Muʿtazilism, Orientalism and their Impact on Contemporary Studies: An Analytical Study

Abstract

Numerous contemporary studies have examined the Prophetic Sunnah, presenting a wide range of ideas and viewpoints. Some of these works criticize certain Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), the Umayyad state, and *Sahih al-Bukhari*, while also advocating the primacy of reason over transmitted evidence and treating reason as the principal criterion for evaluating hadith. This study seeks to examine these ideas and opinions as presented in such works, assess their validity, and investigate whether they are the result of influence from the Mu'tazilite and Orientalist schools of thought. It also explores the positions of these two schools regarding the Prophetic Sunnah and its authority, as well as identifies contemporary scholars influenced by them. The study employs both the analytical and comparative methods by collecting relevant texts, analyzing them, and comparing their contents. Among its findings is a clarification of the Mu'tazilite views on the authority of solitary reports (*khabar al-ahad*): some accepted, while others rejected them in matters of the unseen and creed, while others advocated giving precedence to reason over transmitted evidence. The study further reveals that some contemporary scholars have rejected authentic hadiths concerning unseen matters—such as the hadith regarding Satan's pricking of the newborn and the hadith concerning the descent of Jesus (peace be upon him)—because they are speculative (*zanni*). It also finds that some contemporary scholars have been influenced by Orientalist ideas, particularly those of Ignaz Goldziher, who argued that political, sectarian, Jewish, and Christian influences shaped the Prophetic hadith. Finally, the study cautions against rejecting solitary reports solely on their speculative nature, as this may ultimately lead to the rejection of the Prophetic Sunnah, and warns against being misled by Orientalist viewpoints.