The Portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad in Shiʿi and Sunni Hadith Texts (A Comparative Study)

Abstract

The Holy Qurʾan and the hadith sources of both Shiʿi and Sunni Islam present the Prophet Muhammad as a truthful and comprehensive model for the individual, familial, and social dimensions of Muslim life. Despite the significant commonality in the two traditions’ approaches to depicting this image, there exists one very important difference: within the Sunni approach, certain reports can be found in which the Prophet’s image in the aforementioned domains is diminished. Employing a descriptive–analytical approach, the present study rereads and compares the authoritative hadiths of both groups in order to examine points of convergence and divergence in the prophetic image. The central question of the research concerns the reason for this difference between the two approaches, which is addressed through inquiries into how the Prophet is portrayed in Shiʿi and Sunni perspectives, the clarification of the differences, and an analysis of their causes. The findings indicate that in the shared approach of both groups—serving as the axis of convergence and a supra-sectarian model—the Prophet of Islam is portrayed, on the individual level, as the embodiment of patience, humility, honesty, and justice; on the familial level, as a compassionate and fair role model; and on the social level, as a pioneer in service to others and in the observance of human rights. The point of divergence, however, relates to a portion of Sunni narrations that present a different image of the Prophet, containing elements unbecoming of the station of prophethood and, in some cases, contrary to the principles of infallibility and even degrading and shameful. In analyzing the reason for this difference, the study arrives at the divergent views of the two groups regarding the successors of the Prophet Muhammad: Shiʿism, with its belief in the infallibility of the Imams, exhibits a high degree of coherence with an exalted image of the Prophet, whereas Sunnism, by accepting the succession of non-infallible figures, is compelled to lower the image of the Prophet Muhammad so as to avoid an evident inconsistency.