Is it true that there are verses of The Qur’an which contradict the valid sayings of The Messenger of Allah -Shallallaahu’alayh wa Sallam, thus the saying/hadith must be omitted? For example, hadith about performing hajj on behalf of other people, the deceased is tormented due to the wailing of his family over him, etc, (See the books written by A. Hassan: Question and Answer and Bulugh Al Maram)
Answer:
There are no single verse of The Qur’an which contradicts the valid saying of the Messenger of Allah, since Qur’an contains absolute truth, and so as the valid saying of The Prophet Shallallaahu ‘alayh wa Sallam (peace and blessing may be upon him). And every thing which is true, will never contradict one another. The source of both truth is similar, Allah The Holy and Exalted be He, and both are the revelations from Allah The Holy and Exalted. Prophet Muhammad Shallallaahu’alayh wa Sallam merely conveyed the divine will of Allah The Holy and Exalted. The prophet Shallallaahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam said,
أَ لاَ إِ نٌي أٌوتيتُ الْكِتَا بَ وَ مِثْلَهُ مَعَهُ
“Remember, verily, I was given The Book (The Qur’an) and (was given) the like (that is As Sunnah) together with it.” (Collected by Abu Daud no. 4604; Tirmidhi; Ahmad; Al Hakim; a narration of Al Miqdam Ibn Ma’di Karib. Classed sahih by Al Albani)
Thus, one must not reject some narration (verses or valid sayings) by reasoning that the narration contradicts the others, because such action means rejecting the truth. Although there were verses or sayings that were considered contradicted each other by some people, that opinion was just a baseless prejudice. The scholars had put the narrations on their rightful places, thus there are no more contradiction found among them.
about the hadith about performing hajj on behalf of other person, it is a must for the one question about it to know that this hadith was narrated by a lot of experts in hadith.
عنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ أَنَّ امْرَ أَةً مِنْ جُهَيْنَةَ خَا ءَتْ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ فَقَالَتْ إِنَّ أُ مِّي نَذَرَبْ أَنْ تَحُجَّ فَلَمْ بَححُجَّ حَتَّى مَاتَتْ أَ فَأَ حُجُّ عَنْهَا قَالَ نَعَمْ حُجِّي عَنْهَا أَرَ لَيْتِ لَوْ كَانَ عَلَى أُمِّكِ دَ يْنٌ أَ كُنْتِ قَا ضِيَةً اقْضُوا الله فَا لله أحَقُّ بِالْوَفَاءِ
From the authority of Ibn Abbas, there were a woman from Juhaina came to The Prophet Shallallaahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam and said, “Indeed, my mother vowed to perform hajj, but she died before she could perform it. Could I perform it for her (on her behalf)?” The Prophet Shallallaahu’alayh wa Sallam replied, “Yes, perform the hajj for her. What do you think, if your mother had debts, is it legal for you to pay (for her)? Pay (the debt) to Allah, since Allah is more rightful upon the settlement (of debt).” (Collected by Bukhari, no. 1852)
This hadith is valid, and the scholars had agreed to accept it’s content; that one who had a debt to perform hajj) might be performed by other people who is already performed his or her hajj.
Sheikh Al Islam Ibn Taimiyya said, “A woman may perform hajj for another woman, (this is) based on the agreement of the scholars.” (Majmu’ Fatawa, 26:13)
Sheikh al Islam also said that, “performing hajj for the deceased, or a weak person, by using the money taken from them as the expenses for hajj, is permitted according to the agreement of the scholars. But performing hajj by taking wages for the act, (this is) still becoming a contradiction among the jurists.” (Majmu’ Fatawa, 26:13)
Whereas for the saying of Ustadz A. Hassan on the translation of the book Bulugh ul Maram, 1:367, on hadith no. 733, commentary no. 2: “Someone who performs hajj on behalf of other people contradicts the verse no. 39 from soorah An Najm, and other verses, which stated that, “And that there is not for man except that (good) for which he strives”, the answers are:
As Far as it is known to us, there are no scholars denied this hadits with the reason that it contradicts the verse no. 39 from soorah An Najm, or other verses. Furthermore, they had agreed to accept the hadith, as what being mentioned from the statement of Sheikh Al Islam. Muhammad Al Amin Asy Syinqithi said, “The scholars had agreed that the deceased might obtain benefits from the prayer of janaza performed upon him, from supplications supplicated for him, from a hajj performed for him, and the like, from anything which benefits could be obtained by one due to other person’s deeds.” (Tafseer Adhwaul Bayan: An Najm/The Star: 39). If this is the agreement (ijma’) of the scholars, then contradicting such ijma’ is a mistake.
About the verse:
وَأَن لَّيْسَ لِلْإِنسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَى
“And that there is not for man except that (good) for which he strives” (An Najm/The Star: 39)
The verse does not contradict the saying about performing hajj for other people. Some scholars argued that this verse contains global meaning, while the hadith contains a more specific meaning upon this matter.
Among the scholars who have such opinion was Imam Asy Syaukani. He explained the meaning of the verse no. 53 from soorah An Najm by saying, “And the meaning of the verse, ‘He (human) will only get the return for his strives, and the deed of others of no benefits for others’, the global meaning of it is specified by the verse of Allah The Exalted, ‘We will join with them their descendants.'(Ath Thuur/ The Mount:21) and the like from the verses, about the intercession of the prophets and the angels for the slaves (of Allah), the supplication of the lives for the dead, and the like. Those who said that ‘The verses were abolished due to such matters’ were mistaken, since the specific (verse or hadith) does not abolish the global ones, only specify it’s content. Thus, every thing which contains a clear and valid base that mankind could obtain benefits from it, and it is not from his strive, becomes specification for the global meaning of this verse.”(Tafseer Fath al Qadir, soorah An Najm/The Star, no. 39)
Some other scholars explained that the thing omitted or denied in that verse is only upon the matter of possession.
Imam Muhammad Al Amin Asy Syinqithi said, “The verse merely indicates the abolition of one’s possession over things he did not strive for. But it does not indicate the abolition of benefits for mankind from other people’s strive.”(Tafseer Adhwaul Bayan, in soorah An Najm/The Star, no. 39). And Allah knows best.
Whereas the hadith about the torment afflicted upon the deceased due to the wailing of his family over him, then there are plenty of narrations which mention such matter. Among them are:
عَنْ ابْنِ عُمَرَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ رَضِيَ الله عَنْهُمَا عَنْهُمَا عَنْ النَّبِيِّ قَالَ الْمَيِّتُ يُعَذَّ بُ فِي قَبْرِ هِ بِمَانِيحَ عَلَيْهِ
From Ibn Umar, from his father, The Prophet Shallallaahu’alayh wa Sallam said: ‘The deceased is tortured in his grave for the wailing done over him (weeping accompanied by shrieking and saying which show that they reject their destiny)” (Collected by Bukhari no. 1292)
The content of the hadith seems like contradicting the verse of Allah The Holy and Exalted be He:
وَ لَا تَز رُوَا زرَ ةٌوزْ رَ أُ خْرَى
“And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another.” (Al An’am/The Cattle: 164)
However, the scholars had answered with numerous answers upon this matter.
Sheikh Muhammad Nasiruddin Al-Albani said: “The scholars differed into opinions upon answering this matter, as much as 8 different opinions. The closest to the truth were 2 opinions, first: The opinion of majority of the scholars which stated that aim of this hadith was directed to the one gave his last testament for people to do wailing over him, or the one who did not forbid such action in his last testament, while he knew that people around him used to do it. Thus, Abdullah Ibn Mubarak said, ‘If he (the deceased) did forbade them when he was alive, but they still do it (wailing) after he passed away, then there shall be no torment for him (the deceased)”
After that, Sheik mentioned the second opinion which strengthen the answer of the majority of the scholars above. (See: Ahkam Al Jana’iz, page 41, written by Sheik Al Albani, Publisher: Maktaba Al Ma’arif)
Based on these explanations, the torment afflicted upon the deceased was due to his own strive. Thus, there are no contradiction between the hadith and the Qur’an. Praises be to Allah.
Reference: “As Sunnah” magazine, 3rd edition, year IX, 1426 H/2005 M. Edited by the editors of www.KonsultasiSyariah.com.
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