Doctrina Jacobi and the Chronicle of Seert
The Doctrina Jacobi and the Chronicle of Seert are two early Christian and Jewish sources that provide some information about the life and teachings of Muhammad, albeit limited.
The Doctrina Jacobi is an anonymous Greek text written in the 7th century CE that describes the events surrounding the Arab conquest of Palestine in the 630s CE. It contains an account of a meeting between a Jew and a group of Christians, in which the Jew reports that “a prophet has appeared among the Saracens [Arabs],” and that he “has brought a new teaching” that is based on both Jewish and Christian scriptures. The text also suggests that the Jews and the Christians were divided in their opinions about Muhammad and his teachings.
The Chronicle of Seert is a Syriac Christian text written in the 8th century CE that provides a history of the Syriac Church. It mentions Muhammad and the rise of Islam in several places, including a reference to “Muhammad the prophet” in a section on the Arab conquest of Mesopotamia.
While these sources are important for providing some of the earliest non-Muslim references to Muhammad and the rise of Islam, they are limited in their scope and reliability. They do not provide a comprehensive account of Muhammad’s life and teachings, and their authors may have had limited or biased information about him and his followers.
Nonetheless, these sources are important for understanding the historical context of Muhammad’s life and the early years of Islam, and for highlighting the diverse perspectives and reactions to his teachings among the communities of the time.
A spiritual Ishmaelite 