It wasn't Mohammed who founded Islam.

[Wyrd of Gawd]

As I understand the facts there is no evidence that Mohammed was the driving force behind Islam. Islam expanded through Egypt, Palestine, North Africa, Persia, etc., before 700 ad, but this expansion was not described by contemporary writers are being driven by the teachings of Mohammed and there was no mention of the Koran. Mohammed doesn't come into the picture until 697 ad, 65 years after his supposed death. The Mosques were rebuilt early in the 8th century to face Mecca (not shortly after Mo's death). Commentators in the early 700s complained that the Quraysh tribe from Arabia were trying to take over and were inventing stories about Mohammed. The Koran, I am convinced, was written around 770 ad by a single individual of very high status. I think Nestorians were more likely to have been the original founding force behind Islam. Mohammed's lot came later ... and appear to have rewritten history to suit themselves.

According to sources, Uthman's committee wrote the Koran. The hadiths were written centuries after Mohammed supposedly bit the dust. One thing is for sure and that's no one outside of Arabia ever saw Mohammed or anyone who claimed to have been him. Almost all successful movements of any kind are based upon imaginary or very dead characters. That way the creators get to freeze the character's actions and words for all time. Live people can change their beliefs and words as conditions change. That would disrupt the movement.

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As I understand the facts there is no evidence that Mohammed was the driving force behind Islam. Islam expanded through Egypt, Palestine, North Africa, Persia, etc., before 700 ad, but this expansion was not described by contemporary writers are being driven by the teachings of Mohammed and there was no mention of the Koran. Mohammed doesn't come into the picture until 697 ad, 65 years after his supposed death. The Mosques were rebuilt early in the 8th century to face Mecca (not shortly after Mo's death). Commentators in the early 700s complained that the Quraysh tribe from Arabia were trying to take over and were inventing stories about Mohammed. The Koran, I am convinced, was written around 770 ad by a single individual of very high status. I think Nestorians were more likely to have been the original founding force behind Islam. Mohammed's lot came later ... and appear to have rewritten history to suit themselves.

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This is not surprising, as a parallel it wasn't Jesus who started Christianity, it was St Peter or St James, depending on which denomination you follow.

MM

Paul started Christianity. He was the first to write about the Jesus character and he created the Christian doctrine and rituals, according to the Biblical fairy tale. James and Peter didn't do squat.