The contemporary al-Ghazali rejects much of the Sunnah; can it be said that this may take him out of the religion?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : In the context of discussing al-Ghazali, although the question may be harsh and severe, meaning that some people differ on this, it is established beyond doubt that the current al-Ghazali rejects authentic hadiths. He does not reject them on the claim that they are not established with him, nor did he say anything about their authenticity, but he rejected acting upon them. I do not know if it can be said that this may take him out of the religion?
The Shaykh : No, except with a condition. You probably know that disbelief which takes one out of the religion is related to the heart, not to the action. It is a widespread error in the minds of many scholars, let alone students of knowledge, that one who denies a mass-transmitted hadith is a disbeliever, while one who denies a single-narrator hadith is an open sinner. I say this is wrong, and the reason is that I can fully imagine the opposite. I say a man who denies a single-narrator hadith may be a disbeliever, even though it is not mass-transmitted.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace. I thank Allah; praise be to Allah... If he took it as a salary and not as a wage, no. But if he took it as a wage, then yes.
The questioner : If he had another job.
The Shaykh : And this detail is necessary... May Allah bless you. Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : This is the one who denied the single-narrator hadith, and I want to draw your attention to the fact that "single-narrator hadiths" in the terminology of scholars does not mean the linguistic meaning that it was narrated by a single person, no...
The questioner : It is less than mass transmission.
The Shaykh : That is it, so this hadith...
The questioner : What is the threshold for mass transmission, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Keep your question, because this has a specific study. So, a hadith is a single-narrator hadith that a denier denies. If he believes in the depths of his heart that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke this hadith, then he has committed disbelief and exited the religion, just as a hair comes out of dough.
The questioner : By rejecting acting upon it.
The Shaykh : No, it has no relation to the issue of rejecting the action, merely because he acknowledged in his heart that the Messenger said this, and then he denied it.
The questioner : This is what I am saying: he denied it and rejected acting upon it.
The Shaykh : It may have no relation to the action.
The questioner : Meaning he acknowledges it but does not act upon it, and this is the case?
The Shaykh : My brother, the issue of acting upon it falls under the hadith of rulings, but the matter is broader than that. Ah, and conversely, I may imagine a person who denies a mass-transmitted hadith and is not a disbeliever.
The Shaykh : No, except with a condition. You probably know that disbelief which takes one out of the religion is related to the heart, not to the action. It is a widespread error in the minds of many scholars, let alone students of knowledge, that one who denies a mass-transmitted hadith is a disbeliever, while one who denies a single-narrator hadith is an open sinner. I say this is wrong, and the reason is that I can fully imagine the opposite. I say a man who denies a single-narrator hadith may be a disbeliever, even though it is not mass-transmitted.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace. I thank Allah; praise be to Allah... If he took it as a salary and not as a wage, no. But if he took it as a wage, then yes.
The questioner : If he had another job.
The Shaykh : And this detail is necessary... May Allah bless you. Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : This is the one who denied the single-narrator hadith, and I want to draw your attention to the fact that "single-narrator hadiths" in the terminology of scholars does not mean the linguistic meaning that it was narrated by a single person, no...
The questioner : It is less than mass transmission.
The Shaykh : That is it, so this hadith...
The questioner : What is the threshold for mass transmission, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Keep your question, because this has a specific study. So, a hadith is a single-narrator hadith that a denier denies. If he believes in the depths of his heart that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke this hadith, then he has committed disbelief and exited the religion, just as a hair comes out of dough.
The questioner : By rejecting acting upon it.
The Shaykh : No, it has no relation to the issue of rejecting the action, merely because he acknowledged in his heart that the Messenger said this, and then he denied it.
The questioner : This is what I am saying: he denied it and rejected acting upon it.
The Shaykh : It may have no relation to the action.
The questioner : Meaning he acknowledges it but does not act upon it, and this is the case?
The Shaykh : My brother, the issue of acting upon it falls under the hadith of rulings, but the matter is broader than that. Ah, and conversely, I may imagine a person who denies a mass-transmitted hadith and is not a disbeliever.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.