Contributor Guidelines

These guidelines explain how to contribute to Islam.wiki — from fixing a typo to writing a complete biography. Every contribution, large or small, helps build the most comprehensive Islamic reference on the internet.

Before You Start

Create a free account at /auth/register. Verify your email. All new accounts start at Trust Level 0, meaning every edit goes through review before going live. This is not a barrier — it is how we maintain quality. Your first few well-sourced edits will move you to Trust Level 1 quickly.

What Makes a Good Edit

Every edit should improve accuracy, clarity, or completeness. Good edits include: correcting a factual error with a source, adding a missing hadith reference, expanding a scholar biography with verified dates and works, improving Arabic transliteration accuracy, adding Indonesian translations, or fixing a grammatical error. Bad edits include: unsourced claims, personal opinions, content from questionable sources, and content that contradicts Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah scholarship.

Sourcing Standards

Every factual claim must be verifiable. For hadith: cite collection, book, and number (e.g., Sahih Bukhari, Book 1, Hadith 1). For scholar biographies: cite a classical biographical dictionary (al-Dhahabi's Siyar A'lam al-Nubala, Ibn Khallikan's Wafayat al-A'yan) or a reliable modern reference. For historical events: reference primary chronicles (al-Tabari's Tarikh, Ibn al-Athir's al-Kamil). Avoid Wikipedia as a primary source; use it only to find the primary sources it cites.

Theological Guidelines Summary

Islam.wiki follows the methodology of Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah. All four Sunni madhabs (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali) are represented fairly. In aqeedah, the Athari, Ash'ari, and Maturidi positions are all accepted. Content must not promote Ahmadiyya, Nation of Islam, or other groups outside the fold of Islam. Du'a to the dead is correctly identified as shirk. Tariqahs are presented accurately — their institutional form is not from the Quran, Sunnah, or Salaf. Articles about Shia groups follow per-sect academic analysis. When in doubt, present the classical Sunni scholarly consensus and note differences between madhabs where they exist.

Arabic and Transliteration

Arabic text should be copy-pasted from authoritative sources (printed Qurans, classical book scans). Do not type Arabic from memory. Transliteration should follow academic conventions: hamza ('ayn = 'a), dhad (d with underscore), ta marbuta (-ah). Common acceptable variants: "Umar" and "Omar", "Muhammad" and "Mohammed" — use the more academically common form as the primary and note variants. Always add dir="rtl" and the arabic-text CSS class to Arabic text blocks.

Formatting

Use Markdown for all content. Headers (##, ###) to structure long articles. Bold (**text**) for key terms on first use. Italic (text) for book titles and Arabic terms. Unordered lists for enumeration. Tables for comparative data (e.g., madhab positions). Keep paragraphs focused — one idea per paragraph. Aim for at least 300 words on any substantive topic.

How Review Works

At Trust Level 0, every edit is reviewed by a human moderator or AI pre-screening. AI screening flags obvious issues (sourcing gaps, theological concerns, formatting errors). Human moderators make the final call. Most good edits are approved within 24-48 hours. If your edit is rejected, you will see a note explaining why. Use that feedback to improve future contributions.

Reporting Errors

Use the flag icon on any page to report errors. For theological concerns, provide the specific claim you believe is wrong and the source supporting your correction. Flags are prioritized in the moderation queue. Persistent theological errors that affect multiple pages should be reported through the contact form so the editorial team can address them systematically.

What We Need Most

Current priority contribution areas: scholar biographies (especially Companions, Tabi'in, and hadith scholars), Quran tafsir summaries, article translations into Indonesian and Arabic, hadith context and fiqh implications, and historical event detail for the Seerah and Battles sections.