Use this handy guide to easily dispute every normative claim Islam makes that violates modern liberal secular values. Using these rebuttals, you can justify virtually anything and make it seem like the Islamic scholarly tradition is on your side. With this guide you can undermine those pesky traditional Muslims and champion your reformist Islam all the while coming across as a nuanced and learned scholar in your own right.

Traditionalist: “There is consensus on this topic.”.

Modernist Rebuttal: “Actually, consensus is a highly contested issue.”.

Traditionalist: “These narrations are mutawatir (i.e., mass transmitted).”.

Modernist Rebuttal: “Actually, tawatur is a highly contested issue.”.

Traditionalist: “This is the relied upon view of the four Sunni schools.”.

Modernist Rebuttal: “We don’t have to limit ourselves to the schools because we live in a different context today.”.

Traditionalist: “This is an established position in one school.”.

Modernist Rebuttal: “Well, the majority of scholars say otherwise, so we can trash the minority position.”

Traditionalist: “This is the majority position.”.

Modernist Rebuttal: “Well, there is a minority position that says otherwise, so we can safely ignore the majority.”.

Traditionalist: “This ayah is qat`i (i.e., clear cut).”.

Modernist Rebuttal: “No it’s not.”.

Traditionalist: “This hadith is unequivocal.”.

Modernist Rebuttal:

“But it is an ahad hadith, so we can safely ignore it.”.