Diskursus Hadits-Hadits Kontemporer : Metode Kritik Hadits Ignaz Goldziher

Abstract

Orientalist scholarship on Hadith—particularly the work of Ignaz Goldziher—has fostered a skeptical view regarding the authenticity of the Prophet's Hadith. Goldziher questioned the *sanad* (chain of transmission) criticism methods employed by Hadith scholars and proposed an approach based on *matn* (textual content) criticism; this approach is considered dangerous, as it risks reclassifying *sahih* (authentic) Hadith as *maudu'* (fabricated). This article aims to outline Ignaz Goldziher’s Hadith criticism methodology—including his concepts of Hadith and *Sunnah*—and to examine the influence of his ideas on Hadith studies in both the West and the Islamic world. The study employs a qualitative, descriptive approach based on library research. Data were gathered from Goldziher’s own works, the writings of other Orientalists, and literature analyzing their ideas. Goldziher argued that Hadith served as documentation for *Sunnah*, which he interpreted as a sacred custom inherited from pre-Islamic Arab paganism. He maintained that Hadith lacked authenticity, viewing it as a product of Islamic evolution during the first two centuries that had become intermingled with external doctrines. Goldziher also deemed the *sanad* criticism methods of Hadith scholars flawed, arguing that they focused excessively on formal aspects while neglecting the *matn*. His ideas were subsequently expanded upon by Joseph Schacht and G.H.A. Juynboll and influenced certain Muslim thinkers, eventually contributing to the emergence of the *Ingkar Sunnah* (Sunnah-rejecting) movement. Goldziher’s perspective is regarded as overly skeptical and erroneous due to its rejection of established *sanad* criticism methodologies. Muslims are urged to exercise caution regarding Orientalist thought and to adhere to the methodologies established by scholars to preserve the authenticity of Hadith.