Critique of Hadith Sanad and Matn in the MUI Fatwa Book: A Case Study of Fatwas on Worship and Women's Issues
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61086/qh0j6d85Keywords:
Hadith Criticism, Fatwa MUI, TakhrijAbstract
This research aims to test the methodological validity of the hadiths used by the Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) in determining fatwas in the field of worship, with a focus on crucial fatwas such as: Women Becoming Prayer Imams (No. 9/MUNAS VII/MUI/13/2005) and Prohibition of Female Circumcision (No. 9A of 2008). This study emphasizes the criticism of sanad and matn hadith in MUI fatwas in the field of worship. This research is important as a barometer of secondary legal sources (hadith) in responding to the dynamics of Islamic law. Using a qualitative method based on library research, then processing it using a descriptive-comparative method. This research applies the scientific tools of hadith criticism (naqd al-ḥadīth) which include tracking the text (takhrīj), describing the sanad chart (i‘tibār), assessing the authority of the narrator (jarḥ wa al-ta‘dīl), generational connectivity (ittiṣāl al-sanad), and textual analysis (naqd al-matn). The findings indicate that out of 12 analyzed hadith transmissions, 11 are classified as maqbūl (acceptable) due to textual alignment with established legal maxims or the Qur'an, while 1 transmission is evaluated as mardūd (rejected). The study reveals that several supporting narrations cited by MUI were drawn from secondary jurisprudence (fiqh) compendiums rather than primary hadith collections (Kutub al-Mutūn). Furthermore, the application of weak (ḍa‘īf) hadiths in MUI's fatwas is structurally contextualized within faḍā’il al-a‘māl and public interest (maṣlaḥah). This research suggests the importance of strengthening stricter hadith verification (takhrīj) in the fatwa formulation process so that the validity of the resulting law is more academically robust.
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