What Is “Islam”?
Submission to God or a 7th-Century Invention?
Unpacking the Qur’anic Use of “Islam” and the Collapse of an Anachronistic Claim
Muslim apologists frequently argue that “Islam” simply means submission to God, and that all true prophets—from Adam to Jesus—were therefore “Muslims.” On this basis, Islam is presented not as a new religion, but as the original, eternal faith of all prophets, culminating with Muhammad.
But does this argument hold up under scrutiny?
This article dismantles the confusion between linguistic meaning and theological identity, exposing how Islam retroactively rewrites history to justify its exclusive truth claim. Is “Islam” a timeless path of submission—or a 7th-century religion that tries to project itself backward onto all previous revelations?
Let’s break it down.
🧠 1. Semantic Sleight of Hand: “Islam” Means Submission—But to What?
Yes, the Arabic word “Islam” derives from the root s-l-m, meaning peace or submission. But words do not exist in a vacuum.
In Qur’anic usage, “Islam” quickly becomes not just an abstract disposition toward God, but a specific religious identity, tied to the message Muhammad brought:
“The religion before Allah is Islam (al-Islam).” — Q 3:19
“Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted.” — Q 3:85
These verses are not philosophical generalities about spiritual surrender. They make exclusive claims that God only recognizes one path—the religion called Islam as delivered by Muhammad.
To pretend that this usage simply means “generic submission to God” is a category error, a conflation of linguistic meaning with religious identity.
📜 2. Did Abraham, Moses, and Jesus Really Preach “Islam”?
Muslims often cite Qur’anic verses that claim:
“Abraham was not a Jew or a Christian, but a Muslim.” — Q 3:67
This is a massive anachronism—a historical distortion that imposes a later concept onto earlier eras. It would be just as absurd to say:
“Plato was not a Catholic or a Buddhist. He was a Protestant.”
The term “Muslim” in Islamic theology refers to someone who accepts Muhammad’s prophethood and the Qur’an. This is how it functions today and how it is used doctrinally. To call Abraham or Jesus a “Muslim” is not a claim of general piety—it is a claim that they taught Islam.
But there's no evidence for this:
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There are no texts or traditions linking Abraham, Moses, or Jesus to the five pillars, Qur’anic revelations, or Muhammad’s teachings.
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The historical Jesus explicitly taught a New Covenant, referred to God as Father, and emphasized grace and adoption, all of which are foreign or denied in Islam.
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Jewish and Christian scriptures consistently reject the core claims of Islamic theology: the denial of Jesus’ sonship, crucifixion, and deity.
In short, these figures did not teach Islam, either in form or in content. Calling them Muslims is theological colonization.
🕰️ 3. The Historical Emergence of “Islam” as a Religion
Contrary to Islamic claims, “Islam” as we know it did not exist before the 7th century. The earliest evidence of Islam as an organized religion:
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Appears only after Muhammad’s death.
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Evolved gradually over two to three centuries, as the Qur’an, hadith, and legal schools were compiled.
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Shows heavy influence from Judaic, Christian, Zoroastrian, and tribal Arabian traditions.
In fact, the term “Islam” is never used in Jewish or Christian sources before the rise of the Islamic empire. There is no pre-Islamic usage of “Muslim” as an identity or community label.
The idea that Adam, Noah, Moses, and Jesus all preached “Islam” is a retroactive theological claim, not a historical reality.
🧨 4. Why This Matters: The Collapse of Islam’s Core Narrative
Islam claims to be the final confirmation of a single divine message preached by all prophets. This only works if all previous prophets:
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Preached a message identical to that of Muhammad.
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Founded communities that could rightly be called “Muslims.”
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Brought scriptures that never contradicted the Qur’an.
But none of these claims hold up:
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The Bible and Torah are fundamentally at odds with the Qur’an.
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The teachings of Jesus are irreconcilable with Islamic theology.
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There is no evidence that any prophet before Muhammad used the Qur’anic concept of “Islam.”
The entire continuity narrative collapses under its own weight.
🧩 5. The Qur’an Itself Betrays This Invention
Even within the Qur’an, contradictions emerge:
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It claims to confirm previous scriptures (Q 2:41, 5:48), yet contradicts them.
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It claims all prophets taught the same religion, yet provides no evidence of this teaching.
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It denies basic theological features of Judaism and Christianity, yet expects to be seen as their fulfillment.
If the message was always “Islam,” then where is the evidence in the texts that came before? Why don’t the Torah and Gospel mention Islam, Muhammad, or the Qur’an?
🔚 Conclusion: The Word Game That Collapsed a Religion
Calling Islam “submission” and all prophets “Muslims” may sound clever, but it’s a linguistic illusion. The religion of Islam—as a historically specific revelation through Muhammad—did not exist until the 7th century.
It is not the religion of Abraham.
It is not the gospel of Jesus.
And it is not confirmed by history or scripture.
Islam’s attempt to universalize itself by retrofitting all of human history under its banner is not an act of submission to truth—it’s an act of revisionism.
The word “Islam” may mean submission.
But the religion called Islam is something far more recent—and far more fragile under scrutiny.
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