Quranism
Quranism is an Islamic denomination that considers the Qur'an to be the only dependable religious text. Quranist Muslims believe that the Qur'an is clear and complete and can be fully understood without recourse to external sources.
Quranists are often divided into two main branches: those who believe the Qur'an is the primary source and consider external sources such as the Hadiths and Sunnah as secondary and dependent, and those who accept no texts other than the Qur'an and disregard tradition altogether. The extent to which Quranists reject the authenticity of the Sunnah varies, though the most established groups of Quranism have thoroughly criticised and rejected the Hadith, the most prevalent being the Quranist claim that the Hadith is not mentioned in the Qur'an as a source of Islamic theology or practise, was not recorded in written form until two centuries after the death of Muhammad, and contains perceived errors and contradictions. Quranists also believe that previous revelations of God have been altered, and that the Qur'an is the only book of God that has valid divine significance.
As they believe that Hadith, while not being reliable sources of religion, can serve as historical records, Quranists cite some early Islamic writings in support of their positions, including those attributed to Muhammad, caliph Umar and materials dating to the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates. Modern scholarship holds that controversy over the sufficiency of the Qur'an as the only source of Islamic law and doctrine dates back to the early centuries of Islam, where some scholars introduced followers of the Qur'an alone as Mu'tazilites or sects of the Kharijites, such as the Haruri and the Azariqa. Though the Qur'an-only view waned during the classical Islamic period, it re-emerged and thrived with the modernist thinkers of the 19th century in Egypt and the Indian subcontinent. Some scholars hold that Quranism in the early 20th century was influenced by the Salafi movement. Quranism has since taken on political, reformist, fundamentalist, and militant dimensions in various countries. Currently, it is reported that the Quranist movement encompasses tens of thousands to potentially a million followers globally.
In matters of faith, jurisprudence, and legislation, Quranists differ from Ahl al-Hadith, who consider the Hadith in addition to the Quran. Unlike Sunnis and Shias, Quranists argue that Islam can be practised without the Hadith. Whereas Hadith-followers believe that obedience to Muhammad entails obedience to Hadiths, Quranists believe that obedience to Muhammad means obedience to the Qur'an. In addition, several extra-Quranic traditions upheld by Sunnis, such as kissing the Black Stone, the symbolic Stoning of the Devil, and the Tashahhud during the Ṣalāh, are regarded as idolatry or possible idolatry by Quranists. This methodological difference has led to considerable divergence between Quranists and both Sunnis and Shias in matters of theology and law as well as the understanding of the Qur'an. Despite this, aspects of Quranism have been adopted by non-Quranists, such as some Shia reformist scholars.
Terminology
"Quranists" are also referred to as "reformists" or "Quraniyun".Doctrine
Quranists believe that the Qur'an is clear, complete, and that it can be fully understood without recourse to the Hadith and Sunnah. Therefore, they use the Qur'an itself to interpret the Qur'an:This methodology differs from, which is the method of commenting on the Qur'an using traditional sources, and, which refers to interpreting the Qur'an with/through the Bible, generally referred to in Quranic studies as the Tawrat and the ʾInjīl.
In the centuries following Muhammad's death, Quranists did not believe in. The Kufan scholar Dirar ibn Amr's Quranist belief led him to deny in the Dajjal, Punishment of the Grave, and Shafa'a in the 8th century. The Egyptian scholar Mohammed Abu Zaid al-Damanhury's Quranist commentaries led him to reject the belief in the ’Isrā’ and Miʿrāj in the early 20th century. In his rationalist Qur'an commentary published in 1930, which uses the Qur'an itself to interpret the Qur'an, he claimed that verse 17:1 was an allusion to the Hijrah and not ’Isrā’ and Miʿrāj.
Syed Ahmad Khan argued that, while the Qur'an remained socially relevant, reliance on Hadith limits the vast potential of the Qur'an to a particular cultural and historical situation.
The extent to which Quranists reject the authority of Hadith and Sunnah varies, but the more established groups have thoroughly criticised the authority of Hadith and reject it for many reasons. The most common being the Quranists who say that Hadith is not mentioned in the Qur'an as a source of Islamic theology and practice, was not recorded in written form until a century after the death of Muhammad, and contain internal errors and contradictions as well as contradictions with the Quran. For Sunni Muslims, the Sunnah, i.e the Sunnah of the Prophet, is one of the two primary sources of Islamic law, and while the Qur'an has verses enjoining Muslims to obey the Messenger, the Qur'an never talks about Sunnah in connection with Muhammad or other prophets. The term Sunnah appears several times, including in the phrase , but not – the phrase customarily used by proponents of Hadith.
The concept of has also been advocated by Quranists such as Rashad Khalifa, Edip Yuksel, and Ahmed Subhy Mansour, who believed that previous revelations of God, such as the Tawrat and the Bible, contained contradictions due to human interference. They believed that the beliefs and practices of Islam should be based on the Qur'an alone.
Differences with mainstream Islam
Quranists believe that the Qur'an is the sole source of religious law and guidance in Islam and reject the authority of sources outside of the Qur'an like Hadith and Sunnah. Quranists suggest that vast majority of Hadith literature are forged and that the Qur'an criticises the Hadith both in technical sense and general sense. Quranists claim that the Sunnis and Shias have distorted the meaning of the verses to support their agenda, especially in verses about women and war. Due to these differences in theology, there are differences between traditional Islamic and Quranist practices.Several extra-Quranic traditions upheld by Sunnis, such as kissing the Black Stone, the symbolic Stoning of the Devil, and the Tashahhud during the Ṣalāh, are regarded as idolatry or possible idolatry by Quranists.
Shahada (creed)
The Shahada accepted by a number of Quranists is .Ṣalāh (prayer)
Quranists pray three times a day; they do not recognise the Hadiths that specify five prayers per day. The practice of praying five times daily does not appear in the Quran, but the practice originated in Hadiths about Muhammad's ’Isrā’ and Miʿrāj.The blessings for Muhammad and Abraham, which are part of the traditional ritual, are not practiced by most Quranists in the call to prayer and in the prayer itself, arguing that the Qur'an mentions prayers are only for God, and the Qur'an tells believers to make no distinction between Messengers of God.
There are other minor differences: for Quranists, menstruation does not constitute an obstacle to prayer, men and women are allowed to pray together in a mosque and that there is no catching up later once a prayer is missed.
Wuḍūʼ (ablution)
Quranist ablution before prayer only includes washing the face, hands up to the elbows and stroking the head and feet, since only these steps are mentioned in the Qur'an.Zakāh (alms tax)
In traditional Islam, giving Zakāh is a religious duty and amounts to 2.5 percent of the annual income. The Quranists give Zakāh based on the Quranic verses. In the opinion of many Quranists, Zakāh must be paid, but the Qur'an does not specify a percentage because it does not appear explicitly in the Qur'an. Other Quranists are in agreement with the 2.5 percent, but do not give the Zakāh annually, but from all money they earn.Ṣawm (fasting)
The majority of Quranists fast for all of Ramadan, but do not see the last day of Ramadan as a holy day.Ḥajj (pilgrimage) and the Kaaba
Extra-Quranic traditions in the Ḥajj, such as kissing or hugging the Black Stone and the symbolic Stoning of the Devil are rejected and seen as by Quranists.Some Quranists believe that the "House" of worship which Abraham and his son Ishmael raised was not the Kaaba in Mecca, but rather one in Bakkah.