Islam rests upon two key beliefs. The first of these is belief in a single God, Allah, whose power and authority is completely unparalleled. The second is belief in Muhammad as Allah's final and greatest messenger. In order to become a Muslim, one must recite the Shahada. This is a declaration of acceptance of the two beliefs discussed above. If somebody has an issue with either, they cannot make the Shahada, 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 Muhammad. Unlike with many earlier prophets, secular historians agree that Muhammad certainly existed. But was Muhammad 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 Muhammad 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 Muhammad was a prophet.  

1. Muhammad Could Not Read Or Write

When Muslims discuss evidence for Muhammad's 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 Muhammad. First, however, let's take a look at what could be considered a more secular piece of evidence for Muhammad's role as the Messenger of Allah. Muhammad, 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 Muhammad 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 Muhammad 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 Muhammad of writing the Quran himself. Today, anti-Islam "scholars" and disaffected Muslims continue to accuse Muhammad of either writing the Quran himself or piecing it together by stealing from other sources. But given the Prophet's 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, Muhammad 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 living a life becoming of a prophet, Muhammad had no desire to become one. He simply wanted to worship Allah as he had been taught to do and thank Him for all He had provided. According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad 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. Years passed before Muhammad 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 several commands - both from Allah and from his family - that Muhammad 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 begin preaching. Surely, a fraudster would take to the streets the moment they received their first "revelation". Muhammad's approach, cowering under a blanket and waiting several years before ever 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 Muhammad 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 several years for Muhammad to finally accept his status as the Messenger of Allah, which lends immense credibility to his claims or prophethood.  

3. Muhammad Endangered His Own Life

One of the primary reasons for Muhammad's reluctance to go public with the message of the Quran was his fear of upsetting Mecca's ruling forces. The Mecca of Muhammad's 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. Muhammad 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 relent to the will 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. Muhammad 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 army of followers, which the leaders of Mecca did not like. Despite drawing their ire, Muhammad continued to spread the message of the Quran. The fact that Muhammad 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 Muhammad did when conditions in Mecca became too harsh for Muslims to survive. In an attempt to secure religious freedom for his people, Muhammad brought his followers to Medina. Later in his ministry, 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. Muhammad, however, was willing to endanger his life in order to reclaim the Kaaba, the most sacred site in all of Islam. With Allah on his side, Muhammad successfully conquered Mecca and reaped the rewards of a risk no false prophet would have dared undertake.

4. Muhammad's Revelations Were Witnessed

Muhammad received his first revelation while praying alone in a cave outside Mecca. Many of the proceeding revelations the Prophet 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 Muhammad 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 Muhammad's prophethood. One of the most notable accounts of witnessing Muhammad receive revelation from the Heavens comes from Aisha. Muhammad 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 Muhammad 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 Muhammad 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 Muhammad, 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 Muhammad if she disagreed with him. 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 Muhammad 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 Muhammad would try 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 Muhammad, 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 Muhammad is power. Muhammad, his critics say, was driven to fraud by his mad desire for power. He faked everything, going so far as to produce a work of literature 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 Muhammad had much clearer paths to power. Muhammad was a member of the Banu Hashim tribe. The tribe traced its roots back to a brave warrior and politician by the name of Qusay. Among the many great acts performed by Qusay in his lifetime was the restoration of the Kaaba. Qusay'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, Muhammad, but died six months before his birth. With such a mighty lineage at a time when the Kaaba - a virtual family heirloom - was the center of Meccan society, Muhammad 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 believe Muhammad was chasing when he first began to spread the message of the Quran. With knowledge of Muhammad's family tree, even the most ardent critic of Islam must admit that it seems comical that Muhammad 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 Muhammad's life for evidence of his prophethood. Now we want to spend some time discussing the Holy Quran, the book which Muhammad brought forth in 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's lifetime. In Surah 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 accepted by contemporary science. 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. Muhammad documented this information as it was revealed to him by Allah. Its conformation nearly 2000 years later is evidence not of Muhammad's intelligence, but of his divine inspiration.

7. The Night Journey

In Islamic tradition, The Night Journey is officially known as Al-Isra Wal-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 Muhammad himself, the Night Journey took place in the year 621. It began when the Prophet laid down for a short nap while visiting the Kaaba 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. Muhammad did as he was told and, sure enough, the stead took flight the moment the Prophet was seated. The winged horse took Muhammad direct from Mecca to Jerusalem in mere minutes. There, Muhammad joined in prayer with the prophets who had come before him, leading the prayer outside a temple. After this, Muhammad was taken through the seven levels of Heaven to Allah.

Now, we're not saying non-believers should take The Night Journey as evidence Muhammad was a Messenger of Allah. After all, if one does not believe Muhammad was a prophet, they cannot be expected to believe a story about him conversing with Allah. However, evidence to support the authenticity of Muhammad's claims can be found in the events which occurred after he returned from The Night Journey. Muhammad's 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 Muhammad 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's story, these travelers asked the Prophet to describe the temple in question. Hadith tells us that at this juncture, Muhammad began to describe the temple, but quickly realized he could not remember his appearance. This is perfectly understandable as Muhammad 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 Muhammad could not describe the temple, those present began to mock him. According to Muhammad, it was at this point that Allah intervened and presented the temple before him in a vision. This vision was so clear that Muhammad 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 Muhammad for giving such a remarkably accurate description of the building. On the strength of this encounter, Muhammad's followers accepted his account of The Night Journey. Even in today's massively secular society, we must acknowledge how impressive it is that Muhammad was able to describe a temple which he had apparently never visited with such accuracy. It is strong evidence for The Night Journey, which itself is strong evidence for Muhammad 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's time. They are indeed evidence that Muhammad was inspired 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 Muhammad. Similar information can be found in additional Islamic literature, such as the Sunnah 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 Muhammad's 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 could have grasped the idea of seven levels of earth, but today it is virtually general knowledge and concrete evidence that Muhammad was telling the truth.

9. Muhammad Split The Moon

Many non-Muslims say they cannot accept Muhammad 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 fishes or Moses parting the Red Sea. This is an understandable stance to take. Or, at least, it would be if the reports about Muhammad failing to perform any miracles during his lifetime were true. In reality, there are a number of miracles attributed to Muhammad. The Quran itself is considered a miracle. The fact that Muhammad 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 Muhammad 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 Muhammad 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 Muhammad's 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 work of Mecca's famous Messenger of Allah. So impressed was the King by Muhammad's divine act that he arranged a meeting with the Prophet, converting to Islam the very moment he was in Muhammad's 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 Muhammad 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 Muhammad did indeed split the moon, providing once and for all that he was a messenger of Allah. 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 Muhammad 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 a marathon of prophets. 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, Muhammad. On multiple occasions throughout his ministry, Muhammad publicly stated that the line of the prophets would end with him. Initially, this proved rather unpopular with Muhammad's followers. Some felt that it was arrogant of Muhammad to declare himself to be the last prophet. It is important to remember, however, that Muhammad was not bestowing this label upon himself. This was not a declaration of Muhammad, but rather one of Allah. Allah chose Muhammad to bring forth his greatest and final message to mankind; the Quran. He knew that the Quran and Islam would spread far and wide, making another prophet unnecessary.

Indeed, Islam has spread throughout the world and today boasts almost two billion total adherents. In mere decades, it will surpass Christianity as the largest world religion, proving Muhammad's 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 Muhammad 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 success of Muhammad and none have succeeded in recreating the miraculous feats he performed during his lifetime. Almost 1400 years have passed since Muhammad's 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 Muhammad's death is concrete proof that Muhammad 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 Muhammad 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's prophethood no matter how hard they try. For Muslims, this should come as no surprise. Those who follow Muhammad 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's 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 comprised of wondrous poetry, intricate legal rulings, and scientific facts which were not known to man until hundreds of years later. They would also have to explain why the Hadith contain similar undiscovered scientific facts, how Muhammad 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 Muhammad was indeed the final Prophet, chosen by Allah to bring the glory of the Quran to the people of Mecca and beyond.