Quranism

Cover of Quran.

Quranism (Arabic: قرآنيون Qurʾāniyūn) is a denomination of Islam that holds the Qur'an to be the only canonical text in Islam. Quranists reject the religious authority of Hadith, libraries compiled by later scholars who catalogued narratives of what the Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said and done. This is in contrast to mainstream Muslims who consider hadith essential for the Islamic faith. Quranism is similar to movements in other religions such as Karaite Judaism and the Sola scriptura.

History

Historically, such beliefs were expressed during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad while he was still alive. Umar ibn Khattab, one of the most powerful and influential Muslim caliphs, is regarded as the first person to make such claims. Al-Bukhari, who authored the hadith collection known as Sahih al-Bukhari, records in his Sahih:

"عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال لما حضر رسول اله صلى الله عليه وسلم وفي البيت رجال فيهم عمر بن الخطاب قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم هلم اكتب لكم كتابا لا تضلوا بعده فقال عمر ان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قد غلب عليه الوجع وعندكم القرآن حسبنا كتاب الله " Narrated Ibn Abbas that the Prophet, Allah's blessings be upon him, was in his deathbed and there were some people in the house amongst whom was Umar Ibn Khattab. The Prophet, Allah's blessings be upon him, said, 'Bring for me a (pen and paper) so that I may write for you something so that you will not go astray after (me).' Umar said, 'Amongst us is the Qur'an and Allah's Book is sufficient for us.' ".

1-Arabic: 2-English version (slightly different translation which incorrectly states "the Prophet is seriously ill" instead of "His illness has dominated him (i.e. he is hallucinating)"):

This tradition has also been recorded in the Sahih Muslim hadith (vol. 5, p. 76, Kitab al-Nadhr). What is inferred from Umar's words is that he believes the Quran is sufficient for guidance. Thus, he might be regarded as the first person in Islam to express Quranism beliefs. This conclusion is further supported by the historical claims that during his rule, Umar banned the narration of the Prophets traditions and hadiths.

However, despite claims that Umar banned narrations of the Prophets traditions and hadiths, it can also be stated that the meaning of the Prophetic traditions, embodied in actions, was still being transmitted orally and by inherited practice. Thus, for orthodox Muslims, the claim that Umar banned Prophetic narrations in order to make a statement that the Qur'an would suffice for Muslims bears little weight as the "Sunnah", which would later be codified in text (i.e. books of hadith), was known to be in practice - the best example of which includes the times for prayer and the method by which prayer is performed.

Etymology

Quranists may be referred to in various ways, for example Qurʾāniyūn (Arabic: قرآنيون Qurʾāniyyūn) and ʾAhl al-Qurʾān (أهل القرآن) / Ahle Qur'an, both translating to "Quranites" (which is also used in English), Submitters, and usually by their opponents munkirū al-ḥadīṯ (منكروا الحديث) (i.e. "negators of Hadith" / "hadith rejectors"), or Quranism, or Quran aloners, as well as other terms. Quranists may deride Sunni and Shia Muslims by referring to them as 'hadithists' and 'hadith-followers'.

Doctrine

Quranists generally consider themselves to simply be "Muslims", a term directly from the Quran. They do not think of themselves as belonging to a sect, like Sunni or Shia, as they do not accept any of the narratives beside the Qur'an, thereby universally rejecting the authoritative status applied to hadith by orthodox Muslims as encoded in the various Sunnahs of the Sunni, Shia and other hadith-following sects in Islam. The extent to which Quranists reject the authenticity of the Sunnah varies, but the more established groups have thoroughly criticised the authenticity of the hadith and refused it for many reasons, the most prevalent being that hadith is not mentioned in the Quran as a source of Islamic theology and practice, was not recorded in written form until more than two centuries after the death of the prophet Muhammed, its perceived internal errors and contradictions, and repudiate fatwas on a hadith's authenticity and issues emanating from them.

Because of a lack of authoritative clergy in Quranism, ijtihad (independent reasoning) rather than institutionalised taqleed (imitation) is the most common method in use by Quranists.

Examples

Quranist rejection of orthodox Muslim theology

Differences in doctrine between Quranists and orthodox Muslims are extant from minor matters to the core of central beliefs such as the five pillars of Islam. Example areas of difference are:

Article of faith	Orthodox Muslim doctrine	Quranism
Shahada (statement of faith)	Sunni Muslims recite the statement (لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله, lā ʾilāha ʾillà l-Lāh, Muḥammadun rasūlu l-Lāh) which translates to There is no God but God and Muhammad is His Messenger. Shias recite the statement (وعليٌ وليُّ الله لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله lā ʾilāha ʾillà l-Lāh, Muḥammadun rasūlu l-Lāh ʿAliyyun waliyyu l-Lāh) meaning There is no god but God, Muhammad is His Messenger and Ali is God's viceregent.	The Qur'an only mentions 'lâ ilâha illallâh' so in general most Quranist followers, but not all, recite لا إله إلا الله, lâ ilâha illallâh) meaning There is no God but God rather than the Sunni statement or Shia statement.
Prayer (salat)	Sunni pray five obligatory prayers a day, optional prayers such as those prayed by Prophet Muhammad know as sunnah salat or extra prayers known as nafl salat may be offered. Sunni Muslims touch their heads directly to the floor in contrast to Shias in prostration and fold their arms while standing in prayer. Shia Muslims pray three times a day as they join two prayers such as the evening prayer (Maghrib) and the night prayer (Isha) salat together. Shia Muslims use a plank of wood or a hard tablet made of clay from karbala to rest their heads during prostration. Orthodox Islam says menstruating women should not pray.	Regarding prayer Quranists fall into a few categories. There is a group who combine the five prayers into three prayers like Shias. There are those who pray five times a day like Sunnis. There are those who pray 2 times a day (dawn and dusk to include the times of night closest to these) because the Quran only mentions two prayers in the Quran by name. There are also the fringe groups who redefine the Arabic term used for prayer (salat) as something other than prayer. Some Quranists continue to pray in the orthodox manner while others just incorporate bowing and prostration without following the orthodox formula of movement. Night prayer, often referred to as tahajjud is encouraged in the Quran but not in a specific formula as with the orthodox salat in general. See Quranic references: 17:79, 32:16-17, 51:16-17, 52:49, 73:6, 76:26. Menstruating women can pray according to many Quranists due to the reasoning that surah 4:43 does not mention menstruation in its criteria.
Charity (zakat)	Orthodox Muslims provide 2.5% of their wealth in a prescribed manner with formulas based on the sayings of prophet Muhammad.	Quranists give the "excess" that they have according to what the Quran states.
Circumcision	Some Sunni scholars do not consider circumcision to be necessary to be a Muslim but it is highly recommended as part of Fitra, other Sunni scholars consider it obligatory. Most Shia traditions regard the practice obligatory.	Circumcision, either male or female, plays no role in Quranist theology, per ayahs 95:4 and 4:119.
Dress	Orthodox Muslims are encouraged to dress in the way of the prophet Muhammad or his wives. Some Sunni scholars emphasize covering of all body including the face in public whereas some scholars exclude the face from hijab. Shias believe that the hijab must cover around the perimeter of the face and up to the chin.	Clothing rules plays no part in Quranist theology other than that the person dress modestly as surah 24:30–31 says. For example hijabs or beards are not necessary.
Breastfeeding	Some Sunni Muslim scholars have said that breastfeeding a non-related child of breast feeding age, will make him unmarrigeable see rada (fiqh).	Quranists do not hold that breastfeeding a non-related adult male will make him unmarriageable (mahram)
Emergence of Anti-Christ (Dajjal) and the Mahdi	Sunni Muslims believe that when the world has widespread corruption, the Mahdi will come and fight the Anti-Christ. Shias also believe in the emergence of the Mahdi, but unlike the Sunni doctrine, they claim that the Mahdi has already been born. Shia Muslims believe that the Mahdi is hiding for a period known as the occultation, and will emerge and fight the Anti-Christ (Dajjal) at a time prescribed by God.	Quranists generally do not believe in the emergence of the Imam Mahdi or dajjal, since they're not mentioned in the Quran.
Food	Orthodox Muslims consider food slaughtered by the Christians and Jews, to be religiously consumable. Some orthodox Muslims who generally forbid using the left hand. This is because the right hand is considered cleaner due to the tradition of using the left hand in order to clean oneself after having used the toilet.	Quranists can eat food produced by Christians and Jews, as instructed in the ayah 5:5. Some believe that animals produced by them still must be slaughtered with a blessing, prayer or praise to God alone before being slaughtered as is shown in the ayat 6:138. The Quran forbids that animals die by a blow, so techniques for animal slaughter common in Western countries are regarded as by Quranists as unlawful. Also Quranists can consume food with both hands, as there are no prohibitions on eating with the left hand in the Quran.
Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)	Pilgrimage to Mecca is performed from the 8th to 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th and last month of the Islamic calendar.	Many Quranists object to touching the black stone of the kaaba during hajj or umrah, however all Quranists agree that it is not to be accorded any sort of special veneration or respect apart from the rest of the Ka'bah. Hajj according to some Quranists is a four month long season. This idea is held mostly by the submitters group. Pre-islamically the hajj was a three month season beginning at the end of Ramadan,. These three months are the "known months" that the Quran sanctions for the undertaking of pilgrimage. They are known in Arabic as 'Shawwal', 'Dhul-Qi'dah' and the entire month of 'Dhul-Hijjah.' The tradition of only performing pilgrimage during the first 10 days of 'Dhul-Hijjah' comes from the literature of hadith ascribing this practice as the preferred practice of the prophet Muhammad.
Friday congregational Prayer (Jumu'ah)	Orthodox Muslims attach special importance to the Friday congregational prayers and consider it to be obligatory on every healthy Muslim male.	Not all Quranists attend the Friday prayer or believe it to be obligatory, even if they may not object to the practice. The modern Arabic term for Friday among Quranists is commonly understood as Day of gathering, and not just 'Friday.' The reputable Classical Arabic lexicon by Ibn Manzur Lisān al-ʿArab (لسان العرب, The Arab Tongue) states that Friday was originally known to the Arabs as "Yawm-ul-'Aruba" and not "Yawm-ul-Jumu'ah." Ibn Manzur quotes the lexicographer and historian Tha'lab who states that the first one to name Friday by the name Yawm-ul-Jumu'ah was the maternal grandfather of the prophet Muhammad, Ka'b bin Lu'ayy. As-Suhayli in his work 'Al-rawdul-unuf: Land Verdant and Pristine states "Ka'b Ibn Lu'ayy was the first person to make friday (Yawm-ul-Arbuba) a gathering. Friday was not called Yawm-ul-Jumu'ah until the advent of Islam. He was the fist to call it 'Al-Jumu'ah' or 'The Gathering. The tribe of Quraish would gather around him on this day and he would address them and make mention of the advent of the prophet, making them aware that he had sired the prophet (s.a.w) and commanding them to follow him and to have faith in him (s.a.w).".

Quranist rejection of orthodox Muslim punishments

Major punishments approved and applied by the orthodox Sunni and Shi'a madhabs for over a millennium that Quranists reject include:

• Stoning for adultery. Instead, Quranists follow the quran's prescribed punishment of 100 lashings as the Quran does not differentiate between fornicators or adulterers in this punishment, by use of the word 'Zina' (Arabic: الزنا ) in surah 24:2. The orthodox Shariah law applies lashings only to fornicators as per the Quran, but stoning to adulterers as per Sunnah;
• The requirement that the four witnesses of zina must have seen clear penetration during the coitus (though this stringent requirement is rarely applied in practice), as the Quran only requires four witnesses to zina.
• Death penalty of homosexuals. The Quran mentions no punishment for homosexuality other than in a specific reference to prophet Lut's community, a punishment which God alone administers. Quranists instead tend to view that if homosexuality is a sin, that is punishable by God alone in the afterlife.
• Punishment for apostasy. The Qur'an says "Let there be no compulsion in religion" and does not mention an Earthly penalty for apostasy.

Overview

Quranists consider themselves to follow only the Quran.

Liberal movements within Islam include Quranists who interpret Islam as "a belief system committed to the liberal values of a democratic world" under narrow Hudud (Arabic حدود). Other quranists remain orthodox in their approach to human rights and broader in the application of rules and punishments, supporting punishments such as amputation of the hand for theft, crucifixion, amputation and execution of enemies

Most Quranists accept the same Arabic Quran used by other Muslims, with only the minority 'submitter' sect reverting to what they claim is the original Quran by removing ayats 9:128-9 to fit their 'Quran Code 19' theology.

Quranist groups are increasingly translating the Arabic Quran themselves into other languages, because most translations by orthodox Muslim groups contain perceived innovations and mistranslations to fit the orthodox ideology. Orthodox Qurans are replete with bracketed comments — based on the sunnah — throughout the ayats to lead the reader to interpret the Quran by the way of the translator, even though the bracketed comments are absent from the Arabic Quran, and such bracketed comments appear less frequently — if at all — in Quranist translations.

"So far from the Quran alone being the sole rule of faith and practice to Muslims, there is not one single sect amongst them whose faith and practice are based on it alone".

Edward Sell, 1880

Some Muslims have suggested that the original prohibition against Hadith led to the Golden Age of Islam, as the Quran was able to stand up to critical thinking and questioning; and Muslims were thus schooled to be inquisitive and seek answers to every quandary. They posit that the increased reliance on Hadith, which was allegedly illogical and required the suspension of disbelief, led to the eventual downfall of scholastic pursuits in the religion.

Notable

Syed Ahmed Khan (1817–1898) is often considered the founder of the modernist movement within Islam, noted for his application of "rational science" to the Quran and Hadith and his conclusion that the Hadith were not legally binding on Muslims. His student, Chiragh Ali, went further, suggesting all the hadith were fabrications.

Ahmed Subhy Mansour is a recognised Islamic scholar and cleric, with expertise in Islamic history, culture, theology, and politics. He founded a small group of Quranists, but was exiled from Egypt and is now living in the United States as a political refugee. One of his followers, Egyptian blogger Reda Abdel-Rahman was freed on January 2009 after being detained for a year. Abdel-Rahman was imprisoned for writing blogs that reject the sunnah and hadith, and claimed he was tortured in order to reveal the password to his e-mail. Sheikh Mansour was fired from Al-Azhar University after expressing his hadith rejector views. One of Mansour's fellow Islamic scholars at Al Azhar University Sheik Jamal Tahir took up the same Qurʾāniyūn stance.

Edip Yuksel is a Kurdish advocate for the Qurʾāniyūn movement and has gained much attention through his books and speeches.

Mohammed Shahrour also rejects Hadith and has his own methods of interpreting the Qur'an.

Shabbir Ahmed is the author of “The Qur’an As It Explains Itself”, or QXP, a non-literal translation of the meaning of the Qur'an in plain English. He interprets the meaning of the words and phrases in Quran by comparing them to other instances where they are used elsewhere in the Qur'an.

The 1986 Malaysian book "Hadith: A Re-evaluation" by Kassim Ahmad was met with controversy and some scholars declared him an apostate from Islam for suggesting that "“the hadith are sectarian, anti-science, anti-reason and anti-women". His students currently run a Qurʾāniyūn magazine.

As many Quranists have a very individualistic interpretation of the Qur'an, rejecting sectarianism and organised religion as a general rule, it is difficult to gather an accurate estimate of the number of Quranists in the world today by doing a study of the Quranist organisations that exist. Another difficulty in determining their prevalence is the possible fear of persecution due to being regarded as apostates and therefore deserving of the death penalty by many traditional scholars like Yousef Elbadry, Mahmoud Ashour, Mohammed Ra'fat Othman and Mustafa Al-Shak'a.

Maurice Bucaille and Non-Muslim scholars of Islam such as John Esposito, Joseph Schacht and Cyrus Hamlin also criticise Hadith.

Quranist organisations and branches

The Ahle Qur'an

"Ahle Qur’an" is an organisation formed by Abdullah Chakralawi, rely entirely on the chapters and verses of the Qur’an. Chakralawi's position was that the Qur’an itself was the most perfect source of tradition and could be exclusively followed. According to Chakralawi, Muhammad could receive only one form of revelation (wahy), and that was the Qur'an. He argues that the Qur'an was the only record of divine wisdom, the only source of Muhammad's teachings, and that it superseded the entire corpus of hadith, which came later. Ahle Quran scholars may use Tafsir when pursuing the interpretations of the Quran.

Tolu-e-Islam

Main article: Tolu-e-Islam

Tolu-e-Islam ("Resurgence of Islam") is an organization based in Pakistan, with followers throughout the world. The movement was initiated by Ghulam Ahmed Pervez, a Qur'anic scholar. In his writings and speeches, he re-interpreted Qur'anic verses with little or no emphasis on hadith. Tolu-e-Islam followers do not reject all hadiths; however, they only accept hadiths which "are in accordance with the Quran or do not stain the character of the Prophet or his companions". The organization is loosely controlled. The organization publishes and distributes books, pamphlets, and recordings of Pervez's teachings.

United Submitters International

Main article: United Submitters International

Although different from other Quranists nowadays in many ways, like having faith that Rashad Khalifa was the Messenger of the Covenant mentioned in chapter 3 verse 81 and chapter 33 verse 7 of the Quran, the term Quranists was closely associated with the late Rashad Khalifa, founder of the United Submitters International. The group popularized the phrase: The Qur'an, the whole Qur'an, and nothing but the Qur'an. After Khalifa declared himself the Messenger of the Covenant, he was rejected by orthodox scholars as an apostate of Islam. Later, he was assassinated in 1990 by a sunni terrorist group. His followers believe that there is a mathematical structure in the Qur'an, based on the number 19.

Criticism

The most important criticism of Quranist Muslims by the Orthodox establishment is that the Quran itself refers to statements by the Prophet, and to other concepts that are not fully explained within the Quran itself such as fasting, praying, and the hajj. There are many verses that state references towards aspects that are not from the Quran itself (historical references such as the situation and actions taken in the time of Prophet Muhammad) which requires explanations from sources outside of the Quran. The reference to the actions of Prophets are made throughout the Quran such as:

لَّقَدۡ كَانَ لَكُمۡ فِى رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسۡوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ۬ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرۡجُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلۡيَوۡمَ ٱلۡأَخِرَ وَذَكَرَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرً۬ا

وَكَذَٲلِكَ جَعَلۡنَـٰكُمۡ أُمَّةً۬ وَسَطً۬ا لِّتَڪُونُواْ شُہَدَآءَ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ ٱلرَّسُولُ عَلَيۡكُمۡ شَهِيدً۬ا‌

"Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of Allah. " [33:21]

لَقَدۡ مَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ إِذۡ بَعَثَ فِيہِمۡ رَسُولاً۬ مِّنۡ أَنفُسِهِمۡ يَتۡلُواْ عَلَيۡہِمۡ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ وَيُزَڪِّيہِمۡ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلۡحِڪۡمَةَ وَإِن كَانُواْ مِن قَبۡلُ لَفِى ضَلَـٰلٍ۬ مُّبِينٍ

"Indeed Allâh conferred a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves, reciting unto them His Verses (the Qur'ân), and purifying them (from sins by their following him), and instructing them (in) the Book (the Qur'ân) and Al­-Hikmah [the wisdom and the Sunnah of the Prophet (i.e. his legal ways, statements, acts of worship, etc.)], while before that they had been in manifest error." (3:164)

Quranist Muslims are also criticized about how they pick and choose which parts of the Quran they will adhere to. A simple problem being on which verses (Ayah) someone may hold more emphasis on than others and the issue of multiple belief systems within the same Quranist congregation.

Other simple criticism is the Quran was complied as one book after the death of Muhammad by the 3rd Caliphate Uthman ibn Affan during the same time the that hadith literature was being composed by the same scholars and passed unchanged under different Caliphate throughout the Islamic history.

According to mainstream Muslims, the hadith literature is an integral part of the Muslim faith. The 11th century Andalusian Maliki theologian and scholar Ibn Abd al-Barr wrote in his Jami' Bayan al-'Ilm wa Fadlihi (Compendium Exposing the Nature of Knowledge and Its Immense Merit):

The Sunna is divided into two types. The first is the consensus transmitted from the masses to the masses. This is one of the proofs that leave no excuse for denial and there is no disagreement concerning them. Whoever rejects this consensus has rejected one of Allah's textual stipulations and committed apostasy. The second type of Sunna consists in the reports of established, trustworthy lone narrators with uninterrupted chains. The congregation of the ulamas of the Community have said that this second type makes practice obligatory. Some of them said that it makes both knowledge and practice obligatory.

— Jami' Bayan al-'Ilm (2:33), in Ibn Abd al-Barr

Contemporary scholars such as Gibril Haddad have commented on the apostatic nature of a wholesale denial of the probativeness of the Sunnah according to Sunni Orthodoxy, writing "it cannot be imagined that one reject the entire probativeness of the Sunna and remain a Muslim". In his essay, "The Probativeness of the Sunna", Haddad explains that the foundation of Islam is the Qur'an, which cannot be described as God's word when one unconditionally rejects the probativeness of the Sunna (since the fact that the Qur'an is God's Word was not established by other than Muhammad's explicit statement that this was God's Word and His Book). As this statement is part of the Sunna/Hadith Literature, to say that the Sunna is no proof is no different than a denial of an integral part of the religion according to Haddad. He also quotes from Yusuf ibn abd al-Barr, Ibn Hazm as well as other renowned early traditional scholars such as al-Shafi'i, al-Nawawi, Qadi Ayyad and Ibn Hajar.

The Grand Mufti of Pakistan Muhammad Rafi Usmani has also criticised Quranists in his lecture Munkareen Hadith (refuters of Hadith); he states:

The Qur’aan, which they claim to follow, denies the faith of the one who refuses to obey the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and does not accept his ruling: “But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission.” [al-Nisa’ 4:65 – interpretation of the meaning]

— Al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 1/44, in Mufti Muhammad Rafi Usmani

See also

• Ahmed Subhy Mansour#Quranists
• Edip Yuksel
• Liberal movements within Islam
• Qur'an and Sunnah
• Sola scriptura
• Karaism
• Bibliolatry
• Criticism of Hadith
• Hadith of Umar's ban on hadith

References

Further reading

• Daniel Brown, Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic Thought ISBN 0-521-65394-0
• Aisha Y. Musa, Hadith as Scripture: Discussions on the Authority of Prophetic Traditions in Islam, New York: Palgrave, 2008 ISBN 0-230-60535-4

External links

• International Quranic Center-English
• Quran.org
• Quran-Islam.org
• quranic.org

The Message of Islam / For People Who Think

• Uwaysi Bin Kareem´s blog, on esoteric quranical Islam.