG! (And even Christians would back
me up on this point!).
James, one of the original 12 disciples, admitted he was fallible:
"My brothers! No many of you should become teachers, because you
know that we teachers will be judged with greater strictness than
others. All of us often make mistakes."
James 3:1-2 (Today's English Version), emphasis added.
If proponents of hadith inerrancy wish to argue that "inspiration"
in the form of "wahy" is sufficient to make the recipient's words
inerrant, then the
"science" of hadiths must be applied to the
New Testament, since Allah has told us that Jesus' disciples and
apostles did receive "wahy." Quran, 5:111.
An argument from the hadeeth inerrant camp is "wahy" received by
the Prophet (pbuh) is inerrant because
the Prophet (pbuh) was first
inspired to change the Qibla from Jerusalem (the traditional
direction for prayer (see Daniel 6:10)) to Makka by "wahy".
This argument proves nothing, because Allah subsequently confirmed
this "lesser inspiration" with a direct revelation:
002.144
We see the turning of thy face (for guidance to the heavens): now
Shall We turn thee to a Qibla that shall please thee. Turn then
Thy face in the direction of the sacred Mosque: Wherever ye are,
turn your faces in that direction. The people of the Book know well
that that is the truth from their
Lord. Nor is Allah unmindful of
what they do.
Emphasis added.
"Wahy" may produce correct opinions (such as the opinion that the
direction of the
Qibla should be change), but they are not
infallibly or certainly correct, as is "wahy matluww" or "a
revelation that is recited in words by Allah or Allah's angels."
Cf. Paul's erroneous "inspiration" claiming the natural
inferiority of women. 1 Corinthians 11:7-9.
IV. HADITH INERRANCY CONFLICTS WITH ISLAMIC MONOTHEISM
The position that Muhammad (pbuh) was infallible and that every
word he said was divinely inspired and inerrant is inconsistent with the basic
monotheism of Islam.
006.161
Say: "Verily, my Lord hath guided me to a way that is straight,-
a religion of right,- the path (trod) by Abraham the true in Faith,
and he (certainly) joined not gods with Allah."
016.123
So We have taught thee the inspired (Message), "Follow the ways of
Abraham the True in Faith, and he joined not gods with Allah."
Emphasis added.
"We must be extremely careful not to exalt the prophets of God too
high in our imagination, lest God be displeased with us. They are
all His creatures and servants; they accomplished their work and
returned to Him. The moment we forget God and concentrate our love
and admiration upon the person of any of the messengers of God we
are in danger of falling into the sin of polytheism."
"Muhammad In The Bible," supra, p. 107, emphasis partially added.
Polytheism or Shirk can consist in falsely ascribing aspects of
divinity to prophets:
003.79
It is not (possible) that a man, to whom is given the Book, and
Wisdom, and the prophetic office, should say to people:
"Be ye my worshippers rather than Allah's": on the contrary
(He would say) "Be ye worshippers of Him Who is truly the Cherisher
of all: For ye have taught the Book and ye have studied
it earnestly."
Emphasis added.
It can also consist of giving the words of scholars
and commentators precedence over the revealed words of Allah:
03.064
Say: "O People of the Book! come to common terms as between us and
you: That we worship none but Allah; that we associate no partners
with him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and
patrons other than Allah." If then they turn back, say ye:
"Bear witness that we (at least) are Muslims (bowing to Allah's
Will).
009.031
They have taken their doctors of law and their monks for lords
besides Allah, . . .and they were enjoined that they should serve
one Allah only, there is no god but He; far from His glory be what
they set up (with Him).
Emphasis added.
The doctrine of hadith inerrancy compromises Islamic monotheism and
places its advocates "in danger of falling into the sin of
polytheism."
"Muhammad In The Bible," supra, p. 107, emphasis partially added.
The doctrine of hadith inerrancy rests upon the premise that
Muhammad (pbuh) was infallible and that every word he said was
divinely inspired and inerrant.
This is inconsistent with the basic monotheism of Islam.
This premise has no Quranic basis and, in fact, is antagonistic
both to the revealed
truths contained in the Quran and
the basic monotheism of Islam.
Sincerely, Abdul Haleem
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