Investigation and Analysis: The Quran Alone

Investigation and Analysis: The Quran Alone

Does the Quran Authorize Using Hadiths for Islamic Law?

There are two commonly recognized sources of law in Islam: the Quran (the central text) and the Hadith (sayings of the prophet Muhammad). Muslims believe that because the prophet cannot make his own religious laws, every single word spoken by him was divinely inspired by God, such that his speech is treated as a revelation from God outside the Quran.

Syed Waqas, the author of the research paper Revisiting Hadith Problem: Implications of Forged Hadith in a Post-Sharia World stated regarding the hierarchy of Islamic law: “The religious architecture of Islamic faith puts the Qur’an in the foundation and the entire superstructure gets defined through lens of the Qur’anic bedrock.”

So what if it can be argued that the Quran forbids the use of Hadith and Sunnah as a source of religious and Islamic law?

Quran’s Guarantee: Having the Details and Clarification of Everything, and All of God’s Religious Judgements

The Quran says in verses 37:156-157, which says that if someone makes a claim about God, then they need to be able to justify it with clear and obvious authority from scripture.

The Quran also guarantees that it has all of the details and clarification of everything needed for guidance and how to practice Islam:

[12:111] … It (Quran) has not been a fabricated hadith, but instead, it is the affirmation of that which is before you, the detailing of everything, and a guidance and mercy for people who believe.

[16:89] …And We have brought the Book down to you as clarification for everything, as well as guidance, mercy, and good news for the Muslims.

The Quran also says in verse 6:114 that there is no need to seek someone other than God as a judge for religious matters because God is the only judge, and all of God’s judgements are found inside the detailed Quran:

  • [6:114] “So shall I seek other than God as a judge, while He is the one who has brought down to you the detailed Book?”…

So according to the above verses (12:111 and 16:89), the Quran is complete and has all the detail of everything one needs to be guided and receive the mercy of God, without anything left out.

God furthermore declares that all of His judgements for us regarding religious matters are found inside the Quran in verse 6:114.

This also means that if anything outside the Quran is used as a source of Islamic or religious law, there must be specific evidence that the Quran gives permission for the Muslims to do this.

For example, if someone wants to claim that Harry Potter books are a source of Islamic law besides the Quran, he must provide evidence that the Quran allows using Harry Potter books as a source of Islamic law, because the Quran is the ultimate judge of all matters regarding the religion (verse 6:114), and has all the details about how to practice Islam with nothing left out (verse 12:111, 16:89).

  • If he cannot provide proof that the Quran allows following Harry Potter books to be part of Islamic law (also known as Sharia in Arabic), then his claim is incorrect.

It is the same with Hadith and Sunnah. If a person wants to claim that Hadith and Sunnah are a valid source of Islamic law, they must provide evidence that the Quran permits or authorizes following Hadith and Sunnah, otherwise their claim is incorrect. That is because if the Quran has all the details, and if the Hadiths are a valid source of Islamic law, then the Quran must have at least one detail commanding Muslims to follow Hadiths.

So the purpose of this investigation is to look through the entire Quran and see if there are any details in the Quran that command Muslims to follow a second source of Islamic law besides the Quran.

  • If no such details or rulings can be found in the Quran, then the logical conclusion would be that Hadith and Sunnah are not permitted to be used as a source of Islamic law at all.

The Investigation Begins

To begin with, the Quran has hundreds of verses instructing Muslims to follow it as a source of religious law. But are there any verses in the Quran that instruct to follow Hadiths and Sunnah?

Many Muslims believe that the Quranic command to obey the messenger is the justification to follow Hadiths as a source of Islamic law. Let us analyze what obedience to the messenger actually means.

[3:32] Say, “Obey God and the messenger.” But if they turn away, then indeed, God does not like the disbelievers.

The Quran says that God is the only one authorized to make Islamic law (according to verse 6:114 and 42:21). We also know that the prophet was told to say that he only followed what was revealed to him, in multiple verses (6:50, 7:203, 10:15, etc.).

Therefore, obedience to the messenger in the Quran means obeying only whatever the messenger received from God.

  • [6:114] “So shall I seek other than God as a judge, while He is the one who has brought down to you the Book which is detailed?”…
  • [42:21] Or are there partners for them who have legislated for them of the religion what God has not given permission for?…

If hypothetically the prophet commanded all people to wear red hats, and this command was not a revelation from God but from the prophet’s own self, then no one would be obligated to obey his command to wear red hats because the prophet does not make the rules in the religion, that is the job of God.

But if the command to wear the red hat came from God, then it is a command people would be required to obey.

So the question is: what did the prophet Muhammad receive from God as sources of Islamic law?

  • If the prophet only received the Quran, then obedience to the messenger means obeying the Quran only.
  • If he received the Quran + Sunnah, then obeying the messenger would mean obeying the Quran and Sunnah.
  • If he received Quran + Harry Potter books, then obeying the messenger would mean obeying the Quran and Harry Potter books.

So the interpretation of “obey the messenger” changes depending on what exactly the messenger received from God. The command to obey the messenger, by itself, does not specify exactly what we are obeying from the messenger.

The Quran has all the details we need to learn how to practice Islam and be guided. Therefore, the answer to the question of “what revelations did the prophet receive” are found somewhere in the Quran.

The same issue applies to the command in the Quran to follow the prophet:

  • The Quran instructs the prophet multiple times to say, “I follow nothing but what is revealed to me.” (verse 10:16 and others)
  • Therefore, following the prophet only means following what was revealed to him.
  • The question now is: what was revealed to the prophet Muhammad? Was it the Quran only? Was the Quran + Sunnah revealed to him? Or was the Quran + Harry Potter books revealed to him?
  • If the Quran has the details of everything (according to verse 12:111 and 16:89) and all of God’s judgements for Muslims in the religion (6:114), then the answer to this question is found in the Quran.
  • So we have to look somewhere else in the Quran to find out exactly what was revealed to him, in order to interpret the command to follow the prophet.

What Do Verses 53:3 and 53:4 Mean?

Verses 53:3-4 is another pair of verses that are typically used to justify following Hadith and Sunnah. Those two verses state that the prophet is not speaking from personal desire only when he is reciting and conveying a revelation known as “it”.

[53:3-4] And he does not speak from the desire. It is not but a revelation that is revealed.

The key word in this verse is “it”. Verses 53:3-4 say that he is not speaking from personal desire when conveying a revelation known as “it”. So what does the word “it” mean in this verse?

The word “it” in verse 53:4 can include anything that the prophet received from God. If he received something from God, then it is revelation, and the prophet is not talking from personal desire when reciting and conveying that thing.

So once again, the question is: what was revealed to the prophet Muhammad from God?

It is generally assumed that the word “it” in verse 53:4 as the prophet’s speech and actions, alleging that his speech and actions regarding all religious matters were revelation from God. However:

  • If the prophet was given the Quran as revelation, then the word “it” refers to the Quran.
  • If the prophet was given Harry Potter books as revelation, then “it” refers to Harry Potter books.
  • If the prophet was given his speech and actions as revelation besides the Quran, then “it” refers to his speech and actions.

So to find out exactly what revelations was given to the prophet, and thus find out what “it” means in verse 53:3-4, we have to look somewhere else in the fully-detailed Quran for a verse that specifically gives us the answer.

The Quran has many verses saying that the Quran is a revelation given to the prophet, but are there any verses saying that a second source of law besides the Quran was revelation given to the prophet?

  • If so, then the word “it” in verse 53:4 includes Hadith and Sunnah.
  • But if not, then the word “it” in verse 53:4 does not include Hadith and Sunnah.

But verses 53:3-4 cannot by themselves tell us whether Hadith and Sunnah is a part of Islamic law or not. These verses by themselves are not specific enough to be able to make that conclusion.

Also, we can be absolutely sure that the word “it” in verse 53:4 is not referring to the prophet’s speech and actions regarding matters related to Islam. The prophet Muhammad was reprimanded multiple times in the Quran for mistakes that he made. Here are some examples:

  • The prophet prohibiting something God didn’t prohibit. (verse 66:1)
  • The prophet too distracted with a rich man and turned away from a blind man who asked for his guidance. (80:1-11)
  • The prophet took prisoners of war before defeating the enemy in battle. (8:67-68)

Not only that, but according to verse 33:37, God ordered the prophet Muhammad to announce that God chose the prophet to marry Zaynab, the wife of his adopted son Zaid.

  • But this verse says that due to his cowardice, the prophet not only kept this information hidden inside himself, but he even told Zaid to keep his wife Zaynab to himself even though God’s order was to tell Zaid that he has do the opposite. Thus, God rebukes the prophet for fearing the people when God is more worthy of being feared.

So, it is quite obvious that if all of the prophet’s speech and actions regarding religious matters was divine revelation, then he would not have made those mistakes.

Thus, this is concrete proof that the word “it” in verse 53:4 certainly cannot mean all of the prophet’s speech and actions.

Unless there is a verse in the fully detailed Quran saying that a second source of religious law besides the Quran was revealed to the prophet, the word “it” in 53:4 refers to the Quran, and the correct interpretation of 53:3-4 is that the prophet is not speaking from personal desire when reciting the Quran that was revealed to him.

Revelations Outside the Quran

The Quran documents several instances where the prophet received some revelation outside the Quran. In verse 66:3, the prophet told one of his wives to keep a secret, but she told another of his wives the secret and God revealed to him outside the Quran that she failed to keep the secret.

Another example is when God told Muhammad via revelation outside the Quran to marry the wife of his adopted son Zaid, according to verse 33:37.

However, all of those revelations outside the Quran that were mentioned in the Quran applied only to the prophet and some of his companions (such as wives), but not to all Muslims universally for all time, present and future.

Those revelations were all situational revelations, specific to the prophet’s personal life circumstances, rather than revelations for the entire Muslim community, present and future.

The Mothers of Moses and Jesus

The mothers of Moses (Musa in Arabic) and Jesus (Isa in Arabic) were given situational revelation outside scripture about their children.

Moses’ mom was told by God to put Moses in a bucket and put the bucket in the river.

Maryam was told by God that she would give birth to a boy as a virgin, and also to eat dates and drink from a stream during her pregnancy and avoid talking to any human being for a period of time.

Those revelations were specific only to the life circumstances of Maryam and the mother of Moses.

So does this automatically mean that God gave these two women a source of law for Jews and Christians besides the Torah and Injeel?

Was this a clear permission for Jews and Christians to follow the Hadith and Sunnah of Maryam and the mother of Moses as a source of religious law besides the Torah and Injeel (Gospel)?

That is obviously not the case.

It is the same with the prophet Muhammad, the situational revelations he received that applied only to his life circumstances is not a clear permission from the Quran to follow a second source of law besides the Quran.

What is Scripture (Kitab) and Wisdom (Hikmah)?

The Quran says that the prophet was given the scripture (kitab) and wisdom (hikmah) in multiple verses. The majority opinion is that scripture refers to the Quran, and wisdom (hikmah) refers to Hadith/Sunnah.

However, the Quran in verse 2:231 states that the scripture (kitab) and wisdom (hikmah) is one item, rather than two separate things:

[2:231] … Remember God’s blessings upon you and what He has brought down upo n you of the Scripture and the wisdom; He advises you ‘bihi‘ (with it)…

As you can see, the word “bihi” means “with it”. If the scripture and the wisdom were two different things, the dual pronoun “bihima” (with both of them) would have been used. In Arabic, the pronouns “huma” and “hima” are used to refer to two separate nouns. But the fact that “bihi” was used here instead of “bihima” proves that the scripture (kitab) and wisdom (hikmah) refers to only one thing, the Quran.

This is further proved by the fact that verse 36:2 calls the Quran “the wise Quran” (al-Quran al-hakim). So the argument that “hikmah” refers to Hadiths does not have Quranic basis.

  • [36:2] By the wise Quran.

Does Being the Quran’s Teacher Authorize Hadith and Sunnah?

Another potential candidate is verse 2:151. An argument that I have heard in a lecture at a mosque in 2025 is that since Muhammad was appointed as the teacher of the Quran, one must follow his Hadiths, since God would never appoint an imperfect teacher to teach His message.

[2:151] As We sent amongst you a messenger from you who recites to you Our revelations, purifies you, teaches you the Scripture and the wisdom, and teaches you what you did not used to know.

However, the idea that God would never appoint an imperfect teacher to teach the Quran is just an opinion. There is no proof in the Quran to support this opinion.

In fact, the Quran states that God made a covenant with the People of the Book that they must clarify and explain the scripture, and be Rabbis by teaching and studying the scripture, and not conceal it. But they (whom God appointed as teachers and rabbis) failed to uphold their part of this covenant. This is further confirmation that God’s appointed teachers are not guaranteed perfection.

  • [3:187] And when God took the covenant of the ones who were given the Book, “Indeed, you must clarify it for the people, and do not conceal it.” But they threw the Book behind their backs and exchanged it for a cheap price. Thus, wretched has been what they purchase.
  • [3:79] It has not been for any human being to whom God gave the Book, the wisdom, and the prophethood to then say to the people, “Be worshippers of me, aside from God.” But instead, “Be Rabbis, in accordance with what you have been teaching of the Book, and in accordance with what you have been studying.”
  • [5:44] Indeed, We revealed the Torah, in which is guidance and light. The prophets who have submitted to God judge by it for the Jews, as well as the Rabbis and the scholars, by what they were entrusted of the Book…

Moreover, God does whatever He wills, so if God wants to appoint an imperfect teacher to teach the Quran, then it is not something a Muslim should have any problem with.

There are many valid reasons to make prophet Muhammad an imperfect teacher.

  • One is to test whether people will reject him because he is a human who makes mistakes.
  • And another valid reason is to test whether people will go the opposite direction and idolize an imperfect man and overlook his imperfections, simply due to his status as prophet.
  • Jesus, after all, was only a human prophet according to the Quran, but the Quran states that he became idolized to such an extent that Christians consider him to be God Himself.

Therefore, unless God clearly indicated that He will never appoint someone imperfect to teach His messages, we cannot make the assumption without evidence from the Quran that any person whom God appoints is 100% perfect in his understanding or interpretation of the message.

The prophet was told to say that he is a human like everyone else (18:110), thus while he is infallible in conveying the revelation word for word, the Quran never says that the prophet does not make mistakes regarding how to understand the meaning or interpretation of the revelation.

What Does Verse 59:7 Mean?

There is a quote from verse 59:7 which says, “And thus, take what the messenger gives you, and desist from what he forbids you.” This quote is often used to justify following Hadith and Sunnah, but it is typically clipped out of context from the rest of the verse.

When the whole verse is read, it becomes clear that this instruction only applies to the distribution of the spoils of war. This verse only placed the prophet in charge of distributing the spoils of war after a battle against the “people of the towns”, thus the people with him at the time were instructed to accept whatever distribution of the spoils the prophet said and abstain from whatever the prophet said not to take from the spoils of war.

[59:7] What God reverted upon His messenger from the people of the towns is thus for God and His messenger, and for the relative, the orphans, the needy, and the wayfarer, so that it may not circulate between the rich among you. And you shall thus take what messenger gives you, and desist from what forbids you, and revere God. Indeed, God is Strong in Penalty.

So it is abundantly clear that at least in 59:7, taking what the messenger gives only refers to taking the spoils of war and nothing else.

What Does Verse 4:65 Mean?

Verse 4:65 states that one is not a believer unless they let the prophet judge their disputes and accept the judgement of the prophet. So this is used by many as a justification for Hadith and Sunnah.

However, when the prophet is judging the disputes or disagreements of others, what is he supposed to use to make his judgements? The prophet is not a lawmaker in Islam in his own right, so he is supposed to base his judgements upon revelation from God, of course. This is a concept that is well-understood by Sunnis.

So the question is, what revelations should the prophet base his judgements on? Should the prophet make his judgements based on the Quran alone, or the Quran and some other form of revelation?

The Quran in multiple places only commands the prophet to make judgement between the people with the Quran. The Quran does not mention any other item or revelation for the prophet to judge all people with.

If there was another source or form of revelation besides the Quran that the prophet is authorized to use for judging the people’s disputes, the Quran would have mentioned it, because it has all the details needed to practice Islam, with nothing left out of it (verses 12:111, 16:89).

[5:48] And We brought down to you the Book (Quran) with the truth… So judge between them by what God has brought down…

[4:105] Indeed, We have brought down to you the Book (Quran) with the truth, so that you may judge between the people with what God has shown you…

So the command to let the prophet judge the people’s disputes does not authorize following Hadith and Sunnah if the fully-detailed Quran only tells him to judge the people in accordance with the Quran, without mentioning any other source.

What Does Verse 33:21 Mean?

Verse 33:21 states that the prophet Muhammad is a “good example” (uswatun hasanah) for the believers. Does this mean he was given a second source of Islamic law besides the Quran?

[33:21] Certainly, there has been a good example for you in God’s messenger for whoever has expected God and the Last Day, and remembered God much.

However, the Quran also says that prophet Abraham and his followers who were with him are a good example (uswatun hasanah) for the believers too. Does this mean Muslims are supposed to follow the Hadith and Sunnah of Abraham, as well as the Hadith and Sunnah of his companions? That is definitely not the case.

[60:4] Certainly, there has been a good example for you in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people, “Indeed, we are innocent of you and what you worship besides God. We have disbelieved in you, and animosity and hatred have appeared between us and you forever, until you believe in God alone.”

[60:6] Certainly, there has definitely for you a good example in them (Abraham and his people) for whoever has expected God and the Last Day…

The truth is that when the Quran says these people are a “good example” for us, it means they a good example in regards specific actions. In the case of Abraham and his people, they are a good example for how they denounced the idol-worship of their people.

In the case of prophet Muhammad, the first 30 verses of Surah 33 are largely about the battle between the believers and the confederates (al-Ahzab). So the prophet is a good example for his courage and reliance on God alone, and remembrance of God during such dangerous and stressful situations.

Neither of these verses tell us to imitate everything that the prophets Abraham and Muhammad did, or follow the Hadith and Sunnah of Abraham and his companions, or the Hadith and Sunnah of Muhammad, or take another source of Islamic law besides the Quran.

The Results of the Investigation

God makes a guarantee in the Quran that it contains all the details and clarifications about how to practice the religion of Islam, without any information left out (verses 12:111 and 16:89).

God also makes a second guarantee in verse 6:114 that He is the only judge and that all of His judgements regarding how to practice Islam are found inside the detailed Quran.

This is why if there was a second source of Islamic law besides the Quran, there would have to be at least one detail or judgement in the Quran authorizing to follow it. If no detail or judgement in the Quran exists to authorize another source of Islamic law besides the Quran, that means the Quran is supposed to be followed alone, as the only source of religious law in Islam.

Hence, the investigation was done to determine if any Quranic verse exist that authorize following any other source of Islamic law after the Quran.

The results of the investigation found that no verse in the Quran exists that authorizes Muslims to follow another source of law in Islam besides the Quran.

In contrast, hundreds of verses exist in the Quran that explicitly commands Muslims to follow the Quran.

So if the Quran has all the details, and there exists no verses whatsoever instructing Muslims to follow other sources of law besides the Quran, the conclusion is that Hadith and Sunnah are not a valid source of religious law in Islam.

We are thus left with the logical conclusion that the Quran alone is where Islamic law comes from, not Hadith/Sunnah, Gordon Ramsay cookbooks, Harry Potter books, Bill Nye the Science Guy, nor any other source that the Quran did not provide clear authorization for.

Contradictions in Hadiths

Verse 4:82 is well-known for having set the criteria that if something has many contradictions inside it, then it cannot be from God.

[4:82] So will they not reflect upon the Quran? But if it were from other than God, they definitely would have found in it much contradiction.

The presence of many contradictions in even Sahih (scholarly authenticated) Hadiths proves that such narrations could not have originated from God as divine revelation, according to the rule in verse 4:82.

Also, the Quran only provides a guarantee of preservation for itself and nothing else. If the Hadiths/Sunnah had the same status and importance as the Quran in Islamic law, then why would the Quran not include a guarantee to preserve Hadiths? Why include one of them, but not the other, if both are of equal importance for Islamic guidance? Selectively preserving one while leaving the other one unguarded undermines the claim of equal status.

  • [15:9] Indeed, We have sent down the Reminder (Quran), and indeed, We are definitely its Guardians.
  • [41:42] Falsehood will not come to it (Quran) from before it or behind it. It is a transmission from the Wise, the Praiseworthy.

In fact, the many contradictions involving Sahih Hadiths in the upcoming section are proof that the Sahih Hadiths were not guaranteed protection from corruption.

If there was a second source of law in Islam besides the Quran, it would be free of contradictions and would have a Quranic guarantee of preservation, but the Hadith and Sunna do not meet either of these criteria.

Contradictions Between Quran and Hadith

Stoning Adulterers to Death

According to verse 4:25, the punishment for married slave women who commit adultery is half of the punishment for free women (i.e. 50 lashes rather than the
100 lashes prescribed in the Quran).

But according to multiple Hadiths, such as Sahih Muslim number 1690, the punishment for the married people who commit adultery is 100 lashes and stoning to death.

You can cut 100 lashes in half, but how do you cut a death penalty in half for a slave woman? You cannot, so stoning to death for adultery contradicts the Quran.

Can Muhammad Take Anyone Out of the Hellfire?

The Quran says that the prophet cannot take anyone out of Hell.

  • [39:19] So is he upon whom the word of the punishment became due? Then can you (Muhammad) rescue whomever is in the Fire?

But certain Hadiths say that the prophet will on Judgement will be able to rescue people who are in Hell.

  • Narrated `Imran bin Husain: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Some people will be taken out of the Fire through the intercession of Muhammad they will enter Paradise and will be called Al-Jahannamiyin (the Hell Fire people). (Bukhari, no. 6566)
  • Narrated Hammad from `Amr from Jabir: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Some people will come out of the Fire through intercession looking like The Thaarir.” I asked `Amr, “What is the Thaarir?” He said, Ad-Daghabis, and at that time he was toothless. Hammad added: I said to `Amr bin Dinar, “O Abu Muhammad! Did you hear Jabir bin `Abdullah saying, ‘I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying: ‘Some people will come out of the Fire through intercession?” He said, “Yes.” (Bukhari, no. 6558)
  • Narrated Ma`bad bin Hilal Al-`Anzi: … Then He (Allah) will say, ‘Go (O Muhammad) and take out (all those) in whose hearts there is faith even to the lightest, lightest mustard seed. (Take them) out of the Fire.’ I (Muhammad) will go and do so… (Bukhari, no. 7510)

There Will Be No Intercession, and God is the Only Intercessor? Or Will Muhammad Be an Intercessor?

The Quran teaches that during Judgement Day, no one will benefit from trade, friendship, or intercession whatsoever, without exceptions.

  • [2:254] O you who have believed, spend from what We have provided you, before a day comes in which there is neither any trade, nor friendship, nor intercession. And the disbelievers are the wrongdoers.

The Quran says that God alone is the only intercessor for any person, and that all intercession belongs to God alone. No one else’s intercession can benefit anyone aside from God’s intercession.

  • [6:51] And warn with it the ones who are in awe that they will be summoned to their Lord. There will not be any ally for them aside from Him, nor intercessor. Perhaps they may be reverent.
  • [39:43-44] Or have they taken intercessors aside from God? Say, “Even if they neither own anything, nor do they understand?” Say, “To God belongs the intercession altogether.” To Him belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, and to Him you will be returned.

As you can see, the Quran does not command the prophet to say, “I will be your intercessor.”

The Quran commands the prophet to say instead, “To God belongs all intercession,” and to say that God alone is the intercessor.

The idea that the intercession of prophet Muhammad will save someone from the Hellfire contradicts the Quran if it says intercession will benefit anyone on Judgement Day (2:254), and that only God (not any human) is the intercessor.

In fact, the Quran says that intercession cannot benefit anyone except if done on behalf of those whom God already approved. But if God approved them to begin with, then those people do not even need anybody to intercede on behalf of them at all because they have God’s approval already.

  • [21:28] He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they cannot intercede except on behalf of whomever He approved. And they are in awe, from awe of Him.

That means you might try to intercede with God on behalf of your parents on Judgement Day, saying, “Oh God, please save my mother and father!” But if God never approved of your parents to begin with, then nobody’s intercession (including yours) can save them.

  • But if your parents were righteous and approved by God, then He will by default accept your intercession because He already planned to put them in Heaven in the first place.
  • Thus, verse 21:28 shows that the intercession of any person cannot save someone from Hell, if intercession can be beneficial if done on behalf of those whom God already approved.

But there are Hadiths stating that on Judgement Day, Muhammad will have the authority to be an intercessor for those among the Muslims who committed major sins and bring them out from the Hellfire after they were already put in. The people who managed to be taken out of the Hellfire through Muhammad’s intercession will be known as “al-Jahannamiyeen” (Hell-people).

  • Narrated `Imran bin Husain: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Some people will be taken out of the Fire through the intercession of Muhammad they will enter Paradise and will be called Al-Jahannamiyin (the Hell Fire people). (Bukhari, no. 6566)
  • Narrated Hammad from `Amr from Jabir: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Some people will come out of the Fire through intercession looking like The Thaarir.” I asked `Amr, “What is the Thaarir?” He said, Ad-Daghabis, and at that time he was toothless. Hammad added: I said to `Amr bin Dinar, “O Abu Muhammad! Did you hear Jabir bin `Abdullah saying, ‘I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying: ‘Some people will come out of the Fire through intercession?” He said, “Yes.” (Bukhari, no. 6558)
  • Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: I shall be pre-eminent amongst the descendants of Adam on the Day of Resurrection and I will be the first intercessor and the first whose intercession will be accepted (by Allah). (Muslim, no. 2278)
  • Narrated Anas ibn Malik: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: My intercession will be for those of my people who have committed major sins. (Sunan Abi Dawud, 4739)

Killing the Apostates

Apostates are those who abandon one religion in favor of another. For example, a Christian who becomes an atheist, or a Muslim who becomes a Hindu, is an apostate.

The Quran forbids any compulsion or forcing in the religion. That means a person cannot be forced by anyone to be Muslim or non-Muslim.

In fact, God in the Quran mentions those who leave Islam in several verses, but does not tell people to kill them. The Quran says that the punishment for leaving Islam is up to God, who will carry out the punishment. The Quran never tells the Muslims to kill them or sentence them to death.

Yet multiple Hadiths command to kill any person who has left the religion of Islam, and converted from Muslim to non-Muslim.

If you are threatened with your life for leaving Islam, then this is one of the highest possible forms of compulsion or forcing in the religion, so this is a very clear contradiction with the Quran:

[2:256] There is no compulsion in the religion…

[18:29] Say, “The truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills, let him believe, and whoever wills, let him disbelieve.”…

[10:99] And if your Lord willed, those who are in the earth would definitely have believed, all of them together. So will you force the people until they become believers?

[109:1-6] Say, “O disbelievers…For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.”

[3:86-88] How would God guide people who disbelieved after their faith (apostates), while they witnessed that the messenger is true, and clear proofs had come to them? But God does not guide the people of the wrongdoers. The punishment of those (apostates) is that God’s curse would be upon them, as well as the angels, and the people altogether…

[9:74] .. So if they (apostates) repent, it is better for them. But if they turn away, God will punish them with a painful punishment in the World and the Hereafter…

Abdullah ibn Masud reported Allah’s Messenger as saying, “It is not permissible to take the life of a Muslim who bears testimony to the fact that there is no god but Allah, and I am the Messenger of Allah, but in one of the three cases: the married adulterer, a life for a life, and those who leave his religion (Islam), abandoning the community.” (Sahih Muslim, No. 1676)

Narrated ‘Ikrima: Some atheists were brought to ‘Ali and he burnt them. The news of this event, reached Ibn ‘Abbas who said, “If I had been in his place, I would not have burnt them, as Allah’s Apostle forbade it, saying, ‘Do not punish anybody with Allah’s punishment (fire).’ I would have killed them according to the statement of Allah’s Apostle, ‘Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.‘” (Bukhari, Vol. 9, Book 84, Number 57)

Making Du’a (Prayer/Supplication) to Someone Besides God

The Quran says not to make “dua” (invocation or prayer) anyone besides God.

  • [72:18] And that the masjids are for God, so do not invoke anyone else besides God.

But there is a shocking Sahih hadith in which the prophet tells a blind person to make a du’a to both him and to God! This Hadith is graded as Sahih by Darussalam.

  • It was narrated from ‘Uthman bin Hunaif that a blind man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: “Pray to Allah to heal me.” He said: “If you wish to store your reward for the Hereafter, that is better, or if you wish, I will supplicate for you.” He said: “Supplicate.” So he told him to perform ablution and do it well, and to pray two Rak’ah, and to say this supplication: “Allahumma inni as’aluka wa atawajjahu ilaika bimuhammadin nabiyyir-rahmah. Ya Muhammadu inni qad tawajjahtu bika ila rabbi fi hajati hadhihi lituqda. Allahumma fashaffi’hu fiya (O Allah, I ask of You and I turn my face towards You by virtue of the intercession of Muhammad the Prophet of mercy. O Muhammad, I have turned to my Lord by virtue of your intercession concerning this need of mine so that it may be met. O Allah, accept his intercession concerning me)”. (Sunan Ibn Majah, 1385)

Coincidentally, one of the ways that Muslims commonly violate 72:18 is that before the end of the daily Salat, they make a prayer known as the “Tashahud”, and in the Tashahud one of the sentences are, “Assalamu alayka ayyuhan nabiyyu, wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh (Peace be upon you, O prophet, as well as God’s blessings and His mercy).”

  • That means during a state of deep devotion to God (Salat prayers) they are directly talking to the prophet Muhammad. It’s like when you intentionally answer a phone call from your mom or dad while in a state of Salat and talk to them during Salat.
  • Talking to God while in a state of worship is making “dua” (prayer) to God, but if one talks to the prophet Muhammad or anyone else during a state of worship such as Salat, then they are making du’a to that person, which the Quran forbade.

Punishing One Man for the Sins of Another

The Quran says that a person will not bear the burden of another person, even if both people are relatives. The Quran also states that every person will only benefit from his own efforts.

But one Hadith states that Adam’s son (a very distant relative) bears some of the burden of people who commit murder, a clear contradiction with the Quran.

Also, there is another shocking Hadith saying that on the day of judgement, some Muslims will have sins as high as the mountains, and those sins will be transferred to the Jews and Christians. This clearly contradicts the Quran’s guarantee that no person bears the burden of another.

Narrated ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud: that the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “No soul is wrongfully taken except that some of the burden of its blood is upon the son of Adam, because he was the first to institute murder.” (Tirmidhi, no. 2673, graded Sahih)

Narrated from Abu Moosa (may Allaah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who said: “On the Day of Resurrection, some of the Muslims will come with sins like mountains, but Allaah will forgive them and will put them (the sins) onto the Jews and Christians.” (Muslim, number 2767)

[35:18] And no burden-bearer bears the burden of another, and if one who is weighed down calls upon to its carriage, not anything of it will be carried, even if he were a relative…

[53:38] That no burden-bearer bears the burden of another, and that for the human being is not but how he made effort.

Forbidden Foods

The Quran tells the prophet to state that he does not find, in anything that was revealed to him, any forbidden (haram) food except four things: carrion, blood, pork, and things sacrificed in the name of someone other than God.

Yet multiple Hadiths forbid other foods besides those four foods. Those include donkeys, animals with fangs, and birds that have talons.

But if the prophet was told to say he didn’t find in any revelations (wahy) given to him anything forbidden except those four foods, then those Hadiths are clearly not revelations from God.

[6:145] Say, “I do not find in what has been revealed to me that which is prohibited upon an eater who eats it, except if it is carrion, or blood that is leaked, or the flesh of pigs—for indeed, it is impure—or a deviance which was consecrated to other than God.”…

Narrated Abu Tha’laba: “Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) forbade the eating of the meat of beasts having fangs.” (Bukhari 7:67:438)

Narrated by Ibn ‘Umar: The prophet prohibited the eating of donkey’s meat.(Bukhari 7:67:431)

Ibn ‘Abbas reported that Islamic Prophet prohibited the eating of all fanged beasts of prey, and all the birds having talons. (Muslim,
no. 4752)

Missing Verse from the Quran?

This Sahih Hadith states that the verse (Ayah) of stoning adulterers to death is missing from the Quran.

Thus, this Hadith claims that the Quran is not complete and has a verse that is absent or gone, thus contradicting the Quran’s guarantee of being complete.

Umar bin Al-Khattab said: “Verily Allah sent Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) with the truth, and he revealed the Book to him. Among what was revealed to him was the Ayah (verse) of stoning. So the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) stoned, and we stoned after him. I fear that time will pass over the people such that someone will say ‘We do not see stoning in the Book of Allah.’ They will be misguided by leaving an obligation which Allah revealed. Indeed stoning is the retribution for the adulterer if he was married and the evidence has been established, or due to pregnancy, or confession.” (Tirmidhi, no. 1432)

[6:115] The word of your Lord (Quran) has been completed, in truth and justice…

[15:9] Indeed, We have sent down the Reminder, and indeed We are Guardians of it.

If a verse of stoning adulterers to death was truly revealed in the Quran, like what this Hadith claims, then where is it?

A Nation Cannot Succeed With a Woman as Ruler? What About the Queen of Sheba?

To begin with, more than 95% of failed nations in history were ruled or governed by men. So it doesn’t make sense to believe that women cannot lead a nation successfully when the men do not have a great track record themselves.

Secondly, there was nothing in the Quran to suggest that Sheba (Saba in Arabic) was a failed nation. The people of Sheba was ruled by a righteous queen according to the Quran (Surah 27), who sought counsel amongst her advisors before making any decision, just like any good leader would do.

In Surah 27, God stated that she was very skeptical of the offer that prophet Solomon (Sulayman) provided her. That is because, as she correctly states, when tyrant kings invaded a town, they corrupted the land and shamed its people. Historically, this was very true, and this demonstrates her desire to avoid corruption and tyranny when ruling her people.

Among the trait of a good leader is a desire to rule justly and avoid tyranny and corruption, and seek the advice of their advisors rather than making decisions about the nation unilaterally. God demonstrated in the Quran that the Queen of Sheba possessed both of those traits. So by giving the example of the Queen of Sheba, God in the Quran demonstrates that women are capable of governing a nation well, thus contradicting the Hadith quoted below:

During the battle of Al-Jamal, Allah benefited me with a Word (I heard from the Prophet). When the Prophet heard the news that the people of the Persia had made the daughter of Khosrau their Queen (ruler), he said, “Never will succeed such a nation as makes a woman their ruler.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 7099)

Should The Oppressed People Help Themselves, Or Do Nothing?

The Quran tells people to stand up for themselves when their rights are violated, and fight for oppressed people who have no way to escape their oppression.

[42:39] As well as the ones who help themselves when violation befalls them.

[4:75] And why would you not fight in the way of God, and the weakened ones among the men, the women, and the children, the ones who say, “Our Lord, exit us from this town of its wrongdoing people, and make for us an ally from with You, and make for us a helper from with You!”

However, according to a Hadith, a person cannot disobey their rulers even a little. Even if the rulers or people in power unjustly beat people up by striking their backs, or unjustly take wealth from them, or have the hearts of devils, those people must not disobey their rulers and listen to them (Sahih Muslim, no. 1847).

Such Hadith is clearly a contradiction with the Quran which says to stand up for one’s selves when their rights are being infringed or violated, and to resist oppression wherever it exists.

If the prophet Muhammad followed the advice in this Hadith, he would not have migrated to Medina to escape persecution. He would have surrendered to the Quraysh to avoid disobeying them, and stopped preaching Islam.

A Woman Cannot Go Back to First Husband Without Intercourse With Current Husband?

The Quran allows anyone to divorce even if they did not have sexual intercourse with their spouse during the marriage.

However, a Sahih Hadith (graded Sahih on Sunnah.com) states that a woman cannot go back to her first husband unless she has intercourse with her current husband.

So in other words, this Hadith forces a woman to have an unwanted sexual encounter with her current husband if she wants to return to her first one, which is a clear contradiction with the Quran.

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas that Al-Ghumaisa or Ar-Rumaisa’ came to the Prophet complaining that her husband would not have intercourse with her. It was not long before her husband came and said: “O Messenger of
Allah, she is lying; he is having intercourse with her, but she wants to go back to her first husband.” The Messenger of Allah said: “She cannot do that until she tastes his (current husband’s) sweetness.” (Sunan an-Nasai 3414)

[33:49] O you who believed, if you marry believing women, then divorce them before touching them, then there is not any interim of theirs upon them for you to count….

[2:236] There is no blame upon you if you have divorced the women that you neither touch, nor make a (dowry) obligation for….

Hadiths that Contradict History

Fasting During Ashura

According to Bukhari hadith number 2004, the prophet Muhammad found Jews fasting on the 10th of Muharram (Ashura) and asked why. The Jews explained that this is to commemorate the day Musa (Moses) saved the Children of
Israel from Pharaoh. The prophet then stated that the Muslims are more worthy of Musa than the Jews, thus commanded the Muslims to do so as well.

This Hadith contradict with historical and theological facts. The first issue is that Jews typically commemorate or celebrate Moses saving the Children of Israel on Passover day according to the Torah itself, which is a feast day and NOT a fast day. Jews do not fast during Passover, and this is more like an Eid day for them.

The second is that the Jewish fasting day occurs on the 10th of the Hebrew
month Tishrei, known as “Yom Kippur” or the “Day of Atonement”. This is the day that Jews atone or make up for their sins with prayer, repentance, and fasting. Yom Kippur is totally unrelated to Moses saving the Children of Israel from Pharaoh.

The person who fabricated this factually incorrect Hadith likely confused these two Jewish holidays with one another, yet somehow this is the exact Hadith that formed the basis of Ashura being widely seen as an Islamic holiday by more than 2 billion people.

Conquest of Constantinople

A hadith (Muslim no. 2897) states this:

  • “The Last Hour would not come until the Romans would land at al-A’maq or in Dabiq. An army consisting of the best (soldiers) of the people of the earth at that time will come from Medina (to counteract them). When they will arrange themselves in ranks, the Romans would say: Do not stand between us and those (Muslims) who took prisoners from amongst us. Let us fight with them; and the Muslims would say: Nay, by Allah, we would never get aside from you and from our brethren that you may fight them. They will then fight and a third (part) of the army would run away, whom Allah will never forgive. A third (part of the army) which would be constituted of excellent martyrs in Allah’s eye, would be killed and the third who would never be put to trial would win and they would be conquerors of Constantinople. And as they would be busy in distributing the spoils of war (amongst themselves) after hanging their swords by the olive trees, the Satan would cry: The Dajjal has taken your place among your family. They would then come out, but it would be of no avail. And when they would come to Syria, he would come out while they would be still preparing themselves for battle drawing up the ranks. Certainly, the time of prayer shall come and then Jesus (peace be upon him) son of Mary would descend and would lead them. When the enemy of Allah would see him, it would (disappear) just as the salt dissolves itself in water and if he (Jesus) were not to confront them at all, even then it would dissolve completely, but Allah would kill them by his hand and he would show them their blood on his lance (the lance of Jesus Christ).”

According to this Hadith, sometime after the prophet, the Roman Empire would land in al-A’maq or Dabiq, which are two Syrian towns, then a major battle because a Muslim army from the city of Medina, Arabia would counter them. A third of the Muslim army would run away, a third would be martyred, and a third would proceed to take away the city of Constantinople from the Romans during the fight.

The first claim in this Hadith that is proven false is that an army from Medina will conquer Constantinople. That is not true. Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Empire that came from Anatolia (now modern-day Turkey) in the year 1453, not by an army from Medina like what this Hadith says.

The Hadith states the Roman Empire will invade Amaq and Dabiq and a battle will begin there. But there is no historical record of the Romans ever setting foot in Amaq and Dabiq after Muhammad’s time. There is no record of any battle between a Medinan army and Byzantine Romans in Amaq or Dabiq before Muslims conquered Constantinople, so this is a second claim made by this Hadith that is proven false.

Hadiths that Contradict Science

Fever Comes from Heat of Hellfire?

Bukhari hadiths 3262, 3263, 3264, 3265, and 3266 state that fever comes from the heat of Hellfire.

This is false, as fevers come from a rise in body temperature due to immune system activity if disease-causing bacteria or viruses invade the body, not Hellfire.

Semen Versus Vaginal Discharge?

In Sahih Muslim, number 315, it says that during intercourse, the body fluids of a man and woman are competing. If the male’s white substance wins or prevails against the female’s yellow vaginal discharge, the child will be male, but if the female’s yellow substance wins against the male’s white substance, the child will be female.

Of course, this is scientifically false, as the biological sex (male and female) only depends on whether the sperm that reaches the egg contains an X or Y chromosome. If the sperm has an X-chromosome, the baby will be female. If the sperm has a Y chromosome, the baby will be male.

So really, the “white substance” (sperm) is the one that plays a role in deciding whether the baby is male or female.

Neither vaginal discharge, nor any “yellow substance” from the female is involved in deciding whether the baby will be born male or female.

Also, there is zero competition between semen and female discharge when a female is fertile and able to get pregnant. In fact, vaginal discharge from the woman’s cervix (also known as cervical mucus) helps sperm swim to the egg to impregnate a woman by providing extra lubrication, rather than compete against it.

Incorrect Embryology

According to Bukhari no. 6594 and other Hadiths, a person exists as a “nutfah (drop of semen)” in the womb for 40 days, then an alaqah (leech-like entity) for another 40 days, then a mudghah (lump that looks like it was chewed, having teeth marks) for another 40 days.​

But if you look at images of a human embryo as it grows in the mother, it becomes an “alaqah” (looking like a leech) by day 7.​

By day 25 or 26 it starts having the mudghah (chewed) appearance (looks like teeth marks due to having the somites that will eventually form the backbone)​

By day 44 the chewed appearance (mudghah) disappears because the somites aren’t visible anymore​

You can find images easily of the human embryo at various stages (from day 1 to day 56) at www.ehd.org/developmental-stages​

So in conclusion, the sperm-drop (nutfah) definitely does not take 40 days to become an alaqah, unlike what this Hadith says. The time period in which the nufah becomes an alaqah is much shorter than that (7 days).

Secondly, unlike what this Hadith says, the embryo transforms from the alaqah stage to the mudghah stage somewhere between day 7 and day 26, which is almost 20 days rather than 40 days.

And lastly, this hadith says the embryo stops being a mudghah after 120 days, but the mudghah stage evidently ends more quickly than that (after day 44).

The Wings of Flies Have Cures for Disease?

Bukhari no. 5782 says that when a fly lands on one’s drink, the person should submerge the fly fully before taking it out and drinking the liquid again, because one wing contains the disease and another wing contains the cure.

The truth is that flies eat rotten meat from dead animals. Thus, both of their wings will contain germs or disease-causing bacteria from the dead animals and rotten meat that the flies like to eat. There is no scientific proof that any wing of the fly contains any kind of cure or medicinal properties.

The wings of cicadas, dragonflies, and damselflies have nanopillars which kill bacteria on contact by rupturing bacterial cell walls. However, those are not real flies. The wings of the common housefly are smooth and do not contain those nanopillars.

When Does the Sun Prostrate?

A Hadith from Bukhari (no. 3199) states that the sun prostrates itself beneath the throne of God when it sets, and stands up from prostration during sunrise. ​

However, the sun is always visible in some part of the world. If it is night in one part of the world, it is daytime in the other part of the world. ​

So if the sun is in a state of prostration at night when it is invisible, but it gets up from prostration during the daytime when it is visible, how does that work? If it’s night time in the United States right now, but daytime in Bangladesh right now, is the sun currently prostrating, or is the sun currently standing up and not prostrating?

The sun cannot be doing both acts at the same time (prostration and standing), so this Hadith is a contradiction in both science and logic.

Marketing Hadith Advertising Ajwa Dates

There is a Hadith advertising Ajwa dates, which are a kind of date grown in Madina.

The false marketing claim here is that the prophet said those who eat 7 Ajwa dates in the morning are immune to poison and magic on those days. (Bukhari, no. 5779) ​

Has anyone ever scientifically tested this to see if it is true? Did anyone ever eat 7 dates in the morning before poisoning themselves with snake venom or some other kind of toxin, to see if the poison has any effect?

Hadiths that Contradict Other Hadiths

Should you breathe into a container that you drink from?

  • According to Sahih Bukhari no. 5631, the prophet said to do this three times while you drink from a container.

Can you drink water while standing?

  • According to Bukhari no. 5615, the prophet was seen drinking water while standing.

Did the prophet order the killing of the Jewess who tried to poison him with a roasted sheep?

  • Both Hadiths were graded as Sahih by the scholar al-Albani.

Should you lie on your back and place one foot on top of the other?

  • The prophet was seen lying on his back at the masjid, placing one foot on top of another according to Sunan an-Nasa’i 721 (graded Sahih by Darussalam)

Is there a punishment for drinking alcohol?

  • But according to Sunan Abi Dawood 4486, the prophet did not give a definite punishment for drinking alcohol.
  • All three Hadiths were graded as Sahih by al-Albani.

Is cupping forbidden or permitted?

Is making money from cupping permitted?

  • According to Sahih Muslim no. 1568, the worst earnings are the earnings of the prostitute, the price of a dog, and the earnings of a cupper.
  • According to Sahih Bukhari no. 2279, the prophet paid the person who cupped him, because if cupping was undesirable, the prophet would not have paid the cupper.

Does cupping break the fast or not?

  • According to Bukhari no. 1938, the prophet received cupping services during fasting and in a state of ihram.
  • But according to Sunan Abi Dawood 2367 (graded Sahih by al-Albani), the prophet said both the cupper and the person who receives cupping services breaks their fasting when they do this.

Is it permissible to assassinate someone?

  • It is not permissible for a believer to assassinate according to Sunan Abi Dawood 2769 (graded Sahih by al-Albani)
  • But according to Bukhari no. 3023, the prophet sent a group of the Ansar to the house of someone named Abu Rafi to assassinate him. The assassin (Abdullah ibn. Atik) entered Abu Rafi’s house at night and killed him while he was asleep.

Is there a legal punishment for bestiality?

  • The prophet said there is no prescribed punishment for this (Tirmidhi no. 1455, graded Hasan by Darussalam).

Sahih Hadiths Instructing to Follow Quran Alone

Narrated Aisha: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) came to me and I told him about the slave-girl (Barirah) Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Buy and manumit her, for the Wala is for the one who manumits.” In the evening the Prophet (ﷺ) got up and glorified Allah as He deserved and then said, “Why do some people impose conditions which are not present in Allah’s Book (Laws)? Whoever imposes such a condition as is not in Allah’s Laws, then that condition is invalid even if he imposes one hundred conditions, for Allah’s conditions are more binding and reliable.” (Bukhari, no. 2155)

Abu Sa’id Khudri reported that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: Do not take down anything from me, and he who took down anything from me except the Qur’an, he should erase that and narrate from me, for there is no harm in it and he who attributed any falsehood to me-and Hammam said: I think he also said:” deliberately” -he should in fact find his abode in the Hell-Fire. (Muslim, no. 3004)

Narrated `Abdul `Aziz bin Rufai’: Shaddad bin Ma’qil and I entered upon Ibn `Abbas. Shaddad bin Ma’qil asked him, “Did the Prophet (ﷺ) leave anything (besides the Qur’an)?” He replied. “He did not leave anything except what is Between the two bindings (of the Qur’an).” Then we visited Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyya and asked him (the same question). He replied, “The Prophet (ﷺ) did not leave except what is between the bindings (of the Qur’an).” (Bukhari, no. 5019)

It was narrated that Salman Al-Farisi said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked about ghee, cheese and wild donkeys. He said: ‘What is lawful is that which Allah has permitted in His Book, and what is unlawful is that which Allah has forbidden in His Book. What He remained silent about (in His Book) is what is pardoned.’” (Sunan ibn Majah. 3367, graded as Sahih)

The interesting fact about the Hadith in the middle (Muslim no. 3004) is that the prophet allowed to narrate his sayings and statements orally, but completely forbade writing down any statement from him besides the Quran, without exceptions.

  • But if the prophet was given a second source of law with equal status as the Quran, why should this not be written down just like the Quran?
  • If his Sunnah was a second revelation from God besides the Quran, then why did the prophet forbid the recording and codification of a revelation with equal status to the Quran?
  • This Hadith only makes sense if his words and actions besides the Quran were not a second source of law for Muslims besides the Quran.

Interestingly, there are multiple Hadiths contradicting the Hadiths saying that the prophet was given the Quran alone, such as this one:

  • Narrated Al-Miqdam ibn Ma’dikarib: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Beware! I have been given the Qur’an and something like it, yet the time is coming when a man replete on his couch will say: “Keep to the Qur’an; what you find in it to be permissible treat as permissible, and what you find in it to be prohibited treat as prohibited.” Beware! The domestic donkey, beasts of prey with fangs, a find belonging to confederate, unless its owner does not want it, are not permissible to you. If anyone comes to some people, they must entertain him, but if they do not, he has a right to mulct them to an amount equivalent to his entertainment. (Sunan Abi Dawud, 4604)

Addressing Counterarguments

To begin with, there may be a wide variety of objections to following the Quran alone, and I will try to discuss as many as I am aware of.

The most common objection is, “Where do we find out how many raka’at (units) of Salat we should do? Where is the steps for Zakat and Hajj?”

The Quran has the Zakat, Hajj, and Salat steps outlined for us, although they are not the same steps found in the Hadith. Here are the links below for comprehensive step-by-step guides on how to practice the Zakat, Salat, and Hajj from the Quran only:

Let’s talk about the Salat, for example. A question may be “how many raka’at of Salat to do?” The answer is: as many as you want, whether 1, 2, 3, or more.

If I ask you to finish your cup of water in the next 30 seconds, I don’t care how many sips it takes you to finish as long as you do the job.

So in brief, regarding the Salat, a unit of Salat according to the Quran starts with standing, then the next position is bowing, and it ends at prostration, and at some point in between, the Quran must be recited. There is no limit to the number of prostrations or bowing done at each unit. There’s no limit to the number of units (raka’at) you can do either, and there is no limit to the amount of Quran to recite at each unit; the more you do, the more reward you will get, God willing.

It’s the same with Hajj, we Muslims commonly accept that the minimum number of times to do Hajj is at least once in your lifetime, as there is no set Hajj frequency in the Quran. We Muslims already accept that you can recite as much Quran as you want during the Salat. Thus, flexibility in the amount of raka’at (units), bows, and prostrations should not come as a big surprise.

Another common objection is, how do we find the background or context to verses of the Quran without Hadith?

The answer is that there is no prohibition in using Hadith to derive additional background information to certain verses of the Quran. But the background information is not needed to understand the main point that the Quran is trying to convey.

Verse 66:1, for example, asks the prophet why he prohibited something God made lawful just to please his wives. The background of this verse is not needed to understand the main point of this verse, which is that not even the prophet has the authority to make prohibitions on anyone (including himself) if God did not prohibit it.

Surah al-Masad (or al-Lahab) says that Abu Lahab (Muhammad’s uncle) and his wife are doomed to Hell for what they did, and that no material earnings of theirs in this life could save them. It is not necessary to know who Abu Lahab and his wife is. or what they did, to understand the main point of this Surah, that your wealth and children cannot save you from the Hellfire for doing evil deeds.

Nonetheless, using Hadith for historical background is not the same as using Hadith for Islamic law, rules, and regulations. The Quran does not allow getting Islamic law from unauthorized people, items, or sources, but there is no prohibition against using Hadith for getting additional background into Quranic verses.

It is like using science textbooks for background into Quranic verses. The Quran says all living things are made of water, and modern science provides additional background by explaining why living things need water, such as: the composition of the cytoplasm, the role of water as a universal solvent, the role of water in metabolic processes and regulating electrolyte balance, and more. The Quran says the sun and moon are each in an orbit, and science textbooks provide background by explaining the laws of gravity and motion, how orbits happen, what planet the moon orbits (Earth), what the sun orbits (the supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way galaxy), etc. But this does not mean science textbooks are a second source of Islamic law alongside the Quran.

Another counterargument is: how can all the scholars, sheikhs, muftis, ustadhs, mullahs, and all others be wrong for 14 centuries?

To answer that question, imagine you are a Christian in the 7th century, and you heard prophet Muhammad teach that Jesus is just a man, and not God or part of a trinity. How would you feel about the Quran and prophet Muhammad contradicting centuries of established church teachings about Jesus being God in human form? If you were a Christian, would you not be confused about how a random 7th century Arab merchant be correct, as opposed to all the Christian scholars and experts who have been teaching Jesus’s divinity and Godhood for 7 centuries?

The Quran commands in many places against rejecting the truth simply because it contradicts what your forefathers, scholars, and relatives taught. This guideline applies to Muslims as well as non-Muslims.

Another counterargument is: where did all the Hadiths come from if the Quran is the only source of Islamic law? Did people make up lies and attribute them to the prophet?

  • The answer is that we cannot say for sure. There is the possibility of fabrication, whether intentional (due to hidden agendas of narrators) or unintentional (due to lapses in memory from narrator to narrator, just like what naturally happens during the “Chinese whispers” or “telephone” game). There is also the possibility that many Hadiths that have information outside the Quran are authentic accounts of the prophet, but are teachings based on his personal understanding of the Quran, rather than based on divine revelations given outside of the Quran.

In any case, the job of the believer is quite simple: if the Quran says something, accept it without any doubt or hesitation. Verses 49:14-15 state that the difference between a Muslim (submitter) and Mu’min (believer) is that a Muslim has doubt, whereas a believer has zero doubt.

Verse 2:285 informs us that all believers have responded to God’s commands by saying, “We heard, and we obeyed.” So if the Quran says it has all the details but does not provide a detail authorizing or giving permission to follow Hadiths and Sunnah as a source of Islamic law, then that clearly means Hadith and Sunnah are not a valid source of Islamic law.

  • So if a Mu’min (believer) has 100% trust and confidence in the Quran, then he or she should very simply accept it and obey by following the Quran alone, then ask all the questions they want afterward.

Conclusion

The main takeaway from this article is that there are no authorized sources of law in Islam after the Quran. The Quran has the details and clarification of everything regarding how to practice Islam according to multiple verses (16:89, 12:111), but not a single verse tells us whether there is a second source of Islamic law after the Quran or not, such as Hadith and Sunnah.

Therefore, if the Quran is fully detailed with nothing left out, but no verse in the Quran exists authorizing Hadith and Sunnah or anything else as a second source of Islamic law besides the Quran, then logically Hadith and Sunnah are not valid or authorized sources of law in Islam.

The second takeaway is that there are a multitude of Hadiths which are believed to be Sahih (authentic) by scholars that either contradict the Quran, contradict historical facts, contradict science, or contradict even other Sahih Hadiths.

  • The rule of verse 4:82 states that anything that has many contradictions did not come from God.
  • Also, verse 15:9 and 41:42 states that only the Quran was preserved. If Hadiths were a second source of law after the Quran, then the Quran would include a guarantee of preservation for Hadiths, but there is none. The Hadith contradictions are further evidence that Hadiths were not safeguarded from corruption by God.

All of this information casts extremely severe doubt on the idea that Sahih Hadiths should be seen as revelations given to the prophet Muhammad from God.

More Muslims need to be aware of this and start practicing Islam in accordance with the Quran alone, as soon as possible, without any delay. Our Educational Articles teaches you exactly how to do this, step-by-step.

That is why this mosque is named Masjid at-Tajdeed (the Mosque of Revival). It is not established as a mosque yet due to lacking the resources, but inshaAllah it will one day become a reality.

The singular goal of this future masjid is to worship God correctly. The primary way to worship God correctly is by teaching and practicing Islam correctly. Hopefully, with the efforts of this mosque, we can live up to our name and help promote a worldwide revival of the people towards, “the Quran, the whole Quran, and nothing but the Quran,” as a wise man once said.

We pray to God to guide us to the truth, and to use us as a means to guide everyone to the truth.

Masjid at-Tajdeed

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