In the review, reliable sources say the same, and no serious source to the contrary has been recorded.
Provisional explanationHow we work
We do not ask you to trust us. We show you the way.
This page says where a claim on Siraj comes from and who decides about it. It says what the source status means and what it does not mean. And it says what happens if you find a mistake.
The path of a claim
From the claim to the version you read, every step is recorded.
No text goes straight from a writer or from AI to the site.
Source status
Eight labels. Each one sums up a review.
The label is chosen by the person who publishes the article, and that person writes down the reason too. No score and no model sets it automatically.
The source status is not a percentage of truth
The source status says what a review concluded. It does not say how true a statement is, and it is not a final religious ruling either. The explanations below are provisional: we have not yet decided on the exact definition of the labels or on how to object to them.
Source status: Confirmed Source status: Supported by reliable sources Reliable sources say the same. Opposing views have also been recorded, and you see them beside it.
Provisional explanationSource status: Disputed Reliable sources or reviewers disagree about this claim. We have not hidden this disagreement.
Provisional explanationSource status: Not enough sources The sources recorded are not enough to reach a conclusion about this claim.
Provisional explanationSource status: Outdated The source or its information is out of date and must be checked again.
Provisional explanationSource status: Misleading Part of this claim is right, but it is put in a way that gives a false picture.
Provisional explanationSource status: False The sources recorded say the opposite of this claim.
Provisional explanationSource status: Needs a human specialist An expert in this very field must give a view before a conclusion can be reached.
Provisional explanation
Source score
Six factors for weighing the sources, not for weighing the truth.
To see which claim is better sourced, reviewers use an internal score. In the normal case, the share of each factor is:
- Authority of the source 30 of 100
Is the source primary or official, or reliable and well known in its own field?
- It says just this 25 of 100
Does the source, at the very place we cite, say the same thing the claim says?
- Independent sources 15 of 100
Do sources that do not depend on each other say the same thing?
- Freshness 10 of 100
Are the source and its check still fresh?
- Agreement of reviewers 10 of 100
Do the reviewers agree about the quality of the sources?
- Accuracy of translation 10 of 100
Does the translation say what the original text says?
This score does not say how true a statement is
A high score means the claim is well sourced, not that it is certainly true. A low score does not mean it is wrong either. The value and the explanation of each factor are recorded so the score can be checked again. This score is never shown anywhere as a “percentage of truth”.
Kinds of claim
We weigh each claim by its own measure.
A historical claim is not tested in a laboratory, and a claim of belief is not tested with statistics. The kind of each claim is recorded beside it, so that it is clear what sort of source it must have.
Scientific
It is weighed by observation, data and experiment. Its source must be reliable research, not the word of a famous person.
Historical
It rests on documents, first-hand reports and source criticism. Accounts that do not agree stand side by side.
Philosophical
It is weighed by argument, not by experiment. Its premises and its serious criticisms are recorded.
Theological
It has meaning within the sources and beliefs of one religion or school, and it is given under that name.
Ethical
It is a judgement about good and bad. We say what it rests on and what the other views are.
Cannot be tested
An experiment can neither confirm it nor refute it. Siraj says so clearly and does not present such a claim as scientific or proven.
Fixed rules
Four rules that no hurry sets aside.
AI only makes proposals
Each time AI checks a text, its result is linked to one specific version. It does not change the site’s text, it does not publish, and it does not have the last word.
- For each check we record which model, with which instructions, which sources it saw, how much it cost and how long it took, and what result it gave.
- Accepting or rejecting each proposal is up to a person, and it is recorded.
- We do not trust texts on the internet. They cannot give instructions to the AI.
A published version does not change
A correction means a new version. The earlier version stays, marked “superseded”, so that it is clear what changed, when and why.
- Every important change is recorded: who, when, before and after, why, which review took place and who approved it.
- Whatever is deleted is set aside, not destroyed. Important scholarly texts are never erased for good.
- We keep sacred text, hadith and official fatwas exactly as in their source and do not edit them. If a correction is needed, a new version is made.
Sensitive work is never done by one person alone
No one approves or publishes their own sensitive article. Wherever a mistake is costly, a second, independent person is needed.
- An author cannot approve or publish their own article, unless its topic is of low sensitivity.
- Fatwas, the reliability of hadith, disputed history, accusations, politics, war, takfir, violence, sacred text, medicine and financial topics all need a person’s approval.
- A comparison needs at least two independent experts and, for each school or religion in it, an expert who knows that very one.
- Access to the protected sections, and taking an article off the site at once, both need the approval of a second person.
- There is one exception: reference texts, such as the text of the Quran, are approved for now by the owner of Siraj alone, and no second person reviews them. The text comes in exactly as in its source, and its code is compared with the code of the source.
We do not hide disagreement
Siraj does not hide disagreement between sources, reviewers, schools, religions or AI checks. Nor does it turn it into a sentence in the middle.
- Each source has its relation to the claim: supporting source, opposing view, more context, or the source’s exact words.
- A disagreement between reviewers is published as a note that a person has approved, with the views side by side in it.
- A conclusion from the Twelver Shia view, wherever it comes, comes by name and does not take the place of the other view.
- Being seen a lot, being liked and having many followers make nothing reliable.
Corrections
Found a mistake? Tell us from that very page.
On the page of every article there is a “Found a mistake? Tell us” button. Your message is linked to the very version you are reading, and a person reads it. If a correction is needed, a new version is published and the correction note stays on the page of that article. Your message does not change or hide the text of the site by itself.
Taking messages: OpenReaders can send a message about one specific version, without giving any personal information.
Privacy
Your beliefs, and what you read, are your own.
Siraj does not guess anyone’s religious beliefs, and it asks for no account to read.
Reading, on your own device
Saved articles and “Continue reading” stay in your browser only. Your religious reading history is not sent to Siraj, and you need no account.
SavedYour location, only with your permission
Prayer times and the qibla are calculated on your device. Your location is read only when you press its button yourself, and it is kept nowhere.
Prayer times and qiblaMessages, without personal information
When you send a message about a mistake, your name, email or internet address is not kept. You get a reference code instead. Please do not write personal information in the message either.
Recitation of the Quran, from another site
The sound of the recitation plays from the site cdn.islamic.network (Al Quran Cloud). Until you press play, no request goes there. When you press it, your device connects directly to that site, and that site sees your device’s internet address.
Quran
This page shows the 8 labels and the 6 kinds of claim as they are defined on Siraj. The official legal text is not published yet. See its status in “About Siraj”.