Mutawātir, Hadith, Quran, & Salat

A term often used in Islamic studies is the concept of Mutawātir. Mutawātir is a successive narration transmitted by such a large number (thousands) of narrators at each level of its chain of transmission that it becomes particularly impossible for them to have collectively agreed upon a lie or fabrication.

This term was particularly co-opted by Hadith scholars as an argument for the authenticity of Hadith. Ironically, using mutawātir to argue for the authenticity of Hadith fails on two fronts.

Firstly, when information is genuinely mutawātir, it is so widely known that it does not need to be proven via a chain of narrators. For instance, how do we know that George Washington was the first president of the United States? This information has been disseminated by so many multitudes of people over the generations that we just accept this statement as fact. When presented with this claim, individuals do not ask to see the chain of narrations to authenticate this information. Yet, when it comes to Hadith, authenticity is determined by the chain of narrators. If the fact encompassed in a Hadith was genuinely mutawatir, it would not require a chain of narrators to validate its claims; it would be accepted because it would be common knowledge. So, since Hadith requires an isnad to prove its validity, it is, by definition, not mutawatir.

Secondly, many respected scholars do not believe any Hadith are mutawatir. For example, Ibn Hibban (d. 354) thought there was no mutawatir Hadith. Ibn al-Salah claimed if we apply the definition of mutawatir, it is doubtful that any Hadith can meet the requirements except for possibly one Hadith, which is the famous Hadith regarding anyone who lies about the prophet will find their place in Hell.

In the book “Hadith, Muhammad’s Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World,” by Jonathan A.C. Brown, on page 109, it states:

The categories of mutawatir and had were similarly unsuitable for the hadith tradition, for essentially all hadiths were ahead. As Ibn al-Salah (d. 643/1245), the most famous scholar of hadith criticism in the later period, explained, at most one hadith (‘Whoever lies about me, let him prepare for himself a seat in Hellfire.’) would meet the requirements for mutawatir.[1] No hadiths could actually be described as being narrated by a large number of narrators at every stage of their transmission. In fact, when Mu’tazilites had insisted that hadiths be transmitted by a mere two people at every stage, the Sunni Ibn Hibban had accused them of trying to destroy the Sunna of the prophet in its entirety.[2]

[1] Ibn al-Salah, Muqaddima p. 454 [2] Ibn Hibban, Sahih Ibn Hibban, vol. 1, p. 145

Yet, even this supposed mutawatir Hadith has variations, so it cannot be considered the absolute verbatim statement from the prophet. But even if we consider this general statement accurate, this Hadith indicates that at the time of the prophet, people were spreading lies about him. Additionally, such a statement would have made any righteous individual think twice before spreading anything about the prophet in the chance it could have been inaccurately conveyed. Both these points prove the dubious nature of Hadith because it indicates that not only were people spreading false Hadith about the prophet, but the righteous would have been apprehensive about spreading Hadith of the prophet, leaving this job to people who were either careless or less than righteous.

The Only truly authentic mutawatir Hadith that all parties unanimously agree upon is the Quran alone. This is why the earliest believers did not feel compelled to provide an isnad for the Quran like they did the Hadith. An isnad for the Quran wasn’t even concocted until the 5th Hijri (11th CE). This is because the earliest believers all understood that the Quran is the most widely circulated masterfully preserved text in history, and just like any other fact that is genuinely mutawatir, it did not require an isnad to prove its authenticity.

Consider that there are tens of thousands of handwritten manuscripts of the Quran, some dating back to when the prophet was still alive. Since its initial revelation, there have been thousands, and eventually millions and billions of memorizers throughout the generations. Additionally, the language of the Quran requires strict adherence to spelling and grammar, which acts as another safeguard against distortions. On top of that, the Quran is also protected by its unique mathematical structure based on Code 19, as well as the specific occurrences of certain words and letters. Also, most importantly, it is guarded by God Himself.

[15:9] Absolutely, we have revealed the reminder, and, absolutely, we will preserve it.

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا ٱلذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَـٰفِظُونَ

None of the above protections apply to the Hadith corpus, and most of all, God never claimed He would preserve the Hadith like He did the Quran. So it is a gross comparison to claim that the Hadith and Quran were preserved by the same mechanisms to pressure people to accept Hadith. A more detailed comparison showing the differences in preservation between these two sources can be found here.

Ironically, many people try to use Hadith to validate the religious practices mentioned in the Quran. However, the number of Salat, their times to be performed, and the number of units are not known because of Hadith but because these practices are mutawātir. They have been carried on and passed down by every Muslim since the time of Abraham.

Another reason this argument fails is that no one is using the Hadith to learn how to do Salat. Consider that no single Hadith explains in detail how to do the Salat from start to finish. Even if one was to collect as many Hadith as they think they need and give it to a neutral party, that person would never be able to replicate the Salat from the Hadith alone.

People use the Hadith regarding religious practices for details that are not critical. For example, how high does one lift their arms for the takbir, how does one position their feet when sitting, or how does one hold their hands when standing? These details are unimportant, yet people make rulings about these aspects to validate their position and invalidate opposing views depending on the Hadith they choose to follow. However, doing this just creates division and disputes based on hearsay.