Analysis of the Most Witnessed Hadith ❌
A Single Widely Heard Saying, Three Separate Narratives
The Farewell Sermon, known as the last address of the final Prophet (pbuh) in the presence of over a hundred thousand people during the Farewell Pilgrimage, is considered one of the most important historical and theological texts. A testament claimed to have been made during this speech, despite being one of the most heavily attested hadiths in Islamic history, has been transmitted in three different forms. This hadith generally begins with the sentence:
“I am leaving you an amanah (trust); as long as you hold firmly to it/them, you will never go astray.”
However, sources mention three different narrations regarding what these "trusts" are:
“My Book and my Sunnah” (al-Muwatta, Darimi, etc.)
“The Book and my Ahl al-Bayt (Family of the Prophet)” (Tirmidhi, Muslim, Shi'a narrations)
Only “The Book of Allah” (Ibn Hisham, some Tabi'un narrations, some Quran-centric approaches)
These three different forms of narration are not just textual variations. Each one is part of a deep epistemological divergence that determines the axis on which Islamic thought will be shaped.
I. The Theological Background of the Divergence in Hadiths
The differentiation of hadith chains of narration cannot be explained solely by historical circumstances, personal memories, or variations in isnad (chains of narrators). Especially in testaments like this hadith, which directly concern religious authority, the differences that emerge between narrations are intertwined with the struggle for power, legitimacy, and authority.
The "Book and Sunnah" form is the legitimizing basis for the schools of jurisprudence systematized during the Umayyad and Abbasid periods.
The "Book and Ahl al-Bayt" form is the main pillar of the Shi'a doctrine of imamate.
The third form, which emphasizes only the Qur'an, is the basis for a simpler, purer understanding that argues for the Qur'an's self-sufficiency as a divine revelation, both historically and theologically.
II. Is a Religious Narrative Possible Despite the Qur'an?
The Qur'an introduces itself as a "proof" (hujjah), "clear" (mubin), "evidence" (bayyinah), and a "criterion" (furqan). Its internal consistency, universality, and sufficiency are repeatedly emphasized (see Surah Az-Zukhruf 43–44, Al-Furqan 1, An-Nisa 105, Al-Imran 7).
According to a Qur'an-centric perspective, the prophet's mission is to convey (tebliğ), explain (tebyin), and be an example of the revelation. The Qur'an, on the other hand, presents itself as a book "fully explained" (fussilat) on every matter (Surah Fussilat 3, Al-An'am 114).
From this perspective:
The "Qur'an and Sunnah" approach has, over time, led to the Sunnah becoming an "independent source," sometimes even taking precedence over the Qur'an.
The "Qur'an and Ahl al-Bayt" approach has given rise to a mystical understanding that the divine message is carried from generation to generation through a biological lineage.
Yet, both approaches have overshadowed the function that the Qur'an attributes to itself: its sufficiency as the sole guide.
III. How Did One Hadith Turn into Three Paths? Rummaging in the Devil's Junkyard
The fact that a saying reportedly made in front of over a hundred thousand witnesses has reached us in such widely varying forms cannot be explained by mere memory error or linguistic slippage. There is a deeper issue at play here: the conscious interpretation, transformation, and instrumentalization of narrations.
In light of this, a jarring question must be asked:
"If the most widely heard, most explicit saying could be split into three, what about the rest?"
And the answer:
"The rest is the devil's junkyard."
In other words, if every narration, every legal opinion (ijtihad), and every sectarian inference that is put in place of the Qur'an muddies the pure source of revelation, this is no longer the domain of truth but of manipulation.
Conclusion: A Return to the Qur'an is a Necessity
These three different narrations surrounding the "two trusts" from the Farewell Sermon show us one thing very clearly: The narrations themselves are not absolute.
However, there is a single, correct axis that runs through these narrations: The Book of Allah.
Therefore, the true solution for Muslims today is this:
The Sunnah is valuable if it does not contradict the Qur'an, but it is never above the Qur'an.
The Ahl al-Bayt is valuable as a guide that follows the Qur'an, but it is never an alternative to the divine word.
The only strong rope the Messenger left is the Qur'an. Whoever holds on to it will not go astray. (Al-Imran 103)
Today, the awakening of the Ummah will not come from the junkyard of narrations but from the light of revelation.
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