Ahl al-Hadith

The People of hadith ( Arabic : Ahl al-ḥadīth ; أهل الحديث) or ( Aşḥāb al-ḥadīth ; أصحاب الحديث) is an Islamic reformist movement. The term Ahl al-Hadith refers to the adherent's belief that they are not bound by taqlid (as are Ahl al-Rai , literally "the people of rhetorical theology"), but consider themselves free to seek guidance in matters of religious faith and practices from the authentic hadith which, together with the Qur'an , are in their view the principal worthy guide for Muslims . The term Ahl al-Hadith is often used interchangeably with the term Salafi , and proponents prefer to call themselves Salafis , although they are often called Wahhabis by their adversaries.

Ahl al-Hadith ( , Urdu: Ahl-e-Hadith , "The people of hadith " or "People of the traditions (of the Prophet)"; also Așḥāb al-ḥadīṯ ; أصحاب الحديث ), is a name given to various Islamic conservative traditionalists, and refers to the adherent's belief that they are not bound by taqlid but consider themselves free to seek guidance in matters of religious faith and practices from the authentic hadith which, together with the Qur'an , are in their view the principal worthy guide for Muslim . Adherents contrast themselves with those they call Ahl al-Rai , literally "the people of rhetorical theology" Ahl-e-Hadith,is a movement within Sunni Islam. The Ahl-e-Hadith movement is often described as being synonymous with salafism . In recent times it has referred to a sect in Indian subcontinent started in the mid-nineteenth century in Northern India. Followers call themselves as Ahl al-Hadith (Ahl-e-Hadith) or Salafi , while others refer to them as Wahhabi , or consider them a variation on the Wahhabi movement. In recent decades the movement has drawn both inspiration and financial support from Salafi Saudi Arabia , but the movement itself claims to be distinct from Wahhabism , and some believe it possesses some notable distinctions from the mainly Arab Salafis or . The Columbia World Dictionary of Islamism . Understanding Islam: The First Ten Steps . The New Encyclopedia of Islam (revised edition ed.). New York : Oxford University Press , 2012. Guide to Islamist Movements , vol. 1, pg. 349.

Islamic school of thought that first emerged during the late 8th and 9th century CE For the modern South Asian Movement, see Ahl-i Hadith . Ahl al-Hadith ( ; also Așḥāb al-Hadiṯh , ) was an Islamic school of thought that first emerged during the 2nd/3rd Islamic centuries of the Islamic era (late 8th and 9th century CE) as a movement of hadith scholars who considered the Quran and authentic hadith to be the only authority in matters of law and creed. Its adherents have also been referred to as traditionalists and sometimes traditionists (from "tradition" as a translation of the word hadith ). In jurisprudence Ahl al-Hadith opposed contemporary jurists who based their legal reasoning on informed opinion ( ra'y ) or living local practice, referred to as Ahl ar-Ra'y . In matters of faith, they were pitted against the Mu'tazilites and other theological currents, condemning many points of their doctrines as well as the rationalistic methods they used in defending them. The most prominent leader of the movement was Ahmad ibn Hanbal . Subsequently, other Islamic legal schools gradually came to accept the reliance on the Quran and hadith advocated by the Ahl al-Hadith movement as valid, while al-Ash'ari (874-936) used rationalistic argumentation favored by Mu'tazilites to defend most of the same tenets of the Ahl al-Hadith doctrine. In the following centuries the term ahl al-hadith came to refer to the scholars, mostly of the Hanbali madhhab , who rejected rationalistic theology ( kalam ) and held on to the earlier Sunni creed. This theological school, which is also known as traditionalist theology , has been championed in recent times by the Salafi movement . The term ahl al-hadith is sometimes used in a more general sense to denote a particularly enthusiastic commitment to hadith and to the views and way of life of the Salaf . books John L. The Oxford Dictionary of Islam . In the wake of the tenth-century Ash'ari synthesis, some Muslim theologians still maintained the strict details of the early Sunni creed. This continuation of the original Sunni thelogical School is often referred to as the Salafi school of theology [...] or as followers of 'Traditional (Athari)' or ahl al-hadith theology. In Sabine Schmidtke (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology . The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World .

8th-century Islamic school of thought For the modern South Asian Movement, see Ahl-i Hadith . Ahl al-Hadith ( Arabic : أَهْل الحَدِيث , romanized : Ahl al-Ḥadīth , lit. ' people of hadith ' ) is an Islamic school of Sunni Islam that emerged during the 2nd and 3rd Islamic centuries of the Islamic era (late 8th and 9th century CE) as a movement of hadith scholars who considered the Quran and authentic hadith to be the only authority in matters of law and creed. They were known as " Athari " for championing traditionalist theological doctrines which rejected rationalist approaches and advocated a strictly literalist reading of Scriptures. Its adherents have also been referred to as traditionalists and sometimes traditionists (from "traditions", namely, hadiths ). The traditionalists constituted the most authoritative and dominant bloc of Sunni orthodoxy prior to the emergence of mad'habs (legal schools) during the fourth Islamic century. In jurisprudence , Ahl al-Hadith opposed many of their contemporary jurists who based their legal reasoning on informed opinion رَأْي ( raʼy ) or living local practice عُرْف ( ʽurf ), who were referred to, often derogatorily, as Ahl ar-Ra'y . The traditionalists condemned the practice of taqlid (following scholarly opinions or ra'y without asking for scriptural proofs) and advocated ittiba (adherence to scholarly traditions by asking for proofs from the Quran and Sunnah and taking only their literal meaning). In turn, the Ahl al-Hadith upheld ijtihad (scholarly legal reasoning) by adhering to Scriptures. In matters of faith, Ahl al-Hadith were pitted against the Mu'tazilites and other theological currents, condemning many points of their doctrines as well as the excessive rationalistic methods Mu'tazilites used in defending and justifying themselves. The most prominent leader of the movement was ʼAḥmad Ibn Ḥanbal . Subsequently, other Islamic legal schools gradually came to accept the reliance on the Quran and hadith advocated by the Ahl al-Hadith movement as valid, while al-Ash'ari (874-936) used rationalistic argumentation favored by Mu'tazilites to defend most of the same tenets of the Ahl al-Hadith doctrine, carrying on the legacy provided by Ibn Kullab . In the following centuries, the term ahl al-hadith came to refer to those scholars of the Hanbali and Zahiri schools; who rejected rationalistic theology ( kalam ) and held on to the creed of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and especially Imam Zahiri. This theological school, which is also known as traditionalist theology , has been championed in recent times by the Salafi movement . The term ahl al-hadith is sometimes used in a more general sense to denote a particularly enthusiastic commitment to hadith and to the views and way of life of the Muhammad's contemporaries and the early generations of believers . Islamic schools of Jurisprudence John L. The Oxford Dictionary of Islam . "A Teacher of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhāb: Muḥammad Ḥayāt al-Sindī and the Revival of Asḥāb al-Ḥadīth's Methodology" . Islamic Law and Society . 13 (2). The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology . This continuation of the original Sunni theological School is often referred to as the Salafi school of theology [...] or as followers of 'Traditional (Athari)' or ahl al-hadith theology.}} Haynes, Jeffrey; S. "Making Sense of Salafism: Theological foundations, ideological iterations and political manifestations". The Routledge handbook of Religion, Politics and Ideology . The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World .