The hadith and sunnah debate, urging Submitters to identify the assumptions behind each side and holding that the Quran alone is sufficient guidance. A mathematical observation ties suras 47, 82, 87 and 96 to the number 19 and supports 127 verses for Sura 9. Parents are urged to teach children chastity through God's laws and Luqman's advice, alongside details of the 1996 Houston conference.
Too often we become embroiled in arguments
over hadith and sunnah with their advocates before considering the disparate
assumptions underlying our opposing viewpoints. The debate that ensues
often becomes little more than a game, debate for the sake of debate,
or a contest to determine the better debater rather than the truth. This
complicates discussions. Perhaps while we are occupied in pointless debate,
there are others who sincerely wish to know the truth but who are currently
deprived of our insight because our time and energy are being consumed
by people who have no interest in the truth.
The assumptions that underlie the respective positions of proponents
and opponents of hadith and sunnah generally revolve around what is meant
by “discarding” them. The opponents of hadith and sunnah are
concerned only with the question of sanctity [of upholding God’s
word], their proponents, on the other hand, are concerned with the prescriptive
vacuum that they fear would be created if all the world's Muslims suddenly
do away with their volumes of Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi and the
rest of the transcribers of the oral traditions
of the early Islamic era. In a given debate, therefore, the Submitter
[the advocate of following the Quran alone] may think that “discarding”
hadith and sunnah means merely resisting the belief that they could serve
as a source of divine guidance, while the advocate of hadith and sunnah
may think it means doing away with information valuable for providing
insight into certain aspects of early Islamic history. In such a debate,
the debaters could reach a consensus if each realizes what the other assumes
is understood from the outset.
In order to carry on more rational debates and, more importantly, to
determine whether our prospective opponents in debate are interested in
the truth or merely the debate itself, we ought to clarify what our main
concern is before we start. Do we wish to debate the ostensibly divine
origins of the oral traditions or merely their historical or philological
merit? Do we wish to debate the accuracy of their content? Do we wish
to discuss the reliability of oral tradition in general, of which the
hadith and sunnah are
merely transcriptions? To many Submitters
the oral traditions are as intriguing as the Dead Sea Scrolls. Some may
hold hadith philology in the same regard as many of us hold non-religious
hobbies. Being Submitters, however, they do not confuse their academic
interests with their worship. We should be careful not to encourage an
exaggerated fear of the oral traditions, just as the advocates of hadith
and sunnah should have sense enough not to forment an irrational fear
of the consequences of carrying on discussions without them.
To exemplify my point, I refer to Edip Yuksel’s responses to three
questions from an advocate of hadith and sunnah in the May ‘95 issue
of SP. While his responses are clear and valid, they do not directly address
the assumptions held by the questioner. It is my opinion that, if we are
quick to entertain debate before we have considered the assumptions underlying
the questions, we are bound to wind up with very lengthy responses that
do very little to address the central issues.
Page 2
Hadith/Sunnah Debate
The first question asks whether rejecting the validity of all “trustworthy”
(sahih) hadith is warranted on the basis of examination of a few
of them. This implies two assumptions: (1) that Submitters base
their entire position regarding hadith and sunnah on the identification
of a few flaws; and (2) that they reject the possibility outright
that some hadith may be accurate historical accounts. However, Submitters
reject hadith first and foremost because the Quran specifically
requires the faithful to make the Quran their only source of guidance.
Textual analysis has nothing to do with it. Analysis of the content
of hadith merely serves to corroborate the dictate, after the fact.
As for the other point, Submitters do not deny the historical validity
of much of hadith. (As Edip Yuksel accurately points out, “we
can study hadith to get an approximate idea about the people and
events of those times.”) However, Submitters do not bother
to undertake the difficult task of sorting out truth from falsehood
in them because the primacy of the Quran makes the oral traditions
utterly irrelevant as far as guidance is concerned. Given the choice
of flawless guidance from the Quran and dubious anecdotes from the
hadith, only a fool would choose to study the latter in place of
the former.
The second question is really a restatement of the first. It suggests
examination of each hadith individually to assess its veracity.
Suffice it to say that the underlying assumptions are the same,
and the task suggested could only interest a historian or philologist.
It would do nothing to enhance the institution of worship as far
as Submitters are concerned.
The third question evokes the above-mentioned fear of the prescriptive
vacuum: “Suppose we cease to use hadtih as a source of information
about the Prophet, his life, and his career. Then we notice that
the Quran itself says very little about the Prophet's life. It also
says nothing about how the Quran was compiled. The historicity of
the Quran is based on hadiths.”
The first assumption here is that the
Quran's validity is supported solely by historical evidence. While
the answer to this assumption is obvious to those truly familiar
with the Quran, it is worth noting that the historicity of the Quran
is not an issue to those who already accept it as the Word of God.
To them, the Quran is the first truth, against which everything
else must be compared. Nor does the Quran depend on the opinions
of historians to give it importance. Submitters have already gone
through the process of assessing its validity, whether on the basis
of what they had learned about its historicity or on the basis of
other evidence, such as the patient confirmation of the truth of
the miraculous code embedded in its text. No longer finding it necessary
to assess the veracity of the Quran, they now seek only to obey
it.
Finally, there are even bolder assumptions underlying the third
question than those I have mentioned. By asserting that “the
Quran itself says very little about the Prophet's life” and
that it says “nothing about how the Quran was compiled,”
the questioner assumes that the information that the Quran leaves
out is nevertheless vital to our spirituality. (One might ask how
the questioner knows that this information is vital—does it
say so in a hadith?) The Quran, as we know, is “fully detailed”
(6:114). What this tells us is that it is not up to us to decide
what the Quran should tell us. If a given issue is truly vital to
our spirituality, we will find it addressed in the Quran. If it
is not vital, we should not expect to find it there.
Finally, if what is lacking from the Quranic text—how to
light a fire, how to bake a cake, how to tie our shoes—really
concerns us, then let me just add that our role as Submitters is
not merely to follow a list of prescriptions, but to come to understand
the wisdom behind them through our observance of them. With this
wisdom, which increases over time as long as we keep up our genuine
worship, we become progressively more capable of finding the answers
to life’s questions ourselves. Indeed, God could merely have
given us a list of
rules to follow (and it would be no
exaggeration to say that may “Muslims” perceive Islam
in precisely this way!).
The Word of God, on the contrary, is designed to see to our evolution
as human beings, not to set up a society of robots who cannot think
for themselves.
If the Quran—the Word of God — alone is not enough
for us, then we should reconsider whether we can truly identify
ourselves as slaves of God, followers of the examples of Abraham
and Muhammad. Perhaps all debates should begin with this assumption:
that the Quran alone is sufficient as a criterion against which
to discuss anything anyone proposes with respect to worship, exactly
as it it written, without footnotes.
Richard Steven Voss
God Willing, be There
1996 Conference
August 9-11, 1996
Houston, Texas
The conference registration fee is $57 per person. The fee is $29
for children 5-12 years old. Children under 5 are free. The registration
fee covers two lunches and two dinners, including the miscellaneous
conference expenses. It does NOT include the hotel room charges.
We made special arrangements with a first class hotel and reserved
rooms for our group. The special rate is $72 per room per night
(i.e., a single adult pays $72 total for 2 nights assuming double
occupancy). This includes full breakfast for Saturday and Sunday.
Participants pay the room charges to the hotel directly on departure.
Please start making your plans early to attend the conference.
If you travel by air, you need to fly into Houston Intercontinental
airport. The hotel has free shuttle service from the airport.
Page 3
Divine Design or Coincidence?
Brother Najam ul-Haq, who was visiting Masjid
Tucson over the spring break from Oregon State University, made some
mathematical observations regarding suras 47, 82, 87 and 96 of the
Quran: These are the only suras out of 114 suras (chapters) of the
Quran whose numbers of verses are multiples of 19. Sura 47 has 38
(19x2) verses. Suras 82, 87 and 96 all have 19 verses. Najam observed
a special relationship connecting these suras that is interwoven in
the mathematical structure of the Quran based on the number 19.
The best way to explain his observation is with the help of Table
1 given below. In this table there are are six columns. Columns
1, 2, and 3 are for reference. Column 1 is for the sura
numbers. Column 2 is for the corresponding number
of verses in these suras. Column 3 is for the sum of verse numbers
in these suras. For example, Sura 1 has 7 verses. The sum of verse
numbers add up to 28 (1+2+3+4+5+6+7=28).
Colums 4, 5, and 6 are related to columns 1, 2 and 3, respectively.
Column 4 is the cumulative sum of the sura numbers in column 1. Column
5 is the cumulative sum of the verse numbers in column 2. Column 6
is the cumulative sum of the numbers shown in column 3.
The abreviated table explains the observation. The suras 47, 82, 87
and 96 are highlighted. At the bottom of the table, under columns
4, 5, and 6, the total of the numbers in this highlighted
areas are given. It can be verified that these
numbers are all multiples of 19.
Najam has also observed that if we include the unnumbered Basmalahs
in the same study, the results still come up to be multiples of
19. [Note: In this case, only columns 2 and 5 would be different.
The total for column 5 then comes to 22819 = 19x1201] This mathematical
structure is another proof that Sura 9 must have 127 verses. Otherwise,
the whole phenomenon collapses. For further information on the mathematical
structure of the Quran and publications available on this subject,
feel free to write or fax to us.
Table 1. Mathematical Observation
About Suras 47, 82, 87 and 96 only suras in the Quran whose number
of verses is a multiple of 19
Col.1
Col.2
Col.3
Col.4
Col.5
Col.6
Sura No.
No. of Verses
Sum of Verse #'s
Cumulative Sum of Col.1
Cumulative Sum of Col. 2
Cumulative Sum of Col. 3
1
7
28
1
7
28
2
286
41041
3
293
41069
3
200
20100
6
493
61169
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
9
127
8128
45
1362
129999
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
47
38
741
1128
4581
299247
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
82
19
190
3403
5846
329665
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
87
19
190
3828
5965
331252
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
96
19
190
4656
6123
332957
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Sum of Shaded Rows For Cols 4,5 and 6
13015
22515
1293121
19x685
19x1185
19x68059
Page 4
Maintaining Chastity in a Promiscuous
Society
One of the hardest things to teach children
nowadays is to keep their chastity. There is a large percentage of teenagers
who are sexually active, even though they are not physiologically—let
alone psycologically—mature. There are millions of illicit pregnancies
and tragedies associated with this moral breakdown. Abortions which happen
daily in this society. Unwanted and unsupported children who will likely
become society’s time bombs. Children who have no regard for people's
lives and property. Millions of social misfits, as well as the increased
proliferation of sexual diseases.
People are unaware that this moral breakdown costs them dearly. This
is in spite of the enlightenments given in the scripture. God has provided
laws which should be the basis of the laws and norms of society. He has
also given examples that any violation of His laws results in a lot of
misery and problems. Furthermore, He shows us the traits necessary to
be successful in life, and maintaining chastity is one of them.
Successful indeed are the believers; who are reverent during
their Contact Prayers (Salat).
Sons and daughters of true believers must
be taught that happiness throughout their lives depends on following God's
laws. This includes preserving their chastity, keeping themselves for
their future spouses and not allowing anyone else to touch them in a sexual
manner. Unfortunately, this is not the norm of society today. There are
too many negative elements pulling against being chaste. Too many avenues
of temptation. We, as parents, must be persistent in telling our children
what the correct path is to happiness throughout their lives.
The parents’ responsibility is to give the children the message
and teach them righteousness. God gives us an example in the Quran of
Luqman’s conversation with his son. Luqman, who is endowed with
wisdom, enlightens his son to be appreciative of God and not to set up
any idols beside Him, for idolatry is a gross injustice. God has also
enjoined us to honor our parents and obey them unless they force us to
set up idols beside God. However, we should continue to treat them amicably
in this world (31:12-15). And Luqman continues:
“O my son, know that even something as tiny as a
mustard seed, deep inside a rock, be it in the heavens or the earth, GOD
will bring it. GOD is Sublime, Cognizant.
“O my son, you shall observe
the Contact Prayers (Salat). You shall advocate righteousness and forbid
evil, and remain steadfast in the face of adversity. These are the most
honorable traits.
“You shall not treat the people with arrogance, nor
shall you roam the earth proudly. GOD does not like the arrogant showoffs.
“Walk humbly and lower your voice—the ugliest
voice is the donkey’s voice.” 31:16-19
As believing parents, we have no choice but to advise our children to
follow God’s laws. No matter what roadblocks appear to stand in
the way, we must take this responsibility seriously, regardless of how
our children might receive our advice. This is by no means an easy task
in today’s society, especially when one parent is a believer and
the other is not. It is even more difficult when parents are separated
and live apart, or worse if they are in different states. Long-distance
parenting may be difficult, but this should not stop us, as the Quran
says we must be consistent. It is our responsibility as parents to give
our children all the necessary information for their happiness and well
being. We should do our best; at the same time we should not worry, for
ultimately they are in God’s hands.
Frank Yeargin
About this work
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Author
International Community of Submitters
Publisher
International Community of Submitters / Masjid Tucson