Nazri, Mohd Arif and Zainan Nazri, Nurul Jannah and Zainan Nazri, Nurul Mukminah (2025) Prophetic authority and intellectual humility: revisiting the palm pollination hadith in contemporary Islamic epistemology. BITARA International Journal of Civilizational Studies and Human Sciences, 8 (4). pp. 278-284. ISSN 2600-9080
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Abstract
This article reexamines the oft-cited hadith concerning palm pollination (ta‘bir al-nakhl) and its misuse to confine the Prophet Muhammad’s authority to purely doctrinal or ritual matters. Through a textual analysis of the narrations in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim alongside commentaries by Ibn Hajar, al-Qadi ‘Iyad, and contemporary scholars such as Mufti Taqi Usmani, the study argues that the hadith does not support a compartmentalised understanding of Islam. Rather, it reflects the Prophet’s educational method in differentiating empirical experimentation from revelation, without diminishing his comprehensive authority (al-sultah al-shar‘iyyah al-kamilah). Misreading this hadith has led some modern thinkers to justify selective obedience to the Sunnah, particularly in economic and ethical matters such as riba. The paper concludes that true intellectual humility requires recognising the Prophet as the ultimate guide not only in creed and worship but also in moral and practical affairs.
| Item Type: | Article (Journal) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | palm pollination, prophetic authority, ḥadīth interpretation, epistemology, ribaʾ. |
| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion BPK Islamic law. Shari'ah. Fiqh |
| Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button): | Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences > Department of Qur’an and Sunnah |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Nurul Jannah Zainan Nazri |
| Date Deposited: | 02 Nov 2025 18:44 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Nov 2025 18:44 |
| URI: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/124015 |
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