When Did Islam Really Start? — A Deep Dive into the Manufactured Origins of the Muslim Faith
Islamic apologists like to paint a neat, seamless narrative: Islam is the primordial faith of humanity, revealed first to Adam, reaffirmed by Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, and finally “perfected” through Muhammad in the 7th century CE. But scratch beneath the surface of this claim, and a far messier, politically motivated history emerges—one cobbled together centuries after Muhammad’s death, retrofitted to serve empire, power, and theology. Let’s take a hard look at how Islam actually started, what its sources say, and why its foundational story begins to unravel under scrutiny.
The Official Narrative: Straight from the Pulpit
Contemporary da'wah websites give a simplified answer:
"Islam began with the mission of Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century CE. Its core tenets include belief in Allah, daily prayer, fasting during Ramadan, charity (zakat), and pilgrimage (Hajj)."
—IslamQA, paraphrased
This gives the impression of a pristine, consistent faith system revealed from the heavens and practiced unchanged ever since. But even Islamic historians and compilers like Ibn Ishaq and al-Tabari reveal that this tidy timeline is a post hoc construction. Islam didn’t descend fully formed in 610 CE—it was forged, molded, and evolved in response to internal crises and external threats.
The Historical Reality: Muhammad's Gradual, Shifting Revelation
Islam, in its formative stage, was not a coherent religion. Early biographical sources show a prophet whose message changed dramatically over time:
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Muhammad's early revelations focused almost exclusively on apocalyptic warnings, reminiscent of Christian Syrian desert monastics. The emphasis on Judgment Day was so central that even al-Tabari reports Meccans mocking Muhammad as a doom-preacher (al-Tabari, Ta'rikh, vol. 6).
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Only after the Hijrah (622 CE) to Medina did Muhammad’s religion gain political teeth—alongside new legal and martial elements. Ibn Ishaq details how these "revelations" increasingly mirrored Muhammad’s needs as a statesman and warlord.
This progression suggests not divine clarity but strategic improvisation.
Ibn Ishaq and the Fabrication of Prophetic Mythology
The earliest known biography of Muhammad, Ibn Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah, written more than a century after Muhammad's death, admits that Muhammad's mission began chaotically:
“The Quraysh were confused about what Muhammad was saying, some thought he was possessed, others that he was a mad poet…”
—Ibn Ishaq, Sirah, p. 119 (Guillaume translation)
Even the story of the first revelation, where the angel Jibreel allegedly commands Muhammad to "Recite!", is narrated inconsistently. al-Tabari preserves variants in which Muhammad doubts himself, contemplates suicide, and requires his wife Khadijah—and her Christian cousin Waraqah ibn Nawfal—to affirm his prophethood (al-Tabari, History, vol. 6, pp. 67–69).
Why would the final prophet of God need validation from a Christian monk? Why the panic, fear, and suicidal thoughts?
Tafsir and the Convenience of Revelation
Classical commentators like Ibn Kathir and al-Qurtubi try to harmonize Muhammad’s contradictions, but their tafsir often reveals the cracks they attempt to plaster over.
Take Qur'an 22:52, a verse supposedly affirming that Satan can insert false words into prophetic revelation:
"Never did We send a messenger or prophet before you but, when he desired, Satan threw into his desire something; but Allah abolishes what Satan throws in…"
—Qur'an 22:52
This verse is the classical anchor for the infamous "Satanic Verses" episode, where Muhammad reportedly recited verses honoring pagan goddesses al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat—then later claimed Satan tricked him.
Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabari, and even al-Qurtubi preserve this story. The tafsir only serves to retroactively sanitize the blunder. Is this the hallmark of a clear, divine message—or a prophet hedging bets until caught?
The Five Pillars: Later Institutional Constructs
Most Muslims are taught that the “Five Pillars” were revealed early and all at once. But Islamic sources suggest otherwise.
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Zakat (alms-giving) evolved from voluntary charity into a state-enforced tax only after Muhammad seized power in Medina (see al-Tabari, Ta'rikh, vol. 7).
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Prayer times and ritual form changed multiple times. Early Muslims prayed facing Jerusalem, not Mecca (Qur’an 2:144), until Muhammad conveniently reversed it.
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Hajj rituals were appropriated and rebranded from existing pagan practices at the Kaaba—something even Islamic historians like al-Azraqi (writing about Meccan customs) admit.
The “pillars” weren’t revealed—they were constructed. They are not timeless commandments, but evolving political and legal mechanisms serving the needs of a burgeoning Islamic state.
Conversion: A Political Act Masquerading as Faith
Today’s apologists say anyone can “become a Muslim” by simply saying the shahada. But in Muhammad’s time, conversion was not merely a spiritual matter—it was often a military or economic decision.
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Ibn Ishaq reports that many Arab tribes "converted" to Islam only after Muhammad's military successes (Sirah, p. 549). Apostasy (ridda) became punishable by death only after these tribes began abandoning Islam when Muhammad died (see Sahih Bukhari 6922).
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Tabari details how converts were bribed with war booty or threatened with violence—hardly a spiritual awakening.
The religion began and expanded through coercion, not persuasion.
Conclusion: Islam Didn't Begin in the 7th Century—It Was Invented There
Islam did not descend from heaven on a quiet night in a Meccan cave. It was assembled piecemeal over decades, drawing on Jewish midrash, Syrian Christianity, and pagan Arab customs, filtered through the ambitions of a man who claimed prophethood when his tribe rejected him as a reformer or mystic.
Early Islamic sources themselves reveal a process of doctrinal improvisation, theological backtracking, and political consolidation. Islam’s origin story is not divine revelation—but historical fabrication.
Sources:
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Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah, trans. A. Guillaume
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al-Tabari, Ta'rikh al-Rusul wa'l-Muluk (The History of Prophets and Kings)
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Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Qur’an al-‘Azim
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Sahih Bukhari, Hadith nos. 339, 6922, 122
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Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, Sahih Muslim, Hadith no. 127
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al-Qurtubi, Tafsir al-Jami' li Ahkam al-Qur'an
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al-Azraqi, Akhbar Makkah
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