This is in response to Zahid Abbas' In the beginning, there was Proto-Islam .

Abbas is preaching to his own choir. Most religions proclaim about the beginning of man and the universe and their end. In other words, Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, Bahai, etc had pre-existed their prophets just as Islam did with Prophet Muhammad.

Indeed a prophet is called a prophet because he is personally called by God to reveal the Truth to the people of their times and beyond and not primarily to create a new religion.

In fact, as Zahid has pointed out, Islam was not founded by Prophet Muhammad and neither was Judaism by Nabi (which is a Hebrew word too) Abraham, Christianity by Nabi Jesus. These names were given by their followers to define their beliefs.

And yet, we must call a spade, a spade. We understand each revealed faith based on the prophet that proclaimed it. Therefore, chronologically, Islam as an organised religion, as revealed by Nabi Muhammad, is still the youngest of all the Semitic faiths.

As Zahid has stated, all the Semitic religions have 'shared traditions' and therefore will have shared truths. What are these shared traditions and truths and why are there, seemingly, 'contradictions' outside of those traditions and truths?

But that is another matter better left for future discourse in private rather than public domains. The Quran itself has challenged others to test its infallibility as in Al Nisa 82 and thus in the spirit of non-compulsion and the pursuit of truth (Al Baqarah 256), hard questions will continue to be asked and hopefully answered.