[3] All accounts of Bahira and his meeting with Muhammad have been deemed fictitious by modern historians[4][5][6][7][8][9][10] as well as by some medieval Muslim scholars, such as al-Dhahabi.
He urges Abu Talib, the uncle of Muhammad, to take him back to Mecca without delay, fearing that the Jews might attack him.
[15][13] In another version of the story recorded by al-Tabari, Bahira is more emphatic in his foretelling of Muhammad’s destiny, calling him the apostle of the Lord of the Worlds after witnessing trees and stones bowing down to him.
[16] According to a variation documented by al-Suhayli, possibly derived from al-Zuhri's, it is a Jewish rabbi, not a Christian monk, who meets the young Muhammad on the journey and foretells his future as a prophet.
As in Ibn Ishaq’s account, the figure advises Abu Talib to take Muhammad back home quickly, fearing that the Jews will murder him if he reaches Syria.
[17][18] To add a spiritual touch to the marriage of Muhammad and Khadija, many of his biographers narrate that he took another trade trip later in his life and met another monk.
[19] In a version by al-Baladhuri and Ibn Habib, the monk’s conclusion about Muhammad’s prophethood results from seeing him create unlimited food.
We also observe no instance of the Prophet reminding Abu Talib of the monk's words, nor do Quraysh mention it to him, and none of those elders recount the tale, despite their eager pursuit and request for a story like that.
If Abu Talib had been so worried about the Prophet's life that he returned him to Mecca, how could he later have been satisfied to allow him to travel to Syria to trade on Khadija's behalf?
[9]Historian Patricia Crone, following her examination of the Bahira material, came to the conclusion that "what the sources offer are fifteen equally fictitious versions of an event that never took place.
From the early 8th century, recognizing the persistence of Muslim rule, responses have evolved, featuring sophisticated defenses of Christianity and counterarguments to Islamic doctrines through disputation literature.