Scoring rubric
What the numbers mean.
Results reflect the selected methodology and ethical framework, not objective moral truth.
Equality
0 = full parity · 5 = severe inequalityMeasures the degree of gender, status, or religious parity in the narration. High scores indicate explicit inequality in rights, treatment, or legal standing.
No inequality; universal parity is explicit or implicit.
Minor asymmetry in roles or obligations without hierarchy.
Moderate differential treatment or expectations.
Clear hierarchy in rights, testimony, or legal standing.
Severe inequality in core rights or protections.
Extreme inequality: explicit subjugation or categorical exclusion.
Autonomy
0 = full agency · 5 = no agencyMeasures agency — the capacity of individuals to make choices about their own body, marriage, movement, or belief. High scores indicate suppression of self-determination.
Full personal agency; no external control over choices.
Light social expectation; choice remains broadly free.
Moderate pressure or normative constraint on choices.
Significant restriction on movement, marriage, or belief.
Near-total control over a major life domain.
Complete denial of bodily, marital, or cognitive autonomy.
Coercion
0 = no coercion · 5 = extreme coercionMeasures the use of force, threat, or punitive pressure to compel compliance. High scores indicate narrations that rely on fear, punishment, or compelled obedience.
No threat or compulsion; purely voluntary action.
Mild spiritual incentive or disapproval.
Explicit warning of consequences for non-compliance.
Direct threat of tangible punishment (social or legal).
Systematic punitive pressure across multiple domains.
Extreme coercion: violence, enslavement, or death as enforcement.
Violence
0 = no violence · 5 = extreme violenceMeasures physical harm, corporal punishment, or lethal force. High scores indicate narrations that prescribe or describe physical violence.
No physical harm; entirely non-violent.
Metaphorical or very mild physical correction.
Moderate corporal punishment (e.g. lashing).
Serious bodily harm prescribed or described.
Mutilation, amputation, or severe torture.
Lethal violence: execution, massacre, or warfare directive.
Patriarchy
0 = no patriarchal elements · 5 = deeply patriarchalMeasures male dominance in authority, lineage, or moral standing. High scores indicate narrations that centre male decision-making, control over women, or father-rule.
No male dominance; gender-neutral or egalitarian framing.
Minor traditional role differentiation without power imbalance.
Moderate male authority in family or religious matters.
Clear male control over marriage, divorce, or property.
Systemic male guardianship and restricted female authority.
Deep patriarchy: women as property, total male sovereignty.
Restriction
0 = no restriction · 5 = severe restrictionMeasures constraints on freedom of action, belief, expression, or movement. High scores indicate narrations that impose narrow behavioural or intellectual boundaries.
No constraints on behaviour, belief, or movement.
Light customary guidance; easily negotiable.
Moderate social or ritual boundaries.
Significant rules on dress, speech, or association.
Severe limits on public participation, travel, or dissent.
Total restriction: imprisonment, exclusion, or thought policing.
How to read the scores
- 0–1 — The dimension is essentially absent or minimal. Under most frameworks, this range is unremarkable.
- 2–3 — Moderate presence. Context matters: a reformist reading may contextualise a 3, while a UDHR reading will flag it.
- 4–5 — Severe or extreme presence. These are the narrations that generate the most divergence between frameworks.
- The same hadith can score very differently across frameworks because each lens weights the dimensions differently (see the Methodology page).
- Scores are descriptive, not normative. A high Violence score does not mean "this hadith is bad"; it means the narration contains or prescribes physical force, which the selected framework treats as ethically significant.