Before Muhammad, history did not carefully record the lives of the prophets. From a strictly academic and historical point of view, their prophethood was difficult to establish. The Prophet Jesus was the last of the ancient prophets and has a following of millions, yet so tenuous is his historical position that Bertrand Russell remarked: “Historically, it is quite doubtful whether Christ ever existed at all.” This is not the case with the Prophet Muhammad, the last of the prophets. His life is so well-documented and laid down in history that anyone who studies his life is forced to agree with Professor Philip Hitti that “Muhammad was born in the full light of history.” (Philip K. Hitti, The Arabs: A Short History, London, 1960, p. 23.)

Of all the prophets, 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. The historical documentation of the Prophet Mohammad’s life in the form of the Seerah 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.

Source: The Life of Muhammad