Islamic Heritage and Contemporary Challenges

Islamic Heritage and Contemporary Challenges

A Jurisprudential and Isnādic Analysis of the Ḥadīth “Ikhtilāf Ummatī Raḥma” from the Perspectives of Both Schools: A Critical Appraisal

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Seyed Ahsan ا Hosseini
Corresponding Author, Department of Islamic Denominations, University of Islamic Denominations, Sanandaj, Iran. Email: d.hosaini@gmail.com
10.48309/ihcc.2025.540854.1001
Abstract
In Islamic scholarship, an authentic ḥadīth represents a transmitted statement of the definitive Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and serves as a foundational source for specifying or restricting, generalizing or clarifying Qurʾānic injunctions. As the second principal source of Islamic legislation, ḥadīth plays a pivotal role in the formulation of jurisprudence. Nevertheless, due to the delayed compilation of the Sunnah, the prevalence of meaning-based transmission, the phenomenon of fabrication, and the politicization of religious transmission by ruling authorities, a number of narrations have entered the canonical collections that neither conform to the Qur’an and Sunnah nor meet the rational or isnādic criteria required for attribution to the infallible authorities (peace be upon him). Despite this, many Muslims, motivated by sincerity of faith, the pursuit of divine reward, and in compliance with the Qurʾānic directive (al-Ḥashr 59:7), have historically accorded such reports uncritical acceptance in belief and practice.
Among these is the narration transmitted in various forms as “Ikhtilāf Ummatī Raḥma” (“The disagreement within my community is a mercy”), “Ikhtilāf ʿUlamāʾ Ummatī Raḥma” (“The disagreement of my scholars is a mercy”), or “Ikhtilāf Aṣḥābī Lakum Raḥma” (“The disagreement of my Companions is a mercy for you”). This ḥadīth lacks authentic isnād in the earliest compilations, including the Al-Ṣiḥāḥ al-Sittah, other authoritative Sunni collections, and the Shīʿī Kutub al-Arbaa’. Furthermore, a jurisprudential and textual analysis reveals significant contradictions between the implications of this report and both the Qurʾān and other established Prophetic traditions.
The interpretive debate surrounding this narration largely centers on whether ikhtilāf should be understood as “interaction and exchange” among Muslims—emphasizing its social function in fostering cohesion and rapprochement among Islamic schools—or as actual disagreement in matters of jurisprudential reasoning and subsidiary rulings, viewed as a factor contributing to intellectual dynamism within the Muslim community. Adopting a descriptive-analytical methodology and relying on library-based sources, this study critically examines the isnād and matn of this ḥadīth in light of both Sunni and Shīʿī perspectives, offering an evaluative conclusion regarding its authenticity and interpretive implications.  
Keywords
Ḥadīth of ikhtilāf
Jurisprudential Ḥadīth Studies
Isnād Criticism
Muslim Community

Article Title Persian

بررسی فقه الحدیثی و سندی حدیث «اختلاف أمّتی رحمة» از دیدگاه فریقین و نقد آن

Author Persian

سیداحسن حسینی
نویسنده مسئول، دکتری تخصصی، دانشگاه مذاهب اسلامی، سنندج، ایران، رایانامه: d.hosaini@gmail.com
Abstract Persian

حدیث معتبر قول محکی از سنت قطعی پیامبر (ص) و رکن اساسی در بیان مخصص و مقید، اجمال و اطلاق های قرآن و دومین منبع تشریع احکام در اسلام است. به دلالت ثبت و ضبط دیر هنگام سنت، نقل به معنا، وضع و منفعت طلبی صاحبان سلطه، بعضا احادیثی درکتب حدیث آمد که از انطبابق با قرآن و سنت و انتساب به معصوم (ع) و اساس عقل برخوردار نیستند. اما مسلمانان به جهت صدق گفتار و ایمان و کسب ثواب به مصداق آیه (حشر/7) در مقام عمل و اعتبار مطلق بخشی به چنین احادیثی برآمده اند.
روایت «اختلاف أمّتی رحمة» یا «اختلاف علماء امّتی رحمة» و یا «اختلاف اصحابی لکم رحمة» از آن دست احادیثی است که درکتب حدیثی اقدمین و صحاح سته وکتب معتبر حدیثی اهل سنت و کتب اربعه امامیه از اصالت سند برخوردار نیست و بررسی فقه الحدیثی آن با آیات و احادیث در تناقض است. اینکه منظور از اختلاف معنای آمد و شد امت اسلامی باشدکه کارکرد اجتماعی، همگرائی و تقریب مذاهب اسلامی دارد یا اختلاف به معنای واقعی آن در فروع دین و فتواهای مجتهدان و عالمان مذاهب است که موجب پویائی و نشاط امت اسلامی است، رویکردی از حدیث اختلاف است که در این پژوهش با روش تحلیلی- توصیفی و مطالعه اسنادکتابخانه ای به بررسی آن پرداخته می شود.

Keywords Persian

حدیث اختلاف
فقه الحدیثی
سند
امت اسلامی
The Holy Quran
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