A new Reading of âFollowing and guidanceâ Tradition

No doubt one of the most important effective factors in the beliefs, views, conduct and discourses of Muslims is the speech of the holy Prophet. Beside this important factor, the way the speeches, life history and tradition of the Prophet are interpreted and conceived has caused the emergence of different sects and denominations. “Following and guidance” tradition, for Sunni people, constitutes the most essential and fundamental principle that brings together those differing and conflicting interpretations. According to this view, following any of the companions is permissible, which makes their speeches and conduct as valuable as the speeches and conduct of the holy Prophet. The invariable outcome of such a view is the acceptance of a kind of religious pluralism concerning the companions’ speeches and deeds, an issue that leads sometimes to contradictory personal judgments. Considering the importance of the subject, the writer of this article has a new reading of the “following and guidance” tradition which he discusses in two parts. In the first he tries to objectively evaluate the text and the documents of the tradition and after surveying the necessary books and references he considers the important textual variations of the tradition. He goes on to discuss the different documents and ways this tradition has been related, which make the authenticity of this tradition almost impossible. In the second part, he studies the significance and the content of this tradition and explains that the message of this tradition is hardly compatible with the meaning of many other traditions, and a fair judgment makes the acceptance of such a tradition impossible.