Alright! There are plenty of posts about the historicity of Jesus. This one's about the historicity of Mohammad, the Prophet of Islam. Some claim that the earliest biographies are unreliable because they're late and Islamic. Granted, they are; BUT... like the biographies of Jesus, they contain some degree of truth.
Dated Texts Mentioning Prophet Muhammad From 1-100 AH / 622-719 CE
OK, so the link is from an Islamic perspective, but it gives an example of early non-Muslim examples of the prophet. It goes along the same line as "the non historicity of Jesus" debate among non-educated people.
Dated Texts Mentioning Prophet Muhammad From 1-100 AH / 622-719 CE
OK, so the link is from an Islamic perspective, but it gives an example of early non-Muslim examples of the prophet. It goes along the same line as "the non historicity of Jesus" debate among non-educated people.
On Friday, 4 February, at the ninth hour, there was a battle between the Romans and the Arabs of Mụhammad [Syr. tayyāyē d-Ṃhmt] in Palestine twelve miles east of Gaza. The Romans fled, leaving behind the patrician YRDN (Syr. BRYRDN), whom the Arabs killed. Some 4000 poor villagers of Palestine were killed there, Christians, Jews and Samaritans. The Arabs ravaged the whole region.
At that time a certain man from along those same sons of Ismael, whose name was Mahmet [i.e., Mụhammad], a merchant, as if by God's command appeared to them as a preacher [and] the path of truth. He taught them to recognize the God of Abraham, especially because he was learnt and informed in the history of Moses. Now because the command was from on high, at a single order they all came together in unity of religion. Abandoning their vain cults, they turned to the living God who had appeared to their father Abraham. So, Mahmet legislated for them: not to eat carrion, not to drink wine, not to speak falsely, and not to engage in fornication. He said: 'With an oath God promised this land to Abraham and his seed after him for ever. And he brought about as he promised during that time while he loved Ismael. But now you are the sons of Abraham and God is accomplishing his promise to Abraham and his seed for you. Love sincerely only the God of Abraham, and go and seize the land which God gave to your father Abraham. No one will be able to resist you in battle, because God is with you.[32]
So.. like the argument about the historicity of Jesus, it's a non-issue.Then God raised up against them the sons of Ishmael, [numerous] as the sand on the sea shore, whose leader (mdabbrānā) was Mụhammad (ṃhmd). Neither walls nor gates, armour or shield, withstood them, and they gained control over the entire land of the Persians. Yazdgird sent against them countless troops, but the Arabs routed them all and even killed Rustam. Yazdgird shut himself up in the walls of Mahoze and finally escaped by flight. He reached the country of the Huzaye and Mrwnaye, where he ended his life. The Arabs gained countrol of Mahoze and all the territory. They also came to Byzantine territory, plundering and ravaging the entire region of Syria. Heraclius, the Byzantine king, sent armies against them, but the Arabs killed more than 100,000 of them.