Maybe it’s because I’ve presently read 19 of the Islamic holy books (Qur’an and Hadith), and 7 books on the archaeology of Islam (more on the way for both), but this 29-page booklet could make stronger points. For example, page 10 says Muhammad is “God’s last prophet” and page 11 makes a good comparison to Jesus, but there is also a strange, physical sign that Muhammad is the last of the prophets that doesn’t get mentioned. Joe recognizes the Hadith on pages 6, 7, 10, 14 (which is second to the Qur’an), and it says Muhammad has the Seal of Prophecy on his body to prove his prophethood. What was it? In the Islamic holy books, the canonical Hadith (grade: sahih; which is the highest) explains that: “I saw the Prophet .. I went behind him and looked at the Seal of Prophethood between his shoulders … the shape of a palm with the fingers held together, and on it were spots like moles” ( - Sahih Muslim, Vol. 6, no. 6088/84-7; published by Darussalam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2007; other publishers may number differently). The New Encyclopedia of Islam explains: “Seal of Prophecy .. the name given to a large lump of flesh ‘the size of a pigeon’s egg’ in the small of the back of the Prophet, which was taken as a physical sign of the ‘Seal of Prophecy’ ” (2001, pages 407-8; by Cyril Glasse). It seems Muhammad was considered a prophet because of a large mole on his back. Holy moley! Do you believe someone is a prophet because of a strange mark on the body?
The booklet also promotes the standard, commonly misunderstood history of Islam. Pages 3-4 read, “Islam, began in Mecca, .. to a man named Muhammad” (citing Ney Reiber); pages 13, 23 have the city of Mecca as the place of attention for Muslims, and pages 22-23 has Mecca for the prayer direction (qibla). But, archaeology is not good for Islam. Discoveries in the ground conflict with the standard explanations and the Islamic holy books. The Qur’an reports that the qibla was changed (2:142, 144), but it doesn’t say from where or to. The Hadith reports that it was originally towards Jerusalem, and it changed to Mecca under Muhammad (Bukhari 1:403; 6:4486). However, it has been discovered the earliest mosques were not built facing towards Mecca until much later after Muhammad (c AD 750). The foundation markers of many early mosques are still visible in the ground so the direction can be measured. Early on before the wall niche was introduced (c AD 707), the front of the mosque was built pointing to the holy city for prayer direction. What city was it? “As I studied early mosques I was shocked to discover that for over a hundred years after Muhammad’s death, many new mosques pointed to Syria. Using these mosques I was able to draw lines on a map to discover where they intersected … From the archeological evidence left by early mosques, it would seem that the ancient qiblas all converged on the central court area of the ancient city of Petra” ( - Qur’anic Geography, 2011, pages 245, 332; by Dan Gibson, historian). “The Mecca Qibla was clearly a later development … since the prophet Muhammad .. lived during the time of the Petra Qibla, then surely true prayer must be towards Petra … For the first century of Islam, all qiblas pointed to Petra in Jordan … as the archeology clearly demonstrates ..” ( - Early Islamic Qiblas, 2017, pages 113-4, 127-8; by Dan Gibson). “.. it seems evident that the original Ka’ba must have been built in the city of Petra because all the earliest extant mosques face Petra from every direction .. Petra is the original Holy City of Islam ..” ( - Let the Stones Speak, 2023, page 117; by Dan Gibson).
There are clues with the term “muhammad,” which page 13 agrees means “highly praised,” that something isn’t right. Why would a prophet praise himself? He wouldn’t! The term “muhammad” is found in the Qur’an only 4 times (imagine the Bible mentioning Jesus or Paul only 4 times!). There is a curious formula in a twin verse of the Qur’an that interchanges the term “muhammad” with Jesus. It reads: “Muhammad is nothing but a messenger; messengers have passed away before him” (3:144), and “the Messiah, the son of Mary, is nothing but a messenger; messengers have passed away before him” (5:75). It appears the term muhammad was originally just an adjective for Jesus, and not a noun or person’s name. Jesus is more than just a prophet, and should be “highly praised.” “The term ‘Islam’ was first used .. [in year] 72/691, but .. it almost certainly did not have then the meaning it later acquired, i.e., as an official term for the Arabs’ religion. The term Muslim is later still: it does not appear in any pre-Abbasid [c. AD 750] Arabic texts, including official inscriptions, popular graffiti, coins, and protocols ..” ( - Crossroads to Islam, 2003, page 234; co-author, Yehuda Nevo, Middle Eastern archaeologist).
Long story short (due to space limit), Islam was a developing invention by the State to generate loyalty to the State.
