The emotional need to belong, and why I am probably a Sahabahist than a Salafist
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I find that identity politics plays a heavy deal in being Muslim. It feels doubly so for those who reject Hadith as a form of legislation, as I do.
We often talk here, or highlight in our posts various levels of differences even amongst ourselves. We do this here because it is a "safe place" to discuss such things. After a deep morning of thinking in my head, I've come to a form of revelation I'm closer to what I'd call a 'Sahabahist" than a "Salafist".
I'll try and explain
When I converted to Islam in 2006, there was a big push by many people to lean me into one of two camps Sunnism and Shiaism. The nature of the demographics of the UK, and then marrying into a relatively traditional Hanafi family (though the wife herself was closer to my views) meant for the first few years I happened to label myself a reluctant Sunni. I soon grew out of this though and resorted to calling myself just "Muslim", and explaining my preference for Quran first, Hadith reluctantly second.
As the time went by, I came to discover God Alone/Quranism, and identified closer with that. To this day I openly label myself a Quranist, as I believe the Quran is the word of God which holds no equal in human terms, transmitted from God via the angel Gabriel through God's prophet Muhammad and later codified as a Book. I have to accept those as facts in order to be "Muslim", and I have no problems with that.
However, as nice of an idea of following God's word alone is, we still naturally as people look to how others act as examples on how to behave, what works well, what feels right to us. For that reason, and the reason why I tended to attach to them, I also in a strange way labelled myself a Salafist.
My argument was that although I don't consider Hadith of the prophet (or companions, or the next two generations) as legislatively binding, there are stories about them that warms my heart and makes me feel that the situation in 7th century Arabia which led to the Quran being revealed is more human and easier to identify than the way other religions came about. It amuses me that, for example, Abu Bakr when taking over leadership at the death of the prophet Muhammad, tried to go back to his normal day job of trading like he could juggle both roles. It also amuses me that Umar was well known for saying suicidal thoughts out loud, and was just as hated by people as he was loved and made efforts to rectify it in a way I could see myself doing the same thing. I can also find peace knowing that I feel Ali was greedy for power but deep down had many likeable qualities which I can also respect even if I disagree with the concept of Dynastic leadership.
What I'm trying to get across is that the actions of humans during the time of revelation and immediately after is relate able to how I perceive human interaction even today 1400 years later. I don't take these stories as something that is worth legislating and enforcing on others, but things to keep in mind as I interact myself; just as any of my own exchanges between myself and others (and others with other people too) effect how my actions are.
Which brings me back to my intended point I've been calling myself a Quranic Salafist, or something like that for awhile, and then suddenly realised "These stories I enjoy, are any of them featuring people beyond the companions of the prophet?" and I don't think they do. Perhaps I've been living in the shell of a Salafist in order to relate to others who I feel a closer connection to, when actually many of the 2nd and 3rd generation of Muslims, especially those in power politically or spiritually I don't agree with at all. Within the Salaf, is of course many of the founders of the Sunni schools of thought, Hadith based and Idol worshipping that I don't agree with.
Did the Sahabah worship Muhammad, did they legislate and live life based on what Muhammad said, or did they follow what God said? I have seen no Hadith of any person, prophet or companion at the time of Muhammad's life that suggests that the people around him idolised him, but rather praised and thanked God for what God had given them. Perhaps, instead of following the Salaf, I had been following the Sahabah's way all this time, which can only make me... a Sahabahist.
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6159
Those who have divided their system and become sects, you are
not with them in anything. Their matter will be with God, then
He will inform them of what they had done.3032
From those who have divided their system and become sects,
each group is happy with what it has. -
Salam Mike,
I also became a Muslim - funnily enough not by listening to people - or watching people behave like "good" Muslims, but by wanting to read the Quran to figure out what it was really out due to all the media hysteria.
Immediately I spoke to Muslims and questioned them about why the Hadith are a part of Islam as it didn't make sense to me. I was pretty much told to stop these questions. And only a few weeks ago did I come across Quran-only Muslims.
Its been a breath of fresh air.
Since then I have wandered from one community, sect, school to another - even praying in different mosques trying to find that "purity" but never quite getting there.
About 3 months ago I heard an Imam read a sermon and it was almost all from the Hadith - it upset me, because over 10 years I haven't understood basic aspects of the Quran and here were these people talking about stories written by others that were supposed to be attributable to the Prophet. He was further encouraging people to send money and aid to Syria - there is very fine line here and many youngsters are mistaking this advice to go and join ISIS and really "help" the poor little Saudi?Western backed Syrian rebels who really want to overthrow Assad and help Israel..... oh and get that much longer for freedom that is so rife in every single other "Muslim" country.
After this I just stopped going into any mosque and vowed not to pray next to them as they were confusing personal politics with religion and inciting terrorism.One thing I will pick up on that you have said. Sure the Hadiths are collections of Chinese whispers and we have no idea if they are real or not - the same logic that prevents "Muslims" from accepting the Bible or Torah!
Yes the stories are inspirational but most of the stuff I read by Umerto Eco was far more inspirational! Thats the nature of sob-stories and inspirational stories.
However, I am not sure if we as Quran only Muslims should give up on actual history as well as Hadiths. It seems that some reformers want nothing to do with Arab History related to the Quran yet, they find no problems with coming up with Alpha Numeric codes used by Persians or Assyrians or anything else out of history they want to accept. Then there are Quranists who quote ideas and extrapolations and make them into "the truth" and part of the "Quran" just because they are an engineer or a scientist and they see some compelling similarity - its actually just hypocrisy.
For me it is a no no to Hadith - but I am not really sure about history.
Salafist as a meaning is ok but as a group of people it is made up of all sorts and as it is associated with Hadithists, I feel very uncomfortable with them - and the fact that many extremists including ISIS relate to being Salafist or Wahhabi.
For me it has to be only the Quran - I am not sure what I can or not add to it, but with this doubt, for now I will add nothing..... as much as possible.
Salam
Ed -
Sorry for the late reply Ed, I didn't mean to be away for so long!
I think you are right about a lot of what you said, Salafi is a loaded term, and I generally agree on the three group principle Quietist Salafism which rejects all politics out of hand, political Salafists (which I was closest too) which worked to bring social change via interaction with political systems and 'Jihadi' Salafism which is inherently violent. It was a bit of a eye opener when I realised I didn't actually liked any of the post-Sahaba Salaf (that is, the 2nd and 3rd generation of Muslims) as it felt like the rotting of religious practice and conservative movements had already started to occur. That's not to say they were all bad, but I had never followed anything those two generations actually brought about.
In response to Submitter what my post was essentially making out is that I have curbed the region of data that I used to formulate my theological perspectives, by limiting it to just one generation the one that assisted and lived among our Prophet; and that those actions even then were not necessarily all good, but were all able to be used to develop right, wrong and practical responses to real life problems. It might be suggested that limiting the pool of people even further than Salafis would would make the doctrine more conservative; doesn't sit when you look into the wild differences between the men and women who made up the Sahabah, that is rather than creating a more conservative form of Salafism, it actually creates a more malleable interpretation of actions when viewed under the lens of imperfect people trying to do the best they can living in an age with a prophet of God.
I have to believe that what happened in this generation makes at least some difference, because if it didn't, there would be no need for revealed text from God to be based on and commenting on the actions of living people at the time of revelation.