On the Dangerous Topics of Islam and Hadith Reformation

I'd previously written on the revision of the Hadith by Ankara University (from BBC: Turkey in radical revision of Islamic texts). I decided to have a looksee as to what the reception to this announcement was, and I was quite surprised.

Recent surfing of the internet over the past few months have shown me that staunch Muslims today are very open to using the internet as a method of communication to discuss relevant issues, and to seek advice on what is proper and what isn't. What's awesome is that these forums sometimes require you to cite sources for whatever argument it is that you're touting, which discourages the ridiculous flamings that you get at regular forums. Also, I think they're very strictly moderated.

Responses to the proposed revision are mixed. More mixed than expected. SunniForum, for example, has a good mix of opinions. To quote a few from SunniForum: Hadiths being reformed:

"Does anyone have the article from an Islamic website, I don't want to make any judgements based on what BBC is telling us"

"They actually started doing project last year or the year before, when they removed some hadith like the saying that a woman was a bad omen.We really need more information on their methodology. This needn't be the disaster it's looking like at present, inshallah."

"i will look at the proof they come up with for WHY they deny this or that hadith. then, i will decide if i am convinced or not!we need to quit being so close minded though. i am sure that there will be some things they implement that may not be good, but at least wait until they finish the project to see if they are right or not. do not judge yet because we do not yet have their reasoning.i find some hadiths to be silly, like that the earth was created in 6 days, or that fevers come from fire of hell. some of these defy modern science and logic. therefore i am not going to blindly follow a hadith.so i will wait for their proof and see. maybe it will convince me, maybe not. let's just wait before jumping to conclusions!"

"These so-called scholars think it right to determine what was said and what wasn't by RasoolAllah (saw).. Sounds very funny coming from a country which does not allow a mere headscarf at their universities or workplaces.. I think it would have been more understandable if Oxford wanted to carry out the study.. May Allah show the misled people in Turkey the right way.. Ameen"

So you see, Muslims aren't quite as close minded as many think. Someone also mentioned that there are books on Hadith, which discuss what is weak and what isn't. This interests me.

Moving on, I found a damned interesting article referring to a Ignác Goldhizer, a Jewish Hungarian orientalist (I don't know what that means either), who was quite renowned in the fields of Islamic study. His pièce de resistance? An essay called Muhammedanische Studien, which, according to Wikipedia: Ignác Goldhizer:

[S]howed how Hadith reflected the legal and doctrinal controversies of the two centuries after the death of Mohammed rather than the words of Mohamed himself. He was strong believer in the view that Islamic law owes its origins to Roman Law ...

Which I always suspected but obviously could never prove or find the time to research. Going back to the interesting article which was apparently addressing a different issue, I believe this quote serves my purpose quite well. From ArmenianDiaspora.com: Debating Islam's "Golden Age":

The problem now is that such acts have been attributed to the Prophet Muhammad who is the model to be emulated by all Muslims. Hence, while even worse wars might have been perpetrated in the world by rulers long since forgotten, the acts and sayings of Muhammad concerning non-Muslims are still binding for over a billion Muslims today.

I believe this is the problem that the Ankara University is trying to rectify. The problem is in drawing the line between arbitrary interpretation, educated guesses, and justifiable modifications.

I think the conclusion then, is that maybe this revision isn't a new idea, but was a long time coming. The reception may be warmer than expected, but this article only came out today, and the Muslims who've found the internet and the forums that I've found may just be looking for Muslims much like them: those who are willing to discuss it. Malaysian Muslims are famously single-minded and closed to discussion, much like the education system brought us up to be. I still think there's going to be trouble.