AL-SHAJARAH JOUDNAL OF IâLAMIC THOUGHT AND CIVILIZATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVEDâlTY MALAY&IA (HUM) 2017 Volüme 22 Numberl AL-SHAJADAH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MOHAMED AJMAL ABDUL RAZAK AL-ATORUS, IIUM, Malaysia EDITORIAL BOARD MOHD KAMAL HASSAN, HUM, Malaysia MOHAMED AJMAL ABDUL RAZAK AL-ATORUS, IIUM, Malaysia DOCUMENTÂTION EDİTÖR SUZANA SUHAILAWATY MD. SIDEK, IIUM, Malaysia ADVISORY BOARD HASSAN AHMED İBRAHİM, IIUM, Malaysia KHALIQ AHMAD MOHD. İSRAİL, IIUM, Malaysia HUNUD ABIA KADOUF, IIUM, Malaysia MOHD ZAMBRIZAINUDDIN, UM, Malaysia HAMID AMINUDDIN BARRA, Mindanao State University, Philippines ALPARSLAN ACIKGENC, Yildiz Technical University, Turkey AMER AL-ROUBAIE, College of Business and Finance, Kingdom of Bahrain MALIK B. BADRI, IIUM, Malaysia OSMAN BAKAR, SOASCIS, University of Brunei, Brunei ABDEL WAHAB EL-AFFENDI, University of Westminster, UK KHALID MASUD, The Council of Islamic Ideology, Pakistan HASSAN KO NAKATA, Doshisha University, Japan SEYYED HOSSEIN NASR, The George Washington University, USA SUN ZHENYU, Ningxia University, China Al-Shajarah is a refereed intemational joumal that publishes original scholarly articles in the area of Islamic thought, Islamic civilization, and Islamic Science. The joumal is especially interested in studies that elaborate scientific and epistemological problems encountered by Muslims in the present age, scholarly works that provide fresh and insightfiıl Islamic responses to the intellectual and cultural challenges of the modem world. Al-Shajarah will also consider articles written on various religions, schools of thought and ideology and subjects that can contribute towards the formulation of an Islamic philosophy of Science. 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In matters of style, Al-Shajarah uses the University o f Chicago Manual of Style and follows the transliteration system shown on the inside back cover of the joumal. The Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to retum accepted manuscripts to the author for stylistic changes. Manuscripts must be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief in Microsoft Word. The font must be Times New Roman and its size 12. IIUM retains Copyright to ali published materials, but contributors may republish their articles elsewhere with due acknowledgement to Al-Shajarah. ©International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) ISSN 1394-6870 MODERN CRITICISM OF THE SAHABAH : AN A PPR A ISA L 1 Serdar Demirel * Abstract The relationship between the sahabah and Oıır'cm and stınnah is crııcial in terms of the reliability of the texts becaııse its narrations are closely linked to the reliability o f the narrators and the sahabah in general. Mııslims can reach the sacred texts only throııgh the sahabah: there is no other material means. The issııe o f the sahabah is not merely a storv of some people who lived dııring a certain period of time. Thev are not objects of history or the Science of narration. The issııe of the sahabah is very sensitive becaııse their position plays an important role not as individual biographies, but becasue of the role thev played in transmitting of the ahadith of the Prophet (»Ü). This stııdy analyzes the sensitivity o f this issııe and the dispııtes on the sahabah in terms of theorv and practice from their historical. and modern critical perspectives. Keywords: sahabah, stınnah, criticism, modem, theory and practice. 1 Article received: September 2015; Article accepted: October 2016 * Professor (Ibn Haldun University, Istanbul/Turkey) e-mail: serdard22@hotmail. com. 65 SERDAR DEMIREL Introduction The Quran and sunnah are the two main sacred sources of Islam, with the latter consisting of Prophet ( ^ ) Mohammad’s saying, deeds and tacit approvals. These sources guide the historical experience of Islam extending from economics and religious practices to fine arts. The first generation to receive this heritage from the Prophet ( ^ ) and to transmit it to the next generations was the generation of the sahabah (the companions of the Prophet ($$). When the issue of sahabah is discussed, these two sources inevitably should also be consulted. Thus, renowned ahi al-sunnah hadith scholar, Abü Zur ah al-Râzı, criticizes the critics of hadith: "If you see someone who taints the reputation of the sahabah of the Prophet (M)- beware for he is a heretic. According to our faith, the Rasul is right, the Quran is right. The Quran and ahadith were transmitted to us by the sahabah. The critics want to repudiate and blame our witnesses for the Quran and sunnah, so that these sources will not be trusted anymore and their authority will be challenged. Indeed, they should be blamed themselves, not our invaluable \\ itncsses."2 This fırm stance is because the concept of “sahabah" plays a crucial role on the perception of religion. The determinative role of the sahabah on this perception is not an issue exclusive to modem times. The issue of the sahabah is one of the most ancient matters of conflict between different sects and schools of İslam. It is one of the fundamental elements which distinguish a sect from another. It poses a modem problem as well as a historical one. Thus, the perception towards the sahabah retains its signifıcance as a "divisive" or "unifying" force in religious, intellectual, political and social spheres of life.'’ Ali sects of İslam agree on the necessity of a sound perception 2 See, al-KhaŞb al-Baghdâdî, Abü Bakr Ahmad bin 'Alî bin Thâbit, al-kifâya fi ilmi al-riwâya. Edited by Abdu Allah al-Süruqî and İbrahim Hamdî al-Madanî. (al-Madîna al-Munawara: al-Maktabat al-'Ilmiyya), 49, al-Mazî, Yusuf bin al-Zakî 'Abdu al-Rahmân Abu al-Hijâj, tahdhîb al-kamâl. Edited by Bashâr 'Iwâd Ma'rüf. (Bayrnt: Muassasat al-Risâlah, 1st edition, 1980), v.19, 96, al-Sakhâwî, Shams al-Dîn Muhammad bin 'Abdu al-Rahmân. fathu al-mughîth. (Bayrut: Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiy, l st edition) v. 3, 109. 66 MODERN CRITICISM OF THE SAHABAH: AN APPRAISAL of the sahabah for a true understanding of Islam. Here, however, we do not refer to the biographies of the sahabah as historical personalities. We discuss, firstly, their mission as transmitters of the teachings of the Prophet (^ ) to the next generations and, secondly, their role in the transformation of these teachings from something abstract to that which is concrete. They were both the actors and the witnesses of the era of revelation. They were the only generation that witnessed the rituals, ethical teachings, battles, administration, trade and family practices of the Prophet (»f§). It would have been impossible to reach this heritage without their accounts and narrations; subsequently, we would not be able to speak of established faith, ethics, law or ritual systems in İslam. This suffıces to demonstrate how the issue at hand is closely related to a true understanding of İslam. This study analyzes the sensitivity of this issue and the disputes on the sahabah in terms of theory and practice from historical and modem critical perspectives of the sahabah. The paper will demonstrate that the conflicts in theory do not correspond to the reality of matters and that such theoretical assumptions will remain unsubstantial and barren. The Difference between Modern and Old Criticism of the Sahabah In this section we will deal with cases that are both old and modem. These cases are closely related and nurture each other because the approaches of the followers of the previous Islamic sects influenced not only their own era, but also modem times. Thus, when the issue of the sahabah is studied today, the roots of the differences should be analyzed. Without referring to the events that occurred in the early years of İslam, a true reading today cannot be realized. If the issue of the sahabah stili causes tensions between Sünni and Shia schools, this indicates the heavy impact of the heritage of religious conception and written heritage of tradition derived from history. The criticism of the Sahaba also has a modern dimension. Although archaic and modern criticisms share common points, their sources and processes may differ. Hence, historical and modern criticism should not be regarded in the same category. To clarify the 67 SERDAR DEMIREL point further, we shall summarize the archaic version first. The history of Islam is a successful story with all its historical, social, and intellectual achievements. Nevertheless, it also consists of conflicts between sects that are difficult to comprehend even today. The cliques and divisions in the early dynamic periods affected their methodology, the perception of religion that is then carried forth to the next generations. For example, the religious perceptions of the Shia, Kharijite and Mutazilah followers were inspired by these differences and these historical events marked the beginnings of the formulation of their madhctbs and their regard for the sahabah and the ahadith narrated by them. Schools other than the ahi al-sunnah reject most of the ahadith narrated by the sahabah. These schools do not deny the role of the Prophet (»f§) as an authority; they criticize the positions of the sahabah after the demişe of the Prophet (M)- accuse them of unjust practices and are perceived as sinners.