Orientalists and Their Misconception in Understanding the Hadith

SPs, UIN News Online – Nafi Maulana Ibn Umar is a credible figure in the transmission of hadith. And the hadith he narrated in the Kitab al-Sahīh'ayn are authentic.

This was conveyed by Abdul Hakim Wahid a Doctoral Program student of Graduate School (SPs) UIN Jakarta during his open doctoral promotion session at Auditorium SPs UIN Jakarta, Monday, (8/7/2017). His dissertation was written to refute some of the orientalist's erroneous thoughts in understanding the figure of Nafi Maulana Ibn Umar.

Present as the examiners, Prof. Dr. Masykuri Abdillah, Prof. Dr. Said Agil Husin Al Munawar, MA, Prof. Dr. Zaitunah Subhan, Prof. Dr. M. Suparta, MA, Prof. Dr. Hamdani Anwar, MA, and Prof. Dr. Didin Saepudin, MA.

In the view of Abdul Hakim Wahid, orientalist Josep Schacht who states that every legal tradition that comes from the Prophet, should be considered as something that is not authentic, although slightly obscured as a true statement in the era of Prophecy and caliphates.

Josep Schacht also asserts that most of the legal traditions of the Prophet, narrated by Malik ibn Anas from the previous generation, cannot be considered as an authentic hadith from the Prophet. This is where Schacht's misconception that must be rectified,” Said Hakim during his presentation.

Joseph Schacht is the originator of the common link theory. Since the beginning, common link phenomenon has been known by the hadiths scholar.

According to Schacht, the basic assumption in this theory is that if there are hadiths that have a different isnad, but denotes the common link phenomenon, it can be concluded that the hadith is bolted from a narrator who becomes the common link mentioned in the isnad.

In addition to Josep Schacht, another orientalist who was criticized by Hakim is GHA Juynboll. Juynboll states that the path of sanad Nafi to Ibn Umar to the Prophet, one of the many narrators specified in canonical hadith books. When the latest historiographic research method applied to it, it cannot be maintained as historically viable transmission routes. Juynboll then asserts that it takes the faith to regard it as the historicity of what the Prophet said or did.

Another misconception, according to Hakim, is the backward projection accusation of sanad hadith, which are considered only made by scholars in bringing their words to those who have legal authority.

The examiners gave special note to Abdul Hakim Wahid, Prof. Dr. Masykuri Abdillah questioned some technical errors on the dissertation. A particularly striking technical error is the unbalanced composition of pages per chapter.

Meanwhile Prof. Dr. Said Agil Husin Al Munawar, MA, sees that the orientalists who examine the hadith are orientalists who are confused with the hadith. They did not examine the hadith narrators in detail.

Abdul Hakim Wahid succeeded in becoming the 1060th SPs UIN Jakarta Doctorate with 3.56 of GPA. (usa)