Hadith Ina Allah Yabeso Lehazehe Al-Omah Ala Ras Kol Meah Sonatan Men Yojadedo Laha Dinaha; Wagafat Wa Ta’amolat / Written by Falih Ibh Mohammad Ibn Falih Al-Saqir; Riyadh(Saudi Arabia): Dar Ibn Al-Athir , 2007, 104 pages
The book critiques and assesses the above mentioned Hadith. It is, in fact, the 16th volume of a collection titled, “Selsele Ahadith Fi Al-Dawat Wa Al-Tojih” and contains viewpoints about the said Hadith. According to this Hadith reported to be said by the Holy Prophet (S.A): God selects a peacemaker from among Ommah so that he would return people to the right path of religion and prohibit them from religious renovations and uncouthness.
The author generally accepts the Rewayat; he proves the authenticity of Rewayat through assessing its documents under Rijal Science and also explains every word of the Rewayat.
Two parts of this Rewayat attract most of the author’s attention, namely the words “Ras Kol Meah” and “Tajdid”; and he has elaborated on them particularly the latter thoroughly. In his viewpoint, the word “Ras Kol Meah” indicates the appearance of a religious peacemaker on the verge of each century and it does not mean any time during each 100 years; and that people who deserved renovation and lived in the middle of the century, such as Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, cannot be religious renovators.
In the viewpoints of the author who has Salafi background, renovation means renewing and reviving the religion of the Prophet Mohammad (S.A), and not creating a new religion, which is comprehensive and according to the Quran and Sunnah and returns to and acts based on the predecessors (the same way they behaved during the beginning of Islam and the Caliphs’ times, Rashedin and Sahabe).
The author challenges the viewpoints of some intellectuals who interpret renovation to other things rather than “former viewpoints” and rejects them in the strongest possible terms. In his words, the individuals who accept the occidental civilization and are willing to change Islamic decree and moderate them in order to be compatible with modern western civilization are out of religion and the ones who aim at deviating Islam under the name of renovation and based on the Rewayat in question.
The author believes the criteria and elements of renovation are: attention to the sayings of the Quran and Sunnah, protection of meaning of the Quran, insisting on the development of sciences and encouraging and acting based on scientific developments.
In his viewpoint, Ijtihad, under some special conditions, is based on renovation and is an effective and logical solution to today’s religious-scientific problems.
The author opposes interpreting the surface meaning of Shariah and disagrees with followers of Hermeneutic who are supporters of modern renovation which is derived from carnal desires and is based on inferiority feeling some have when facing westerners.
Given the numerous religious scholars in one century who deserve the title of “Peacemaker”, the author believes “peacemaker” does not only refer to merely a particular scholar, but rather any scholar who holds qualifications of “peacemaker” can be one. This idea is accepted by some of scholars and rejected by the others such as Soyoti.
