Contradictions between the Qur'an and Hadith
Question:
Al-salam 'alaikum
I am a student of computer engineering and studying Islam from its primary sources. While studying Islam I approach it as a Muslim and as a non-Muslim too, i.e. conformist approach and conflict approach.
I found many ahadith to be in contradiction with the Qur'an (not talking about the weak and fabricated ones).
For instance, the Prophet (PBUH) said, "… Had it not been for Eve no woman would ever betray her husband." [ﻣﺘﻔﻖ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ[
The traditional scholars said in their commentaries (viz. Ibn Hajar, al-Nawawi, al-Qastalani et al) that this refers to the sin done by enticing her husband, Adam, making him approach the forbidden tree has continued through ages into all women, as she is their mother.
My points:
(a) no reliable text (Quran or Prophetic hadith) supports the claim of Eve enticing Adam to do the sin. This is more of a Biblical concept.
(b) the scholars grasped correctly what the Prophet (PBUH) meant, because what could be other meaning of such an indirect implication.
(c) The Prophet (PBUH) contradicted the Qur'an, as it states:
"No bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another". [This verse is repeated five times in the Qur'an].
Now all the scholars just say that our interpretation is incorrect, including you too. If you think so, get me a "correct" interpretation.
Instead of blaming the questioner, why don't they provide their own logical answer and interpretation to such hadiths.
Moreover, some scholars have skipped commenting on this hadith altogether in their commentaries, e.g. Ibn Rajab.
There are innumerable other case as well. For example, the Prophet forbidding 'Ali to marry Abu Jahl's daughter even though she was lawful just because it made Fatimah upset.
Why didn't the Prophet (PBUH) just slapped her for interfering in 'Ali's right to marry given by Allah. But rather, he (Prophet) too complied with her.
Furthermore, there is difference of opinion in almost everything. Everyone talks about correct interpretation. Seems like Islam is based on our own interpretations. And if so, this make Islam an obscure religion.
One interpretation can make a thing halaal while the other can even make it haraam, even incest.
Further, the Prophet (PBUH) many a times did exactly opposite of what he said. If the scholars cannot answer it, they just say that that particular scenario was exclusive to the Prophet (PBUH) and dismiss the question.
If so, then we need to part Islam into two:
(a) Islam for Prophet (where anything goes)
(b) Islam for everyone else
And how can the Prophet be considered a "perfect example" if he has his own rules for himself and other rules for judging others. Double standards, innit?
I don't know if you will reply to these questions of mine because people don't answer such truth-exposing questions quite often, especially in public.
If I am interpreting wrong, then you provide me with your correct interpretations.
Answer:
Assalamu Alaykum,
Allow me to first make my stance on authenticity of hadith very clear (as I have tried to do this in some of my other writings).
No authentic hadith in my view can be in conflict (or even out of line) with the Qur’an. If we truly find that a hadith is in conflict (or out of line) with the Qur’an then there can be only three possibilities:
a. Our understanding of the hadith is incorrect
b. The hadith has not been reported in its entirely or accurately
c. The hadith is fabricated
In my view there is no reservation about this.
With the above in mind, let’s now look at the examples you gave:
- The hadith on Adam and Eve and women betraying their husband.
As you mentioned, there are different interpretations of this hadith. One is that it has nothing to do with Eve being deceived by Satan in the event of eating from the tree. If you look at the text of the hadith, you see that there is actually no reference to the incident of tree:
لَوْلَا حَوَّاءُ لَمْ تَخُنْ أُنْثَى زَوْجَهَا الدَّهْرَ
(Bukhari, 3152, Mulsim 1470)
"If it was not because of Eve, no wife would betray her husband”
According to these scholars the hadith is simply referring to the soft nature of Eve as a woman and is saying that if it was not due to this soft nature that all women get from their mother Eve, no woman would ever betray her husband. Relating the hadith to the incident of tree is therefore based on an interpretation of the hadith and not the hadith itself.
We now have two options, either to accept the above mentioned alternative interpretation, or to consider the other interpretation (relating to eating from the tree) as the correct interpretation.
In the first case there is no conflict with the Qur’an. In the second case there seems to be a conflict since as you correctly mentioned, according to the Qur’an, it was not Eve, but Adam and Eve who were both deceived by Satan. In this case we will have to reject the authenticity of the hadith ( c above) or to consider it an inaccurate report (b above). The fact that the hadith is narrated by both Bukhari and Muslim does not change anything.
- As for the hadith that narrates that the prophet (pbuh) forbade Ali ibn Abi Talib from marrying the daughter of Abu Jahl, I do not see any conflicts here. Assuming that the hadith is correct, then it simply shows the love and pride of a father who does not like his son in law to marry the daughter of his enemy beside his daughter. We need to appreciate that the prophet (pbuh) was also a human being. As a human being and a father, he had every right to express his disapproval with such marriage. Therefore what is narrated from him, if reported correctly, was not a divine statement, but a worldly one.
- You wrote:
“Seems like Islam is based on our own interpretations. And if so, this make Islam an obscure religion.”
I am not aware of any religion or any ideology that is not understood based on interpretations. This is simply the nature of any ideology. Ideology is different from science.
However disregard of different interpretations, we can clearly see from the Qur’an that what the criteria of success in the hereafter are. These are explicitly given to us in the Qur’an and no interpretation can change them.
As such, I do not agree you that since understanding of Islam is subject to interpretation therefore Islam is an obscure religion. Interpretations are on secondary issues and not the primary ones.
- As for prophet (pbuh) doing opposite to what he said, I am not aware of any examples of this. Please do let me know some examples so that I can comment on them specifically.
May God be satisfied with the family of the Prophet (pbuh) and his pious companions.
--------
July 2015
Al-salam 'alaikum
I am a student of computer engineering and studying Islam from its primary sources. While studying Islam I approach it as a Muslim and as a non-Muslim too, i.e. conformist approach and conflict approach.
I found many ahadith to be in contradiction with the Qur'an (not talking about the weak and fabricated ones).
For instance, the Prophet (PBUH) said, "… Had it not been for Eve no woman would ever betray her husband." [ﻣﺘﻔﻖ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ[
The traditional scholars said in their commentaries (viz. Ibn Hajar, al-Nawawi, al-Qastalani et al) that this refers to the sin done by enticing her husband, Adam, making him approach the forbidden tree has continued through ages into all women, as she is their mother.
My points:
(a) no reliable text (Quran or Prophetic hadith) supports the claim of Eve enticing Adam to do the sin. This is more of a Biblical concept.
(b) the scholars grasped correctly what the Prophet (PBUH) meant, because what could be other meaning of such an indirect implication.
(c) The Prophet (PBUH) contradicted the Qur'an, as it states:
"No bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another". [This verse is repeated five times in the Qur'an].
Now all the scholars just say that our interpretation is incorrect, including you too. If you think so, get me a "correct" interpretation.
Instead of blaming the questioner, why don't they provide their own logical answer and interpretation to such hadiths.
Moreover, some scholars have skipped commenting on this hadith altogether in their commentaries, e.g. Ibn Rajab.
There are innumerable other case as well. For example, the Prophet forbidding 'Ali to marry Abu Jahl's daughter even though she was lawful just because it made Fatimah upset.
Why didn't the Prophet (PBUH) just slapped her for interfering in 'Ali's right to marry given by Allah. But rather, he (Prophet) too complied with her.
Furthermore, there is difference of opinion in almost everything. Everyone talks about correct interpretation. Seems like Islam is based on our own interpretations. And if so, this make Islam an obscure religion.
One interpretation can make a thing halaal while the other can even make it haraam, even incest.
Further, the Prophet (PBUH) many a times did exactly opposite of what he said. If the scholars cannot answer it, they just say that that particular scenario was exclusive to the Prophet (PBUH) and dismiss the question.
If so, then we need to part Islam into two:
(a) Islam for Prophet (where anything goes)
(b) Islam for everyone else
And how can the Prophet be considered a "perfect example" if he has his own rules for himself and other rules for judging others. Double standards, innit?
I don't know if you will reply to these questions of mine because people don't answer such truth-exposing questions quite often, especially in public.
If I am interpreting wrong, then you provide me with your correct interpretations.
Answer:
Assalamu Alaykum,
Allow me to first make my stance on authenticity of hadith very clear (as I have tried to do this in some of my other writings).
No authentic hadith in my view can be in conflict (or even out of line) with the Qur’an. If we truly find that a hadith is in conflict (or out of line) with the Qur’an then there can be only three possibilities:
a. Our understanding of the hadith is incorrect
b. The hadith has not been reported in its entirely or accurately
c. The hadith is fabricated
In my view there is no reservation about this.
With the above in mind, let’s now look at the examples you gave:
- The hadith on Adam and Eve and women betraying their husband.
As you mentioned, there are different interpretations of this hadith. One is that it has nothing to do with Eve being deceived by Satan in the event of eating from the tree. If you look at the text of the hadith, you see that there is actually no reference to the incident of tree:
لَوْلَا حَوَّاءُ لَمْ تَخُنْ أُنْثَى زَوْجَهَا الدَّهْرَ
(Bukhari, 3152, Mulsim 1470)
"If it was not because of Eve, no wife would betray her husband”
According to these scholars the hadith is simply referring to the soft nature of Eve as a woman and is saying that if it was not due to this soft nature that all women get from their mother Eve, no woman would ever betray her husband. Relating the hadith to the incident of tree is therefore based on an interpretation of the hadith and not the hadith itself.
We now have two options, either to accept the above mentioned alternative interpretation, or to consider the other interpretation (relating to eating from the tree) as the correct interpretation.
In the first case there is no conflict with the Qur’an. In the second case there seems to be a conflict since as you correctly mentioned, according to the Qur’an, it was not Eve, but Adam and Eve who were both deceived by Satan. In this case we will have to reject the authenticity of the hadith ( c above) or to consider it an inaccurate report (b above). The fact that the hadith is narrated by both Bukhari and Muslim does not change anything.
- As for the hadith that narrates that the prophet (pbuh) forbade Ali ibn Abi Talib from marrying the daughter of Abu Jahl, I do not see any conflicts here. Assuming that the hadith is correct, then it simply shows the love and pride of a father who does not like his son in law to marry the daughter of his enemy beside his daughter. We need to appreciate that the prophet (pbuh) was also a human being. As a human being and a father, he had every right to express his disapproval with such marriage. Therefore what is narrated from him, if reported correctly, was not a divine statement, but a worldly one.
- You wrote:
“Seems like Islam is based on our own interpretations. And if so, this make Islam an obscure religion.”
I am not aware of any religion or any ideology that is not understood based on interpretations. This is simply the nature of any ideology. Ideology is different from science.
However disregard of different interpretations, we can clearly see from the Qur’an that what the criteria of success in the hereafter are. These are explicitly given to us in the Qur’an and no interpretation can change them.
As such, I do not agree you that since understanding of Islam is subject to interpretation therefore Islam is an obscure religion. Interpretations are on secondary issues and not the primary ones.
- As for prophet (pbuh) doing opposite to what he said, I am not aware of any examples of this. Please do let me know some examples so that I can comment on them specifically.
May God be satisfied with the family of the Prophet (pbuh) and his pious companions.
--------
July 2015
