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Joshua Little

@islamicorigins.bsky.social
935 followers 64 following 65 posts

Historian | Islamic origins, Hadith, textual criticism | Research Fellow at RUG | DPhil from Oxford | anti-imperialism, anti-Islamophobia islamicorigins.com

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Joshua Little @islamicorigins.bsky.social · 20/12/2025
I picked this up at a second-hand shop in rural Australia. It's probably a bit out of date now, but I'm still happy to have found it!
A copy of W. Montgomery Watt's 1974 book "The Majesty that was Islam"
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Joshua Little @islamicorigins.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Some Arabic students at my department made this fun video about breakfast in Taiwan and asked me to share it. My average breakfast comprises a single banana and a protein bar, so here I learned what I have been missing out on 😂 youtu.be/b9VXI3zerHc?...
youtu.be
اكتشاف سحر فطور تايوان: فوهانغ دو جيانغ|探索臺灣早餐的魅力:阜杭豆漿 🍴🍳
YouTube video by Ken Cheng
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Joshua Little @islamicorigins.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Drawn by a cheeky student of mine during the 10min break when I briefly left the classroom!
A drawing on a chalkboard of a female kangaroo with a joey in her pouch, accompanied by an Arabic approximation of the English word "kangaroo".
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shaunt @shaunvids.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
video www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyU5...
youtube.com
The War on Science
YouTube video by Shaun
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Joshua Little @islamicorigins.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
My new article for the Journal of the International Qur'anic Studies Association is now available online (open access): “On the Historicity of ʿUthmān’s Canonization of the Qur’an, Part 1: The State of the Field” www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...
degruyterbrill.com
On the Historicity of ʿUthmān’s Canonization of the Qur’an, Part 1: The State of the Field
The identity of the early Muslim ruler or statesman who canonized the underlying consonantal text ( rasm ) of the Qur’an has been heavily debated in Western scholarship for more than a century. On the...
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Joshua Little @islamicorigins.bsky.social · 10/08/2025
I received the proofs for a forthcoming article of mine in JIQSA. I've published a few articles before, but seeing my own words in that distinctive De Gruyter font was a new experience. It kind of came as a shock actually 😂
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Joshua Little @islamicorigins.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
New Blog Post: "Did Muhammad Exist? An Academic Response to a Popular Question" islamicorigins.com/did-muhammad...
islamicorigins.com
Did Muhammad Exist? An Academic Response to a Popular Question - Islamic Origins
The last two decades have seen a proliferation of publications variously questioning or outright denying the historical existence of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Although such views have gained pract...
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Joshua Little @islamicorigins.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
In an hour and a half (1pm Melbourne time), I am giving an online talk for the National Centre for Contemporary Islamic Studies at the University of Melbourne. "‘Compose the Qurʾan like Gabriel composed it’: Making sense of a misunderstood hadith" Attend here: www.eventbrite.com.au/e/compose-th...
eventbrite.com.au
‘Compose the Qur’ān like Gabriel composed it’: A misunderstood hadith
Dr Joshua Little discusses how the revisionist argument that the Qur'an was canonized by al-Hajjaj misunderstands this hadith.
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Terron P. @terodotus.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
We had a phenomenal and insightful conversation with Philip Wood about his book The Imam of the Christians. youtu.be/mt0PmDO8acU?...
youtu.be
The Imam of the Christians - Prof. Philip Wood
YouTube video by Sképsislamica
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GloQur – The Global Qur'an @gloqur.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
Taking place Wednesday, February 19, online! arts-ed.csu.edu.au/centres/cisa...
arts-ed.csu.edu.au
The Qur’ān and the Turkic World
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Tim O'Neill - History for Atheists @timoneill.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
Just uploaded to the History for Atheists video channel, my interview with Dr Nathan Johnstone on his book *The New Atheism, Myth and History* and bad anti-theistic historiography. www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X5b...
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Rurouni_Phoenix @rurouniphoenix.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
Just a reminder that on February 1st we will be hosting an AMA with @koutchoukalimar.bsky.social over at AcademicQuran. Looking forward to seeing you all there!
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Rurouni_Phoenix @rurouniphoenix.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
Post asking about @islamicorigins.bsky.social Joshua Little's thesis on the Hadith concerning Aisha's age on AcademicQuran the source for all things pertaining to Islamic Studies, the Quran, early Islam and Islamic history: www.reddit.com/r/AcademicQu...
reddit.com
From the AcademicQuran community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the AcademicQuran community
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Fatimid History @fatimid.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
Any Fatimid historian here so far? Just trying to get an idea about how popular our field is 🤭
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DoSSE Project @dosse-project.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
WE ARE HIRING - TWO RESEARCH ASSOCIATES FOR 15 MONTHS We are looking for someone who can use their expertise in ancient languages such as Coptic, Syriac, or Middle Persian to investigate late antique / early medieval sources for domestic slavery. Apply here: jobs.le.ac.uk/vacancies/11...
jobs.le.ac.uk
Research Associate (Domestic Slavery in Late Antiquity) - 2 positions available in Leicester | University of Leicester Recruitment Team
View details and apply for this Research Associate (Domestic Slavery in Late Antiquity) - 2 positions available vacancy in Leicester. Working as part of a collaborative and innovative researc...
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Joshua Little @islamicorigins.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
My favourite Islamic Studies podcast. Give the hosts a follow: @terodotus.bsky.social @roxannairani.bsky.social
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Rev Dr John Plus Dr Mary @revdrjohn.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
Excellent article on the Aisha Hadith, Sunni Orthodoxy, and Islamophobia by historian Joshua Little: islamicorigins.com/why-i-studie...
islamicorigins.com
Why I Studied the Aisha Hadith for my PhD: Some Reflections on Religious Interpretation, Sunni Orthodoxy, and Islamophobia - Islamic Origins
In late September of 2022, I passed the final exam (viva/defence) for my PhD at Oxford University, pending minor corrections. The subject of my thesis was the famous and controversial hadith about the...
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Marijn van Putten @phdnix.bsky.social · 05/01/2025
My current project is collecting a database of vocalised Quranic manuscripts, to study which reading traditions they reflect. A large number (likely the majority) do not represent any known reading traditions from the literary tradition. A thread on one such a reading type. 🧵
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Joshua Little @islamicorigins.bsky.social · 26/12/2024
Traditional Christmas Huntsman
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Juan Cole @jricole.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
Use code DGBHOLIDAY to get 30% off preorder of my new book, Rethinking the Qur'an in Late Antiquity www.degruyter.com/document/isb...
degruyter.com
Rethinking the Qur’ān in Late Antiquity
How the Qur’ān reflects on and responds to the regional cultural, religious and political currents swirling in Western Arabia and neighboring areas during the great war, 603-630, between the Roman and...
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Joshua Little @islamicorigins.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
I'm starting to see the appeal of musicals youtu.be/5JLX_QQEMRo?...
youtu.be
Chomsky v. Buckley: The Musical
YouTube video by Compassion Fatigue
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Marijn van Putten @phdnix.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
Ibn Muǧāhid is widely regarded as the canonizer of the seven reading traditions, but if you actually look at the ʾIsnāds through which people trace the readings he barely visible. How come? 🧵
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Yale Classics Library @yaleclassicslib.bsky.social · 16/12/2024
New volume of Al-ʿUṣūr al-Wusṭā: The Journal of Middle East Medievalists Vol. 32 (2024) journals.library.columbia.edu/index.php/al... @alusuralwusta.bsky.social #openaccess @medievalqabq.bsky.social
journal cover
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Rurouni_Phoenix @rurouniphoenix.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
Post announcing an upcoming AMA with Pre-Islamic poetry scholar Nathaniel Miller on AcademicQuran the source for all things pertaining to Islamic Studies, the Quran, early Islam and Islamic history: www.reddit.com/r/AcademicQu...
reddit.com
From the AcademicQuran community on Reddit: Upcoming AMA with Nathaniel Miller on December 17!
Explore this post and more from the AcademicQuran community
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Marijn van Putten @phdnix.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
NEW PUBLICATION: "The Evolution of Maghribī Vocalisation" in which I identify a large group of Kufi manuscripts that represent the canonical reading tradition of Warš ʿan Nāfiʿ, and explore how it is represented in their vocalisation. doi.org/10.1163/9789... 🧵
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Marijn van Putten @phdnix.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
NEW PUBLICATION: I was asked to write for the Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān the entry on Solecisms in the Qurʾān. I used the opportunity to talk about something other than the same tired old verses (Q4:162; Q6:70; Q20:63) doi.org/10.1163/1875-3922_EQO_EQCOM_062347
doi.org
Solecisms in the Qurʾān
"Solecisms in the Qurʾān" published on by Brill.
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chonkshonk @chonkshonk.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
Joshua Little on where biographical information in rijal literature comes from islamicorigins.com/revisiting-t...
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Fatimid History @fatimid.bsky.social · 01/12/2024
Link uni-erfurt.webex.com/meet/veranst...
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Rurouni_Phoenix @rurouniphoenix.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
Post featuring series of links to a podcast interview by Rob Wood with Joshua Little @islamicorigins.bsky.social on r/AcademicQuran the source for all things pertaining to Islamic studies, the Quran, early Islam and Islamic history: www.reddit.com/r/AcademicQu...
reddit.com
From the AcademicQuran community on Reddit: My Pod Interview with Dr. Little on Historical Muhammad
Explore this post and more from the AcademicQuran community
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Adam 👻Boo!rsi👻 @adambursi.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
Apparently there’s a 50% off sale this weekend at Edinburgh University Press, including my recent book **Traces of the Prophets: Relics and Sacred Spaces in Early Islam** The discount brings it down to a more reasonable, if still a bit much, $55. edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-traces-...
Book cover of Traces of the Prophets: Relics and Sacred Spaces in Early Islam, with illuminated manuscript image of the Prophet Muhammad’s tomb in Medina
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Joshua Little @islamicorigins.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
I recently went on the Church Coffee podcast to discuss the historical Muhammad: open.spotify.com/episode/2TaL...
open.spotify.com
Historical Muhammad with Dr. Little - Long Version
Church Coffee: Christianity, Conservatism and Culture · Episode
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Marijn van Putten @phdnix.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Just put up my post for the AMA that I'll do over at r/academicislam. I will only start answering questions tomorrow, but you can already start thinking about things to ask and post them! www.reddit.com/r/academicis...
reddit.com
From the academicislam community on Reddit: I'm a specialist of the linguistic history of the Quran, its manuscripts and its reading traditions. AMA.
Explore this post and more from the academicislam community
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Ramon Harvey @ramonharvey.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
The 50% off St Andrew's Day Sale is returning this weekend (Sat 30th Nov and Sunday 1st Dec). This would be a great time to pick up titles in Edinburgh Studies in Islamic Scripture and Theology. The deal should also apply to pre-orders. edinburghuniversitypress.com/series-edinb...
edinburghuniversitypress.com
Edinburgh Studies in Islamic Scripture and Theology
<h4>Publishes original studies on the Qur’an and Hadith as the scripture of Islam, their commentary literatures, and the diverse theological systems founded upon them</h4> <ul> <li>Reflects on theolog...
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Joshua Little @islamicorigins.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
A colleague recently pointed out to me that the Prophet’s wife Ṣafiyyah had a suspicious name: her name literally means “spoil of war”, and as it happens, she was reportedly taken by the Prophet as a spoil of war (i.e., a literal ṣafiyyah) on the day he conquered the Jewish settlement of Khaybar.
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Rurouni_Phoenix @rurouniphoenix.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Post announcing a free online version of Robert Hoyland’s Arabia and the Arabs on r/AcademicQuran the source for all things pertaining to Islamic studies, the Quran, early Islam and Islamic history: www.reddit.com/r/AcademicQu...
reddit.com
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Matthew J Kuiper @matthewjkuiper.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
“The Gaza Strip is a graveyard for thousands of children, the United Nations has said. Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 17,400 children in Gaza, according to Palestinian officials. That is one child killed every 30 minutes.” www.aljazeera.com/news/longfor...
aljazeera.com
An A-Z of the children Israel killed in Gaza
Israeli attacks have killed at least 17,400 children in Gaza. That is one child killed every 30 minutes.
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Joshua Little @islamicorigins.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
Currently thinking about the origins of the famous "black banners" theme in Hadith, and exploring reports of the earliest use of black banners by rebels and revolutionaries against the Umayyads.
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Adam 👻Boo!rsi👻 @adambursi.bsky.social · 30/07/2024
A project long in the making: an Open Access collection of translated Arabic and Persian texts from c.600-1500 CE on varied aspects of sensory history throughout the Islamic world. Includes Qur’an, hadith, al-Jāḥiẓ, Ibn Sīnā, al-Ghazālī, Rūmī & many more t.co/eRir2mywLl
t.co
Islamic Sensory History
"Islamic Sensory History" published on 25 Jul 2024 by Brill.
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Middle East Medievalists @mideastmedieval.bsky.social · 17/11/2024
What more could you want from the Middle East Medievalists Bluesky than a Middle East Medievalists starter pack? Connect with Middle East Medievalists MEMbers on Bluesky. If you are a MEMber of MEM and want to be included, let us know. go.bsky.app/PFgkbsW
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Joshua Little @islamicorigins.bsky.social · 17/11/2024
I was on public transport for a few hours today, without my computer; and so, without anything better to do, I ended up drafting the title, outline, and introduction for a new journal article my phone. (I've done the necessary collation and ICMA work for it already.)
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Adam 👻Boo!rsi👻 @adambursi.bsky.social · 16/11/2024
A really interesting recent article: it gives several convincing examples of deliberate alterations made to the wordings of hadiths, caused by differences in theology and doctrine among Muslim groups of the first centuries, such as the Shīʿa, Ahl al-Raʾy, and Muʿtazila
iupress.istanbul.edu.tr
“Don’t You Ever Say a Word About Him!”: Ḥadīth Scholars and Censorship in Early Islamic History
İstanbul Üniversitesi Yayın Projesi
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Tim O'Neill - History for Atheists @timoneill.bsky.social · 16/11/2024
Many people have strong views about the Great Library of Alexandria, and they let these be known on social media. This is despite the fact what they think they know about this subject is lagely garbage. No, it was not the sole repository of ancient knowledge. No, it was not as large as pop ...
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Rurouni_Phoenix @rurouniphoenix.bsky.social · 16/11/2024
If you are into academic Islamic/Quranic studies, you owe it to yourself to follow @chonkshonk.bsky.social . He's my partner in crime on r/AcademicQuran and always has a lot of excellent insights and reblogs cool stuff. Follow him, or I'm going to go to your house and make you feel unsafe. Loljk
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Joshua Little @islamicorigins.bsky.social · 16/11/2024
Working on: 1. The identity of the Quran's canonizer. Keep thinking about: 2. The origins and development of Hadith criticism.
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