The tradition that the Prophet, (may Allah exalt his mention), heard Qayss bin Saa`idah preach at the `Ukaath fair isforged and discarded, as one of its narrators, Muhammad bin Hallaaj Al-Laakhmi, is a confirmed liar. The suggestion that the Prophet, , learnt from Zayd bin Haarithah, may Allah be pleased with him, is discarded on the ground that Zayd came to the Prophet,  as a little boy and as a result he could not have taught Christianity to his foster father. Moreover, Zayd, may Allah be pleased with him, had genuine faith in the Prophet’s message and followed him, until his death.

The allegation that the Prophet, , received instructions from Waraqah bin Nawfal on Christianity is rejected on the ground that, if this information is true, then the Quraysh would have made a very big issue about it. The assertion that the Prophet, , was instructed by a foreigner, is already properly addressed and rebutted by the Quran itself, and is not discussed here. If some of the Christians and Jews of Makkah had provided the Prophet, with information about former religions, they would not have faith in the Prophet’s mission and leadership and would never have become Muslims themselves.

Some of the points raised in this connection by Dr. Jamal Badawi, a renowned propagator of Islam in Canada are worth noting. He says: “It would be highly imaginary to say that through his occasional chats with Jews and Christians, while busy with his caravan, Muhammad, , learned enough about either or both religions to formulate a new powerful and viable religion, a task that defies the collective efforts of scholars for centuries.” 

1.     Why is it, that in spite of the abundance of historical material on the life of Prophet Muhammad, and in spite of the extensive research on his life for centuries by his critics, why was it not possible to discover the mysterious teacher who allegedly taught Muhammad, , all that he learned?

2.     It is known that Muhammad, , was opposed, ridiculed and persecuted for nearly thirteen years by his own contemporaries. Was it not possible for his enemies to prove to the masses that Prophet Muhammad's, claim of revelation was sheer fabrication? Was it not possible for them to reveal and name whom they alleged to be the human sources of his teachings? Even some of his adversaries who made this assertion changed their minds later on, and accused him, instead, of magic or of being possessed by evil.

3.     Prophet Muhammad, , was raised among his people and every aspect of his life was exposed to them, especially by the openness that characterizes tribal life in the desert. How could his contemporaries, including many of his close relatives who knew him so well, believe in his truthfulness if they had any doubt that he was claiming credit for ideas taught to him by some other teachers, without bothering to give them credit?

4.     What kind of teacher might have taught Muhammad, , a coherent and complete religion that changed the face of history? Why did he or they (if any) not speak against the alleged student who continued learning from them, while ignoring them and claiming some other Divine source for his teachings?

6.     It is known that some of the Quranic revelations came to Prophet Muhammad, , in the presence of people. The Quran was revealed during the span of 23 years. If the Prophet, , had a teacher, where was he? How could he, , have hidden the teacher for so long? On the other hand, how could Prophet Muhammad, , who was constantly surrounded by followers, be able to make frequent secret visits to that mysterious teacher or teachers for 23 years without being ‘caught’ even once?

It is true that some of the historical incidents are mentioned in both the Bible and the Quran, but this does not mean that the Quran selected them from these sources. Instead, it is a confirmation of the events of the past but looking at them with a clear vision. There was no library or museum in Makkah, and the Prophet, , could not read or write. There were no scholars and philologists in Makkah to unravel the secrets of ancient work to the Prophet, .