Refutation to the Claim: “Islam is Merely an Arab Culture” — Dr. Muhammad Jibrin Ndagi

The critics of Islam assert that the religion of Islam is no more than the Arab culture against the Prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). One begins to wonder, if the claim was so, how come the Prophet’s message of Islam was met with hostility amongst the Arabs of his time? In response to this criticism, we assert:

1. Universality of Islam Beyond Arab Culture

If Islam were only a cultural product of the Arabs, it would not have transcended the Arabian Peninsula. Yet, within a single century after Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ mission, Islam expanded from the Iberian Peninsula in the West to Central Asia and China in the East. Today, less than 20% of Muslims are Arabs, while the largest Muslim populations reside in Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Turkey.[1] A tribal culture cannot explain this enduring universality; only a divine revelation with global appeal can.

2. Qur’anic Evidence of Universality

The Qur’an explicitly declares that its message is not ethnic or regional but universal:

> “We have not sent you [O Muhammad] except as a mercy for all the worlds.” (Qur’an 21:107)
“This is no less than a message for all creatures.” (Qur’an 38:87)

Furthermore, the Qur’an challenges skeptics: “If you are in doubt about what We have revealed to Our servant, then produce a chapter like it.” (Qur’an 2:23). Arab poets and orators of the Prophet’s time, known for their linguistic mastery, could not meet this challenge. Even hostile contemporaries like Walid ibn al-Mughira admitted: “By Allah, there is sweetness in it, and it is adorned with beauty… It surpasses and nothing surpasses it.”[2]

3. Prophet Muhammad’s Integrity and Character

Before his prophethood, Muhammad ﷺ was universally known as al-Amīn (the Trustworthy). He was not a poet, philosopher, or statesman. Yet, at age 40, he began conveying verses of profound theological, moral, and linguistic depth, consistently for 23 years. He endured persecution, poverty, and exile, refusing wealth or kingship. Such sacrifice contradicts the idea of a self-serving cultural project. His companions testified: “We never knew him to lie, even in worldly affairs.” (Sahih al-Bukhari)[3].

4. Departure from Arab Culture

Pre-Islamic Arab culture was defined by polytheism, tribalism, idol-worship, and female infanticide. Islam abolished these practices, replacing them with monotheism, universal brotherhood, equality, and justice (Qur’an 49:13).[4] If Islam were a product of Arab culture, it would have reinforced rather than dismantled these norms. Its radical transformation of society evidences a revelatory, not cultural, origin.

5. Historical Compilation of the Qur’an

Another argument against the claim of Islam being a cultural invention is the meticulous preservation of the Qur’an.

During the Prophet’s Lifetime: The Qur’an was both memorized and written down by scribes such as Zayd ibn Thābit, Ubayy ibn Kaʿb, and Ali ibn Abi Talib. The Prophet ﷺ would dictate every revelation and instruct where each verse belonged. He also reviewed the Qur’an annually with Angel Jibrīl, and in the year of his passing, he reviewed it twice in what is known as al-ʿarḍah al-ākhīrah (the Final Review).[5]

Compilation under Abu Bakr (632–634 CE): Following the Battle of Yamāmah, where many Qur’an memorizers were martyred, Caliph Abu Bakr commissioned Zayd ibn Thābit to collect the Qur’an into a single manuscript. This first compilation was preserved with Abu Bakr, then Umar, and later with Hafsah bint Umar.[6]

Standardization under Uthman (644–656 CE): As Islam spread, variations in recitation began to appear due to regional dialects. Caliph Uthman ordered the preparation of a standardized master copy, again under Zayd’s leadership, based on Hafsah’s manuscript. Official copies were then distributed to major Islamic centers, and all variant copies were withdrawn. This process unified the Muslim community on one text and ensured the Qur’an’s preservation across generations.[7]

Archaeological evidence, such as the Topkapi Codex (Istanbul) and the Sana’a Manuscripts (Yemen), confirms that the Qur’an has remained unchanged since the earliest centuries of Islam.[8] This is consistent with Allah’s promise:

> “Indeed, We have sent down the Reminder, and indeed, We will surely preserve it.” (Qur’an 15:9).

6. The Timeless Scientific and Moral Insights of the Qur’an

Another proof of the Qur’an’s divine origin is its timeless insights into science, morality, and social justice.

Scientific Insights: The Qur’an refers to stages of human embryonic development (Qur’an 23:12–14), the expansion of the universe (Qur’an 51:47), and the protective role of the atmosphere (Qur’an 21:32). Such descriptions align with modern scientific knowledge unknown in 7th-century Arabia.[^9]

Moral Timelessness: The Qur’an’s ethical principles such as the sanctity of life (Qur’an 5:32), equality of all human beings (Qur’an 49:13), and protection of the oppressed (Qur’an 4:75) transcend cultural boundaries. These values resonate with international human rights frameworks today, reinforcing the Qur’an’s divine relevance.

A purely cultural product of tribal Arabia could not anticipate such universal insights that continue to guide humanity 1,400 years later.

7. Recognition by Non-Muslim Scholars

Many modern historians and scholars reject the notion of Islam as mere Arab culture.

William Montgomery Watt observed:

> “It is incredible that a forger of religion should have been able to invent a book so consistent, and a religion so powerful, that it conquered half the world.”[10]

The French historian Alphonse de Lamartine argued:

> “If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astonishing results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare compare any man in modern history with Muhammad?”[11]

Karen Armstrong, a leading contemporary scholar of religion, emphasizes that Muhammad ﷺ was not an ambitious schemer or a tribal opportunist:

> “Muhammad was not an ambitious man seeking worldly power, nor was he a man of violence, but a prophet who sought to transform a society torn apart by tribal strife into one united by faith in the one God and committed to social justice, equality, and compassion.”[12]

This connection underscores Armstrong’s consistent position: Muhammad ﷺ was motivated neither by tribal ambition nor by cultural invention, but by authentic spiritual experience.

Therefore, the claim that Islam is an Arab cultural invention collapses under scrutiny. Islam’s universality, the Qur’an’s unmatched eloquence and depth, Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ moral integrity, its radical departure from Arabian norms, the careful historical preservation of the Qur’an, its timeless insights into science and morality, and recognition by respected historians and scholars such as Watt, Lamartine, and Armstrong all affirm that Islam is not a cultural artifact but a divine revelation.

Footnotes

[1]: Pew Research Center, The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2015–2060 (Washington, DC: Pew, 2017).
[2]: Ibn Hisham, Sirat Rasul Allah, vol. 1 (Cairo: Dar al-Ma‘arif, 1955), pp. 385–386.
[3]: Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Witnesses, Hadith no. 2638.
[4]: Qur’an 49:13 – “O mankind, We created you from a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another…”
[5]: Al-Bukhari, Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Virtues of the Qur’an, Hadith no. 4998.
[6]: Al-Suyuti, Al-Itqan fi ʿUlum al-Qur’an, vol. 1 (Cairo: Dar al-Hadith, 2003), pp. 163–167.
[7]: Ibn Abi Dawud, Kitab al-Masahif, ed. Arthur Jeffery (Cairo: 1936), pp. 20–25.
[8]: Gerd Puin, “Observations on Early Qur’an Manuscripts in San‘a’,” in The Qur’an as Text, ed. Stefan Wild (Leiden: Brill, 1996), pp. 107–111.
[9]: Maurice Bucaille, The Bible, The Qur’an and Science (Indianapolis: American Trust Publications, 1978), pp. 188–209.
[^10]: William Montgomery Watt, Muhammad at Mecca (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1953), p. 52.
[11]: Alphonse de Lamartine, Histoire de la Turquie, vol. II (Paris: 1854), p. 276.
[12]: Karen Armstrong, Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time (New York: HarperCollins, 2006), p. xvii.

 

Dr. Muhammad Jibrin Ndagi (Doctor of Peace Science and Religious Philosophy, Chief Imam Police Mobile Force 45 Squadron Base Central Mosque, Abuja; Founder/National Executive Director, Al-Bayan Interfaith Centre)