Introduction The Qur’ān and the Sunnah have served as the primary sources of Islam. Together with the Qurʾān, the statements and actions of the Prophet ﷺ form the basis of Islamic law and theology. Historically...
Textual Integrity
Give It a Second Thought: Dealing with Apparently Problematic Hadiths
Abstract The surge of criticism in recent times of supposedly problematic ḥadīths generally rests on the claim that such ḥadīths are absurd, unscientific, impossible, or contradictory. Every ḥadīth whose content is seen...
The Origins of the Variant Readings of the Qur’an
Note This article has been updated on June 2nd, 2023. Introduction The Qur’an is the literal word of God, the sacred scripture of the Islamic faith, and God’s final revelation to humanity. This single text produced the...
Blind Spots: The Origins of the Western Method of Critiquing Hadith
Author’s Introduction A few years ago I was involved in a debate on the radio with a prominent British historian who had recently written a sensationalist book on the origins of Islam. He claimed, in a distinctly...
Tracing Transmissions: The Accuracy of Sahih Muslim
Introduction Imām Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj’s (d. 261 AH) al-Musnad al-Ṣaḥīḥ al-Mukhtaṣar, better known as Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, has had an indelible impact on Islamic scholastic discourse and continues to shape the lives of...
Abrogated Rulings in the Qur’an: Discerning their Divine Wisdom
Abstract Abrogation in the Qur’an refers to the phenomenon of a later verse changing or altering a ruling established by a verse revealed earlier, either in whole or in part. Later scholars developed diverging...
Can We Trust Hadith Literature? Understanding the Processes of Transmission and Preservation
Abstract How has Islamic civilization maintained the rich literary heritage of Ḥadīth developed by early Muslim scholars? What guarantee is there that the collections of ḥadīths in our possession...
