 Over the past half-century, more and more supposed Western Islamic historians have been attempting to revise traditional Muslim narratives, and their attempts are focused on weakening the foundations of Islam by introducing doubt on its most important persona, the Prophet Muhammad. And what are they trying to prove? Uncertainty, of course, but not with regard to the details of his lifetime, nor his teachings or actions, but something much more destructive. An uncertainty towards his existence. Trying to question whether there ever was a Messenger of God who lived in the 7th century CE who received the Qur'an and who, as the Seal of Prophets, eventually spearheaded the foundations of the religion of Islam. Revisionist history justifies itself by claiming that the Prophet Muhammad was a mystical persona created much later in the development of Islam, almost a full two centuries after his supposed lifetime. These historians state that there is no tangible proof within the lifetime of the Prophet that links to his major role and involvement with the foundation of the Islamic faith and teachings. As per their investigations, the earliest references to Muhammad come almost 150 years after his death. These historians discount many Muslim writings that traditionally have provided substantial credibility as well as the many references to the Prophet in the various documented Hadiths handed down over the generations through proven oral tradition. In such evidence, they consider as unreliable as they categorize it, more in line with hearsay at the very best. And to top it all off, this group of skeptics also ignore the many sources that do indeed prove the existence of the Prophet, be it from an archaeological evidence perspective or proven non-Muslim written documentation. So what I'll be presenting to you in this video is proof that refutes the idea that the Prophet Muhammad never existed, or was some mystical fabrication of history. And to do that, we won't need to dive into the various and hundreds of Muslim scholars and their writings, who from the mid eighth century onwards generated in-depth knowledge about the Prophet, his sayings, and his life. But first, let us recount the basics of the life of the Prophet Muhammad. He was born in 570 CE within the family of Quraish and Mecca in Arabia. At the age of 40, he would receive the first of many revelations by the angel Gabriel of the Qur'an, the word of God. And three years later would begin his preaching of the monotheistic faith, the singularity of God, and submission to Allah. In his lifetime and in accordance with his teachings and practices, the Islamic faith would spread across the Arabian Peninsula, and in 632 CE, at the age of 61, he would pass away. So as I said, we won't need to go into the contentious historical narratives and their supposed inaccuracies that contradicted a unified narrative of the Prophet's biography. Nor will we need to explore the many hadiths that recorded the Prophet's teachings since they are, as per Western revisionists, orally handed down in an imprecise manner. What we will get into, though, are tangible proofs that include contemporaneous Islamic documents, archaeological evidence, as well as non-Muslim writings. Although this document doesn't exist in its original state, the Constitution of Medina has been referenced by many subsequent Muslim historians, as well as Western scholars who widely accept the authenticity of this text. The Constitution is a set of documents that established governance of tribal affairs during the Prophet Muhammad's time in Medina, and it established a kind of alliance or federation between the various tribes of the city, including non-Muslim communities. And of course, this document lists Muhammad by name numerous times, as well as identifies him as both messenger of God and as the leading mediator between the various tribes. The Quran, as we know it today, was compiled in its final and comprehensive written form well after the passing of the Prophet, by approximately 30 years. Note that the Quran mostly is a series of verses that deals with the creation, history of prophets, singularity of Allah, and submission to him. It rarely relates to contemporary times of the 6th century, yet still, the Quran is a vital source in locating the Prophet in history, as it mentions his name within certain verses. Muhammad, as a proper name, is mentioned four times, as well as another 27 times when referencing his titles, Prophet, Messenger of God, and others. One such physical archaeological authentication within the Quran referencing the Prophet Muhammad is the Birmingham Quran manuscript. It's a single sheet of parchment of which two leaves of an early Quranic manuscript has been written. In 2015, the manuscript which is held by the University of Birmingham was radiocarbon dated to between 568 and 645 CE. This text in the parchment calls on Taha, an early and common title for Muhammad. Beyond Islamic written proof are the instances of archaeological evidence that exhibit the existence of the Prophet Muhammad. The first comes in the form of etchings found on the walls of Mount Salah, just outside Medina. The site where these etchings were found are in the same location as the historic Battle of the Khandaq, or Battle of the Trench, in 627 CE. When Muslim armies overcame the armies of the anti-Islamic Quraish tribe and their allies. The inscription reads, I am Muhammad ibn Abdullah. I am Salman al-Farisi. I am Sa'ad ibn Mu'ath. I am Ali ibn Abi Talib. The names listed in such a grouping complements the historic and traditional Islamic narrative that tells of the leaders of the Muslim army that achieved victory in battle. Here the Prophet is named clearly with his companions. The Dome of the Rock, one of Islam's most important shrines at the center of the Aqsa mosque compound in the old city of Jerusalem, is the world's oldest surviving work of Islamic architecture. Built by the Khalifa Abdul Malik during the Umayyad period in 691 to 692 CE, it contained inscriptions that are the earliest epic graphic proclamations of the Prophet Muhammad. Other forms of confirmation of the Prophet's existence come in the form of minted coins in the mid to late 7th century. In the year 696 CE, the first Umayyad golden hour was struck, heralding the birth of a new purely Islamic coinage and his further documentation of the existence of the Prophet Muhammad, as his name and title were included on the many variations of coins in circulation at the time. The final element that confirms the life of Muhammad in the 6th and 7th century is the abundance of non-Muslim writings during that era, which references him by name, title and deed. The Chronicle of 640, written by Thomas the Presbyter, a Syriac Orthodox priest from the vicinity of Reshena in Upper Mesopotamia, records the happenings of a battle between the Muslims and the Romans. Although dead for two years, the Muslim army is referenced as the Arabs of Muhammad. On Friday, the 4th of February 634 CE, at the 9th hour, there was a battle between the Romans and the Arabs of Muhammad in Palestine, 12 miles east of Gaza. The Romans fled, leaving behind the patrician Jordan, whom the Arabs killed. Another written piece of evidence of Muhammad's life are the fragments on the Arab conquests. These are notes that were written around the year 636 CE on the front blank pages of a 6th century Syriac Christian manuscript of the Gospel of Mark. The fragments depict events from the early 7th century conflict between the Byzantines and the Arabs of Muhammad, particularly at the Battle of Yarmouk. And in January, they took the word for the lives of the sons of Emesa, and many villages were ruined with the killing by the Arabs of Muhammad, and a great number of people were killed and captives were taken from Galilee. Another account of the early 7th century comes from Sebyos, an Armenian bishop of the house of Bakruti. At that time, a certain man from along those same sons of Ismail, whose name was Muhammad, a merchant, as if by God's command appeared to them as a preacher and the path of truth. He taught them to recognize the God of Abraham, especially because he was learned and informed in the history of Moses. So, Muhammad legislated for them not to eat carrion, not to drink wine, not to speak falsely, and not to engage in fornication. These are but some of the non-Muslim historic writings that do indeed confirm the life of Muhammad, as well as highlight his leadership and substantial following. One could go on listing many more examples of such facts and add to the substantial evidence of Muhammad's life. But there are more complexities that confront Western revisionists and their intentions to discredit the traditional Islamic narrative and faith. For example, genealogy is a very powerful tool that in modernity can confirm the existence of ancestral lineage all the way back to the Prophet. Indeed, many families in existence in the Arab world can date their ancestry to the house of the Prophet. Another obstacle that debunks the concept of Muhammad as myth are the many proofs of the existence of his family, companions as well as his enemies, whose existence in history all include detailed narratives of his story. And the final nail in the coffin of these missionary propagandists and their attempt to rock the foundations of Islam is to simply look at the state of the Islamic nation in the decades that followed the passing of the Prophet. The nation was in disarray. In fighting and revolt amongst the fledgling religion was a bitter reality. Islam split into Shia and Sunnah, as well as other factions who somehow all managed to agree on the Prophet, his life and his story. How can Muslims agree on the life of a single man in its full detail and account while they could not agree on the religion itself? How? Unless it was all true. At the end of it all, this listing of evidence and theoretical gesticulation is insignificant and unnecessary. Today, approximately two billion people across the world are Muslim. Every single one of them know in their heart of hearts that Muhammad existed, and that he was the messenger of God. The power of faith and belief far outweigh the necessity for proof and documentation. No Western revisionist or their attempts to belittle Muhammad's impact on Islam or history have a minute chance of being heard. And maybe that's where the core of the problem lies, with a need to evidence everything, to have proof, to doubt faith and the power of belief, to see so that one can believe. Blessed are those who had faith in me and saw me, and blessed seven times are those who had faith in me and never saw me.