"This book treats the debate among Muslims over the authority of hadith, which by the ninth century had been raised to the level of scripture. The author's main purpose is to show that modern Muslim thinkers who question its status as a source of law are not the first ones to do so and thus cannot be dismissed as inauthentic ... Read moreaberrations or the results of a western, colonialist plot to undermine Islam . . . Hadith as Scripture provides an intriguing introduction to these debates." - Devin J. Stewart, The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences "The name of this little book is in itself a lesson. Quite early in Islamic history, the hadith, which had originally been used to fill gaps in the Muslim narrative, came to be seen as an element of Muslim faith. Many of today's Muslims view the hadith almost as sacrosanct and thus grant it the treatment of revealed scripture. This book, written in language suitable for the interested layperson or the academic ought to be a must-read for any person wanting to know more about or specialize in Islam." - Khaleel Mohammed, San Diego State University, USA "The twin claims of Musa's historical argument are unimpeachable: the acceptance of hadith as a second source of scripture alongside the Qur'an was not a foregone conclusion and Shafi'i's role in making it so was significant" - Kecia Ali, Imam Shafi'i Scholar and Saint Show Less