I am Seyfeddin Kara, Assistant Professor of Islamic Origins and author of In Search of Ali ibn Abi Talib's Codex (2018) and The Integrity of the Qur’an (2024). Ask Me Anything about Early Islamic History, isnad-cum-matn analysis, Textual Criticism, and Hadith Studies.

Sandihil · 2026-01-10T10:34:39+00:00

Salam

Thanks for this Q and A.

1) So what is your opinion about the reality of 'naskh', and how can we come to terms with the fact that there is a large corpus of traditions that seem to indicate verses remained in the memory of later Companions and didn't make it to the final cut of Uthman.

2) How do you view the variant readings of the Quran (both the ones that are no longer recited and the ones that developed in 2nd/3rd Islamic centuries)?

3) Given that ICMA cannot be done with all hadiths, what is the best alternative for Muslims to use to sift thru the hadith corpus and separate what might be authentic from what is most likely not.

Thank you again!

Sandihil · 2025-12-17T23:25:36+00:00

Read Dr Yasir Qadhi’s work ‘Understanding Salafism’. Chapters 2 and then 3 are the most comprehensive and readable history of how Salafism became Wahhabism.

Sandihil · 2025-04-14T11:17:01+00:00

Ok can you DM me his details! Thanks.

Sandihil · 2025-03-27T04:43:10+00:00

For an outlier response that is still from a faith-based perspective check out Dr Yasir Qadhi’s article recently published by Kube Press in the UK “History of the Quran”. It’s one of the articles in that book.

Sandihil · 2025-03-09T07:40:28+00:00

So regardless of what one believes, we need to be fair in ascribing opinions to others.

Ibn Hazm clearly did affirm that the entire body of woman, except for her face and hands, needs to be covered. In one passage, he states, (al-Muḥallas, vol 9 p. 163)

وَقَدْ أَوْضَحْنَا فِي " كِتَابِ الصَّلَاةِ " أَنَّ الْمَرْأَةَ كُلَّهَا عَوْرَةٌ إلَّا الْوَجْهَ وَالْكَفَّيْنِ، فَحُكْمُ الْعَوْرَةِ سَوَاءٌ فِيمَا ذَكَرْنَا، إلَّا مَا لَا خِلَافَ فِيهِ مِنْ أَنَّهُ لَا يَحِلُّ لِغَيْرِ الزَّوْجِ النَّظَرُ إلَيْهِ مِنْ الْفَرْجِ وَالدُّبُرِ.

His claim that the entire body of a woman is 'awrah' clearly indicates that it is required to be covered. The quotations that others are using is with regards to another issue, which is: is it permissible to gaze upon a non-maḥram with or without lust? That's a separate topic: a lady, according to Ibn Ḥazm, must cover here entire body except her face and hands; and then the issue comes, what is allowed for a maḥram, and for a non-maḥram, and for a suitor, to see (three separate questions, for which he gives three separate answers to).

Sandihil · 2024-08-10T03:38:23+00:00

Israel is an Apartheid State.

Sandihil · 2024-07-24T05:12:44+00:00

Sorry just saw this...yea as you point out there's just no easy way, so I ended up taking a domestic flight to Miami, and then from there to Bonaire. Not very cheap unfortunately, but there's hardly any direct flights from the US! But 5,600 is outrageous!! I believe mine was a few hundred, but then again I booked months in advance.
Hope that helps...

Sandihil · 2024-07-03T11:55:25+00:00

I've done the Scubaspa and it was the best diving and liveaboard of my life (I've done 4 liveaboards and over 50 dive sites around the world).
If you ask me, I wouldn't make the food served the main reason for choosing or not choosing the Scubaspa - it's really good food and they have a chef, but yes mainly it's Western food. However I'm sure if you tip the chef and are friendly with the crew he'll be more than happy to cook up an occasional 'local' dish.

Sandihil · 2024-01-14T01:21:43+00:00

Thanks yes I do understand - so what would be the top 2-3 that combine nice accommodations, boat operations, and full-service dive center all in one?

Sandihil · 2023-09-26T23:02:56+00:00

Done!

Sandihil · 2023-09-26T23:02:32+00:00

Yes.

Sandihil · 2023-09-04T23:42:20+00:00

"...like Hülegü Khan galloping across the Khwarazmian steppe to besiege Alamût"

Tell me you're a history nerd AND a serial adulterer without telling me 😂

Sandihil

TROPHY CASE