Islam rests upon two key beliefs. The first of these is belief in a single God, Allahسُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى, whose power and authority is completely unparalleled. The second is belief in Prophet Muhammadﷺ as Allah’s final and greatest messenger. In order to become a Muslim, one must recite the shahadah. This is a declaration of acceptance of the two beliefs discussed above. If somebody has an issue with either, they cannot make the shahadah, meaning they cannot become a Muslim. Much has been written about the existence (or lack thereof) of Allah. Hundreds upon thousands of words have been produced claiming to either prove or disprove His existence. Less attention has been given to the efforts to disprove that Prophet Muhammadﷺ was, indeed, a messenger. Unlike with many earlier prophets, secular historians agree that the Prophet Muhammadﷺ certainly existed. But was he truly a prophet or was he the trouble-making charlatan his rivals made him out to be? We, of course, hold steadfastly to the belief that Prophet Muhammadﷺ was the ultimate messenger of Allah and that the Quran was revealed to him from the Heavens. In this article, we’re going to be discussing just why we believe what we believe. Here are ten proofs that Muhammadﷺ was a prophet.  

1. Muhammad Could Not Read Or Write

When Muslims discuss evidence for Muhammad’sﷺ prophethood, they tend to focus on wondrous acts the Prophet is recorded to have performed. Throughout this article, we, too, will be looking at miracles attributed to him. First, however, let’s take a look at what could be considered a more secular piece of evidence for Muhammad’sﷺ role as the Messenger of Allah. Muhammadﷺ, though a successful caravan trader and respected member of Meccan society, could not read or write. After being orphaned at the age of six, he spent much of his time being passed from carer to carer and traversing the deserts of Arabia as part of whatever merchant caravan would take him. This left little time for education. What little education Muhammadﷺ did receive was largely centered around theology and practical matters. When he received his first revelation from Allah at the age of 40, he was still unable to read or write. He remained illiterate for his entire life. This puts to bed many of the accusations of plagiarism which were hurled at Prophet Muhammadﷺ during his lifetime. Many of his critics claimed that the Quran was merely a repackaging of some lesser-known work of fiction. When no piece of literature matching the contents of the Quran could be tracked down, some of these critics shifted their beliefs and accused him of writing the Quran himself. Today, anti-Islam “scholars” and disaffected Muslims continue to accuse Prophet Muhammadﷺ of either writing the Quran himself or piecing it together by stealing from other sources. But given the Prophet’sﷺ total illiteracy – not to mention the unparalleled beauty of the Quran’s text – Muslims find it far more likely that he was indeed the Messenger of Allah.

2. Muhammad Did Not Want To Become A Prophet 

For his first forty years on this earth, Prophet Muhammadﷺ lived an exemplary life. He fasted, prayed, worked diligently, and provided for those who depended on him. He loved his wife and his family deeply and was respected throughout Mecca for his honesty and reliability. But despite eventually becoming a prophet, Muhammadﷺ had no desire or aspirations to become one. He simply wanted to worship Allah as was his wont and thank Him for all He had provided. According to Islamic tradition, Prophet Muhammadﷺ was terrified when he received the first revelation of the Quran. That night, he fled from the cave where he had been praying in solitude and returned home to his wife, Khadijah. In a state of panic, the reluctant prophet pleaded with his wife to shield him with a blanket and protect him. Some time passed before Muhammadﷺ received another revelation, which likely came as a great relief to him. When he began to receive revelations on a regular basis, he was reluctant to go public with his status as a prophet. It was not until he had received the command–from Allah– that Prophet Muhammadﷺ finally began publicly preaching the message of the Quran. Even non-Muslims must agree that it seems very unlikely a person who is faking their role as a prophet would be so reluctant to put himself forward. Surely, a fraudster would take to the streets the moment they received their first “revelation.” Prophet Muhammad’sﷺ approach, to seek the comfort of his wife and make sure he wasn’t losing his mind, and not sharing the Quran with anybody outside his immediate circle, seems totally counterproductive. Or, at least, it does if he were attempting to defraud people for his own personal gain. The image we get of Prophet Muhammadﷺ when we read reports about the early days of his prophethood is one of a man who is very earnestly struggling with the role thrust upon him by Allah. He experienced a plethora of emotions, including fear, sadness, and anxiety. It took time for Muhammadﷺ to finally accept his status as the Messenger of Allah, which lends immense credibility to his claims or prophethood.  

3. Muhammadﷺ Endangered His Own Life

One of the primary reasons for Muhammad’sﷺ reluctance to go public with the message of the Quran was his fear of upsetting Mecca’s ruling forces. The Mecca of Muhammad’sﷺ time was one headed by idol worshippers. Generally speaking, these leaders valued their own power and personal gain above all else. They were very quick to dispose of anybody who dared question their authority, often by violent means. Muhammadﷺ was well aware they would not take kindly to him threatening their beliefs with the strict monotheism of the Quran. But despite his best efforts to stay under the radar, he ultimately had no choice but to carry out the command of Allah and begin preaching publicly. For a short time, he was able to do this in relative comfort. After all, there were supposed prophets everywhere during this time. Most of them preached just enough to turn some sort of profit from their fraudulent claims and abandoned their ministry without ever ruffling the feathers of those in authority. Prophet Muhammadﷺ was able to blend in among these mystics for a brief period of time, but the clear truth of his message spoke to the people of Mecca. He began building a small band of followers, which the leaders of Mecca did not like. Despite drawing their ire, Prophet Muhammadﷺ continued to spread the message of the Quran. The fact that he did not back down when the Meccan elite began to threaten him speaks volumes about his legitimacy. No fraud would put their own life in danger, nor would they uproot themselves and their family as the Prophetﷺ did when conditions in Mecca became too harsh for Muslims to survive. In an attempt to secure religious freedom for his people, Prophet Muhammadﷺ brought his followers to Medina. Later in his prophethood, he returned to Mecca, accompanied by an army of Muslims to fight those who had driven him and his people out of the city in the first place. Again, this seems like an extremely unlikely path for an imposter to take. Prophet Muhammadﷺ, however, was willing to endanger his life in order to reclaim the Ka’bah, the most sacred site in all of Islam. With Allah on his side, Prophet Muhammadﷺ successfully conquered Mecca and reaped the rewards of a risk no false prophet would have dared undertake.

4. Muhammad’sﷺ Revelations Were Witnessed

Muhammadﷺ received his first revelation while praying alone in a cave outside Mecca. Many of the proceeding revelations the Prophetﷺ received throughout his life occurred when he was in isolation. On some occasions, however, they were witnessed by his followers. Those who were lucky enough to be present while Muhammadﷺ received a revelation were understandably eager to document what they saw. Today, we should be grateful for this, as these accounts provide further evidence of his prophethood. One of the most notable accounts of witnessing Prophet Muhammadﷺ receive revelation from the heavens comes from Aishaرضي الله عنها. Prophet Muhammadﷺ married Aisha in the year 62 AD and is often described as being his most beloved partner outside of Khadijah. In Aisha’s account, she recalls being with Prophet Muhammadﷺ when he was “divinely inspired.” According to her report, it was a very cold day and there was no noticeable change in the weather at any point while Prophet Muhammadﷺ was receiving revelation. When the revelation was completed, however, Aisha tells us that there were beads of sweat clearly visible on her husband’s face. Much like the Prophetﷺ, Aisha was renowned for her honesty and reliability. Additionally, she was a strong and independent woman and there are numerous stories which recall her arguing with the Prophetﷺ. If she disagreed with him, she let it be known. If she believed her husband was attempting to deceive her by playing at being divinely inspired, it is most likely that she would have confronted him. Many Islamic scholars have also pointed out that Prophet Muhammadﷺ was extremely close to Aisha. The pair knew each other’s personalities very well, with each being able to distinguish if something was bothering the other. With this in mind, they point out that it seems very unlikely Prophet Muhammadﷺ would try (or be able) to pull the wool over the eyes of somebody who was so familiar with him.  

5. Muhammad Had Clearer Paths To Power  

For critics of Prophet Muhammadﷺ, it is not enough to simply brand the Prophet as a fraud. The onus is on them to provide a reason for him to lie about receiving the Quran from the heavens. Many have attempted to provide this reason, but none have been able to put forth a convincing argument. One of the most commonly cited supposed motivations of Prophet Muhammadﷺ is power. Muhammadﷺ, his critics say, was driven to fraud by his mad desire for power. He faked everything, going so far as to produce scripture so beautiful it could have made him the most revered poet of his time, in order to become a leader. Unfortunately for critics of Islam, this argument falls apart the moment one considers the fact that Prophet Muhammadﷺ had much clearer paths to power. Prophet Muhammadﷺ was a member of the Banu Hashim tribe. The tribe traced its roots back to a brave warrior and politician by the name of Qusayy. Among the many great acts performed by Qusayy in his lifetime was the restoration of the Ka’bah. Qusayy’s grandson, Hashim, would later lead the tribe, giving it its name before passing it on to his son, Abdul Muttalib. The son of Abdul Muttalib would sire a child, Muhammadﷺ, but died well before his birth. With such a mighty lineage at a time when the Ka’bah, whose caretaking was virtually in the hands of the Prophet’sﷺ tribe, was the center of Meccan society, Muhammadﷺ could have very easily become a powerful figure in the Banu Hashim tribe. This would have brought with it great riches and influence, the kind anti-Islamic writers claim Muhammadﷺ was chasing when he first began to spread the message of the Quran. With knowledge of Prophet Muhammad’sﷺ family tree, even the most ardent critic of Islam must admit that it seems comical that he would go through the trouble of founding an entire religion to gain power when he could have simply approached the elders of the Banu Hashim tribe and insisted upon his birthright.  

6. The Quran Contains Previously Unknown Scientific Facts

Up to this point, we have largely focused on aspects of Prophet Muhammad’sﷺ life for evidence of his prophethood. Now we want to spend some time discussing the Holy Quran, the book which Muhammadﷺ recited to the people as his role as the Messenger of Allah. Many proofs of the book’s divine authorship can be found in its contents. Perhaps the most notable of these proofs is its superior scientific knowledge. The Quran contains an array of scientific facts that were not known to even the most educated men in the world during Muhammad’sﷺ lifetime. In Surat An-Nur, the 24th surah of the Quran, you will find a comprehensive description of the formation of rain clouds. This description details drifting, stacking, and all other stages of rain cloud formation as confirmed by contemporary scientific findings. Additional scientific facts present in the Quran include detailed information on human embryonic development, as well as the role mountains play in stabilizing the earth. Much of the scientific information contained in the Quran has only been confirmed in the past 100 years or so. How, then, could an illiterate caravan trader in 7th century Mecca have known about them? To put it bluntly, he didn’t. Prophet Muhammadﷺ recited these verses as it was revealed to him by Allah. Its confirmation nearly 2000 years later is evidence not of Prophet Muhammad’sﷺ intelligence, or deception, but of his divine inspiration.

7. The Night Journey

In Islamic tradition, The Night Journey is officially known as Al-Israa’ wa Al-Mi’raj. It has been described by some Islamic scholars as being the single most important miracle to have ever occurred other than the revealing of the Quran. As per Prophet Muhammadﷺ himself, the Night Journey took place in the year 621. It began when the Prophetﷺ laid down for a short nap while visiting the Ka’bah late at night. He was awoken from his slumber by the angel Gabriel, who led him to a winged horse and instructed him to climb upon its back. Prophet Muhammadﷺ did as he was told and, sure enough, the steed took flight the moment the Prophetﷺ was seated. The winged horse took the Prophetﷺ directly from Mecca to Jerusalem in mere minutes. There, the Prophet Muhammadﷺ joined in prayer with the prophets who had come before him, leading them in prayer outside a temple. After this, heﷺ was taken through the seven levels of Heaven to Allah.

Now, we’re not saying non-believers should take The Night Journey as evidence Prophet Muhammadﷺ was a Messenger of Allah. After all, if one does not believe Muhammadﷺ was a prophet, they cannot be expected to believe a story about him conversing with Allah. However, evidence to support the authenticity of Prophet Muhammad’sﷺ claims can be found in the events which occurred after he returned from The Night Journey. Muhammad’sﷺ enemies delighted when they heard his account of The Night Story for they assumed it would be easily disproved, thus unmasking him as a fraud. Even some of his devoted followers struggled to accept the idea that anybody could travel from Mecca to Jerusalem and back in one night, let alone visit Heaven in the interim.

Among those who doubted Prophet Muhammadﷺ were a number of veteran travelers who were familiar with Jerusalem and the temple he claimed to have visited. In an attempt to debunk Muhammad’sﷺ story, these travelers asked the Prophetﷺ to describe the temple in question. Hadith tells us that at this juncture, Muhammadﷺ began to describe the temple, but he could not remember the details they demanded. This is perfectly understandable as Prophet Muhammadﷺ could not be expected to focus too much on his surroundings while being introduced to great prophets, such as Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. When it became clear that the Prophetﷺ could not describe the temple, those present began to mock him. According to the Prophetﷺ, it was at this point that Allah intervened and presented the temple before him in a vision. This vision was so clear that Prophet Muhammadﷺ is said to have described the temple then and there, brick by brick and piece by piece. Hadith tells us that the doubting travelers conceded defeat and applauded Prophet Muhammadﷺ for giving such a remarkably accurate description of the building. On the strength of this encounter, Muhammad’sﷺ followers accepted his account of The Night Journey. Even in today’s massively secular society, we must acknowledge how undeniable of a miracle it is that Prophet Muhammadﷺ was able to describe a temple which he had apparently never visited with such accuracy. It is strong evidence for the veracity of the Night Journey, which itself is strong evidence for Muhammadﷺ as a Messenger of Allah.

8. Additional Islamic Literature Contains Previously Unknown Scientific Facts 

A little earlier on, we discussed the scientific facts which are present in the Quran even though they were not known to the people of Muhammad’sﷺ time. They are indeed evidence that he was given revelation by Allah. But the Quran is not the only piece of Islamic doctrine to contain scientific facts which were not known at the time of Muhammadﷺ. Similar information can be found in additional Islamic literature, such as the sunnah (the teachings, approvals, and deeds of the Prophetﷺ) and the hadith. In the former, there is a particularly noteworthy passage, which declares that sinners will “sink down the seven earths on the Day of Resurrection.” Although it was not known to the people of Prophet Muhammad’sﷺ time, this line is a clear reference to the seven layers of the earth. These layers are the inner core, the outer core, the D layer, the lower mantle, the middle mantle, the upper mantle, and the lithosphere. Not a soul in 7th century Mecca, or anywhere else in the world for that matter, could have grasped the idea of seven levels of earth, but today it is virtually general knowledge and concrete evidence that Prophet Muhammadﷺ was telling the truth.

9. Muhammad Split The Moon

Many non-Muslims say they cannot accept Prophet Muhammadﷺ as a prophet of Allah because there are no miracles attributed to him. Prophets, they say, have long proven their elevated status by performing marvelous feats, such as Jesus multiplying the loaves and the fish, or Moses parting the Red Sea. This is an understandable stance to take. Or, at least, it would be if the reports about Prophet Muhammadﷺ failing to perform any miracles during his lifetime were true. In reality, there are a number of miracles attributed to Prophet Muhammadﷺ. The Quran itself is considered a miracle. The fact that Muhammadﷺ received it from Allah via the angel Gabriel is nothing short of miraculous. The Night Journey, as discussed in an earlier section of this article, is also listed as a miracle in Islamic tradition. For those who would like a more “conventional” miracle (if there is such a thing), there is the story of Muhammadﷺ splitting the moon. Mention of this miracle can be found in the Quran, however, it is also discussed in a number of hadith, thus providing several credible eye-witness accounts. One of the most noteworthy eye-witness accounts of Prophet Muhammadﷺ splitting the moon can be found in Sahih Bukhari and reads as follows: “Narrated ‘Abdullah: ‘The moon was split (into two pieces) while we were with the Prophet in Mina. He said, ‘Be witnesses.’ Then a piece of the moon went towards the mountain.'” –Sahih Bukhari 5.58:209

Another account of this miracle, also found in Sahih Bukhari, tells us: “Narrated Anas bin Malik: ‘The People of Mecca Asked Allah’s Apostle to show them a miracle. So he showed them the moon split in two halves between which they saw the Hiram’ mountain.'”–Sahih Bukhari 5:58:208

There are even sources outside of Islamic literature which tell the story of Prophet Muhammad’sﷺ miraculous splitting of the moon. One such source is an old manuscript currently being held in the India Office Library, London. This manuscript tells us that Chakrawati Farmas, an Indian king, witnessed the splitting of the moon and was later informed that it was the miracle of Mecca’s famous Messenger of Allahﷺ. So impressed was the King by Muhammad’s divine act that he arranged a meeting with the Prophetﷺ, converting to Islam the very moment he was in Muhammad’sﷺ presence. It is needless for us to say that the moon could not be split by any earthly authority. Only Allah has the power to perform such a mammoth feat and He allowed this power to flow through Muhammadﷺ just long enough for the Splitting of the Moon to take place.

Given the many Islamic and secular eye-witness accounts of the miracle, we can realistically accept one of two possible explanations for the alleged miracle. The first of these explanations is that the moon never split and those who claimed to have witnessed the miracle were simply experiencing mass hallucination. The second of these explanations is that Prophet Muhammadﷺ did indeed split the moon, proving, once and for all, that he was a messenger of Allahﷺ. Perhaps we could lend some credence to the idea of a mass hallucination had we not had the previous eight points to fall back on. However, with so much additional evidence to suggest Prophet Muhammadﷺ was indeed a prophet, the thought that the Splitting of the Moon was anything less than a miracle is difficult to entertain.

10. No Prophets Have Come Forth Since His Death 

The first several thousand years of humanity were blessed as well as tested by the living of prophets among them. Adam, the first man, was also the first prophet. He began a long line of messengers of Allah which would include Moses, Abraham, Jesus, and, of course, Prophet Muhammadﷺ. On multiple occasions throughout his preaching, Prophet Muhammadﷺ publicly stated that the line of the prophets would end with him. Initially, this proved rather unpopular with Prophet Muhammad’sﷺ deniers. Some felt that it was arrogant of him to declare himself to be the last prophet. It is important to remember, however, that Prophet Muhammadﷺ was not bestowing this label upon himself. This was not a declaration of Prophet Muhammadﷺ, but rather one of Allah. Allah chose Prophet Muhammadﷺ to bring forth his greatest and final message to mankind: the Quran. Indeed, Islam has spread throughout the world and today boasts almost two billion total adherents. In mere decades, experts predict it will surpass Christianity as the largest world religion, proving Prophet Muhammad’sﷺ belief that his message would one day be heard by every man, woman, and child. Since the dawn of Islam, not a single legitimate prophet has emerged to rob the Prophet Muhaammadﷺ of his place as the final Messenger of Allah. Of course, hundreds upon thousands of people have claimed to be prophets. They have founded “new religious movements” – the diplomatic term for cult – and convinced varying numbers of people that they were inspired by God to do so. However, none of these so-called prophets have had the stability and success of Prophet Muhammadﷺ and none have succeeded in recreating the miraculous feats he performed during his lifetime. Almost 1400 years have passed since Prophet Muhammad’sﷺ death. Never in the history of mankind has Allah allowed such a great deal of time to pass between the sending of prophets. We can assume, then, that the sheer lack of any credible prophets in the many centuries which have elapsed since Prophet Muhammad’sﷺ death is concrete proof that he was not only a prophet, but the final Messenger of Allah with which we will be graced.

Conclusion 

Our society grows more and more secular with each passing year. New books, documentaries, blogs, and YouTube videos are released on a near daily basis purporting to unmask Prophet Muhammadﷺ and prove once and for all that he was a fraud. But despite promising indisputable evidence, these anti-Islamic scholars always fail to deliver. It seems that they cannot disprove Muhammad’sﷺ prophethood no matter how hard they try. For Muslims, this should come as no surprise. Those who follow Prophet Muhammadﷺ know with absolute certainty that he was the Messenger of Allah he claimed to be. Even the unbiased non-Muslims must admit that the strength of the evidence as outlined above is too great to deny Muhammad’sﷺ prophethood with anything resembling certainty. To do so, they would have to explain how an illiterate 7th century caravan trader with nothing close to a formal education could have produced a book composed of wondrous language, intricate legal rulings, and scientific facts which were not known to man until hundreds of years later. They would also have to explain why hadith contain similar undiscovered scientific facts, how Prophet Muhammadﷺ managed to describe with perfect accuracy a temple he could not have visited by natural means, and why so many people reported witnessing him split the moon in half. Only Muslims can provide a satisfactory explanation to all of these things. That explanation is that Prophet Muhammadﷺ was indeed the final Prophet, chosen by Allah to bring the glory of the Quran to the people of Mecca and beyond.