Why are some in Turkey discussing what Islam's sources should be? After all, Islam has been around for quite some time, and millions of Muslims are seemingly content with the way they understand and practice it. Yet, Quranists–a Turkish Muslim group critical of hadiths (believed-to-be sayings of the Prophet Muhammad), Islamic sects and many traditional teachings within Islam–do not buy into the popularity of traditional Islam.
Although questioning the authority of hadiths at least dates back to ninth century Mu'tazila thinker Nazzam, historically the orthodox view regards hadiths as the second most important source of Islam. Today, similar views are embraced by Muslims in many areas of the world, including Malaysia, India and the United States, although Turkish Quranists have no organic links to them.
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