In 1759, at the height of the Enlightenment—when European philosophers preached that reason would perfect humanity and history marched inevitably toward paradise—Voltaire published a novel called Candide to serve as a scathing critique of this naive optimism. In this book, the hero is dragged through every conceivable horror—war, plague, earthquakes, and executions—yet ends not with … Continue reading Cultivate Your Garden: Lessons from Voltaire and the Quran
Why Transmit Abrogated Hadith Without Clarification?
There are multiple Sahih narrations claiming the Prophet commanded ablution (wudu) after eating food touched by fire: Abu Hurairah reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Perform ablution after eating anything which has been cooked by fire. حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنْ شُعْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ حَفْصٍ، عَنِ الأَغَرِّ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ … Continue reading Why Transmit Abrogated Hadith Without Clarification?
Some Popular Misconceptions about Motzki (Joshua Little Thread)
The following is a thread by scholar Joshua Little regarding Harald Motzki : https://twitter.com/IslamicOrigins/status/1388495411489431556 Thread App write-up Harald Motzki (d. 2019) was an extremely influential scholar in secular Hadith Studies, best known for his criticisms of Joseph Schacht and Gautier Juynboll; his work on the Muṣannaf of ʿAbd al-Razzāq; and his defence of the isnād-cum-matn … Continue reading Some Popular Misconceptions about Motzki (Joshua Little Thread)
High and Low Hadithology: Mapping the Madhhabs’ Views on Hadith Authority
When scholars of Christianity speak of high and low Christology, they are not referring to two different religions but to a spectrum of belief regarding the status of Christ. Some traditions elevate him to pre-existent divinity, while others see him primarily as a prophet and teacher. The same framework can help us think about the … Continue reading High and Low Hadithology: Mapping the Madhhabs’ Views on Hadith Authority
Sunni Apologist Hadith Fragment (AP 259) Dishonesty
In a recent debate with Sunnis on Discord, some individuals cited a scholarly paper to claim proof of hadith manuscripts from the first century Hijri. In their typical fashion, rather than sending a link to the article, they only sent a screenshot of the article's first page, underlining a single sentence: “The date of this … Continue reading Sunni Apologist Hadith Fragment (AP 259) Dishonesty
Sunni Punishment for Abandoning Salat (Quran vs. Hadith)
In Sunni Islam, apostasy is punishable by death. This ruling is drawn directly from hadith literature, such as the report in Sunan al-Nasa’i: Ibn 'Abbas said: "The Messenger of Allah said: 'Whoever changes his religion, kill him.'" أَخْبَرَنَا عِمْرَانُ بْنُ مُوسَى، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَارِثِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَيُّوبُ، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ … Continue reading Sunni Punishment for Abandoning Salat (Quran vs. Hadith)
Mass Hadith Forgery: The Foundations of Sunni Islam
Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi, Ḥadīth Literature: Its Origin, Development and Special Features, rev. ed., ed. Abdal Hakim Murad (Cambridge: Islamic Texts Society, 1993), p. 33. The foundations of Sunni Islam were built upon a sea of forged traditions. By the mid-9th century CE, the compilers of the Kutub al-Sittah (Six Books) sifted through millions of reports … Continue reading Mass Hadith Forgery: The Foundations of Sunni Islam
Companion Hypocrisy and the Hadith & Sunnah House of Cards
For centuries, Hadith has been the bedrock of Sunni Islamic law and theology. But what happens when one of Sunni Islam’s most prominent voices admits that this foundation doesn’t stand up to scrutiny? In a recent interview on the Sképsislamica podcast, promoting his new book “Understanding Salafism,” Yasir Qadhi made a startling admission: “Nobody in the academy affirms … Continue reading Companion Hypocrisy and the Hadith & Sunnah House of Cards
Abu Bakr’s Stance on Hadith and the Problem with Anti-Quran-Alone Hadith Narration
A common maxim about the Hadith corpus is: for every Hadith, there is an equal and opposite Hadith. This reflects the reality that many individuals fabricated Hadith to support conflicting political or theological positions. The result is a vast, often contradictory body of literature—pro-Aisha Hadith, anti-Aisha Hadith; pro-Umayyad, anti-Umayyad; pro-Ali, anti-Ali—and this extends to core … Continue reading Abu Bakr’s Stance on Hadith and the Problem with Anti-Quran-Alone Hadith Narration
<1% of Companions Are Cited as Sources of Hadith
The prophet was said to have had over 100,000 companions (ṣaḥābī) according to sources like Abū Zurʿa al-Rāzī, with some sources indicating that 114,000 companions performed the pilgrimage with the Prophet after their conquest of Mecca. Despite their large number, most companions did not transmit hadith, even though prophetic Hadith could be simply observing something … Continue reading <1% of Companions Are Cited as Sources of Hadith
