The origins of Islam are rooted not in divine truth, but in political strategy. When Muhammad’s life is examined through early Islamic sources such as Ibn Ishaq (Sirat Rasul Allah, as preserved in Ibn Hisham), al-Tabari (Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk, Volumes VI–IX), and Sahih Bukhari, a clear pattern forms. His revelations arrived exactly when he needed them, aligning with his personal desires, ambitions, and tactical needs. What is presented today as sacred scripture often reads more like calculated justification.
One of the clearest examples is the episode known as the Satanic Verses. According to early biographies, Muhammad initially affirmed the legitimacy of three pagan goddesses, al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat, as intercessors with Allah. This won him favour with the Quraysh, the dominant tribe in Mecca. But when the political tide shifted, he retracted those verses, claiming that Satan had inserted them into his mouth.
Sources:
al-Tabari, The History of al-Tabari, Vol. VI, pp. 107–109
Ibn Ishaq, quoted by Ibn Hisham (sections removed but cited by al-Waqidi and Ibn Sa'd)
Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 1
The Qur’an still contains a trace of that event:
Qur’an 53:19–20
"Have you considered al-Lat and al-Uzza,
and Manat, the third, the other one?"
These are the same three goddesses that Muhammad briefly affirmed, then disowned. His reversal came not through divine correction but damage control. If a prophet cannot distinguish divine inspiration from satanic manipulation, his authority is invalidated.
Then comes the testimony of Abd Allah ibn Sa’d ibn Abi Sarh, one of Muhammad’s scribes. He said,
"I used to direct Muhammad wherever I willed. He would dictate to me ‘All-Powerful, All-Wise’ and I would write ‘All-Knowing, All-Wise’ and he would say: ‘That’s fine.’"
Sources:
al-Tabari, Tarikh, Vol. VI, pp. 93–94
Ibn Abi Dawud, Kitab al-Masahif
Noted also in Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wa’l-Nihaya
This destroys the myth of the Qur’an being the unaltered word of God. It proves the revelations were not only mutable but subject to the will of those around Muhammad. The claim of perfection collapses the moment a scribe’s edits are accepted as scripture.
Allah himself was not a new deity. In pre-Islamic Arabia, Allah was already worshipped as a high god among many. The three goddesses were considered his daughters. Muhammad did not reveal a new monotheistic faith. He inherited a pagan framework and stripped it of its complexity. This was not divine clarity. It was religious repackaging.
Sources:
Hisham ibn al-Kalbi, Kitab al-Asnam (The Book of Idols)
Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd Ed., Brill, entry: “Allah”
W. Montgomery Watt, Muhammad at Mecca, p. 39–40
And make no mistake, Allah is not the Hebrew God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The God of Israel condemns lies, condemns sexual abuse, and never contradicts himself to serve a prophet’s appetites. Yahweh does not sanction child brides, slave concubines, or massacres in the name of expansion. The character and behaviour of Allah as described in the Qur’an is fundamentally at odds with the nature of the God found in the Torah and the teachings of Christ. They are not the same.
Muhammad’s so-called revelations repeatedly served his convenience. When he wished to marry additional women beyond the limit set for other Muslims, a new verse allowed him alone that privilege.
Qur’an 33:50
When he took a slave girl as a concubine, another verse sanctioned sex with captive women, even if they were married.
Qur’an 4:24
When he faced opposition, revelations would appear threatening his critics with hell or execution.
Qur’an 9:61, Qur’an 33:57
These were not transcendent principles. They're opportunistic decrees.
His marriage to Aisha cannot be excused by historical context. As recorded in Sahih Bukhari, he married her at six and consummated the marriage at nine.
Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 7, Book 62, Hadith 64
Sahih Muslim, Book 8, Hadith 3310
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This wasn’t a norm even among his own people. His first wife, Khadijah, was a respected older woman and business leader. Aisha was a child. This was not culture. This was control.
The massacre of the Banu Qurayza stands as one of the most brutal episodes in Islamic history. After a siege in Medina, Muhammad ordered the execution of between 600 and 900 Jewish men and the enslavement of their women and children. Their only crime was political neutrality. This was not justice. It was a warning.
Sources:
Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah, pp. 461–464
al-Tabari, Tarikh al-Rusul, Vol. VIII, pp. 27–40
Sahih Bukhari, Book 52, Hadith 280
Unlike other prophetic figures, Muhammad produced no public miracles. His only claimed miracle was the Qur’an itself, which his followers were expected to accept as unmatched in beauty and wisdom.
Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 6, Book 61, Hadith 504
Sahih Muslim, Book 30, Hadith 5832
But belief in its perfection was enforced with warfare. Islam spread not through persuasion, but through conquest. The word submission was taken literally.
Muhammad was not a prophet in the spiritual sense. He was a tactician, a warlord, and a man who used religion as a vehicle for authority. His god changed with his mood. His scripture evolved to meet his needs. His legacy, despite the mystique, was shaped more by sword and strategy than spirit.
