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A discussion on the Amm (General) and Khass (Specific) Hadiths and the way they are applied

Hadiths are vitally important in explaining and clarifying the meaning of the amm (General) and khass (Specific) rulings and verses in the Qur’anic texts. There are verses in the Qur’an that require further clarification through hadiths in order to establish the correct meaning.


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Through the application of the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) hadiths verses are not only clarified but at times also restricted (made specific) or expanded (made general) in their scope, ultimately shifting the initial understanding of to whom the verse was intended for. Additionally, there are Qur’anic verses which can appear khass but are actually to be taken as amm and the opposite may at times also be true. Misunderstandings can happen and at times can result in the unnecessary adoption or abandonment of a rule. Therefore, the layman must exercise caution and seek the advice or council of the learned in order to ensure correct understanding.


Hadiths play an important role in clarifying the Qur’an’s meaning, “the sunnah explains in detail that which is mentioned in brief in the book of Allah, (God) it makes specific or restricts that which it mentions in general terms ...”. (Al-Munajjid 2014) According to Al-Munajjid, what God tells us in the Qur’an is to follow His Prophet in all matters, so if the Prophet has commented on a Qur’anic verse then we must accept it. If the Prophets hadith contradicts the Qur’anic verse then we must reconcile the two. Al-Munajjid goes on to say that, we must first understand the amm text whilst considering the khass alongside it. (Al-Munajjid 2014) Furthermore, Mutahhari gives an example of how the hadith works in conjunction with the Qur’an. He notes that just like human laws in society are first introduced in a general nature, that God too reveals His legislation in the Qur’an most commonly in general terms also. General rulings are then always explained and exceptions to the rules are made, and this is similar to how hadith functions alongside the Qur’an. (Mutahhari n.d)


One such example of this is a Qur’anic verse dealing with inheritance. The passage which on initial readings appears amm actually turns out to be khass once the Prophetic hadith is used in collaboration with it. On this point Lowry states that, 

We have then a Qur’anic rule (suggesting that all parents and spouses inherit) which appears to apply unrestrictedly to the entirety of a certain class of heirs and a sunnaic rule (providing that only some parents and spouses inherit) which restricts the scope of the Qur’anic rule to those heirs who are Muslims, not slaves, and not the killers of the deceased. The unrestricted Qur’anic version of the rule appears amm at first reading, but when read in conjunction with the sunnaic text, it emerges that the Qur’anic text is in fact, khass. (Lowry 2004, 9) 


This example illustrates just how important it is for hadith to be used in partnership with the Qur’an and of how when applied correctly it has the ability to change a verse from generality to that of a more defined and specific one.


Another example of this is when Allah says, “forbidden unto you are the carrion [non-slaughtered, dead animals] and blood and swine flesh (Al-Maaidah 3)”. (Zarabozo n.d, 114) This verse is of a general nature but is made specific through the Prophetic hadiths. The Prophet tells the believers that there are in fact two types of carrion and blood that are allowable. They being fish and locusts from the carrion group and liver and the spleen from the blood group. (Zarabozo n.d) Through this, believers are given a clear exemption on certain foods that would have otherwise be deemed unlawful for eating helping to alleviate unnecessary hardships.


And finally, there is the example of how God mandates a thief should be punished, “… Allah says in the Qur’an, ‘for the male or female thief, cut off their hands’ (Al-Maaidah 38)”. (Zarabozo n.d, 112) It is only through the Prophets (pbuh) hadiths that this verse can be understood and applied correctly. The Prophet clarifies that the hand is only to be ‘cut off’ to the wrist. He also restricts the scope to whom the ruling applies, saying it is only for a thief which steals something to the equivalent of a quarter of a deenar or more. (Zarabozo n.d) Through the correct application of hadith this verse has also been transformed from one of generality into that of a specific nature, undoubtedly helping save the hands of countless petty thieves who would have otherwise fallen victim to a ruling that did not apply to them.


Hadith is an important tool in the clarification, restriction or expansion of Qur’anic texts. However, there are some hadiths that do appear to conflict one another and scholarly views and approaches toward such hadiths can vary. One such example is around these, “two ahadith concerning legal alms (zakah) one of these provides, ‘whatever is watered by the sky is subject to a tithe’ [one tenth]. The second hadith provides that ‘there is no charity in less than five awsaq’.” [five tenths] (Kamali 2003,109) Kamali says, that Shafi’I’ as well as the majority of scholars believe that latter hadith clarifies and qualifies the former, whilst the Hanafi’s believe that the former hadith abrogates the later as its origin is post the second hadith. (Kamali 2003) However, Kamali believes that “abrogation in cases of conflict between the amm and khass is often found to be unnecessary.” (Kamali 2003,110) Some hadiths can cause confusion and misunderstanding; therefore, it is vital that the layman consult the learned in order to avoid wrong interpretations and misapplications of the rules. 


Hamza Yusuf says that inaccurate interpretation and misapplication of hadith is common and that one of the issues facing Muslims today is that the layman reads and interprets hadith when he does not have the necessary skills to do so. Yusuf tells of how the hadith collections were written by scholars for scholars and of how they were not written for the lay people. He says that if you read hadiths without guidance from the learned you can be easily misled through wrong interpretation and understandings. Therefore, he urges Muslims to read but to do so under scholarly guidance. (Hanson 2018) 


In conclusion, hadiths are the most important component in understanding and correctly interpreting the amm and khass verses of the Qur’an. Some Qur’anic verses that appear amm can actually be khass and vice versa at times. Were it not for the learned in hadith determining exactly what is meant to be taken as amm and what is to be taken as khass, through correct hadith application, then there would be many Qur’anic verses and rulings as well as hadiths that would be misunderstood and incorrectly applied. Consequently, Muslims should seek the guidance of the learned in the community in order to ensure correct knowledge and understanding of all the amm and khass Qur’anic verses as well as hadiths.




Bibliography


Al-Munajjid, Muhammad S. 2014. “Can Hadeeth Abrogate or Make Specific the General Meaning of Verses of the Holy Qur’an?.” Accessed July 15, 2020. https://islamqa.info/en/answers/138742/can-hadeeth-abrogate-or-make-specific-the-general-meaning-of-verses-of-the-holy-quran


Hanson, Hamza Y. 2018. “Shaykh Hamza Yusuf-Hadith Collections Written for Scholars not Common People.” Published August 2018 on YouTube. Video, 04:57. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wlhevh6bujc


Kamali, Mohammad H. 2003. Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence. Targheeb. http://www.targheeb.com/phocadownload/Fiqh/ISLAMIC%20LAW%20HISHAM%20KAMALI.pdf


Lowry, Joseph E. 2004. “The Legal Hermeneutics of al-Shafiʿi and Ibn Qutayba: A Reconsideration.” Islamic Law and Society 11, no. 1: 1-41. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3399379?seq=1



Zarabozo, Jamaal Al-Din M. n.d. The Authority and Importance of the Sunnah. Kalamullah. https://www.kalamullah.com/Books/The%20Authority%20And%20Importance%20Of%20The%20Sunnah.pdf



 
 
 

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