This illumination may...

This illumination may, in God’s favour, make those who are of an opinion and do not consider taqlid as limited to “the four Islamic schools”, choose this opinion, as did their previous scholars. D) The contradiction seen among the traditions are of different sources, not just due to fabrication and wrong attribution to the Messenger of Allah (a.s), though alteration is the main source. Qurtubi has some viewpoints about the traditions’ quotation and alteration.

He says, “One should not heed what liars and fabricators have said about the virtue of reciting some Quranic chapters and other deeds. The liars have fabricated these for different purposes. Some of the apostates by doing these aimed at making doubt among the people and some others did so as a result of their whims. (6) As Nuh Maruzi fabricated some traditions in virtue of the Holy Quran’s chapters one by one.

When he was asked about his intention, he answered, “I saw people turning away from the Quran and going toward the jurisprudence of Abu Hanifah and Maghazi of Ibn Ishaq, so I fabricated these traditions for God’s sake!” Qurtubi then continues, “Avoid what Islam’s opponent and miscreants have established for encouragement or warning! The most harmful of these is a group known as being ascetics who supposed that they fabricated traditions for God’s sake.

People trusted them and hence accepted what they fabricated. They were misled and led people astray, too.” (7) Nevertheless, contradiction is found in some traditions since the narrator may not have noticed situational (8) or textual (9) signs, or if he has noticed them, he has not mentioned them because the signs had been clear to him. For example, he has brought a conditional rule as full or a full one as conditional.

Some other sources of contradiction can be thought of which are included in Dirayah and Usul books in detail. E) As understood from reference books of traditions, prayer and ablution were stipulated in the religion from the beginning of the Prophet’s Mission since the Messenger of Allah (a.s) prayed along with Ali (a.s) and Khadijah (a.s) (10).

Ibn Majah in his Sunan, Hakim in Mustadrak and Tabari in his Tarikh quote Abbad Ibn Abdullah as saying that he heard Ali (a.s) saying: “I am God’s servant and the brother of His Messenger, and I am the greatest truthful. No one would claim this after me except a liar.