The Monophysite-leaning Pahlavi Mawali religion was Sabian-Saracen Hanifism (Paulician) but the Arabs practiced Ishmaelite-Judaic Hagarism (Tondraki). The standard narrative makes the Arabs Lords over the Mawali. However, in this thesis it is proposed that the Mawali were a competing non-Arab proto-Muslim group whose Monophysite religious materials were eventually redacted and interpreted by Judaizers under the rise of Arabic hegemony to form parts of the Quran. Ali and Salman the Persian were significant leaders of the Mawali. Umar's Ma'amed best represents the Arabs. It is suggested that the Mawali may have been the original Lords over the Arabs but their story was changed to fit with the new hegemony. The word Mawla means Lords but the standard narrative interprets it as Mawlāʾī meaning Lord's. It may derive from the Hebrew term Melewi referring to non Israelites who were grafted into the priestly families.

Hanifism is a word used to describe the Messianic religion of certain Gnostic Baptists (Sabians) of the Fertile Crescent Baptists. They are sometimes referred to as Abrahamists or Hanafite Christians. Maslama bin Habib and his Banu Hanifa played major roles in the movement. These were the so-called "Old Paulicians" from whom originates the ancient original [[Johannite tradition]] of Hormuz (Ormus). Falling under the Persian cultural sphere of influence centred on Isfahan, their word for Jesus is Ieso and their word for John is Yahia. These two names are the best evidence that Islam did not have simple Arabic origins.