Who Brought the Religion of Islam?

Who Brought the Religion of Islam?

There is an ongoing dispute between the Muslim and Christian communities regarding who brought the religion of Islam. Muslims claim that Islam has existed since the creation of the world, while Christians argue that Islam came about four thousand years after Jesus under the leadership of Muhammad as the founder of that religion. Both sides cannot be correct; only one is right. To know which is correct and which is not, we must carefully examine our books to uncover the truth.

When we read the explanation of verses 19–20 of Surah Yusuf in the Qur’an, Juz’ 12, third Swahili edition, page 311, there are words that describe the person who brought the religion of Islam to this world. The words state that Islam came more than 4,000 years before the arrival of the religion brought by Prophet Muhammad, and then they falsely ascribe Islam to him, claiming that he introduced it to people. According to this Qur’anic interpretation, combined with the evidence from the famous Hadith collections of Muhammad in Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, and various books written by Islamic scholars, it is clearly evident that the religion of Islam was brought and established by Muhammad (peace be upon him). A good example of the beginning of Islam is seen in the book “The Life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him),” written by the former Chief Qadi of Zanzibar and later Kenya, the late Sheikh Abdullah Saleh Al-Farsy.

On page 18, there are words regarding Muhammad’s wife, Khadija bint Khuweylid, which tell us the following: He returned to his wife Khadija and related this news to her. Immediately, she believed him and became the first person to testify the Shahada (Islamic testimony of faith). Therefore, the very first Muslim was a woman.

In the same book, page 18, section C, the earliest Muslims are mentioned as follows:

1. The first Muslim: Khadija bint Khuweylid. The Prophet was commanded to teach the religion on a Monday, and Khadija embraced Islam that same day, worshipping with the Prophet at night before anyone else in the world. She was the first true Muslim.

2. The second Muslim: Sayyidina Ali bin Abi Talib bin Abdul Muttalib. When the Prophet’s cousin and Khadija’s relative performed the night prayer, he asked, “What kind of worship is this?” The Prophet explained and invited him to join, but he initially declined, saying he needed to advise his father first. The Prophet instructed him to keep the matter secret. The following morning, the young man came to the Prophet and informed him that he had joined them. He became the second Muslim in the world, at around ten years of age.

3. The third and fourth Muslims: Zayd bin Haritha Al-Ka’bi and Khadija’s maid, Aymana. Zayd, the freed servant of the Prophet, stayed with the Prophet and embraced Islam like Sayyidina Ali during the day of Jum’ah. He and his wife, Umm Aymana, became Muslims.

All of these were the very first Muslims who accepted Islam immediately after Muhammad (peace be upon him) brought the religion to the world, officially establishing it on Monday, the 17th day of Ramadan, corresponding to December 27, 610 AD. Before Muhammad, the religion of Islam did not exist on Earth.

Question:
Who was the first Muslim: Muhammad or Khadija?

Reflection:
Take a moment to ponder.

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