Meaning
Shahrur holds that every prophetic hadith that clashes with a text of the Wise Revelation is invalid. For him, the decisive criterion is the Qur’an; whatever contradicts it is not accepted, even if it is attributed to the Prophet.
Structure of the Atom in the Atlas
- Type of argument: legislative.
- Movement of the argument: Every hadith that conflicts with the Qur’an is deemed invalid.
- Central terms: prophetic hadith, the Wise Revelation, invalidity, the Qur’an.
- Degree of centrality: pivotal.
It establishes a dividing line between what is accepted and what is rejected in transmitted reports, making the Qur’anic text the supreme reference against which attributed reports are tested.
Links That Aid Reading
- Muhammad Shahrur: The Messengerly Sunna and the Prophetic Sunna
- The Sunna between Messengerhood and Prophethood
- the Wise Revelation
- the Qur’an
- The Contemporary Sunna Is Understood through Qur’anic Terms, Not through Inherited Sanctification
Evidence
- Supporting text: “Every prophetic hadith that conflicts with a text of the Wise Revelation is invalid.”
Location of the Evidence in the Book
- Book: The Messengerly Sunna and the Prophetic Sunna.
- Location: In the first section of the book, within its treatment of the status of hadith in relation to the Wise Revelation.
- Type of evidence: proximate citation.
- Verification aid: rejected.
- Reading note: This passage serves as evidence because it links the acceptance of hadith to its conformity with the Qur’an, from which the rejection of whatever contradicts it is understood.
Degree of Documentation
- Level: directly documented.
- Meaning of the level: The atom rests on an explicit citation close to the wording of the claim.
- Limits of reading: The wording above is an analytical summary and should not be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the citation has been reproduced textually.
Its Function in the Book
Its function here is objectional: it responds to a common understanding or challenges an inherited reading at this point.
Related To
Note to the Reader
The atom relies on the criterion of conformity, not merely on the validity of the traditional chain of transmission.