Submitters, Rashad Khalifah
Please avoid replying to first post, it remove it from un answered question list. Since, i am not aware of such theory or rashad, i am pasting deepseek response to this question Based on mainstream Islamic theology and scholarship, the beliefs held by the “Submitters” (Quranists who follow Rashad Khalifa) represent significant deviations from orthodox Islam. Here’s a breakdown of the key points: 1. **Complete Rejection of Hadith:** * **Mainstream View:** While the Qur’an is the supreme, infallible, and primary source of Islam, Hadith collections (Sahih Bukhari, Muslim, etc.) are considered the second essential source. They provide: * **Crucial Context:** Explanation for Qur’anic verses, circumstances of revelation, and practical application. * **Prophetic Example (Sunnah):** Detailed accounts of the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) sayings, actions, approvals, and character, which Muslims believe are divinely inspired and essential for understanding *how* to implement Qur’anic principles. The Qur’an itself commands believers to obey the Messenger (e.g., 4:59, 4:80, 33:21). * **Historical Record:** While rigorously scrutinized through the science of Hadith criticism ( Ilm al-Rijal and Ilm al-Dirayah ), authentic Hadith are accepted as the most reliable historical source for the Prophet’s life and the early Muslim community. Rejecting them entirely leaves a massive historical void. * **Critique of Submitters’ View:** Dismissing *all* Hadith as historically invalid is seen as: * **Ignoring the Qur’an’s own injunctions:** The Qur’an repeatedly emphasizes obeying the Messenger and taking him as an example. * **Historically Unsound:** It disregards the sophisticated and critical methodology developed by Muslim scholars over centuries to verify chains of narration (isnad) and the content (matn) of Hadith. While Hadith science acknowledges weak and fabricated narrations, it also identifies vast numbers considered sound (Sahih) or good (Hasan). * **Impractical:** It makes understanding many Qur’anic injunctions (e.g., details of prayer, Zakat, Hajj) impossible, as the Qur’an often gives principles while the Sunnah provides the detailed practice established by the Prophet. * **Selective Application:** Often, Quran-only proponents rely on *some* form of historical narrative (implicitly or explicitly) to understand the Qur’an’s context and sequence, which itself functions similarly to Hadith but without the rigorous methodology. 2. **The “Code 19” Theory:** * **Mainstream View:** Surah Muddathir (74:30) (“Over it are nineteen”) is understood as referring to nineteen angels guarding Hell. While the Qur’an’s literary inimitability (I’jaz) is a core belief, attempts to find complex mathematical codes as proof of divine authorship are generally viewed with skepticism by mainstream scholars. * **Critique of Submitters’ View:** * **Methodological Flaws:** Rashad Khalifa’s calculations have been extensively criticized for being arbitrary and inconsistent. To force the “miracle,” he: * Declared two verses (9:128-129) as “false” and removed them, directly contradicting the universal Muslim consensus on the integrity of the Qur’anic text (Tawatur). * Used inconsistent counting methods (e.g., sometimes counting “Bismillah”, sometimes not; inconsistent word/letter counts). * Selected specific words or phrases to fit the pattern while ignoring others that didn’t. * **Lack of Scholarly Acceptance:** The theory is rejected by virtually all mainstream Islamic mathematicians, scientists, and scholars. It’s seen as a later innovation ( bid'ah ) without basis in the understanding of the early Muslims (Salaf) or classical scholarship. * **Distraction:** It shifts focus from the Qur’an’s profound spiritual, moral, legal, and guidance message to a contentious numerical puzzle. 3. **Rashad Khalifa as a Messenger (Rasool) after Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):** * **Mainstream View:** This is the most critical deviation and places the group entirely outside the fold of Islam according to orthodox belief. Key reasons: * **Finality of Prophethood (Khatm an-Nubuwwah):** The Qur’an (33:40) explicitly states: **”Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and last of the prophets. And ever is Allah, of all things, Knowing.”** This verse is universally understood by Muslims to mean that no prophet or messenger will come after Muhammad (PBUH). * **Misinterpretation of Surah Aal-e-Imran (3:81):** The mainstream understanding is that this verse refers to the covenant taken from *previous* prophets to believe in and support the *final* messenger, Muhammad (PBUH), when he comes confirming their scriptures. It does *not* imply a sequence of messengers *after* Muhammad. Applying it to Rashad Khalifa is a severe misinterpretation. * **Contradiction with Core Belief:** Belief in the finality of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) messengership is a fundamental tenet of Islamic faith ( Aqeedah ). Claiming a new messenger directly contradicts this. * **Lack of Credentials:** Rashad Khalifa did not present any revelation comparable to the Qur’an, nor did he demonstrate the characteristics of prophethood as understood in Islam. His primary claim rested on the contested Code 19 theory and his own assertions. **Summary of Mainstream Islamic Perspective:** * The Quran-only approach, while emphasizing the primary source, is flawed in its *complete* rejection of Hadith, rendering the practical implementation of Islam and understanding of the Prophet’s life largely impossible and contradicting Qur’anic commands to obey the Messenger. * The “Code 19” theory is rejected as a mathematically unsound and arbitrary construct that relies on textual manipulation (removing verses) and lacks any basis in traditional Islamic scholarship. It distracts from the Qur’an’s true message. * The claim that Rashad Khalifa was a messenger is a direct and fundamental rejection of the core Islamic doctrine of the finality of prophethood (Khatm an-Nubuwwah) as established in the Qur’an (33:40) and the unanimous consensus of Muslims for over 1400 years. This belief places those who hold it outside the boundaries of mainstream Islam. Therefore, while individuals are free to hold these beliefs, they represent a significant departure from the theological foundations, historical understanding, and scholarly consensus of mainstream Islam. The rejection of Hadith, promotion of Code 19, and the claim of messengership for Rashad Khalifa are viewed as serious theological errors and innovations.