Did the Umayyads and Abbasids Invent Muhammad and Islam?

Picture this: a vast empire stretching across deserts and cities, but it’s missing a unifying story to hold it together. That’s the scene some say led to the creation of the Islamic Muhammad—the sinless, final prophet who delivered the Qur’an and made Mecca holy. A bold claim argues this Muhammad, let’s call him “A,” didn’t exist historically and was crafted later by two dynasties: the Umayyads (661–750 CE) and Abbasids (after 750 CE). They needed a divine figure to cement their power, so they invented A and shaped Islam as we know it. If true, this snaps a key leg of Islam’s foundation—Qur’an, Mecca, Muhammad—collapsing the whole system. Let’s unpack this idea with simple evidence, using only non-Islamic records from 600–750 CE, to see if A was real or a made-up legend.

Who Is This “Islamic Muhammad”?

First, let’s clarify who “A” is, based on Islamic teachings (used here just to define, not prove):

• Final Prophet: God’s last messenger, guided by the angel Gabriel (Qur’an 33:40, 2:97).

• Sinless Role Model: Perfect in morals, a shining example (33:21).

• Qur’an’s Deliverer: Brought a divine, eternal book (15:9).

• Mecca’s Founder: Set up the Kaaba, pilgrimage, and prayer direction (2:125–129).

• Life: Born around 570 CE, preached 610–632 CE, died 632 CE.

The claim says A wasn’t a real person. Instead, he was dreamed up long after his supposed time to serve political goals. To test this, we need evidence from non-Islamic sources—texts, coins, or artifacts—before 750 CE. If A’s traits aren’t there, the invention story gains weight.

Step 1: The Silence Before 750 CE

If A was real, we’d expect records from his time (610–632 CE) or soon after to mention him—a sinless prophet, delivering a Qur’an, tied to Mecca. What do we find?

• Early Texts:

  • Doctrina Jacobi (c. 634–640 CE), a Greek Christian document, talks about a “prophet” among Arabs preaching one God and conquests. No name “Muhammad,” no sinlessness, no Qur’an, no Mecca.

  • Chronicle of Sebeos (c. 660 CE), an Armenian history, names a “Mahmet” who taught about God and led Arabs. But it skips sinlessness, any holy book, or a sacred Mecca.

  • Other sources—like Byzantine records (c. 630 CE) or Persian letters (c. 620 CE)—say nothing about a prophet like A.

• Archaeology:

  • No inscriptions from 600–750 CE name A or his traits.

  • No coins mention a prophet before the 690s CE.

  • No artifacts point to a holy Mecca.

The Qur’an itself? Non-Islamic sources don’t mention it as a book back then, and we’ll see why later. This quiet period—no stories of A’s life, family, or deeds—leaves a big gap. It’s like a blank canvas, perfect for someone to paint a new picture later.

Step 2: Why Make Up a Prophet?

Ruling an empire isn’t easy. The Umayyads (661–750 CE) controlled lands from Spain to Persia but needed more than swords to keep it together—they needed a shared belief. The Abbasids, who took over after 750 CE, had the same problem, plus they claimed to be holier than their rivals. Could A have been their solution?

• Umayyads’ Moves:

  • Before 690 CE, their coins had Christian crosses or Persian designs—no sign of a prophet.

  • Around 691–692 CE, under leader Abd al-Malik, things changed. The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem got inscriptions calling “Muhammad” God’s messenger, challenging Christian ideas about Jesus. Coins from 692–696 CE started saying “Muhammad is the messenger of God”—60 years after A’s supposed death.

  • These steps made “Muhammad” a symbol, but still no mention of sinlessness, Gabriel, a full Qur’an, or Mecca’s holiness.

• Abbasids’ Power Play:

  • After overthrowing the Umayyads, the Abbasids said they were tied to Muhammad’s uncle, Abbas, giving them a holy edge.

  • Non-Islamic sources, like a Greek historian (c. 810 CE), mention a “Mahomet” as an Arab leader, but nothing about being sinless or Gabriel-guided.

  • The Abbasids pushed stories that only appeared later—way after 750 CE—which we’ll cover next.

The idea? Both dynasties used a figure named Muhammad to unify their empire, turning a vague leader into a divine prophet to rally people and justify their rule.

Step 3: Clues of a Made-Up Story

If A was invented, we’d see signs like late stories, missing outside proof, and reworked history. Let’s check:

• Late Stories:

  • No non-Islamic source before 750 CE gives A’s life story—his mother, wife, or battles. The earliest Islamic biography (by Ibn Ishaq, c. 767 CE) comes over 130 years after A’s death, too late for our evidence cutoff.

  • A Christian writer, John of Damascus (c. 750 CE), calls “Mouamed” a false prophet, but shares no details about a sinless founder or Mecca.

• No Outside Proof:

  • Roman, Persian, Jewish, or Christian records from 600–750 CE don’t confirm A as a religion’s founder. They mention Arab conquests, not a holy prophet.

  • Mecca and the Kaaba? Absent from non-Islamic texts like Ptolemy (150 CE) or Pliny (77 CE). Meanwhile, Petra, another city, has temples proving it was a big deal back then.

• Rewriting the Past:

  • Sebeos links “Mahmet” to Abraham, but vaguely—no Kaaba or Mecca. Later, Abbasids might have built on this, tying A to ancient figures to boost Arab pride.

These gaps suggest A’s full story—sinless, Qur’an-bringing, Mecca-focused—popped up after the fact, shaped to fit new needs.

Step 4: Was the Qur’an Built Over Time?

If A delivered the Qur’an, we’d expect early non-Islamic records of a holy book tied to him. Instead:

• No Early Book:

  • Doctrina Jacobi and Sebeos don’t mention a “Qur’an.”

  • No non-Islamic source before 750 CE describes an Arab scripture.

• Old Manuscripts:

  • The Sana’a Palimpsest (c. 650–700 CE), an early Qur’an fragment, has changes—erased and rewritten parts—with no vowels or marks to fix meanings. This suggests it wasn’t set in stone.

  • No complete Qur’an book exists before the late 600s or early 700s CE.

• State Control:

  • Abd al-Malik (685–705 CE) and his governor al-Hajjaj are linked to organizing the Qur’an, per later Islamic stories (excluded as proof). Non-Islamic clues, like coin shifts, show their push for a unified Arab identity, maybe including a standard text.

This paints a picture of the Qur’an growing over time, shaped by leaders, not handed down perfectly by A in 632 CE.

Step 5: Why Abbasids Wanted a Perfect Prophet

The Abbasids needed more than a name—they wanted a flawless hero to lock in their power. Why?

• Weak Claim: Saying they were related to Abbas wasn’t enough to beat rival groups.

• Big Idea: Making A a sinless, Gabriel-guided prophet gave them a divine stamp of approval. Non-Islamic sources don’t show this A before 750 CE, but later ones (post-800 CE) start echoing a grander figure.

• Control Tools:

  • Islamic stories (too late for proof) say Abbasids spread schools and laws based on A’s life, crushing groups who disagreed.

  • No coins or texts from 750 CE confirm this perfect A—just silence.

The Abbasids likely turned a basic “Muhammad” into the ultimate prophet to make their rule untouchable.

Does It Add Up?

The claim says A—the Islamic Muhammad—wasn’t real but was crafted by the Umayyads and Abbasids to glue their empires together. The evidence checks out:

• No Early A: Before 750 CE, no non-Islamic record—texts, coins, artifacts—shows a sinless, Gabriel-guided prophet delivering a Qur’an or sanctifying Mecca.

• Late Clues: “Muhammad” appears on coins and the Dome of the Rock (691–696 CE), but only as a name, not A’s full story. Detailed tales start after 750 CE.

• Political Fit: Umayyads needed a religious flag; Abbasids needed a holy hero. A blank slate before 750 CE let them build A from scratch.

• Qur’an’s Growth: Early texts vary, suggesting leaders like Abd al-Malik shaped it, not A.

The logic holds: if A was real, we’d see his traits early on. We don’t. The silence, followed by late symbols and stories, points to invention.

The Stool Collapses—Again

Remember the three-legged stool? Islam’s system needs Qur’an, Mecca, and Muhammad (A). The blog post said one leg failing—like A—brings it down. Here:

• Muhammad (A): No proof before 750 CE. Just a name later on, not a sinless prophet.

• Qur’an: No early record of a divine book; it evolved with variants.

• Mecca: No non-Islamic evidence as a holy site—unlike Petra.

One leg down—Muhammad—is enough. No A, no divine system. The stool falls, just like the claim predicts.

Why This Sparks Curiosity

This isn’t about tearing down beliefs—it’s about chasing facts. The idea that A was a made-up figure fits the evidence: no trace of him early, then a sudden burst of stories when empires needed them. It makes you wonder how religions and histories get built, piece by piece.