🧵 The Qur’an presents historical narratives not as conventional chronicles but often through typology: historical figures and events are structured as recurring patterns that illustrate moral, social, and political dynamics. (1/11) Typology refers to the representation of a figure or event as a type: a model whose actions, decisions, and outcomes exemplify patterns that recur across contexts. The emphasis is on the pattern, not just the individual case. (2/11)

🧵 The Qur’an’s account of Salih’s she-camel (nāqat Allāh) is not a simple miracle story. It is a ritual and linguistic polemic aimed at Quraysh’s control of water, sacred time, and access to the divine. A thread from my own upcoming work. (1/9)
The Qur’an does not merely say nāqa (“camel”). It says nāqat Allāh “God’s camel” (7:73, 11:64, 26:155, 91:13). This divine possession is unusual. The only consistent parallel is Bayt Allāh, the Kaʿbah. (2/9)

🧵According to Saqib Hussain, the Quran presents a striking image of a primordial gathering: Adam, created by God, is shown his progeny before their earthly existence. This motif resonates with late antique rabbinic traditions and warrants deeper exploration. (1/10) Using Q 7:172, we see the verse depicts a pre-temporal covenant with humanity. (2/10)

🧵 Who exactly were the mushrikūn the Qur’an condemns? What did shirk mean in the Prophet’s time?
To answer this, we need the Qur’an, classical tafsīr, and modern scholarship on intercession.
The Qur’an doesn’t portray the mushrikūn as your standard polytheist. They acknowledged Allah but prayed to others as intercessors.

“They say: ‘These are our intercessors with Allah.’” (10:18)

The radical claim: God accepts no middlemen. (Q 10:18, 34:22–23, 39:43–44)

🧵 One of the most interesting rhetorical tools in the Qur’an is targhīb wa-tarhīb (persuasion and dissuasion). Muhammad A.S Abdel Haleem calls this the language of “enabling obedience.” It’s not just belief, it’s rhetoric, psychology, and literary design. (1/6)
Tarhīb is the rhetoric of deterrence. Passages like Q.14:47–51 paint Hell with sensory detail: chains, fire, garments of pitch. The goal isn’t abstract doctrine, it’s to shock and move the listener at a gut level. (2/6)

🧵@GabrielSaidR’s upcoming book claims the Hijaz was Christian before Islam. This is a huge claim. If it is true, these are 10 questions I expect answered in the upcoming book. Each one tests whether the evidence actually supports this view. (1/12)

https://twitter.com/gabrielsaidr/status/1960682418651689229

Before we get into the questions I want to clarify this is not an attack on Professor Reynolds. I am simply setting expectations that need to be addressed to fully support the claims he is making. The book is not out yet and I will not make full judgments until then. (2/12)

🧵 The Quran frequently presents ruins rhetorically, showing the cyclical nature of history. Past nations rise, thrive, collapse, and leave traces. Columns, rock dwellings, overturned cities, and preserved ships are not passive, they argue. (1/10) The Quran emphasizes that ruins form a distinct category of ayat. They are meant to be examined, not simply noted, guiding readers toward understanding the patterns of social success, failure, and moral consequence. (2/10)

Claiming mutawaffīka in Q 3:55 definitively means “I will cause you to die” is a case study in lexical overreach. I’ll walk through the text, syntax, and internal Qur’anic coherence to see why this argument fails on every level. 🧵

https://twitter.com/chonkshonk1/status/1924566879172989211

The triliteral root w-f-y simply means “to take in full” or “to complete.” In the form tawaffā, it can refer to death but it just as often refers to non-lethal withdrawal, including in sleep (Q 6:60; Q 39:42). Context determines meaning.