Understanding Usul Al-Fiqh by Abu Tariq Hilal - Abu Ismael al-Beirawi

Some have raised the point that there often appears to be conflicting Ahadith on an issue. As a result, they have reached to the conclusion that we have to reject both of these seemingly conflicting Ahadith and others have even declared that the entire Sunnah must be rejected. Both of these approaches are completely wrong and absurd. However, one may wonder what should be done if there seems to be a conflict between two Ahadith?

Firstly there can be no conflict whatsoever between the sayings and / or actions of the Messenger (saw) except in such cases of abrogation. The Messenger (saw) said:

“I used to prohibit you from visiting the graveyards, now go and visit them.” (Muslim, Abu Dawud, An-Nisai & Al-Hakim)

In this Hadith the Prophet (saw) used to prohibit Muslims from visiting the graveyards, however this rule is abrogated by the last phrase of the Hadith.

The rejection of the Sunnah cannot be claimed due to the cases of abrogation because the concept of abrogation is part of Islam. Also, in cases where abrogation occurs in the Qur‟an, the Ayah is not abrogated, rather the rule, which is extracted from the Ayah, is abrogated. Consequently, one cannot delete an Ayah from the Qur‟an because its rule is abrogated.

Secondly, sometimes the Sahabah (ra) reported a variety of actions by the Prophet (saw). For example, there are reports that he (saw) made Salah with his (saw) hands on his (saw) chest, and others said his (saw) hands were on his midsection. This doesn‟t indicate a conflict, rather, it illustrates that he (saw) was seen doing both and that either action is permissible during the Salah.

Thirdly, if there is a seeming conflict between the speech and action of the Messenger (saw), then this action is specifically for him (saw), while the text or the statement is for the Muslims. An example of this is that he (saw) used to continuously fast day and night, while he (saw) prohibited the Sahabah (ra) from this practice.

Regarding seeking the help of non-Muslims, we find the following Ahadith:

In one situation Aisha bint Abu Bakr (ra) reported: “That when the Prophet (saw) was on his (saw) way to the battle of Badr, a very well known courageous man joined him at a place called Harratul Wabra. So the Sahabah (ra) were very pleased to see him. When the man saw the Prophet (saw), he said, “I have come to fight with you and to get a share of the war booty.” So the Prophet (saw) asked him, “Do you believe in Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw)?” The man replied, “No”. The Prophet (saw) told him to return back since we (the Muslims) do not seek help from the Mushriks. The Prophet (saw) proceeded on his way to Badr until he reached Al-Shajara. The man came again and told the Prophet (saw) what he had told him (saw) earlier. The Prophet (saw) asked him the same question he (saw) had asked the man before and then told him to return back since he (saw) does not seek help from the Mushriks. As a result, the man returned back. The man joined the Prophet (saw) again at Baida‟ah. So the Prophet (saw) asked him again, “do you believe in Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw).” The man replied, “Yes”, and then the Prophet (saw) told him to hurry up and go fight.” (Muslim & Ahmad)

On another occasion, Al-Bayhaqi said: The authentic (sahih) is what Al-Hafidh Abu Abdullah informed us via a chain leading to Abu Hameed as-Sa‟idi who said:

“It is reported that the Prophet (saw) was on his (saw) way o the battle of Uhud until he reached Dhanniyatul Wada‟a. Here, he (saw) met a regiment and asked, who are they? The Sahabah (ra) told him (saw) they were from Banu Qaynuqa‟a, the faction of Abdullah Bin Salaam. So the Prophet (saw) asked them, will you become Muslims. They declined the offer. As a result, the Prophet (saw) ordered them to leave saying „We do not seek help from the Mushriks.‟ Thus, they became Muslims.” (Al-Baihaqi)

In other situations, the Messenger (saw) sought the help of a Jewish individual of Khaybar and even allowed a Mushrik to fight with him (saw). These Ahadith were used to justify the presence of the American troops in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf war.

However, they have been misquoted and misapplied. By scrutinising these Ahadith, one can see that the Messenger of Allah (saw) used to sometimes allow only non-Muslims to fight with him (saw) as individuals. While, he (saw) refused the help of non-Muslim groups or institutions under their own banner. If a group comes to fight under their own banner, such as under the American flag, Muslims cannot accept their assistance.

Muammar Gaddafi, the ruler of Libya exploits the idea of contradiction in the Hadith to reject the entire Sunnah. He claims that Ali bin Abi Talib (ra) was told by the Messenger of Allah (saw) that he (ra) would be one of the people of Paradise. He also uses another Hadith that says that if two Muslims meet each other with swords drawn, then both of them are in fire. Since Ali (ra) met Mu‟awiyyah in battle, Gaddafi argues, this Hadith would apply to Ali (ra) and thereby contradict the glad tidings given to Ali (ra) about being from the people of the paradise. Based on this supposed contradiction, Gaddafi rejected the entire Sunnah.

In fact, Gaddafi took this second Hadith out of context. The second Hadith is talking about two groups fighting out of Fitnah or Kufr, such as fighting for the sake of nationalism, while Ali (ra) was fighting for Islam. The Qur‟an tells us that if two groups are fighting, then make peace between them, and if one group continues to overstep the bounds, then it orders all parties to band together to deal with the rebel group.

Since Ali (ra) was the legitimate Khaleefah and Mu‟awiyyah (ra) rebelled, Ali (ra) negotiated with Mu‟awiyyah (ra) and then fought him to stop the rebellion. Ali (ra) was acting on a Hukm Shar‟i and this cannot be viewed by anyone as an act that put Ali (ra) in the fire.

Consequently, there is absolutely no contradiction in these two Ahadith. There is no contradiction or conflict between any two Hadith except in cases of abrogation, in which the ruling from the latest Hadith is taken.