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?
Light, Wisdom, and the Choice of Darkness
"You cannot wake someone who is pretending to be asleep." The old adage captures a distinction worth examining: between ordinary ignorance and willful ignorance. The first is innocent—a gap in understanding that instruction can fill. The second is something different, a deliberate turning away from what could be known, a refusal to see what has … Continue reading Light, Wisdom, and the Choice of Darkness
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?
Knowledge Over Power: Lessons from Solomon’s Court
A vast army marches through a valley—legions of humans, jinn, and birds mobilized under the command of Solomon, a king whose authority spans the visible and invisible worlds. The ground trembles beneath their advance. And then, from somewhere in the dust and chaos, a single ant cries out a warning to her colony: "Go into … Continue reading Knowledge Over Power: Lessons from Solomon’s Court
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
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