EN.MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, YOGYAKARTA — Understanding how Islamic scholars define hadith and Sunnah can help Muslims avoid hastily condemning religious practices that differ from their own, said Mukhlis Rahmanto, a member of the Muhammadiyah Central Board’s Tarjih and Tajdid Council.
A sound understanding of the Islamic hadith tradition, he said, can instead encourage tasamuh, or mutual respect and tolerance, while reducing prejudice toward fellow Muslims.
Mukhlis made the remarks during a religious lecture at KH Sudja Mosque in Yogyakarta on Monday (10/8). He explained that scholars have developed different approaches to understanding hadith. Two groups are particularly important in this regard: muhaddithun, or hadith scholars, and fuqaha, or Islamic jurists.
According to Mukhlis, hadith scholars generally define hadith broadly as anything attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, including his sayings, actions, approvals and characteristics. These characteristics may include his physical appearance and everyday habits.
“According to hadith scholars, hadith encompasses everything attributed to the Prophet: what he said, what he did, what he approved and his characteristics,” Mukhlis said.
Jurists, meanwhile, approach hadith more specifically through the lens of taklif—actions that carry religious or legal consequences. This framework gives rise to categories such as obligatory, prohibited, discouraged, recommended and strongly recommended acts.
“It encompasses everything attributed to the Prophet, whether his words, actions or approvals, but specifically what is connected to taklif,” he explained.
From Prophetic Customs to Religious Law
The distinction, Mukhlis said, helps explain why Muslim may differ in how they emulate the Prophet’s life. Some may regard certain aspects of his conduct as practices worth following, while others may understand them primarily as customs shaped by his historical and cultural context.
A similar distinction appears in Muslim prayer attire. Indonesian Muslim women commonly wear the mukena, a garment specifically designed for prayer. Mukhlis explained that the mukena emerged from an effort to ensure that women fulfill the requirement of covering their awrah. It is not, however, the only valid form of prayer clothing.
“Any type or style of clothing is permissible as long as it covers the awrah,” he said.
Muslim women in Turkey, Egypt and other countries, for example, do not necessarily wear the mukena familiar in Indonesia. As long as the requirements for covering the awrah are met, their prayers remain valid.
These examples, Mukhlis said, demonstrate why Muslims should distinguish between matters of religious fundamentals and those of furū‘iyyah, or secondary issues.
“Especially when we are dealing with matters of furū‘iyyah, or branches of religious practice, we are not talking about the fundamentals of religion,” he emphasized.
Knowledge as a Foundation for Tolerance
According to Mukhlis, the fundamentals of Islam include the pillars of faith and the pillars of Islam. When Muslims share these foundations, differences over secondary matters should not become grounds for declaring one another misguided.
“As long as our six articles of faith are the same—from belief in Allah to belief in the Last Day and divine decree—and our five pillars of Islam are the same,” he said, such differences should be approached with greater understanding.
Mukhlis argued that learning about different approaches to hadith can also encourage husnuzan, or assuming the best of others. Conversely, a lack of knowledge can lead people toward suuzan, or negative assumptions about practices they do not understand.
“Understanding that some scholars approach hadith or Sunnah in one way while others approach them differently helps us respect one another, appreciate differences and practice tolerance,” he said.
For that reason, Mukhlis urged Muslims to continue studying and broadening their understanding of Islam. Knowledge, he said, is essential to ensuring that love for the Prophet Muhammad does not turn into a form of fanaticism that encourages people to condemn others.
“When we love the Prophet Muhammad and want to follow his example, we must study his teachings properly,” Mukhlis said.
