| Answer:
With regard to the issue of accepting ‘historical’ Āhadīth that
don’t make sense to us, the issue of ‘acceptance’ must first be clarified.
It should be clear that the Sunnah (simply put: the established or perpetual
practice of the Prophet (sws), and Prophets before him) is distinct from
Hadīth. Āhadīth itself are not an independent source of the Sharī‘ah, nor a
necessary component of it. However, this does not preclude the importance of
Āhadīth literature as an important means of ascertaining information on the
life of the Prophet (sws), historical occurrences of the time, the Prophet’s
perfect example, and even elements related to his religious understanding.
Having placed Āhadīth in their proper place, there are certain principles
regarding acceptance or rejection of a Hadīth, upon which a person can apply
the Hadīth to their actions or thoughts. Of these principles, one of them
relates to a Hadīth not negating established fact or reason. However, it is
vital that two things be kept in mind. First, a person must be sure that a
Hadīth he believes to be against reason is not simply a Hadīth that he is
failing to properly understand. There is a distinct difference between
something being misunderstood, as opposed to, unreasonable. Second, the
determination of the acceptance or rejection of a particular Hadīth should
primarily be left to scholars trained in this field. This is primarily
because it often happens that one Hadīth might give a particular sense which
is in direct opposition to the sense obtained from examining all pertinent
Āhadīth related to the topic. This is in addition to a scholarly examination
of whether the Hadīth in question fulfills the other requirements for
acceptance, for instance, it should not negate the Qur’ān, etc.
Bearing this in mind, in the case you mentioned, if the ‘historical’ Hadīth
makes no sense to you, despite your best efforts/intent to understand it,
then it is fine to disregard it. |