Latest Articles
Recent insights and analysis based on the Quran alone
Obedience to a Human Messenger Is Conditional: What Does the Quran Actually Teach?
The Quran commands believers to obey the messenger, but does it teach unconditional obedience to a human being? A Quran-alone examination of authority, revelation, and
The Idols of Noah and the Idols of Arabia: What Does the Quran Say?
Part of the Series: The Quran, Idolatry, and the Emergence of Sectarian Religion Introduction One of the most familiar stories found in traditional Islamic literature
How Did the Traditional Story of Pagan Arabia Arise?
Part of the Series: The Quran, Idolatry, and the Emergence of Sectarian Religion Introduction Many Muslims grow up with a familiar picture of Pagan Arabia
The Kaaba Before Muhammad: What Does the Quran Actually Say?
Part of the Series: The Quran, Idolatry, and the Emergence of Sectarian Religion Introduction Ask a Muslim what the Kaaba was like before Muhammad, and
From Believers to Sectarian Religion
How does a community devoted to one God gradually become divided into sects? The Quran describes a recurring process of religious corruption in which human
Did the Quran Confront Pagans or Corrupted Monotheists?
Part of the Series: The Quran, Idolatry, and the Emergence of Sectarian Religion Introduction A common understanding of early Islamic history is that Muhammad confronted