# Is distinguishing the Sunnah from hadith a modernist invention? *Sunnah versus hadith: Qadhi calls the distinction a bigger problem than denying the return* - URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/tr3nsx3ufy8/s/6/ - Date: 2021-03-14 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Reply to Yasir Qadhi's False Claims on 2nd Coming of Jesus | Mufti Abu Layth (26:18–30:17) - Status: general teaching - Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR3NSX3UFy8&t=1578s - Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/tr3nsx3ufy8/ **Topics:** Sunnah versus hadith; Sahih al-Bukhari (BukhariGate); Exchanges with Yasir Qadhi **Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Mufti Abu Layth says distinguishing hadith from the Sunnah is the teaching of the madhhabs and of Imam Malik, not an invention of Muhammad Abduh, and that he does not treat Bukhari as special but judges every hadith by the same criteria. Qadhi's clip calls this separation a bigger problem than denying Jesus's return. ## Longer summary After a joke on Abduh's name, Mufti Abu Layth plays Qadhi saying that Abduh's school came up with the notion of distinguishing hadith from Sunnah. Mufti answers that had Qadhi studied the madhhabs he would know this is what they actually say, and that Imam Malik is the one who speaks of rejecting hadith that snatch away the deen, treating hadith as something somebody documented while the Sunnah was the living tradition. The clip continues that none of these figures considers the two Sahihs more authoritative than other books; Mufti agrees, saying truthfully that he does not consider Bukhari something special and judges all hadith on a similar platform by their own criteria. Qadhi calls the strand neo-rationalist or pseudo-enlightenment and says that separating the Sunnah from authentic hadith is a far bigger issue than their denial of Jesus, and that this group denies facts simply because they are not rational. Mufti mocks the confidence with which Qadhi calls it inconceivable that the hadith could be inaccurate. ## Sources and names cited - Yasir Qadhi - Muhammad Abduh - Imam Malik - Sahih al-Bukhari - sunnah - distinction between sunnah and hadith ## Transcript (machine tier, 26:18–30:17) [26:16] or big d though [Laughter] also means two and it can also mean to give give not one would give two to these people so muhammad abdul is the uh this school has come up with this notion to differentiate between hadith [Music] [Laughter] [26:55] is there is a distinction between hadith the hadith does not equate to sunnah sunnah does not equate to hadith and you know this is the same thing to all these people if had they actually studied us had they actually studied math herbs they would have known that this is what the mothers actually say is just from now imam malik is the one who speaks about rejecting uh hadith saying that what you know snatches your deen like go with the sunnah he says the hadith is just something somebody documented the sunnah was the living tradition but [27:34] anyway pay attention i should say then all of a sudden it defines a sunnah that defines the sunnah and for them uh hadith even as the [ __ ] it's gotta have that because this is an arabic word okay so pay attention people they translate into the sunnah of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam of these figures from muhammad [28:14] abdul all the way down to the modern figures i mentioned none of them consider the sahih to be any more authoritative than [Music] the rest of the books there will difference between this strand this part true man you're telling the truth here though you say the truth truth truth be told you know we don't consider bukhari to be something so special we consider all hadith on a similar platform all hadith are to be judged with their own criteria and call it you know neo-rationalist or call it a pseudo-enlightenment whatever you call it this strand of thought versus uh the mainstream scholars of [28:52] sunni islam so the notion of separating the sunnah from authentic hadith to me this is the far bigger issue than their denial of jesus the notion of rejecting rejecting hadith people this is [Laughter] this is the problem that we deny facts which are actual fact because it's means something that it's it's unconscionable i mean it's [29:30] inconceivable that it's inaccurate well you know because it's just not gonna happen the fact that china doesn't exist it's a myth that all these people have got together just to trick me and that's inconceivable so this is how the hadith of the second coming of jesus you know if anything you gotta love the confidence you know that's the confidence i aspire to in life [Laughter] pay attention people pay attention simply because it is not rational right that [30:07] this group is willing to claim that the belief of jesus christ is a theology that emanated from judeo-christian sources from the likes of wahhabi or or maybe even or some of them say ibrahim zuri it it emanated from these people and it slowly crept in until it became a mainstream belief of the ummah now the response is that that's a huge claim that lacks even the slightest backing or evidence how can anybody make such a preposterous claim people remember these words okay i come back to these words ## Cite Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment TR3NSX3UFy8/s/6. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/tr3nsx3ufy8/s/6/ Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.