Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders Urges Indonesian Scholars to Shield Their Children Against Those Who Cast Doubt on the Authenticity of the Sunnah, Emphasizing:

- The bond of the Ummah with the Prophet of Humanity (peace be upon him) is strong and grows firmer with time.

- There are recurring old and renewed calls that consistently cast doubt on the Sunnah.

- One of the doubters of the Sunnah has even gone so far as to claim prophethood.

- Separating the Quran from the Sunnah leaves it vulnerable to misinterpretation.

- "Doubt” and “suspicion" are common traits among those who question the Sunnah.

- Scholars of the Muslim Ummah have dedicated their lives and strained their eyes to verify the narrations of the Sunnah.

- Since my tenure as President of Al-Azhar University, I have called for the development of curricula focused on critiquing dubious texts.

- Some who deny the Sunnah call themselves "Qur’anists," but they are the furthest from the Qur’an.

- The Prophet (peace be upon him) warned us 14 centuries ago about those who would call for the exclusion of his Sunnah.

The Muhammadiyah Society of Indonesia in Jakarta held a special reception for the Grand Imam, Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, on the occasion of his third visit to Indonesia. The event, themed "Al-Azhar and Muhammadiyah: Their Pioneering Role in Spreading the Moderation of Islam and Achieving Global Peace," was attended by His Excellency Sheikh Haedar Nashir, the General President of the Muhammadiyah Society, the institution's leaders, presidents of Muhammadiyah universities, and a select group of Indonesian scholars and intellectuals.

At the beginning of the ceremony, His Excellency Sheikh Haedar Nashir, the General President of the Muhammadiyah Society of Indonesia, expressed his happiness at the visit paid by Al-Azhar's Grand Imam to the society's headquarters. He highlighted Al-Azhar's unlimited support for Indonesian Muslims through scholarships and welcoming Indonesian students to Al-Azhar University. He affirmed that Al-Azhar is a model in developing religious education and advocating for Islam, being the largest Islamic reference and a pillar of Islamic civilization.

Mr. Haedar Nashir emphasized that the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar is the foremost supporter of Islamic and humanitarian causes worldwide. He is not only an imam for Muslims but also a symbol of peace and humanity globally. He pointed out the necessity of activating the provisions of the Document on Human Fraternity, which His Eminence Sheikh Al-Tayeb signed with His Holiness Pope Francis in 2019, as it contains humanitarian principles that protect the interests of all people, regardless of their color, religion, or race. He also noted the Indonesians' appreciation for the initiatives stemming from this document, foremost among them being the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity. Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama were honored with this award for their efforts in establishing peace and human fraternity within Indonesia and their active participation in economic and social development through the expansion of institutes, universities, and hospitals that serve millions of Indonesians.

On this occasion, His Eminence the Grand Imam delivered a speech in which he emphasized that the bond of the Muslim Ummah with Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), the Prophet of Humanity who brought humanity out of the darkness of ignorance into the light of knowledge, and from the narrowness of brutality and oppression into the expanse of mercy and peace, is a strong bond that only grows firmer with time. He explained that Muslims around the world study his life and his teachings, hold him in the highest regard, and firmly believe that he was the link that dispelled the darkness of the earth with the light of the heavens.

The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar pointed to the emergence of recurring old calls that have consistently sought to cast doubt on the value of the Sunnah (the Prophet's traditions), its authenticity, and its authority, and to criticize its narrators: the Companions, the Followers, and those who came after them. These calls demand the exclusion of the Prophet's Sunnah entirely from the realm of legislation and rulings, advocating reliance solely on the Qur’an for all that a Muslim does and refrains from in terms of worship and transactions. They claim that what is not explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an does not bind Muslims by any command or prohibition, or any declaration of permissibility or prohibition. He described it as an ancient and renewed issue.

The Grand Imam and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders clarified that separating the Qur’an from the Sunnah places it in jeopardy and opens the door to tampering with its verses, rulings, and legislations. He explained the scholars' views on this matter with the example of prayer: while it is established in the Qur’an, there is not a single verse that explains to a Muslim how to pray, nor the details of the prayer, its number of units (rak'ahs) and prostrations, or its postures. These details and similar ones cannot be understood, known, or derived except through the Sunnah, which is the second source of legislation in Islam. He pointed out that many legislations are mentioned in the Qur’an in a general manner and are detailed by the Sunnah.

The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar explained that these skeptics, regardless of their places and times, and despite their differing backgrounds and tastes, share a common trait: doubt and suspicion towards the narrators of hadiths, and disregard for the immense, painstaking scientific efforts that the scholars of the Ummah have dedicated their entire lives to. These scholars exhausted themselves, straining their eyes in research and investigation, with a singular goal: to distinguish the authentic from the inauthentic in the narrations of the Sunnah. This was achieved through meticulous, unique, and remarkable research into the history and biographical accounts of the narrators, their scientific and moral conduct, and their trustworthiness and accuracy. From this emerged an independent field known among scholars as "Ilm al-Isnad" (the Science of Transmission [of Hadith]) or "Ilm al-Rijal" (the Science of Men), a discipline unparalleled among non-Muslims, both historically and in contemporary times. This is attested by prominent European scholars who have studied the Sunnah. The Grand Imam emphasized that such fair statements from Western scholars came only after extensive study, research, and investigation, realizing that history does not know any other person—prophet, leader, or hero—other than Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), whose entire life events, actions, sayings, travels, morals, habits, even his clothing, facial features, manner of speaking, walking, eating, drinking, sleeping, smiling, and the lifestyle of his family and companions, were recorded in great detail.

His Eminence praised Al-Azhar for designing curricula that critique dubious texts, a project initiated during his tenure as the President of Al-Azhar University at the beginning of this century. He personally requested senior Hadith scholars in the Faculty of Usul al-Din (Fundamentals of Religion) to elucidate the flaws in such texts and to publish this critical Hadith heritage, bringing these rare treasures in this field to light, as they have not received their due attention in study and dissemination.

The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar expressed his astonishment that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had informed his Ummah—fourteen centuries ago—that individuals claiming affiliation with him would one day emerge, calling for the exclusion of his Sunnah and relying solely on the Quran. He warned us against their actions even while they were still hidden in the folds of the unknown. His Eminence Prof. Dr. Al-Tayeb said, "Isn't this a sign of his Prophethood (peace be upon him) and one of his enduring miracles over time and ages?" He also expressed surprise that some of the deniers of the Sunnah call themselves "Qur’anists," affirming that they are the furthest from the Qur’an. If they were true Qur’anists, they would not deny what Allah has mandated in the Qur’an, the obligation to follow the Prophet's Sunnah and the way of the believers. He confirmed that the Sunnah is preserved by the same divine protection as the Qur’an.

In concluding his speech, His Eminence urged Indonesian scholars to give this issue (the authority of the Sunnah) significant attention. He suggested integrating it into university requirements and even into pre-university education curricula to safeguard the youth from being led astray to a place with neither Sunnah, Quran, nor religion. He added, "There is much to discuss, but it suffices that I have sounded the alarm on the danger that is beginning to resurface in our times in Muslim lands, both East and West."