Historicity of Muhammad

Next in importance are the historical works by writers of third and fourth century of the Muslim era (~900-1000 C.E.). There are also few non-Muslim sources which are valuable for comparison with the statements in the first two sources.

Life Mecca Hijrah First Islamic state After Conquest of Mecca Farewell Pilgrimage ( Farewell Sermon ) Hadith Milestones and records Career Military Diplomatic Miracles Quran ( First revelation ) Isra and Mi'raj Splitting of the Moon Views and Perspectives Views Jews Christians Perspectives Islam Bible Judaism Medieval Christian Historicity Criticism Succession Saqifah Ghadir Khumm Companions of Muhammad Hadith of the pen and paper Ahl al-Bayt Praise Salawat Naat Mawlid Related Mohammedan Mahound Al-Masjid an-Nabawi Possessions Relics Seal History of Islam Islam portal Biography portal v t e Muslim religious scholars rely primarily for their understanding of the life of Muhammad on the Qur'an , which gives very little information, and whose historicity has been questioned, and on the sīra literature and Hadith which survive in the historical works of writers of second, third, and fourth centuries of the Muslim era (c. 700−1000 AD). Modern historians have preferred to use as a starting-point a relatively small number of contemporaneous or near-contemporaneous non-Muslim sources and archaeological evidence, but also make use of later Muslim sources in their investigations.

The question/debate of what events in Muhammad's life are historical Life Mecca Hijrah First Islamic state After Conquest of Mecca Farewell Pilgrimage ( Farewell Sermon ) Hadith Milestones and records Career Military Diplomatic Miracles Quran ( First revelation ) Isra and Mi'raj Splitting of the Moon Views and Perspectives Views Jews Christians Perspectives Islam Bible Judaism Medieval Christian Historicity Criticism Succession Saqifah Ghadir Khumm Companions of Muhammad Hadith of the pen and paper Ahl al-Bayt Praise Salawat Naat Mawlid Related Mohammedan Mahound Al-Masjid an-Nabawi Possessions Relics Seal History of Islam Islam portal Biography portal v t e The historicity of Muhammad refers to the study of Muhammad as a historical figure and critical examination of sources upon which traditional accounts are based. The earliest Muslim source of information for the life of Muhammad, the Quran , gives very little personal information and its historicity is debated. Prophetic biography , known as sīra , along with attributed records of the words, actions, and the silent approval of Muhammad, known as hadith , survive in the historical works of writers from the second and third centuries of the Muslim era (c. 700−1000 CE), and give a great deal of information on Muhammad, but the reliability of this information is very much debated in some academic circles. In addition there are a relatively small number of contemporaneous or near-contemporaneous non-Muslim sources which attest to the existence of Muhammad and are valuable both in themselves and for comparison with Muslim sources. The overwhelming majority of classical scholars accept Muhammad as a historical figure. "The historical Muhammad and the historical Jesus: A comparison of scholarly reinventions and reinterpretations" .

Historical study of the Islamic prophet Life Mecca Hijrah First Islamic state After Conquest of Mecca Farewell Pilgrimage ( Farewell Sermon ) Hadith Milestones and records Career Military Diplomatic Miracles Quran ( First revelation ) Isra and Mi'raj Splitting of the Moon Views and Perspectives Views Jews Christians Perspectives Islam Bible Judaism Medieval Christian Historicity Criticism Succession Saqifah Ghadir Khumm Companions of Muhammad Hadith of the pen and paper Ahl al-Bayt Praise Salawat Naat Mawlid Related Mohammedan Mahound Al-Masjid an-Nabawi Possessions Relics Seal History of Islam Islam portal Biography portal v t e The historicity of Muhammad refers to the study of Muhammad as a historical figure and critical examination of sources upon which traditional accounts (the Quran , sīrah , hadith especially) are based. The majority of classical scholars believe Muhammad existed as a historical figure. The earliest Muslim source of information for the life of Muhammad, the Quran , gives very little personal information and its historicity is debated. Prophetic biography , known as sīra , along with attributed records of the words, actions, and the silent approval of Muhammad, known as hadith , survive in the historical works of writers from the second and third centuries of the Muslim era ( c. 700 −1000 CE), and give a great deal of information on Muhammad, but the reliability of this information is very much debated in some academic circles. In addition there are a relatively small number of contemporaneous or near-contemporaneous non-Muslim sources which attest to the existence of Muhammad and are valuable both in themselves and for comparison with Muslim sources. Despite any difficulties with the biographical sources, scholars generally see valuable historical information about Muhammad therein and suggest that what is needed are methods to be able to sort out the likely from the unlikely. However, in practice determining what elements of early narratives about Muhammad's life are likely to be true and which are not is extremely difficult. "The historical Muhammad and the historical Jesus: A comparison of scholarly reinventions and reinterpretations" . The tacit assumption is that Muhammad is a historical figure whose traditional biography is a reasonably accurate account of his life.