WHAT YOU
NEED TO
KNOW ABOUT
MUH_MM_D

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Muh_mm_d thought he may have
been demon possessed

His initial encounters with the angel Gabriel
left Muh_mm_d fearful and shaking.   He went
into an uncontrollable trance during which
Gabriel told him to 'recite.'   When he replied
that he could not recite, Gabriel pressed the
breath out of him until he nearly passed out.

Trembling, Muh_mm_d ran home to his wife
Khadijah and said, "Woe is me, poet or
possessed."
  Muh_mm_d thought he had
been visited by a demon!   In fact, he was so
tormented by this thought, three times he
sought to throw himself over the cliff and
commit suicide.   Each time he was stopped
by Gabriel who convinced him that he was
called by [All_h] to be a prophet.

Contrast this visitation with visits by Gabriel
we see in the Bible.

- Daniel 8:15-17: Daniel was initially afraid
  but Gabriel calmed him.

- Daniel 9:21-23: Gabriel tells Daniel he is
  greatly loved.

- Luke 1:13: Gabriel tells Zacharias to not be
  afraid.

- Luke 1:30: Gabriel tells Mary to not fear
  for she is chosen of God.

It seems that the Gabriel with whom
Muh_mm_d had an encounter is not the
Gabriel of the Bible.   A different Gabriel?   An
impostor?

?

He could not discern between
revelations from [All_h] or Satan

While facing great persecution in Mecca,
Muh_mm_d sought for a way to appease the
Meccans and ease the burden on his
followers.   One night he had a vision he
thought was from God, in which was revealed:

"Have you considered Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and
Manat, the third one; these are high-flying
cranes whose intercession is approved."
  This
was the original text which comprises Sura
53:19-22 in the Qur'_n.

(Note: Al-Lat, Al-Uzza and Manat were three
pagan gods which the Meccans worshipped.)

Seeing that Muh_mm_d acknowledged their
gods also, persecution from the Meccans
subsided for a while.   That is, until Gabriel
appeared to Muh_mm_d and said, "What have
you done Muh_mm_d?   You have recited to
these people something I did not bring from
God.   Satan gave you those words!"
  Hence,
these verses have come to be known as "The
Satanic Verses"
because they were inspired by
Satan himself.

Problem: If Muh_mm_d could not discern
between revelation he thought to be from God
and that from Satan, how are we assured of
any of his revelations?

Furthermore, according to Deuteronomy
18:20 Muh_mm_d is a false prophet because
he both spoke words God did not give him
and spoke in the name of other gods.

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His revelations came at rather
convenient times

He had a penchant for receiving "just in time"
revelations to absolve him of questionable
behavior or rescue him from embarrassing
situations.   Here are just a few examples.

The Qur'_n allows a man to have up to four
wives (Sura 4:3) but when Muh_mm_d had
more and was questioned, he received a
convenient revelation allowing himself alone
as many wives as he wanted (Sura 33:50).

Sura 4:3 also requires a man to spend equal
time with all his wives.   But when Muh_mm_d
developed a favorite wife and was criticized
by his other wives, he received another
revelation absolving him of the equal time
rule (Sura 33:51).

When Muh_mm_d was caught sleeping with
the slave woman of one wife, he received a
convenient revelation allowing him such
conduct (Sura 66:1).   And another revelation
where All_h chastised wives Aisha and Hafsa
for criticizing his behavior (Sura 66:3-5).

When he was tricked by Satan to acknowledge
pagan gods, he received a convenient
message that all prior prophets had done the
same thing, so no worries (Sura 22:52).

When caught violating the sacred months
when fighting was prohibited, he received
divine sanction to break this rule (Sura 2:217).

Convenient indeed!

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He ordered the murder of his
opponents

The following are taken from the earliest
biography of Isl_m's prophet, written by Ibn
Ishaq and published in English as "The Life of
Muh_mm_d."
  Here are but a few examples.

Muh_mm_d ordered the murder of Fartana
and her friend for singing songs of satire
against him (p. 551).

Another young girl named Sara was trampled
to death mercilessly by a mounted soldier
dispatched by Muh_mm_d after she insulted
him (p. 551).

Asma bint Marwan was slaughtered by one of
Muh_mm_d's soldiers solicited by him.   Her
crime: writing poetry that insulted him.   She
left behind five orphan children.   His
comment after hearing the deed was done:
"Two goats will not butt their heads together
at her passing."
(p. 676)

Muh_mm_d gave thanks to All_h when the
head of Abu Jahl was delivered to him.   His
crime: mocking Ibn Mas'ud, one of
Muh_mm_d's early converts to Isl_m. (p.
304)

Al-Harith b. Sawayd was considered a
hypocrite after initially embracing Isl_m and
later rejecting it.   For this, Muh_mm_d
ordered Umar to kill him if he found an
opportunity to do so (p. 384).

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He had no assurance of his
salvation

As the supposed perfect model of behavior for
all people (Sura 33:21), one would think
Muh_mm_d would qualify for paradise without
question.   Yet Muh_mm_d had no assurance of
his own salvation (Sura 46:9).   Herein is a
contradiction: If every Musl_m is to model his /
her life after Muh_mm_d to please All_h, yet
Muh_mm_d had no assurance that he would
see paradise, what assurance do all other
Musl_ms have?   Answer: None!

Why should anyone trust
Muh_mm_d?

Muh_mm_d was just a man; nothing else.   He
certainly was no prophet: he uttered no
predictive prophecy, produced no miracles,
didn't know God's personal name, thought he
was inspired by Satan on at least one occasion,
spoke in the name of other gods and
attributed to God words which were not God's
(Deut. 18:20).   Many of his revelations seemed
custom fit for him alone to grant privileges not
afforded others.

Yes, Muh_mm_d was just a man, unable to
offer eternal life to anyone, even himself.

Jesus said, "I am the [W]ay, the [T]ruth, and the
[L]ife: no man cometh unto the Father, but
by me."
  This is One worth following.

rtn