I SENT THIS LETTER WHEN I DECIDED TO CONVERT TO ISLAM....I EVENTUALLY DID NOT CONVET,BUT THE INFORMATION HERE CAN HELP THE READER UNDERSTAND WHY THE SUNNAH AND HADITH SHOULD NOT BE FOLLOWED

Saalam,
My name is Giovanni Bisciglie and I have gained much interest in Islam, For about 1 year I have wanted to convert to a religion other than the Roman Catholic Church. The reason for me leaving this particular religion is because this religion teaches MAN MADE DOCTORINES instead of the LAWS OF GOD. Everything taught has no Biblecal referense and most of the teachings contradict the Bible and all the teachings of the prophets prior to Jesus Christ(Isa)(pbuh).
I have researched the Bible and intensively studyed it. It has, I must admit some flaws. Then I read the Quran. IT IS FLAWLESS! According to the Quran, it was sent by God(Allah) to confirm the previous scriputure(toarah,psalms of David,new testament(injeel) and guard them. I agree that the curain texts are not in thier original for in the Bible. Therefore i researched this. Everything which I have alwaysstrongly believed in the bible, I was able to find a koranic surah which confirmed it.Therefore I am convinced that the Quran is the final word of God(Allah).
After having studyed the Quran for over 8 months, I have come up with some problems. Islam also has man made doctorins which contradict or have no Koranic references. As a matter pf a fact, Islam seems to have more man made doctorines that the Roman Catholic Church. I am refering to the SUnnah and Hadith. I absolutly REJECT BOTH SUNNAH AND HADITH! If I am to follow the word of God it must be HIS WORD,HIS LAWS IN THE QURAN. There are laws in the Sunnah and hadith which either contradict or have no koranic referense.
Here are some examples:
- when a dog barks one must reciet phrases,prayers in order to be safe from JINNS
- Predetory animals in sea such as sharks are Haram. Clams are haram. THIS CONTRADICTS SURAH 2:173 and 5:96. The only forbiden meat are: swine(pork),animals that die by themselves & animals dedicated to other gods.(2:173)..........Lawful is to you the persuit of water game(5:96) NOte it does not say unlawful are preditory animals, or clams, or fish without fins or scales. Whoever wrote anything which contradicts the Quran........I CANNOT FOLLOW THINGS CONTRADICTORY FROM THE QURAN. THE QURAN AND ONLY THE QURAN IS THE WORD OF GOD!
I have quoted the passages below:
[2:173] He only prohibits for you the eating of animals that die of themselves (without human interference), blood, the meat of pigs, and animals dedicated to other than GOD. If one is forced (to eat these), without being malicious or deliberate, he incurs no sin. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful.
[5:96] All fish of the sea are made lawful for you to eat. During pilgrimage, this may provide for you during your journey. You shall not hunt throughout the pilgrimage. You shall reverence GOD, before whom you will be summoned
Another translation is :
[5:96] Lawful to you is the persuit Of water game and its use FOr food-for the benefit of yourseelves and those who travel:
ART is not forbidden in the QURAn but forbiden in hadith...
[34:13] They made for him anything he wanted - niches, statues, deep pools, and heavy cooking pots. O family of David, work (righteousness) to show your appreciation. Only a few of My servants are appreciative.
Silk and gold are forbiden to men.according to Hadith and sunna. They are NOT FORBIDDEN IN QURAN!:
[7:31-32] O Children of Adam! Look to your adornments at every place of worship, and eat and drink, but be not prodigal. Lo! He loveth not the prodigals.
ANOTHER TRANSLATION OF THIS IS:
[7:31]O Children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel At every time and place of prayer: eat drink: But waste not by excess. For Allah loveth not the waters.
[7:32] Say, "Who prohibited the nice things GOD has created for His creatures, and the good provisions?" Say, "Such provisions are to be enjoyed in this life by those who believe. Moreover, the good provisions will be exclusively theirs on the Day of Resurrection." We thus explain the revelations for people who know.
Another thing which I find strange is those people who say that people to to hell and then go to heaven. Perhaps they are refering to the doctorine of Purgatory....however the Quran is clear hell is FOREVER....here is the Quranic passage
[2:80] Some have said, "Hell will not touch us, except for a limited number of days." Say, "Have you taken such a pledge from GOD - GOD never breaks His pledge - or, are you saying about GOD what you do not know?"
[2:81] Indeed, those who earn sins and become surrounded by their evil work will be the dwellers of Hell; they abide in it forever.
[2:82] As for those who believe, and lead a righteous life, they will be the dwellers of Paradise; they abide in it forever

THESE ARE A FEW EXAPLES OF REASONS WHY I REJECT SUNNA AND HADITH.
Here are some other quranic reasons

[6:114] Shall I seek other than GOD as a source of law, when He has revealed to you this book fully detailed? Those who received the scripture recognize that it has been revealed from your Lord, truthfully. You shall not harbor any doubt.
[6:115] The word of your Lord is complete, in truth and justice. Nothing shall abrogate His words. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.
[6:116] If you obey the majority of people on earth, they will divert you from the path of GOD. They follow only conjecture; they only guess.

THE SOLE PURPOSE OF THE PROPHET WAS TO DELIVER THE BOOK(THE WORD OF GOD) NOT INTERPRET IT, OR ADD ANYTHING TO IT

[5:99] The sole duty of the messenger is to deliver the message, and GOD knows everything you declare and everything you conceal.
[69:43] A revelation from the Lord of the universe.
[69:44] Had he uttered any other teachings.
[69:45] We would have punished him.
[69:46] We would have stopped the revelations to him.
[69:47] None of you could have helped him.

6:43-47 CLEARLY state that he could not have saud anything except for the revelation of ALLAH! therefore I believe the sunnah and hadith were not UTTERED by the prophet!
According to the quran FALSE sayings in books such as Sunnah and Hadith are a test from GOD himself, they are the fabrications of devils.
[6:112] We have permitted the enemies of every prophet - human and jinn devils - to inspire in each other fancy words, in order to deceive. Had your Lord willed, they would not have done it. You shall disregard them and their fabrications.

6:113] This is to let the minds of those who do not believe in the Hereafter listen to such fabrications, and accept them, and thus expose their real convictions.
For these reasons I cannot follow SUNNAH and Hadith If i choose to convert.

I have had much presure from"orthodox" muslims to become Orthodox(ie:follow sunnah and Hadith). I told them that I follow GOD(Allah) in Religion and not MAN. Man made doctorines blind people from the word of GOD

. WHy then does the Muslim community INSIST on following other Teachings that the teachings of ALLAH HIMSELF!
I absolutly refuse to follow things which are not specifically indicated in the Quran.
I do intend to convet to a religion other than the ROMAN CATHOLIC RELIGION. Islam seems to be the right religion, however I REFUSE to comply with laws and teachings that are not in the Quran.
Peace be to you, may Allah guide you, give you wisdom.
Pending your response

THIS WAS THE PERSONS RESPONSE TO MY LETTER

AsalamuAilaikam

I am also a convert to Islam. I converted from Christianity, and grew up and live in America. I hope I can be of help to you in your decision, and I can sympathize with your thoughts and questions.
There is a science of hadith in Islam, and some scholars and Imams spend their whole lives studying the hadith, or even on subject matter related to the hadith. Here are some websights which may provide you more information:
http://www.muslimsisters.org/sunnah.html
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamen...dith/atit.html
This sight looked good, but I have not read all of it's material yet:
http://www.islaam.com/sunnah/
My own understanding of hadith and sunnah, and why Muslims refer to these sources:
Prophets:
Allah (swt) chose to reveal himself to mankind through prophets. Through the messages of the Prophets, man learns to worship Allah (swt), and to control his instincts from harming himself and his fellowman. Everyone on earth has a job to do, a musician entertains the farmer, the farmer gives food to the musician, and so Prophet's tell us what is Allah (swt) message to mankind.
Prophets have not only brought holy books, but they were the teachers and preachers to their people. They taught the people how to implement the message of Allah (swt) in their life. The Prophets were also holy men, and they provided the most perfect example of how to worship and obey Allah (swt). People could learn just by observing them.
And so we come to the last Prophet Allah (swt) sent to mankind, Muhammad (pbh). Muhammad did leave us the perfect Holy Quran, and in the Quran, it tells us we are to obey Allah (swt), as well as the messenger.
Quran 33:36
"It is not fitting for a Believer man or woman when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Apostle to have any option about their decision: if anyone disobeys Allah and His Apostle he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path."
59:7
"...So take what the Apostle assigns to you and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you. And fear Allah; for Allah is strict in Punishment."
Part of submission in Islam is also obedience to the Prophet. The collect of hadith and sunnah are the teachings of the Prophet (pbh).
The Quran is a book dealing with our spirituality, warning mankind to believe in and worship one God and Creator, to establish prayer, charity, morals, and that there is a Day of Judgement and life after death. The Quran is a simple book, it is not detailed with all the details of worship, Arab history, or Muslim history. It is also easy to memorize. The Quran has told us to obey the Messenger Muhammad (pbh).
One example might be this. The Quran tells us to pray. But we look to the teachings of the Prophet to see how he prayed, and we copy his example. We find these details in the hadith and sunnah. Another source might be Muslim culture. People have been praying in the same fashion since the days of the Prophet. Perhaps there is a reason why.
Hadith and Sunnah
Negative:
We know that Hadith are not God inspired. There are 40 hadith Qudsi which are said to be traced back to the Prophet who had them revealed from Allah (swt) directly, but Allah (swt) knows best.
Human memory is unreliable, and some of the hadiths may have been corrupted, made up, or confused. If any hadith contradicts the Quran, it should be ignored
Positive aspects of Hadith
Other hadiths are there for our benefit. If we do not obey them, there is not punishment, but if we obey them, then there will be rewards, earthly as well as heavenly. For example, the Prophet advised people to eat honey, and modern day science agrees that honey is beneficial to health. So by eating honey, we get an earthly health benefit, and Inshallah, a heavenly benefit for obeying Allah (swt) and the Messenger (pbh).
1. History of Islam, eyewitness accounts of the various events of Islam. (Compare this to Christianity where the authors of the holy books are unknown, we don't know if they are trustworthy or not.)
2. Eye witness accounts of Quran's revelations, and circumstances surrounding them. We know that the Quran was not forged, or written off in some cave under mysterious circumstances.
3. We have eyewitness examples of how the Prophet (pbh) who was the most holy man, and close to Allah (swt) lived his life. We have examples and teachings of how to pray, give charity, treat our women, run a political system etc. The Prophet was a teacher as well as a deliverer of the Quran, and the hadith and Sunnah are the collections of his teachings.
I hope I have been of help to you, and may you increase more in knowledge and belief. Inshallah, Allah (swt) willing, you will be my brother in Islam soon!
Walaikom Salam


THIS WAS MY RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE RESPONSE

You quoted the following ayas in your response to my letter:
Quran 33:36
"It is not fitting for a Believer man or woman when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Apostle to have any option about their decision: if anyone disobeys Allah and His Apostle he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path."
59:7
"...So take what the Apostle assigns to you and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you. And fear Allah; for Allah is strict in Punishment."
What God forbids is in the Quran and NO OTHER source....Yes we must not do what the prophet says is wrong..HOWEVER what is forbidden is Clearly marked in the Quran.
Muhammed came to DELIVER the Quran of God...not his own teachings or interpretations of God's will
[5:99] The sole duty of the messenger is to deliver the message, and GOD knows everything you declare and everything you conceal
further more Allah says that his word is COMPLETE...therefore why do we need anyone to interpret his laws?
[6:114] Shall I seek other than GOD as a source of law, when He has revealed to you this book fully detailed? Those who received the scripture recognize that it has been revealed from your Lord, truthfully. You shall not harbor any doubt.
[6:115] The word of your Lord is complete, in truth and justice. Nothing shall abrogate His words. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.
Ther laws in the Quran are the laws of ALLAH. The laws of Sunnah and hadith are Man Made Laws.
[6:116] If you obey the majority of people on earth, they will divert you from the path of GOD. They follow only conjecture; they only guess.
Prophet muhammed is also forbiden to deliver any OTHER MESSAGE BESIDES THE QURAN because his perpose is to deliver the QURAN and ONLY the Quran.Notice in 64:12 GOD says "the message" and not the message of the prophet. In otherwards the Word of GOD ONLY
[64:12] Obey God and obey the messenger.: but If you shall turn away, the duty Of Our Messenger is but To deliver(the message) clearly and openly
[69:44] Had he uttered any other teachings.
[69:45] We would have punished him.
[69:46] We would have stopped the revelations to him.
[69:47] None of you could have helped him.
For all the above reasons I simply refuse to acept any source other than the Quran. If we use other sources than the word of ALLAH we distort his word by putting more importance on man made laws than God's laws. This is worshipping the commandements of man INSTEAD OF GOD
[2:75] Do you expect them to believe as you do, when some of them used to hear the word of GOD, then distort it, with full understanding thereof, and deliberately?
[5:44]....... Therefore, do not reverence human beings; you shall reverence Me instead. And do not trade away My revelations for a cheap price. Those who do not rule in accordance with GOD's revelations are the disbelievers.
&
To those who follow theses man made laws
[6:112] We have permitted the enemies of every prophet - human and jinn devils - to inspire in each other fancy words, in order to deceive. Had your Lord willed, they would not have done it. You shall disregard them and their fabrications.
6:113] This is to let the minds of those who do not believe in the Hereafter listen to such fabrications, and accept them, and thus expose their real convictions.
Worship Allah by Obeying his Teachings,not man made laws. Prophet muhammed could not have said what is in the Sunnah Because GOD FORBADE HIM TO DIVIATE FROM DELIVERING THE

QURAN AND ONLY THE QURAN

[64:12] Obey God and obey the messenger.: but If you shall turn away, the duty Of Our Messenger is but To deliver(the message) clearly and openly
[69:44] Had he uttered any other teachings.
[69:45] We would have punished him.
[69:46] We would have stopped the revelations to him

This is the reason why I reject the SUNNAH and HADITH.
I want to thank you for trying to make me understand the reason why muslims follow the SUNNAH AND HADITH. I do understand why.......but I reject it because according to the quran muhammed (1) was only allowed to deliver the Quran and nothing else (64:12) (69 44-46)(2) He would have been punished for revealing anything other than the Quran(therefore i asume that Both sunnah and hadith MAY HAVE BEEN WRITTEN with good intention,but was defenitly not uttered by muhamed because of previously stated reason #2 (3)God permits faslse doctorine to test the belivers IN HIS WORDS and the BELIVERs IN THE LAWS OF MAN (6: 112-113)
I Thank you for helping me, may God guide you in his ways with his words and laws.