Quora Answer: Does a Muslim become Kafir if He Disbelieves All Ahadits Regardless of Whether They are Swahih?

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “Does a Muslim become close to a kafir if he disbelieves all ahadits, regardless of whether they are swahih or not?” 

Within the context of Sunni Islam, it is quite acceptable to criticise individual ahadits, narrations, to question their legitimacy or their interpretation.  Throughout the history of Islam, there have been vigorous debates on ahadits, even those recorded in Swahih al-Bukhari, and Swahih Muslim, also known collectively as ash-Shaykhayn.  One scholar’s “swahih”, is another scholar’s “hasan”, is another scholar’s “dha’if”.  For example, Imam Abu Manswur Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Maturidi (r.a.) and the Hanafi madzhab, school of jurisprudence, in particular, have historically been the most vocal in their rejection of certain ahadits from Swahih al-Bukhari, and elsewhere. 

What is not acceptable, however, is the dismissal of the entire corpus of ahadits.  That would be extremely problematic from a credal as well as jurisprudential perspective since there are many points of doctrine in theology, as well as jurisprudence that are taken from ahadits, and not mentioned in the Qur’an. 

More importantly, however, is the fact that the process of compilation of the ahadits is the same as that of the Qur’an, via mutawatir, mass-transmitted narrations, before they were written down.  This means a rejection of the corpus of ahadits is, in reality, a rejection of the Qur’an.  And one cannot reject Revelation, and still be considered a Muslim.