A Recurrent Heresy: The Qur’an‑Only Claim, from Early Islam to Today. By Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad
In recent years, we have started to see more groups and individuals online, and on social media, proclaiming the notion that they don’t have to follow the hadith of the Prophet in order to understand Islam. This is not a new phenomenon. Such groups have been around since the earliest times of Islam. The earliest recorded group to argue that the Qur’an alone is sufficient for guidance and formulation of religious doctrine and practice, was the Khawaarij during the first century after the Hijra (7th century CE). The Khawaarij (Arabic: الخوارج, “those who went out”) were the first major sectarian movement in Islam, emerging during the First Fitna (the first Muslim civil war, 656–661 CE). They originally had been supporters of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, the fourth caliph, but broke away from him after he agreed to arbitration with his political rival Muʿāwiya ibn Abi Sufyaan following the Battle of Ṣiffīn (657), hence the name khawaarij.
They khawaarij rejected many hadith that did not align with their interpretation of the Qur’an. Although they did not reject all hadith categorically, they openly denied the binding authority of large parts of the hadith corpus. This is the first recorded historical instance of Muslims minimizing the authority of hadith as a system
In the second century of the Hijrah there was Jahm ibn Ṣafwān (d. 746 CE) He was an early Islamic theologian associated with the movement later called Jahmiyya; he is best known for doctrines about God’s attributes, the createdness of the Qur’an, and a strong form of determinism. But he also was reported to question the use of many hadith and argued that reason and the Qur’an should be primary sources of Islam, in exclusion of hadith. He was not a full “Qur’an‑only” figure, he didn’t go that far, but he denied the reliability of a large number of hadith reports. His followers (the Jahmiyya) became associated with rejecting hadith outside extremely narrow criteria.
In the 8th century CE , there was Wāṣil ibn ʿAṭā’ who was an early Muʿtazila. A number of Muʿtazilites denied: hadith with a solitary‑chain (khabar al‑āḥād), and any hadith that seemed to contradict reason, or seemed to contradict the Qur’an. Some Muʿtazilites argued that Islamic doctrine cannot be built on hadith at all, making the Qur’an and rational principles the only reliable sources of Islam. They were not fully Qur’an‑only, but they represent the earliest systematic theological attacks on hadith authority.
In the 9th century, Ibn Qutayba (c. 828–889 CE) who was a prominent Sunni Muslim scholar, philologist, historian, and intellectual during the Abbasid period, known for defending traditional Sunni scholarship—especially hadith and classical Arabic learning, fought against theological rationalism and excessive speculation. He wrote a book, Ta’wīl Mukhtalif al‑Hadīth, where he explicitly stated that he was responding to: “People who claim the Qur’an is sufficient and reject the Sunnah.” This tells us that by the mid‑9th century, there were already Muslims explicitly teaching Qur’an‑only Islam in a recognizable form.
Later in the 9th century CE there was : Abū al‑Ḥusayn Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Isḥāq al‑Rāwandī. He was a more radical figure who started out as a Mu’tazilite, and later became a serious religion sceptic who rejected prophecy, miracles, and the entire hadith corpus. He spent time circulating in the intellectual community of Baghdad engaging with Muʿtazilite theologians and later with Shīʿa and non‑Muslim thinkers before he became a full-blown sceptic of religion. He is not a Muslim by any orthodox standard, but he is one of the earliest individuals to explicitly argue that Islam can be upheld without hadith. Ibn al‑Rāwandī is an early and prominent example of intellectual dissent in the Abbasid period: his critiques illuminate tensions between reason and revelation in early Islamic thought and show how theological boundaries were policed. So, the earliest known arguments that “the Qur’an alone is enough” come into clear textual record by the 9th century CE, but were likely circulating earlier, because scholars like Ibn Qutayba were already responding to them.
In the late 19th and early 20th century, there was Abdullah Chakralawi (also spelled Abdullah Chakralavi) who lived in British‑India. He was originally Sunni Muslim but became critical of the hadith corpus and founded the “Ahle‑Qur’an” (People of the Qur’an) movement. He argued that Islam should be based solely on the Qur’an for law, doctrine, and practice. He is considered the first major figure to organize a formal Qur’an‑only movement within a Muslim community.
More recently, in the 1990’s there was Rashad Khalifa (1935–1990) who was an Egyptian‑American biochemist and self-proclaimed religious reformer who founded the United Submitters International movement and promoted a “Qur’an‑alone” approach to Islam. He argued the Qur’an contains a mathematical structure centered on the number 19 and published computer‑based analyses to support that claim. He rejected the authority of hadith and Sunnah for establishing religious law and practice, insisting that the Qur’an alone is sufficient. He translated the Qur’an into English, led the Submitters movement, and published books and lectures promoting his findings. He started a Masjid in Tucson Arizona and was assassinated in 1990. I remember at the time, that there were some converts to Islam in Philadelphia who were following his teachings and pushing the numerical 19 theory. He attracted many followers and had some influence amongst the Muslims. Notably, Edip Yüksel (born 1957), a Turkish‑Kurdish author and activist, was born in Turkey and relocated to the United States in the 1980s after a stint in a Turkish prison for activism. He became a prominent figure in Qur’an-only circles and was long associated with Rashad Khalifa’s Submitters movement.
The Modern-day Qur’anists, or “Hadith rejectors,” that pop up on social media don’t seem to be a group with a name, organization, or leader; todays bunch appear to be a loose assembly of influencers, individuals, and heretics in training, making their presence known on social media. They believe that the Qur’an is the only dependable religious text and that it is clear, complete, and that Islam can be fully understood without recourse to the Hadith and Sunnah. They argue that the Hadith was not written down until centuries after the Prophet’s death, contains errors and contradictions, and is not mentioned in the Qur’an as a source of theology or practice. Some of them view themselves as modernizing Islam. However, the consensus of mainstream Sunni, Shiite and even Sufi scholars throughout history has been to regard this position as a serious departure from established Islamic doctrine.
Scholarly Proofs for the Necessity of Hadith
Traditional Muslim scholars, both past and present, have fiercely and robustly defended the authority and authenticity of the Prophetic Hadith. Their arguments are grounded in the Qur’an itself, logical reasoning, and the science of hadith criticism.
The Qur’anic Command to Obey the Messenger
The primary and most direct proof for the authority of the Sunnah is found within the Qur’an. Scholars point to numerous verses where Allah commands believers not only to obey Him but also to obey the Messenger. This obedience is presented as a religious duty inseparable from obedience to God. Allah says in the Qur’an:
“Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you, abstain from it.” (Qur’an 59:7) This verse, while revealed in a specific context, is understood by scholars to have a general application, mandating adherence to the Prophet’s commands and prohibitions. The Prophet’s actions and words are a form of divine guidance. Furthermore, the Qur’an clarifies the very purpose of sending a Messenger: “And We revealed to you the message [O Muhammad] that you may make clear to the people what was sent down to them.” (Qur’an 16:44) This verse establishes that the Prophet’s role is to provide a practical explanation (tafsir) and clarification of the Qur’anic text. Without the Hadith, we lack this divinely ordained commentary.
The Sunnah as the Practical Explanation of the Qur’an
The second major scholarly argument is practical: the Qur’an commands general acts of worship without detailing how to perform them, the detail was left to the Prophet’s example. The Sunnah provides the necessary details and context for our ibaada (worship). The Prophet (SAWS) said, “Pray in the way you have seen me praying”. We would not know how to make salat, fast Ramadan, make Hajj, or Ummah, or properly pay zakat if it weren’t for hadith and the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAWS). “This is because hadith explains Qur’anic verses and sometimes is more detailed. For example, we do not have a single ayeh in the Qur’an that explains the method of Salah (prayers). If we follow the Qur’an and reject hadith, how do we pray? If a person rejects the prayer, then how can he be Muslim? The Qur’an commands believers to establish prayer (iqamat as-salah), pay alms (zakat), and perform the pilgrimage (hajj). However, it does not specify the number of rak’at in each prayer, the detailed rules of zakat, or the specific rituals of Hajj beyond the core rites. These were all taught practically by the Prophet Muhammad, and that practical teaching is preserved in the Hadith. To reject the Hadith, scholars argue, is to render these core pillars of Islam practically impossible to perform as intended.
The Scholarly Defense of Hadith Authenticity
Qur’anists often raise concerns about the historical reliability and preservation of Hadith. Traditional scholars respond by highlighting the sophisticated science of hadith criticism (‘ilm al-ḥadīth) developed by early Muslim scholars. The classical hadith‑verification methodology (ʿIlm al‑Hadith) subjects each report to a twofold scrutiny of isnad (the chain of transmitters) and matn (the text): scholars first reconstruct the chain and apply ʿilm al‑rijāl and jarh wa‑taʿdīl to test each narrator’s trustworthiness (ʿadālah), memory/precision (dabt), and whether the chain is continuous (muttasal), then they examine the matn for contradictions with the Qurʾān, established Sunnah, or known historical facts and for hidden defects (ʿillah) or irregularities (shadh); based on these tests narrations are graded (e.g., sahih, hasan, daʿīf, mawḍūʿ) and either accepted, used cautiously, or rejected. This science involves a rigorous examination of a hadith’s chain of narration (isnad) and its text (matn) to determine its authenticity.
While absolute certainty is rare in historical sciences, hadith scholars developed methods to establish varying degrees of probability regarding a report’s authenticity. Scholar Emad Hamdeh explains the traditionalist response:
“They argue that accepting something that is probable but not certain is common in many fields of study, including ḥadīth scholarship. … they advocate for an approach that acknowledges the role of probability in ḥadīth scholarship while upholding the rigorous standards of authenticity and reliability.”
Furthermore, the existence of universally accepted authentic collections, such as Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, whose contents are agreed upon by the scholarly community, provides a reliable foundation for the Sunnah .
The Consensus of the Scholars and the Precedent of the Salaf
A final, powerful proof is the consensus (ijma’) of the Muslim scholars (ulama) across the centuries. From the time of the Companions to the present day, the understanding has been that the Qur’an and Sunnah are the two inseparable primary sources of Islam . The early generations (Salaf)—the Companions, their successors, and the great imams of fiqh and hadith—all relied on the Sunnah to understand and practice their religion.
“Not referring to the books of the scholars by claiming that the Qur’an and the Sunnah are sufficient to clarify the creed is one of the lures of the devil… When some people of innovation claimed to understand the texts without referring to the words of the scholars, they went astray. The best example of this is the Khawaarij.” To reject the Sunnahh is not just to reject a book; it is to reject the methodology and understanding of the very people who preserved and transmitted the faith to us.
The Consequences of Rejecting Hadith
Scholars warn that the Qur’an-only approach has grave consequences. It leads to a subjective and partial understanding of the Qur’an, as the historical and prophetic context of Qur’an is ignored. It can easily lead to extremist interpretations of the religion as we have seen, and deepen divisions within the Muslim community, and can even lead to kufr (disbelief), as it does often. In practical terms, it creates challenges in Islamic law and governance, as the detailed rulings derived from the Sunnah are abandoned for personal opinion alone .
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Qu’an only theory is old news, and while the “Qur’an-only” perspective purports to present itself as a return to pure scripture, mainstream Islamic scholarship views it as a deviation based on a misunderstanding of revelation and rejection of the Sunnah. The proofs from the Qur’an itself command obedience to the Prophet and establish his role as a clarifier. The practicalities of performing worship necessitate his detailed example. The rigorous science of hadith criticism provides a sound methodology for authenticating his teachings (SAWS). And the consensus of the scholarly community across 1400 years confirms that a Muslim’s faith and practice must be built upon both the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnahh. It is the dynamic interplay between the two that provides a comprehensive and accurate understanding of Islam. A Muslim who rejects the Hadith is considered by mainstream scholars to have abandoned a fundamental source of their faith, and their understanding of Islam is consequently incomplete and at risk of serious error. And Allah knows best.
Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad
imamabulaith@yahoo.com
Imam Luqman Ahmad is an Imam at Large, a writer, researcher, and recurring guest khateeb at the world-famous Quba Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Imam Luqman Ahmad Mosque Without Borders 
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