It wasn't Mohammed who founded Islam.

[pocaracas]

This is in a different time-line (like the new star trek movies). Remember that paragraph started with a mighty IF.
This is another potential way things could have unraveled, for all I know...

What about the "if" that writing itself was uncommon in the 600s in Arabia and therefore Muhammad's claim of prophethood was passed down orally? Does that sound like a greater "mighty if" to you or not? And why?

That it passed down intact and unchanged is a "mighty if", yes.

Also, please explain what you mean by "a different time-line," because that's very vague and I don't get it.

Oh, it just means it's a new different hypothesis of how events may have unfurled, given the lack of evidence one way or another.

Well, Once upon a time, there was a Teacher of Righteousness.... in time, somehow, his deeds became attributed to a Jesus.
It then becomes possible that once there was a leader of tribes, who in time, somehow, finds his deeds attributed to a Mohammad.
Nothing was recorded in due time and when something was finally recorded, it may have been with an agenda behind it.
And if this is the case, what can we say is true from that record?

But once upon a time there were already Muslims before Abd-Al-Malik who all partook in the spreading of Islam (see below), which makes it too late for adding such later attributions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timing_of_S...slims#List

And how do we come to know about those muslims?
Could the source that tells us this history be skewed? Could it be exaggerating? Could it be biased?
Could it be just boosting its numbers?
Could it have found the source of the rumor?

Too many potential human induced problems, for the super-natural account to be admitted.

Why can't a god just address everyone at once, so that no one has any doubts?... even if they doubt themselves, they'll have everyone else on the planet confirming to have had a similar experience... a similar prophethood.
Everyone should be a prophet.
Since only a few restricted dead individuals are claimed to be prophets, I see no need to believe in such claims.... or god is toying with us, and setting us at war on purpose.... then god is malevolent... then why worship such a being?
[/rant]