Oops, we got the wrong Muhammad! It's Umar!

Okay, so we got Muhammad wrong at first!!! It turns out that he wasn't Ilyas ibn Qabisa from the Tayaye, but another ruler, from the same area, but much more historical, and actually more understandable once you read what those who wrote about him actually said.

We at least admit it when we get it wrong, and then correct it as well.

With the help of Joe, from Red Judaism, we now know that the 'Muhammad' from the 7th century is someone who is quite well known, and to whom quite a few people in the 7th century refer.

For instance:

1) Thomas the Presbyter, writing in 640 AD refers to 'the Muhammad of the Tayaye' who is better known as Umar, a ruler was fighting just 12 miles outside of Gaza, in 634 AD.

Later 7th century sources say that this Umar ruled in Hira (which is the city of Kufa today, in Iraq) from 634 - 644 AD.

Does this suggest the SIN has the right Umar then?

No, because they claim Umar was a Caliph, which the historical Umar wasn't, and they situate him in Medina, which is hundreds of miles further south, where he wasn't at all.

What about the 3 other supposed 'caliphs'?

Abu Bakr is nothing more than the father of the tribe named 'Bakr' in Iraq, while the Caliph Uthman we just have no real references for (which is odd if he was that famous), and Ali was an 'Amir' not the caliph of Hira, in Iraq, again too far north.

2) The Doctrina Iacobi, written in 634 AD, without naming anyone, refers to a supposed 'prophet' who is armed with a sword, who holds the "Keys to Paradise" (taken from Matthew 16:9), and is the "Christ who is yet to come"; thus suggesting that this prophet, who must have been Umar, was a Christian, though living in Iraq once again.

What's more the Doctrina was written in Aramaic, a language the Muslim SIN Muhammad wouldn't have known, as he only spoke Arabic.

3) John of Damascus, in the 730s refers to an earlier book being written at that time (note, the early 8th century) claiming that it was a "ridiculous book, sent down by a false prophet", suggesting that this Umar had begun a book which was still being compiled as late as the 730s AD, or 100 years too late!

It looks like the Umar these 3 writers were talking about, while in the right century, was the wrong man doing the wrong things, and making the wrong claims for himself...

Sound familiar?

© Pfander Centre for Apologetics - US, 2021
(54,440) Music: 'Adding the Sun', by Kevin Macleod, from filmmusic-io