Denying the Mutawaatir Hadeeth
25-6-2007 | IslamWeb
Question:
Assalamu alaikum.Scholars(Allah's mercy on them)are unanimous that Mutawatir Hadeeth is equivalent to Quran and its denial or rejection is Kufr. 1.Could you give the complete reference including page number of above Fatwa of the 4 Madhab Imams(Allah's mercy on them). 2.Is the Hadis"Fast when you sight"Mutawatir Hadis?.Could you give evidence?Is its denial Kufr? 3.Could you also give other important Imaams(Allah's mercy on them)who gave same above Fatwa and their references with page number? Hope you will answer above 3 questions.Thank you.Assalamu alaikum.
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
There is no doubt that the narrations reported by Tawaatur [a Hadeeth that was transmitted through a chain of narrators, each stage of which included a large number of narrators (minimum of ten) whose collusive fabrication of the Hadeeth is imperceptible] from the Prophet are like the Quran in providing them as evidence and worshipping Allaah based on them. The same thing applies to authentic narrations even if they are not reported by Tawaatur.
According to the consensus of the scholars 
whoever denies something that is proven by absolute evidence in religion, becomes a non-Muslim (disbeliever) as stated by Ibn 'Abdul-Barr 
in his book At-Tamheed Volume 1, page 142, and Volume 4, page 266.
Similarly, whoever denies one letter from the Book of Allaah or a narration which is reported by Tawaatur, becomes a non-Muslim and goes out of the fold of Islam according to the consensus of the scholars as mentioned by Al-Ghazaali in his book 'Faysal At-Tafriqah bayna Al-Islam waz-Zandaqah', page 144.
Besides, Ibn Taymiyyah in his Fataawa Volume 24, page 307, after elaborating some texts reported by Tawaatur, like intercession and the like, he said: “Among the Tawaatur Sunan, which if one denies them becomes a non-Muslim, is the prayer of the Muslims on a dead person (funeral prayer) and supplicating for him in the prayer, as well as the intercession of the Prophet on the Day of Judgement as this is reported by Tawaatur narrations. Whoever denies the above and the like of it from the Quran and the Sunnah reported by Tawaatur, becomes a non-Muslim after establishing the evidence against him.”
Moreover, according to the consensus of the scholars a person who denies an absolute evidence proven in religion, becomes a non-Muslim; this is what Ash-Shaafi'i stated in his book entitled Ar-Risaalah page 357, and An-Nawawi in his book entitled Sharh Muslim, Volume 1, page 205.
As regards whoever denies an authentic Aahaad narration, [a Hadeeth that is not Mutawaatir (i.e. any stage of its chain of narrators has less than ten narrators) and accordingly requires to be classified by Hadeeth scholars against a continuum of acceptability or rejection], then there is a difference of opinion about him, and the view we adopt here in Islamweb is that he becomes a non-Muslim if he denies it while believing that the narration is confirmed and his denied is not due to him misinterpreting its meaning.
As-Suyooti said: “Whoever denies an authentic narration from the Prophet becomes a non-Muslim and is out of the fold of Islam.”
What is meant here is denying due to arrogance and not denying the narration based on having a different interpretation, as stated by Al-Qaadhi 'Iyaadh in his book entitled Ash-Shifaa', Volume 2, page 73.