possible origins of islam (higher criticism scholars/ history nuts welcome)

[Psychonaut]

Psychonaut, thank you for your insight. Hanif was always an odd word for me. Pagan =/= Islam. And the burden of proof is on the Muhammadans to prove that Israelites did not drink alcohol. If, as is claimed, there was a lost version of the Bible which agreed with the Quran then it should follow that Jews would not have drunk alcohol.

Petra is in Jordan and was the Qibla of many early Mosques. The reason I mentioned Lebanon is the Valley of Bakka, because Bakka is used in the Quran to refer to Mecca once or twice.

There are mixed views on alcohol throughout the bible, which as you probably know, shows in the quran. 
like in quran 16:67, where the date, which provides people with strong drink, meaning alcohol, is a sign from god, but in 5:90, it is the handiwork of satan. 

Regarding Lebanon, The Beqaa was exactly what got me thinking about bakka as originally just being the beqaa valley. It's got the agricultural framework to be appropriate for where the quran is referring to. I'm not fluent with the Fus7ah, so I don't know why mekka and bekka is written as makkat and bakkat. The t alludes me completely, but it may be just an archaic letter that has been dropped over time, much like how aalam (meaning pen) is pronounced in the fus7ah as qalam. I may be way off though.