How to Approach Hadith

Dr. Jonathan Brown

Hadiths are Pieces of a Puzzle

1) They have to be authenticated–Ex. ‘Child born of zina…’–Ex. Oceans of fire & fire under

ocean–Beware what you read/hear!

2) Narrations vs. Traditions

Prophet

Abdallah bin Amr

Bashir bin Muslim

Bishr bin Abi Abdallah

Mutarrif bin Tarif

Ismail bin Zakariyya

Said bin Mansur

Sunan Abu Dawud

unknown

Layth bin Abi Sulaym

Mujahid bin Jabr

Al-Tahqiq of Ibn al-Jawzi

No one should travel by sea except those going for hajj, for umra or to

fight in God’s path. For beneath the sea is a fire, and beneath that

fire is a sea

No one should travel by sea except those going for hajj, for umra, or to fight in the

path of God

Ibn Umar

Nafi’

Umar bin Abd al-Rahman al-Abbar

Hasan bin ‘Arafa

Akhbar Makka of al-Fakihi

Khalid bin Abi Muslim

M. Bin Salih

ʿAlī b. ʿAbdallāh narrated to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Mahdī narrated to us, from Mālik b. Anas, from Makhrama b. Sulaymān, from Kurayb, from Ibn ʿAbbās (r_), who said, “I slept at the home of my aunt Maymūna. I said, ‘I want to watch the prayer of the Messenger of God (s).’ So a cushion was laid out for him, and the Messenger of God (s) slept on it lengthwise. And [he awoke at night, and] he started to wipe the sleep from his face and then read the last ten verses from Surat Al ʿImrān until he finished the chapter. Then he went to a water skin that was hung up and started performing his ablutions. Then he went to pray, so I got up and did as he did. Then I went and stood at his side. But the Messenger of God (s) placed his hand on my head and took my ear and started twisting it. Then he prayed two prayer units, then two more, then two more, then two more, then two more, then two more, and then he prayed just one unit.”- Sahih al-Bukhari: kitab al-tafsir, #4613

ʿAlī b. ʿAbdallāh narrated to us, saying: Ibn Mahdī narrated to us, from Sufyān, from Salama, from Kurayb, from Ibn ʿAbbās (r_), who said: I slept at the home of [my aunt] Maymūna, [a wife of the Prophet], and the Prophet (s) rose to relieve himself and then washed his face and

hands and then went to sleep again. Then he rose and went to the water skin, untying it and performing his

ablution a bit more than usual but not like doing it twice. Then he prayed, and I rushed over not wanting him to

think that I was hesitant [to pray and was just watching him]. And I performed my ablutions. Then he stood up in his prayer, so I went and stood at his left, but he took me

by the ear and turned me around to his right and then completed his prayers, thirteen cycles in all. Then he

went back to sleep until he snored. And he snored when he slept. Then Bilāl called him to [the dawn] prayer, and he prayed without performing his ablutions. And he used to say in his invocations [at night], “O God, make there

light in my heart and in my sight and in my hearing, light to my right and to my left, above me and below me, light

before me and behind me. Make there light for me.” – Sahih al-Bukhari: kitab al-da’awat, bab al-du’a idha

intabaha bi’l-layl

3) They have to be fit into a system–Ex. ‘I have been commanded to

fight the people until they say…’•Sahih Hadith•But the Quran’s verse on jizya…•… and the Prophet’s precedent•Other narrations?

–Ex. Women as bad omens?

Nature of Prophetic Speech

• Hyperbolic

• ‘Filters’ for interpreting Hadiths:

1) Severity means discouragement

• Ex. Passing in front of you in prayer…• Ex. Burning down the house…

Ismāʿīl narrated to us, saying: Mālik narrated to me, from Abū al-Zinād, from al-Aʿraj, from Abū Hurayra (r_) that the Messenger of God (s) said, “By the one who holds my soul in His hand, indeed I would like to order firewood gathered and then issue the command of prayer and then command a man to lead the people in prayer. Then I would follow up on those men [who were not present] and burn down their houses on top of them. By the one who holds my soul in His hand, if any of you knew that he would find a fatty bone or two tender legs he would be present at dinner.” - Sahih al-Bukhari: kitab al-Ahkam, bab 53

2) Laysa minna…. It’s not what Muslims should do:• Ex. Cheaters as kuffar?

3) There’s Kufr and then there’s KUFR

4) No one believes… completely

5) No one enters Heaven… immediately

• Not a science teacher!–Ex. Prostration of the sun

Questions?