Hadiths are regarded
as a narration on the Sunnah (lived example) of Muhammad.
M.M. Azami formally defines "hadith" as follows:
"According to Muhaddithiin [scholars of hadith] it stands for 'what was
transmitted on the authority of the Prophet, his deeds, sayings, tacit
approval, or description of his sifaat (features) meaning his physical
appearance. However, physical appearance of the Prophet is not included in
the definition used by the jurists.' "
"Thus hadith literature means the literature which consists of the
narrations of the life of the Prophet and the things approved by him.
However, the term was used sometimes in much broader sense to cover the
narrations about the Companions [of the Prophet] and Successors [to the
Companions] as well." 1
The Qur'an says: "And whatever the Messenger
gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids you, leave it. And fear Allah:
truly Allah is severe in punishment."2
The Messenger refers here to the Prophet Muhammad. These
writings are not regarded as having the same status as the Holy Qur'an,
which is considered to be God's word.
The accuracy of Muhammad's sayings was confirmed by his contemporaries
-- generally his companions; i.e. his immediate followers. Some Muslims
regard all of the the Hadiths as being valid. Some historians question
the accuracy of some passages. For example, Historian Bernard Lewis
commented on a saying
attributed to the prophet that some scholars believe is invalid:
"If
anyone insults me, then any Muslim who hears this must kill him
immediately."
Some terrorists partly believe that, based on this Hadith, all Muslims have a
duty to kill Americans when they have the opportunity.
The great Islamic scholar Yahya bin Sharaf Ul-Deen An-Nawawi compiled a collection of 43
of the most important sayings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
It is is now known as "An-Nawawi's
Forty Hadiths" 3
The government of Turkey's Department of Religious Affairs has
been concerned that many sayings in the Hadith were not actually stated by
Muhammad, and that some of his valid sayings need to be reinterpreted. They
have commissioned a team of theologians at the School of Theology of Ankara
University to revise the Hadith over a three year project. Their findings
are expected to generate an explosion of angry debate within the faith. Some
suggest that it will produce conflict similar to that of the Christian
reformation when the document is published -- probably later in 2008.
Felix Koerner, says some of the sayings can be proven to have been
written centuries after the death of Muhammad, He said:
"Unfortunately you can even justify through alleged hadiths, the
Muslim - or pseudo-Muslim - practice of female genital mutilation.
...You can find messages which say 'that is what the Prophet ordered us
to do'. But you can show historically how they came into being, as
influences from other cultures, that were then projected onto Islamic
tradition."
BBC News reports that some Islamic reformers argue that:
"... Islamic tradition has been gradually hijacked by various - often
conservative - cultures, seeking to use the religion for various forms
of social control. Leaders of the Hadith project say successive
generations have embellished the text, attributing their political aims
to the Prophet Muhammad himself."
Prof Mehmet Gormez, a senior official in the Department of Religious
Affairs and an expert on the Hadith notes:
"There are some messages that ban women from traveling for three days
or more without their husband's permission and they are genuine. But
this isn't a religious ban. It came about because in the Prophet's time
it simply wasn't safe for a woman to travel alone like that. But as time
has passed, people have made permanent what was only supposed to be a
temporary ban for safety reasons. ... [In another speech, Muhammad
said:] he longed for the day when a woman might travel long distances
alone."
In another project, Turkey has trained 450 women in theology and
appointed them as senior imams called "vaizes." Their task is to visit
remote communities and explain the original spirit of Islam. BBC News
reports:
"One of the women, Hulya Koc, looked out over a sea of headscarves at
a town meeting in central Turkey and told the women of the equality,
justice and human rights guaranteed by an accurate interpretation of the
Koran - one guided and confirmed by the revised Hadith."
"She says that, at the moment, Islam is being widely used to justify the
violent suppression of women. 'There are honor killings,' she explains.
'We hear that some women are being killed when they marry the wrong
person or run away with someone they love. There's also violence against
women within families, including sexual harassment by uncles and others.
This does not exist in Islam... we have to explain that to them'." 6
