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Christianity and the Qur'an: The Rise of Islam in Christian Arabia
A leading Qur’anic scholar’s revisionary account of how Islam emerged in dialogue with Christian traditions
Challenging the dominant narrative about the history of the Qur’an and the emergence of Islam in a predominantly pagan context, Gabriel Said Reynolds presents the Qur’an as a text born within a largely Christian culture. As he examines the ways the Qur’an engages with Christian traditions—not only those of the New Testament but also those of late antique Christian literature—and with Christians themselves, Reynolds also draws on recent scholarship on pre-Islamic Arabic inscriptions suggesting that monotheism, Christianity in particular, was a significant presence in the pre-Islamic Hijaz, the region in which Muhammad preached.
This study re-situates the Qur’an as a text thoroughly concerned with Christianity, not just the longer narratives of individuals such as Mary and Jesus but also passages that do not mention Christians explicitly. The Qur’an’s stance toward Christianity is on occasion controversial, aiming to advance Islamic theology and undermine Christian apologetical arguments, yet the Qur’an is not always polemical. At times, the text makes use of the audience’s knowledge of the Bible to advance its own vision of God and God’s relationship with humanity.
Challenging the dominant narrative about the history of the Qur’an and the emergence of Islam in a predominantly pagan context, Gabriel Said Reynolds presents the Qur’an as a text born within a largely Christian culture. As he examines the ways the Qur’an engages with Christian traditions—not only those of the New Testament but also those of late antique Christian literature—and with Christians themselves, Reynolds also draws on recent scholarship on pre-Islamic Arabic inscriptions suggesting that monotheism, Christianity in particular, was a significant presence in the pre-Islamic Hijaz, the region in which Muhammad preached.
This study re-situates the Qur’an as a text thoroughly concerned with Christianity, not just the longer narratives of individuals such as Mary and Jesus but also passages that do not mention Christians explicitly. The Qur’an’s stance toward Christianity is on occasion controversial, aiming to advance Islamic theology and undermine Christian apologetical arguments, yet the Qur’an is not always polemical. At times, the text makes use of the audience’s knowledge of the Bible to advance its own vision of God and God’s relationship with humanity.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published September 2, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 27, 2025
I really enjoyed reading this. I found it very articulate and it presented a convincing argument for a greater christian presence in the Hijaz during the prophet's ministry in Mecca and Medina, contrary to the tradition of a majority pagan community in the region. Overall, a very convincing and well-written presentation of the evidence both in the Quran as well as outside sources.
October 17, 2025
Christians recognize that their faith tradition emerged from Judaism. Jesus and his disciples were all Jews. While Paul initiated a missionary effort to bring Gentiles into the fold, he, too, was a Jew. The Bible for the earliest Christians was what Christians call the Old Testament. Thus, as Paul reveals, Christians are children of Abraham by adoption. With that relationship established, there is another religious movement that also claims descent from Abraham, and that is Islam. The question that has been explored over the centuries concerns the relationship between Islam and its two forebears, especially Christianity. After all, Jesus figures prominently in the Qur'an and in Islam more broadly. It is a question that I've pondered with some regularity, especially in light of my interfaith engagements.
Islam emerged out of central Arabia in the sixth century CE, led by a prophet named Muhammad, who it is said faced down pagans and brought about a monotheistic religious revival that spread west from Arabia across North Africa to Spain, and eastward to Mesopotamia and Persia and elsewhere. With the many parallels and borrowings from Christianity, the question remains as to the relationship of Christianity to Muhammad's movement, including the origins of the Qur'an. Could it be that Arabia was not a land filled with polytheistic pagans, but had a rather larger Christian population? Could it be that even when the Qur'an doesn't name Christianity, it has Christianity in mind?
The subtitle of Gabriel Said Reynolds is suggestive of a possible context for the emergence of Islam. In Reynold's view, Islam emerged not from a pagan context but a largely Christian one. Yes, there were polytheistic pagans and Jews in the region, but Reynolds believes there is significant evidence of a large Christian population and that Muhammad and the Qur'an are addressing that audience. Such an idea is, as Reynolds demonstrates is highly plausible. It would make sense of the many parallels and concerns that seem to have Christianity in mind. Not only that but the person who first acknowledged Muhammad to be a prophet of God was a Christian living in Mecca. So, could Islam be a form of Jewish Christianity that had taken root in Arabia? All of this makes for fascinating reading, at least for those of us who are interested in the interrelationships between the three primary Abrahamic religions.
Reynolds' "Christianity and the Qur'an is composed of four rather lengthy chapters. The first of these chapters sets Said's argument in context. Titled "Traditional Ideas about Christianity in Muhammad's Arabia, Chapter 1 explores the various theories that have emerged over the centuries, but especially in the 19th and 20th centuries, as to the role Christianity played in Arabia at the time that Muhammad began his prophetic career. This includes reflections on archeological, linguistic, and studies of ancient religion. While some scholars asserted that Islam's monotheism was new and based on Arabic ideas about the God Allah. Thus, Muhammad resurrected and revised an understanding of a particular god in pre-Islamic Arabia known as Allah. Said draws upon linguistic evidence regarding the use of the term Allah both before and after Muhammad, as well as prayers found in the Qur'an. While there are significant overlaps between Christian texts, both biblical and non-biblical, Reynolds agrees that the Qur'an is not a Christian text or even the source of the Qur'an. Rather, it is a rival to the Christian texts, and that difference is rooted in part in the use of Arabic and Muhammad's role in the text.
While the Qur'an is not a Christian text, there is "Christian Material in the Qur'an" (Chapter 2). After all, the Qur'an claims that Muhammad is the last in a line of prophets that includes Jesus. The Qur'an claims that Jesus even predicted the rise of Muhammad. Thus, the Qur'an uses Jesus to bolster its theological positions. Reynolds notes that in the Qur'an, Jesus came to confirm the book of Moses, and Muhammad came to confirm the message of Jesus. Yet, the Qur'an is known to condemn both Judaism and Christianity. To make his point, Reynolds makes note of numerous Christian and Jewish turns of phrase found in the Qur'an. This seems surprising since Muhammad is said to have focused his attention on pagans, so why biblical phrases? However, if these passages and turns of phrase are not addressed to pagans but to /Christians that Muhammad wishes to reach, that makes much more sense. But there are not only turns of phrase, but also the use of Christian legends. The Qur'an doesn't refer directly to the Gospel writers, for instance, or even any specific book of the New Testament. In part, this is due to the fact that at the time, there wasn't an Arabic-language Bible. However, many stories were being shared, which found their way into the Qur'an. As Reynolds points out the Qur'an and its author (Muhammad?) are more interested in stories about biblical characters than the teachings of the Bible.
Chapter 3 is titled "Christianity in the Qur'an's historical context. In this chapter, Reynolds focuses on the historical evidence regarding the presence and influence of Christianity in Arabia. He notes that there are few pagan inscriptions in either North or South Arabia, but there are numerous Christian inscriptions. In this chapter, Reynolds explores the presence of languages other than Arabic that may have been available and influential, as Arabic was in many ways still developing. Thus, the focus here is on language, its development, and use in spreading Christian ideas in Arabic, and its later influence on the development of Islam and the Qur'an. As he works through the presence of inscriptions and language usage, he also addresses the importance of Christian missions when it comes to the Hijaz. He notes that some scholars have pointed out the work of Christian missionaries in developing the Arabic alphabet and thus the Arabic script.
The final chapter (Chapter 4) is titled "The Qur'an in Conversation with Christianity. Everything Reynolds writes to this point leads to this concluding chapter. He notes the many passages in the Qur'an that speak positively of Christians. While this has value for interreligious dialogue, Reynolds is more interested in the way the Qur'an engages with Christianity. He writes that "The Qur'an, I argue, has Christianity in mind when it articulates its own teaching, even when it does not explicitly refer to Christians or Christian teaching" (p. 142).
Islam emerged out of central Arabia in the sixth century CE, led by a prophet named Muhammad, who it is said faced down pagans and brought about a monotheistic religious revival that spread west from Arabia across North Africa to Spain, and eastward to Mesopotamia and Persia and elsewhere. With the many parallels and borrowings from Christianity, the question remains as to the relationship of Christianity to Muhammad's movement, including the origins of the Qur'an. Could it be that Arabia was not a land filled with polytheistic pagans, but had a rather larger Christian population? Could it be that even when the Qur'an doesn't name Christianity, it has Christianity in mind?
The subtitle of Gabriel Said Reynolds is suggestive of a possible context for the emergence of Islam. In Reynold's view, Islam emerged not from a pagan context but a largely Christian one. Yes, there were polytheistic pagans and Jews in the region, but Reynolds believes there is significant evidence of a large Christian population and that Muhammad and the Qur'an are addressing that audience. Such an idea is, as Reynolds demonstrates is highly plausible. It would make sense of the many parallels and concerns that seem to have Christianity in mind. Not only that but the person who first acknowledged Muhammad to be a prophet of God was a Christian living in Mecca. So, could Islam be a form of Jewish Christianity that had taken root in Arabia? All of this makes for fascinating reading, at least for those of us who are interested in the interrelationships between the three primary Abrahamic religions.
Reynolds' "Christianity and the Qur'an is composed of four rather lengthy chapters. The first of these chapters sets Said's argument in context. Titled "Traditional Ideas about Christianity in Muhammad's Arabia, Chapter 1 explores the various theories that have emerged over the centuries, but especially in the 19th and 20th centuries, as to the role Christianity played in Arabia at the time that Muhammad began his prophetic career. This includes reflections on archeological, linguistic, and studies of ancient religion. While some scholars asserted that Islam's monotheism was new and based on Arabic ideas about the God Allah. Thus, Muhammad resurrected and revised an understanding of a particular god in pre-Islamic Arabia known as Allah. Said draws upon linguistic evidence regarding the use of the term Allah both before and after Muhammad, as well as prayers found in the Qur'an. While there are significant overlaps between Christian texts, both biblical and non-biblical, Reynolds agrees that the Qur'an is not a Christian text or even the source of the Qur'an. Rather, it is a rival to the Christian texts, and that difference is rooted in part in the use of Arabic and Muhammad's role in the text.
While the Qur'an is not a Christian text, there is "Christian Material in the Qur'an" (Chapter 2). After all, the Qur'an claims that Muhammad is the last in a line of prophets that includes Jesus. The Qur'an claims that Jesus even predicted the rise of Muhammad. Thus, the Qur'an uses Jesus to bolster its theological positions. Reynolds notes that in the Qur'an, Jesus came to confirm the book of Moses, and Muhammad came to confirm the message of Jesus. Yet, the Qur'an is known to condemn both Judaism and Christianity. To make his point, Reynolds makes note of numerous Christian and Jewish turns of phrase found in the Qur'an. This seems surprising since Muhammad is said to have focused his attention on pagans, so why biblical phrases? However, if these passages and turns of phrase are not addressed to pagans but to /Christians that Muhammad wishes to reach, that makes much more sense. But there are not only turns of phrase, but also the use of Christian legends. The Qur'an doesn't refer directly to the Gospel writers, for instance, or even any specific book of the New Testament. In part, this is due to the fact that at the time, there wasn't an Arabic-language Bible. However, many stories were being shared, which found their way into the Qur'an. As Reynolds points out the Qur'an and its author (Muhammad?) are more interested in stories about biblical characters than the teachings of the Bible.
Chapter 3 is titled "Christianity in the Qur'an's historical context. In this chapter, Reynolds focuses on the historical evidence regarding the presence and influence of Christianity in Arabia. He notes that there are few pagan inscriptions in either North or South Arabia, but there are numerous Christian inscriptions. In this chapter, Reynolds explores the presence of languages other than Arabic that may have been available and influential, as Arabic was in many ways still developing. Thus, the focus here is on language, its development, and use in spreading Christian ideas in Arabic, and its later influence on the development of Islam and the Qur'an. As he works through the presence of inscriptions and language usage, he also addresses the importance of Christian missions when it comes to the Hijaz. He notes that some scholars have pointed out the work of Christian missionaries in developing the Arabic alphabet and thus the Arabic script.
The final chapter (Chapter 4) is titled "The Qur'an in Conversation with Christianity. Everything Reynolds writes to this point leads to this concluding chapter. He notes the many passages in the Qur'an that speak positively of Christians. While this has value for interreligious dialogue, Reynolds is more interested in the way the Qur'an engages with Christianity. He writes that "The Qur'an, I argue, has Christianity in mind when it articulates its own teaching, even when it does not explicitly refer to Christians or Christian teaching" (p. 142).
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews