Why Do Religions Disagree About Muhammad?

Judaism doesn't recognize Muhammad as a prophet, and this position is grounded in several theological principles rather than simple dismissal. The Hebrew prophetic tradition, as understood by rabbinic authorities like Maimonides (Rambam, 1135–1204 CE), holds that prophecy in the classical sense ceased after the destruction of the First Temple — or at the latest with the last of the Hebrew prophets, traditionally identified as Malachi. There's simply no room in this framework for a seventh-century Arabian prophet.

Beyond the chronological issue, Jewish law (halakha) requires that any claimed prophet be tested against the Torah. If a prophet's message contradicts the Torah's commandments — including the eternal validity of the Mosaic covenant — that prophet is to be rejected. Since Islam teaches that the Torah has been corrupted (tahrif) and that Muhammad's revelation supersedes earlier ones, mainstream Jewish theology finds no basis for accepting his prophetic claims.

It's worth noting that medieval Jewish thinkers weren't uniformly dismissive. Judah Halevi (c. 1075–1141 CE), in his Kuzari, acknowledged Islam as a religion that prepared non-Jews for a kind of monotheism, even while rejecting Muhammad's specific prophetic status for Jews. There's real nuance here that gets lost in polemical summaries.

Christianity's disagreement with Islam over Muhammad is similarly structural. For Christians, the New Testament represents the fulfillment and completion of divine revelation through Jesus Christ — whom Christianity identifies as the incarnate Son of God and the final Word of God (Hebrews 1:1–2). A prophet arriving six centuries after Christ, claiming to correct or supersede the Gospel, doesn't fit within this theological architecture.

The Quran itself acknowledges Jesus as a prophet and the Messiah, and even references a Gospel (Injil). Quran 48:29 explicitly compares Muhammad's followers to descriptions found in both the Torah and the Gospel Quran 48:29, suggesting the Quran sees itself as continuous with earlier revelation. But Christianity rejects this continuity claim — the canon was closed, and the Church Fathers had no category for a post-resurrection prophet who denied Christ's divinity and crucifixion.

Theologians like John of Damascus (c. 675–749 CE) were among the first Christians to engage Islam systematically, treating it as a heresy rather than a separate religion. Later thinkers, including Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274 CE), argued that Muhammad's mission lacked the miraculous confirmation that authenticated biblical prophets. Modern ecumenical scholars like Kenneth Cragg (1913–2012) have tried to find more respectful common ground, but the core Christological disagreement remains.

Islam's position is unambiguous: Muhammad is the final prophet (Khatam an-Nabiyyin), the seal of a long prophetic line that includes Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. The Quran presents Muhammad not as a founder of a new religion but as the restorer of the original, uncorrupted monotheism. In Quran 10:104, Muhammad is commanded to declare his mission directly to all of humanity Quran 10:104Quran 10:104.

From an Islamic perspective, the disagreement from Jews and Christians isn't surprising — the Quran itself anticipates it. Islam teaches that earlier scriptures were either misinterpreted or textually altered over time (tahrif), which is why their communities failed to recognize Muhammad despite prophecies the Quran claims were already present in their texts. Quran 48:29 even asserts that Muhammad's followers are described in both the Torah and the Gospel Quran 48:29, framing Jewish and Christian rejection as a failure to read their own scriptures correctly.

Muslim scholars like Ibn Kathir (1301–1373 CE) and, in the modern era, Seyyed Hossein Nasr (b. 1933), have written extensively on why Muhammad's prophethood is internally coherent and historically verifiable within Islamic epistemology. The disagreement, from this vantage point, is less about evidence and more about the theological presuppositions each tradition brings to the question.

This is a general theological question. With only the provided Qur’anic passages, what can be shown is the Islamic claim that Muhammad’s community has a likeness “in the Torah,” which frames Muslim engagement with Jewish scripture from within Islam’s own sources. Quran 48:29

The Qur’an also acknowledges that some among “mankind” are in doubt about Muhammad’s religion, indicating the existence of differing assessments beyond the Islamic community; this is relevant context for Jewish audiences, though the specific Jewish doctrinal reasons are not stated here due to lack of Jewish sources in the retrieved set. Quran 10:104 Quran 10:104

This is a general theological question. From the Qur’an, the Islamic claim includes that Muhammad is “the messenger of Allah,” and that his companions’ likeness is found “in the Gospel,” which is how Muslims read earlier Christian scripture through their own revelation. Quran 48:29

The Qur’an explicitly addresses people who are in doubt about Muhammad’s religion, signaling that disagreement exists among wider audiences; the specific Christian doctrinal reasons for agreement or disagreement are not stated here because no Christian sources were provided in the retrieved set. Quran 10:104 Quran 10:104

Islam teaches that “Muhammad is the messenger of Allah,” and portrays his followers as devout and strengthened by God, a self-understanding anchored in revelation. Quran 48:29 It also records Muhammad being told to address those in doubt, indicating that disagreement was anticipated and directly engaged by the Qur’an itself. Quran 10:104 Quran 10:104

From this vantage, disagreement arises when audiences outside the Qur’anic revelation question Muhammad’s claim and mission, while Muslims see confirmation of his role and of his community’s traits—even in references to the Torah and Gospel—within their scripture. Quran 48:29