Did Muhammad Exist?: An Inquiry into Islam's Obscure Origins—Revised and Expanded Edition
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- Author：Robert Spencer
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Summary
Are jihadis dying for a fiction？ Everything you thought you knew about Islam is about to change。
Is there any sound historical evidence that the prophet of Islam actually existed， or is the entire story of Muhammad fable or fiction？
It is a question that few have thought—or dared—to ask。 Virtually everyone， Muslim and non-Muslim alike， takes for granted that the prophet of Islam lived as a prophet， as well as a political and military leader， in seventh-century Arabia。
But this widely accepted story begins to crumble on close examination。 In his blockbuster New York Times bestseller The Truth about Muhammad， historian and Islam expert Robert Spencer revealed the often shocking contents of Islamic teachings about Muhammad。 Now， in this newly revised and expanded version of Did Muhammad Exist？， he lays bare those teachings’ surprisingly shaky historical foundations。
This updated and enlarged version of this acclaimed book examines even more striking and compelling evidence that the story of Muhammad， who for so long was assumed to have lived in the “full light of history，” could be more myth and legend than historical fact。
Spencer meticulously examines historical records and archaeological findings， pioneering new scholarship to reconstruct what we can know about Muhammad， the Qur’an， and the early days of Islam。 The evidence he presents challenges the most fundamental assumptions about Islam’s origins。
Is there any sound historical evidence that the prophet of Islam actually existed， or is the entire story of Muhammad fable or fiction？
It is a question that few have thought—or dared—to ask。 Virtually everyone， Muslim and non-Muslim alike， takes for granted that the prophet of Islam lived as a prophet， as well as a political and military leader， in seventh-century Arabia。
But this widely accepted story begins to crumble on close examination。 In his blockbuster New York Times bestseller The Truth about Muhammad， historian and Islam expert Robert Spencer revealed the often shocking contents of Islamic teachings about Muhammad。 Now， in this newly revised and expanded version of Did Muhammad Exist？， he lays bare those teachings’ surprisingly shaky historical foundations。
This updated and enlarged version of this acclaimed book examines even more striking and compelling evidence that the story of Muhammad， who for so long was assumed to have lived in the “full light of history，” could be more myth and legend than historical fact。
Spencer meticulously examines historical records and archaeological findings， pioneering new scholarship to reconstruct what we can know about Muhammad， the Qur’an， and the early days of Islam。 The evidence he presents challenges the most fundamental assumptions about Islam’s origins。
Reviews
Monica Willyard Moen
，
During recent years， there have been several books questioning the authenticity of Jesus Christ， assessing the evidence we have for the claims of the Bible。 I found this book to be interesting because it does the same things regarding some of the historical claims of Islam。 I have read several books about the religion of Islam written from varying perspectives， and I assumed that there was a very strong evidentiary record about the existence of Muhammad。 When I first saw this book available on K During recent years， there have been several books questioning the authenticity of Jesus Christ， assessing the evidence we have for the claims of the Bible。 I found this book to be interesting because it does the same things regarding some of the historical claims of Islam。 I have read several books about the religion of Islam written from varying perspectives， and I assumed that there was a very strong evidentiary record about the existence of Muhammad。 When I first saw this book available on Kindle， I was surprised and perplexed by why anyone would think it worth writing。 However， because I was curious， I started reading and started to understand that there is less direct evidence about the person known as Muhammad then I assumed。 One of the things I came to especially appreciate about this book is its use of references where I could go and confirm some of the things claimed in the book。 I like books where the author is willing to share their sources so I can make up my own mind about the validity of certain points。 That is true no matter what subject I’m studying。 。。。more
Böðvar
，
Interesting questions asked and the sources followed。 If Muhammad did exist， which he might have， are the descriptions of him trustworty？ What does the contemporary writings， inscriptions， mints say？ Etc。
Victoria Sprenger
，
This book was among the first reads about the ideology proclaiming to be the religion of "peace"， eventhough back then already it presented itself more the "religion of pieces" given the number of terror attacks/suicide bombings to western nations dumb enough to allow themselves to be gullibly exploited by this ideology/cult， when it's mere practise is not joinable with any democratic doctrine of western countries。 It's practise needs to be forbidden in western nations。 We might have freedom if This book was among the first reads about the ideology proclaiming to be the religion of "peace"， eventhough back then already it presented itself more the "religion of pieces" given the number of terror attacks/suicide bombings to western nations dumb enough to allow themselves to be gullibly exploited by this ideology/cult， when it's mere practise is not joinable with any democratic doctrine of western countries。 It's practise needs to be forbidden in western nations。 We might have freedom if religion but islam doesn't only mean "subjugate （with terror） to islam/Allah" as a religion as the ideoligy clearly governs political and every day living rules of it's followers too。 Therefore it isn't a religion but an ideology/cult。 It's rules not only preach hate against any religious belief other than islam， therefore discriminates but it openly calls it's followers to violate other religions and to subjugate any democratic value/goverment and demand Sharia law。 Robert Sprncers book was among my first reads and I found it to be very well written and recommend it highly！ 。。。more
Arukiyomi
，
Oh， what a question？ How could you even ask that？ But， yes， this is exactly the kind of question Islam should be subjected to。 For the last 200 years， beginning in the late 18th century， Christianity has come under critical scrutiny like no other faith。 And yet， in the 21st century， questioning any aspect of Islam is commonly viewed as Islamophobia， pure and simple。 Interestingly， the word Christophobia has yet to be coined。Now if you are going to question Islam， there are two great places to st Oh， what a question？ How could you even ask that？ But， yes， this is exactly the kind of question Islam should be subjected to。 For the last 200 years， beginning in the late 18th century， Christianity has come under critical scrutiny like no other faith。 And yet， in the 21st century， questioning any aspect of Islam is commonly viewed as Islamophobia， pure and simple。 Interestingly， the word Christophobia has yet to be coined。Now if you are going to question Islam， there are two great places to start: the Qur’an and Muhammad himself。 Others are doing a pretty good job of questioning the former。 Spencer has chosen the latter。And he hasn’t done a bad job at all。 If anyone is wondering what Yasir Qadhi’s infamous “holes in the narrative” are， Spencer’s book is a great place to start。 There are holes galore。The obvious place to start is with Islamic writings about Muhammad。 There’s scant reference to him in the Qur’an （if at all） and so we turn to the Hadith where there are literally tens of thousands。 There’s a lot in here that is quite shocking concerning the kind of person he was （so much so that Muhammad’s first official biographer Ibn Ishaq admitted to leaving parts out that would “distress certain people”）， but Spencer is more concerned about whether he was at all。Seeing how rapidly and extensively Arab armies conquered their known world， it is surprising how little and how late any references to Muhammad occur in external sources known to us today。 Some of these references are puzzling。 For example， for someone of such apparently monumental contemporary importance， there is no specific mention of him until 90 years after his death。 In fact， the date of his death doesn’t surface until over 100 years after 632， the date in Wikipedia。 A couple of the vague mentions of him are accompanied with illustrations of crosses， not something you’re likely to see down your local masjid these days。After trolling through pretty much all the historical sources he can find， Spencer summarises his argument in the final chapter。 Based on the fact that it wasn’t until the late 7th century that specific references to Muhammad as we understand him today emerge， he proposes that the Umayyad’s found it politically expedient to place him as a figurehead hero of their movement。 Thus， from that point on and in particular under the Abbasids， he becomes a central figure， in stark contrast to any reference to him prior to that in any sources， Islamic or otherwise。It’s an interesting theory and one which makes sense。 Whether it’s true or not is impossible to prove。 But this is exactly the same dilemma historians have about Muhammad’s life: much of it is impossible to prove。 While many might argue that warring tribes have little time to sit down and write up their diaries at night， contemporary historians have little else to refer to except text。 It’s an historical necessity if we are to be certain of what was what。As Spencer concludes:“Did Muhammad exist？ As a prophet of the Arabs who taught a vaguely defined monotheism， he may have existed。 But beyond that， his life story is lost in the mists of legend， like those of Robin Hood and Macbeth。 As the prophet of Islam， who received （or even claimed to receive） the perfect copy of the perfect eternal book from the supreme God， Muhammad almost certainly did not exist。 There are too many gaps， too many silences， too many aspects of the historical record that simply do not accord， and cannot be made to accord， with the traditional account of the Arabian prophet teaching his Qur’an， energizing his followers to such an extent that they went out and conquered a good part of the world。” p。 214 – 215Scholarly criticism of Islam is currently gaining slow but sure momentum in the west， spurred on， no doubt， by the glasnost of the Interwebs。 But vehement opposition to， say， even the idea of applying the historical-critical method to the Qur’an， continues to plague anyone who dares step into the arena。“Even raising the question of whether Muhammad existed challenges the very premise of their belief system。 No Muslim authorities have encouraged such scholarship， and those who have pursued this line of inquiry often labor under threat of death。” p。 216Those who are willing to walk that path though have started to publish some interesting results。 It’s definitely a fascinating space to watch as scholarship， Muslim or not， takes bolder steps in that direction though。 。。。more
Apprentice
，
Didn't like the book at all for what it stands， however I do agree with the idea that Muslims tend to be violent when questioned。 I'm not much into religion or religious texts， but nonetheless， from a research perspective， this book did not do too well。The Author is not "brave" for writing this book。 He lives in a well air-conditioned and guarded mansion， making millions a year， selling anti-religion， just as others are making millions a year selling religion itself。There's too much hate in this Didn't like the book at all for what it stands， however I do agree with the idea that Muslims tend to be violent when questioned。 I'm not much into religion or religious texts， but nonetheless， from a research perspective， this book did not do too well。The Author is not "brave" for writing this book。 He lives in a well air-conditioned and guarded mansion， making millions a year， selling anti-religion， just as others are making millions a year selling religion itself。There's too much hate in this world， and reading this book doesn't help either。 I'm not a big fan of Muslims myself， but I would take the perspective of a wealthy millionaire on anything with a grain of salt。 。。。more
Kumaila Hakimah
，
Banyak lubang disini， penulis mempertimbangkan Muhammad fiksi dan hadis sudah tidak ada yang sohih beneran subjektif banget， karena rantai riwayat， terutama yang mutawatir itu tidak panjang tapi ramai， terlalu ceroboh kalau menganggap Muhammad itu fiksi。
David
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There have been many books and documentary films written that explore the origins of Christianity and Jesus。 Did he really exist？ How accurate is the Bible？ Of course there is no definitive answer but there is a lot of factual evidence and even artifacts that support that he existed。 In Did Muhammad Exist？: An Inquiry Into Islam's Obscure Origins author Robert Spencer takes on this issue with respect to Islam。 He mentions the scarcity of studies and investigations on this topic at least in part There have been many books and documentary films written that explore the origins of Christianity and Jesus。 Did he really exist？ How accurate is the Bible？ Of course there is no definitive answer but there is a lot of factual evidence and even artifacts that support that he existed。 In Did Muhammad Exist？: An Inquiry Into Islam's Obscure Origins author Robert Spencer takes on this issue with respect to Islam。 He mentions the scarcity of studies and investigations on this topic at least in part because the potential of injury or death threats by devout Muslims who consider it blasphemy to question anything written about Islam， the Qur'an， or Muhammad。 In fact he draws from writings and books by some of the few who did take on this risky challenge and turned up quite a bit of evidence that the Qur'an is not virtually unchanged from the time when Allah， through the Angel Gabriel， supposedly dictated it to Muhammad in a cave in the early seventh century and remains unchanged to this day as is taught to all Muslims。 But it appears that nothing was actually written down until at least six decades after Muhammad's death。 Until then it was kept in the memories of various followers who each had memorized parts of the Qur'an。 When someone finally decided to pull all of these parts together， some of these followers had already died and taken their parts with them。 Others may have mis-remembered parts or forgotten some entirely。 Then the author points out the parts that have been written that make no sense and he presents the issues of the various languages in use in that area at the time of Muhammad， primarily Syriac， and for many generations afterword that did not originally include Arabic requiring a translation at some point that allows room for errors to be introduced。 Also， even the Arabic language itself has changed and added characters， some of which didn't exist when the Qur'an was supposedly written。 There are many instances where passages in the Qur'an have strong resemblances to words from Christianity and Judism。 It was a fascinating read and very well written with references。 It covers history， the early days of various religions with the focus on Islam， and the evolution of various languages to develop a logical look at how he comes to his conclusions。 。。。more
Peter
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Intriguing and mysterious。 Must read for historical data inquirers。
Ahmed
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Intriguing book， but with obvious christian bias。
Viola Briatková
，
aa great book。 cant recommend enough。
Kenneth
，
While the origins of Christianity and other religions have been the subject of scholarly investigation for a long time， the origins of Islam， not so much。 This book， highly readable， shows just how much Islam's origins are a lot more obscure than the traditional accounts might lead one to think。 While the origins of Christianity and other religions have been the subject of scholarly investigation for a long time， the origins of Islam， not so much。 This book， highly readable， shows just how much Islam's origins are a lot more obscure than the traditional accounts might lead one to think。 。。。more
Robert
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The quest for an historical MuhammadI'm surprised that I've taken Muhammad's existence for granted for so long。 The evidence presented here by Robert Spencer was sufficient for me to call into question what many others have， and still do， take for granted。 Let me be perfectly clear that absence of evidence doesn't necessarily equate to evidence of absence， but the silence of the historical record， especially contemporary to Muhammad's supposed existence， is pretty damming。 That， and some other a The quest for an historical MuhammadI'm surprised that I've taken Muhammad's existence for granted for so long。 The evidence presented here by Robert Spencer was sufficient for me to call into question what many others have， and still do， take for granted。 Let me be perfectly clear that absence of evidence doesn't necessarily equate to evidence of absence， but the silence of the historical record， especially contemporary to Muhammad's supposed existence， is pretty damming。 That， and some other archaeological curiosities that fly in the face of Islam's "official" story。 Although the author's biases are fairly evident， especially in the final chapter， I felt most of the book to be neutral in its presentation of history， even of different viewpoints。 I can't vouch for Spencer's other work， but this book is solid， in my opinion。 。。。more
John
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A nice brief survey of a neglected chapter of history Islam is the religion of a very large portion of humanity。 Yet very little is really known about it's origins。 Spencer asks some valid questions， and presents some possible answers。 More study， at all levels must be done and presented。 I would recommend a good （fictional） book on what is history: what do we know， and what do we think we know。 It is "The Daughter of Time"， by Josephine Tey。 A nice brief survey of a neglected chapter of history Islam is the religion of a very large portion of humanity。 Yet very little is really known about it's origins。 Spencer asks some valid questions， and presents some possible answers。 More study， at all levels must be done and presented。 I would recommend a good （fictional） book on what is history: what do we know， and what do we think we know。 It is "The Daughter of Time"， by Josephine Tey。 。。。more
Roger
，
Robert Spencer is a somewhat controversial author and commentator， perhaps best known for his jihadwatch website， and his polemical books about Islam。 This book， while no doubt having controversial things to say， is not a polemic， but a look at the current state of study into the origins not so much about Muhammad himself， but the Koran。Of the three main monotheistic religions， it is Islam that claims the most historicity for it's origins。 Muhammad lived in the late 6th and early 7th century， wa Robert Spencer is a somewhat controversial author and commentator， perhaps best known for his jihadwatch website， and his polemical books about Islam。 This book， while no doubt having controversial things to say， is not a polemic， but a look at the current state of study into the origins not so much about Muhammad himself， but the Koran。Of the three main monotheistic religions， it is Islam that claims the most historicity for it's origins。 Muhammad lived in the late 6th and early 7th century， was a prophet and warrior， and received the Koran in a series of revelations from the Angel Gabriel around Mecca and Medina。 The problem with this seemingly historical statement is that the more it is investigated， the harder it is to pin down。There is no mention in other historical sources of Muhammad， or the Koran itself， for over a hundred years from the supposed date of Muhammad's death。 In fact between the date of Muhammad's death and the first mention of the Koran， coins were produced and buildings erected that seem to suggest the local rulers in Arabia were， if anything， Christians of a sort。 It is only in the 9th century that something that we would recognise as Islam appeared in the historical record。How to account for this gap in the story？ It is clear that both the Abbasid and Umayyad Caliphates were keen to enlist God as a partisan on their side， and had seen how religion could unify otherwise separate peoples into a large empire。 It is also clear that large parts of the text of what came to be the Koran had existed for some time as separate fragments before being collected into one book。 It also seems to be true that there did exist at some time in the 7th century in Arabia a "prophet armed with a sword"。 Spencer's theory is that the Caliphs were responsible for putting these disparate facts together to create a religion that could justify their rule。The Koran itself is the major item under scrutiny in this book。 Notoriously hard to interpret， recent study is bringing to light several sources of the suras of the Koran and leading to some extraordinary conclusions by some scholars。 There can be an argument made that some of the text originated from Christian communities that denied the Trinity。 These texts， which would have been in the Syraic language， were adapted as needed， with additions where required， to create the Koran as we have it now。 These theories can explain some of the mysteries of the text itself， and also possibly the meaning behind some of the seemingly contradictory statements made in the Koran about Jews and Christians: they are due to the accretions made over time to original Christian sect texts。Even the name Muhammad itself then comes into question - meaning "praiseworthy"， the name itself is only mentioned four times in the Koran， and each time it could possibly be referring to Jesus， or other figures， rather than to a person named Muhammad himself。The historiography of religious texts is a notoriously fraught business， and possibly no text is more difficult to look at than the Koran， as not only is it seen by Muslims as the literal word of God， but also is seen as a definite historical artifact emanating from a known point in history from a known person。 Both the Jewish and the Christian Bibles have been studied historically for a long time， and Koranic studies have a long way to go in this area。Did Muhammad exist？ is an interesting work that gathers together some of the threads of current research into early Islam。 There is a decent bibliography for further reading， and both the notes and the index are helpful。 。。。more
Cherrye Williams
，
Excellent book！After reading this book， my eyes were opened to a lot of things concerning this subject。 So basically what it boils down to is that Muhammad really did not exist， and the Qur'an is just an incoherent， unintelligent， nonsensical rewriting and twisting of the Christian Bible -- its places， people and events。 Excellent book！After reading this book， my eyes were opened to a lot of things concerning this subject。 So basically what it boils down to is that Muhammad really did not exist， and the Qur'an is just an incoherent， unintelligent， nonsensical rewriting and twisting of the Christian Bible -- its places， people and events。 。。。more
Gie Vleugels
，
Interesting book， well documented。One should read the entire book， though， as the title is somewhat misleading。The evidence shows - as the author admits - that Mohammad did exist， but that the traditional picture in Muslim sources （Sirat Rasul Allah and Hadith） is very untrustworthy。I had the same uneasy feeling I often have when reading material from the revisionist camp:they seem to do their utmost to deny that Muhammad existed， but still they blame him for the unethical things ascribed to him Interesting book， well documented。One should read the entire book， though， as the title is somewhat misleading。The evidence shows - as the author admits - that Mohammad did exist， but that the traditional picture in Muslim sources （Sirat Rasul Allah and Hadith） is very untrustworthy。I had the same uneasy feeling I often have when reading material from the revisionist camp:they seem to do their utmost to deny that Muhammad existed， but still they blame him for the unethical things ascribed to him in the biographies。 。。。more
C。 Varn
，
Spencer is not known for being fair to Islam， generally finding real but extreme elements of Islam nd painting it as representative of the core of the religion while not doing that with the other two Abrahamic religions。 That said， he does not do much of that in this book。 Here he talks about inconsistencies in the Hadith and Islamic tradition， the clarifying reading of Syriac and Aramiac Christian texts on obscure portions of the Koran， and the lack of contemporary reference to Mohammad until t Spencer is not known for being fair to Islam， generally finding real but extreme elements of Islam nd painting it as representative of the core of the religion while not doing that with the other two Abrahamic religions。 That said， he does not do much of that in this book。 Here he talks about inconsistencies in the Hadith and Islamic tradition， the clarifying reading of Syriac and Aramiac Christian texts on obscure portions of the Koran， and the lack of contemporary reference to Mohammad until the end of the first Caliphate。 While not without bias and largely based on the work of others， people familiar with higher criticism and the arguments about a historical Jesus while find comparison after comparison to scholarly studies around Mohammad。 Interesting introduction to the critical study of the Koran and early Islamic origins。 。。。more
Martin
，
Spencer gives a thorough critical investigation of the canonical account of the origins of Islam and concludes that the paucity of contemporary evidence is evidence that the canonical account is unreliable at best， fabricated at worst。 The difficulty is is disentangling Spencer's evidence from his well documented anti Islam position。 So this book can only be a starting point for any critical thinker who would need to critique and evaluate the evidence presented here。 One real negative about the Spencer gives a thorough critical investigation of the canonical account of the origins of Islam and concludes that the paucity of contemporary evidence is evidence that the canonical account is unreliable at best， fabricated at worst。 The difficulty is is disentangling Spencer's evidence from his well documented anti Islam position。 So this book can only be a starting point for any critical thinker who would need to critique and evaluate the evidence presented here。 One real negative about the book is the repetition。 It seems US writers are adopting the same presentation style of US documentary makers and assume their audience has a memory deficit and need the key points reiterated continually。 。。。more
Gonzalo Corvera
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Excelente obra， muy bien documentada， lógica y creíble， que inclusive explica muchas cosas del conflicto entre Islam y todas las demás culturas。
BERNARD DRAI
，
Interesting insight in the early history of islamAfter reading this book you are at least convinced that the existence of Mahomet is doubtful and the Quran is just a mixture of Christian and Jewish texts with many internal contradictions。
Jon-Erik
，
This book presents evidence that just don't support its conclusions。 Just for example， the fact that Byzantine documents did not use the term "Muslim" means less than nothing。 Well into the 20th century， the most common term in English was Mohammedan。 Does that mean Muslims didn't exist until 1950？If you're looking for something on the historical Muhammad， go somewhere else。 This book presents evidence that just don't support its conclusions。 Just for example， the fact that Byzantine documents did not use the term "Muslim" means less than nothing。 Well into the 20th century， the most common term in English was Mohammedan。 Does that mean Muslims didn't exist until 1950？If you're looking for something on the historical Muhammad， go somewhere else。 。。。more
Arlee Bird
，
After having done much of my own research about the origins and doctrines of Islam， Robert Spencer's Did Muhammad Exist？ provided an enlightening new perspective on this topic for me。 The book is highly readable and thoroughly engaging as it provides solid historical reference as well as citations from the Koran and other Islamic writings to back up Spencer's findings。 This book provides a scholarly exposé without being a dry reading experience。 In fact I found this to be an entertaining book th After having done much of my own research about the origins and doctrines of Islam， Robert Spencer's Did Muhammad Exist？ provided an enlightening new perspective on this topic for me。 The book is highly readable and thoroughly engaging as it provides solid historical reference as well as citations from the Koran and other Islamic writings to back up Spencer's findings。 This book provides a scholarly exposé without being a dry reading experience。 In fact I found this to be an entertaining book that reads rather quickly。 If you're looking for some fascinating background of the origins and doctrine of Islam this book is an excellent place to start。 It's a must for anyone not of the Islamic faith who might be confused about what Islam represents and its history。 Many Muslims will undoubtedly reject and refute this book with ferocity， but those who are open-minded and able to reason may find this book to be a doorway to rethinking this system of belief that is among the greatest controversies of the modern era。If you are unfamiliar with Islam and the man whom those of this faith accept as their prophet， Did Muhammad Exist？ is a good place to start。 Spencer is an expert in the field of Islamic studies and presents the topic in a manner that has clarity。 This is a book that will make you think and will hopefully open your eyes。 。。。more
Michael
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Super interesting。
Pradeeppatel Nallamothu
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good
Naftoli
，
This book is extremely insightful。 Again Robert Spencer has outdone himself！ With a bit of luck this book will help to open up Islam。 Access to Islamic inquiry is so difficult due to death threats。 Maybe if enough people begin studying Islam as indeed Judaism & Christianity have been studied， the jihadists will lose their iron grip on the religion。
Khaled
，
The empire came first and the theology came later。。。 this is what the book is all about。
Rama
，
This is a scholarly work and it is highly recommended This is another great book by scholar Robert Spencer who is a fearless leader in pointing out the evil effects of Islamic terrorism and Islamic culture across the globe。 I have been following his timely articles on his website JihadWatch。org and also read instant messages on his Twitter account; it is an honor to know that we have a fearless scholar amongst us who dares to say that Islamic terrorists are savages and substantiate his statement This is a scholarly work and it is highly recommended This is another great book by scholar Robert Spencer who is a fearless leader in pointing out the evil effects of Islamic terrorism and Islamic culture across the globe。 I have been following his timely articles on his website JihadWatch。org and also read instant messages on his Twitter account; it is an honor to know that we have a fearless scholar amongst us who dares to say that Islamic terrorists are savages and substantiate his statements with facts。 We need to read works such as this at times when various Islamic terrorist organizations like Hamas， Hezbollah， and ISIS are waging war against order and civilization。 The Islamic culture is truly barbaric and the savage acts of ISIS in Iraq and Syria are becoming yesterday’s news and much of the Islamic world not only tolerates such evil acts but also help promote it。 Recently a well know Islamic cleric by the name of Hussein bin Mahmoud invoked Qur’an 47:4: “When you meet the unbelievers， strike the necks…” and suggested that ISIS beheadings are sanctioned by Islam。 This book explores the life of Muhammad and his prophetic career。 The historical records discussed in this book casts doubt on his existence。 A careful investigation shows that the Qur’an is not Muhammad’s revelations， but actually borrowed from the Jewish and Christian scriptures。 His order is nothing but a terrorist fraternity filled with intolerance to other faiths。 The concept of forgiveness reflected throughout the gospels and New Testament is a sharp contract to the preaching of Muhammad。 I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and recommend this to anyone interested in the long term influence of global jihad。 。。。more
Faisal Noor
，
Meh。 Reads more like conjectures against conspiracy theories than a compelling bunch of arguments。 Good to sow some doubts in a zealot's mind though。 Meh。 Reads more like conjectures against conspiracy theories than a compelling bunch of arguments。 Good to sow some doubts in a zealot's mind though。 。。。more
Keith Akers
，
I only read the first 1/3 of the book， so don't pay too much attention to my rating or this review。 The book isn't bad， and evidently the early history of Islam （including even the Qur'an） is less clear than I thought。 However， my concern is that the author doesn't really "prove" that Mohammed did not exist， just show that the early history of Islam is much more complex than we thought and throw out a series of puzzles。 It's left to the reader （or other scholars） to come up with a better story， I only read the first 1/3 of the book， so don't pay too much attention to my rating or this review。 The book isn't bad， and evidently the early history of Islam （including even the Qur'an） is less clear than I thought。 However， my concern is that the author doesn't really "prove" that Mohammed did not exist， just show that the early history of Islam is much more complex than we thought and throw out a series of puzzles。 It's left to the reader （or other scholars） to come up with a better story， with the default story being "no such person。" It will require research into the history of Islam， a lot of research， to really evaluate this book， which basically I don't have time for right now。 。。。more
Greg
，