Investigation & Analysis

Investigation & Analysis

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 Sunnah (narrations attributed to prophet Muhammad). Both are believed to be revealed from God.

The Arabic word Hadith (which means statement or narrations) is used interchangeably with the word Sunnah in Islamic discourse.

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 the Sunnah as a source of religious and Islamic law?

The Best Speech

To begin with, if any pair of verses in the Quran directly and explicitly tells people to follow the Quran alone and avoid following any Hadith after it, it has to be verses 39:18 and 39:23.

The Quran commands people to only follow the best speech out of all the speech that they hear.

  • [39:18] The ones who listen to the speech, then follow the best of it, those are the ones whom God has guided, and those are the people of intelligence.

It’s like if someone presents you with three apples and tells you to eat the best apple. That means out of all the apples you see, you are eating only the best apple.

Likewise, out of all the speech a Muslim hears in his or her life, he or she must choose the best speech and follow it.

Okay, so what is the best speech? The Quran defines itself as the “Best Hadith” in verse 39:23, just five verses after 39:18.

  • [39:23] God has brought down the Best Hadith, a Book (Quran) containing multiple meanings and pairs…
  • The word hadith in Arabic means statement or speech. If the Quran is the Best Hadith, then that means it is the Best Speech.

So if the Muslims are only supposed to follow the best speech out of all the speech they hear, and if the Quran is the Best Speech that a Muslim will ever hear, then it logically follows that the Muslims are only supposed to follow the Quran.

In other words, verse 39:18 and 39:23 of the Quran forbids Muslims from following Hadith and Sunnah, or anything else, as a source of Islamic law after the Quran.

Quran’s Guarantee: Complete and Fully-Detailed Book

While verses 39:18 and 39:23 are objectively the clearest and most direct Quranic command to follow the Quran alone and not follow any Hadith after it, let us pretend that these two verses do not exist. Does the Quran provide any ruling elsewhere that commands Muslims to follow the Quran alone?

The Quran guarantees that it has the “details of everything”, meaning all details needed to practice Islam are found in the Quran:

[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 confirms that it is fully detailed only as a source of guidance. That means it is not detailed as a cookbook for how to make pizza, nor is it detailed as a rocket science textbook that explains how to go to Mars.

Therefore, all information needed for guidance is inside the Quran, and anything absent from the Quran (like how to make smoothies) is information that is not necessary for being guided.

  • [7:52] And certainly, We have definitely come to you with a Book which We detailed with knowledge as a source of guidance and mercy for a people who believe.

The Quran also states in verse 6:115 that it is complete, meaning nothing is missing or left out from the Quran that is necessary to fulfill its function as a source of guidance.

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

So according to the above verses (12:111, 6:115, 7:52, and 16:89), the Quran is complete and has all the details of everything one needs to be guided and receive the mercy of God, including for how to properly practice Islam, without anything left out.

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

In other words, there is no second source of law in Islam unless the Quran itself clearly authorizes it.

  • If a second source of law in Islam besides existed, but the Quran did not mention or authorize it anywhere, then it would mean the Quran is missing key details that are necessary for guidance, which contradicts the above verses (12:111, 16:89. 6:115. and 7:52).

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 has all the details about how to be guided and practice Islam with nothing left out (verse 12:111, 16:89).

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, such as Hadith and Sunnah.

  • 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.
  • For the purposes of this investigation, we are pretending that verses 39:18 and 39:23 do not exist.

The Investigation Begins

To begin with, the Quran has hundreds of verses instructing Muslims to follow it as a source of religious law. The Quran probably talks about itself more than any other book in history. 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.

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.

  • [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?…

So if obedience to the messenger only means obedience to whatever the messenger received as revelation from God, then the question is: did the prophet Muhammad receive Hadiths and Sunnah as revelation from God or not?

  • If yes, then obeying the messenger = obeying Hadiths and Sunnah.
  • If not, then obeying the messenger is not obeying Hadiths and Sunnah.

Thus, whether obeying the prophet means following the Sunnah depends on whether the Sunnah is revelation or not.

Alright, so how do we know whether the Sunnah is revelation from God? It is very easy, because the Quran has all the details that we need for guidance and mercy, with nothing left out (verses 12:111, 16:89, 7:52).

  • So if the Sunnah were a revelation from God, then least one detail must exist in the Quran saying that.

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. If the Sunnah was revealed to the prophet, then following the prophet means following the Sunnah. But if the Sunnah was not revealed to the prophet, then following the prophet does not mean follow the Sunnah.
  • So how do we know whether the Sunnah is revelation or not?
  • If the Quran is not missing any details that we need for guidance (according to verse 12:111 and 16:89), then the Quran is able to tell us whether the Hadith of the prophet was given to him as revelation or not. If his Hadiths were revealed to him, then we must follow it. If not, then we are not required to follow it.
  • Therefore, if we cannot find any detail inside the complete and fully detailed Quran stating that the prophet’s Sunnah is a revelation from God, then this means his Sunnah is not a revelation from God. And if his Sunnah is not revelation from God, then we are not required to follow it, because following the prophet means only following what was revealed to 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.

Verse 53:3 states that the prophet “does not speak from desire“. If we isolate this statement from verse 53:4, then it would mean the prophet never once spoke any word out of personal desire, which is untrue because the Quran asks prophet Muhammad in verse 66:1 why he wrongly prohibited something that God made lawful due to a personal desire to please his wives.

Rather, verse 53:3 must be read together with verse 53:4 to see the full truth. Verse 53:4 says, “It is not but a revelation that is revealed.” If you combine both verses together, it says the prophet does not speak from personal desire only when conveying something that was revealed to him.

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.

Therefore, verses 53:3-4 can only be a justification to follow the Sunnah if the Sunnah was truly a revelation from God.

And once again, how should one prove that the Sunnah is a revelation from God? Well, the Quran is complete (verse 6:115) and has all the details and clarifications that a believer needs for guidance and mercy (16:89, 12:111. and 7:52).

  • So if the Sunnah is a revelation from God, then there must be a detail in the Quran saying that. If there is no such detail, then the Sunnah is not a revelation from God.
  • So far, we haven’t yet found a verse which states that the Sunnah is revelation from God, so the evidence seems to be leaning towards the conclusion that the Sunnah is not revelation.

Revelations Outside the Quran

The Quran documents 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.

The other 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, those revelations were all private revelations that only applied to the prophet and some of his companions. Those were not universal revelations (revelations that apply to all Muslims, including today’s Muslims and future Muslims).

If I tell you, “I have 6 apples in the basket,” this doesn’t prove that I have 6 oranges in the basket.

  • Likewise, the Sunnah is believed to be a second universal revelation besides the Quran, not a private revelation. Therefore, the existence of private revelations given to the prophet do not prove the existence of a second universal revelation besides the Quran, just like how the fact that I have 6 apples in the basket doesn’t prove that I have 6 oranges in the basket.

Additionally, the Quran says the mother of Musa (Moses) had private revelations too, which only applied to both her and her son. She was told to throw her son in the water. But does the fact that she was given a private revelation justify following the Sunnah of prophet Musa’s mom as a source of Islamic law? Of course not.

  • Likewise, the fact that prophet Muhammad was given private revelations is not proof that another universal revelation besides the Quran was given to the prophet Muhammad.

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. The person responsible for inventing this misguided opinion is the Sunni scholar al-Shafi’i, who founded one of the four branches of Sunni thought.

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 upon 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.

This is further proven by verse 33:34, which states to recite God’s verses and the wisdom. The only revelation that is recited is the Quran. Hadiths are commonly thought of by Sunnis as “unrecited revelation” (wahy ghayr matluw).

Therefore, verse 33:34 shows that the “hikmah” (wisdom) refers to the recited Quran.

  • [33:34] And remember what is recited in your homes of God’s verses and the wisdom. Indeed, God has been Gentle, Aware.

In verses 17:22-38, there is a list of 16 individual commandments from God. Then verse 17:39 says, “That is some of what your Lord revealed to you of the wisdom (hikmah)…” This verse is saying those 16 commandments are some of “the wisdom” (al-hikmah) revealed to the prophet.

Since those 16 commandments (and the verses containing those commandments) are from the Quran, that means verse 17:39 identifies “al-hikmah” (the wisdom) as the Quran.

  • [17:39] That (the 16 commandments) is some of what your Lord revealed to you of the wisdom…

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

Another potential candidate is verse 2:151.

A common argument is: since prophet Muhammad was appointed as the teacher of the Quran, one must follow his Hadiths, because God would never let the teacher He chose make mistakes in teaching the Quran. As a result, God revealed to prophet Muhammad the Sunnah, which contains the right way to teach the Quran.

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

The problem with this argument is that it is not logically sound. Just because God told the prophet to teach the Quran, does not automatically mean God revealed all the correct teachings to the prophet. The conclusion of this argument does not necessarily follow from the premise.

Think about it this way: the Quran tells people to invite to God’s path. That means God reveals to Muslims a duty to invite to Islam. But does that mean people will perfectly carry out this duty? Of course not. The duty is God-given, but execution of that duty is human.

The same applies to the prophet. God gives the prophet the duty of teaching the Quran, but that does not mean he won’t make mistakes in his attempts to teach the Quran.

If the prophet’s comprehension, interpretation, and understanding of the Quran is 100% correct, that can only be possible if the correct understanding of the Quran was revealed to him outside the Quran.

  • But if he received the correct understanding of the Quran as a revelation outside the Quran, then the Quran (which is complete and has the details of all things relevant for guidance) would say that somewhere, but it does not.
  • If the Quran does not say anywhere that the correct understanding of the Quran was revealed to the prophet, then that means the correct understanding of the Quran was actually not revealed to him, therefore he is able to make mistakes in his understanding like any other human can.

What Does Verse 75:19 and 16:44 Mean?

Verse 75:19 states that the Quran’s “bayan” (explanation or clarification) is God’s responsibility.

  • [75:19] Then indeed, upon Us is its “bayan” (explanation).

Therefore, the common belief is that the Quran’s explanation is in the Hadiths.

However, verse 75:19 does not even mention whether the Quran’s explanation is inside the Quran or outside the Quran. It just says God will explain the Quran, but does not say whether God will explain the Quran via revelations given to the prophet outside the Quran, or whether God will explain the Quran inside the Quran.

  • Therefore, the conclusion of this argument (that the Quran’s explanation is outside the Quran) does not automatically follow from the premise (that God is responsible for the Quran’s explanation).

The same applies to verse 16:44. This verse tells the prophet to explain the Quran, but it does not say whether he should explain the Quran by using the Quran, or whether he should explain the Quran by using explanations and information revealed outside the Quran.

  • [16:44] …And We brought down to you the Reminder, so that you may explain (tubayyin) to the people what was brought down to them, and so that they may reflect.

The beautiful thing about the Quran being complete (verses 6:115) and containing every single detail that is needed for guidance (verses 12:111, 7:52, 16:89) is that it allows us to use the Quran’s silence to resolve disagreements regarding all matters relevant for guidance.

  • If the Quran does not say or indicate anywhere that the explanation of the Quran was revealed outside the Quran, then the explanation of the Quran was not actually revealed outside the Quran. Otherwise, a clear detail would exist in the Quran which says that.

Secondly, the Quran actually confirms that God explains the Quran inside the Quran. In verse 2:187 (and other verses), for example, God explains the rules of fasting in the Quran, then says, “Like that, God explains (yubayyin) the verses for the people.”

  • The phrase “like that” (kadhaalika in Arabic) tells us that God explains the Quranic verses just like how He explains verse 2:187 (by putting the explanation in the Quran itself), rather than by revealing the explanation of the verses outside the Quran.
  • [2:187] Sexual relations with your women have been permitted for you during the nights of fasting. They are a garment for you, and you are a garment for them. God knew that you used to betray yourselves, so He turned towards you and pardoned you. So now, have intimacy with them, and seek what God has decreed for you. And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn has become distinct to you from the black thread, then complete the fast until the night. And do not have intimacy with them while you are secluded in the masjids. These are God’s limits, so do not approach them. Like that, God explains the verses for the people, so that they may revere.

The only way that explanatory revelations outside the Quran can exist without contradicting verses 12:111, 16:89, 7:52, and even verse 2:187 is if such revelations do not add any information that cannot already be found or deduced from the Quran.

  • Why? That is because if explanatory revelations were given to the prophet outside the Quran, and if those revelations include information that cannot already be deduced from the Quran, then the Quran should have a clear detail that authorizes the usage of those revelations. That is because this kind of revelation is highly relevant for guidance, and no detail relevant for guidance is missing from the Quran. But no such detail exists, hence those kinds of revelation do not exist.
  • But if explanatory revelations were given to the prophet outside the Quran, and if those revelations do NOT add any new information that cannot already be deduced from the Quran, then those explanatory revelations are not strictly necessary to be guided because they add no new information outside what is already contained in the Quran. If the Quran contains every detail that is needed for guidance, and if this kind of revelation is not strictly necessary for guidance, then the Quran doesn’t need to include details that mention its existence.
  • For example, the prophet did not receive any revelation outside the Quran explaining the Zakat that said, “The rate of Zakat is 2.5%,” because the 2.5% rate is not found anywhere in the Quran.
  • But suppose the prophet hypothetically received an explanatory revelation from God outside the Quran which says, “I don’t intend any hardship on My servants, so I allowed them to make up missed fasting days during Ramadan during other days outside this month, in case some of them need to for ill health or long journeys. Fasting is good for people, and it is a way to worship and get closer to Me, so that is why I said they must make up for missed fasts rather than completely waiving them away.” This kind of revelation can exist because all of this information is already found in the Quran.

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.

But even if this command was a general statement, the messenger is not an independent lawmaker besides God (verses 66:1, 6:114, and 42:21). He can only forbid and permit according to revelation sent by God.

  • So if the Sunnah was revealed to him, he can forbid and permit according to the Sunnah. But if the Sunnah is not revelation, then the prophet is not authorized to forbid and permit according to the Sunnah.
  • And once again, how do we know whether the Sunnah was revelation? Once again, the Quran is complete (6:115) and not missing any detail that is relevant to be guided (12:111, 16:89, 7:52). Therefore, if the Sunnah was revelation, the Quran would have included a detail which says that, because this information is highly relevant for guidance.

During this investigation, we have not yet found any detail from the Quran which says that it is revelation.

  • Therefore, at this point, we can safely conclude that the Sunnah is not revelation. That means the prophet cannot forbid or permit according to the Sunnah.

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 (uswatun hasanah) 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 (uswatun hasanah) 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 (uswatun hasanah) in them (Abraham and his people) for whoever has expected God and the Last Day…

Neither of these verses tell us to imitate every single thing 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.

Some might ask: “If the prophets Muhammad and Abraham, and if the companions of Abraham, are a good example for the believers, then where can we find their example and follow it?“

  • The answer is that everything that is needed to follow their example can be found inside the Quran. The Quran is complete and contains all the details that Muslims need for guidance (verses 6:115, 12:111, 7:52). If any part of their example that we are obligated to follow is found in a source outside the Quran, then the Quran would include details which tell us what that source is.

The Results of the Investigation

God makes a guarantee in the Quran that it contains all the details and clarifications that believers need to be guided, without any information left out (verses 12:111 and 16:89).

This is why if there was a second source of Islamic law besides the Quran, there would have to be at least one detail in the Quran authorizing to follow it.

If a second source of law in Islam besides the Quran existed, but the Quran did not provide any details to authorize it, then this would mean the Quran is missing some details that a Muslim needs for guidance, which is contradictory to the Quran’s own guarantee.

Therefore, no detail in the Quran exists to authorize another source of Islamic law besides the Quran, then 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 entire Quran was searched, from Surah al-Fatiha to Surah an-Nas.

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

  • It was also found that the Quran mentions itself more than 500 times by using words such as Book, verses, Surah, revelation, the Reminder, the Criterion, and even the word Quran itself.

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 any clear authorization and proof for.

Aside from the Quran’s silence on secondary sources of Islamic law, there are 8 more pieces of conclusive evidence directly from the Quran itself explaining why the Quran should be followed alone in Islam.

Conclusive Evidence: Verse 7:203

Verse 7:203 provides conclusive evidence that the prophet Himself followed the Quran alone, and not a second source of law besides the Quran.

  • [7:203] And when you do not bring them a sign, they say, “Why have you not devised it!” Say, “I only follow what is revealed to me from my Lord. This (Quran) is insight from your Lord, as well as guidance and a mercy for people who believe.”
  • [7:204] And when the Quran is recited, then listen to it and pay attention, so that you may receive mercy.

In this passage, the Prophet is instructed to declare, “I only follow what is revealed to me from my Lord.” In this verse, the prophet immediately defines and identifies “what is revealed to me” by saying, “This (hādhā) is insight from your Lord, as well as guidance and mercy for people who believe.”

The Arabic pronoun hādhā (“this”) is in singular form, thus it refers to a single, specific object (the Quran) and not to multiple sources.

If verse 7:203 intended to refer to two separate bodies of revelation, such as the Quran and Hadith, then the dual pronoun “hādhāni” would have been used instead.

Additionally, verse 7:204 mentions the Quran immediately after 7:203, thus further confirming that the word “this” (haadha) in 7:203 is referring to the Quran.

So think of it like this:

  • If the prophet only follows X, and X = Y, then the prophet only follows Y.
  • Replace X with “what is revealed to him” and replace Y with “this Quran”.
  • Then you get the following statement: if the prophet only follows what is revealed to him, and what is revealed to him = this Quran, then the prophet only follows this Quran.

Therefore, if the believers are told to follow the prophet (in verse 3:31), but the prophet was instructed to follow only the Quran (according to verse 7:203), then that means believers are supposed to follow only the Quran as a source of law, and nothing else.

So the Quran does not leave any room for debate on this topic. Not only does the fully-detailed Quran not provide any clear authorization or permission for believers to follow a second source after it, but the Quran in verse 7:203 states that the prophet (and by extension, the believers) is only supposed to follow the Quran.

Conclusive Evidence: Verse 4:105

Verse 4:65 states that the believers let the prophet judge their disputes, then accept the prophet’s judgement.

  • [4:65] But no, by your Lord, they will not believe until they have you judge concerning whatever disagreements that occur between them, then do not find discomfort in themselves due to what you have concluded, and they accept with acceptance.

Okay, but now the question is, what is the prophet supposed to base his judgements on? Is he supposed to judge between the people according to the Qur’an alone?

Or is he supposed to judged the people based on both the Qur’an and Sunnah?

Or is he supposed to judge between the people based on his personal opinions?

Rather, the Quran tells the prophet in verses 4:105 and 5:48 to judge between the people according to the Book that he was given (Quran). No other verse in the Quran tells the prophet to judge the people in accordance with anything else other than the Quran.

  • [4:105] Indeed, We have brought down to you the Book (Quran) with the truth, so that you may judge between the people in accordance with what God has shown you…
  • [5:48] And We brought down to you the Book (Quran) with the truth… So judge between them by what God has brought down…

We already know by now that the Quran is complete (verse 6:115) and has the details and clarification of everything for the believers (verse 12:111, 16:89, and 7:52).

  • If the prophet was supposed to judge the people according to some other source after the Quran, then the complete and fully detailed Quran would have told the prophet to do so. But no such detail exists in the Qur’an.
  • If the prophet was supposed to judge between the people according to a second source besides the Qur’an, but the Qur’an doesn’t mention what that source is, then this would mean the Qur’an is missing a crucial detail, which would be contradictory to the Qur’an’s own guarantee that it is complete and has every detail that is needed for guidance.

So this is clear proof that the prophet is supposed to judge between the people according to the Quran alone.

And if the prophet is required to judge and command the people according to the Quran alone, and settle people’s disputes according to the Quran alone, then we Muslims must follow the Quran alone, not Quran and Sunnah.

  • That is because why would Muslims be permitted to follow a source other than the Quran, when not even the prophet himself was given permission to judge the people with a source other than the Quran?

Hadith Contradictions

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 so many contradictions in Sahih (scholarly authenticated) Hadiths proves that the information found in Sahih Hadiths could not have been revealed to the prophet Muhammad by God, according to the criteria of verse 4:82.

There are four categories of Hadith contradictions:

  1. Contradictions between Hadith and Quran
  2. Contradictions between Hadith and history
  3. Contradictions between Hadith and science
  4. Contradictions between Hadith and other Hadith

Contradictions Between Hadith and Quran

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. Not even if he intercedes for someone can that person be rescued from 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 Day take out people who are in Hell through his intercession.

  • 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)

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 (dua): “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)

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 and preserved.

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 is claimed in this Hadith, 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 have a far worse track record.

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 (Bukhari, no. 7053). 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. 1847b).

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 he would have 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 against the female’s yellow vaginal discharge (cervical mucus), the child will be male, but if the female’s yellow substance wins against the male’s white substance, the child will be female.

So this Hadith says both sperm and cervical mucus help to decide whether the baby is male or female.

Of course, this is scientifically false, as biological sex (male or 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) alone decides whether the baby is male or female.

The yellow substance from the female (cervical mucus) is not at all 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 (the cervical mucus) helps sperm swim to the egg to impregnate a woman by providing extra lubrication, rather than compete against it.

False Information About Genetics

According to Bukhari Hadith number 3329, the prophet said that during intercourse if the man gets discharge first (ejaculation of semen), the baby will look like the father. But if the woman gets discharge first, the baby will look like the mother.

Obviously, this Hadith contains false scientific information. The appearance of the baby is determined only by the genetic material contained inside the sperm and the egg, and not at all determined by whether the mother or father orgasms first during sex!

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?

Hadith that Contradict Other Hadith

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.

How many years did the Prophet stay in Mecca before migration to Medina?

What was the last revealed verse?

  • Bukhari 4605 says verse 4:176 was the last revealed verse.
  • Bukhari 4544 says the last revealed verse was verse 2:281.
  • If we cannot even trust Sahih Hadiths for minor details such as what was the last revealed verse or how many years the prophet remained in Mecca before migration, then how can we trust them to provide reliable details about Islamic law and rituals?

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 bad and undesirable?

  • 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, or good, by Darussalam).

Was the prophet’s cousin Ali appointed to succeed prophet Muhammad as the leader of the Muslim community?

  • Tirmidhi no. 3712 (graded Hasan) says Ali is the “wali” (guardian) of every believer after the prophet, which indicates he is the authorized successor.

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)

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)

Narrated Ubaidullah bin `Abdullah: Ibn `Abbas said, “When Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) was on his deathbed and there were some men in the house, he said, ‘Come near, I will write for you something after which you will not go astray.’ Some of them ( i.e. his companions) said, ‘Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) is seriously ill and you have the (Holy) Qur’an. Allah’s Book is sufficient for us.‘ So the people in the house differed and started disputing. Some of them said, ‘Give him writing material so that he may write for you something after which you will not go astray.’ while the others said the other way round… (Bukhari, no. 4432)

What is interesting about Bukhari 4432 is that it says that the prophet tried to leave behind a written statement of guidance for his companions on his deathbed, but one group of people were concerned about the prophet being too ill and said there is no need, and the Quran alone is enough guidance. Another group wanted to comply with the prophet’s wish. Why would a group of companions believe the Quran alone is enough guidance, and insist there is no need for a final written statement from the prophet? That is because the prophet received only one, not two, sources of Islamic law from God, and that is 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 to do Salat? Where are the steps for Zakat and Hajj?”

The Quran has the Zakat, Hajj, and Salat details outlined, but 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 isnot 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 this question, a Christian can ask any Muslim the same thing: “How can all my Christian scholars, experts, theologians, and saints be wrong about Jesus for 21 centuries? Why is my Bible wrong and your Quran right?”
  • 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.

The Problematic Origins of Hadith

Another counterargument is: where did all the Hadiths come from if the Quran is the only source of Islamic law? Did later generations fabricate lies and attribute them to the prophet and his companions?

The answer is yes: the Hadith corpus was fabricated by later generations of Muslims.

The Sunni position is that while mass fabrication of Hadith took place in the decades following the prophet’s death, the formalized Hadith sciences developed in response to the mass fabrication was sufficient to determine which are authentic and which are not.

The problem with this claim that even amongst the Hadiths that Islamic scholars deem authentic, we see the following core issues:

  • Hadith contradictions
  • Presence of “common links” for hadiths with multiple isnads
  • Incomplete isnads
  • Evidence of Hadith back-projection
  • Evidence of “raising” of Hadith

According to historical critical scholars like Joseph Schacht and Gautier Juynboll, they find that for many Hadiths which have multiple isnads (chains of narrators), those isnads did not originate independently from the prophet. Rather, those multiple isnads have “common links”.

For example, let’s say Hadith A is corroborated by isnads B, C, D, and E. And all four isnads pass through a narrator known as narrator F.

  • If multiple isnads originate only from Narrator F, then all narrators who transmitted the Hadith after Narrator F did not hear it from anyone else. Hence, Narrator F is the “common link”. The multiple isnads (chains) diverge only after Narrator F, the common link. That means there is a high chance that before narrator F, Hadith A and its four isnads did not exist.
  • There is the chance that future narrators who heard from narrator F artificially filled in the narration gaps between narrator F and the prophet, or there is the chance that narrator F himself (or the single narrator that he heard it from) fabricated both the Hadith and the isnad, whether mistakenly or intentionally.
  • This “common link” phenomenon is observed in many Hadiths that have multiple chains of narrators. So in the view of many historical critical scholars, isnads that share a common link can be confidently traced back to the common link, but cannot be confidently traced all the way back to the prophet.

There is also the known historical fact that people started assigning isnads (chains of narration) to Hadiths only since the Second Fitnah (years 680-692 CE).

  • This has raised a strong possibility, that many isnads were fabricated by Hadith narrators decades after the prophet to provide legitimacy to their Hadith narrations during a time when people started demanding more scrutiny. According to the historian Dr. Joshua little, this possibility is acknowledged by academic scholars throughout the spectrum of historical criticism of hadith.

Regarding incomplete isnads, there is the issue of using the “adalat as-sahabah” doctrine in Hadith sciences to authenticate Hadiths. This means that once a companion of the prophet appears in any isnad (chain of narrators), the Hadith is accepted as sahih without further need to investigate or name which person the companion heard that Hadith from.

For example, regarding one of the companions of the prophet, Abu Hurayrah, it is known that he heard many Hadiths from other companions and intermediaries, instead of directly from the prophet. It is the same with companions like ibn Abbas. But Hadith science does not require listing which intermediaries between himself and the prophet that he heard a hadith from, because the word of a companion is automatically trusted.

  • Once a Hadith is believed to originate from a companion, it is treated as if that companion heard it directly from the prophet, even though that companion may have heard it from another companion, who may have heard it from another companion, and so on, rather than directly from the prophet himself.

The problem with the “adalat as-sahabah” doctrine is that Surah 9 (which was among the last revealed Surahs, revealed very near the end of the prophet’s life) states that there are many hypocrites among the people around the prophet that even he does not know, whether Bedouins or the Madinan people.

  • [9:101] And there are hypocrites around you among those who are of the Bedouins, as well as among the people of Madinah. They have been persistent in hypocrisy. You do not know them, We know them…
  • This does NOT mean that every person around the prophet was a hypocrite, but what if Abu Hurayrah or other sincere companions mistakenly heard false Hadiths about the prophet from unknown hypocrites and transmitted them? What if they heard it from a sincere companion who mistakenly remembered what the prophet said? We have no way to know because the isnad chains generally do not list intermediaries between the companions and the prophet, hence may be incomplete.

Dr. Joshua Little, whose academic research focuses on Islamic history, discusses in several interviews why almost all scholars of historical criticism (who specialize in Hadith studies) believe that Hadiths should be treated with a high degree of caution when assessing their reliability.

  • According to him, whatever early Sunni Hadith scholars did to try to filter out the fabricated Hadiths from the authentic Hadiths simply was not effective.
  • Dr. Little states that the only positive thing that Hadith collectors (such as Bukhari and Muslim) managed to accomplish to improve the reliability of Hadith was remove most Hadiths that contradict with one another, but even that was only because if any group of Hadiths matched their criteria of authenticity and would have otherwise been incorporated, but they contradict each other, the Hadith collectors would try to look for some excuse to exclude one of them. Otherwise, Dr. Little says that Sahih and non-Sahih hadiths have similar problems regarding their reliability.

Conclusion

The main takeaway from this article is that the Quranic evidence is very clear and points only towards one conclusion: One deity (God), one religion (Islam), and one source (Quran).

And as explained by the historian Joshua Little, a lot of problems and red flags emerge when studying Hadith using the historical critical method.

All 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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