A Critical Study of the Evolutionary Theories of Western Scholars in the Criticism of Hadith

Abstract

The hadiths of the Prophet are second only to the Qur'an in the source of Islam. The Qur'an and Sunnah are considered by most scholars the two most basic sources of Islamic jurisprudence. When the Orientalists started their research on Islamic sciences, they also paid special attention to these two main branches. Since the Qur'an is the word of Allah Almighty, he has taken direct responsibility for its protection. In contrast to this whole miracle book, the Arabs who were so proud to have their language that they called themselves Arabs and those who spoke all other languages Ajam, ie dumb, could not stand it. When Western scholars started re- examining Islamic Sciences, they also raised objections to the Quran from different angles. But they could not achieve their goal because of its miraculous structure. So a group chose the field of hadiths of the Prophet. Most Western scholars seem to agree on the principles by which Muslim scholars working on the science of hadith have judged the authenticity and weakness of hadiths that these principles are not logical and scientific. Therefore, traditions based on them cannot be checked. Then they began to examine these traditions based on some self-made principles. The different positions they took in researching hadith are discussed in this research article on their gradual evolution.