Al-Mawrid Queries

Questions and Answers on Islam

Pleading To Weak Narratives

Talib Mohsin

July 10, 2024

2 min read 2 min

Hadith & Sunnah

Question

I believe that the ḥadīths recorded in the Saḥīḥ of Bukhāri and Saḥīḥ of Muslim are conclusive. This means that there is only one possible stance regarding the disputed matters if seen in the light of the sound narratives ascribed to the Prophet (sws). If this is true then why do we plead to weak narratives and support counter opinions on an issue?

Answer

Your question implies two suppositions. Neither of them seems sound. Firstly, you claim that the narratives in Bukhārī and Muslim are conclusively authentic. You also say that all the disputed matters in these two books reach the same conclusion. On the basis of these suppositions, your question seems totally untenable. The people who consider ḥadīth a basic source of religion base their stance on a sound narrative as a general principle. Hadiths which are not directly traced back to the Prophet (sws) or whose chain of narrators is not reliable are usually summonsed to corroborate the view reached at in the light of the reliable sources. However, this rule is at times defied in practice. You would be right to object to this attitude. However, this is not the real issue. I suggest you should consult the chapter ‘usūl wa mubādī from the book ‘Mīzān’ by Mr. Javed Ahmad Ghamidi in order to understand the related discussions. I hope you will be able to grasp the bottom-line of the issue.

Translated by: Abid Mahmood Hashmi

Answered by: Talib Mohsin

Date: 2015-01-26

hadith narrative narratives pleading sunnah

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Mr Talib Mohsin was born in 1959 in the district Pakpattan of Punjab. He received elementary education in his native town. Later on he moved to Lahore and passed his matriculation from the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Lahore. He joined F.C College Lahore and graduated in 1981. He has his MA in Islamic Studies from the University of Punjab. He joined Mr Ghamidi to learn religious disciplines during the early years of his educational career. He is one of the senior students of Mr Ghamidi from whom he learnt Arabic Grammar and major religious disciplines. He was a major contributor in the establishment of the institutes and other organizations by Mr Ghamidi including Anṣār al-Muslimūn and Al-Mawrid. He worked in Ishrāq, a monthly Urdu journal, from the beginning. He worked as assistant editor of the journal for many years. He has been engaged in research and writing under the auspice of Al-Mawrid and has also been teaching in the Institute.

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