The following article presents 5
propositions denying the Muslim belief that Muhammad is a prophet of God. We ask
all Muslim reading this to consider these propositions prayerfully and
carefully, and see for themselves whether they are true or not.
We pray that our Lord Jesus will use
this material to bring Muslims out of darkness and into his glorious Gospel
light.
Let us begin:
PROPOSITION 1
Muhammad claims to follow in the
footsteps of the prophets:
Lo! We
inspire thee as We inspired Noah and the prophets after him, as We
inspired Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and Jesus
and Job and Jonah and Aaron and Solomon, and as We imparted unto David the
Psalms; S. 4:136 Pickthall
"The
Messenger believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the
men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His angels, HIS BOOKS (kutubihi),
and His messengers. ‘We make no distinction (they say) between one and another
of His messengers.’ And they say: ‘We hear, and we obey: (we seek) Thy
forgiveness, our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys.’" S. 2:285
“And
afterward We inspired thee (Muhammad, saying): Follow the religion of Abraham,
as one by nature upright. He was not of the idolaters.” 16:123 Pickthall
Therefore
hold fast to that which has been revealed to you; surely you are on the right
path. And most surely it is a reminder for you and your people, and you shall
soon be questioned. And ask those of Our apostles whom We sent before you:
Did We ever appoint gods to be worshiped besides the Beneficent God? S. 43:43-45
Shakir
Muhammad is even told to follow the
previous guidance and to confirm his message with the previous scripture:
Now then,
for that (reason), call (them to the Faith), and stand steadfast as thou art
commanded, nor follow thou their vain desires; but say: "I believe in
whatever Book Allah has sent down; and I am commanded to judge justly
between you. Allah is our Lord and your Lord: for us (is the responsibility for)
our deeds, and for you for your deeds. There is no contention between us and
you. Allah will bring us together, and to Him is (our) final goal. S. 42:15
Those are
they unto whom We gave the Scripture and command and prophethood. But if these
disbelieve therein, then indeed We shall entrust it to a people who will not be
disbelievers therein. Those are they whom Allah guideth, so follow their
guidance. Say (O Muhammad, unto mankind): I ask of you no fee for it. Lo! it
is naught but a Reminder to (His) creatures. S. 6:89-90 Pickthall
And if thou
(Muhammad) art in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto thee, then
question those who read the Scripture (that was) before thee. Verily the
Truth from thy Lord hath come unto thee. So be not thou of the waverers. And be
not thou of those who deny the revelations of Allah, for then wert thou of the
losers. S. 10:94-95 Pickthall
This means that his message must be
consistent with the prophets that went before him. The Bible says that Jesus is
the seal of revelation, and that all prophets after him must come in his
authority and preach the eternal Gospel of Christ:
“Do not work
for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set
His seal.” John 6:27 NASB
"Therefore,
behold, I AM SENDING you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them
you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues,
and persecute from city to city,” Matthew 23:34
“Now the God
of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep
through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord,” Hebrews
13:20
“And I saw
another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to
those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and
people;” Revelation 14:6
“Then I fell
at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘Do not do that; I am a fellow
servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God.
For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10
Since Muhammad contradicted the message
of Christ, denying his divine sonship, his message is therefore not from the
true God:
“Who is
the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man
is the antichrist--he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the
Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” 1 John
2:22-23 NIV
In fact, he ends up calling God a liar:
“We accept man's testimony, but God's
testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given
about his Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his
heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because
he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is
the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He
who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have
life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so
that you may know that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:9-13 NIV
Since God is
not a liar, then Muhammad is not a prophet.
PROPOSITION 2
The Holy Bible says that magic and
sorcery has no affect against true believers of the true God:
“There is no sorcery against Jacob,
no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, ‘See
what God has done!’” Numbers 23:23 NIV
“The
seventy-two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us
in your name.’ He replied, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome
all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice
that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in
heaven.’” Luke 10:17-20 NIV
Muhammad fails this test since a Jew was
able to bewitch him! In fact, Muslims claim that Surahs 113 and 114 were
“revealed” to free Muhammad from this curse. The hadiths record:
Narrated Aisha:
Magic was worked on Allah's Apostle so that he used to think that he had sexual
relations with his wives while he actually had not (Sufyan said: That is the
hardest kind of magic as it has such an effect).
Then one day he said, "O 'Aisha do you know that Allah has instructed me
concerning the matter I asked Him about? Two men came to me and one of them sat
near my head and the other sat near my feet. The one near my head asked the
other. What is wrong with this man?' The latter replied he is under the
effect of magic. The first one asked, Who has worked magic on him?' The other
replied Labid bin Al-A'sam, a man from Bani Zuraiq who was an ally of the Jews
and was a hypocrite.' The first one asked, What material did he use)?' The
other replied, 'A comb and the hair stuck to it.' The first one asked, 'Where
(is that)?' The other replied. 'In a skin of pollen of a male date palm tree
kept under a stone in the well of Dharwan' '' So the Prophet went to that well
and took out those things and said "That was the well which was shown to me (in
a dream) Its water looked like the infusion of Henna leaves and its date-palm
trees looked like the heads of devils." The Prophet added, "Then that thing was
taken out' I said (to the Prophet ) "Why do you not treat yourself with Nashra?"
He said, "Allah has cured me; I dislike to let evil spread among my people."
(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 71,
Number 660- see also number
661)
Narrated Aisha:
Once the Prophet was bewitched
so that he began to imagine that he had done a thing which in fact he had not
done. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 53,
Number 400)
PROPOSITION 3
Muhammad is reported to have said that
his greatest miracle was the Divine Inspiration he received, i.e. the Quran:
Narrated Abu
Huraira:
The Prophet
said, "Every Prophet was given miracles because of which people believed, but
what I have been given, is Divine Inspiration which Allah has revealed to me.
So I hope that my followers will outnumber the followers of the other Prophets
on the Day of Resurrection."
(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 6, Book
61, Number 504)
This means that Muhammad stands or falls
on the veracity and authenticity of the Quran. Yet the Quran is actually one of
the best evidences that Muhammad wasn’t a true prophet since it contains gross
factual errors showing that it did not originate from God. Some examples
include:
1. Night Journey
Glory to
(Allah) Who did take His Servant for a Journey by night from the Sacred Mosque
to the Farthest Mosque (Masjid al-Aqsa), whose precincts We did
bless,- in order that We might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the One Who
heareth and seeth (all things). S. 17:1
According to the Islamic traditions,
Muhammad went to the Mosque in Jerusalem. The following is taken from Alfred
Guillaume's The Life of Muhammad (Oxford University Press Karachi), which
is a translation of Ibn Ishaq's Sirat Rasulullah:
Ziyad b.
'Abdullah al-Bakka'i from Muhammad b. Ishaq told me the following: Then the
apostle was carried by night from the mosque at Mecca to the Masjid al-Aqsa
WHICH IS THE TEMPLE OF AELIA, when Islam had spread in Mecca among the
Quraysh and all the tribes.
… His
companion (Gabriel) went with him to see the wonders between heaven and earth,
UNTIL HE CAME TO JERUSALEM'S TEMPLE…
In his story
al-Hasan said: "The apostle and Gabriel went their way until they arrived AT
THE TEMPLE AT JERUSALEM"… (Guillaume, pp. 181, 182; bold and capital
emphasis ours)
And from Sahih Muslim, Book 001, Number
0309:
It is
narrated on the authority of Anas b. Malik that the Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) said: I was brought al-Buraq Who is an animal white and long,
larger than a donkey but smaller than a mule, who would place his hoof a
distance equal to the range of version. I mounted it and came to the Temple
(Bait Maqdis in Jerusalem), then tethered it to the ring used by the
prophets. I entered the mosque and prayed two rak'ahs in it, and then came
out and Gabriel brought me a vessel of wine and a vessel of milk. I chose
the milk, and Gabriel said: You have chosen the natural thing. Then he took me
to heaven…
The problem with all of this is that the
first Jerusalem Temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian armies in
587 BC. Furthermore, General Titus and his Roman soldiers leveled the Second
Temple in AD. 70, more than five centuries before this alleged night journey to
Jerusalem took place. In fact, the Temple that eventually became Masjid
al-Aqsa did not come into existence until AD. 691 when Amir Abd-ul-Malik
built it.
2. Number of earths
"It is Allah
Who has created seven heavens, and earths as many…" S. 65:12, F. Malik's
translation
Narrated
Muhammad bin Ibrahim bin Al-Harith:
from Abu
Salama bin 'Abdur-Rahman who had a dispute with some people on a piece of land,
and so he went to 'Aisha and told her about it. She said, "O Abu Salama, avoid
the land, for Allah's Apostle said, ‘Any person who takes even a span of land
unjustly, his neck shall be encircled with it down seven earths.’" (Sahih
Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 54, Number 417; see also Numbers 418, 420; Volume 3,
Book 43, Numbers 632-634)
Narrated Abu Hurayrah:
While Allah's Prophet (peace be
upon him) and his companions were sitting clouds came over them and Allah's
Prophet (peace be upon him) asked, "Do you know what these are?" On
their replying that Allah and His Messenger knew best, he said, "These are the
clouds (anan), these are the water-carriers of the Earth, which Allah drives to
people who do not thank Him or call upon him." He then asked, "Do you know what
is above you?" On their replying that Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon
him) knew best, he said, "It is the firmament, a ceiling which is guarded and
waves which are kept back." He then asked, "Do you know what is between you and
it?" On their replying that Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) knew
best, he said, "Between you and it are five hundred years." He then asked, "Do
you knew what is above that?" On their replying that Allah and His Messenger
(peace be upon him) best he said, "Two heavens with a distance of five hundred
years between them." He went on speaking like that till he counted seven
heavens, the distance between each pair being like between Heaven and Earth. He
then asked, "Do you know what is above that?" On their replying that Allah and
His Messenger (peace be upon him) knew best, he said, "Above that is the Throne,
and the distance between it and the (seventh) heaven is the same as that between
each pair of heavens." He then asked, "Do you know what is below you?" On
their replying that Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) knew best, he
said, "It is the earth." He then asked, "Do you know what is under that?" On
their replying that Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) knew best, he
said, "Under it there is another Earth with a journey of five hundred years
between them," and so on till he had counted seven earths with a journey
of five hundred years between each pair. He then said, "By Him in Whose hand
Muhammad's soul is, if you were to drop a rope to the lowest earth it would
not pass out of Allah's knowledge." He then recited, "He is the First and
the Last, the Outward and the Inward, and He is omniscient." (Tirmidhi commented
that Allah's Messenger's recitation of the verse indicates that it would go down
within Allah's knowledge, power and authority, for Allah's knowledge, power and
authority are everywhere, while He is on the Throne, as He described Himself in
His Book.)
Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it.
(Al-Tirmidhi, Number 1513- taken from the ALIM CD-ROM Version)
Al-Tabari
According to Muhammad b. Sahl b.
'Askar-Isma'il b. 'Abd al-Karim-Wahb, mentioning some of his majesty (as being
described as follows): The heavens and the earth and the oceans are in the
haykal, and the haykal is in the Footstool. God's feet are upon the
Footstool. He carries the Footstool. It became like a sandal on His feet. When
Wahb was asked: What is the haykal? He replied: Something on the heavens'
extremities that surrounds the earth and the oceans like ropes that are used to
fasten a tent. And when Wahb was asked how earths are (constituted), he replied:
They are seven earths that are FLAT and islands. Between each two earths,
there is an ocean. All that is surrounded by the (surrounding) ocean, and the
haykal is behind the ocean. (History of Al-Tabari-General Introduction
and From the Creation to the Flood, Volume 1, trans. Franz Rosenthal [State
University of New York Press, Albany 1989], pp. 207-208)
Ibn Kathir
<and of the earth the like
thereof.> means, He
created seven earths. In the Two Sahihs, there is a Hadith that
states…
In the beginning of my book,
Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah, I mentioned the various narrations for this
Hadith when I narrated the story of the creation of the earth. All the
thanks and praise is due to Allah.
Those who explained this Hadith
to mean the seven continents have brought an implausible explanation that
contradicts the letter of the Qur’an and the Hadith without having proof.
(Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) Volume 10 (Surat At-Tagabun to the end of the
Qur’an), abridged by a group of scholars under the supervision of Shaykh
Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri [Darussalam Publishers & Distributors, Riyadh,
Houston, New York, London, Lahore; first edition, September 2000], pp. 55-56;
bold emphasis ours)
3. The orbit of the sun
“And the sun runneth on unto a
resting-place for him. That is the measuring of the Mighty, the Wise.” S. 36:38
Pickthall
Narrated Abu
Dharr:
The Prophet
asked me at sunset, "Do you know where the sun goes (at the time of sunset)?" I
replied, "Allah and His Apostle know better." He said, "It goes (i.e. travels)
till it prostrates Itself underneath the Throne and takes the permission to rise
again, and it is permitted and then (a time will come when) it will be about to
prostrate itself but its prostration will not be accepted, and it will ask
permission to go on its course but it will not be permitted, but it will be
ordered to return whence it has come and so it will rise in the west. And
that is the interpretation of the Statement of Allah: ‘And the sun Runs its
fixed course for a term (decreed). That is The Decree of (Allah) The Exalted in
Might, The All-Knowing.’" (36.38) (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4,
Book 54, Number 421)
4. The function of shooting stars
Quran claims that one of the purposes of
the stars is to be hurled at satans or jinns:
And We have
(from of old), adorned the lowest heaven with lamps, and We have made such
(lamps as) missiles to drive away Satans ... S. 67:5
We have
indeed decked the lower heaven with beauty (in) the stars, (for beauty) and
for guard against all obstinate rebellious Satans. (So) they should not
strain their ears in the direction of the Exalted Assembly but be cast away from
every side. S. 37:6-8 (see also 15:16-18, 55:33-35)
Abu Qatada states,
"The
creation of these stars is for three purposes, i.e. as decoration of the
(nearest) heaven, as missiles to hit the devils, and as signs to
guide travelers. So, if anybody tries to find a different interpretation, he is
mistaken and just wastes his efforts, and troubles himself with what is beyond
his limited knowledge." (Dr. Muhammad Taq-I-ud-Din Al-Hillai, Ph.D. [Berlin] Dr.
Muhammad Muhsin Khan, Interpretation of the Meaning of the Noble Quran,
pp. 214, 394-395)
It is quite possible that Muhammad
believed that Satan was a material being since he also believed that Satan
urinated on/in people:
Narrated 'Abdullah:
A person was mentioned before the
Prophet (p.b.u.h) and he was told that he had kept on sleeping till morning and
had not got up for the prayer. The Prophet said, "Satan urinated in his ears.”(Sahih
Al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 21, Number 245- see also Volume 4, Book 54, Number
492)
'Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) reported that
a mention was made of a man who slept the whole night till morning. He (the Holy
Prophet) remarked: That is a man in whose ears (or in whose ear) the devil
urinated. (Sahih Muslim, Book 004,
Number 1700)
5. Which Came First: Heaven or
Earth?
The Quran claims that the earth and
its provisions were created before the heavens:
It
is He Who hath created for you all things that are on earth; THEN (thumma)
He turned to the heavens, and made them into seven firmaments; and of all
things He hath perfect knowledge. S. 2:29
Say: Is it that ye deny Him Who
created the earth in two Days? And do ye join equals with Him? He is the Lord of
(all) the Worlds. He set on the (earth), mountains standing firm, high above it,
and bestowed blessings on the earth, and measure therein its sustenance, in four
Days, alike for (all) who ask. THEN (thumma) He turned to the sky, and
it had been (as) smoke: He said to it and to the earth: "Come ye together,
willingly or unwillingly." They said: "We do come (together), in willing
obedience." So He completed them as seven firmaments in two Days, and He
assigned to each heaven its duty and command. And We adorned the lower heaven
with lights, and (provided it) with guard. Such is the Decree of (Him) the
Exalted in Might, Full of Knowledge. S. 41:9-12
Traditions attributed to Muhammad
and his first followers claim that the Arabic word thumma meant a
sequential act, that the heavens came after the earth:
"Abu Huraira reported that Allah's Messenger (mpbuh) took hold of my hands and
said: Allah the Exalted and Glorious, created the clay on Saturday and He
created the mountains on Sunday and He created the trees on Monday and He
created the things entailing labour on Tuesday and created light on Wednesday
and He caused animals to spread on Thursday and created Adam (pbuh) after
'Asr on Friday; the last creation at the last hour of the hours of Friday,
ie. Between afternoon and night." (Sahih Muslim, Book 039, Number 6707)
This Hadith places the creation
of light on Wednesday, after the creation of the earth and its provisions. Light
presumably refers to the sun. If so, this would be in clear contradiction with
modern scientific theories on the origin of the universe which places the
creation of the sun before vegetation.
The following traditions are
taken from The History of al-Tabari, Volume 1 - General Introduction and from
the Creation to the Flood (trans. Franz Rosenthal, State University of New
York Press, Albany 1989), pp. 187-193. All bold and capital emphasis ours:
"We
have stated before that time is but hours of night and day and that the hours
are but traversal by the sun and the moon of the degrees of the sphere. Now
then, this being so, there is (also) a sound tradition from the Messenger of God
told us by Hannad b. al-Sari, who also said that he read all of the hadith (to
Abu Bakr)- Abu Bakr b. 'Ayyash- Abu Sa'd al-Baqqal- 'Ikrimah- IBN ABBAS:
The Jews came to the Prophet and asked him about the creation of the heavens and
the earth. He said: God created the earth on Sunday and Monday. He
created the mountains and the uses they possess on Tuesday. On Wednesday, He
created trees, water, cities and the cultivated barren land. These are four
(days). He continued (citing the Qur'an): ‘Say: Do you really not believe in the
One Who created the earth in two days, and set up others like Him? That is the
Lord of the worlds. He made it firmly anchored (mountains) above it and blessed
it and decreed that it contain the amount of food it provides, (all) in four
days, equally for those asking’- for those who ask. On Thursday, He created
heaven. On Friday, He created the stars, the sun, the moon, and the angels,
until three hours remained. In the first of these three hours He created the
terms (of human life), who would live and who would die. In the second, He cast
harm upon everything that is useful for mankind. And in the third, (He created)
Adam and had him dwell in Paradise. He commanded Iblis to prostrate himself
before Adam, and He drove Adam out of Paradise at the end of the hour. When the
Jews asked: What then, Muhammad? He said: ‘Then He sat straight upon the
Throne.’ The Jews said: You are right, if you had finished, they said, with:
Then He rested. Whereupon the Prophet got very angry, and it was revealed: ‘We
have created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in six days, and
fatigue did not touch Us. Thus be patient with what you say.’"
And:
"According to al-Muthanna- al-Hajjaj- Hammad- 'Ata' b. al-Sa'ib- 'Ikrimah: The
Jews asked the Prophet: What about Sunday? The Messenger of God replied: On
it, God created the earth and spread it out. They asked about Monday, and he
replied: On it, He created Adam. They asked about Tuesday, and he replied: On
it, He created the mountains, water, and so on. They asked about Wednesday, and
he replied: Food. They asked about Thursday, and he replied: He created the
heavens. They asked about Friday, and he replied: God created night and day.
Then, when they asked about Saturday and mentioned God's rest(ing on it), he
exclaimed: God be praised! God then revealed: ‘We have created the heavens and
the earth and what is between them in six days, and fatigue did not touch Us.’"
Yet, the following Surah
contradicts the above statements and states that the earth’s provisions, such as
water, were created ONLY after the heavens:
“Are ye the harder to create, or is the heaven that He built? He raised the
height thereof and ordered it; And He made dark the night thereof, and He
brought forth the morn thereof. AND AFTER THAT (bad'a) He spread the
earth, And produced therefrom the water thereof and the pasture thereof,
And He made fast the hills, A provision for you and for your cattle.” S.
79:27-33
Al-Tabari writes in regards to
the word ba’da:
Someone might say: You realize that a number of interpreters have considered
God's word: "And it was the earth that He spread out thereafter," to mean:
"He spread out simultaneously" (attributing to the preposition ba'da
"after" the meaning of ma'a "together [simultaneous] with"). Now,
what is your evidence for the soundness of your statement that we have here the
meaning of "after", the opposite of "before"? The reply would be: The meaning
of "after" generally known in Arabic speech, as we have said, is that of the
opposite of "before," and not "simultaneous with." Now, word meanings considered
applicable are those that are preponderant and generally known among speakers
(of a language), and no others are. (Ibid., p. 216)
Even the late Muslim translator
Abdullah Yusuf Ali, while translating ba'da as "moreover" in S. 79:30,
candidly admits:
Moreover: or, more literally, AFTER THAT.
See n. 4475 to xli. 11. (Ali, footnote 5937)
PROPOSITION 4
The Bible warns:
“‘But a prophet who presumes to speak
in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in
the name of other gods, must be put to death.’ You may say to yourselves, ‘How
can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?’ If what a prophet
proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a
message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not
be afraid of him.” Deuteronomy 18:20-22
Muhammad made false predictions:
“The Roman
Empire has been defeated - in a land close by: But they, (even) after (this)
defeat of theirs, will soon be victorious - within a few years.” S.
30:2-4
The Arabic word for “few years” is
Bida’. This word is found in S. 12:46. Here are the comments of Muslim
exegete Ibn Kathir’s regarding the meaning of Bida' in S. 12:46:
<But
Shaytan made him forget to mention it to his master.>
that it
refers to the man who was saved. As was said by Mujahid, Muhammad bin Ishaq and
several others. As for ‘a few years’, or, Bida' in Arabic, IT MEANS
THREE TO NINE, according to Mujahid and Qatadah. Wahb bin Munabbih said,
"Ayub suffered from the illness for seven years, Yusuf remained in prison for
seven years and Bukhtanassar (Nebuchadnezzar - Chaldean king of Babylon) was
tormented for seven years." (Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) Volume 5, Surah Hud
to Surat Al-Isra', Verse 38, abridged by a group of scholars under the
supervision of Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri [Darussalam Publishers &
Distributors, Riyadh, Houston, New York, Lahore; First Edition: July 2000], pp.
170-171; bold and capital emphasis ours)
Several problems immediately arise from
a plain reading of the text. This alleged prophecy is a great example of how
incoherent, incomplete and unintelligible the Quran truly is. The prophecy
states that the Romans have been defeated in a land close by. Yet, we are
not told who defeated them, when were they defeated, and where
were they defeated. Is the phrase a "land close by" directed towards the Muslims
or the Romans? If one claims that it refers to the Muslims then this still
leaves us with the problem of identifying the precise location of the land. A
land close to the Muslims can be a reference to Medina (provided that this was
"revealed" during the time the Muslims were still in Mecca), Mecca, Syria,
Turkey, Lebanon, Jerusalem, Persia etc. If it is referring to the Romans
themselves, then the land close by can refer to a land near either Turkey
(Constantinople) or Rome. How does anyone know for certain?
Second, who defeated the Romans and how
does one know for certain? Third, when was this "prophecy" given? Is it
Pre-Hijrah or post-Hijrah? Since the prophecy states that the Romans would be
victorious within a few years, knowing the precise date of this alleged prophecy
is an essential and integral part of verifying whether it came to pass or not.
According to Muslim scholarship this
passage was supposedly “sent down” approximately around 615 AD and refers to the
defeat of the Romans at the hands of the Persians. When we consult the
encyclopedias and other sources we discover that the Roman victory didn’t occur
until 13 years later, not the 3-9 years stipulated by the Quran. Under
Heraclius, Encyclopedia Britannica writes:
In 614
the Persians conquered Syria and Palestine, taking Jerusalem
and what was believed to be Christ's Cross, and in 619 occupied Egypt and Libya
...
In 622, clad
as a penitent and bearing a sacred image of the Virgin, he left Constantinople,
as prayers rose from its many sanctuaries for victory over the Persian
Zoroastrians, the recovery of the Cross, and the reconquest of Jerusalem…
The next two
years he devoted to campaigns in Armenia, the manpower of which was vital to the
empire, and to a devastating invasion of Persia. In 625 Heraclius retired to
Anatolia. He had encamped on the west bank of the Sarus River when the Persian
forces appeared on the opposite bank. Many of his men rushed impetuously across
the bridge and were ambushed and annihilated by the enemy.
Emerging
from his tent, Heraclius saw the triumphant Persians crossing the bridge. The
fate of the Empire hung in the balance. Seizing his sword, he ran to the bridge
and struck down the Persian leader. His soldiers closed rank behind him and beat
back the foe.
In 626
the Persians advanced to the Bosporus, hoping to join the Avars in an assault on
the land walls of Constantinople. But the Romans sank the primitive Avar fleet
that was to transport Persian units across Bosporus and repelled the unsupported
Avar assault. Heraclius again invaded Persia and in December 627, after a
march across the Armenian highlands into the Tigris plain, met the Persians
near the ruins of Nineveh. There, astride his renowned war-horse, he
killed three Persian generals in single combat, charged into enemy ranks at the
head of his troops, killed the Persian commander, and scattered the Persian host.
A month
later, Heraclius entered Dastagird with its stupendous treasure. Khosrow was
overthrown by his son, with whom Heraclius made peace, DEMANDING ONLY THE
RETURN OF THE CROSS, the captives, AND CONQUERED ROMAN TERRITORY. Returning
to Constantinople in triumph, he was hailed as a Moses, an Alexander, a Scipio.
IN 630 HE PERSONALLY RESTORED THE CROSS TO THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE
IN JERUSALEM. (bold and capital emphasis mine)
A. Yusuf Ali in an appendix to his
English translation, states:
16. In these
desperate circumstances Heraclius conceived a brilliant plan. He knew that the
Persians were weak in sea power. He used his sea power to attack them in the
rear. In 622 (the year of the Hijra) he transported his army by sea through the
AEgean Sea to the bay just south of the Taurus Mountains. He fought a
decisive battle with the Persians at Issus, in the same plain in which Alexander
the Great had defeated the Persians of his day in his famous march to Syria and
Egypt. The Persians were taken by surprise and routed. BUT THEY HAD STILL A
LARGE FORCE IN ASIA MINOR, which they could have brought into play against
the Romans if Heraclius had not made ANOTHER and equally unexpected dash by sea
from the north. He returned to Constantinople by sea, made a treaty with the
Avars, and with this help kept the Persians at bay round the capital. Then he
led THREE CAMPAIGNS, IN 623, 624 AND 625, along the southern shore of the
Black Sea and took the Persians again in the rear in the region round
Trebizond and Kars. Through Armenia he penetrated into Persia and got into
Mesopotamia. He was now in a position to strike AT THE VERY HEART OF THE
PERSIAN EMPIRE. A DECISIVE BATTLE WAS FOUGHT ON THE TIGRIS NEAR THE CITY OF
MOSUL IN DECEMBER 627. Before this battle, however, he had taken care to get
the alliance of the Turks and with their help to relieve Constantinople IN
626 against the Persians and the treacherous Avars who had then joined the
Persians.
17.
Heraclius CELEBRATED HIS TRIUMPH IN CONSTANTINOPLE IN MARCH 628. PEACE WAS THEN
MADE BETWEEN THE TWO EMPIRES ON THE BASIS OF THE STATUS QUO ANTE.
Heraclius, in pursuance of a vow he had made, went south in the autumn to Emessa
(Hims) and from there marched on foot to Jerusalem TO CELEBRATE HIS
VICTORIES, AND RESTORE TO ITS PLACE THE HOLY CROSS WHICH HAD BEEN CARRIED AWAY
BY THE PERSIANS AND WAS RETURNED TO THE EMPEROR AS A CONDITION OF PEACE.
Heraclius's [sic] route was strewn with costly carpets, AND HE THOUGHT
THAT THE FINAL DELIVERANCE HAD COME FOR HIS PEOPLE AND HIS EMPIRE… (Ali,
appendix X, pp. 1073-1074; bold and capital emphasis ours)
Ali's claim leaves us with a time period
after 628 AD for the Roman victory.
PROPOSITION 5
Muhammad condoned and or committed
atrocious sins such as:
1. Lying and murdering
According to Muhammad, Allah is the best
conniver and is also a deceiver:
The
Hypocrites - they seek to deceive Allah but it is Allah Who DECEIVES them.
When they stand up to prayer, they stand without earnestness, to be seen of men,
but little do they hold Allah in remembrance; S. 4:142
And (the
unbelievers) schemed and planned, and Allah schemed also, and the best
of schemers is Allah. S. 3:54
Remember how
the unbelievers schemed against thee, to keep thee in bonds, or to slay thee, or
get thee out (of thy home). They scheme and plot, but the best of schemers is
Allah. S. 8:30
The term for scheme in Arabic is
makara and denotes one who is a deceiver, a conniver, a schemer. It is
always used in a negative sense. Allah is thus seen as the best of deceivers,
the premiere schemer and conniving one.
Muslim theologians themselves admit to
the negative connotation of the Arabic term. For example Dr. Mahmoud M. Ayoub in
his book, The Quran and Its Interpreters, Volume II, The House of
Imran, brings up the question of,
"how the
word makr (scheming or plotting), which implies deceitfulness or
dishonesty, could be attributed to God." (Ibid. [1992 State University
of New York Press, Albany], p. 165)
After listing several Muslim sources he
quotes ar-Razi as arguing that "scheming (makr) is actually an act of
deception aiming at causing evil. It is not possible to attribute
deception to God. Thus the word is one of the muttashabihat [multivalent
words of the Quran]." (Ibid., p. 166; all bold italic emphasis ours)
Allah even deceived Muslims:
“When Allah
showed them unto thee (O Muhammad) in thy dream as few in number, and if He
had shown them to thee as many, ye (Muslims) would have faltered and would have
quarrelled over the affair. But Allah saved (you). Lo! He knoweth what is in
the breasts (of men). And when He made you (Muslims), when ye met (them), see
them with your eyes as few, and lessened you in their eyes, (it was)
that Allah might conclude a thing that must be done. Unto Allah all things are
brought back.” S. 8:43-44
Allah had to show the opposing fighting
forces as few to Muhammad and his companions since if they saw them as they
actually were, the Muslims would have been afraid to fight. Allah had to use
deception in order to encourage the Muslims to fight in his cause.
This is perhaps why Muhammad permitted
Muslims to use deception in order to kill Muhammad’s enemies:
KAB B. AL-ASHRAF
"Narrated
Jabir Abdullah: "Allah's messenger said "Who is willing to kill Ka'b bin
Al-Ashraf who has hurt Allah and His apostle?" Thereupon Maslama got up saying,
"O Allah's messenger! Would you like that I kill him?" The prophet said, "Yes".
Maslama said, "Then allow me to say a (false) thing (i.e. to deceive Ka'b).
The prophet said, "You may say it."
Maslama went to Ka'b and said, "That man (i.e. Muhammad) demands Sadaqa
(i.e. Zakat) [taxes] from us, and he has troubled us, and I have come to borrow
something from you." On that, Ka'b said, "By Allah, you will get tired of him!"
Maslama said, "Now as we have followed him, we do not want to leave him unless
and until we see how his end is going to be. Now we want you to lend us a camel
load or two of food." Ka'b said, "Yes, but you should mortgage something to me."
Maslama and his companion said, What do you want?" Ka'b replied, "Mortgage your
women to me." They said, "How can we mortgage our women to you and you are the
most handsome of the Arabs?" Ka'b said, "Then mortgage your sons to me." They
said, "How can we mortgage our sons to you? Later they would be abused by the
people's saying that so and so has been mortgaged for a camel load of food. That
would cause us great disgrace, but we will mortgage our arms to you."
Maslama and his companion promised Ka'b that Maslama would return to him. He
came to Ka'b at night along with Ka'b's foster brother, Abu Naila. Ka'b invited
them to come into his fort and then he went down to them. His wife asked him,
"Where are you going at this time?" Ka'b replied, None but Maslama and my
(foster) brother Abu Naila have come." His wife said, "I hear a voice as if
blood is dropping from him." Ka'b said, "They are none by my brother Maslama and
my foster brother Abu Naila. A generous man should respond to a call at night
even if invited to be killed.
Maslama went with two men. So Maslama went in together with two men, and said to
them, "When Ka'b comes, I will touch his hair and smell it, and when you see
that I have got hold of his head, strike him. I will let you smell his head."
Ka'b bin Al-Ashraf came down to them wrapped in his clothes, and diffusing
perfume. Maslama said, "I have never smelt a better scent than this." Ka'b
replied, "I have got the best Arab women who know how to use the high class of
perfume." Maslama requested Ka'b "Will you allow me to smell your head?" Ka'b
said "yes." Maslama smelt it and made his companions smell it as well. Then he
requested Ka'b again, "Will you let me (smell your head)?" Ka'b said "Yes".
When Maslama got a strong hold of him, he said (to his companions) "Get at him!"
So they killed him and went to the prophet and informed him.” (Sahih
Al-Bukhari, Volume 5, Number 369)
ABU AFAK
"Then
occurred the "sariyyah" [raid] of Salim Ibn Umayr al-Amri against Abu Afak,
the Jew, in [the month of] Shawwal in the beginning of the twentieth month
from the hijrah [immigration from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD], of the Apostle of
Allah. Abu Afak, was from Banu Amr Ibn Awf, and was an old man who had
attained the age of one hundred and twenty years. He was a Jew, and used to
instigate the people against the Apostle of Allah, and composed (satirical)
verses [about Muhammad].
Salim Ibn
Umayr who was one of the great weepers and who had participated in Badr, said,
"I take a vow that I shall either kill Abu Afak or die before him. He waited for
an opportunity until a hot night came, and Abu Afak slept in an open place.
Salim Ibn Umayr knew it, so he placed the sword on his liver and pressed it
till it reached his bed. The enemy of Allah screamed and the people who were his
followers, rushed to him, took him to his house and interred him. (Ibn S’ad,
Kitab Al Tabaqat Al Kabir [Book Of The Major Classes], English
translation by S. Moinul Haq, M.A., PH.D assisted by H.K. Ghazanfar M.A. [Kitab
Bhavan Exporters & Importers, 1784 Kalan Mahal, Daryaganj, New Delhi- 110 002
India], Volume 2, p. 32)
ASMA B. MARWAN
SARIYYAH OF
UMAYR IBN ADI"
Then
(occurred) the sariyyah of Umayr ibn adi Ibn Kharashah al-Khatmi against Asma
Bint Marwan, of Banu Umayyah Ibn Zayd, when five nights had remained from the
month of Ramadan, in the beginning of the nineteenth month from the hijrah of
the apostle of Allah. Asma was the wife of Yazid Ibn Zayd Ibn Hisn al-Khatmi.
She used to revile Islam, offend the prophet and instigate the (people) against
him. She composed verses. Umayr Ibn Adi came to her in the night and entered her
house. Her children were sleeping around her. There was one whom she was
suckling. He searched her with his hand because he was blind, and separated
the child from her. He thrust his sword in her chest till it pierced up to
her back. Then he offered the morning prayers with the prophet at al-Medina.
The apostle of Allah said to him: "Have you slain the daughter of Marwan?" He
said: "Yes. Is there something more for me to do?" He [Muhammad] said: "No. Two
goats will butt together about her.” This was the word that was first heard from
the apostle of Allah. The apostle of Allah called him Umayr, "basir" (the
seeing). (Ibn Sa’d’s Kitab Al-Tabaqat Al-Kabir, Volume 2, p. 31)
The following traditions record Muhammad
as permitting lying in other situations as well:
Narrated Um Kulthum
bint Uqba:
That she heard
Allah's Apostle saying, "He who makes peace between the people by inventing good
information or saying good things, is not a liar." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3,
Book 49, Number 857)
Humaid b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Auf reported that his mother Umm Kulthum daughter
of 'Uqba b. Abu Mu'ait, and she was one amongst the first emigrants who pledged
allegiance to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), as saying that she heard
Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: A liar is not one who tries
to bring reconciliation amongst people and speaks good (in order to avert
dispute), or he conveys good. Ibn Shihab said he did not hear that exemption was
granted in anything what the people speak as lie but in three cases: in
battle, for bringing reconciliation amongst persons and the narration of the
words of the husband to his wife, and the narration of the words of a wife to
her husband (in a twisted form in order to bring reconciliation between them).
(Sahih Muslim, Book 032, Number 6303)
Narrated Umm Kulthum
bint Uqbah al-Umawiyyah:
The Prophet
(peace_be_upon_him) said: He who forged in order to put things right between two
persons did not lie. The version by Ahmad ibn Muhammad and Musaddad has: The
liar is not the one who puts things right between people, saying what is good
and increasing good.
(Sunan
Abu Dawud, Book 41, Number 4902)
The Lord Jesus warns against such
people:
“You belong to your father, the
devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from
the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he
lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
John 8:44
And:
“But the cowardly, the unbelieving,
the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts,
the idolaters AND ALL LIARS-their place will be in the fiery lake of
burning sulfur. This is the second death.” Revelation 21:8
2. Legal Prostitution called Muta’
One shameful aspect of Islam is the
practice of temporary marriages called mut'a. This practice granted
Muhammad's followers the privilege of gratifying their carnal desires with women
for a temporary time period at a very cheap price:
Abdullah (b.
Mas'ud) reported: We were on an expedition with Allah's Messenger (may peace be
upon him) and we had no women with us. We said: Should we not have ourselves
castrated? He (the Holy Prophet) forbade us to do so He then granted us
permission that we should contract temporary marriage for a stipulated period
giving her a garment, and 'Abdullah then recited this verse: 'Those who
believe do not make unlawful the good things which Allah has made lawful for
you, and do not transgress. Allah does not like trangressers" (al-Qur'an, v.
87). (Sahih Muslim Book 008, Number 3243)
Rabi' b.
Sabra reported that his father went on an expedition with Allah's Messenger (may
peace be upon him) during the Victory of Mecca, and we stayed there for fifteen
days (i. e. for thirteen full days and a day and a night), and Allah's Messenger
(may peace be upon him) permitted us to contract temporary marriage with women.
So I and another person of my tribe went out, and I was more handsome than
he, whereas he was almost ugly. Each one of us had a cloak, My cloak was
worn out, whereas the cloak of my cousin was quite new. As we reached the lower
or the upper side of Mecca, we came across a young woman like a young smart
long-necked she-camel. We said: Is it possible that one of us may contract
temporary marriage with you? She said: What will you give me as a dower?
Each one of us spread his cloak. She began to cast a glance on both the persons.
My companion also looked at her when she was casting a glance at her side and he
said: This cloak of his is worn out, whereas my cloak is quite new. She,
however, said twice or thrice: There is no harm in (accepting) this cloak (the
old one). So I contracted temporary marriage with her, and I did not come out
(of this) until Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) declared it forbidden.
(Sahih Muslim, Book 008, Number 3253)
God’s pure word says:
“Do not degrade your daughter by
making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled
with wickedness.” Leviticus 19:29
“You must not bring the earnings of a
female prostitute or of a male prostitute into the house of the LORD your God to
pay any vow, because the LORD your God detests them both.” Deuteronomy 23:18
3. Abuse of Slave Girls
God told Israel that if they found an
attractive girl amongst the captives they could marry her, but they could not
sell or abuse her:
“When you go to war against your
enemies and the LORD your God delivers them into your hands and you take
captives, if you notice among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted
to her, you may take her AS YOUR WIFE. Bring her into your home and have
her shave her head, trim her nails and put aside the clothes she was wearing
when captured. After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and
mother for a full month, then you may go to her and be her husband and she
shall be your wife. If you are not pleased with her, let her go wherever
she wishes. You must not sell her or treat her as a slave, since you have
dishonored her.” Deuteronomy 21:10-14
An Israelite
could not touch a captive he found attractive for 30 days, which allowed for the
captive to mourn the loss of her family and country. The intention of this law
was to protect her against any rude passion on the part of the man (i.e., rape).
It also gave her time to blend in with the Israelites and to develop affection
for the man. Hence, the law served as a mercy from God to protect her against
rape. It clearly highlights God’s great compassionate for non-Israelite women
taken in war. Gentile women were not necessarily given covenant protection as
Israelite women were given. And yet God gives these captive Gentile women
protection and insures that they were not regarded as mere slaves, or as
contraband from the battle. God in his love gave them the full status of wives,
just like Israelite women!
M.G. Kline, considered one of the
leading Old Testament theologians of the last century, wrote regarding on
Deuteronomy 21:10-14:
This first
of three stipulations concerned with the authority of the head of the household
(cf. vv. 15-21) deals with the limits of the husband's authority over his wife.
The case of a captive woman (vv. 10,11; cf. 20:14; contrast 7:3) is used as a
case in point for establishing the rights of the wife, perhaps because the
principle would obviously apply, a fortiori in the case of an Israelite wife. On
the purificatory acts of verses 12b, 13a, which signified removal from
captive-slave status, compare Lev. 14:8; Num. 8:7.
On the
month's mourning, see Num 20:29 and Deut 34:8. This period would provide for the
achieving of inward composure for beginning a new life, as well as for an
appropriate expression of filial piety. 14. Thou shalt not sell her. A wife
might not be reduced to slave status, not even the wife who had been raised from
slave status… then thou shalt let her go whither she will. The severance of the
marriage relationship is mention here only incidentally to the statement of the
main principle that a man's authority did not extend to the right of reducing
his wife to a slave. This dissolution of the marriage would have to be
accomplished according to the laws of divorce in the theocracy (cf. Deut.
24:1-4). Not the divorce was mandatory, but the granting of freedom in case the
man should determine to divorce his wife according to the permission granted by
Moses because of the hardness of their hearts (cf. Matt 19:8). (Wycliff Bible
Commentary [Oliphants Ltd.: London, 1963), p. 184)
The late chief rabbi of the British
Empire, Chief Rabbi J. H. Hertz said:
“A female
war-captive was not to be made a concubine till after an interval of a month.
The bitter moments of the captive's first grief had to be respected. She must
not subsequently be sold or treated as a slave. 12. bring her home. This law
inculcates thoughtfulness and forbearance under circumstances in which the
warrior, elated by victory, might deem himself at liberty to act as he pleased
(Driver). ‘After the countless rapes of conquered women with which recent
history has made us so painfully familiar, it is like hearing soft music to read
of the warrior's duty to the enemy woman, of the necessary marriage with its set
ritual and its due delay. And the Legislator proceeds to trace the course of the
husband's duty in the event of the conquered alien woman failing to bring him
the expected delight. ‘Then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou
shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not deal with her as a slave,
because thou hast humbled her'" (Zangwill)… 13. she shall be thy wife. And enjoy
the full rights and duties of a Jewish wife; Exodus xxi, 10.14. no delight in
her, i.e. no longer any delight in her. The Rabbis deemed such a marriage a
concession to human weakness, as a preventive against worse manifestations of
the unbridled passions of man...humbled her. Dishonored her.” (Pentateuch &
Haftorahs, edited by Dr. J H Hertz [The Soncino Press Limited: London,
1960], p. 840)
Muhammad, on
the other hand, permitted Muslims to sleep with slave girls without having to
marry them first:
And all married women (are forbidden
unto you) save those (captives) whom your right hands possess. It is a
decree of Allah for you. Lawful unto you are all beyond those mentioned, so that
ye seek them with your wealth in honest wedlock, not debauchery. And those of
whom ye seek content (by marrying them), give unto them their portions as a
duty. And there is no sin for you in what ye do by mutual agreement after the
duty (hath been done). Lo! Allah is ever Knower, Wise. S. 4:24 Pickthall
Who abstain from sex, Except with
those joined to them in the marriage bond, or (the captives) whom their right
hands possess, - for (in their case) they are free from blame, S. 23:5-6 Y.
Ali
O Prophet! Lo! We have made lawful
unto thee thy wives unto whom thou hast paid their dowries, and those whom
thy right hand possesseth of those whom Allah hath given thee as spoils of war,
and the daughters of thine uncle on the father's side and the daughters of thine
aunts on the father's side, and the daughters of thine uncle on the mother's
side and the daughters of thine aunts on the mother's side who emigrated with
thee, and a believing woman if she give herself unto the Prophet and the Prophet
desire to ask her in marriage - a privilege for thee only, not for the (rest of)
believers - We are Aware of that which We enjoined upon them concerning their
wives and those whom their right hands possess - that thou mayst be free from
blame, for Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful. S. 33:50 Pickthall
Not so those devoted to Prayer;-
Those who remain steadfast to their prayer; And those in whose wealth is a
recognised right. For the (needy) who asks and him who is prevented (for some
reason from asking); And those who hold to the truth of the Day of Judgment; And
those who fear the displeasure of their Lord, -For their Lord's displeasure is
the opposite of Peace and Tranquillity;- And those who guard their chastity,
Except with their wives and the (captives) whom their right hands possess,
- for (then) they are not to be blamed, S. 70:22-30 Y. Ali
The ahadith
records some of the shameful things which the Muslims did to their captive and
slave women:
Abu
Sirma said to Abu Sa'id al Khadri (Allah he pleased with him): O Abu Sa'id, did
you hear Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) mentioning al-'azl? He said:
Yes, and added: We went out with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) on
the expedition to the Bi'l-Mustaliq and took captive some excellent Arab
women; and we desired them, for we were suffering from the absence of our wives,
(but at the same time) we also desired ransom for them. So we decided to
have sexual intercourse with them but by observing 'azl (Withdrawing the male
sexual organ before emission of semen to avoid conception). But we said: We
are doing an act whereas Allah's Messenger is amongst us; why not ask him? So we
asked Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), and he said: It does not matter
if you do not do it, for every soul that is to be born up to the Day of
Resurrection will be born. (Sahih Muslim
Book 008, Number 3371)
Jabir (Allah be pleased with him) reported that a man came to Allah's Messenger
(may peace be upon him) and said: I have a slave-girl who is our servant and she
carries water for us and I have intercourse with her, but I do not want her
to conceive. He said: Practice 'azl, if you so like, but what is decreed for
her will come to her. The person stayed back (for some time) and then came and
said: The girl has become pregnant, whereupon he said: I told you what was
decreed for her would come to her. (Sahih
Muslim, Book 008, Number 3383)<
