Al-Tajdeed and the Understanding of Al-Tajdeed (1) Dr. Ihssan Baadarani
The Prophet (PBUH), said: “Indeed, Allah will send to this Ummah at the head of every century someone who will renew (Al-Tajdeed) its religion for it.” Narrated by Abu Dawood and Al-Hakim, and authenticated by several scholars on the authority of Abu Huraira.
Some of us read this report from the Messenger of Allah and understand from it the concept of Al-Tajdeed, interpreting Al-Tajdeed as changing the religion to fit the times! Therefore, you find them asserting: The religion cannot be renewed! Religion is fixed and unchangeable.
It is not the purpose of religion to conform to development; rather, it is the purpose of development to conform to religion! Then they say: The claim of renewing the religion implies that in every era, we release a new, revised, and expanded edition of its principles and teachings to meet the needs of the people and keep up with development, which is a reversal of truths. Hence, we should reject the report that says this.
The response is: What was said is correct, if the intended meaning of Al-Tajdeed is as he interpreted and understood it! And that Al-Tajdeed means nothing but satisfying whims away from the constants, and playing with the rulings.
However, the Al-Tajdeed that is intended is the renewal of understanding the religion and acting upon it. Al-Tajdeed, in this sense, is an attempt to return something to its original state of vitality, activity, giving, and action, so that it appears new despite its age, by strengthening what humans have weakened and acting upon what has been neglected, thus making it closer to its original form. This is what many scholars, thinkers, and Islamic writers have concluded.
Therefore, Al-Tajdeed does not mean changing the nature of the old or replacing it with something else that is newly invented; this is not considered Al-Tajdeed at all.
The term Al-Tajdeed is a prophetic expression, and most commentators on the hadith have interpreted the word “man” (meaning ‘someone’) in the Prophet’s saying, “Indeed, Allah will send to this Ummah at the head of every century someone who will renew (Al-Tajdeed) its religion for it,” to mean a specific individual who undertakes the renewal of the religion.
They have tried to identify this individual, usually among scholars and eminent Imams from the past, like: Umar ibn Abdul Aziz in the first century (died 101 AH), Al-Shafi’i in the second century (died 204 AH), with disagreements on the renewer of the third century.
However, some have considered that the term “man” in the hadith could refer to a group of individuals as well as to a single individual, allowing for the possibility that the renewer could be a collective rather than one person.
This view was preferred by Ibn Al-Athir in his book (Jami’ al-Usul), Al-Hafiz Al-Dhahabi, and others. Today, this collective could be a research center whose members undertake the renewal of the religion in every century without isolationism or dissolution, and without excess or negligence. In the past, one man could represent a research center, such as Imam Ja’far Al-Sadiq, Abu Hanifa, Malik, Al-Shafi’i, and Ibn Hanbal, may Allah be pleased with them all.
