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Question
Why do the four Imams differ from
one other? If all the Imaams deduced the laws directly from the Qur'an
and Hadith, how is it possible for them to differ on various aspects?
Answer
While it is a fact that all the
Imams derived their laws directly from the Quran and sunnah, there are
many factors which led to them reaching different conclusions. We will
explain a few of these factors in brief, with examples where
necessary:
1.Differences concerning the authenticity of a hadith
A- Conditions for acceptance
Each Imam and muhaddith laid down
certain conditions for a hadith to be classified as Sahih (authentic)
in his opinion. These conditions differed from person to person, thus
many a hadith would be sahih according to one and not sahih in the
eyes of another. Thus the one who classified it as sahih would deduce
a ruling from it while the other would not accept such a ruling. This
difference is found amongst the Muhaddithin to a great extent, thus we
find Imam Muslim in the foreword to his Sahih, devoting a special
chapter to discussing the difference of opinion between him and Imam
Bukhari on certain conditions for authenticity. In his opinion, Imam
Bukhari had laid down conditions that were too strict and which would
lead to many acceptable ahadith, being rejected.
B. Does a hadith have to be sahih, in order to practice upon it?
Everyone agrees that if a hadith
is sahih or hasan, it could be practiced upon. However, differences of
opinion arise concerning those ahadith which contain slight
weaknesses. According to the majority of Ulama, a slightly weak hadith
can be practiced upon, if there are no other narrations on the topic,
however some Ulama disagree, thus they would not accept a ruling
deduced from such a narration.
C. Difference in the wording of the hadith
It is an accepted practice
amongst the muhaddithin to narrate a hadith with different wording,
however, ensuring that the meaning was kept intact.However some Fuqaha
like Imam Abu Hanifah (Rah) laid down a condition that the one who
changes the wording must be a faqih, so that he could ensure that he
understands the proper meaning of the hadith, thus not changing the
meaning unintentionally. An example of this is a hadith: "He who
performs janazah salah in the musjid, then there is nothing against
him (Alaihi). " On the basis of this hadith some Imams opine that
there is nothing wrong with performing janazah salah in a musjid.
However others, like Imam Abu Hanifah show that the correct wording is
"He who performs janazah salah in the musjid, there is nothing for
him" ("lahu" not "Alaihi"). The other version is said to be a
distortion caused by a narrator who wasn't cautious when changing the
wording.
2. Differences in understanding a hadith
These difference are based on two main aspects:
A. Differences in the intellectual capacity of each person
Thus sometimes 2 Imams had seen
the same hadith, however Allah granted one of them the ability to
deduce a ruling from it, that never crossed the mind of another. An
incident that illustrates this very beautifully is one mentioned by
Mulla Ali Qari about a person who inquired a masalah from Imam Abu
Hanifah. When the Imam answered him, the great Tabi'ee and muhaddith
Al-A'mash, who was sitting nearby, asked Imam Saheb: " Where did you
get this ruling from?" Imam Sahib then narrated 6 ahadith (none of
which mentioned any rulings) that he had learnt from Al-A'mash
himself, the combination of which Imam Saheb used to deduce the
ruling. Al-A'Mash was dumbfounded and said: "The ahadith that I
narrated to you over 100 days, you are mentioning to me in a few
seconds! I never imagined that you could deduce anything from these
narrations! O Fuqaha! You are the doctors and we (the muhadditheen)
are the chemists. (i.e. we supply the ahadith and you deduce the
ruling from them).
B. A hadith very often could have two or more meanings
Thus one Imam would prefer one
meaning and pass a ruling on it, while another would prefer another
meaning.
3. Differences in deducing a ruling from narrations seemingly
contradictory to each other
This is amongst the main causes of differences of opinion. The books
of ahadith are full of narrations seemingly contradictory to one
other. Each Imam laid down his own principles for dealing with these
e.g.
Some would try to reconcile between the narrations, by interpreting
them in a manner allowing them to conform with one another.
Some would take one to be abrogated and would thus act upon the other
Some would mention reasons for preferring one to the other.
4. Differences based on them being aware of a certain hadith
The ahadith of Nabi (sallalahu alaihi wasallam) and those
mentioning the practices of the sahabah number in the millions and
there is no-one who can claim to have memorised every single one of
them. Thus at times an Imam would issue a ruling on a hadith which he
was aware of, while the others would issue a contradictory ruling on
account of them not being aware of this hadith.
These are a few of the primary factors which led to the differences of
opinion we find between the Mazahib.
C
This answer is a summary of the incredible book " Atharul Hadith
As-Sharif" by the great Hanafi Scholar of Madinah Shaikh Muhammad
Awwaamah (Daamat Barakaatuhu).
and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best |
