Ahl al-Hadith
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Ahl Hadith (Template:Lang-ur, literally meaning "People of Hadith") is an Islamic reformist movement[1] and school of thought. The term Ahl-e hadith, (i.e. "the people of prophetic narrations") refers to the adherent's belief that they are not bound by taqlid (as are Ahl-al-rai, literally "the people of rhetorical theology"), but consider themselves free to seek guidance in matters of religious faith and practices from the authentic traditions (hadith) which, together with the Quran, are in their view the principal worthy guide for Muslims.
The term Ahl-e Hadith is often used interchangeably with the Salafi dawah,[2] and proponents prefer to call themselves `Salafis,` although they are often called Wahhabis by their adversaries.[1]
History
Originally, collectors and transmitters of Ahadith (sayings and traditions of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad) — such as Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim — called themselves Ahle-Hadith (literally meaning "People of Hadith"). The name derives from their claim that they consider the hadith and the Qur'an as being the only sources of religious authority.
The followers of Ahle Hadith movement claim their beliefs practices to be the same as those of early muslims (Aslaf) and the Rashidoon-the rightly guided caliphs. The movement rose again in the 9th centure AD during the Abbasid era to counter the beliefs of Mutazilites [3]. In the post Mongol era Imam Ibn Taymiyyah (1263 – 1328) started a reformist movement to purge the Islamic community from deviant beliefs [4]. Syed Ahmad Shaheed (1786-1831) is another hero of this movement who even laid down his life for the cause.
The contemporary movement that refers to itself as Ahl-e Hadith was founded in the 1830s and grew significantly in Bengal.[5] It was inaccurately classified as `Wahhabi` by the British,[1] Wahhabi being a movement they had no connection with at the time.
The movement later spread to other parts of South Asia and has been described as having "slowly moved into Sunni Hanbali school represented by Wahabis in Pakistan," where they sometimes clash with other Islamic schools — the Shia and the Sunni Barelwis. [6]
In Pakistan, the movement formed a political party, Jamiat Ahle Hadith, which unlike similar Islamic groups opposed the sharia bill to make the sharia state law on the grounds the state should not legislate on the shariah.[1] Their leader, Ehsan Ilahi Zahir, was assassinated in 1987.
Description and Early Mention Of
Ibn Hajr said in his commentary of the hadith, "And this nation will continue, established upon Allah’s command, unharmed by those who oppose them until the arrival of Allah’s order," that Muhammad ibn Ismael al-Bukhari was adamant that those referred to were the people with knowledge of the narrations.[7] Ahmad ibn Hanbal said, “If they are not the Ahl al-Hadith, then I do not know who they are.” Al-Qadi ‘Iyyad explained that Ahmad was referring to Ahl al-Sunnah and those who share the beliefs of the people of hadith.[8]
Organisations and madrassas
Some of the organizations of the Ahl-e-Hadith are the All India Ahl-e-Hadith Conference, founded sometime on or before 1916, of which smaller organizations in India are members. One member is the Anjuman-i-Hadith formed by students of Maulana Sayyid Miyan Nadhir Husain and divided into Bengali and Assam wings. Another organization, the Nikhil Banga O Assam Jami'at-e-Hadith was formed at Calcutta in 1946 under the leadership of Maulana Abdullahil Kafi (1900-1960). After the 1947 separation of India and Pakistan, the Pakistani Ahle-Hadith center was based in and around Karachi. The next year the Pakistan Markazi Jami'at-e-Hadith was founded at Lahore. The Nikhil Banga O Assam Jamiat-e-Ahl-e-Hadith, Pabna was given a new name - the 'Purba Pakistan Jami'at-e-Ahl-e-Hadith' in 1953. Lately, the name of the organisation was again changed to Bangladesh Jami'at-e-Ahl-e-Hadith. In India after 1947, the headquarters of the organisation was shifted from Calcutta to Pabna and later (1956) to Dhaka. A Anjuman-e-Ahl-e-Hadith was formed in West Bengal in 1951. [9]
The number of Ahle Hadith madrassa in Pakistan has grown from 134 in 1988 to 310 in 2000. The group has 17 organisations active in Pakistan, "looking after their own seminaries," three of them involed in jihad. The groups are described as "puritans" who "are also called wahhabi" and the majority of whom "follow the lead of the ulema of Saudi Arabia and receive assistance from rich Saudi citizens."[10]
Methodology
According to Allama Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi the Ahl-e-Hadith movement in India has been founded on four pillars: (a) belief in pure tawheed, (b) the Sunnah of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, (c) enthusiasm for jihad (the struggle against one's own immoral desires and/or participation in military campaigns designed to defend Muslim nations against non-Muslims) and (d) submission to Allah. Ahl-e hadith insists on taking all decisions on the basis of the Quran and hadith, and not by applying the methodology of Qiyas (analogy).[9]
The Ahl-e hadith state that they exert effort to raise traditional principles while restoring the original simplicity and purity to faith and practices, in particular reasserting Tawheed and the denial of occult powers and knowledge of the hidden things to any of his creatures. They reject any miraculous powers of saints and veneration paid to them, and work to eradicate customs they believe to be innovation (bid‘a) or non-Islamic. As strict adherents to hadith, members of the Ahl-e hadith take for themselves a broader meaning with wider implications and claim themselves to be the followers of Sahih (the reliable) Hadith.[citation needed] Ahle Hadith ban "pictures, tobacco, photographs, and celebrating Prophet Muhammad's birthday (Milad-un-Nabi), among many other things."[6]
Originally, Ahle Hadith developed theological differences with the Hanafi school — the dominant Maddhab in the region they lived — with respect to the rules of praying (Salah), which "scandalized" the "generally very orthodox Sunni Hanafi" Afghan Musilms.[1] The movement spread due to Islamic revival in India moving away from British influence.
One source states that while Ahle Hadith "claim that they do not follow any specific school of jurisprudence (Maddhab or Mazhab), and ... interpret the words of the Prophet Mohammad directly, using the four Sunni schools (Maddhabs of (Hanafi, Hanbali, Maliki and Shafii) for reference, ... they are closely associated with the Hanbali maddhab."[6]
Criticism and controversy
Critics of the Ahle Hadith no Taqlid policy sometimes call them Ghayr Muqallid or Ghayr Mutaqalid. Taqlid stands for trusting a qualified jurist without proof. These critics argue that the Taqlid is important to bring order and discipline in a religious community. They also argue that Taqlid is necessary as unqualified people can not interpret religious edicts and they must turn to qualified experts. On the other hand the Ahl-e-Hadith are against the Taqlid of any person other than the Islamic prophet Muhammad. This, according to them, was the method of the Sahaba of the prophet so Taqlid of anyone else other than Muhammad according to some of them, is not acceptable.
Ahle Hadith theology is said by shaikhsiddiqui.com to promote "a puritanical and legalistic stance in matters of faith and religious practice." [6]
References
- ^ a b c d e Roy, Olivier, The Failure of Political Islam, by Olivier Roy, translated by Carol Volk, Harvard University Press, 1994, p.118-9
- ^ Rabasa, Angel M. The Muslim World After 9/11 By Angel M. Rabasa, p. 275
- ^ A Brief History of Islam by Karen Armstrong, Phoenix, London
- ^ The Righr Way- By Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, Darrussalam publishers KSA
- ^ History of Bengali-speaking People by Nitish Sengupta, p 210, 212-213.
- ^ a b c d Ahle Hadith
- ^ Fath al-Bari, vol. 1, pg. 290; Dar al-Taibah edition
- ^ Fath al-Bari, vol. 1, pg. 290; Dar al-Taibah edition
- ^ a b Banglapedia
- ^ The power of the Ahle Hadith, by Khaled Ahmed The Friday Times, July 12 - 18, 2002. accessed 23-May-2009
Bibliography
- Al-Naysaburi, Al-Imam Muslims bin Al-Hajaj. Sahih Muslim, The authentic hadiths of Muslim, Publisher Dal Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah (Beirut, Lebanon, 2005)