In this short article (which apparently required the combined efforts of seven authors), the "Islamic Awareness" team attempts to dismiss the possibility that Waraqa Ibn Nawfal, the cousin of Khadija, Muhammad's first wife, could have taught Muhammad some elements of Christianity. Three observations are brought together which, in the minds of this collection of authors concludes that:
Point 1 : Waraqa Ibn Nawfal read the Gospels.
Therefore, we, and the "Islamic Awareness" team agree that he had, to some degree, knowledge of the Bible.
Point 2 : Waraqa died shortly after Muhammad fancied himself a Prophet, therefore he could not have taught Muhammad who continued to claim to be a Prophet for another 20 years.
The problem with this argument is that Muhammad knew Waraqa, through his marriage to Khadija, for approximately 15 years before the beginning of his purported prophetic calling. Since Waraqa was a religious man, it is likely that their conversations over these years often centered around religious issues.
Muhammad did not need to learn much about Christianity, and this is evident when we examine the many inaccuracies and distortions of Christian teachings found in his Qur'an. Muhammad needed a small amount of information to weave his self-serving tales, in which he placed himself in the position of the Prophets (and put his words in their mouths), and portrayed his adversaries as the enemies of the Prophets. For more on this topic, please read this article.
Point 3 : Waraqa voiced support for Muhammad.
Whether Waraqa was an orthodox Christian, or a heretic is irrelevant. No man is the final authority concerning who is a Prophet. The Bible gives us the test for a Prophet, and Muhammad fails miserably. Additionally, there is substantial evidence that Waraqa opposed the claims of Muhammad.
So, does this prove that Waraqa taught Muhammad? No, it does not. However, we cannot dismiss the possibility that Muhammad gleaned some of his superficial, and deficient, knowledge of Christianity from his contact with Waraqa.
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