Badges mark quoted or attributed material (Qur'an, hadith, another author, an opposing view). Unbadged passages are Maulana Wahiduddin Khan's own words.
HISTORICAL PROPHET
IN the year 610, in Mecca, the Catholic scholar Waraqa ibn Naufal said to the Prophet of Islam, “I wish I could be alive at the time when your people expel you from your tribe.” His prediction came true in 620. This, along with most other incidents of the Prophet’s life have been historically documented.original + quote
Of all the prophets, the Prophet Mohammad is unique in having led an existence so open and so well documented that all of the incidents in his life may be narrated chronologically. His life is a chapter of history, rather than a set of tales.
This appears to be something quite simple or obvious, but it is in fact quite remarkable. The bona fide status of all the prophets, except for that of the Prophet Mohammed, is purely a matter of personal belief and is not a historical fact. They are mentioned only in religious scriptures, and we find no complete record of them in world history.
When did the Prophet Noah board his ark? When did the Prophet Abraham leave Iraq? When did the Prophet Moses receive the Ten Commandments? When was Jesus Christ born? All these questions remain unanswered according to purely historical criteria.
The historical documentation of the Prophet Mohammad’s life is a great blessing for humanity. For now, given this historical authenticity, we no longer need to rely on mythological stories or the legends of the prophets in the search for divine guidance. We can confine our search for divine guidance to historical fact.
The migration or “hijrath” of the Prophet Mohammad is a clear example of abandoning violent actions in favour of peaceful solutions.