Critiquing Islam 2.0

According to the best available evidence, what is the truth about islam?

Here is a fact-based summary of Islam, grounded in primary sources (Qur’an, Hadith, early historical records) and modern academic research. No opinions, interpretations, or theories—only verifiable facts.

🕌 1. Origins and Founder

Founder: Muhammad ibn Abdullah (570–632 CE), born in Mecca, Arabia.
Claim: Received revelations from God (Allah) via the angel Jibril (Gabriel) starting in 610 CE.
Key Event: The Hijra (migration) to Medina in 622 CE marks the start of the Islamic calendar.
Death: 632 CE in Medina; buried in the Prophet's Mosque.

Sources: Qur’an; Sira by Ibn Ishaq (earliest surviving biography, written c. 100+ years after Muhammad’s death); Hadith collections.

📜 2. Foundational Texts

The Qur’an

Believed to be the verbatim word of Allah.
Final form compiled under Caliph Uthman (~650 CE).
No full manuscript from Muhammad’s lifetime.
Oldest manuscripts: Birmingham fragments (dated 568–645 CE), Sana'a palimpsest, Topkapi and Samarkand codices.

Hadith

Sayings and actions of Muhammad, compiled 150–250 years after his death.
Sunni canon includes Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, etc.
Shia canon includes Al-Kafi and others.
Subject to isnad (chain of transmission) and matn (content) analysis.

🧭 3. Core Beliefs (Iman)

Tawhid: Absolute monotheism.
Prophets: Finality of Muhammad (Khatam an-Nabiyyin – Qur’an 33:40).
Books: Qur’an is the final and perfect revelation.
Angels: Belief in angels like Gabriel.
Day of Judgment: Accountability in the afterlife.
Divine Decree: Allah’s will is supreme.

🕋 4. Core Practices (Sunni – Five Pillars)

Shahada: Testimony of faith.
Salah: 5 daily prayers (Qur’an 11:114).
Zakat: Almsgiving (Qur’an 9:60).
Sawm: Fasting during Ramadan (Qur’an 2:183).
Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca (Qur’an 3:97).

📚 5. Islamic Law (Sharia)

Derived from:

Qur’an
Hadith/Sunnah
Ijma (consensus)
Qiyas (analogy)

Hudud Crimes (fixed punishments):

Theft: Amputation (Qur’an 5:38)
Adultery: 100 lashes (Qur’an 24:2); stoning added via Hadith
Apostasy: Death (Hadith, e.g., Bukhari 9:83:17)
Alcohol: Lashes (Hadith)

⚔️ 6. Jihad

Greater Jihad: Personal spiritual struggle (Sufi-influenced).
Lesser Jihad: Armed struggle (predominant in classical jurisprudence).

Key Verses:

Qur’an 9:5 – “Kill the polytheists wherever you find them...”
Qur’an 9:29 – Fight People of the Book until they pay jizya.
Hadith – “I have been commanded to fight the people...” (Sahih Muslim 20:4696)

👩 7. Women’s Legal Status

Inheritance: Half of a man’s share (Qur’an 4:11)
Testimony: Two women = one man (Qur’an 2:282)
Polygamy: Up to four wives allowed (Qur’an 4:3)
Beating: Permitted under certain conditions (Qur’an 4:34)
Veiling: Instructed in Qur’an 24:31 and 33:59

🤝 8. Non-Muslims Under Islam

Dhimmi Status: Jews and Christians tolerated under Islamic rule.
- Must pay jizya (Qur’an 9:29)
- Not allowed to build new places of worship in some periods
- Social and legal inferiority recorded in classical fiqh
Apostasy/Blasphemy:
- Qur’an: No clear worldly punishment
- Hadith and classical scholars: Death penalty
- Still enforced in some modern Muslim countries (e.g., Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan)

👥 9. Slavery in Islam

Permitted in Qur’an: 4:3, 4:24, 24:33, 70:30
Female captives may be used for sex (ma malakat aymanukum)
Encouraged manumission as expiation for sins (Qur’an 90:13)
Practiced throughout Islamic history; abolished only under modern external pressure (e.g., Saudi Arabia in 1962)

🌍 10. Global Demographics (2024)

Total Muslims: ~2 billion
Sunni: ~85–90%
Shia: ~10–15%
Largest populations:\n - Indonesia (~230M)\n - Pakistan (~220M)\n - India (~200M)\n - Bangladesh (~150M)\n - Nigeria, Egypt, Turkey, and Iran also in top ten

📜 11. Manuscript Evidence

Birmingham Fragments: Radiocarbon dated 568–645 CE.
Sana’a Manuscript: Contains textual variants underneath standard text.
Standardization: Uthmanic codex (~650 CE) became dominant.
Variants: Early Islamic texts were not entirely uniform; evidence of textual evolution.

✅ Conclusion

The core facts of Islam are well-documented and preserved in its own texts and historical records. Islam began as a 7th-century Arabian religious movement and rapidly grew into a global empire. Its laws, ethics, and worldview are rooted in the Qur’an and Hadith, with implications for belief, governance, and social relations.

This is Islam by the evidence—no conjecture, no interpretation—just the facts.