An excellent article 0n Page 72 of American Journal of Social Sciences, Fall 2009 issue, by Prof. Abdin Chande of Adelphi University in New York state, calls for attention.
Under the title "A Critical Evaluation of Some Problematic Hadith Narratives", Prof. Chande analyses some commonly accepted hadiths to underscore his point that Hadith literature stands in need of a thoroughly critical examination. He quotes hadiths that are obviously untrue but have become accepted merely because they were inlcuded in the well known books of hadiths.
Unfortunately this can be said for a large number of hadiths that are circulating among Muslims and are generally the basis on which Muslims quarrel among themselves. To debunk and remove from circulation such hadiths is the task of a new generation of scholars, Prof. Abdin Chande included.
Iqbal Unus
