Hadith or Fiqh?

• Dispel common myths associated with the four Imams and the validity of their scholarship
• Understand how and why scholars disagreed with the outward meaning of certain sound hadiths and chose to follow certain weak hadiths
• Achieve clarity and understanding of the arguments attacking madhabs
• Realize the amount of scholarship needed to derive legal rulings from hadith, and why most of us cannot do this for ourselves

• There are no required prerequisites.
• Introduction to Hadith Methodology and Introduction to Legal Methodology are recommended follow-up courses.
• Estimated Commitment Per Week: 2-3 hours for core requirements
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Each lesson will examine one of the four reasons hadiths resulted in differences of opinions amongst the scholars.  Each reason is comprehensively supplemented with examples.

• Lesson 1: The First Cause: Scholars differ how strong a hadith must be in order for us to be able to act according to it.
  • Disagreements regarding what exactly constitutes a sound (sahih) hadith
  • Disagreements regarding the role of weak (da’if) hadiths
  • The meaning of Imam Shafi`is saying, "Whenever a hadith is sahih it is my madhab."
  • Is a hadith’s being sahih sufficient for it to constitute a proof in the Sacred Law?
• Lesson 2: The Second Cause: Scholars often understand the same hadith in different ways.
• Lesson 3: The Third Cause: Scholars differ how to resolve conflicting hadiths.
• Lesson 4: The Fourth Cause: No scholar was aware of every single hadith.
• The students of each imam corrected their imam when necessary
• The number of hadiths that the fiqh imams were aware of far exceed the number of hadiths that we are aware of today
• Other reasons why the early fiqh imams were better placed to derive rulings from hadiths than we are today
• Hadiths that are mentioned in books of fiqh may not be the proofs used by scholars of that school.
• Lesson 5: Discussion / Student Presentations

A popular slogan among Muslims today is “Quran and Sunnah.” Instead of following a madhab, we are told that it is superior to ourselves derive legal rulings based on the hadiths we read.  After all, the Imams themselves had said "When a hadith is sound (Sahih), it is my madhab." Many extrapolate from this that if a sahih hadith contradicts the position of the Imams, it becomes imperative for us to follow the hadith; and that if a hadith is weak, it is impermissible to follow it. The argument is based on the misconception that since the Imams did not have complete knowledge of the immense number of hadith due to restrictions of their times, it becomes our duty to correct their mistakes now that all the hadith literature is available and cataloged.

This five-lesson short course will examine the validity of these arguments through a careful study of the book The Effect of the Noble Hadiths on the Disagreements of the Imams of Fiqh (Athar al-Hadith al-Sharif fi Ikhtilaf al-A’imma al-Fuqaha’) by Shaykh Muhammad `Awwamah, a contemporary Syrian scholar of hadith living in the blessed city of Medina who was also one of the leading students of Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghudda.  This book stands out because of the thoroughness with which it addresses how hadiths led to disagreements amongst the scholars. Full of quotes from major early scholars of hadith along with insightful analyses of their words, the books clarifies how our religion has been understood from the earliest of times.

Hadith or Fiqh? will provide a thorough understanding of the basis and inconsistencies of the various myths surrounding the four Imams and their derivation of sacred rulings. It will dispel the myth that scholars of the four schools reached fiqh conclusions through deliberate or non-deliberate contravention of hadith.  In reality, the imams and their students possessed a deep and encompassing knowledge of the hadith corpus and the rules of legal interpretation, which, coupled with their godfearingness and scrupulousness, helped them reach valid conclusions about how to properly understand and implement the Qur’an and Sunnah. If they went against the outward purport of certain hadiths, it was based on detailed scholarship and not on mere whim.

This goal of this course is to correct misunderstandings and to remove any religious confusion.  You will have a comprehensive answer to any anti-madhab question you’ve ever heard.  Consequently, your confidence in classical scholarship will increase and any doubts placed therein by modern reformists will not take root.  This course is extremely important for everyone because it is important to have clarity in your religion and to be sure which voice you should follow.  The place where confusion is most harmful is in religion.  There are no required prerequisites.

• Weekly live lessons will be conducted by Shaykh Sohail Hanif.
• All live lessons will be recorded, so that you can hear lessons you miss or review key concepts.
• Printable course slides will add structure to lessons.
• One review assignment will solidify your understanding of the material.
• There will be an optional presentation project.
• The course is based on the book The Effect of the Noble Hadiths on the Disagreements of the Imams of Fiqh  by Shaykh Muhammad ‘Awwamah, which is available only in Arabic and students are not required to have.
• You can post questions and engage in discussion in the course forum.
• Shaykh Sohail will hold weekly office hours.

• “Clear. Concise. Logical. None emotional. Unbiased (as much as can be expected)...As stated previously, he is excellent. Clear, precise, effective.”
  Mohammed Saeed
  Student, UK
• “It made me realise that the complexity of accessing sacred knowledge...The structure of the course ensures we get a firm grasp of the content through reviews at the start of the lesson and a summary.”
  Hairul Anwar Bin Abdul Rahman
  Medical Student, Perth, Australia
• “I learned much more than expected...I learned so much, enjoyed every minute of the courses, people who taught were very professional and interesting. Just makes you hungry for more.”
  Linda Fasasi
  Wife/Mom, Chicago, USA
• “I would strongly recommend this course Hadith of Fiqh to others because, this course contains some basic concepts to clear a very big misunderstanding that is being spread through out, which is, how important for a common man is to follow a madhab. This course throws light on complexity of Hadith understanding, which derives the need of traditionally linked scholars up to the era of rightly guided caliphs...The course 'Hadith or Fiqh?' clearly explained the relationship of hadith with the four schools of thoughts. The instructor is alhumdullillah a knowledgeable scholar, may Allah protect him, and may Allah benefit most of us from his abilities to spread the truth. ”
  Obaidullah Mohammed
  Urban Planner, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
• “I would recommend this particular course (hadith or fiqh) to others as it expels many misconceptions with regards to following an Imam 'blindly' which is a very common statement with Muslims today, this course equips you with all the necessary knowledge to answer such people.”
  Safira Bari
  Homemaker, Sheffield, England
• “I would recommend the course because in this day and age where people tend to battle with those of differing opinion, this is a good course to take as it eliminates all the hysteria and brings the students back to the traditional routes of Islam. Shaykh Hamza compliments this course extremely well in his nature and understanding.”
  Asma Arif
  Orthoptist, Peterborough, UK
• "These three particular short courses (Finding the Straight Path, Hadith or Fiqh?, and the Muslim Scholarly Tradition) ought to be the very first courses to be mandatorily undertaken by a seeker of Sacred Knowledge in SunniPath irrespective of whether one is a born Muslim or a new Muslim. These three short courses will serve to immunise and innoculate one from the myriad of confusing ideological strains which invariably skew off tangent from Traditional Islam and which are all too often unfortunately promulgated both in cyberspace and the world at large. These three short courses ought to set one's compass aright upon the straight path of our pious predecessors and act as a solid framework upon which to plan one's journey to Allah and to truly embark on seeking and imbibing Sacred Knowledge within our mundane lives. For the one who sincerely seeks out and practices Sacred Knowledge, Allah truly makes easy for him or her the path to Paradise...Alhamdulillah, in Shaykh Hamza Karamali you will find an excellent and learned teacher who is neither judgmental nor overbearing. He seeks to persuade one just as he is open to be persuaded. At the end of the day, he has no problems with agreeing to disagree and his classes are conducted in a very amiable atmosphere. Howbeit, be prepared to be fully alert during your live sessions with him as he covers a lot of material during the same which you will need to follow diligently to truly benefit from your limited time with him."
  Syed Mohamed Al-Bukhary
  Property Manager, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• “I took this course so that I understand more about the Mazhabs, about why the Hadith scholars differ, and lastly, to instill in me the need to follow a Mazhab...Shaykh Hamza is an excellent teacher. He is very knowledgeable in the subjects he taught...he is very patient, understanding, and very kind. But what I like most is that he is not shy to admit he doesn't know an answer and promises to get back to it. And he always will.”
  Farah Adiba Chaudhry
  Chief Cardiac Physiologist, London, UK
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