In mainstream Sunni theology, Jesus (ʿĪsā) was neither killed nor crucified but was raised alive to God, where he continues to live in a state unique among all prophets. Sunnis generally hold that God made someone else resemble Jesus externally, and that this substitute was crucified in his place. They derive this "substitution theory" from … Continue reading Jesus’ Body Was Crucified & There is no Second Coming
Syriac Polemics Against Islam: Muhammad Had No Miracles Aside from Quran
Around the year 781 CE, Patriarch Timothy (727–823 CE) recorded what is now known as the Apology, a transcript of his theological debate with the Abbasid Caliph al-Mahdi (r. 775–785 CE). This text captures a moment in the history of the Christian–Muslim encounter that should unsettle every modern defender of the miracle legends later invented … Continue reading Syriac Polemics Against Islam: Muhammad Had No Miracles Aside from Quran
The Night Journey and Ascension: How Jewish Folklore Became Sunni Doctrine
In Sunni Islamic tradition, the Isrāʾ wal-Miʿrāj (الإسراء والمعراج) refers to two separate but interconnected miraculous events that are said to have occurred in a single night — the Night Journey (al-Isrāʾ) and the Ascension (al-Miʿrāj). According to Sunni accounts, this journey began in Mecca, when Muhammad is said to have been visited by the … Continue reading The Night Journey and Ascension: How Jewish Folklore Became Sunni Doctrine
The Quran’s Anomalous Emergence: A Monument Without Scaffolding
Abstract Human civilization advances through gradual cultural evolution: simple forms mature into complex ones through iterative refinement, failure, and learning. Every masterwork—from the Great Pyramid to the Divine Comedy—rests upon centuries of predecessors and prototypes. Yet the Quran appears to violate this iron law. Emerging from seventh-century Arabia, a culture with no tradition of written … Continue reading The Quran’s Anomalous Emergence: A Monument Without Scaffolding
Why Sunnis Perpetuate the Myth of Aisha’s Age
The hadith of ʿĀʾishah’s marital age—claiming that the Prophet Muhammad married her at six and consummated the marriage at nine—has long stood as one of the most disturbing reports within the Sunnī hadith corpus. In his groundbreaking Oxford PhD thesis, The Hadith of ʿĀʾishah’s Marital Age: A Study in the Evolution of Early Islamic Historical … Continue reading Why Sunnis Perpetuate the Myth of Aisha’s Age
Why Don’t Sunnis Advocate Mass Illiteracy?
A standard narrative among traditionalists is that the Prophet Muhammad was illiterate. They claim he could not read or write during the ~63 years he was on this planet. In other words, over the span of twenty years, he was delivering the Quran; he either never took the time to learn to read or write, … Continue reading Why Don’t Sunnis Advocate Mass Illiteracy?
Cultivate Your Garden: Lessons from Voltaire and the Quran
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?
Did the Prophet Ever Cite His Own Hadith?
It is a common practice for leaders, teachers, legislators, and judges to typically reference their own prior words. Individuals in these roles often remind their audience: "As I said before…" or "Remember what I told you last time…" This practice not only reinforces authority but also demonstrates continuity of teaching. Given this very natural human … Continue reading Did the Prophet Ever Cite His Own Hadith?
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
Quran Talk Blog 