Llull claimed learned Saracens secretly doubted Muhammad’s prophethood.

Evidence

The two sticking points are the Incarnation and the Trinity, which the Saracens misunderstand (they believe, he says, that we worship three gods). The preacher must patiently explain these two key doctrines, proving the Trinity through forceful reasons [cogentes rationes], against which no man can argue the contrary. I already wrote these reasons for you and I declared them in my many books in Arabic and Latin, which confirm that one should believe in the Blessed Trinity. And among those Saracens who are most learned, few believe in Muhammad (since they well know that this man was a sinner and that in their law he placed many ridiculous things). And thus some learned Arabs are Christians—among which I could number myself. — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1332

Categorization

• QUESTION: Is there historical evidence for the actual attitudes of educated Andalusian or Maghrebi Muslims toward Muhammad among Llull’s contemporaries, or is this pure projection?
• BMF: Llull’s claim that the most learned members of the rival faith secretly already agree with you resembles the dynamic in The Reluctant Fundamentalist where Changez and his American interlocutor each operate on assumptions about the other’s hidden convictions.