My mazhab is a an authentic hadith

The explanation of great scientists’ words

The author: Abu Ali al-Ash’ari 

The translator: Asiyat Gadzhieva

(для тех кому интересно прочесть на русском - http://www.islam.ru/content/veroeshenie/3867 )

The ones who don’t follow any mazhab use the words of four imams that their mazhab is an authentic hadith as one of the arguments is to keep the believers from following mazhabs. If their opinion contradicts it, this opinion should be refused.

Unfortunately, neither believers, nor troublemakers themselves don’t understand neither these imams’ words, nor to whom they were addressed. It turns out that any man, without possessing even base idea of Sharia foundations, can open any book of hadiths and begin practising any of these hadiths as an authentic one. Thus paying no attention to the fact that this hadith is annuled or not; it is of general or particular character; and whether there are other hadiths on the same subject etc. So what is the difference between ijtihad imams and ordinary believers? Why such great imams of Islam like at-Tahawi, Ibn Sureij, al-Kuduri, as-Sarhasi, al-Juveini, al-Ghazali, an-Nawawi and many others refered themselves to one of four mazhabs’ followers, though they were the connoisseurs of the ocean of knowledges and people in the whole Islamic world still read their invaluable books? Did they really have no books of hadiths?! Or they were more ignorant in their knowledges than some our contemporaries?!

As a response the words of imam an-Nawawi can be cited here: «The meaning of these words is not in close interpretation of every hadith as if it’s ash-Shafii’s mazhab.Otherwise the legality of temporary marriage should be called ash-Shafii’s one as well, as there are some hadiths on this subject which were given by al-Bukhari. Hadiths about temporary marriage are realy authentic, but they are annuled». These words concern the men who have reached the level of «mujtahid of mazhab» (mujtahid of mazhab – it is a specialist which can independently make an award from original source, but oly on the basis of “usul” – it is methodology of making awards, which was worked out by the imam of his mazhab). In such situation the condition is that this alim would think that imam ash-Shafii didn’t know this very hadith or he wasn’t conversant with its’authenticity. But it can be find out only after studying all the books of Shafii’s fiqh and the proofs of this mazhab. It is a very difficult work and there are few specialists in this sphere who reached this level. Even imam ash-Shafii, rahimullah, didn’t take into consideration some authentic hadith and didn’t follow them, and this meant that he some reasons to do it. For example, this hadith was annuled, or it has a special meaning or this hadith can not be interpreted word for word. Ibn Salah said: «Shafii’s words don’t mean to interpret every hadith word for word and not every faqih reached the level which would allow him to make an award on his own» (inf. «Al-Madjmuu li Imami An-Nawawi», 1/104-105).

From this we understood that imam An-Nawawi lays down two conditions for a man to have a right to follow the hadith which contradicts the mazhab:
1)    The man should be the mujtahid of mazhab. The man who didn’t reach the level of ijtihad can’t make the awards relied on hadiths independently, as all his decisions would be incorrect, moreover it would be a sin because this man has no abilities to work in this sphere. The hadith which says: «The mujtahid would be rewarded twice if he is right and once if he is mistaken» doesn’t pertinent to this deal.
2)    The man should be sure that the imam of the mazhab didn’t know this hadith or he wasn’t conversant with its’authenticity. But the man can know about it only after studiyng all the books of the mazhab and the most important thing is to know mush about the proofs of the mazhab. But nowadays we can’t study well even the basic books! So, it goes without saying that we can’t study all the books of one mazhab.

Thus we found out that to reject mazhabs – means to reject the way of salafs and to bring bad innovations in religion. A contemporary professor from Syria Muhammad Said Ramadan al-Buti said: «Mazhablessness – is an innovation which threatens Sharia». Let Allah save us and our relatives from discord.