Kritik Sanad dan Matan terhadap Hadis Ikhtilāfu Ummatī Raḥmah: Telaah atas Problematika Pemahamannya Sanad and Matn Criticism of the Hadith Ikhtilāfu Ummatī Raḥmah: An Examination of Problems in Understanding It

Abstract

The use of the expression ikhtilāfu ummatī raḥmah (“Differences of opinion within my community are a mercy”) to justify differences of opinion in Islam warrants examination because the authenticity of its transmission remains disputed. This study aims to analyze the quality of its chain of transmission, examine its textual content in light of the Qur’an and more reliable hadith reports, and clarify the interpretive limits of the expression when addressing differences of opinion. The study employed a normative juridical approach with a descriptive-analytical method. Data were collected through a literature review and documentary study of hadith sources, classical works on hadith criticism, and literature on ikhtilāf. The data were analyzed through takhrīj, content analysis, and intertextual reading within a framework comprising criticism of transmission chains and textual content, uṣūl al-fiqh, and adab al-ikhtilāf. The findings indicated that the expression has not been shown to possess an authentic marfū‘ chain of transmission and therefore cannot be conclusively established as a saying of the Prophet. Nevertheless, differences of opinion arising from ijtihad that meets scholarly requirements remain acceptable on the basis of other, stronger evidence. This study concludes that acceptance of differences of opinion should be based on the strength of evidence, competence, and scholarly ethics. These findings clarify the distinction between the authenticity of a hadith and the ethical value of an expression and provide a conceptual foundation for understanding the limits of accepting differences of opinion in Islam.