Were All the Previous Prophets Muslims?

I have approached a lot of Muslims who claim that the previous prophets (Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and so on) were Muslims. And I usually ask them how they know that they were Muslims because if the previous prophets were Muslims then we wouldn’t have required a Christian man to tell Mohammed that he was a prophet.

The Christian Who Confirmed Mohammed

And mind you Waraqa (Mohammed’s wife cousin) was actually a heretic Christian. He was part of the Ebionite Christians (an early Jewish-Christian movement that viewed Jesus as the human Messiah, strictly adhered to the Mosaic Law, and rejected the writings of Paul. Emerging around the 1st century CE after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70AD, the group derived its name from the Hebrew word ebyonim, meaning “the poor”).

Sahih al-Bukhari 3

Narrated 'Aisha (the mother of the faithful believers):

The commencement of the Divine Inspiration to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was in the form of good dreams which came true like bright daylight, and then the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him. He used to go in seclusion in the cave of Hira where he used to worship (Allah alone) continuously for many days before his desire to see his family. He used to take with him the journey food for the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his food likewise again till suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "I do not know how to read." The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, 'I do not know how to read.' Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, 'I do not know how to read (or what shall I read)?' Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said, 'Read in the name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists), created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous." (96.1, 96.2, 96.3) Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) returned with the Inspiration and with his heart beating severely. Then he went to Khadija bint Khuwailid and said, "Cover me! Cover me!" They covered him till his fear was over and after that he told her everything that had happened and said, "I fear that something may happen to me." Khadija replied, "Never! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests generously and assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones." Khadija then accompanied him to her cousin Waraqa bin Naufal bin Asad bin 'Abdul 'Uzza, who, during the pre-Islamic Period became a Christian and used to write the writing with Hebrew letters. He would write from the Gospel in Hebrew as much as Allah wished him to write. He was an old man and had lost his eyesight. Khadija said to Waraqa, "Listen to the story of your nephew, O my cousin!" Waraqa asked, "O my nephew! What have you seen?" Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) described whatever he had seen. Waraqa said, "This is the same one who keeps the secrets (angel Gabriel) whom Allah had sent to Moses. I wish I were young and could live up to the time when your people would turn you out." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) asked, "Will they drive me out?" Waraqa replied in the affirmative and said, "Anyone (man) who came with something similar to what you have brought was treated with hostility; and if I should remain alive till the day when you will be turned out then I would support you strongly." But after a few days Waraqa died and the Divine Inspiration was also paused for a while.

What Does “Muslim” Mean?

Then most of the people I talk to, would respond by saying what does a Muslim mean? And I say “one who surrenders” or “one who submits their will to God (Allah)” and they say that all the previous prophets submitted to one God. And I tell them that they have spoken well, in that Islam as we see didn’t exist till the 6th century but in its linguistic sense (submission to one God), it existed.

Now I ask them, who is that one God, because yes these prophets submitted to one God but who is that God?

The Messiah in the Jewish Scriptures

Because we have the Jews, who believe in Yahweh and from their Jewish scriptures they understood that a messiah was going to come and save them and the messiah is called the Christ (saviour). This is one of the examples in the Jewish scriptures that tells us about the Christ.

“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” — Isaiah 9:6-7 (NKJV)

And then after the Jews here comes Christianity, saying that the messiah who has been prophesied about, that messiah is here, who is Jesus Christ.

And you know this is the thing that confuses me about the Quran, the Quran says in Surah 4:157-158

and for boasting, “We killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of Allah.” But they neither killed nor crucified him—it was only made to appear so. Even those who argue for this ˹crucifixion˺ are in doubt. They have no knowledge whatsoever—only making assumptions. They certainly did not kill him. Rather, Allah raised him up to Himself. And Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.

Here it calls Jesus the messiah, and not just here but in several places but the problem with this particular verse is that if you meet a Jew they will acknowledge to the fact that they killed Jesus because they didn’t not believe that he was they messiah, they believed that he was just a mere man who was blasphemous (in the sense that he was claiming to be God).

So now I am thinking to my self, if the Quran says Jesus is the messiah (Christ) why would the Jews ever have thought of killing Jesus?

Because currently now in Israel there are Jews still waiting for the messiah to come and save them.

So how can the Jews ever think of killing someone that has been prophesied to in their books that would come and save them. So we see that the Quran calls Jesus the messiah and leaves his messianic role behind.

Six Centuries Later: Who Is That God?

Anyways moving forward, from Judaism we have Christianity as I explained the difference between Judaism and Christianity.

Now approximately 600 years after the death of Jesus we have Islam, and this comes and teaches something entirely different from what has been taught and believed by people who came earlier on.

And then most of them might say, oh the previous scriptures has been changed and as I wrote in another blog, that is not a true claim because the Quran itself wouldn’t support it and also manuscripts evidences would also not.

So then I ask again who is that God? Who was actually the God that David worshipped? Because Jesus would say in Matthew’s account

“While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “The Son of David.” He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool” ’? If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?”” — Matthew 22:41-45 (NKJV)

Who was actually the God that Moses worshipped?

Jesus also speaking,

“For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”” — John 5:46-47 (NKJV)

Who was actually the God that Abraham worshipped?

Again Jesus speaking,

“Your father Abraham [greatly] rejoiced to see My day (My incarnation). He saw it and was delighted.” [Heb 11:13] Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not even fifty years old, and You [claim to] have seen Abraham?” Jesus replied, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, before Abraham was born, I Am.” [Ex 3:14]” — John 8:56-58 (AMP)

Abraham, Ishmael and the Kaaba

And speaking of Abraham, how islams traces its origin back to Abraham is the fact that it claims that it’s a descendant of Ishmael and that Abraham and Ishmael went to Mecca and built the kaaba

Sahih al-Bukhari 3364

Narrated Ibn `Abbas:

The first lady to use a girdle was the mother of Ishmael. She used a girdle so that she might hide her tracks from Sarah. Abraham brought her and her son Ishmael while she was suckling him, to a place near the Ka`ba under a tree on the spot of Zamzam, at the highest place in the mosque. During those days there was nobody in Mecca, nor was there any water So he made them sit over there and placed near them a leather bag containing some dates, and a small water-skin containing some water, and set out homeward. Ishmael's mother followed him saying, "O Abraham! Where are you going, leaving us in this valley where there is no person whose company we may enjoy, nor is there anything (to enjoy)?" She repeated that to him many times, but he did not look back at her Then she asked him, "Has Allah ordered you to do so?" He said, "Yes." She said, "Then He will not neglect us," and returned while Abraham proceeded onwards, and on reaching the Thaniya where they could not see him, he faced the Ka`ba, and raising both hands, invoked Allah saying the following prayers: 'O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring dwell in a valley without cultivation, by Your Sacred House (Ka`ba at Mecca) in order, O our Lord, that they may offer prayer perfectly. So fill some hearts among men with love towards them, and (O Allah) provide them with fruits, so that they may give thanks.' (14.37) Ishmael's mother went on suckling Ishmael and drinking from the water (she had). When the water in the water-skin had all been used up, she became thirsty and her child also became thirsty. She started looking at him (i.e. Ishmael) tossing in agony; She left him, for she could not endure looking at him, and found that the mountain of Safa was the nearest mountain to her on that land. She stood on it and started looking at the valley keenly so that she might see somebody, but she could not see anybody. Then she descended from Safa and when she reached the valley, she tucked up her robe and ran in the valley like a person in distress and trouble, till she crossed the valley and reached the Marwa mountain where she stood and started looking, expecting to see somebody, but she could not see anybody. She repeated that (running between Safa and Marwa) seven times." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "This is the source of the tradition of the walking of people between them (i.e. Safa and Marwa). When she reached the Marwa (for the last time) she heard a voice and she asked herself to be quiet and listened attentively. She heard the voice again and said, 'O, (whoever you may be)! You have made me hear your voice; have you got something to help me?" And behold! She saw an angel at the place of Zamzam, digging the earth with his heel (or his wing), till water flowed from that place. She started to make something like a basin around it, using her hand in this way, and started filling her water-skin with water with her hands, and the water was flowing out after she had scooped some of it." The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "May Allah bestow Mercy on Ishmael's mother! Had she let the Zamzam (flow without trying to control it) (or had she not scooped from that water) (to fill her water-skin), Zamzam would have been a stream flowing on the surface of the earth." The Prophet (ﷺ) further added, "Then she drank (water) and suckled her child. The angel said to her, 'Don't be afraid of being neglected, for this is the House of Allah which will be built by this boy and his father, and Allah never neglects His people.' The House (i.e. Ka`ba) at that time was on a high place resembling a hillock, and when torrents came, they flowed to its right and left. She lived in that way till some people from the tribe of Jurhum or a family from Jurhum passed by her and her child, as they (i.e. the Jurhum people) were coming through the way of Kada'. They landed in the lower part of Mecca where they saw a bird that had the habit of flying around water and not leaving it. They said, 'This bird must be flying around water, though we know that there is no water in this valley.' They sent one or two messengers who discovered the source of water, and returned to inform them of the water. So, they all came (towards the water)." The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "Ishmael's mother was sitting near the water. They asked her, 'Do you allow us to stay with you?" She replied, 'Yes, but you will have no right to possess the water.' They agreed to that." The Prophet (ﷺ) further said, "Ishmael's mother was pleased with the whole situation as she used to love to enjoy the company of the people. So, they settled there, and later on they sent for their families who came and settled with them so that some families became permanent residents there. The child (i.e. Ishmael) grew up and learnt Arabic from them and (his virtues) caused them to love and admire him as he grew up, and when he reached the age of puberty they made him marry a woman from amongst them. After Ishmael's mother had died, Abraham came after Ishmael's marriage in order to see his family that he had left before, but he did not find Ishmael there. When he asked Ishmael's wife about him, she replied, 'He has gone in search of our livelihood.' Then he asked her about their way of living and their condition, and she replied, 'We are living in misery; we are living in hardship and destitution,' complaining to him. He said, 'When your husband returns, convey my salutation to him and tell him to change the threshold of the gate (of his house).' When Ishmael came, he seemed to have felt something unusual, so he asked his wife, 'Has anyone visited you?' She replied, 'Yes, an old man of so-and-so description came and asked me about you and I informed him, and he asked about our state of living, and I told him that we were living in a hardship and poverty.' On that Ishmael said, 'Did he advise you anything?' She replied, 'Yes, he told me to convey his salutation to you and to tell you to change the threshold of your gate.' Ishmael said, 'It was my father, and he has ordered me to divorce you. Go back to your family.' So, Ishmael divorced her and married another woman from amongst them (i.e. Jurhum). Then Abraham stayed away from them for a period as long as Allah wished and called on them again but did not find Ishmael. So he came to Ishmael's wife and asked her about Ishmael. She said, 'He has gone in search of our livelihood.' Abraham asked her, 'How are you getting on?' asking her about their sustenance and living. She replied, 'We are prosperous and well-off (i.e. we have everything in abundance).' Then she thanked Allah' Abraham said, 'What kind of food do you eat?' She said. 'Meat.' He said, 'What do you drink?' She said, 'Water." He said, "O Allah! Bless their meat and water." The Prophet added, "At that time they did not have grain, and if they had grain, he would have also invoked Allah to bless it." The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "If somebody has only these two things as his sustenance, his health and disposition will be badly affected, unless he lives in Mecca." The Prophet (ﷺ) added," Then Abraham said Ishmael's wife, "When your husband comes, give my regards to him and tell him that he should keep firm the threshold of his gate.' When Ishmael came back, he asked his wife, 'Did anyone call on you?' She replied, 'Yes, a good-looking old man came to me,' so she praised him and added. 'He asked about you, and I informed him, and he asked about our livelihood and I told him that we were in a good condition.' Ishmael asked her, 'Did he give you any piece of advice?' She said, 'Yes, he told me to give his regards to you and ordered that you should keep firm the threshold of your gate.' On that Ishmael said, 'It was my father, and you are the threshold (of the gate). He has ordered me to keep you with me.' Then Abraham stayed away from them for a period as long as Allah wished, and called on them afterwards. He saw Ishmael under a tree near Zamzam, sharpening his arrows. When he saw Abraham, he rose up to welcome him (and they greeted each other as a father does with his son or a son does with his father). Abraham said, 'O Ishmael! Allah has given me an order.' Ishmael said, 'Do what your Lord has ordered you to do.' Abraham asked, 'Will you help me?' Ishmael said, 'I will help you.' Abraham said, Allah has ordered me to build a house here,' pointing to a hillock higher than the land surrounding it." The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "Then they raised the foundations of the House (i.e. the Ka`ba). Ishmael brought the stones and Abraham was building, and when the walls became high, Ishmael brought this stone and put it for Abraham who stood over it and carried on building, while Ishmael was handing him the stones, and both of them were saying, 'O our Lord! Accept (this service) from us, Verily, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.' The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "Then both of them went on building and going round the Ka`ba saying: O our Lord ! Accept (this service) from us, Verily, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing." (2.127)

From this Hadith, the problem with this is that there is no evidence of the Mecca existing during Abraham’s or Ishmael’s time.

The Valley of Baca and Bakkah

Infact some go on to say that the Baca in the psalms correlates with Bakkah/Mecca proving that it existed but let’s see if this claim is true.

Psalm 84:6

Transliteration (Latin Script):

'Ovrei be'emeg habakha' mayan yeshituhu, gam berkhöt ya'teh möreh.

King James Version (KJV) Translation:

“Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.”

In its syntax, the subject is the pilgrims-“those passing through the Valley of Baka.” The verb 'ovrei (“those who pass through”) conveys motion toward the sanctuary, not settlement within it. The noun bakhã' derives from the Hebrew root noa, meaning to weep or tears; thus “the Valley of Baka” literally means “the Valley of Weeping.” It depicts a landscape of hardship that must be traversed on the way to encounter God. The next phrase, ma'yān yeshituhu (“they make it a spring”), introduces transformation-the place of sorrow becomes a source of water, a symbol of renewal. The line gam beräkhöt ya'teh möreh adds a theological layer: “even the early rain covers it with blessings.” The yöreh, the autumn rain, marks the beginning of the fertile season in the Promised Land imagery of divine grace and life.

Ancient versions reinforce this symbolic reading. The Greek Septuagint renders the phrase as thv колаба той клавийо, -“the valley of weeping”— and the Latin Vulgate as valle lacrimarum, “the valley of tears.” The King James Version follows a slightly different Hebrew vocalization of n1272, taking it as berēkhöt (“pools”) rather than beräkhöt (“blessings”), hence: “Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.” This choice adds vivid visual imagery-pools filled with rain-but the core meaning remains the same: sorrow turned to refreshment. Stylistically, the psalm moves from yearning (vv. 2-4), to the blessedness of the pilgrims (vv. 5-7), and finally to prayer and affirmation (vv. 8-12). The “Valley of Baka” stands at the heart of that structure as a rhetorical pivot, expressing transition. It is not a geographical coordinate but a spiritual metaphor within Israel’s worship poetry. In Israel’s religious landscape, water, early rain, and springs consistently symbolize divine mercy and restoration. Thus, when the pilgrims “make it a spring,” the text portrays faith transforming suffering into joy.

Arabic Text:

إنّ أَوْلَ بَيْتِ وَضِعَ لِلنَاسِ للّذِي بِبَكَةَ مُبَارَكًا وَهُدى لَلْعَالَمِينَ

Transliteration:

Inna awwala baytin wudia li-n-nāsi lalladi bi-Bakkah, mubãrakan wa hudan lil alamin.

English (Sahih International):

“Indeed, the first House [of worship] established for mankind was that at Bakkah - blessed and a guidance for the worlds.”

From a linguistic and historical perspective, this verse is striking. The Qur’an here uses Bakkah (بكة) instead of Makkah (مكة), although later Islamic tradition treats both as identical. Yet, philologically, the two terms have distinct roots and meanings. The Arabic triliteral root (bakka) means to press down, to crowd, or to crush. Classical lexicons such as Lisān al-'Arab and Tãj al-'Arus confirm that the verb bakka was used to describe physical pressure or congestion, often associated with a crowded gathering. There is no semantic or morphological link between bakkah and the Hebrew baka (n22), which means to weep. The resemblance in sound between Bakkah and Baka is therefore a phonetic coincidence, not a linguistic connection. Historically, no inscription, papyrus, or pre-Islamic poem mentions a place called Bakkah. The rich corpus of Arabian inscriptions from the Nabataean, Sabaean, Minaean, and Qatabanian cultures- all flourishing centuries before Islam -contains hundreds of toponyms across the Arabian Peninsula, yet none reference Bakkah.

This absence is notable given that those inscriptions recorded even small trade stops and sanctuaries. The silence of the epigraphic record suggests that Bakkah was not a known pre-Islamic designation but rather a term that appears first within the Qur’anic revelation itself.

Classical Muslim exegetes such as al-Tabari, Ibn Kathir, and al-Qurtubi recognized this issue. To harmonize the text, they asserted that Bakkah was simply another name for Makkah-some said it referred to the specific area of the Ka'bah, while Makkah referred to the surrounding valley. However, this explanation was based on internal interpretation, not external evidence. None of these scholars could cite historical documents, ancient maps, or linguistic parallels that predate Islam to substantiate the identification. Their reasoning rested solely on the phonetic similarity between the two words.

The Silence of Ancient Geography

The geographical settings of these two texts belong to entirely different worlds. The “Valley of Baka” in the Psalms is rooted in the landscape of Canaan-the southern region of ancient Israel, within a realistic distance for pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem. Its scenery evokes limestone hills, shallow valleys, and pilgrimage routes that naturally converge toward Zion. This is the world of Judah and Benjamin, not the world of long desert caravans.

Mecca, by contrast, lies in the Hijaz-the granitic mountain belt running parallel to the Red Sea, about 1,200 kilometers south of Jerusalem in a straight line, and much farther by ancient land routes. The Meccan valley is enclosed by rugged hills, set inland from the coast, with only limited seasonal water sources. Around the time of Abraham, roughly 2000 B.C., archaeological reconstructions show that western Arabia had very sparse settlement: no walled cities, no trade archives, no monumental sanctuaries comparable to the urban centers of the Levant. Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Canaanite chronicles-all meticulous in listing border towns and trading posts-never mention any place in the heart of the Hijaz that could be identified as Mecca or Bakkah.

The classical geographers-Strabo (1st century B.C.), Pliny the Elder (1st century A.D.), and Claudius Ptolemy (2nd century A.D.) -are our primary sources for the topography of pre-Islamic Arabia. Each of them produced monumental works that attempted to map the known world in considerable detail.

• Strabo, in his Geographica, described Arabia extensively, especially its northern and southern regions, naming cities such as Nabataea, Taima, Yathrib, Gerrha, and Minae.
• Pliny the Elder, in Naturalis Historia, outlined the trade routes that crossed the peninsula from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea, listing commercial hubs such as Carmania, Gerrha, Mariaba, and Nekhla-yet not once mentioning Mecca.
• Ptolemy, in his Geögraphike Hyphegesis (Geographia), went even further, providing latitude-and-longitude coordinates for hundreds of towns, rivers, and mountains throughout Arabia. He recorded over fifty toponyms in the region now known as the Hijaz, including Yathrippa (Yathrib/Medina), Macoraba (which some later Muslim writers tried to identify with Mecca, though that interpretation is widely disputed), Lathrippa, Thelme, and Thaima.

Yet none of these authors ever mention a city explicitly named “Mecca” or “Bakkah.” In historiographical terms, the absence of such a name in the three most comprehensive geographical sources of the ancient world constitutes evidence of absence-not merely missing data, but a meaningful silence within corpora that were otherwise meticulous in recording major trade centers and oasis towns.

This absence carries particular weight because, if Mecca had truly been an international trading hub or ancient sanctuary from the time of Abraham, as Islamic tradition claims, it would almost certainly appear in these Greco-Roman works that focus heavily on Arabian commerce. Yet even the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (1st century A.D.)—a maritime manual detailing Red Sea ports and inland markets-lists Leuke Kome and Mochorba along the northwestern coast but makes no mention of Mecca at all.

Between the first and sixth centuries A.D., Arabia produced an extraordinarily rich epigraphic record. Archaeologists and epigraphists have discovered tens of thousands of inscriptions across the peninsula, written in a variety of local scripts-Nabataean in the northwest, Thamudic and Safaitic in the central and northern deserts, and Sabaean, Minaean, and Qatabanian in the south (modern Yemen).

These texts collectively represent the administrative, economic, and religious activity of pre-Islamic Arabia. They commemorate kings and queens, record trade transactions, dedications to deities, military campaigns, and even casual graffiti left by travelers and merchants. Within this immense body of evidence, numerous Arabian cities are well-attested:

• Dedan (modern al-Ula), capital of the Lihyanite kingdom;
• Taima, an oasis famous for its Aramaic inscriptions and for being conquered by Nabonidus, king of Babylon in the 6th century B.C.;
• Najran, a known Christian and trading center;
• Qaryat al-Faw, an urban settlement in central Arabia with temples, inscriptions, and evidence of regional trade;
• Marib, Shabwah, and Qana in the south, major nodes of the Sabaean and Hadramitic incense trade networks.

Archaeologically, the Hijaz region- stretching along the Red Sea coast between modern-day Medina and Yemen-shows a very different pattern from that of southern Arabia. Excavations reveal only scattered nomadic camps, small agricultural oases, and limited material culture, but no signs of sustained urban development before the 7th century. The landscape is harsh: mountainous, dry, and without the perennial rivers or fertile valleys that allowed civilizations like Saba or Nabataea to flourish. Whereas southern Arabia boasted irrigation systems such as the Marib Dam and monumental temples dedicated to Almaqah and other deities, the Hijaz remained a cultural backwater, a marginal zone between the more advanced civilizations to its north and south.

The economic geography of Arabia further reinforces this. The famed frankincense and myrrh trade-the economic lifeline of the Arabian Peninsula-was controlled by kingdoms in Yemen and Hadramaut. Ancient sources such as the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (1st century A.D.) describe the maritime trade routes from ports like Muza, Qana, and Aden that connected southern Arabia with East Africa and India.

The land routes that carried these goods northward to Petra and Gaza were dominated by Nabataean caravans. None of these itineraries, whether coastal or inland, list a stop corresponding to Mecca. Even in later Byzantine and Persian sources describing Arabia’s geography and commerce, Mecca is entirely absent until the Islamic period.

This silence is not a trivial omission; it points to the nonexistence of Mecca as a historically relevant city before the 7th century. If Mecca had been the “center of the world’s trade” or a sacred site founded by Abraham-as later Islamic tradition maintains-it would almost certainly have appeared in the records of civilizations deeply connected to Arabia’s commerce: Egypt, Rome, or the Sabaean kingdoms.

Yet, the documentary and material evidence shows no trace of such a city.

It is only with the emergence of Islam in the early 600s A.D. that Mecca steps onto the historical stage. The earliest datable references to the city appear within the Qur’an itself and in Islamic tradition, followed by 7th- and 8th-century inscriptions and papyri written by Muslim administrators. Before that, Mecca does not exist in any known source.

The Year of the Elephant

The story of 'Am al-Fil — the “Year of the Elephant” - is one of the most significant narratives in early Islamic historiography because it serves as a chronological anchor and a sacral foundation for the city of Mecca. According to Islamic tradition, this event took place in the year of the Prophet Muhammad’s birth (around 570 CE), when Abrahah al-Ashram, a Christian ruler of Yemen under the Aksumite (Ethiopian) empire, led an army of elephants to destroy the Ka'bah. However, the Qur’an (Surah al-Fil, 105) says that God miraculously destroyed his army by sending flocks of birds (tayran abbil) that pelted them with stones of clay (sijjil).

Abrahah was a real historical figure, known from several Sabaean inscriptions discovered in Marib and Murayghan dating to the mid-6th century CE. These inscriptions confirm his rule over Yemen after Aksum’s invasion under King Kaleb around 525 CE. They describe his repair of the Marib Dam, his military campaigns against rebellious tribes, and his building of a grand cathedral called al-Qullays in Sana'a

However, none of these inscriptions mention an expedition to the Hijaz, the region where Mecca is located. Archaeological and epigraphic evidence limits Abrahah’s influence to southern and southwestern Arabia - particularly Najran and the highlands of Yemen - far from Mecca, which lies over 1,000 kilometers to the north across one of the most inhospitable deserts in the world

Epigraphists such as Jacques Ryckmans, Christian Robin, and G.W. Bowersock have thoroughly examined over thirty inscriptions relating to Abrahah’s reign. They unanimously conclude that all his documented campaigns were internal to Yemen and its neighboring regions, not toward Mecca. No inscription, no chronicle, and no foreign source mentions a march of elephants to the Hijaz.

There is no corroborating Byzantine, Persian, or Himyarite source from the 6th century that records a military campaign involving elephants against Mecca. This is especially striking given that Byzantine and Aksumite sources were otherwise meticulous in chronicling regional military affairs in Arabia and the Red Sea. If such an extraordinary event had occurred — a Christian army marching with elephants across Arabia - it would have been politically and theologically noteworthy to neighboring powers. Its complete absence from all external records strongly suggests that the event never took place.

Furthermore, if Mecca had already been an important religious or commercial hub at that time, one would expect it to appear in trade documents, itineraries, or correspondence between Arabia and the wider Mediterranean world. Yet Mecca is entirely missing from all pre-Islamic records.

From a logistical standpoint, the story is physically implausible. The journey from Sana'a to Mecca crosses mountainous terrain and arid plains devoid of permanent water sources. Modern geomorphological studies show that even the major oases such as Najran and Bisha had only limited seasonal water at that time.

An African elephant requires between 100-200 liters of water and 70-150 kilograms of food per day. No known infrastructure, irrigation system, or caravan supply route in 6th-century Arabia could sustain even a small contingent of elephants over a 1,000-kilometer march. Moreover, Aksumite military practice never included the long-distance use of elephants in desert warfare. Elephants appear in Indian, Persian, and sub-Saharan armies, but not in the arid Arabian context. The ecology of the Hijaz simply could not support such an expedition.

Modern historians interpret 'Am al-Fil as a theological or etiological legend rather than a historical event.

• Patricia Crone, in Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam (1987), argues that the story was created to fill the historical silence surrounding Mecca’s pre-Islamic past - a symbolic act of divine protection marking Muhammad’s birth.
• G.W. Bowersock, in The Throne of Adulis (2013), confirms Abrahah’s historical existence but notes that the “Year of the Elephant” legend likely emerged later as a pious myth reflecting God’s defense of His sanctuary rather than an actual military event.
• Christian Robin interprets the narrative as a theological reworking of a local conflict, transforming an otherwise ordinary episode into a cosmic sign of divine intervention.

Such reinterpretation follows a broader ancient pattern of sacralizing geography - projecting miraculous events backward in time to legitimize a place’s holiness. Similar patterns appear in Jewish and Christian literature, where the birth of a prophet is surrounded by signs in the heavens or divine deliverance from enemies.

Across all disciplines - epigraphy, archaeology, military ecology, and textual analysis — the “Year of the Elephant” collapses as history. It survives instead as a foundational legend, expressing theological meaning rather than empirical memory.

Within early Islam, the story functioned to sanctify Mecca’s role by associating the Prophet’s birth with an unmistakable act of divine protection. In academic terms, the problem with the 'Ăm al-Fil narrative is not hostility toward Islam but the absence of independent evidence. The principle of critical historiography demands corroboration from contemporary, non-Islamic sources-and none exist. Consequently, historians view the episode as part of Islam’s sacred historiography, not verifiable secular history. Mecca’s portrayal as an ancient Abrahamic center and Abrahah’s supposed attack both emerge from within Islamic theological memory, not from the demonstrable record of the ancient world.

Abraham Was Not a Muslim

So therefore if Islam claims its origin from Abraham & Ishmael because of Mecca with the Kaaba, and if there was no evidence of Mecca, meaning we can’t claim that Islam is an Abrahamic religion, therefore Abraham was definitely not a Muslim.

The PhD holder; joseph benzion witztum adds this;

“That such parallels exist between the sacrifice story of Genesis 22 and the Quranic scene describing the building of the Ka'ba is not surprising if we take into account the similar etiological function of the two texts. The scene in the Quran serves to explain the origin of worship at the Ka'ba (see Q 2:125). Genesis 22 probably also serves as an etiology for worship at the temple in Jerusalem (see Genesis 22:14), and at the very least was understood in this fashion in later Jewish tradition. Therefore the scene in the Quran may be understood as an appropriation of the foundation story of the Jerusalem temple, adapted to the founding of the Ka'ba. This would not be the first time that the site in which the attempted sacrifice took place was identified with a sacred site of another religion. The Samaritans identified the site with Mount Gerizim, while as a result of their typological reading of Genesis 22 as prefiguring the crucifixion, several Christian writers identified the site with Golgotha.” - Joseph Benzion Witztum, “The Syriac Milieu of the Quran: The Recasting of Biblical Narratives,” PhD dissertation, Princeton, NJ, 2011, 167-8.

“The replacement of Isaac with Ishmael is another striking innovation, and is most probably related to the notion that the Arabs are the descendants of Ishmael. Although the Quran never says so explicitly, this notion is known to have existed among some Arabs in pre-Islamic times, as attested in the writings of two fifth-century Greek authors, Theodoret and Sozomen.” -Joseph Benzion Witztum, “The Syriac Milieu of the Quran: The Recasting of Biblical Narratives,” PhD dissertation, Princeton, NJ, 2011, 167-8.

Was Jesus a Muslim?

Also let’s take a look at another prominent figure that is thought to be a muslim-Jesus.

I once met a muslim and he said specifically Jesus was a muslim and I asked how did he come to that conclusion, and he said that even from the Bible it lets us know that Jesus prayed like a muslim, Jesus spoke Aramaic which is close to Arabic (because both in Aramaic and Arabic the word “God” is the same), and lastly Jesus dressed like a muslim.

So lets go through this claims one after the other,

Did Jesus pray like a Muslim?

Yes the Bible says that Jesus fell on his face to pray

“He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”” — Matthew 26:39 (NKJV)

But its interesting to know that the same verse Jesus calls God “father” and in islam this is Shirk, so Jesus can’t be a muslim based on this claim.

And also apart from this verse Jesus also had other modes of prayer like kneeling (Luke 22:41), standing (John 11:41).

Which is normal, because even myself when I pray, I am either kneeing, standing, sitting, prostrating or lying down with my face facing up. So this doesn’t make me a Muslim.

Did Jesus speak Aramaic, “close to Arabic”?

Now the claim of Jesus speaking Aramaic is true but we also have to understand that Jesus was multilingual, in that he spoke Aramaic, Hebrew and greek.

So Aramaic is a Semitic language and the 3 most well Semitic languages today are Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic but there are a lot of others like Amharic, Maltese, Neo-Assyrian and etc.

The Aramaic word for God is Alaha or Elaha

This term is a close linguistic cousin (cognate) to the Hebrew Eloah / Elohim and the Arabic Allah

So now because these languages are Semitic languages you can’t say that it’s what makes a person a Muslim, and note Semitic languages don’t mean that they are the same language, They are just a family of different languages that share the same historical roots.

And also another interesting thing to know is that a lot of times Jesus would call God father, which in Aramaic the word is Abba (meaning “Father”). It also cancels the claim that he is a Muslim

Did Jesus dress like a Muslim?

Now for jesus dressing, Jesus dressed like a typical, working-class Jewish man in first-century Galilee. His standard clothing included a knee-length inner tunic (chiton), a woolen outer mantle or prayer shawl with fringes/tassels (tallit), a leather belt, and simple leather sandals.

Now the people who dress closest to Jesus are Orthodox Jews which also is not surprising because Jesus was a Jew, so this doesn’t make orthodox Jewish men Muslims.

This doesn’t negate the fact others can dress closest to it like monks, Muslims, Christian’s.

So, Who Is That God?

With all these being said, it takes us back to our first question, who is that God?

Jesus said in John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

He didn’t say I am one of the ways, he said he is THE WAY.

Research Notes