Choose a series, then follow its articles in reading order. This guide updates automatically when an article is published or renamed.
Life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
Follow the life of Prophet Muhammad from the Arabian setting and early preaching through Madinah and the final pilgrimage.
Browse this category · 70 published articles
- Part 1 – Jahiliyyah: Understanding Pre-Islamic Arabia
- Part 2 – Shepherding as a Metaphor for Prophethood
- Part 3 – Prophet Muhammad’s Marriage to Khadijah: Partnership, Sources and Context
- Part 4 – Hanifs: Monotheism in Pre-Islamic Arabia
- Part 5 – Traditions of the Pre-Islamic Arab World
- Part 6 – The First Revelation in the Cave of Hira
- Part 7 – The Early Private Call and the First Muslims
- Part 8 – The Public Call at Safa and Early Opposition
- Part 9 – The Warning at Mount Safa and Abu Lahab’s Response
- Part 10 – Quraysh’s Objections and Attempts at Compromise
- Part 11 – Ridicule, Accusations and Demands for Signs
- Part 12 – The Public Invitation and Quraysh’s Response
- Part 13 – Persecution and torture of the early companions
- Part 14 – The Prophet’s Public Call and Quraysh Opposition
- Part 15 – Migration to Abyssinia
- Part 16 – Early Muslims Who Stood Firm Under Pressure
- Part 17 – The Conversions of Hamza and Umar
- Part 18 – Boycott
- Part 19 – The Year of Sorrow and the Journey to Taif
- Part 20 – Al-Isra and al-Miraj: The Night Journey and Ascension
- Part 21 – In search of new land
- Part 22 – The Ansar: Hosts and Partners in Madinah
- Part 23 – “I am yours, you are mine” – The Second Oath of Aqaba
- Part 24 – The Companions’ Migration to Madinah
- Part 25 – The Prophet Muhammad’s Migration to Medina
- Part 26 – Yathrib is Medina
- Part 27 – Construction of the Prophet’s Mosque
- Part 28 – Brotherhood Between the Muhajirun and Ansar
- Part 29 – Medina Charter
- Part 30 – Formation of the Muslim army
- Part 31 – Days in Medina
- Part 32 – Permission to Fight and the Ethics of Armed Conflict
- Part 33 – Background and Preparations for the Battle of Badr (1)
- Part 34 – On the Eve of the Battle of Badr
- Part 35 – On the battlefield of Badr
- Part 36 – Badr: Umayya ibn Khalaf and the Human Cost of Conflict
- Part 37 – Badr’s teachings and influence
- Part 38 – Madinah’s Jewish Communities and Early Political Tensions
- Part 39 – Between Badr and Uhud: A Community Under Pressure
- Part 40 – The Battle of Uhud: Course and Turning Point
- Part 41 – Sudden disaster on the battlefield of Uhud
- Part 42 – The Martyrs of Uhud
- Part 43 – Lessons of Uhud: Discipline, Loss and Recovery
- Part 44 – After Uhud: Loss, Recovery and Hamra al-Asad
- Part 45 – The expedition of Banu Nazir
- Part 46 – Ifk incident
- Part 47 – Siege of Medina – Battle of the Trench
- Part 48 – Defeat of the Allied forces
- Part 49 – The fate of Banu Qurayza
- Part 50 – Zaynab bint Jahsh, Zayd and the Reform of Adoption
- Part 51 – The campaign of the 6th Hijri
- Part 52 – Bayatur Ridwan
- Part 53 – The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah: A Difficult Peace
- Part 54 – Battle of Khyber
- Part 55 – After Khaybar: Safiyya, Agreements and the Return to Madinah
- Part 56 – Letter to the international community
- Part 57 – Battle of Mu’ta
- Part 58 – The Road to the Conquest of Makkah
- Part 59 – Conquest of Mecca
- Part 60 – Events following the conquest of Mecca
- Part 61 – Battle of Hunayn
- Part 62 – The Siege of Ta’if After Hunayn
- Part 63 – Background to the Battle of Tabuk
- Part 64 – The Battle of Tabuk in the Eyes of the Quran
- Part 65 – Some events of the Battle of Tabuk
- Part 66 – The incident of Ka’b ibn Malik
- Part 67 – Some events of the 9th year of Hijri
- Part 68 – Year of the delegation
- Part 69 – Farewell Hajj
- Part 70 – The Final Years of Prophet Muhammad’s Life
Abu Bakr al-Siddiq
Read the available Abu Bakr al-Siddiq episodes on succession, community leadership and the early caliphate. This collection begins with Episode 6; Episodes 1-5 are not published on this site.
Browse this category · 12 published articles
- Episode 6 – Abu Bakr at the Prophet’s Death
- Episode 7 – Abu Bakr’s Succession After the Prophet’s Death
- Episode 8 – The Beginning of the Caliphate
- Episode 9 – The Prophet’s Estate and Abu Bakr’s Decision
- Episode 10 – As-Siddiq – Usama’s army and the War of Apostasy
- Episode 11 – Abu Bakr and the Zakat Refusal
- Episode 12 – Abu Bakr and the Defeat of Musaylima
- Episode 13 – Abu Bakr and the Battle of Yamama
- Episode 14 – As-Siddiq – The Beginning of the Persian Campaign
- Episode 15 – As-Siddiq – The Beginning of the Sham Campaign
- Episode 16 – As-Siddiq – Battle of Yarmuk
- Episode 17 – As-Siddiq – Farewell, O Siddiqui
Umar ibn al-Khattab
Follow Umar ibn al-Khattab from early life to public leadership, welfare, administration and his final years.
Browse this category · 26 published articles
- Episode 1 – Al-Farooq – Introduction
- Episode 2 – Al-Farooq – Early Life and Conversion to Islam
- Episode 3 – Umar’s Migration to Madinah: Evidence and Lessons
- Episode 4 – Al-Farooq Umar’s passion for knowledge
- Episode 5 – Umar in the Prophet’s Major Campaigns and Treaties
- Episode 6 – Al-Faruq Umar’s Madani Life with the Prophet
- Episode 7 – Umar’s Virtues in Authenticated Reports
- Episode 8 – Umar During Abu Bakr’s Caliphate
- Episode 9 – Umar ibn al-Khattab Becomes Caliph
- Episode 10 – Al-Faruq Life of Non-Muslims under Umar
- Episode 11 – Al-Faruq Characteristics of Umar as a Caliph
- Episode 12 – Umar’s Family Life: Responsibility and Public Trust
- Episode 13 – Umar’s Approach to Social Responsibility
- Episode 14 – Umar’s Night Patrols and Public Accountability – Part 1
- Episode 15 – Al-Farooq Omar’s Night Patrol Story – Part 2
- Episode 16 – Umar on Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong
- Episode 17 – Al-Farooq Plague and Famine
- Episode 18 – Umar’s Economic Administration and Public Revenue
- Episode 19 – Al-Faruq Description of Umar’s Governors
- Episode 20 – Umar’s Oversight of Governors and Public Administration
- Episode 21 – Umar’s Caliphate and the Early Muslim Conquests
- Episode 22 – The Road to al-Qadisiyyah: Strategy and Command
- Episode 23 – The Battle of al-Qadisiyyah: Evidence and Memory
- Episode 24 – Umar’s Caliphate and the Byzantine Front
- Episode 25 – Al-Farooq Miscellaneous Matters of the Caliphate
- Episode 26 – Umar’s Final Days and the Succession Council
Amazon Series
Explore the Amazon region and the histories of the Maya, Aztec and Inca, with attention to evidence and the limits of popular claims.
Browse this category · 5 published articles
The Secrets of the Universe
Read discussions of Quranic interpretation, the unseen and modern scientific ideas. Articles distinguish scripture, later traditions and speculation.
Browse this category · 13 published articles
- Ali ibn Abi Talib and Later Portal Traditions
- Surah Al-Kahf: Major Themes and Interpretations
- Dajjal’s Water and Modern Portal Interpretations
- Surah Al-Kahf, Prophets and Portal Interpretations
- Ibn Abbas and Quranic Interpretations of the Earth
- Solomon’s Portals in Later Religious Traditions
- Moses and Al-Khidr in the Quranic Narrative
- Dajjal, Yajuj and Majuj, Dhul-Qarnayn and Surah Al-Kahf
- Deja Vu, Parallel Worlds and Quranic Interpretation
- Dimensions in Quranic Interpretation and Modern Speculation
- The Divine Throne and Creation in Islamic Cosmology
- Angels Associated with the Divine Throne in Islamic Tradition
- The Meaning of Alamin (Worlds) in Islamic Thought
40,000 Years of Knowledge
Explore creation, angels, jinn and questions at the meeting point of religious interpretation and history. New chapters appear here when published.
Browse this category · 18 published articles
- Creation and the Seven Heavens in Islamic Thought
- Angels in Islam: Belief, Roles and Scriptural Sources
- Jinn in Islam: Beliefs, Terminology and Sources (Part 1)
- Iblis and the Qareen: Temptation, Responsibility and Reassurance (Part 2)
- Seven Earths in the Quran: Classical Interpretations and Modern Questions
- What Is the Ruh? Adam’s Creation and the Soul in the Quran
- Human Evolution and Adam in Islam: Evidence, Boundaries and Open Questions
- Language in the Quran: Adam, Human Speech and What Science Can—and Cannot—Show
- Habil and Qabil in the Quran: The First Murder, Burial and Archaeological Evidence
- Cave Art, Idris and the Book of Enoch: What the Evidence Actually Says
- Noah’s Ark in the Quran: Revelation, Tradition and Responsible Questions
- Was Noah’s Flood Global? Quranic Language, Geology and Flood Traditions
- Aad, Iram and Prophet Hud: What the Quran and Archaeology Show
- Thamud and Prophet Salih: The Quranic Account and the Archaeology of al-Hijr
- Prophet Ibrahim and Ancient Mesopotamia: Quran, Sumer and the Limits of History
- Ibrahim and Nimrod in Islam: What the Quran Says—and What History Cannot Confirm
- Prophet Lut in the Quran: His Guests, His People and the Search for Sodom
- Meteors in the Quran: Airbursts, Shooting Stars and the Story of Lut