Benefits & Rulings:

➊ Just as it was obligatory for those who directly heard the commands of the Prophet ﷺ to follow them, it is equally obligatory for those upon whom these commands reach through trustworthy intermediaries. However, it is essential that the intermediary be reliable. Therefore, based on the principles of the hadith scholars, every hadith that is established as authentic (ṣaḥīḥ) or good (ḥasan) must be followed by every Muslim.

➋ Upon hearing a hadith, responding with "I don’t know" is a sign of denial and arrogance. It suggests that the person does not regard the Prophet’s ﷺ words as significant — and this is a serious offense. Allah the Almighty says: ﴿فَلْيَحْذَرِ الَّذِينَ يُخَالِفُونَ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ أَن تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ أَوْ يُصِيبَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ﴾ (An-Nūr: 63) “Let those beware who go against the Messenger’s order, lest a trial afflict them or a painful punishment befall them.”

➌ Rejection of hadith is, in reality, rejection of the Qur’an itself — because the Qur’an explicitly commands obedience and adherence to the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet’s role was to explain the Qur’an both in word and action. Historically, the first group to reject hadith were the Khawārij, about whom the Prophet ﷺ said: “They will leave the religion just as an arrow passes through its target.” (Saḥīḥ Muslim, Book of Zakāh, Chapter on the Description of the Khawārij, Ḥadīth: 1063)