اتحاد امت میں حدیث کا کردار: حدیث نبویﷺ کو امت کے انتشار وافتراق کا بنیادی سبب قرار دینے کے اعتراض کا تحقیقی وتنقیدی جائزہ

Abstract

This study examines the claim—promoted by certain Orientalists and their contemporary followers—that the Prophetic Hadith is a major cause of discord and fragmentation within the Muslim community. Focusing particularly on Zakaria Ouzon’s assertion in Jināyāt al-Bukhārī, the article offers a critical and evidence-based refutation of this argument. The first section surveys authoritative Prophetic traditions that emphasize unity, mutual compassion, and the prohibition of sectarianism, thereby demonstrating that the foundational thrust of Hadith literature is the preservation of communal harmony rather than division. The study then analyzes the historical nature of juristic disagreements among scholars, showing that these divergences emerged not from Hadith itself but from variations in interpretive methods, levels of access to transmitted reports, differences in assessing authenticity, and the natural scope of human ijtihād. Drawing upon classical sources and documented cases from the era of the Companions, the paper clarifies that legitimate juristic diversity was recognized, respected, and even encouraged as a form of mercy and facilitation for the Ummah. Finally, the article highlights how misuse of scriptural texts, sectarian prejudice, and polemical motivations—not Hadith—have historically fueled destructive forms of discord. It concludes by outlining practical principles for fostering an ethic of unity in contemporary Muslim societies, especially in the face of modern ideological, political, and civilizational challenges.