|
CHAPTER 6
8. THE SAHABAH AND THEIR IJTIHAD
(Apathy Towards the Holy Qur’an and Attachment to Ahadeeth)
8.1 Ijtihad
The foundation of Islamic jurisprudence rests on the Holy Qur’an, the Sunnah of the Prophet Rasoolallah and the Ijtihad of the Ameer. After the Prophet’s death, the immediate problem was that of his Khilafat (succession), as there was considerable difference of opinion on this question among the Sahabah. However, according to the principle of Shoo-e-Bainahum (consultation among them) they exercised Ijtihad, and selected Hadrat Abu-Bakr as the First Caliph of Islam. In the things, for which the Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet) could not obtain guidance from God and His Prophet, they exercised Ijtihad through qiyas (analogy). The Prophet, himself, had sanctioned it (Tirmidhi and Abu Da’ud). Hadrat Umar, Hadrat Ali, Hadrat Abdullah bin Ma’sud and Hadrat Abdullah bin Abbas, all, were well- known for their quality of Ijtihad had become evident even in the life-time of the Prophet, when the Prophet had received Wahi, several times, according to his opinion. Hadrat Umar exercised Ijtihad not only in the absence of directions of the Quran and Ahadeeth, but also when a relevant Hadeeth was available. Because of the change in circumstances, he had invented new methods of approach to the pressing problems of the time; for instance: (1) Up to the time of Hadrat ‘Umar’s Caliphate, even those slave-girls, who had borne children, could be bought and sold out, but he forbade this practice completely; and (2) Up to the time of the Caliphate of Hadrat Abu-Bakr, three divorces were treated as one, but Hadrat Umar declared that, three divorces would, thenceforth, be considered as final.
Hadrat Umar had issued instructions that during the war-time, no Muslim was to be penalized, and the hand of a thief was not to be cut off during periods of famine. Up to the day’s of Hadrat Abu-Bakr Caliphate; the penalty for wine-drinking was the infliction of 40 lashes to the accused, however, as in the time of Hadrat Umar’s Caliphate, individuals became increasingly inflicted with alcoholism, and the number of lashes doubled. Similarly, Hadrat Ali too used to resolve matters by his unusual intellectual powers, insofar as the Quran or Hadeeth did not clarify the matter in its entirety.
8.2 Primary Scholars of Fiqh
Hadrat Abdullah bin Ma’sud (died 32 Hijri) was well-versed in both the Hadeeth and Fiqh (jurisprudence). He claimed himself the greatest ‘Aalim (scholar) of the Holy Quran, in his time. By imparting regularly the teaching of Fiqh and Hadeeth in Medina, Alqamah and Aswad were his chief disciples, from whom even the Companions of the Prophet used to obtain clarifications on some knotty religious problems. After the death of both of them, Ibrahim Nakhfi became an authority on Fiqh, his valuable contribution being the commencement of its compilation. He prepared a compendium, based on the Holy Quran, Hadeeth, and the rulings of Hadrat Ali and Abdullah bin Ma’sud on the subject, for the guidance of the posterity. After the death of Ibrahim Nakhfi, his chief disciple Hammad succeeded him.
8.3 Taaweel
‘Ulema-e-Islam have differed widely on the subject: whether or not Taaweel (differing interpretation) was permissible in the matter of the meanings of the Ayahs of the Holy Quran. According to the Ash’ari scholars, it was not permissible, either in the case of an Ayah or that of a Hadeeth; to describe the meanings of Quran according to its original wordings. The Imam of the Ash’ari sect, Abul Hasan Ashari, believed in God having a body, and accepted all Ahadeeth and the Quranic ayahs in their external and lexical meanings. Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal, too, had seldom accepted the Taaweel. But, both Imam Ghizali[64] and Imam Raazi allowed the Taaweel, provided that, their lexical and external meanings clashed with the exigencies of human intellect and reason. Allamah Ibn-Rushd, too, bore the same opinion.[65]
8.4 Apathy Towards the Holy Qur’an and Attachment to Ahadeeth
The abundance and easy availability of Jewish Isra’iliyat and Riwayaat (fables), the effects of the Greek and Iranian philosophies, and the undue application of taaweelat, made the Muslims apathetic towards the real aims and objects of the teachings of the Holy Quran; generally Islam was made a cobweb of unauthentic and un-Islamic beliefs and practices. Both the spirits of Jihad and Ijtihad became dormant, and a fossilistic and an immobile shape of the faith took its roots in the minds of Muslims. The separation of religion from politics, the abrogation of the institution of the Caliphate, and the Papal system of Pauline Christianity offered a very chaotic scene of the spiritual and mundane affairs before the Muslims.
8.5 Monasticism
The logical result of the separation of Islam from the political arena, led to the complete exclusion of the worldly matters from the spiritual ones. Consequently, the ‘Ulema and the Muslim mystics adopted a monastic conception, and by segregating religion from its social system; as the agency for human welfare, assumed it solely as the means for entering into paradise. That is why, merely the verbal recitation of the Holy Quran has been the general practice of the Muslims (seeking satisfaction from this pious exercise), with the result that, for over a thousand years, reflection, meditation and close consideration of the meanings of the Holy Book have been completely ignored. It is generally believed that, after Imam Azam Abu Hanifah[66], the practice of Ijtihad (analogical deduction) had dismayed permanently. The Muslims of the early centuries of Islam did not recite the Holy Quran merely for the acquisition of spiritual reward, nor did they recite it parrot-like; on the contrary, they used to think deeply on the meanings and objects of the particular Ayat. They paid great attention too, and did their utmost to follow, the teaching of the Holy Quran, which was the very object of their lives. Alas, the Holy Quran today is used mainly for charms and amulets and trade of Muslim conjurers is, nowadays, more flourishing and prosperous than it ever was of Bani Israil’s sorcerers and soothsayers.[67]
8.6 The Record of Hadeeth
As regards the recording of the Ahadeeth, according to Sahih Muslim (on the authority of Hadrat Abu-Saeed al-Khadri) the Prophet had instructed:
“Do not write down my ahadeeth. Whoever does so should erase them; instead, you should record and preserve the Holy Quran. However you can recite them orally, and relate them orally. Whoever speaks lies and attributes them to me, will find his place in hell.”
Nevertheless, it is said both of Hadrat Abu-Hurairah and Hadrat Abdullah bin Amru bin Aas (d.73 H/ 692 CE) that, whatever they heard the Prophet saying, they used to record it. In pursuance of the Prophets, aforementioned saying, when Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddiq noticed, during the Caliphate that, the unrestricted narrations were causing rifts and serious differences of opinion among the people, he forbade their citation and exhorted the people: “Do not relate freely the Ahadeeth; concentrate more on the Holy Quran.”
Hadrat Umar was more strict than Hadrat Abu Bakr in this respect and used to say that:
“Earlier peoples were destroyed, because they recorded the sayings of their respective prophets and depended on them, while they ignored and abandoned the Book of God.”
Therefore Hadrat Umar, for fear, lest the narrator of a Hadeeth may relate a false one and attribute it to the Prophet, frequently and strictly advised the Companions of the Prophet to restrain and be very careful in quoting Ahadeeth. He was so uncompromising in this matter, that, once he became ready to punish Ibn Abi- Ka’b, due to his narrations. He had once admonished, very strictly such prominent Companions of the Prophet, as were Hadrat Abdullah bin Ma’sud, Abu-Darda, and Abu-Dhar, for their practice of narrating freely, and had even restricted their movement outside Medina. He had also confiscated the written Ahadeeth, in the possession of the people and had them burnt. Hadrat Uthman too, followed Hadrat Umar in this respect. When anybody narrated a Hadeeth before Hadrat Ali, the latter submitted to him to be under an oath for the authenticity of the same. Hadrat Ali used to say often: “Do you want people to falsify God and his Prophet?”
According to Baihaqi, Imam Shafe’i had stated:
“According to knowledgeable people, correct and unadulterated ahadeeth are very few. It can be corroborated from the fact that, Hadrat Abu-Bakr Siddiq had narrated on 17 Ahadeeth of the Prophet, . Hadrat Umar bin Al Khattab had lived for quite a long time after the Prophet and he had not narrated even 50. The same can be said concerning Hadrat Uthman. Hadrat Ali, though not averse to the learning of the Ahadeeth by the people, yet he, too, had narrated a very few, unsure of their authenticity. The Ahadeeth, that Hadrat Ali had narrated, belonged to the periods of the Caliphates of Hadrat Umar and Hadrat Uthman.”[68]
8.7 Hadrat Abu-Hurairah
Among the Companions of the Prophet, the highest number of ‘Traditions’ were narrated by Hadrat Abu Hurairah. Though he had spent only three years in the company of the Prophet, he had narrated no less than 5,374 Hadeeth; a great number of which are not consonant with reason, rationality, intellect and the Prophet’s way of life. It does not mean, however, that he had fabricated them; rather, the fact is that the professional narrators of Ahadeeth often attributed their concocted Ahadeeth to the Sahabah, who were known for profusely narrating them, as Hadrat Abu-Hurairah, undoubtedly was. Thus, many unauthentic Ahadeeth have passed under his name. He narrated most of them after the death of Hadrat Umar, as he, once confessed to Abu- Salmah that he was then afraid of Hadrat Umar’s lashes.
There should be no confusion on this point, that, this apathy towards the Holy Quran and attachment to Ahadeeth is not applicable to the venerable Sahabah, the Tabi’een and the great imams and mujtahids of the Ummah.
|
Islam Resources 
