# Is there a middle way between rejecting all hadith and accepting every hadith?

*Steelmanning not strawmanning: hadith versus Sunnah, conditions for a report, and meeting anger with love*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/onzjd7xmdhe/s/5/
- Date: 2025-10-18 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Br Muhammad MFG | Quranist Only Belief - A Dialogue | MindTrap #82 - Mufti Abu Layth (10:44–15:38)
- Status: latest answer on its topic; general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONzjD7XMDhE&t=644s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/onzjd7xmdhe/

**Topics:** Sunnah versus hadith; Hadith in legal reasoning and hadith absolutism; Personal stories and reflections

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** There is a middle way between rejecting hadith and hadith absolutism: Malik and Abu Hanifa distinguished Sunnah from hadith and accepted reports only if they do not contradict reason, the Quran, the living tradition or a principle of Islam. Mufti Abu Layth says Quranists should be met with love, not cornered, and recalls his own past anger.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth holds the middle position of Imam Malik and Abu Hanifa that the Sunnah is what is followed and hadith only document it, so a report is accepted unless it contradicts reason, the Quran or the living tradition or uproots a principle of Islam, and that discarding the Sunnah is a disservice to faith.

**Evidence, his words at 12:28:** “to discard the sunnah of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam who is to Muslims the most beloved of creation is a disservice to I feel faith as a whole” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONzjD7XMDhE&t=748s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth says he wants to give the guest the opportunity to steelman his argument, since he may be misunderstanding it. He says there is a long-standing middle ground, that of Imam Malik and Abu Hanifa, which distinguishes between hadith and Sunnah: the Sunnah is what is followed, and hadith attempt to document it, sometimes succeeding, sometimes mistaken. He says scholars set conditions, accepting a hadith so long as it does not go against reason, does not clash with the Quran or the living tradition, and does not uproot an Islamic principle, while admitting that not all scholars follow these guidelines, that their application is disputed and that they may be misused. He says discarding the Sunnah of the Prophet, the most beloved of creation to Muslims, is a disservice to faith, but that everyone arguing for an angle in Islam does so from love, even if in this case he feels it is misplaced, so rather than bashing people one should listen with open hearts, since only love, compassion and light overcome anger. He adds that he himself carried irritability and anger in earlier years, and that teachers, loved ones, his own trauma, witnessing his mother's cancer and passing, and certain psychedelic experiences of death and of the presence of Allah changed how he feels life and other people's pain and joy, before welcoming the guest to the virtual stage.

## Sources and names cited

- Br Muhammad (MFG, MuhammadFromGod channel)
- Imam Malik
- Abu Hanifa
- Sunnah
- distinction between sunnah and hadith
- a hadith must not contradict reason, the Quran and established Sunnah, or uproot a principle of Islam

## Transcript (machine tier, 10:44–15:38)

[10:25] It says no hadith is acceptable. But then what do they mean by that? Sometimes when I've said that like brother Muhammad said and rightly so from his perspective he said you know Mui you are that's strawmaning our argument. So I said I would like to give you the opportunity to steal man your argument.

[10:49] I I don't want to straw man anybody's argument and maybe I am misunderstanding it and that's fair enough and that's why this dialogue is important. I did highlight as well that there is a longstanding tradition in the middle. You know that the that there is a middle ground that the like Im Malik like Im Abu Hanifh took

[11:24] that they distinguished between hadith and Sunnah that the sunnah is what we follow and the hadith attempts to document the sunnah. Sometimes it documents it, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it may be mistaken. and and some of uh these scholars have put forward conditions like we accept the hadith

[11:55] that as long as it does not go against reason against the understanding as long as it does not clash with the Quran or the as in which is the living tradition as long as it does not uproot an Islamic principle. So these these guidelines are already there in Islam and so to and I accept that not all scholars follow them at all times. The application of these guidelines are disputed and I agree with that and may even be misused and I agree with that.

[12:28] But to discard the sunnah of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam who is to Muslims the most beloved of creation is a disservice to I feel faith as a whole. Now I do want to highlight something very important.

[12:48] All people who are arguing for an angle in Islam do so from a love from a passion. So even and I do feel in this case it is a misplaced misapplied love but it is a love that they do love the prophetshallah they do love Islamshallah they do love the that they give their lives dedicated to these things.

[13:16] So what what I want us to do is rather than just bash people, you know, we get somebody who disagrees with us and we spread this hatred, this rage that we want to suppress that we try to listen and we open our hearts and minds and welcome them because like I said a lot of the times it is an anger, it is a rage and I um and it is only love, compassion a light that can overcome that.

[13:51] You know, it won't work with trying to just say, "Let's corner people, debate them, hate on them, do all of these things." This is not the way. And I say this from my own experience. Uh last final few words that I feel historically I too uh may have carried some of that kind of um irritability that uh anger as well and you know um I do feel that I did carry some of that in in the previous years and and I suppose maybe age and the

[14:29] stage of life that you know witnessing many things by just connecting guidance from teachers, from loved ones, my own trauma, witnessing my mom's cancer and her passing and and other things and including uh certain psychedelics, experiencing what is actual death in itself and then a lifetime in the presence of Allah.

[15:00] that certain things they they make you feel life differently and and you feel people's pain and you feel their joy as well. May Allah bless each and all people. I'd like to welcome on to the stage uh virtual stage brother Muhammad Kena. Assalamu alaykum uh brother Muhammad MFG.

[15:28] How are you doing? I hope you can hear us loud and clear. I'm just going to if you speak I'll just hopefully your volume's coming through fine as well. Bismillah peace be upon you. How you doing? My good uncle.  Well, I'm well. Uh, Shukran. So, first of all, Muhammad, I'm really jaz that you've taken the time out. I do apologize once again for being delay.

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment ONzjD7XMDhE/s/5. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/onzjd7xmdhe/s/5/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.