Very interesting article, however, according to your statistics, your statistics about the number of text devoted to the kafir is weird. You’re giving equal weight to the Sira, Hadith, and the Koran despite the Hadiths being much longer. Why not weigh them proportionally to their length? In this case the overall percentage becomes much lower due to the 37% you’re pointing out in the Hadith. Or is there something I’m missing?
Excellent, but I have a question about your final sentence, “If an opinion or comment about Islam does not have a reference, or a possible reference, to the foundation of the Trilogy, then the opinion has no merit.”
Shouldn’t your conclusion regarding opinions or comments on Islam been that if the aren’t representative of the preponderance of trilogy material, then the opinion isn’t as true as the overwhelming amount of Islamic doctrine?
I’d like to add to this wonderful article the relevant crucial ayah (Koranic verse) regarding abrogation.
Surah 2:106:
“None of Our revelations do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, but We substitute something better or similar: Knowest thou not that Allah Hath power over all things?”
From the article I got that verse, http://answering-islam.org/Authors/Farooq_Ibrahim/abrogation.htm,
I see the following that makes me want to know the statistics as to how many believe what about abrogation:
* Muslim scholars of old hold to the concept that some ayahs in the Quran abrogate other ayahs in the Quran, but do not all hold to the same set of abrogated and abrogating ayahs.
* Other Muslim scholars are of the opinion that the Quran may abrogate the Quran as well as the Sunnah (deed or example of Mohammad) and vice versa.
* Some Muslim scholars hold that the Quran abrogates all the previous scriptures, specifically the scriptures sent to Musa and Isa(Commentator’s Note: I’m 99.9% sure this is Jesus), but not itself.
Some Muslim scholars, especially of recent times do not believe in the concept of abrogation at all.
I agree that the stats only cover Bukhari, but my point is that the jihad of the sword is the vast majority of the references about jihad. In fact, there are no references to the inner jihad in the Sira at all. All the jihad in the Sira is of the sword. And I was just too lazy to get into the Koran.
“Jihad takes up 21% of the Bukhari material and the Sira devotes 67% of its text to jihad…. These quasi-greater jihad hadiths total 2% of the Bukhari hadiths that relate to jihad. Of course, the other 98% of the hadiths devoted to jihad claim that jihad of the sword is the supreme act.
Then you conclude:
“The statistical answer to the true nature of jihad is that the “greater jihad” of inner struggle is 2% and the “lesser jihad” of the sword is 98%. In other words, jihad is overwhelmingly violent and a little inner struggle.
But what is the point of declaring the statistical answer to be defined by the apparently lesser (Bukhari) source?
I’m not arguing that Bukhari is not canonical–it most certainly is. I’m just saying that your statistical analysis suggests that the Sira might be a more comprehensive source to answer the jihad question. You have apparently ignored the Sira in coming to your statistical conclusion.
This is a wonderful quantitative and objective analysis that the Muslim and non-Muslim alike should, in principle, celebrate.
This analysis further has the virtue of not imposing Western notions of non-contradiction onto Islam. In this respect, this analysis is unusually objective. By not holding Islam to the un-Islamic ideal of non-contradiction, this analysis avoids choosing between various interpretations of Islam or creating an Islam in its own image.
7 Responses
deqncho
Very interesting article, however, according to your statistics, your statistics about the number of text devoted to the kafir is weird. You’re giving equal weight to the Sira, Hadith, and the Koran despite the Hadiths being much longer. Why not weigh them proportionally to their length? In this case the overall percentage becomes much lower due to the 37% you’re pointing out in the Hadith. Or is there something I’m missing?
FactsRule
Excellent, but I have a question about your final sentence, “If an opinion or comment about Islam does not have a reference, or a possible reference, to the foundation of the Trilogy, then the opinion has no merit.”
Shouldn’t your conclusion regarding opinions or comments on Islam been that if the aren’t representative of the preponderance of trilogy material, then the opinion isn’t as true as the overwhelming amount of Islamic doctrine?
I’d like to add to this wonderful article the relevant crucial ayah (Koranic verse) regarding abrogation.
Surah 2:106:
“None of Our revelations do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, but We substitute something better or similar: Knowest thou not that Allah Hath power over all things?”
From the article I got that verse, http://answering-islam.org/Authors/Farooq_Ibrahim/abrogation.htm,
I see the following that makes me want to know the statistics as to how many believe what about abrogation:
* Muslim scholars of old hold to the concept that some ayahs in the Quran abrogate other ayahs in the Quran, but do not all hold to the same set of abrogated and abrogating ayahs.
* Other Muslim scholars are of the opinion that the Quran may abrogate the Quran as well as the Sunnah (deed or example of Mohammad) and vice versa.
* Some Muslim scholars hold that the Quran abrogates all the previous scriptures, specifically the scriptures sent to Musa and Isa(Commentator’s Note: I’m 99.9% sure this is Jesus), but not itself.
Some Muslim scholars, especially of recent times do not believe in the concept of abrogation at all.
Bill Warner
I agree that the stats only cover Bukhari, but my point is that the jihad of the sword is the vast majority of the references about jihad. In fact, there are no references to the inner jihad in the Sira at all. All the jihad in the Sira is of the sword. And I was just too lazy to get into the Koran.
Jihad basics for U.S. Christians - The Layman Online
[…] a simple word count reveals that the Qur’an is only 14% of Islamic doctrine while the Sira, 26% and the Hadith 60% […]
Pieder Beeli
I think you need to refine your jihad statistics.
“Jihad takes up 21% of the Bukhari material and the Sira devotes 67% of its text to jihad…. These quasi-greater jihad hadiths total 2% of the Bukhari hadiths that relate to jihad. Of course, the other 98% of the hadiths devoted to jihad claim that jihad of the sword is the supreme act.
Then you conclude:
“The statistical answer to the true nature of jihad is that the “greater jihad” of inner struggle is 2% and the “lesser jihad” of the sword is 98%. In other words, jihad is overwhelmingly violent and a little inner struggle.
But what is the point of declaring the statistical answer to be defined by the apparently lesser (Bukhari) source?
I’m not arguing that Bukhari is not canonical–it most certainly is. I’m just saying that your statistical analysis suggests that the Sira might be a more comprehensive source to answer the jihad question. You have apparently ignored the Sira in coming to your statistical conclusion.
Pieder Beeli
This is a wonderful quantitative and objective analysis that the Muslim and non-Muslim alike should, in principle, celebrate.
This analysis further has the virtue of not imposing Western notions of non-contradiction onto Islam. In this respect, this analysis is unusually objective. By not holding Islam to the un-Islamic ideal of non-contradiction, this analysis avoids choosing between various interpretations of Islam or creating an Islam in its own image.
Gregory Smith
I’m hoping to gather statistics on the rapidity of Muslim take over of countries due to birth rates, etc.
Thanks.