Islam's Three-Legged Stool

Introduction

The foundational supports of the Islamic faith are dependent on three supports and if any one of these “legs” is undermined by historical scrutiny, the entire structure of Islam becomes unstable and crashes.

1. Leg 1 - The Book - Qur’an 🪑

Islam insists the Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad between 610–632 AD, memorised and recorded, then finalised by Caliph Uthman into a single, flawless, preserved text.

The Quran is believed by Muslims to be the literal and final revelation from God to Prophet Muhammad.

Surah 15:9 - Surely We revealed the Message, and We will surely preserve it.

Surah 18:27 - And recite what was revealed to you from the Book of your Lord. There is no changing His words, and you will find no refuge except in Him.

Surah 85:21-22 - In fact, it is a Glorious Quran. In a Preserved Tablet.

The Manuscripts Disagree

There is problems with its historical authenticity, manuscript variations and late compilation dates. There are six erliest manusripts of the Quran. None of these correlate to Hufs recitation of the Quran.

Birmingham Manuscript (~568–645 AD). Portions of Surahs 18–20. University of Birmingham (UK)

Sana'a Palimpsest (~661–671 AD). Shows evidence of being written over and changed. Dar al-Makhtutat, Sana'a (Yemen). They were constantly trying to get it to relate to Hufs recitation.

Codex Parisino-Petropolitanus (Late 7th or early 8th century AD). Roughly 26% of the Quran across multiple fragments. BnF (France), Russia, Vatican, UK. Moves around.

Topkapi Manuscript (Early 8th century CE). Near complete Quran. Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul, Turkey (Library of the Treasury Department)

Samarqand (Tashkent) Manuscript (Likely late 8th or early 9th century AD). THast-Imam Library, Tashkent (Uzbekistan). extual critics have shown that this manuscript contains numerous scribal errors, textual gaps, and is poorly executed. It is largely ignored.

Ma’il Qur'an (8th century AD). Approximately two-thirds of the Qur'an. British Library, London, UK.

There are now known to be at least 30 different Qurans. Which one is the original Quran? They are different as early transmission was not fixed and attempts for a Standard Islamic Narrative (SIN) only came later. Claims that the Quran is perfectly preserved, word-for-word is simply not true. Dr Yasar Kadi is an Islamic Scholar who admits there is “holes in the narrative” and even larger issues with the transmission of the Hadith. This is an issue caused by using oral transmission only. There are still different readings that are used for different written Qurans.

Hafs - Most common globally

Warsh - Morth and West Africa. There are up to 5,000 different words between Hafs and Warsh.

Qālūn - Parts of Libya and Tunisia

Al-Dūrī - Parts of Sudan

The Earliest Manuscripts has Holes

In 1924, Muslim scholars met in Cario to standardise on only one Quran to use for the city of Cario. They chose the Hafs. They then edited this seven times because of grammatical mistakes until finalised in 1936 and adopted by all of Egypt. Muslim students now had one version to memorise for standardised tests. In 1985, Saudia Arabia also adopted this final version as the official Quran it had proved so successful. That is not prefect preservation! There are people living today who are older than the Official Quran!

The hadiths admit missing verses, forgotten surahs, differing recitations, and an urgent need to standardize — which is why Uthman’s recension involved burning competing versions.

Sahih Muslim 1050 - A companion reports: “We used to recite a surah which resembled in length and severity to Surah Bara'ah, but I have forgotten it.”

Sahih Bukhari 2419 / 4991 - Umar ibn al-Khattab heard Hisham ibn Hakim reciting Surah Al-Furqan differently from how he learned it. After confronting him, they went to the Prophet, who confirmed both versions were correct.

Sahih Bukhari 4987 - Hudhaifa ibn al-Yaman noticed differences in recitation during military campaigns. He urged Uthman to standardize the Qur'an. Uthman collected manuscripts, prepared a standard copy, and burned the others to prevent disputes.

Sunan Ibn Majah 1944 - Narrated Aisha: “The verse of stoning and of breastfeeding an adult ten times was revealed, and the paper was with me under my pillow. When the Messenger of Allah died, and we were preoccupied with his death, a tame sheep came in and ate it.”

A book that needed edits, corrections, and suppression is not a book that was perfectly preserved. The main Quran (1924 Cairo) used today is based upon the Hafs recitation. Hafs was a student/transmitter who died in 796 AD. Over 150 years AFTER the death of Mohammad. However, Hafs is also called a verified liar and fabricator in the Hadiths. Yet he can be trusted with the Quran so it must be less important.

Ibn Ma’in (~848 AD) called Hafs a “liar” (kadhdhab) and “not trustworthy”. See Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb by Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī (d. 1449 CE), vol. 2, p. 360.

Al-Bukhari (~870 AD) in his al-Tarikh al-Saghir, rejected Hafs in hadith transmission and reported others calling him untrustworthy. See al-Tārīkh al-Kabīr, vol. 2, p. 361

Abū Ḥātim al-Rāzī (~890 AD) said Hafs is "Weak in ḥadīth; his ḥadīth is not to be written down." See al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl, vol. 3, p. 173.

Ibn Hibban (~ 965 AD) "He used to fabricate ḥadīth and alter isnāds. He deserves to be abandoned. See Kitāb al-Majrūḥīn, vol. 1, p. 258.

Which one is the One true Qu’ran that came down from Heaven? We only have the word of Mohammad that Allah revealed this to him via Gabriel in a cave. There are no other witnesses. He could have made it all up. He certainly benefited from it.

Borrowing other Sources

Much of the Quran is Stolen from Jewish and Chrsitian sources such as the Bible, Christian Apocrypha and Talmud. This is estimated around 25-26%. Angelika Neuwirth suggests it is closer to 33%. A major theme of the Quran is the Children of Israel and the previous scriptures of the Torah and Gospel especially.

The Quran has to be revealed to Mohammad in Mecca or it all falls down. The Arabic of the Quran is not the same as that found in the region of Mecca but rather that used further north in Petra, Jordan some 600 miles away.

This leg is broken!

2. Leg 2 - The Person - Muhammad 🪑

The prophet of Islam, whose life and teachings are central to Islamic belief.

No contemporary sources mention him

Nothing from the 7th-century empires — Byzantine, Persian, Syriac — mentions a prophet named Muhammad during his lifetime. Zero eyewitness accounts. That’s a huge red flag. John of Damascus (c. 675-749 AD), is the last Eastern Church Father whom lived in Damascus ruled by an Islamic empire. He wrote Heresy of Ishmaelites (around 730 and 749) when he retires to Jerusalem where he refers to Islam as a Christian heresay. This is a quote from “Concerning Heresies”. This was number 100!

“There is also the superstition of the Ishmaelites, which to this day prevails and keeps people in error, being a forerunner of the Antichrist. They are descended from Ishmael, Abraham’s son by Hagar, the Egyptian woman, and for this reason they are called both Ishmaelites and Hagarenes.

Until the time of Heraclius they were idolaters. From that time to the present a false prophet named Muhammad has appeared in their midst. This man, after having chanced upon the Old and New Testaments and likewise, it seems, having conversed with an Arian monk, devised his own heresy.

Then, having insinuated himself into the good graces of the people by a show of seeming piety, he proclaimed that a book had been sent down to him from heaven. He had set down some ridiculous compositions in this book of his and he gave it to them as an object of veneration.”

Some scholars such as Jay Smith question the historical existence of Muhammad, citing the lack of early contemporary sources and suggesting that much of his biography was compiled centuries later.

The earliest biography appears over 150 years later.

The death of Mohammad is 632 AD. There is only oral transmission of his teachings and events. Presumably few people could write and read as parchment writing was around then. The earliest biographical records such as Ibn Ishaq (704-767 AD) was largely lost but Ibn Hisham (~830 AD) who edited Ibn Ishaq, gives us the first full biography. But that’s oral tradition, passed down through politically controlled chains under the Abbasids.

There are no early writings like in Christianity such as those by the early Apostolic/Church Fathers. Where are all the writings on animal skin? The Bible has papyrus which is older and still preserved.

The early inscriptions and coins don’t match the story.

There is very little mention of Muhammad in 7th-century non-Muslim sources. Mohammad dies in 632 AD.

The earliest known inscription referencing Muhammad is from the Dome of the Rock (~691 AD) — decades after his death. Early coins say “messenger,” but without Mecca, the Qur’an, or any clear story. Coins are important because they don’t perish so easily as manuscripts.

The Muhammad we “know” is a later construct, built to serve political agendas. If he existed, the man is unrecognisable from the legend. Mohammad may just have been an illitate seventh-century caravan robber who made things up for his own selfish needs and political power.

This leg is broken!

3. Leg 3 - The Place - Mecca 🪑

Islam revolves around Mecca. It’s the birthplace of Muhammad, the site of revelation, and the spiritual center of Islam. But there’s a problem: history doesn’t recognise it.

Mecca isn’t mentioned in early maps or records.

No reference to Mecca appears in pre-Islamic trade routes, Greek or Roman geography, or ancient literature. It was off the radar.

Mecca as described in Islamic tradition didn’t exist or wasn't significant in the 7th century.

Early Qiblas (prayer directions) of mosques pointed to Petra, not Mecca.

Claims Mecca is not mentioned in early non-Islamic records until well after Islam's rise.

The Qur’an’s descriptions don’t match Mecca’s geography.

The Qur’an speaks of olive trees, streams, and agriculture — things you won’t find in Mecca’s barren desert. Many scholars have noted that northern Arabia (like Petra) matches the descriptions far better.

You can’t find Mecca on any early maps or inscriptions. Mecca itself is the worst possible place to be in the desert with no water to support a large population. It is the place that Mohammad was born. He spent 52 years there and half the Quran is from that time period.

Islamic archaeology is missing — or suppressed.

Excavations in Mecca are forbidden or heavily restricted. There are no verifiable artifacts from Muhammad’s time. The “history” of Mecca appears to have been retrofitted by later rulers, especially the Abbasids.

The birthplace of Muhammad and the spiritual center of Islam. There is no archaeological and historical evidence for Mecca’s prominence in the 7th century and no mention of Mecca before the 8th century. We only have Islamic source at that time saying that:-

Mecca existed long before Islam, going back to the time of Abraham.

It was a major trading center in Arabia.

The Kaaba was considered a central pilgrimage site even in pre-Islamic times.

The Mecca of Islam is theologically vital, but historically absent. It was likely chosen after the fact, not because of any ancient sacred status.

This leg is broken!

Conclusion

Let’s be clear: This isn’t about minor disagreements. This isn’t about interpretation. This isn’t “your opinion vs. mine.”

This is foundational failure.

The Book is a patchwork, not a preserved revelation.

The Man is a mythologized figure, not a documented prophet.

The Place is a convenient fabrication, not a confirmed location.

Islam claims to be a divine structure. But it’s a scaffold built centuries later — propped up by tradition, maintained by politics, and shielded from scrutiny.

It only works if you don’t look too closely. But when you do, it doesn’t wobble. It collapses. “Islam doesn’t survive even one missing pillar. All three are gone. What’s left standing? Nothing — except denial.”