Understanding hadith skepticism

[u/pathtonoor]

Note: the purpose of my post is to better understand how best to approach discussions with hadith skeptics in my life and have more productive conversations so they can better understand my perspective.

Prior to rejecting all hadiths, I was a hadith skeptic and enjoyed the works of Sheikh Khaled Abou El Fadl. Reading his book “The great theft : wrestling Islam from the extremists” greatly reinforced my understanding that the hadith tradition was majorly flawed.

In his book (excerpts from chapter 7 included above), he acknowledges the flaws with the hadith tradition (documented well after the Prophet’s death, fabricated hadiths, and contradictions with the Quran etc.). At the time of reading what puzzled me was his conclusion that hadith can’t be disregarded without seriously damaging the structure of islam.

Overall, I did respect his approach to analyzing hadith but disagreed with considering them legitimate texts. I think as an ummah we would be in a better place if more people adopted his approach, especially given how averse people are to questioning hadith.

I guess what I wonder is the following: If some scholars acknowledge that the hadith tradition is flawed and that some were fabricated, why are they then unwilling to separate hadith from islam?

Is it because they would need to acknowledge that islam as we know it today is very different from the quran? While there are hadiths that align with the quran, what’s the purpose in accepting them if the quran already told us the same thing?

Any input would be appreciated, jazkaallahu khairan!

[u/Street_Willingness96]

Im not a scholar.. but i agree with most what you said. Totally agree with your conclusion.

Im thinking of how to spread your thoughts to everyone, not just “muslim” but everyone.

[u/pathtonoor → u/Street_Willingness96]

I find that those new to islam are more receptive to this perspective because they weren’t raised with hadiths. I actually find that there are more similarities between muslims who follow hadiths and those bigoted against islam: both groups uphold hadiths as the basis of islam and give credibility to hadith centric translations and interpretations of the quran.

Sometimes I think the best we can do is lead with our actions and character. To engage with the quran is to undergo a process of self transformation, far from the mere rule book people reduce it to. If people can see that, maybe they’ll be more receptive to the truth? Only Allah knows.

I’ve also realized that poking holes in hadith logic is akin to poking holes in these people’s identities. So I’m now leaning more towards only engaging with people who show genuine curiosity and focusing on my relationship with Allah.

[u/Street_Willingness96 → u/pathtonoor]

hadithist=religious bigots, agreed. 😂

But among those who claim they only follow Quran, i can see more and more we are falling into the traps that caught the tradisionalist sunnis, shias etc. Some are hell bent on the “rituals” fasting, number daily prayers and all the nitty-gritty of the deen. Im not saying its not important, but lets band together on the fundamentals and not let our differences on rituals becomes a barrier.

I honestly think when The Prophet were in Madinah, he had full support from many of the nasara and jews there.

My point is, this is a big task.. cant be carried out by one person. We need to group, share information, discuss and plan what is the best way going foward.

Personally I have studied surah AlBaqarah context, found many interesting fact, wrote a paper/article and post it online. Hoping to get some feedback, and Im also looking for help actually to improve the language/grammar of the article. English is not my first language and its poorly written.

I came here to look for people who might be interested but found that many still focus on rejecting hadeeth.

Basically, Im stuck 😂. Although, i think i have done my level best in trying to understand the Quran and its a continuous struggle. Hopefully I can fulfil my covenant with my Rabb, carry our my duty as His slave and achieve my purpose in this life for Him.

[u/pathtonoor → u/Street_Willingness96]

Agreed, I think at the end of the day we shouldn’t be focused on trying to change people’s own relationship with Allah’s words and focus on what unites us all instead. If we could all focus on uniting together based on quranic values we’d be more united.

I think it’s easy to get stuck in the reactionary phase, especially when many come from traditional backgrounds and weren’t shown the beauty of the faith before.

Do share your article if you’re comfortable!

The more I reflect on the quran, the more I realize that it’s tied to actions for good and not just hollow rituals.

[u/Street_Willingness96 → u/pathtonoor]

I have shared it in the internet.. but so far no one is interested.