The word Quranism describes a type of Islam in which the
Quran is accepted as revelation from God but the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad,
may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, and hadith collection[1] are
rejected. Those who share this belief are known as Quranists. The doctrine
Quranists adhere to states that the message in the Quran is clear and complete
and thus it can be understood without reference to the Sunnah or hadith.
Islamic scholars, including those who are often
denounced as too moderate, condemn this belief. They point to the fact that
the Quran commands Muslims to follow the example, or Sunnah, of Prophet
Muhammad. Many scholars add that without the hadith literature many Islamic
concepts would be abstract and without substance. For example it is the hadith
literature that teaches us how to pray, fast, give the obligatory alms or
charity, and how to make the pilgrimage to Mecca.
It is difficult to estimate the number of people
following this deviant sect of Islam due to the fact that, as a general rule,
they avoid any organised religious group or organisation. There are however,
several groups that have gathered together under the names, Ahle-Quran,
Submitters (or Submission) and from Nigeria a group called Kala Kato. In his
Sunnah, Prophet Muhammad warned us about such people.
“I do not want to see any one of you reclining on his
couch and, when he hears of my instructions or prohibitions, saying ‘I don’t
accept it; we didn’t find any such thing in the Book of God.’”[2]
“Would any of you think that God would only describe
what is forbidden in the Quran? I tell you, by God, that I have warned and
commanded and prohibited things that are as important as what is in the Quran,
if not more so.”[3]
Islam teaches us that the hadith and the Sunnah of
Prophet Muhammad explain and complete the Quran. The evidence for this comes
from the Quran itself. God said that he revealed the Quran to Prophet Muhammad
so that he could make it clear and understandable to humankind. (Quran 16:44)
The importance of obeying Prophet Muhammad can be understood from this verse:
“… they can have no Faith, until they make you
(Muhammad) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no
resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission.”
(Quran 4:65)
God warns us not to disobey Prophet Muhammad, stating
that whoever does so will be doomed. He says “. . . And let those who
oppose the Messenger’s commandment beware, lest some fitnah (trial, affliction,
etc.) befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them.” (Quran 24:63)
The Quran and the Sunnah, including the authentic hadith
cannot be understood correctly without recourse to each other. The scholars
of Islam all agree that the Quranists’ suggestion that all the hadith are
fabricated is nonsense. Throughout Islamic history scholars took care to
purify the Sunnah from all strange or outlandish elements. If they had any
doubts about the truthfulness of any narrator, or if there was the slightest
possibility the narrator may have forgotten something, this would be sufficient
grounds to reject a hadith.
Authenticating hadith is a meticulous science and
involves strict adherence to procedures built up over centuries. A hadith is
authenticated and classified in several different ways and before you read one
it has gone through several methods of classification, the most well-known of
which is classification according to the reliability and memory of the
reporters.
When a person rejects the hadith or the Sunnah of
Prophet Muhammad a very important question arises. How does a Muslim worship
God without recourse to the teachings of Prophet Muhammad? For example, the
Quran does not provide a detailed prescription of the prayer nor the conditions
required for an accepted prayer. When God commands the believers to pray He
does not mention the timing of the prayers or the details of performing them.
Prophet Muhammad however clarifies this when he says, “Pray as you have seen me
praying.”[4]
And the hadith literature gives us the details of how to do so.
God makes the pilgrimage obligatory but does not explain
the details in the Quran on how to perform this act of worship. Prophet
Muhammad explains the intricacies and rules. When God made giving alms
obligatory He did not mention the particulars. The Sunnah however clarifies
this and takes it from a general command to a specific set of details. In
short it is the actions and sayings of Prophet Muhammad that explain and
illustrate what God is telling us in the Quran.
Prophet Muhammad’s beloved wife Aisha described her
husband’s character as the Quran[5].
Imam An-Nawawi, an esteemed hadith scholar, said that this meant that Prophet
Muhammad acted in accordance to the Quran, he adhered to its limits, followed
its etiquette, paid heed to its lessons and parables, pondered its meanings and
recited it correctly. The traditions, the Sunnah and the authentic hadith, are
in fact inseparable from the Quran.
The vast majority of Muslims recognise that the Quran
and the Sunnah are intertwined. One is not complete without the other.
Centuries of scholarship have left Muslims in the enviable position of being
able to trace the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad. We are able to build up a
very clear picture of his life and times. We know that his companions looked to
him to explain and clarify the revelations that were sent down to him by God.
Sadly, although they are not the very first people to do
so, the Quranists seek to confuse people by rejecting the hadith literature.
Some of these small but active groups go to great lengths to portray themselves
as mainstream when in fact they are not. In this day and age where people have
access to vast amounts of knowledge at the touch of a button it is important to
recognise when a website is portraying itself as something that it is not.
They like to give the appearance of having many followers and try to trace
their roots back through the centuries of Islamic scholarship. If you stumble
upon one of their many websites it should not prove difficult to realise your
mistake. Quranist websites will usually, in their introductory pages, reveal
the importance they place on the Quran as the only source of Islamic law. On
the other hand, the vast majority of Islamic websites draw attention to both
sources of law the Quran and the Sunnah.
Footnotes:
[1]
Sunnah refers to the teachings and way of life of Prophet Muhammad. It is
preserved in what is known as the hadith literature.
[2]
At-Tirmidhi
[3]
Abu Dawood
[4]
Saheeh Al-Bukhari
[5]
Saheeh Muslim