Importance of Believing in the Hadith

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Importance of Believing in the Hadith

Hi,

I'm wanting to be a Muslim and I'd like your opinions a couple of issues. First of all, I know you should declare the Shahada as soon as possible - death may be around the corner. However, I thinking the most important thing in being a convert(revert) to Islam is to have a firm grasp or knowledge of the Salat since you a responsible for it immediately upon reciting the Shahada. What do you think about this issue? Also, what parts of the Salat is one required to know in Arabic?

My second question may be sensitive and I mean no disrespect. I'd like to say I think the Qu'ran is incredible and the most important book to exist in humanity. I believe it gives one everything he or she needs to know to live a life that will please Allah. However, I recently came by some news that one must also accept the Hadith in order to become a Muslim. Is this true? Isn't an important aspect of the Qu'ran being that the angel Gabriel himself gave Muhammad (peace be upon him) the word of God directly so man may know the truth? I do think the Hadith is an important account of the prophet's life and is valuable in the context as a historic record, but not a requirement of faith in order to be a practicing Muslim.

Salaam Alykum,

- Kurt, 19 January 2003

Answer

Your questions are not sensitive at all, nor are they disrespectful towards one's faith by any means. They are quite welcome and expected from anyone who is learning about Islam. As a matter of fact, a good Muslim is one who seeks knowledge and understanding behind matters as opposed to forming blind opinions on any issue devoid of reasoning, be that a religious issue or otherwise.

Among the five pillars of Islam, the place of salat is the second in order of importance, which comes immediately after the shahada - the Declaration of Faith. It is also the first ritual that a convert to Islam is immediately faced with to perform five times a day as an obligation. Therefore, it is quite important, as you said, to learn how to make the salat. However, the shahada should not be delayed because one has not yet learned fully how to perform it in Arabic. As soon as one comes to an intellectual conviction that Islam is the religion from the God Almighty, then he or should declare the shahada as soon as possible and enter into Islam without any delay. Upon becoming Muslim one can start praying the salat in English until he learns how to pray it in Arabic, which can be learnt in just a few days. There are examples of learning it even in a few hours. Although he knew that he was not required to immediately make salat in Arabic, Dr Jeffery Lang was determined to make his first salat by himself in Arabic. So, after declaring the shahada, he went back home with a salat booklet, spent a few hours memorizing the salat, and made his Isha prayer (night prayer) in Arabic. The experience of his first salat is movingly described in his book "Struggling to Surrender".

When making salat in English, one can read the translation of the Arabic recitals. If the translations are not learnt yet then one may make his own prayer in English, especially to avoid missing a prayer. But in any case, it would be important to observe the movements, the climax of which is the prostration which symbolizes total submission to the will of God.

You can read more about making salat in English in the Letter section of the www.welcome-back.org website. But it would be important to note that this is only a temporary concession given to new converts. After becoming Muslim, one should start learning about making salat in Arabic as taught by the Prophet and as agreed by all scholars. All parts of salat are required to be made in Arabic. The only exception is the intention, which is, although a part of the salat and all other rituals, does not have to made in Arabic. Regarding your second question, if by belief in hadith one suggests that the words of hadith (i.e., the sayings and actions of the Prophet) are also God's words or having the same level of authority as God's words, then that is not an Islamic standing. Sayings of prophets or third party historical narratives are not considered words of God in Islam. By word of God, Muslims refer to the literal words of God, unpolluted and unadulterated. Therefore, Muslims are not asked to believe in the hadith as words of God. However, a prophet is inspired by God in what he says. A prophet never gives religious instructions based on his whims and personal opinions but only based on God's directives and guidance.

What is meant by belief in hadith is that a Muslim has to obey the commandments of the Prophet, which is the integral part of what constitutes Islam or Islamic way of life. This can be understood and appreciated well when one considers the following two points:

1) A Prophet is the most obedient person to God, and he is sent with a mission to inspire and establish righteous way of life. It is not that his task is limited to conveying God's revelations to the people around him and as soon as that part is done, he can go about doing his business according to his own whims and desires. God sends prophets to establish how a man should lead his life and He provides them constant guidance and protects them accordingly. Therefore, belief in a prophet is made an integral part of Iman (Faith) itself, which means that a believer has to accept him and trust him as one whose examples are to be followed.
2) The Qur'an does not provide detail instruction about how to live as a Muslim, much less as a brother, sister, father, hunsband, wife, neighbour, businessman, politician, warrior, stateman, and so on. That can never be outlined in a book. Instead, the Qur'an deals with the basic principles and guidelines, giving details only when that is felt necessary. As for how to implement those principles and broad guidelines, that can only be established, explained, and exemplified by a prophet who acts as the vehicle of God's message. Without this prophetic example, a Muslim simply would not be able to know how to live as a Muslim. To give an example, God asks us to make salat in the Qur'an. If you want to know how to make it, you will not find it in the Qur'an. For this, one will have to look in the example of the Prophet to see how salat ought to be made. Similarly, God asks us to make the pilgrimage and give zakat. But to know the details, we have to turn to the prophet's sayings and actions. This is what belief in Hadith means.

It should be clear by now why following a prophet's directives has been made part of the faith. This is true not just for Prophet Muhammad, but for all other prophets and messengers as well. Whenever God sends a prophet, the believers are required to accept him as the communicator of God's message and as the model human being, and therefore are required to follow his directives. This is a fundamental principle, and is so important for the believers to understand that Allah (swt) makes it clear in many places of the Qur'an. For example -

Say: "Obey Allah and obey the Messenger ... If ye obey him ye shall be on right guidance." (24:54)

O ye who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and make not vain your deeds! (47:33)

Aaron had ... said to them: "O my people! Ye are being tested in this, for verily your Lord is Most Gracious. So follow me and obey my command." (20:90)

Behold! Their brother Noah said to them: "Will ye not fear (Allah)? I am to you an apostle worthy of all trust. So fear Allah and obey me." (26: 106-110)

O ye who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves refer it to Allah and His Messenger if ye do believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is best and most suitable for final determination. (4:59)

O ye who believe! Obey Allah and his Messenger and turn not away from him when ye hear (him speak). (8:20)

Behold! Their brother Lot said to them: "Will ye not fear (Allah)? I am to you an apostle worthy of all trust. So fear Allah and obey me." (26:161-163)

These are just a few of many verses in the Qur'an where this fundamental principle has been unambiguously established so that the believers fully understand that faith in Islam requires following a prophet's directives. It would, of course, be naive to think that these directives are only given to the followers who were with the prophet at that time. Islam is the universal religion for all time and these directives are meant for all believers.

Now, where do we find these directives? These are contained in the Hadith literature, which is painstakingly compiled, sorted, graded, and authenticated by the early scholars of Islam using such a rigorous scale as has never been applied against the sayings of any other man in history.

- Mushfiqur Rahman, 20 January 2003

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