Going back to Sunna

It's about time we start utilizing the 21st century advances in computers to create a massive database for the Hadith. Not only to include a narrative accounts of the content. But to allow for different kinds of research that would include multiple dimensions relating to the narrator, his connections, in a chronological order to generate relational links that would add a specific score to every Hadith and the likelihood of it being actually authentic.

That's only the very first step on the long path of cleansing the Sunna from all the impurities that have stuck to it. Despite all the sincere efforts by all the great scientists to do that over the past 1300 years or more.

The next step would be to separate what the prophet might have said as a matter of common talk of the times, and what we need to cherish as Shariah Law. It's really very important to draw a distinction between the two. It's true, that the Quranic verse that deals with prophet's speech ""وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى* إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَى" النجم : 3-4" (Nor does he speak of (his own) desire * It is only an revelation that is revealed). But that doesn't mean it was the case for every word he uttered. In fact, there are also proof from the Quran that the prophet has spoken on his own and have made mistakes. Refer to the Aya "عبس و تولّى" which translates to "overlooked [the man] and moved away".

Two other incidents solidify this same concept. During the pollination season for Palm trees in Madina. The prophet ordered people not to pollinate. They followed the orders only to be disappointed with the yield. The result was a very famous words where he said, "You know the matters of your world better".

The second incident was during the battle of Badr. The prophet ordered the Muslims to take camp at a strategically poor location. When one of the followers asked if this was a revelation from god. The prophet replied indicating negatively. When the follower proposed a better location that might have been the determining factor behind the Muslim win.

It's about time we cleansed our Sunna from all the casual talk, daily chatter, and many rules that aren't really intended as rules, but rather as a decision for a specific issue at a specific time. Not every word that the prophet said is something that we need to follow to the letter. That is not blaspheme, or attempts to cast away the Sunna, in fact it's more targeted towards focusing it to the the actual Laws, not specific decisions.

This is not the end, these are few starting steps on the very long road towards a new true enlightenment. One that will most definitely have a lot of objection especially from people benefiting from the statuesque