Ahl al-Hadith (Arabic: أهل الحديث; The people of hadith) or (Aşḥāb al-ḥadīth; أصحاب الحديث), is a term that has been used to refer to many Islamic movements (both historical and modern) that emphasize the use of hadith in Islam. It refers to the adherent's belief that they are not bound by taqlid (as are Ahl al-Rai, literally "the people of rhetorical theology"), but consider themselves free to seek guidance in matters of religious faith and practices from the authentic hadith which, together with the Qur'an, are in their view the principal worthy guide for Muslims.
In the contemporary sense, it refers to a reformist movement.[1] The term Ahl al-Hadith is often used interchangeably with the term Salafi,[2] and proponents prefer to call themselves Salafis, although they are often called Wahhabis by their adversaries.[1] In the Indian subcontinent, the followers of the Salafi movement are known as Ahl al-Hadith (or referred to as Ahle Hadith or Ahle Hadees). The number of followers of the movement in Pakistan constitute 4% of the Muslim population,[3] 25-30 million followers in India,[4] and 27.5 million in Bangladesh.[5]
| Hadith |
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| History of hadith |
| Hadith studies |
| Hadith terminology |
| Categories of Hadith |
| Biographical evaluation |
| People of hadith |
Early proponents ascribe the authority of Ahl al-Hadith to specific hadith of Muhammad al-Bukhari. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani mentioned the people of hadith in his commentary of the hadith, "And this nation will continue, established upon Allah's Command, unharmed by those who oppose them until the arrival of Allah's Order." He stated that Muhammad al-Bukhari was adamant that those referred to in this hadith were the people with knowledge of the narrations, Ahl al-Athar, i.e. the people of hadith. And then quoted Ahmad ibn Hanbal as saying, "If they are not Ahl al-Hadith, then I do not know who they are." Qadi Ayyad explained that Ahmad was referring to Ahl al-Sunnah and those who share the beliefs of the people of hadith (Essentially, according to Fath al-Bari, it is the opinion of Imam Ahmad that the faithful Ahl al Sunnah and Ahl al Hadith are not separate) .[6]
The followers of the Ahl al-Hadith movement claim their beliefs and practices to be the same as those of early Muslims and, in particular, the Rashidun (rightly guided caliphs). The movement rose to prominence in the 9th century AD during the Abbasid era to counter the beliefs of Mutazilities.[7] They again drew attention in the post-Mongol era, when Ibn Taymiyyah (1263–1328) started a reformist movement to purge the Islamic community of deviant beliefs.[8]
Noting the academic prowess of the people of hadith, Al-Dhahabi remarked, "Where is the knowledge of hadith, and where are its people? I am on the verge of not seeing them except engrossed in a book or under the soil."[9]
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