Using only Arab sources stripped anti-Muslim polemic of its fabulous legends

Evidence

As in the Pugio fidei, Ramon is scrupulous about the use and citation of his sources. As he uses only Arab sources, gone is the ridiculous, the vicious, the flamboyant: no trained bulls or vultures, no death by pigs, no floating coffins. Instead, he narrates Muhammad’s life as gleaned from the Koran and from writings of Muslim authors Ibn Ishâq, al-Bukhâri, and Muslim b. al- Hajjâj12; he is also indebted to the Risâlat al-Kindî. — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1195

Categorization

• ADDENDUM: The choice of credible over fabulous sources to make an attack more persuasive parallels the reader’s article on sacrifice, where stripping away legend in favor of eyewitness accounts made the case stronger.