Historical Studies
Early Islamic history, archaeology, and manuscript evidence.
- Research Paper64 min read
Islam: History, Authority and the Development of Islamic Tradition
A historical-critical review of the Qur'an and Hadith as sources of religious authority in Islam, distinguishing established fact, scholarly consensus, majority and minority opinion, disputed claims, and theological interpretation at every step.
- Article106 min read
Islam: A Reader's Guide to the Qur'an, Hadith and Early Islamic History
A plain-language companion to Revert Way's academic review of the Qur'an and Hadith: the same evidence, sources, and arguments, with every technical term and historical figure introduced on first use.
- Research Paper1 min readPlaceholder — full content in progress
The Sana'a Palimpsest and Qur'anic Variant Readings
What the erased lower text of the Sana'a palimpsest does, and does not, tell us about variation in the earliest written transmission of the Qur'an.
- Research Paper5 min read
The Dome of the Rock Inscriptions and Early Islamic Identity
What the 72 AH Dome of the Rock inscriptions can and cannot tell historians about the state of the Qur'anic text and Islamic religious identity at the end of the first Islamic century.
- Article2 min read
The Constitution of Medina: A Primary Source Overview
A short guide to the document known as the 'Constitution of Medina': what it says, where it comes from, and why historians treat it as unusually old despite surviving only in a much later text.