WikiIslam:Writing Style Guide
It is often difficult for new editors at WikiIslam to understand what is or is not appropriate within articles. This page expands on the site's policies and guidelines concerning style, tone and content of its articles by providing a visual guide for editors.
Standardized Spellings
There are many acceptable phonetic spellings for different words that are translated or transliterated into English. However, WikiIslam editors should standardize spelling to use throughout the wiki. The following is a list of required spelling standardizations. Note: You should not standardize spelling in quotations, leave the quoted text as originally written. This table is subject to change to accommodate new words.
| WikiIslam Standard | Proper Noun | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Allah | Yes | God of the Quran |
| Quran | Yes | Central religious text (Holy book) of Islam |
| Hadith | No | Notable collections of words, actions, approvals and disapprovals of Muhammad during his life |
| Muhammad | Yes | Prophet of Islam |
| Abu Bakr | Yes | First caliph and best friend of Muhammad |
| Umar (ibn al-Khattab) | Yes | Second caliph and senior companion of Muhammad |
| Uthman (ibn Affan) | Yes | Third caliph, second cousin, and son-in-law of the Muhammad |
| Ali (ibn-Abi Talib) | Yes | Fourth caliph and Muhammad’s son-in-law |
| Tafsir | No | Exegesis – scholarly commentary on the Quran and hadith |
| Mufassir | No | Author of a Tafsir |
| Sunni | Yes | One of the two main branches of Islam |
| Shia | Yes | One of the two main branches of Islam |
| Aisha (bint Abu Bakr) | Yes | One of Muhammad’s wives, daughter of Abu Bakr |
| Khadijah (bint Khuwaylid) | Yes | One of Muhammad’s wives |
| Sawda (bint Zam’a) | Yes | One of Muhammad’s wives |
| Hafsa (bint Umar) | Yes | One of Muhammad’s wives |
| Zaynab (bint Khuzayma) | Yes | One of Muhammad’s wives |
| Hind (bint Abi Umayya) | Yes | One of Muhammad’s wives |
| Rayhana (bint Zayd) | Yes | One of Muhammad’s wives |
| Zaynab (bint Jahsh) | Yes | One of Muhammad’s wives |
| Juwayriyya (bint al-Harith) | Yes | One of Muhammad’s wives |
| Safiyya (bint Huyeiy) | Yes | One of Muhammad’s wives |
| Ramla (bint Abi Sufyan) | Yes | One of Muhammad’s wives |
| Maria al-Qibtiyya | Yes | One of Muhammad’s sex slaves / concubines |
| Maymuna (bint al-Harith) | Yes | One of Muhammad’s wives |
| Juwayriyya (bint al-Harith) | Yes | One of Muhammad’s wives |
| Fatimah | Yes | Muhammad’s youngest daughter, wife of Ali ibn-Abi Talib |
| Ahmadiyya | Yes | Islamic revival sect founded in Punjab |
| al-Bukhari | Yes | Islamic scholar who authored what is considered to be the most authentic hadith collection |
| al-Tabari | Yes | Islamic foremost Mufassir |
| al-Jalalayn | Yes | Classical tafsir of the Quran composed by Jalal ad-Din al-Mahalli |
| al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah | Yes | Biography of Muhammad |
| Jannah | No | Heaven |
| Jahanam | No | Hell |
| Huri | No | Heavenly virgins |
| Istishhad | No | Martyrdom |
| Shahid | No | Muslim martyr |
| Mecca | Yes | Holy city of Islam |
| Hajj | No | Greater holy pilgrimage in Islam |
| Umrah | No | Lesser holy pilgrimage in Islam |
| Kaaba | Yes | Building at the center of Masjid al-Haram in Mecca. Direction of Muslim prayers and destination of pilgrimage |
| Khitan | No | Circumcision |
| Najis | No | Ritually unclean or impure physically or spiritually |
| Fiqh | No | Islamic jurisprudence |
| Sahih | No | The denotation of a hadith is “authentic” |
| Hasan | No | The denotation of a hadith as “good” |
| Da’if | No | The denotation of a hadith as “weak” |
| Mutawatir | No | Hadith with multiple narrators |
| Ahaad | No | Non-Mutawatir hadith, usually narrated by one narrator |
| Sharia | No | Islamic canonical law based on Islamic scriptures |
| Hanafi | Yes | One of four religious Sunni Islamic schools of jurisprudence |
| Maliki | Yes | One of four religious Sunni Islamic schools of jurisprudence |
| Shafi’i | Yes | One of four religious Sunni Islamic schools of jurisprudence |
| Ja’fari | Yes | The religious Shia Islamic school of jurisprudence |
| Fatwa | No | Non-binding but authoritative legal ruling issued by qualified jurist |
| Sheikh | No | Honorific title for knowledgeable Islamic clergyman. |
| Imam | No | Someone who leads prayer |
| Mufti | No | Someone who can give jurisprudence judgements on religious matters |
| Ayatollah | No | Honorific title of Shia religious leader |
| Halal | No | Permissible in Islam |
| Haram | No | Impermissible in Islam |
| Makruh | No | Religiously disliked |
| Kafir | No | Infidel |
| Shirk | No | Idolatry or polytheism |
| Mushrik | No | Someone who commits shirk |
| Mulhid | No | Apostate, heretic, or atheist |
| Murtad | No | Denier (of Islam) |
| Aqidah | No | Creed |
| Zakat | No | Obligatory charity based on % wealth |
| Dawah | No | Islamic proselytizing |
Examples
The following tables provide examples of correct and incorrect style, tone and content. All of these examples are genuine edits that were either reverted or amended. Note that there may be some overlap in examples, and a sentence having an issue corrected does not mean the remaining sentence is free from error (it may have multiple issues).
Style & Tone
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|---|---|---|---|
1
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Dr. Omar Abdul Rehman’s article is clearly the most detailed, and we will use it as the basis for our rebuttal as it includes all the QEP nonsense of Drs' Keith Moore and Maurice Bucaille. | Dr. Omar Abdul Rehman’s article is clearly the most detailed, and we will use it as the basis for our analysis as it includes all the QEP claims of Drs' Keith Moore and Maurice Bucaille. | The harsh and unprofessional tone of the sentence has been replaced. |
2
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Because of this double standard, countries such as France, Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands have banned people concealing their identity in public completely. | Because of this conflicting standard, [...] | The term "double-standard" has been replaced with a more neutral word. |
3
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this is another of the absurd pseudo-scientific claims of the champion of Qur'anic Pseudo-Science, Maurice Bucaille. | this is another pseudo-scientific claim made by Maurice Bucaille. | Sarcasm, humor or insults should be avoided. |
4
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Aisha even started a war against her old enemy Ali, causing ten thousand Muslims to kill each other in one day. | Aisha began a war against Ali that resulted in ten thousand fatalities in one day. | Avoid writing in an emotional, dramatic style. State the facts and nothing else. |
5
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He isn't specific on the time frame, offering up a number of years but not definitely stating that it is exact. He doesn't mention any names, fails to mention where these events take place, and doesn't state when this story happened. | He is not specific on the time frame, offering a number of years but nothing definitive. He does not mention any names, fails to mention where these events took place, and does not state when this story happened. | Do not use contracted forms (e.g. "doesn't", "isn't") when you should use "is not", "does not" etc. |
6
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So how, we must ask, is the early universe anything like "smoke"? | There is no similarities between the early universe and smoke. | The use of first or second person in writing ("we" and addressing the reader) should be avoided. Either reword or remove these sections. |
Content
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7
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The Qur'an relates that God has woken the sleepers as a way to test who could calculate the length of their stay the best. | The Qur'an relates that Allah has woken the sleepers as a way to test who could calculate the length of their stay the best. | When referring to Islam's deity, always use his proper name (i.e. Allah) rather than the generic English term "God" (or the Arabic equivalent "Illah"). |
8
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Hiding your identity in public this way is completely legal in many western countries, whilst other face coverings such as balaclavas, masks, and motorcycle helmets will quickly get the wearer arrested if worn in a public place. | Hiding your identity in public this way is legal in many countries [...] | There is no reason for singling-out/providing undue attention to "western" countries when the issue being discussed applies equally to non-western countries. |
9
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The Gregorian calendar did not exist in Muhammad’s day, so reporting dates in Gregorian style is an anachronism. The Europeans used the Julian calendar, which was then only two or three days variant from the Gregorian. However, it will be convenient to compare Muhammad’s calendar with the one currently used by the majority of readers. | The Gregorian calendar did not exist in Muhammad’s day, so reporting dates in Gregorian style is an anachronism. However, it will be convenient to compare Muhammad’s calendar with the Gregorian calendar, which is internationally the most widely accepted and used civil calendar. | There is no reason to assume the target-audience are Europeans. In fact, while demographics vary from week to week, visitors from Africa and Asia often outnumber those from Europe or the United States. Material should be tailored to accommodate, as best as possible, a universal audience. |
10
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If this is the sort of thing Islamists are ready to propagate openly with the approval and endorsement of authorities, Universities and so many sponsors, then what other lies do they feed to children at Muslim schools, and to young adults at mosques? Why are so many of the non-Muslim governments and individuals who continue to perpetuate these myths via websites and forums so eager to appease Muslims and show that their culture produced superior inventions by taking rightful credits from other civilizations such as ancient China, ancient Rome, and pre-Islamic Egypt? | (avoid) | Opinionated rants are to be avoided. This is not an anti-jihad site or blog for airing ones frustrations concerning perceived wrongs in society. |
11
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Shahid (شَهيد , plural: شُهَداء šuhadā) is an Islamic term for a martyr. As with adultery and justice, the term martyr in Islam differs from the secular and Biblical definitions of the word. | Shahid (شَهيد , plural: شُهَداء šuhadā) is an Islamic term for a martyr. As with adultery and justice, the term martyr in Islam differs from the commonly agreed upon definitions of the word. | Commentary on other religious traditions should be avoided. In this case, the Christian (or even Buddhist and Hindu) definitions would likely mirror the secular ones, so it is unnecessary to make a distinction. |
12
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The fact that the earth is not flat has been known for thousands of years. The Rigveda of Hindus (1700 BC or older), The Ancient Greeks Pythagoras (570 - 495 BC), Aristotle (384 - 322 BC) and Hipparchus (190 - 120 BC) all knew this. The Indian astronomer and mathematician, Aryabhata (476 - 550 AD) knew this. | The fact that the earth is not flat has been known for thousands of years. The Ancient Greeks Pythagoras (570 - 495 BC), Aristotle (384 - 322 BC) and Hipparchus (190 - 120 BC) all knew this. The Indian astronomer and mathematician, Aryabhata (476 - 550 AD) knew this. | Positive and definitive claims about what other religious texts (Bible, Rigveda, etc.) say should be avoided because such texts are open to interpretation and our aim is to remain neutral towards them. The examples given are sufficient and already cover India, so mentioning the Rigveda is unnecessary. |
13
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Further, this apologist has ignored... | This argument also ignores... | WikiIslam is not an "interfaith" or "dialogue" site, so unless it is someone very notable for work outside of the Internet, responses should not be made to specific, usually obscure, web-based apologists. Instead responses should be made to the general arguments raised, if those arguments merit a response at all. |
14
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==Verses Claiming that Quran is Detailed== | ==Qur'anic Claim==
The Qur'an claims several times that it is a book explained in detail: |
Section headings do not form a part of the main text. They only indicate the general topic of that particular section, and should not contain information not found within its main text. So when choosing titles for headings and subheading, editors should avoid questions or long sentences. |
Presentation of Facts
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15
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Time would show that Aisha was confident, spirited, strong-willed and highly intelligent – she had indeed “some of the qualities of Khadijah”. | (avoid) | This sentence draws conclusions from text that can be debated. There are no hadiths that mention explicitly that Aisha was 'intelligent', 'strong willed' and so on. Report facts and not opinions and deductions. |
16
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he must have been a good stepfather to Hala and Hind, for they remained unswervingly loyal to him. | (avoid) | This sentence is drawing conclusions that are not present in the original text. Stepchildren remaining loyal could equally suggest that Muhammad was a strict and uncaring disciplinarian. But since neither conclusion is supported by facts, commenting on them should be avoided. |
17
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Juwayriya was sweet-natured, charming and as alluringly beautiful as a fairy; men became infatuated with her at first sight. | Juwayriya was described in some hadiths as "jinnya" which some dictionaries translate to "angel like". | An editor's own conclusions or exaggerations are being replaced with facts. |
Honorifics
This page explains polices concerning honorifics
Prophet, Christ or Lord
When discussing the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the first mention in an article and its conclusion should begin with the capitalized qualifier, Prophet, i.e. "The Prophet Muhammad". The same applies to any personal noun such as Jesus or Ganesha, (i.e. Jesus Christ" or "Lord Ganesha). This is because we need to be clear that we are discussing the religious figures named Muhammad, Jesus or Ganesha, and not another individual. Referring to Jesus as "Jesus Christ" does not make one a Christian, nor does referring to Muhammad as "Prophet Muhammad" make one a Muslim.
Shaykh, Imam, Saint or Doctor
Due to similar reasons, at least the first mention in an article should include the individual's religious title. For example, "Imam Bukhari" or "Shaykh Qaradawi". This is no different than referring to a saint or doctor as "Saint Patrick" or "Dr. Phil".
SAW, SWT, He, Him or Her
WikiIslam aims to be an objective platform, therefore additional religious honorifics such as "Muhammad (saw)" or "Allah (swt)" are not permitted in articles. The same applies to using an uppercase "H" in words such as "he", "him" or "her" in reference to deities of any religion. An exception to this rule would be the talk pages where users are free to use whatever form they feel comfortable with.
See Also
External Links
- Guidelines for Effective Professional and Academic Writing - University of Florida, Reviewed January 2013 (archived), http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wc063