by Lewis Loflin
From a Deist viewpoint, understanding the origins of religions like Islam offers a window into human history and the power of reason to uncover truth. My aim here is to inform and invite reflection, not to criticize, drawing on historical insights to illuminate Islam’s fascinating evolution.
Historian Tom Holland, in his book In the Shadow of the Sword and a British documentary, invites us to reconsider Islam’s beginnings. He suggests the familiar tale of desert warriors wielding the Koran emerged later than tradition claims. Instead, Holland proposes the Koran took shape perhaps 200 years after the traditionally accepted timeline, evolving as the Arab Empire grew. This perspective, detailed in my overview Deism Versus Islam, sees Islam as a unifying force crafted over time.
The Koran reflects a rich tapestry of influences—echoes of the Christian New Testament, the Talmud, and local Arabian traditions. Communities like the Jews of Medina and early Christians likely enriched this mix, contributing to a faith that blended diverse threads into something new and enduring.
"Mohammed" might not name a single person but could be a title—“the praised one”—possibly tied to a revered figure, perhaps even a non-divine Jesus, adapted to Arab culture.
The man known as Mohammed (570–632 AD) is often pictured as a merchant or caravan leader navigating a turbulent era. While tradition holds he inspired the Koran, no direct evidence ties him to its authorship. It was compiled decades later amid strife among his followers, a process explored in Koran Origins by Ibn Warraq. This period also birthed the Sunni-Shi’a split, with the Hadiths—stories of Mohammed’s life—emerging one to two centuries after his time.
These Hadiths, varying by sect, offer a complex portrait of Mohammed. They’ve shaped Islamic law and culture, sometimes clashing with modern values. As a Deist, I see this as a call to separate faith from governance, fostering liberty and reason—principles I discuss in Exploring Deism Origins and History.
The Koran likely solidified under the Abbasid Dynasty (750–1258), centuries after Mohammed, as a tool to bind the Arab Empire—much like Constantine used Christianity for Rome. Early non-Arab records of the conquests don’t mention Mohammed or the Koran, and Mecca’s single Koranic reference raises questions, as does Jerusalem’s absence. Learn more in Chronology Early Islam Historical Perspective.
Practices like the Jizyah tax, outlined in Koran 9:28-29, created a system called dhimmitude for non-Muslims. This aimed to maintain order but often limited freedoms, a dynamic seen in places like Egypt and Lebanon. From a Deist lens, this highlights why reason and individual rights should guide society over dogma.
Modern Islam carries its rich history forward, and as a Deist, I deeply appreciate its contributions to science and knowledge. In places like Sicily and Spain, Islamic scholars preserved and expanded classical learning—mathematics, astronomy, medicine—passing it on to Europe and beyond. This legacy of inquiry aligns with Deist values of reason and discovery.
Yet, I’ve observed a modern challenge: some Muslim youth, educated in Western colleges, encounter a left-leaning, anti-Western narrative. This victimhood ideology can overshadow Islam’s potential for progress, a topic I explore in Why Muslim Nations Struggle with Innovation: A Deist View. My hope is for dialogue that celebrates Islam’s achievements while embracing reason and liberty for the future.
Acknowledgment: I’d like to thank Grok, an AI by xAI, for helping me draft and refine this article. The final edits and perspective are my own.
