IN PUBLIC discourse in the West, it is assumed that the Holy Quran is the sole foundation of the Islamic faith, and other sources, which contribute to the diversity of the faith, are simply ignored. Marco Schöller, a scholar of Islam who has now translated the popular hadith collection of Al Nawawi into German, elaborates on this particular source in the following interview:
What is a hadith?
Schöller: The term refers to a message or information that is conveyed by word of mouth. As a specialist term, it means a story by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) or about him — what he said, did, or how he observed something, etc. These hadiths have been passed down orally and were only recorded in written form at a later date, being transmitted further as books or collections.
How authentic are the hadiths?
Here, Islamic scholarship takes a fundamentally different view than that of the Muslim world. There are hundreds of thousands of hadiths in circulation. Muslims regard a few thousand as authentic. A small number of hadiths have attained canonical status, while six collections — and there are a further four or five — are considered to be fundamental to the faith. Over and above these are thousands of collections, offering an enormous amount of material. There is such an abundance here that it makes historical classification very difficult.
Are hadiths still read today? Do people having disputes consult family members well versed in the hadiths? Do they turn to hadith scholars? What role do hadiths play in the faith?
Yes, all these cases hold true. The most important thing to keep in mind is that hadiths play a very important role in the lives of the faithful — depending on how pious they are, of course. Information on hadiths is available everywhere. Many books, however, don't present them in the original collected form with their difficult language, but rather as a small selection.
People rely on scholars, private teachers, or state run schools. The state employs scholars, muftis for instance, to provide guidance on certain issues. It would be difficult to find a Muslim who wasn't familiar with even just a few hadiths of the Prophet.
Is this also the case for the younger generation?
No longer in Europe, of course, but this can be assumed to still apply in the Muslim world, where the environment, schools and family connections help to maintain the practice. I believe that it just isn't possible to live in a Muslim country with the kinds of social and religious demarcations found in the West.
The West is currently very much occupied with the question of the essence of Islam. Can you infer from the hadiths a particular spirit or essence of Islam?
Western readers will find passages that are, if not irreconcilable, then extremely contrasting. In just about any collection you will find very general hadiths, which don't seem in any way specific to Islam and that are permeated with an all-around humanistic spirit.
Quite simply put, our Judeo-Christian background offers a dualism — Christianity as the ethical religion that has transcended the law, and Judaism as the religion of the law. In Islam, we have these two facets operating side-by-side. It would prove fatal to try to play them off against each other; doing so would go against the spirit of Islam.
© Common Ground News Service
What is a hadith?
Schöller: The term refers to a message or information that is conveyed by word of mouth. As a specialist term, it means a story by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) or about him — what he said, did, or how he observed something, etc. These hadiths have been passed down orally and were only recorded in written form at a later date, being transmitted further as books or collections.
How authentic are the hadiths?
Here, Islamic scholarship takes a fundamentally different view than that of the Muslim world. There are hundreds of thousands of hadiths in circulation. Muslims regard a few thousand as authentic. A small number of hadiths have attained canonical status, while six collections — and there are a further four or five — are considered to be fundamental to the faith. Over and above these are thousands of collections, offering an enormous amount of material. There is such an abundance here that it makes historical classification very difficult.
Are hadiths still read today? Do people having disputes consult family members well versed in the hadiths? Do they turn to hadith scholars? What role do hadiths play in the faith?
Yes, all these cases hold true. The most important thing to keep in mind is that hadiths play a very important role in the lives of the faithful — depending on how pious they are, of course. Information on hadiths is available everywhere. Many books, however, don't present them in the original collected form with their difficult language, but rather as a small selection.
People rely on scholars, private teachers, or state run schools. The state employs scholars, muftis for instance, to provide guidance on certain issues. It would be difficult to find a Muslim who wasn't familiar with even just a few hadiths of the Prophet.
Is this also the case for the younger generation?
No longer in Europe, of course, but this can be assumed to still apply in the Muslim world, where the environment, schools and family connections help to maintain the practice. I believe that it just isn't possible to live in a Muslim country with the kinds of social and religious demarcations found in the West.
The West is currently very much occupied with the question of the essence of Islam. Can you infer from the hadiths a particular spirit or essence of Islam?
Western readers will find passages that are, if not irreconcilable, then extremely contrasting. In just about any collection you will find very general hadiths, which don't seem in any way specific to Islam and that are permeated with an all-around humanistic spirit.
Quite simply put, our Judeo-Christian background offers a dualism — Christianity as the ethical religion that has transcended the law, and Judaism as the religion of the law. In Islam, we have these two facets operating side-by-side. It would prove fatal to try to play them off against each other; doing so would go against the spirit of Islam.
© Common Ground News Service
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