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THREAD- THE SCROLL OF ʿALĪ IBN ABĪ ṬĀLIB: THE STUDY RESULTS
I have now completed my study of the Muslim narratives (derived exclusively from Sunni sources) regarding the Scroll of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib. Across thirty-five hadiths forming five distinct clusters, they convey that ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib inherited two things from the Prophet: the Qur’an and a scroll containing the Prophet’s knowledge. On one occasion, shortly after the Battle of the Camel, ʿAlī delivered a sermon to dissuade his followers from plundering or enslaving the defeated army of ʿĀʾisha (as I have discussed in earlier posts).


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In that sermon, he stressed that killing fellow Muslims is impermissible, particularly when they have already been granted protection in a conflict. Subsequently, various individuals approached ʿAlī with further inquiries about this knowledge, and on each occasion, he recited different passages from his Scroll, suggesting it had a comprehensive archetype.

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Thread: Why is it important to use “biographical evaluation” (ʿilm al-rijāl) in modern #Hadith studies?
One of the key sources in traditional Hadith studies is “biographical evaluation” (ʿilm al-rijāl). In essence, it involves assessing the individuals who transmit Hadith. Since Hadith formation itself relies on oral transmission, this discipline compiles scholarly opinions about transmitters, noting qualities such as trustworthiness, decency or dishonesty. It may also document their places of activity, political affiliations, theological or legal positions and scholarly leanings. 2/6
Methodologically, it is problematic to use these evaluations as the sole basis for historical inquiries, for instance, to judge a Hadith purely by the reported trustworthiness of its narrators, because there have been many instances of intense scholarly disagreements, rivalries and jealousy. "Cancel culture” is not a modern invention; those considered to hold “wrong” views were always ostracised or harshly judged.

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Thread: Reading list on the systematic study of Hadith (isnād-cum-matn analysis):
I have occasionally been asked for a reading list on Hadith studies, particularly to help in understanding isnād-cum-matn analysis. Below are some key works and my general observations. Many other significant texts exist, but I have aimed to be concise.
To begin with, it is important to note that various applications of isnād-cum-matn analysis exist. The following list includes the “original” implementation, designed (by Motzki and Schoeler) for an unbiased and systematic study of Hadith. Their approach is in contrast to the methodologies advocated by Schact, Juynboll, and others. 2/4
Additionally, there is an alternative strand of isnād-cum-matn analysis based on a deep-rooted (or extreme) scepticism, operating as a hyper-intensified version of the Schatian and Juynbollian premises. According to this second approach, hadiths can never be considered to have originated from the Prophet. This creates great confusion; I wish there had been a distinction.
In addition, some colleagues implement only Juynboll’s isnād criticism and erroneously refer to it as the isnād-cum-matn analysis, which creates some confusion. It is important to distinguish between these methodologies to avoid existing confusion. In isnād-cum-matn analysis, there must be a synoptic analysis of the textual variants of Hadith.

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Thread: How to Solve an “Isnād Puzzle” Using the Isnād-Cum-Matn Analysis?
The study of Hadith is one of the most difficult fields in Islamic studies. In addition to the significant bias that Hadith scholars must deal with due to deeply rooted scepticism towards Hadith, researchers also face problems related to the chain of transmission. I am unsure which of these deters more researchers from studying Hadith in academia 😃. Here is an excellent example: 2/5
I have divided 35 (initially, I found 32 but added 3 more) Hadith variants on the Scroll (al-Ṣaḥīfa) of ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib into five clusters based on the five apparent Common Links (CL). The first one is the Qatāda Cluster: As you see in the diagram, Qatāda claims to have received the report from ʿAlī via four different lines: Variant 1 directly from ʿAlī; Variant 2 and 3 through Abū Ḥassān al-Aʿraj; Variant 4 through Mālik b. al-Ashtar and Abū Ḥaṣṣan al-Aʿraj. Variants 5, 6 and 7 through Qays b. Saʿd b. ʿUbāda al-Khazrajī and Mālik b. al-Ashtar.

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Thread: Has Madina always been revered as the ‘Holy City’ in Islam?
In my forthcoming article, “Debating the Origins: The Sanctity of Madina in hadith Narratives” (Journal of Islamic Studies), I examine the origins of Madina’s sanctification by analysing 27 hadith variants that indicate the Prophet himself sanctified the city during his lifetime. In the article, before applying the isnad-cum-matn analysis to these hadiths, I engage with Harry Munt’s The Holy City of Madina, which offers an alternative perspective. Presented below is a brief critique of Munt’s work, as excerpted from my forthcoming article.
While I have offered some critiques, I must acknowledge that the book remains one of the finest contributions to the subject. 2/11
In The Holy City of Madina, Harry Munt examines how Madina’s sanctity emerged and solidified over the first three centuries of Islam. He argues this was neither immediate nor uniform, but developed gradually. Munt contends that early Muslim caliphs and scholars bolstered Madina’s sacred status to legitimise their authority, linking it to the Prophet Muhammad. By aligning themselves with the Prophet, they fortified their religious and political standing. Central to Munt’s thesis is the idea that Madina’s sanctification was shaped by later needs and narratives, rather than stemming solely from its historical ties to the Prophet.

Thread: Abraham to Muhammad, The Stoning Penalty in the Ancient Near East: It's important to acknowledge mistakes. In my book The Integrity of the Qur’an, I stated that there is no stoning penalty in the Qur’an. But actually, there is—just not for adultery. In the Qur'an 19:46, Azar (likely the adoptive father of Abraham) says:
"Abraham, do you reject my gods? I will stone you if you do not stop this. Depart from me a long while!"
This threat arises when Azar senses Abraham’s opposition to idolatry is deeply rooted.

The Scroll of Ali ibn Abi Talib- Thread: Hadith holds great untapped potential for studying Islamic history. While working on my articles about Madina, I came across a fascinating narrative attributed to ‘Ali b. Abi Talib. I first thought it was rare, but then I found more This hadith refers to the Qur’an and the "al-Ṣaḥīfa" (Scroll) of ‘Ali, which preserves knowledge he learned from the Prophet. When I was asked to prepare a paper for a conference at Oxford in July 2025, I decided to investigate these reports further.

I've been studying methodological developments in Biblical studies and want to share some thoughts on the influence of Julius Wellhausen on Muslim Hadith Studies and the strength of hadith studies. 1- It's incredible to see how Western scholarship applied the historical-critical method to Islamic sources without considering the differences. The idea of "retrojection" or "projecting back" draws heavily on Julius Wellhausen's (d. 1918) influential work, Prolegomena zur Geschichte Israels.

Thread:
1/ I am to share 🕵️‍♂️insights from my forthcoming book chapter, "When Did a Distinct Muslim Identity Emerge? A Brief Exploration of the Prophet’s Religious Pragmatism." Here's my take on the debate on the emergence of early Muslim identity: 2/ Fred Donner's 'the believer’s movement' theory has been pivotal in understanding early Muslim identity, but unanswered questions persist. Donner's framework doesn't fully explain shifts in attitudes towards Jews in Medina.

From Chapter 3 of the book, the isnād a map of another well-known report about an encounter between the Prophet and a group of Medinan Jews who came to him to ask for help with the litigation of a case involving two Jewish adulterers. During the episode, the Prophet questions the Jews regarding the ruling on adultery in the Torah. Thanks to the interference of ʿAbdullāh b. Salām, a Jewish convert to Islam, the truth was revealed to the Prophet that the Torah included the stoning penalty for adulterers.