Maybe you misunderstood

By MT Webmaster On Nov 16, 2013

Some readers did not get what I said and thought that I claimed Dr Asri has debunked the Hadith (or that I used Dr Asri’s statement to debunk the Hadith). Actually, I said no such thing if you can understand English, and hence also understand what I wrote.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

In my article, ‘As I was saying…’ I said:

Whatever it may be, Dr Asri has pointed out that much of the Malay beliefs regarding Islam are distorted and misguided. Today, Dr Asri talks about Ashura and the Sunni-Shia schism. However, these are not the only two things that are wrong. There are many more issues, some of which I have talked about in the past.

Muslims need to re-evaluate their beliefs. Not all are correct and much has been twisted over more than 1,000 years to suit various political agendas through the ages. Even the 700,000 Hadith have been whittled down to less than 7,000. That comes to less than 1%. Even then, if you consider the overlaps or repeats, you will end up with less than 5,000 Hadith or just 0.7%. And some Islamic sects accept only 500 or reject all totally.

It is believed that much of the Hadith were created by ‘spin-doctors’ during the time of the Muslim divide and civil wars. Hence many are suspect. And the Hadith is very important because while the Muslims may be united when it comes to the Quran, it is the Hadith that divides them. And it is the Hadith that makes Muslims do what the Quran forbids them from doing.

Hence the issue of Hadith cannot be ignored.

That, of course, is my personal view on the matter and most likely 99% of the Malays-Muslims will disagree with me. But then that is what makes me a maverick, is this not so?

One reader argued that it is compulsory to believe in the Hadith (or accept the Hadith) or else one would not be able to understand the Quran because the Hadith explains the Quran.

First of all, are they saying that the Quran is an incomprehensible book? In that case, the claim by the Quran itself that it is a complete book would become disputable.

Secondly, the Hadith explains only 28 of the 114 chapters of the Quran — or just 25%. And even then not the entire chapter but just a portion of the chapter. Hence if we need the Hadith to be able to comprehend the Quran that would mean a large portion of the Quran would remain incomprehensible.

Okay, if the Hadith helps explain the Quran then maybe you can enlighten us on which chapter of the Quran the following Hadith helps explain. And these are merely a handful of the roughly 7,000 ‘approved’ Hadith.

Narrated AbuSa’id al-Khudri: The people asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): Can we perform ablution out of the well of Buda’ah, which is a well into which menstrual clothes, dead dogs and stinking things were thrown? He replied: Water is pure and is not defiled by anything. (Abu Dawud 1:66)

The Prophet said, “Fever is from the heat of Hell, so abate fever with water.” (Sahih Bukhari 7:71:621)

Waqidi said: “The prophet of Allah used to say that I was among those who have little strength for intercourse. Then Allah sent me a pot with cooked meat. After I ate from it, I found strength any time I wanted to do the work.” (Ibn Sa’d’s Kitab Tabaqat Al-Kubra, Volume 8, Page 200)

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle said, “None of you should walk, wearing one shoe only; he should either put on both shoes or put on no shoes whatsoever.” (Sahih Bukhari 7:72:746)

“When the Prophet went to her he found her to be an old woman, so he divorced her.” (al-Tabari vol.9 p.139)

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said “If a house fly falls in the drink of anyone of you, he should dip it (in the drink), for one of its wings has a disease and the other has the cure for the disease.” (Sahih Bukhari 4:54:537)

Abu Huraira reported that Moses was a modest person. He was never seen naked and Banu Isra’iI said: (He was afraid to expose his private part) because he had been suffering from scrotal hernia. He (one day) took bath in water and placed his garments upon a stone. The stone began to move on quickly. He followed that and struck it with the help of a stone (saying): O stone, my garment; O stone, my garments, O stone….. (Sahih Muslim 30:5850)

Narrated Abu Said: A man came to the prophet and said, ‘My brother has got loose motions. The Prophet said, Let him drink honey.” The man again (came) and said, ‘I made him drink (honey) but that made him worse.’ The Prophet said, ‘Allah has said the Truth, and the abdomen of your brother has told a lie.” (Sahih Bukhari 7:71:614)

Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas: The Prophet said, ‘When you eat, do not wipe your hands till you have licked it, or had it licked by somebody else.” (Sahih Bukhari 7:65:366)

Narrated Abu Huraira: Abul Qasim said, “If any person peeps at you without your permission and you poke him with a stick and injure his eye, you will not be blamed.” (Sahih Bukhari 9:83:39)

Abu Huraira reported: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) said. When any one of you awakes up from sleep and performs ablution, he must clean his nose three times, for the devil spends the night in the interior of his nose. (Sahih Muslim 2:462)