Title:
Who Introduced Islam? An Analytical Review of Islamic and Christian Historical Claims
By Dr. Maxwell Shimba | Shimba Theological Institute
Abstract
A longstanding debate persists between Muslim and Christian communities regarding the origin of Islam. Muslims claim that Islam existed since the creation of the universe, practiced by all prophets from Adam to Muhammad. Conversely, Christians argue that Islam emerged four thousand years after Jesus Christ, with Muhammad as its founder. This paper examines Islamic sources—including the Qur’an, Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and respected biographical literature on Muhammad—to determine whether Islam predates Muhammad or whether it was instituted by him in the 7th century. The study concludes by posing a reflective theological question on who truly became the first Muslim between Muhammad and his wife Khadija, based on documented Islamic traditions.
Introduction
For centuries, Islamic and Christian communities have debated the historical and theological origins of Islam. On one side, Muslim scholarship maintains that Islam is an eternal religion instituted by God since the creation of Adam, upheld by every prophet that followed. On the other hand, Christian theologians and historians contest this claim, asserting that Islam was established in the 7th century CE by Muhammad in Arabia. This study seeks to clarify these claims by analyzing both the Qur’anic texts and early Islamic historical records, focusing on the formation of Islam as an organized religious system and identifying its earliest adherents.
Textual Analysis from Islamic Sources
To ascertain the veracity of these claims, we turn first to the Qur’an and its exegesis. In the interpretation of Surah Yusuf (12:19–20) as found in the Kiswahili edition of the Qur’an (third edition, Juzuu 12, page 311), the commentary acknowledges that over 4000 years elapsed before the arrival of the religion brought by Prophet Muhammad. This indicates, within certain Islamic commentaries, that Islam, as an institutionalized religion, was introduced by Muhammad himself.
Additionally, canonical hadith collections such as Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, along with various writings by eminent Islamic scholars, affirm this understanding. A critical example is drawn from the biographical text Maisha ya Nabii Muhammad (Life of Prophet Muhammad) by the late Sheikh Abdullah Saleh Al-Farsy, the former Chief Kadhi of Zanzibar and later Kenya.
On page 18 of this text, it is recorded that upon receiving his first revelation, Muhammad returned home and confided in his wife, Khadija bint Khuwaylid. She immediately believed in him, thereby becoming the first person to profess the Shahada (Islamic declaration of faith). The text explicitly states:
"She was the very first Muslim."
The same book lists the earliest Muslims chronologically as follows:
-
Khadija bint Khuwaylid — First person to embrace Islam upon Muhammad’s invitation.
-
Ali ibn Abi Talib — Muhammad’s cousin, who initially hesitated but later declared his faith.
-
Zayd ibn Haritha — Muhammad’s adopted son.
-
Baraka bint Tha'laba (Umm Ayman) — Muhammad’s nursemaid.
The historical record situates the formal beginning of Islam as a religious movement on Monday, the 17th of Ramadan, equivalent to 27th December, 610 CE. Prior to this date, there existed no structured religious system identified as Islam.
Historical and Theological Implication
Given these Islamic sources, it becomes clear that institutional Islam—characterized by specific rituals, beliefs, and the Shahada—originated with Muhammad. While Islamic theology retrospectively projects Islam onto earlier prophets, the organized practice labeled as Islam began in the 7th century.
This reality prompts a reflective theological question:
Who was truly the first Muslim—Muhammad or his wife Khadija?
If Khadija accepted Islam the moment Muhammad shared his experience and professed the Shahada before him, then logically, based on Islamic tradition itself, Khadija would hold the distinction of being the first Muslim.
Conclusion
This analysis reveals that, according to documented Islamic sources, the structured religion of Islam as it is known today was introduced by Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century CE. While Islamic theology maintains a belief in Islam’s primordial existence through earlier prophets, the practical and communal establishment of the faith began during Muhammad’s lifetime.
The evidence further suggests that Khadija bint Khuwaylid was, by Islamic historical accounts, the first individual to accept Islam, even before Muhammad publicly proclaimed it to others. This raises a profound theological reflection within Islamic history about the origins of faith adherence in the early Muslim community.
Keywords:
Islamic history, Prophet Muhammad, Khadija bint Khuwaylid, Islam origin, Islamic theology, early Muslim converts, Qur’an, Sahih al-Bukhari, Abdullah Saleh Al-Farsy, 610 CE, religious origins, Islamic tradition.
No comments:
Post a Comment