How Can We Protect Our Children from Doubts about the Hadith?
Answered by Shaykh Anas al-Musa
Question
There are doubts being spread about the recording and preservation of the noble hadith and Sunna. How can we protect our children from these doubts?
Answer
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger sent as a mercy to the worlds, our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, and his Family and Companions.
Many doubts are raised regarding the Prophetic Sunna, including those that question its authenticity, misinterpret its texts, or challenge the recording process and the delay in its documentation, as well as how it was compiled.
Steps
Here are some key steps to protect your children from these doubts:
- Encourage your children to seek knowledge: Doubts, regardless of their source or nature, will dissipate in the face of a knowledgeable person.
- Present these doubts to your children and refute them: Alternatively, guide them to attend lessons or lectures that address and refute such doubts.
- Provide your children with accurate information about the Sunna: Teach them the methods scholars use to distinguish between authentic and weak hadiths, which is known as the science of hadith or the principles of hadith criticism.
- Explain the stages of the history of the Sunna’s documentation: Walk your children through the timeline of the Sunna, from the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) to the era of the Companions and the Tabi‘in (Successors), up until the hadith collections were completed.
- Choose a righteous environment for your children: Ensure that their friends are virtuous, and create a positive environment that supports Islamic values.
- Strengthen your children’s bond with the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace): Foster their love for him by discussing his noble character and blessed biography, and remind them that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is the role model for every Muslim in all aspects of life.
Recommendation
Lastly, I advise introducing your children to books that tackle these issues and explaining their content to them. Some recommended books include:
- “Al-Sunna wa Makanatuha fi al-Tashri‘”(The Sunna and Its Role in Legislation) by Siba‘i.
- “Al-Hadith wa al-Muhaddithun” (The Hadith and the Scholars of Hadith) by Abu Zahw.
- “Buhuth fi Tarikh al-Sunna al-Musharraffa’ (Research on the History of the Noble Sunna) by ‘Umayri.
May Allah bless the Prophet Muhammad and give him peace, and his Family and Companions.
[Shaykh] Anas al-Musa
Shaykh Anas al-Musa, born in Hama, Syria, in 1974, is an erudite scholar of notable repute. He graduated from the Engineering Institute in Damascus, where he specialized in General Construction, and Al-Azhar University, Faculty of Usul al-Din, where he specialized in Hadith.
He studied under prominent scholars in Damascus, including Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri and Shaykh Adib al-Kallas, among others. Shaykh Anas has memorized the Quran and is proficient in the ten Mutawatir recitations, having studied under Shaykh Bakri al-Tarabishi and Shaykh Mowfaq ‘Ayun. He also graduated from the Iraqi Hadith School.
He has taught numerous Islamic subjects at Shari‘a institutes in Syria and Turkey. Shaykh Anas has served as an Imam and preacher for over 15 years and is a teacher of the Quran in its various readings and narrations.
Currently, he works as a teacher at SeekersGuidance and is responsible for academic guidance there. He has completed his Master’s degree in Hadith and is now pursuing his Ph.D. in the same field. Shaykh Anas al-Musa is married and resides in Istanbul.
