Should we make it a part of FAQ that all of the questions and answers should have citation needed either from Quran or Hadith? Please give your reviews. Thanks
5 Answers
The problem with this suggestion is that not all answers are necessarily solvable by citing a reference from Qur'an or hadith.
For example, in my question regarding Mormonism, it would be difficult to find a direct reference since Mormons plain did not exist during the time of the prophet. There may be plenty of scholarly debate on the topic, but if I'm limiting my answers only to those which directly cite the Qur'an or hadith, I may never get a chance to see them.
I would agree that the general practice should be to cite an official source when it both is possible to do so and makes sense for the question, but pushing it as a general rule doesn't help.
answered Jun 20, 2012 at 5:49
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3+1 - not everything requires a reference from the primary sources. For example if I asked you what Imam an-Nawawi's position was on something, I'd be looking for a reference from his works. The important thing is to add references back to the sources.– AnsariJun 20, 2012 at 18:22
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I came here after reading this answer which seems like a comment than a proper answer. So this site currently doesn't have a 'cite sources' rule? The question you asked on Mormonism does have a couple of answer with references so probably is not a good example of what you are suggesting here.– user24276Nov 12, 2019 at 21:28
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@sv. Comments should never be used to answer questions, and an answer without sources or references is still an answer. Whether it's a good answer or a bad answer is up to the community to decide, that's what votes are for.– goldPseudo ModNov 13, 2019 at 1:46
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I understand how voting generally works on SE sites. I think you are implying that this site currently doesn't have or follow the 'cite sources' rule. Maybe the community here could revisit this policy and establish a minimum quality standard so answers here can actually be verified against some source. Otherwise casual readers like me cannot trust what's written on this site. Just a thought.– user24276Nov 13, 2019 at 1:59
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@sv. If you feel that's a policy worth adopting, go ahead and collect your arguments into a new meta post to propose it; that's exactly what meta is for.– goldPseudo ModNov 13, 2019 at 2:05
To keep it short and sweet we will make a rule something like this
Where ever it is possible to cite a source do so and encourage others to follow
I think it makes sense for answers, but I am not so sure about the questions. I don't think it should be a requirement for questions, but it can be encouraged.
We should absolutely request references as much as possible. Islam is a religion of knowledge and one built upon knowledge. Therefore, I propose highly encouraging citing references as much as possible.
I consider the following as valid references, since everybody is at a different level:
- Verses of Qur'an
- *Ahadith of rasulullah
- Statements of companions
- Statements of scholars
- Fatawa (eg. Islam-QA)
- Notes from classes, lectures, etc.
The latter group of these allows us to still cite proofs even though the methodology of deriving the proof may be beyond our current understanding. That doesn't negate the proof.
I would recommend encouraging people to look things up and source things if they have proofs that are not strong (eg. statement of a parent, friend, or random person).
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What about my case. I know some of the answers, as I have been told by scholars, but do no remember their exact words, nor do I have any citation. As long as the answer is right, would it be okay?– DynamicJun 20, 2012 at 16:29
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@Dynamic google it. I'm sure you can find a similar source online somewhere. If not, well, your answer may not win– ashes999Jun 20, 2012 at 16:37
I don't think imposing such rules is necessary or helpful.
If an answer is good it is good, if it is bad it is bad, simply having citations to Quran or hadith is not a good indicator of the quality of an answer.
The acceptable sources will also be a source of disagreement, for example why not accept references to Muslim scholars and only accept citations to Quran and hadith? Which hadith are acceptable? etc. One can also make fake or irrelevant citations to get around the rule.
If you think an answer needs to cite sources to become a good answer that is fine, but I disagree with imposing it on other users as a policy. If you think an answers needs to be justified by giving references to sources then you can politely ask its author to provide references (or clearly state that it is personal opinion).
You are probably trying to make sure that the answers are not subjective personal opinions. The SE system already has methods and policies to deal with these issues, I am against making up additional restrictions on the kind of answers users can post until you demonstrate a need for them.
On the other hand, I am fine and would support encouraging users to try to support their answers by citing references (which should include not only Quran abd hadith but also other Islamic literature like works of Muslim scholars and experts).