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They are known to be Ahle Hadith & say as muslim we only believe in the Quraan & the Hadith wich is the Sunat of prophet Muhammad S.A.W & no Madhabs

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I know of family members who always have told me there are no Madhab eg, Shafi & Hanifi. They are known to be Ahle Hadith & say as muslim we only believe in the Quraan & the Hadith wich is the Sunat of prophet Muhammad S.A.W & no Madhabs. I was often told that i was reading salah wrong & was presented with Bukhari Hadith outlining the way salah was performed by the prophet peace be upon him. There were also many other such incidents contrary to what i learnt in Madressah. Thus it created doubt but i have still remained with the Hanifi Madhab.  Are they correct in saying this & can you please substantiate or if you have any reference i could maybe look up regarding this.

Jazakallah

Answer

The dilemma that you are experiencing is endemic to many communities and the cause of bitter wrangling given the sensitivity of the issue at hand. However, a prudent rationale and reasonable mind, free of emotion and sentiment needs to be applied to view the issue in the correct light. That we should follow the Qur’aan and Hadith as pointed out by your friends is an indisputable fact. However, who can claim to have the competence and experience to undertake such a delicate task. Amongst an exhaustive list of requirements to do so are; absolute mastery in the Arabic language, Hadith methodology, principles of jurisprudence, history, Tafseer, rhetoric, knowledge of abrogated verses and Hadith, etc.

Surely, if one were to even attempt achieving such proficiency many years would go by before one would be given the opportunity of applying it (which raises the thorny question, what does one do in the interim?). If everyone were required to attain such proficiency, life would be extremely enigmatic and inhibited with all systems of life coming to a halt. Imagine if we all were required to attend medical school in the event of sickness, law school to interpret a legal document, accounting school for our accounting requirements, etc. We assume it to be safe to resign ourselves to the masters of the field. Fortunately, Allah has created such scholars in our glorious past who unselfishly dedicated their lives to probing and exploring deeply into the vast ocean of the Qur’aan and Hadith which culminated with the documentation of the various schools of thought, e.g. Hanafi, Shaafi’ee, etc. which enjoyed universal acceptance.

The question that would naturally arise is that these scholars were after all human and therefore prone to error. In view of this, scholars that followed who in their own right were no less competent than the founder of these schools themselves, recognizing this possibility embarked on a rigorous exercise of interrogation and appraisal of these schools to ensure absolute comformity with the prestine divine sources. This resulted in they themselves subscribing to these schools. But alas, after centuries have passed a group emerges, emotionally canvassing for what has always been in existence, i.e. practice of the Qur’aan and Sunnah. They wish to undo the efforts of the past scholars and call for all to restudy the Qur’aan and Hadith. The idea is as absurd as reinventing the wheel. Hanafis, Shaafi’ee, etc. in reality are following the Hadith and Qur’aan but in a simple manner as presented to them by their scholars.

The Ahlul Hadith themselves when asked for a particular ruling, would quote a contemporary scholar. If following a contemporary scholar is acceptable, then why not a scholar that belonged to an era that the Prophet [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] bore witness of its supremacy! Do you know from authentic traditions the proof for recitation in a loud voice for Fajr Salaat and softly for Dhuhr Salaat, or that Ta’awwuz should be recited softly in Salaat, or that Durood Shareef should be recited softly in Salaat or that the Imaam should say salaam in a loud voice, and the list is endless.

Is everyone expected to memorise the proofs for every action? If so, one may embark on the painstaking task of searching for the proof from the Qur’aan and Hadith (that is after fulfilling the requirements of proficiency) or alternatively one may simply resign oneself to the various schools because one is already practicing on Qur’aan and Hadith. Presenting a Hadith from Buklhari is not sufficient. There are thousands of Ahaadith outside of Bukhari with many that can be presented ro or against an argument. The scholars have centuries ago resolved these disputes and sifted through all the arguments and have presented Deen to us in its simplicity. In conclusion, we reiterate, there is no need to reinvent the wheel.

and Allah Ta’ala Knows Best

Mufti Ebrahim Desai

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This answer was collected from Askimam.org, which is operated under the supervision of Mufti Ebrahim Desai from South Africa.