Quranists
Quranism (Arabic: القرآنية, romanized: al-Qurʾāniyya) is an Islamic denomination that generally rejects the authoritative role of hadiths, and considers the Quran to be the only dependable religious text. Quranist Muslims believe that the Quran is clear and complete and can be fully understood without recourse to external sources.
Quranists are often divided into two main branches: those who believe the Quran is the primary source and consider external sources such as the hadith, sunnah, and tradition as secondary and dependent, and those who accept no texts other than the Quran and disregard tradition altogether. The extent to which Quranists reject the authenticity of the sunnah varies, though the most established groups of Quranism have thoroughly criticised the hadith, the most prevalent being the Quranist claim that the hadith is not mentioned in the Quran as a source of Islamic theology or practise, was not recorded in written form until two centuries after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, contains perceived errors and contradictions, and promotes sectarianism, anti-science, anti-reason, and misogyny. Quranists also believe that previous revelations of God have been altered, and that the Quran is the only book of God that has valid divine significance.
As they believe that hadith, while not being reliable sources of religion, can serve as historical records, Quranists cite some early Islamic writings in support of their positions, including those attributed to Muhammad, caliph Umar (r. 634–644) and materials dating to the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates. Modern scholarship holds that controversy over the sufficiency of the Qur’an as the only source of Islamic law and doctrine dates back to the early centuries of Islam, where some scholars introduced followers of the Quran alone as Mu’tazilites or sects of the Kharijites, such as the Haroori and the Azariqa. Though the Quran-only view waned during the classical Islamic period, it re-emerged and thrived with the modernist thinkers of the 19th century in Egypt and the Indian subcontinent. Quranism has since taken on political, reformist, fundamentalist, and militant dimensions in various countries.
In matters of faith, jurisprudence, and legislation, Quranists differ from Ahl al-Hadith, who consider the hadith (Kutub al-Sittah) in addition to the Quran. Unlike the Sunni and Shia sects, the Quranist view argues that Islam can be practised without the hadith. Whereas hadith-followers believe that obedience to Muhammad entails obedience to hadiths, Quranists believe that obedience to Muhammad means obedience to the Qur’an. In addition, several extra-Qur’anic traditions upheld by Sunnis, such as kissing the Black Stone, the symbolic Stoning of the Devil, and the Tashahhud during the Salah, are regarded as idolatry (shirk) or possible idolatry by Quranists. This methodological difference has led to considerable divergence between Quranists and both Sunnis and Shias in matters of theology and law as well as the understanding of the Quran. Despite this, aspects of Quranism have been adopted by non-Quranists, such as some Shia reformist scholars.
