THE HIJACKING OF ISLAM

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It is possible that Muhammad lived from c. 570 - 632 AD, and that his religion was one of peace and tolerance.

It is possible that Islam was relatively obscure until it was hijacked by Abd al Malik ibn Marwan, the Arab Emperor from 685 - 705AD.

Abd al Malik ibn Marwan may have turned Islam into the official religion of his warlike empire.

It could be argued that Christianity was a religion of peace and tolerance until it got hijacked by the Roman Empire.


Did the growing Arab Empire decide to adopt and alter Islam?

The official story is that Muhammad died in 632 AD.

In 661 AD, Muawiyah I became the leader of the Arab Empire.

No mention of Muhammad or Islam can be found in any of Muawiyah's inscriptions, coins, or documents.

Islam: The Untold Story.

"There is no mention of Muhammad anywhere in stones, script, monuments, or other sources from the Middle East during his actual lifetime."

Was Caliph Abd Al-Malik the real creator and the prophet?

Apart from 'a single ambiguous reference in the Koran', there is no mention of Mecca in any datable text for a century after 'Muhammed's death'.

Islam: The Untold Story.



In the Koran, 'Muhammad' addresses farmers and agriculturalists while his opponents are described as keeping cattle and growing olives and vines.

The home environment described by 'Muhammad' as having farmers and agriculturalists could be in the Negev desert in Southern Israel.

There was no agriculture in Mecca.

Islam: The Untold Story.

Under the reign of the Arab Emperor Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, Mecca may have been erroneously portrayed as Muhammad's home, in order to provide Islam with Arabian origins.

Abd al Malik ibn Marwan, the Arab Emperor from 685 - 705AD, may have been the inventor of the warlike form of Islam.

Was Caliph Abd Al-Malik the real creator and the prophet?

In 2012, the historian Tom Holland produced a TV documentary for the UK's Channel 4 which said:

1. There is little evidence to support the 'official' story of Muhammad.

2. There are questions about when the Koran was written.

3. Mecca may not have been the birthplace of Muhammad.



Holland asked why it took several decades after the death of Muhammad for his name to appear on surviving documents or artifacts.

Holland claimed that much of the story of Muhammad was developed some time after the death of Muhammad.

Islam - The Untold Story - on Vimeo.

The Search for Muhammad: Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan.


Empires in 600 AD.

The map above shows various empires in the year 600 AD.

Boundaries continually shifted.

For example, in 613, there was a 'Jewish revolt' against the Byzantine Empire.

In 614, Persian and Jewish forces temporarily captured Jerusalem. 

23 years later, the Arabs conquered Syria and Jerusalem.

According to "A Response to Channel 4′s 'Islam: The Untold Story' ":

1. Early Christian chronicles in the seventh century elaborate on the origins of Islam, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and some of the laws practised by the early Muslims. 

In the documentary Holland admits the existence of these Christian narratives, but seems to dismiss their validity without justification. 

Below are some examples of these chronicles:

Doctrina Jacobi written in 635 CE

A document called Doctrina Jacobi written only two years after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) clearly mentions that a prophet had appeared amongst the Arabs:

"I, Abraham, went off to Sykamina and referred the matter to an old man very well-versed in the Scriptures. I asked him: 'What is your view, master and teacher, of the prophet who has appeared among the Saracens'.

The questions is: who was this prophet among Arabs?

Note:

1. Doctrina Jacobi was apparently written sometime between 634 and 640.[1][2]

2. It makes no mention of 'Muhammad' or of Islam.

Sira - biographies of Muhammad.

2. A record of the Arab conquest of Syria written in 637 CE, just 5 years after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), clearly mentions him by name. 

"…and in January, they took the word for their lives did the sons of Emesa, and many villages were ruined with killing by the Arabs of Mụhammad and a great number of people were killed and captives were taken from Galilee as far as Bēth."

Note:

1. The text above is a much faded note added to a manuscript.

This note appears to have been written soon after the battle of Gabitha (636 CE).

The actual date is not known.

The fragmentary nature of this note has resulted in scholars advising caution.

Dated Texts.

2. Even in the 7th Century AD Muhammad was a very common name.

www.spittoon.org.

3. Sebeos, Bishop of the Bagratunis (Writing c.660 AD)

An early seventh century account of Islam comes from Sebeos who was a bishop of the House of Bagratunis. From this chronicle, there are indications that he lived through many of the events he relates. As for Muhammad (upon whom be peace), he had the following to say:

"At that time a certain man from along those same sons of Ismael, whose name was Mahmet [i.e., Mụhammad], a merchant, as if by God's command appeared to them as a preacher [and] the path of truth."

Note:

1. There are doubts about whether or not the above was actually written by Sebeos.

2. It is only assumed that Sebeos wrote the account and that it is only assumed that it was written in the 660s AD.

Seeing Islam as Others Saw It: A Survey and Evaluation.