Judao-christian origins of islam?

            In orientalist and missionary literature on Islam, there is often some explicit mention or implicit implication that Islam is compiled from Judaism, Christianity or both. This is done by pointing out to obvious parallels between Islam and either or both Judaism and Christianity. It is also contended, without sufficient evidence, that it was through Muhammad's contact with Jews and Christians, especially during his travels, that he learned about religious beliefs and theology. It was this background, they claim, that led Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to formulate his own religion. The clear implication of statements of this kind is to impute dishonesty on him when he claimed that he did not compile Islam from any source whatsoever except for the revelation he received from God. The soundness of this assumption was discussed at some length in the preceding pages. It would be interesting, however, to look further into this issue. None of those who subscribe to the theory of "Judaeo-Christian origins" of Islam could present any conclusive historical evidence about the alleged teacher (s) of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Their claim thus qualifies only as an assertion or an assumption but not as a factual statement. By sheer repetition and wide circulation, however, this mere assertion and the far-reaching judgments based on it were "elevated to the dignity of facts"[20]; a settled issue.

            One example of such inaccuracy, which disregards the ABC of scientific spirit of inquiry, is a statement by Montgomery Watt in his Islam and Integration of Society: " Islam would have to admit the fact of its origin the historical influence of Judaeo-Christian religious traditions"[21]. Commenting on this an historian says: " Here the question of (origins) is taken as settled and referred to as a (fact) without any qualification or discussion"[22]. If the question of Muhammad's truthfulness was subjected to such a critical investigation, then it is only logical to critically and fairly look at the assertion of the Judaeo-Christian origins of Islam.

            At least three questions may shed light on this issue:

1. What was Muhammad's background and education before he started his mission at the age of forty, and to what extent could such background have resulted in what he brought forth?
2. What was the extent of his 'contacts" with Jews and Christians, and to what extent could such contacts have resulted in the faith he proclaimed?
3. Analytically speaking, how far can the Judaeo-Christian thought be traced in what Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught? And if there is any similarities between both teachings, how could that be explained?

            (1) The Question of Background: Historically speaking, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was an illiterate man. There is no evidence that he knew how to read or write. Even the Qur'an which he stated was the Word of God was not written down by him but he dictated it to the "scribes of revelation" who wrote it down and committed it to memory. Another historical document that is still available is the letter sent by Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to the ruler of Egypt inviting him to accept Islam[23]. This letter written for Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) carries his seal rather than his signature. Besides the lack of significant education, formal or otherwise, religious or secular, there is no account in his life, until the age of forty, that shows his scholarly tendencies or achievements in any of the spectrum of subjects with which the Qur'an deals. How could such an illiterate man, suddenly, at the age of forty, bring about an ideological and religious revolution that changed the face of history?

            (2) The Question of Environment: As we looked into the man's background, we may as well look into the type of environment in which he was reared in order to see the extent of his possible exposure to Judaeo-Christian thought. Unlike Moses (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who was reared in a center of learning and civilization , and unlike Jesus (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and other Israelite prophets who emerged in the center of Judaism, if not in the religious hierarchy[24] itself, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was raised in a predominantly pagan society with no significant Jewish tribes lived, was too far to be considered as part of Muhammad's immediate environment, especially when the seventh century means of transportation and communication are considered.

            Some may assert, however, that through his travels with the caravans, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) might have learned about Judaism and Christianity. The danger in a statement like this is not in its theoretical possibility. The danger lies instead in the hasty and superficial conclusions that are often based on it. Assuming that Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) met some Jews and Christians during his travels, or when the latter visited Mecca, which is a fair assumption, what was the extent of his exposure to their teachings? Was such as exposure sufficient to raise reasonable doubts that he copied or compiled the Qur'an from their scriptures?

            Historically speaking, and in spite of the reasonable details about Muhammad's life, there is evidence of two travels that Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) made, both to Syria. In one trip, he accompanied his uncle as a twelve-year old boy. Would it be reasonable to assume that during such a trip, a twelve-year old boy would learn all the high concepts of theology which were at that time the exclusive knowledge of high priests? In the second trip, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was twenty-five years old, and he was leading Khadija's caravan[25]. It would be highly imaginary to say that through his occasional chats with Jews and Christians, while busy with his caravan, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) learned enough about either or both religions to formulate a new powerful and viable religion, a task that defies the collective efforts of scholars for centuries. Furthermore, the above assertion does not provide answers to the following questions:

1. Why is it, that in spite of the abundance of historical material on Muhammad's life, and in spite of the extensive research on his life for centuries by his severe critics, why was it not possible to discover that mysterious teacher (s) through whom Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) might have learned all that?
   
   
2. It is known that Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was opposed, ridiculed and persecuted for nearly thirteen years by his own contemporaries. With this magnitude of severe enemies, was it not possible for them to prove to the masses that Muhammad's claim of revelation was sheer fabrication ? Was it not possible for them to reveal and name what they alleged to be the human source or sources of his teachings?[26]. Even some of his adversaries who made this assertion changed their minds later on and accused him, instead, of magic or of being possessed by evil…etc.
   
   
3. Muhammad was raised among his people and every aspect of his life was exposed to them, especially by the openness that characterizes tribal life in the desert[27]. How could the multitudes of his contemporaries, including many of his close relatives who knew him so well, -- how could they believe in his truthfulness if they had any doubt that he was claiming credit for ideas taught to him by some other teachers without bothering to give them credit?
   
   
4. What kind of teacher might have taught Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) a coherent and complete religion that changed the face of history? Why didn't he claim the credit for himself? Why couldn't he or they (if any) speak against the alleged student who continued learning from them, while ignoring them and claiming some other divine source for his teachings?
   
   
5. How could many Jews and Christians amongst his contemporaries become Muslims and believe in his truthfulness if they knew that he was copying from their scriptures or learning from their priests or rabbis?
   
   
6. It is known that some Qur'anic revelations came to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the presence of people. The Qur'an was revealed on the span of twenty-three years, where then was that mysterious, perhaps invisible human teacher of Muhammad? How could he have hidden himself for so long? Or how could Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who was constantly surrounded by his followers, how was he able to make frequent secret visits to that mysterious teacher or teachers for twenty-three years without being caught even once?

            (3) The Question of Parallels: Many orientalist, especially those with missionary affiliation, have been busy comparing the Qur'an with the Bible, trying to "discover" parallels between both books to show the influence of the Bible or the influence of "Judaeo-Christian thought" on Islam. Those scholars seem to ignore that methodologically speaking, the similarity between any two compositions is not sufficient to infer that one of them copied from the other. Both composition may be based on a third common source[28]. A Muslim may state that all divine revelations came from the same source, the One Universal God. No matter what human changes were introduced into some of these revelations that might have distorted their originality, there is bound to be some areas that remained free from distortion and thus are common to many religions. It is true that there are some parallels between the Qur'an and the Bible, e.g., some basic moral laws. If these parallels are sufficient to accuse Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) of compiling or copying from the Bible, then the same logic should be impartially and consistently applied to all previous Scriptures as well. For example, there are similarities between the teachings of Christianity and Judaism. Is this sufficient to infer that Jesus (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was not a genuine Prophet and that he simply copied from the Old Testament? Moreover, there are similarities between the Judaic teachings and other older religions such as Hinduism (e.g. in moral laws); is this sufficient to infer that Moses (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and all other Israelite prophets were false prophets and that they simply compiled their teachings from Hindu and other sources, rather than receive genuine revelations from God? These would be "heroic" inferences in the cases of Judaism and Christianity, as they are in the case of Islam.

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[20] Tibawi, A.L. English Speaking Orientalist, The Islamic Centre, Geneva, Switzerland, 1965, p.17.

[21] Watt, W. Montgomery, Islam and the Integration of Society, London, 1961, p.263 cited in Tibawi, Op. Cit, p.22. EMPHASIS IS mine.

[22] Tabawi, op. cit., p.22.

[23] This document was reproduced in Newsletter, the Muslim Students' association of the U.S. and Canada, Vol.5. No.3, Jan.1971, p.10.

[24] These facts, however, do not justify the denial of the divine origin of the original revelations given to the Prophets Moses and Jesus (May peace be upon them). Such denial is much less justified in the case of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). See Joma'a, op. cit., pp.547-549.

[25] For an account of these two travels see thatheeb sirat ibn-hisham, op. cit., p.p.42-46.

[26] See Joma'a, op. cit. p.556.

[27] Addressing the disbelievers of Muhammad's contemporaries, the Qur'an states:“ Or do they not recognize their messenger, that they deny him”.

[28] Tibawi, op.cit., P.20.