The word Khawarij, meaning "those who went out," is now commonly used as a label for religious extremism. Its origins, however, lie in a political dispute that divided the early Muslim community. Following the assassination of the third caliph, Uthman ibn Affan, in 35/656, Ali ibn Abi Talib became the fourth caliph. His authority was … Continue reading The Khawarij: How A Group of Quran-Only Muslims Became Heretics
The Muʿtazilites and Divine Attributes: Does God Change?
Every monotheist who reads scripture eventually runs into a puzzle. The Quran calls God knowing, powerful, living, wise, and merciful. These words describe God, but what are they describing? Are they names for separate things God possesses, the way a person possesses a house and a reputation and a skill? Or are they different ways … Continue reading The Muʿtazilites and Divine Attributes: Does God Change?
When Did Sunni Islam Begin?
Roughly nine out of ten Muslims today identify as Sunni. The word comes from ahl al-sunna, "the people of the sunna," meaning those who follow the example of the Prophet Muhammad, and its fuller form is ahl al-sunna wa'l-jamā'a, "the people of the sunna and the community." In most popular accounts, and in a good … Continue reading When Did Sunni Islam Begin?
Speaking for God: Divine Agency and the Angel of the LORD
The Hebrew Bible has a recurring figure called the angel of the LORD (malʾakh YHWH). He turns up at turning points in Israel's story—to Hagar in the wilderness, to Moses at the burning bush, to Gideon under an oak, to the parents of Samson—and he delivers a message. The Hebrew word malʾakh means "messenger." It … Continue reading Speaking for God: Divine Agency and the Angel of the LORD
Does the Bible Contain All of Jesus’ Teachings?
Christian apologists like Apostate Prophet make the false claim that “we have all the things that Jesus said,” yet this goes against their own scripture, which states that there are many more teachings of Jesus that did not make it into their books. The Gospels themselves say, in plain language, that they contain only a … Continue reading Does the Bible Contain All of Jesus’ Teachings?
Sexual Allegations Against Jesus Based on the Gospels
Mark's account of Jesus' arrest in Gethsemane contains a detail that appears in no other Gospel. After the disciples scatter, two verses follow: And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body; and they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked. (Mark 14:51–52) The … Continue reading Sexual Allegations Against Jesus Based on the Gospels
The Muʿtazila: A History of Islam’s Rationalist Theologians
When the Prophet Muhammad died in 632, the Muslim community numbered in the tens of thousands and lived mostly in western Arabia. Within about a century, it ruled a territory stretching from Spain to the borders of India. The man who held supreme authority over this empire was called the caliph, an Arabic word meaning … Continue reading The Muʿtazila: A History of Islam’s Rationalist Theologians
Does Asking the People of the Book Make Them Judges of the Quran? (Islamic Dilemma Series)
One of the most common arguments Christian apologists direct at Muslims is known as the Islamic Dilemma. It is built from two Quranic claims and one factual claim. First, the Quran says it confirms the scriptures that came before it, the Torah and the Gospel. Second, Quran 10:94 says that if you are in doubt … Continue reading Does Asking the People of the Book Make Them Judges of the Quran? (Islamic Dilemma Series)
The Devil Was a Lawyer
Before he was a beast with horns, before he became the red figure of medieval fresco and modern caricature, the devil was something far more dangerous because far more familiar: a voice in a courtroom. The oldest portrait of the adversary in scripture is not a monster prowling after the body but a prosecutor working … Continue reading The Devil Was a Lawyer
The Difficult Path: Slavery, Manumission, and the Slaves Who Came to Rule Islam
The Quran makes the freeing of a slave the very definition of the steep and difficult climb toward righteousness. "He should have chosen the difficult path," it says. "Which is the difficult path? The freeing of slaves" (90:11-13). Yet the civilization that carried the Quran's banner across three continents became one of the most prolific … Continue reading The Difficult Path: Slavery, Manumission, and the Slaves Who Came to Rule Islam
