Kerala Islamic scholars hail Saudi King’s move to scrutinize Hadiths

Kozhikode, Nov 1: Islamic scholars in Kerala have hailed the initiative by Saudi Arabia to set up a panel of scholars to study and scrutinize Hadiths or Hadis “with a view to preventing their use to justify violence or terrorism in the name of Islam”.

According to media reports, Saudi King Salman has ordered the establishment of an authority (King Salman Complex) to scrutinize uses of Hadiths.

The Saudi Arabia had in the recent days permitted women to drive cars and watch matches in the stadium in open. Both these decisions are considered to be revolutionary as they came from a most conservative Islamic country where women were not allowed any such freedom.

Hadiths or Hadis are the accounts of Prophet Mohammad’s sayings and actions reported by his followers. In the Islamic religious texts Hadis are revered as a major source of religious laws and moral guidance next to the Holy Quran. They are classified as authentic (sahih) and weak (daif) considering a number of factors.

According to reports the proposed panel of scholars would concentrate on eliminating “fake and extremist texts and texts that contradict the teachings of Islam and justify the committing of crimes, murders and terrorist acts”. The King Salman Complex will become a ‘trusted source of the correct and authentic Hadith’, the reports said.

In Islam, Hadiths are revered as a major source of religious law and moral guidance, second only to Quran. Hadiths are classified as authentic (sahih) and weak (daif) considering various factors and the most authentic compilation is that of Imam Bukhari, who was born in 810.

Social activist and writer M N Karassery welcomed the move saying that a thorough examination of Hadiths would clear the allegations that some of them were manufactured with mischievous intention.

Another Islamic scholar Chekannur Moulavi questioned the authenticity of Hadiths saying that they are all fabricated. He said that the Quran should be the only accepted text in Islam. CN Ahammed Moulvi also questioned the validity of the Hadiths in a moderate way.

Chekannur was murdered for his strong rejection of Hadiths, Karassery said adding that the Hadiths are one among the sources of inspiration for fundamentalism, theocracy and extremisim.

Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen (KNM) state president T P Abdulla Koya Madani cautiously reacted to this development. Though he has not come across aby such news, he said there is nothing wrong in examining them, especially against the backdrop of terror organizations like Islamic State (IS) using the religious texts to justify their violent acts.

Madani said that the Salafis in Kerala have a well-structured system in accepting or rejecting a Hadith. “We strictly follow the Usul al-Hadith (the science of Hadith) while accepting a Hadith,” he said.

Abdul Salam Sullami, the scholar who is criticised for his tough attitude towards Hadith, said Hadiths should be revisited not just to ward off terrorism. “It is not enough to say that a particular Hadith is authentic only because it is there in Bukhari. You can find contradictory Hadiths in Bukhari. After all he is a human being who is prone to mistakes,” said Sullami.

“The best way to accept a Hadith is to test it by empirical reasoning. Any text which says that fire is not hot can be summarily rejected,” he said.