The subjectiveness of Hadith

We have seen so far that the Sunnah had been transmitted from one generation to another in its entirety, with a general agreement and consensus of the whole ummah. This transmission is similar to the transmission of the Qur'an. Both are free from any fabrication and corruption.

The Prophet recited and taught the Qur'an to his companions, who memorized it and wrote it down on parchments. An entire generation of companions thus memorized and taught the Qur'an to the next generation and so on. Every present-day hafiz of the Qur'an can trace his lineage back to prominent teachers and through them to the companions and ultimately to the Prophet. This is the manner in which the deen of Islam i.e. the Book of Allah and the sunnah of His Prophet has reached the present day.

Hadith about Salah

Hadith, unlike the Sunnah, comprise reports from an individual or a group of individuals that attribute their words to the Prophet. They narrate to the best of their memory, an account of what they witnessed in the presence of the Prophet, heard him say or saw him approve or reject any action. These narrations are scrutinized and the narrators are investigated before reaching their credibility. 

Now if we revisit the example of salah from the previous article and ponder over the minor differences that occur, we realize that different narrators narrate what they witnessed in the Prophet's presence on a particular occasion. The fact that there are minor differences in them could either be, number one, the Prophet himself allowed flexibility and/or number two, the narration could be fabricated, corrupted, altered, may have a missing link or maybe a rephrased narration of the exact words or actions of the Prophet, that led to this difference. 

An example of this flexibility can be observed by putting together the ahadith pertaining to prayers. While the sunnan i.e. the mandatory part of the prayer taught explicitly by the Prophet remains the same throughout, narrations from individuals reflect minor differences in the actions and words. 

Several hadith literature record the prayer to be recited in salah while sitting i.e. tashahhud. These prayers were taught by the Prophet to his companions on different occasions, but the Prophet never specifically commanded them to teach the same prayer to the rest of the people as well. In fact, these minor differences reflect the flexibility in these areas of salah.  

A few examples

1). On one occasion, the prayer to be recited in tashahhud is recorded in Sunan Ibn Majah. Chapter 7 Hadith No: 901 as follows; 

At-Tahiyyatut-tayyibatus-salawatu lillah; as-salamu 'alayka ayyuhan-Nabiyyu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu; as-salamu 'alayna wa 'ala 'ibadillahis-salihin. Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah wa ashhadu anna Muhammad(SAW)an 'abduhu wa Rasuluhu

Translation All compliments, good words and prayers are due to Allah; peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings; peace be upon us and upon the righteous slaves of Allah. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad (SAW) is His slave and Messenger.

The prayer for the same occasion recorded by Imam Malik in chapter 3, Hadith No. 58 goes as follows;

"At-tahiyatu, at-tayibatu, as-salawatu, az-zakiyatu lillah. Ash-hadu an la ilaha illa'llah, wahdahu la sharika lah wa anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu. As-salamu alayka ayyuha-n-nabiyyu wa rahmatu-llahi wa barakatuhu. As-salamu alayna wa ala ibadi-llahi's-salihin. As-salamu alaykum."

Translation Greetings, good words, prayers, pure actions belong to Allah. I testify that there is no god except Allah, alone without partner, and that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger. Peace be on you, Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. Peace be on us and on the slaves of Allah who are salihun. Peace be upon you. 

2). In various other instances, instead of teaching the exact wordings of the prayer, the Prophet simply listed out the things that one should ask for while sitting in his salah and on other occasions he simply gave his consent to whatever a companion recited.

 

"I heard Abu Hurairah say that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: 'When anyone of you finishes the last Tashahhud, let him seek refuge with Allah from four things: From the torment of Hell, from the torment of the grave, from the trials of life and death, and from the Fitnah (tribulation) of Masihud-Dajjal.' 

Sunan Ibn Majah. Chapter 7 Hadith No: 909 [Sahih]

"The Messenger of Allah (saw) said to a man: 'What do you say during your Salat?' He said: 'The Tashahhud, then I ask Allah for Paradise, and I seek refuge with Him from Hell, but I do not understand what you and Muadh murmur (during Salat). He said: 'Our murmuring revolves around the same things."

Sunan Ibn Majah. Chapter 7 Hadith No: 910 [Sahih]

3). Similarly, other minor differences occur in the observation of the companions on different occasions as well. For example, Ibn Umar narrated in Sahih Muslim Book 4, Number 0759 that the Prophet would raise his hands opposite to the shoulders and then recited Takbir (Allah-o-Akbar). On the other hand, Malik b. Huwairith reports in  Sahih Muslim Book 4, Number 0762 that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) raised his hands opposite his ears at the time of reciting the Takbir. 

What can be concluded?

The Prophet allowed flexibility in these areas. He never taught either of the two but it was observed and narrated by the companions. What the Prophet intended to convey as a part of deen, he (s.a.w) taught it explicitly and also commanded that the same be conveyed to others. The manner in which the ahadith were transmitted was substantially different from the transmission of the Sunnah. 

Continue reading The Sunnah of the deen