5 Quotes by Emad Hamdeh

We respect the concept that one must study for many years to become a medical doctor before writing prescriptions; so why is it that when it comes to Islam, everyone is an expert and has the right to say whatever he or she wishes?

This does not mean that laypeople should not read Hadith; however, credible scholars should be consulted before coming to any conclusion, especially on matters of law and creed, because these texts are meant to be approached with a specific methodology.

This is a problem in the research method of Orientalists — they often refer to the wrong sources on a subject and consequently come to the wrong conclusions. It is not applicable to refer to works of tafsir in order to research the history of Hadith. Tabari’s tafsir is not a place to find anything on the science of Hadith. His style is to mention a verse, list all the narrations about its interpretation and then give one interpretation more weight over the other.

Moreover, it must be understood that many of the Hadith compilations were meant to serve jurists in their endeavour to arrive at rulings. Hence, these works are divided into chapters according to matters of jurisprudence such as prayer, fasting, charity, and pilgrimage. They were never intended for the layperson to find quick rulings or conclusions on matters of law and creed.

... the Hadith compilations were meant to serve fiqh, and fiqh explains the Sunnah. Once this is understood, it solves many problems concerning these works of Hadith. One who approaches these works without prior training is like one fishing in murky water. These books were never intended to be used as such, nor for laypeople to read and reject.