Challenges of the Quranists’ Intellectual Foundations

Islamic laws and/or hadiths make the second source of inference for Shiisand Sunnis next to the Holy Quran. Many of the jurisprudential laws ofIslam were explicated by the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims in the earlyyears of Islam and the following years followed the command of Allah andwere faithful to His words.The hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad have since been a guideline forMuslims. Although the hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad have long beenaccepted, there has emerged a new offshoot of a Muslim sect who regardtheir cult as Quranism, i.e., the school of those who believe only in theHoly Quran. They consider the Holy Quran as the only source of Islamiclaws.This article attempts to investigate the ideas of the Quranists, theirhistorical and geographical roots, and express their intellectual principles.It deals with their doctrinal bases from Shii and Sunni viewpoints.