Ahle hadeeth movement What and Why?

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بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
نحمده ونصلي علي رسوله الكريم أما بعد

The identity of Ahle hadeeth

(تَعَارُفُ أَهْلِ الْحَدِيْثِ)

In Persian possessive case Ahle hadeeth and in Arabic possessive case Ahlul hadeeth as per dictionary meaning is ‘the follower of Hadeeth’. In terminology, it denotes to the unbiased follower of the holy Quran and saheeh Hadeeth. Only the person, who in every sphere of life, accepts the decision of the holy Quran and saheeh hadeeth unconditionally and tries to build up his total life according to the way of the last Prophet (sm) and the Sahaba-i-Keram, is identified with this name.

Sahaba-i-Keram are the honoured group of the 1st rank, who used to be called by this name. As (1) The famous Sahabi Abu Sa‘eed Khudri (R.) (d. 74 A.H.) seeing any young Muslim would say delightedly,

عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ أَنَّهُ كَانَ إِذَا رَأَى الشَّبَابَ قَالَ: مَرْحَبًا بِوَصِيَّةِ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَمَرَنَا رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنْ نُوَسِّعَ لَكُمْ فِي الْمَجْلِسِ وَأَنْ نُفَهِّمَكُمُ الْحَدِيثَ فَإِنَّكُمْ خُلُوْفُنَا وَأَهْلُ الْحَدِيْثِ بَعْدَنَا-

‘I am giving you thanks (Marhaba) as per advice (Wasiat) of the Prophet (sm). The Prophet (sm) has directed us to make our meeting (Majlis) wider for you and to make you understand Hadeeth. Because, you are our next generation and the next Ahle hadeeth.[1]

(2) The famous Tabe‘ii Imam Sha‘bi (22-104 A.H.) used to regard the Jama‘at of Sahaba-i-Keram as Ahle hadeeth. As once he said, لَوِ اسْتَقْبَلْتُ مِنْ أَمْرِيْ مَا اسْتَدْبَرْتُ مَا حَدَّثْتُ إِلاَّ مَا أَجْمَعَ عَلَيْهِ أَهْلُ الْحَدِيْثِ- ‘I would not narrate any hadeeth, if I could know earlier about what is happening now, save that hadeeth, on which the Ahle hadeeth i.e. Sahaba-i-Keram was unanimous in their opinion. [2]  

(3) All the disciples of Sahaba-i-Keram, Tabe‘iis and Tabe Tabe‘iis were Ahle hadeeth. Ibnu Nadeem (d. 370 A.H.) in his book Kitabul Fihrist, Khateeb Baghdadi (392-463) in his book Tareekhu Baghdad in the 12th and 14th volume and Hebatullah Lalkaee (d. 418 A.H.) in his book Sharhu Usoolil I‘tiqad have given long list of the names of Ahle hadeeth scholarsof the Muslim world up to their time. Besides these, there is a separate book also on the dignity of Ahle hadeeth, written by Khateeb Baghdadi entitled with Sharfu Ashabil Hadeeth.

(4) Imam Abu Haneefah (80-150 A.H.), Imam Malek (93-179), Imam Shafe‘ii (150-204) and Imam Ahmad bin Hambal (164-241), all were Ahle hadeeth. Since the hadeethes were not so much collected during his time, Imam Abu Haneefah had to depend mostly on Rai and Qias (i.e. analogy and deduction) for which he has been called اِمَامُ أَهْلِ الرَّأىِ i.e. the leader of Ahlur Rai’. He did not leave behind any book written by himself. Rather he has given his Wasiyat (death-time advice) to his disciples with this that, إِذَا صَحَّ الْحَدِيْثُ فَهُوَ مَذْهبِيْ Iza Sahhal Hadeethu Fahua Mazhabi (when a Hadeeth will be proved as authentic that is my Mazhab).[3]

(5) Once he said to his chief disciple Abu Yousuf (113-182 A.H), لاَ  تَرْوِ عَنِّي شَيْئًا فَإِنِّىْ وَ اللهِ مَا أَدْرِىْ مُخْطِئٌ أَنَا أَمْ مُصِيْبٌ  ‘Do not narrate anything on behalf of me. By Allah I do not know whether I am incorrect in my decisions or correct. [4]

(6)In another occasion he rebuked him on seeing him to write  his statementsas,

وَيْكَ يَا يَعْقُوْبُ ! لاَ تَكْتُبْ كُلَّ مَا تَسْمَعُهُ مِنِّى فَإِنِّي قَدْ أَرَى  الرَّأْيَ الْيَوْمَفَأَتْرُكُهُ غَدًا، وَ أَرَى الرَّأْىَ غَدًا وَ أَتْرُكُهُ بَعْدَ غَدٍ -

‘Be careful Oh yaqub (Abu yusuf)! Do not take down whatever you hear from me. Because, what I decree today, I cancel that tomorrow, and what I decree tomorrow, I take it back after tomorrow’.[5]

All ofthe four Imams directed people not to follow them blindly (Taqleed) in religious matters and to practise those instructions laid down in the saheeh Hadeeth.[6]For this, they were Ahle hadeeth undoubtedly. But their blind followers, defying the instructions of their Imams, in spite of getting saheeh Hadeeth later on, have kept them aside, on various pleas and followed blindly the Rai of their respective Mazhabi scholars and their writings on Fiqh and Fatawas; they, in fact, have turned into the followers of the Rai of numerous Ulama. For this, the followers may be held responsible, but not the Imams. For this reason, the famous Hanafee scholar Abdul Wahhab Sha‘rani (898-973 A.H.) has said, فَالْإِمَامُ مَعْذُوْرٌ وَ أَتْبَاعُهُ غَيْرُ مَعْذُورِيْنَ ‘the Imam has plea, but the followers have not’. [7]

The Imams have plea because they have openly admitted that, they did not know many hadeethes and they have advised all to follow the saheeh Hadeeth whenever they would get it. But the followers have no plea because even after getting saheeh Hadeeth they did not accept it and did not practise it. Rather this blind faith has been imprinted in their mind that the Imam or Peer they follow, knows everything. There is no possibility of his committing any mistake. Even thinking that, he may commit any mistake is an utter disregard to him. So, by all means they keep trying to prove the validity of the Rai of the Imam or Mazhabi Fatwa. For this, they do not care, even if it requires rejecting the saheeh Hadeeth.

Nevertheless Imam Gazzali (450-505 A.H.) told in his book Kitabul Mankhool أَنَّهُمَا خَالَفَا أَبَا حَنِيْفَةَ فِىْ ثُلُثَىْ مَذْهَبِه Imam Abu Yusuf and Muhammad (Rh) contradicted at least two-third of Fatwas of the Mazhab of their teacher Imam Abu Haneefah.[8] Besides, the Fatwas in vogue, in the names of four Imams and especially all the Qiasi Fatwas narrated in the Hanafi Fiqh or most of them are not of Imam Abu Haneefah, as has been opined by many scholars including Shah Waliullah Dehlavi.[9] Not only Fiqhi or things of practical matters but also Usool-i-Fiqh i.e. the sources of canon laws accepted by Imam Abu Haneefah, have been opposed by his two grand disciples.[10] So, the Mazhabs that are in existence in the name of Imam Abu Haneefah and other Imams are virtually the creations of the Ulama of their respactive Mazhabs in the latter days.

Because of following Hadeeth without being biased to any particular Mazhab, Imam Bukhari (194-256 A.H.), Imam Muslim (204-261), Imam Nasaii (215-303), Imam Abu Daud (202-275), Imam Tirmizi (209-279), Imam Ibnu Majah (209-273), Imam Ali Ibnul Madini (161-234), Imam Ishaq bin Rahwayih (166-238), Imam Abu Bakr Ibnu Abi Shaibah (d.235), Imam Daremi (181-255), Imam Abu Zur‘a Razi (d.264), Imam Ibnu Khuzaimah (223-311), Imam Dara qutni (305-385), Imam Hakem (321-405), Imam Baihaqi (384-458), Imam Muhius Sunnah Bagavi (436-516) and such other world-famous Imams and honoured Muhadditheen and their disciples and followers were all Ahle hadeeth.  

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