What Precisely is the Evidence of Tawatur?

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Please note, this question/answer is a further response to the question, 'The Strength of Tawatur (Perpetuation) and the Preservation of the Qur'an'.

Question/Comments:

I was once confronted with the objection that a Muslim must use circular reasoning to legitimate the process of tawatur because, in the words of the objector, "the only evidence for tawatur is the tawatur itself."

I was not entirely sure how to reply. Is the only evidence for the process of tawatur found in the Hadith? If this is the case, how can one trust individual-to-individual verbal transmission as evidence for a process involving generation-to-generation verbal transmission?

In your article "Sneezing and Yawning ... Good & Evil?", regarding the nature of the Sanad of Hadith, you write:

"If you look closely at the process of the compilation of the various narrations ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh) ... you shall notice that because of this process, the narrations ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh) as recorded in the various compilations are prone to a number of errors. One of the most obvious among these errors is the simple fact that in the whole chain of narrators, even if one of the narrators has not properly comprehended the particular saying of the Prophet (pbuh), it would result in a faulty transmission of that particular saying."

You actually point to the deficiencies of the oral transmission of Hadith in a number of your articles, yet you have also told me that despite such deficiencies, the canonical collections of Hadith still form the most reliable source of history of any religious leader known to mankind.

However, even if Hadith is considered to be an enormously reliable source of history of the life and times of our Prophet (pbuh), how can it be the evidence for a process that far surpasses the deficiencies of individual-to-individual transmission, via which all the Hadith reports, narrations, and sayings have travelled? If, on the contrary, the evidence of tawatur lies elsewhere, please describe what exactly this evidence is and how it is to be assessed.

Thank you and God bless.
Omar Sarwar

Answer:

Illogical, as it may seem at first sight, it is true that the evidence of 'Tawatur', is, in fact, the very existence of 'Tawatur'. This argument may not sound convincing in a debate, yet it can adequately convince all those, who would deliberate over it.

From a particularly Muslim perspective, the following points may provide some guidelines for those, who would like to deliberate over the concept of 'Tawatur':

• The Prophet (pbuh), taught all the essential elements of the corpus of Islam to all of his companions and all the believers;
• These companions were also obliged by their belief to transmit these essential elements of the corpus of Islam to their succeeding generations, without making any additions to or deletions from it;
• Immediately after the Prophet (pbuh), the Islamic state swiftly expanded to great lengths;
• After the expansion of the Islamic state to such great lengths, it had become highly improbable, if not impossible, for any later individual or group to add something to or remove from the corpus of Islam and then get it universally accepted by all the Muslims spread throughout the world;
• Even if a later individual or group had made any such successful effort, the effort should have been recorded in the history of the Muslims, in particular, and the world, in general;

The above points give an idea of how 'Tawatur' takes effect, on its way down. Now let us take a look at the process of the determination of 'Tawatur'. For this purpose, we will have to study 'Tawatur' going into history from the present times. The following points may be considered closely:

• A close look at the beliefs and practices of the present-day Muslims spread throughout the various parts of the world shows that even though they differ in a number of issues, yet all of them, without any exception, ascribe to a few beliefs/practices and hold them as a part of the religion delivered by the Prophet (pbuh);
• In the case of these universally accepted and adhered to beliefs and practices of the Muslims, the books of history show no significant record of forced implementation and a consequent universal acceptance and compliance with these beliefs/practices among the Muslims in any generation subsequent to that of the companions of the Prophet (pbuh);
• Further study of the available historical record shows that these beliefs and/or practices were also a part of Muslim beliefs/practices in every generation starting from the generation of the companions.

Keeping the foregoing points in mind, let us now take a practical example of 'Tawatur' among the Muslims. We know that all Muslims living throughout the various places in the world unanimously practice circumcision of their newborn male child. This practice is unanimously followed by the present generation; it was unanimously followed by the previous generation and so on. In books of history, there is absolutely no record of any forced introduction and a consequent compliance with the practice. In fact, there is not even any possibility of such universal implementation and compliance. The historical records also show that the generation of the companions also universally adhered to this practice and considered it as an essential part of the religious teachings of the Prophet (pbuh). Finally, the historical records also show that the Prophet (pbuh) acknowledged and promoted this practice as an essential part of the Abrahamic tradition, as endorsed by the new revelation.

The foregoing explanation should adequately clarify why 'Tawatur', in such matters, is considered an authority in its own right. Anyone, who disagrees with this idea should, at least provide strong arguments to support his point of view, rather than merely comment upon it.

As should be clear, I do not consider Hadith to be the only resource of information regarding 'Tawatur'. On the contrary, 'Tawatur' is established through a logical study of the present-day practices of the Muslims corroborated by a historical investigation of the general adherence of the Muslims to that practice. Hadith, besides a number of other things, is, indeed, one of the sources in this historical investigation, but not the only one.

I hope this helps.
Regards,
Moiz Amjad
January 11, 2002

Taken with thanks from www.understanding-islam.org

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