Skip to main content
Culture

Archaeologist claims Prophet Muhammad had Egyptian roots

Egyptologist Wissam al-Sisi sparked controversy with claims that the Prophet Muhammad was of Egyptian, not Arab, origins.

Islam mosque
Worshippers pray around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand mosque in the holy Saudi city of Mecca, on the first day of the al-Adha feast celebrated by Muslims worldwide, on July 9, 2022. — AFP via Getty Images

CAIRO — Recent statement by an Egyptologist about the origins of Prophet Muhammad have raised controvery in Egypt. 

In televised statements Aug. 22, Wassim al-Sisi, an Egyptologist, said, “Prophet Muhammad is the son of Abd Manaf, who hails from Egypt, which means that the Prophet has Egyptian roots, and Egyptians are his descendants.”

“Our Lord chose al-Kinana [the Land of Egypt], and then He chose Banu Abd Manaf , then the Quraysh [clan], and from Quraysh, He chose the Bunu Hashim. … Lady Hagar [a revered woman in Islam] is our daughter and our granddaughter,” he added in reference to the Egyptians.

Sisi’s statements sent social media into a flurry. According to some archaeologists who spoke to Al-Monitor, the Prophet hails from the Arabian Peninsula.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

Continue reading this exclusive analysis

Original reporting and analysis unavailable elsewhere. Subscribe to AL-MONITOR to read this story and access everything we publish