extent of the Khazar conversion

the almighty God wikipedia has this to say about the conversion of the Khazars:

the almighty God wikipedia said:
At some point in the last decades of the 8th century or the early 9th century, the Khazar royalty and nobility converted to Judaism, and part of the general population followed.[7] The extent of the conversion is debated. Ibn al-Faqih reported in the 10th century that "all the Khazars are Jews." Notwithstanding this statement, some scholars believe that only the upper classes converted to Judaism; there is some support for this in contemporary Muslim texts.[8] However, recent archeological excavations have uncovered widespread shifts in burial practices. Around the mid-800s burials in Khazaria began to take on a decidedly Jewish flavor. Grave goods disappeared almost altogether. Judging by interment evidence, by 950 Judaism had become widespread among all classes of Khazar society.

judging from this, would it be considered crazy to assume that many if not most Khazars converted to Judaism? I know the consensus on this forum (judging from past threads) is that the Khazar conversion was limited. However, this depends on what source you choose to believe. That archaeological evidence suggests that conversion may have indeed been more widespread, so do you think it was possible that many of the Khazars converted, and not just the upper class?
 
I think it really does depend on what sources you use. Ibn al-Faqih for example (as you say) said that all converted, which must be taken with a huge grain of salt. but it is far from definitively established who is right, whether just the aristocracy converted or if some of the lower classes followed... so either belief should be acceptable.... and for the sake of my timeline I hope people agree.


interestingly, the same kind of debate exists for the history of Kiev, although on a lesser scale. some historians point to Oleg's conquering of the city in 882, but the Kievian and Schechter Letters point to a ~920s capture of Kiev. so that really depends on which source you take to be more credible, which is up to individual discretion.
 
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