Methodological Errors of Yaḥyā Muḥammad in Mushkilat al-Ḥadīth (Section: Sunni Ḥadīth): A Case of Doubting a Definitive Religious Necessity

Abstract

This article offers a critical analysis of Yaḥyā Muḥammad’s views in his book Mushkilat al-Ḥadīth, particularly in the section addressing Sunni ḥadīth. It focuses on his skepticism toward the binding authority (ḥujjiyyah) of the Prophetic Sunnah as a methodological and epistemological error. By separating verbal Sunnah from practical Sunnah, Muḥammad attempts to undermine the foundation of Sunnah in Islamic epistemology while also denying the existence of mutawātir (mass-transmitted) ḥadīths. Using a traditional rational-textual approach, the study first clarifies fundamental concepts such as religious necessity, method, error, and epistemic doubt. It then critiques Muḥammad’s arguments and demonstrates the methodological weaknesses and inconsistencies in his analysis. Drawing upon Qur’anic evidence, Prophetic sayings, communal consensus (ijmāʿ), and rational justifications, the paper affirms the binding nature of the Prophetic Sunnah as a definitive religious necessity. It also reconstructs the historical and narrational basis of mutawātir ḥadīths—especially the well-known ḥadīth, “Whoever intentionally lies about me, let him prepare his place in Hell.” The findings reveal that Muḥammad’s negation of the Sunnah lacks scholarly grounding and stands in opposition to the essential principles of Islamic belief and practice. The study concludes by emphasizing the need for a critical yet disciplined reevaluation of modernist claims regarding the Sunnah—rooted in scholarly rigor and fidelity to Islamic tradition.