Post 1: Islam’s Foundational Claim: Are All Prophets Really Muslims?

Introduction: A Bold Theological Reframing

One of Islam’s most distinctive and sweeping claims is that all prophets in human history were Muslims. According to Islamic doctrine, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, and Jesus were not Jews or Christians—but Muslims who preached submission (Islam) to the one true God (Allah).

This is no small claim. It forms the foundation of Islam’s theological narrative: that Islam is not new, but a reaffirmation of the original, unchanging, universal religion. The assertion is not metaphorical—it is literal, legal, and historical within the Islamic worldview.

But does this claim hold up to textual, historical, linguistic, and logical scrutiny? Was there ever any religion called "Islam" before Muhammad? Did any of these earlier prophets ever teach Islamic doctrines or rituals? Or is this merely anachronistic rebranding to give Islam legitimacy through retroactive continuity?

In this deep-dive, we will put this foundational assertion under the microscope. What we uncover dismantles the myth that Islam has always existed—and reveals it as a 7th-century invention retroactively imposed onto history.

Section 1: The Quran’s Claim in Detail — What Does It Actually Say?

The Quran explicitly states that earlier prophets were Muslims:

Surah 3:67: “Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was one inclining toward truth, a Muslim.”
Surah 2:132: Abraham and Jacob instructed their children to die as Muslims.
Surah 5:111: Jesus’ disciples allegedly declared themselves Muslims.
Surah 10:72: Noah says he was commanded to be among the Muslims.
Surah 42:13: God gave Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad the same religion.

On the surface, this suggests Islam is timeless. But that’s only possible if the term "Muslim" means the same thing throughout history.

It doesn’t.

In Arabic, Muslim means “one who submits,” and Islam means “submission.” But in the Islamic context, these terms carry doctrinal content:

Belief in the Quran
Belief in Muhammad as the final prophet
Performing the Five Pillars
Upholding Sharia law

Abraham, Moses, and Jesus knew none of these. Thus, using the term Muslim to describe them is a textbook fallacy of equivocation—applying a modern religious identity to ancient figures who did not and could not hold that identity.

Section 2: Abraham in the Quran vs the Bible — A Tale of Two Patriarchs

The Quran paints Abraham as the first Muslim, builder of the Kaaba, preacher of pure monotheism, and forefather of Islam.

But in the Torah:

Abraham is identified as a Hebrew, not an Arab (Genesis 14:13).
He worships YHWH, not Allah.
He builds altars in Canaan, not Mecca.
He never mentions, visits, or builds anything in Mecca.
His religious practices include animal sacrifice and covenant via circumcision, not pilgrimage around a cube or praying in Arabic.

There is no archaeological, textual, or historical evidence linking Abraham to Mecca or Islamic practices. The idea that he built the Kaaba is found nowhere outside the Quran.

So which Abraham is real?

The historically consistent, well-attested Hebrew patriarch of the Torah and Christian scriptures?
Or the Islamized version written centuries later by Arabs trying to claim prophetic lineage?

Only one fits the data. The other is historical fiction.

Section 3: Moses and the Law — Sharia Before the Sharia?

Islamic apologists claim Moses was a Muslim who taught the same religion as Muhammad. But this claim collapses under even minimal scrutiny.

The Torah given to Moses:

Establishes ethnic Israel, not a global ummah.
Promotes laws specific to Jewish identity: Sabbath, circumcision, dietary laws, temple worship, Levitical priesthood.
Makes no mention of Mecca, Muhammad, or Arabic as a sacred language.

In fact, if Moses were judged by Sharia law, many of his commands would be considered innovations or violations.

There is no indication from the Torah, the Talmud, Jewish oral law, or historical record that Moses was preaching anything remotely resembling Islam. The claim is a projection backward with no basis.

Section 4: Jesus in Islam — Prophet or Redeemer?

Islam teaches that Jesus was a Muslim prophet:

Born of a virgin (affirmed)
Not divine (denied)
Not crucified (denied)
Preached monotheism (affirmed)
Predicted Muhammad (claimed)

However, all historical, Roman, Jewish, and early Christian sources confirm that:

Jesus was crucified (Tacitus, Josephus, Gospel accounts).
Jesus claimed unique divine sonship (John 10:30; Mark 14:61–62).
Jesus established the New Covenant of grace, not law.

The Quran’s portrait of Jesus is unrecognizable to historians or scholars of early Christianity. It erases every defining element of his life, death, and teachings, replacing it with a rebranded Islamic prophet.

This isn’t continuity. It’s a hostile takeover of Christian scripture.

Section 5: Contradictions in the Quran’s Narrative

The Quran contradicts itself regarding Islam’s historical continuity.

On one hand, it says earlier prophets preached Islam. On the other:

Surah 36:6 says Muhammad was sent to “a people whose forefathers were not warned.”
Surah 28:46 states Muhammad was not present when Moses received the law, implying no connection.

These verses imply the Arabs were receiving new revelation, not a continuation.

You cannot say Islam has been the same message all along and say the Arabs had never been warned before.

This is a direct, irreconcilable internal contradiction.

Section 6: Historical Silence — Where Was Islam Before the 7th Century?

If Islam has always existed:

Where are the manuscripts?
Where are the inscriptions?
Where are the religious communities calling themselves Muslims?
Where are the prophets with Arabic scripture before Muhammad?

There are none.

There is zero historical evidence—no external documents, inscriptions, coins, or temples—linking the religion of Islam to any period before the 7th century.

We have records of the Egyptians, Sumerians, Hittites, Jews, Greeks, Romans, Zoroastrians, and Christians — but no Islam.

A religion allegedly sent to every nation and every people leaves no trace for thousands of years?

That's not “hidden truth.” That’s a historical impossibility.

Section 7: Logical Refutation of the Continuity Claim

Let’s now apply formal logic:

Syllogism:

If all prophets were Muslims, they must have preached Islam (as defined today).
No prophet before Muhammad preached Islamic doctrine, rituals, or belief in the Quran or Muhammad.
Therefore, they were not Muslims.

Conclusion: The Quran’s claim is logically invalid.

This is not just unsupported—it is refuted by its own evidence.

Conclusion: The Collapse of a Foundational Myth

Islam’s foundational claim—that all prophets were Muslims—is:

Historically baseless
Textually contradictory
Linguistically deceptive
Logically incoherent

It’s a retroactive invention meant to appropriate earlier prophets and scriptures. But history, logic, and evidence all point to a single conclusion:

Islam is a 7th-century religion trying to claim a 4,000-year-old legacy it never had.

Disclaimer

This post critiques Islam as an ideology, doctrine, and historical system—not Muslims as individuals. Every human deserves respect; beliefs do not.

Refuting Islam

Saturday, August 23, 2025