u/DhulQarnayni

Some people argue that when Muhammad was called a “magician/سَـٰحِرٌۭ" (Q38:4) it only referred to his speech... meaning that his opponents thought he was using persuasive words, poetry or rhetoric to mislead people.

I find this explanation incomplete when compared with the story of Moses in the Quran. Moses was also called a "magician/سَـٰحِرٌۭ" (Q7:109) but in his case, he performed visible signs and miracles that people witnessed directly. His opponents saw something extraordinary yet they still rejected him and described him as practicing magic.

This makes me wonder whether the same possibility exists in Muhammad’s case. For example, regarding the splitting of the moon (or whatever event is being referred to in that passage) did Muhammad’s opponents believe that he had caused that event or performed some kind of miracle? In other words, when they accused him of being a magician, could it have been because they thought he was doing extraordinary acts — similar to Moses rather than only because of his speech?

When reading the Quran, it gives the impression that the God speaking in the Quran is the same God who revealed scripture to Moses and other biblical prophets. The Quran also seems to present itself as part of the same monotheistic tradition found in Judaism and Christianity.

So I’m curious: before Islam.. did Arabs already believe that Allah was the same God worshipped by Jews and Christians and that they shared a common religious tradition with them? Or was this understanding something that Muhammad introduced?

Why is it considered legitimate in academic scholarship to exclude supernatural explanations rather than treating them as open possibilities?

Why is it considered legitimate in academic scholarship to exclude supernatural explanations rather than treating them as open possibilities?

In the story of the People of the Cave, the Quran mentions different opinions about how many people were in the cave (Q18:22) But it never gives a final exact number and instead says that God knows best.

What i find interesting is that the Quran does give a precise number for how long they stayed in the cave (Q18:25),yet it avoids giving a precise number of the people themselves.

If someone were simply inventing or confidently retelling an ancient story, wouldn’t it be easier to just pick a number and present it as fact? Especially since people at the time couldn’t really verify it anyway?