Will the real Muhammad please stand up?

Two interesting articles on Muhammad:  "Muslim Mindset, The hatred is Muhammad himself" and "Time to unmask Muhammad." 

For those who will be inclined to view these articles as anti-Muslim hate speech, I would strongly recommend reading The Life of Muhammad by Ibn Ishaq.  This is the very earliest biography of Muhammad and was written by a devout Muslim. I've read it. It is not the easiest read, but it is very enlightening! You will then be in a position to determine for yourself what Muhammad was like.

If you don't have time to wade through all 690 pages of Ibn Ishaq (not counting notes and index), I would suggest an outstanding summary of Ibn Ishaq called, Muhammad and the Unbelievers (only 167 pages).

If you don't have time to read 167 pages, you could read an even shorter (much shorter) summary of Ibn Ishaq in my "Jesus, Muhammad and Fundamentalism" (only 47 pages).

Mohammed and the Unbelievers

This short book (167 pages) provides a fascinating and readable story of Muhammad’s life. It summarizes the earliest biography of Muhammad by Ibn Ishaq and weaves into the biography parts of the Muhammad’s teachings from the Koran, traditions about Muhammad from Hadith (by both Bukari and Muslim) and history of Islam by al Tabari.

The advantage of this book over some modern biographies of Muhammad is that this book has not been filtered through the lenses of Muslim apologetics or modern Western political correctness. The story comes directly from Islam’s earliest and most sacred sources. Almost every paragraph in the book has been documented from those sources.

The picture that emerges is that Muhammad was a man who was kind, hospitable, generous, loving, patient and forgiving—toward Muslims who submitted completely and unquestioningly to his rule.

Toward “Kafirs” (unbelievers), on the other hand, he was mercilessly vicious and cruel. He would threaten, intimidate, deceive, rob, rape, enslave, torture, execute and slaughter Kafirs by the hundreds! On one occasion, he sat all day long watching literally hundreds of Jews who had surrendered to him being beheaded at his command. Then he ordered their wives and children into slavery.

Muhammad ordered the executions of people for no other reason than the fact that those people had criticized Muhammad or had changed their minds and turned away from his religion. He “captured slaves, sold slaves, bought slaves, freed slaves, tortured slaves, had sex with slaves, gave slaves as gifts of pleasure, received slaves as gifts, and sued slaves for work” (164).

He allowed the black slave of his wife Aisha to be tortured in order to determine whether Aisha was faithful to him or not—and only after the torture revealed that Aisha was faithful did Muhammad receive a revelation exonerating her of any wrongdoing.

These stories do not come from Islamo-phobic right wing “crusaders” but from Islam’s earliest and most sacred sources. These are the stories and teachings that Muhammad encouraged his followers to emulate—and which faithful Muslims in power have emulated for over a thousand years.

The book is absolutely outstanding and should be near the top of the reading list for every adult in America—especially for those in government.

Muhammad and the crucifixion of Jesus

Today is “Good Friday,” a rather strange name for the celebration of the crucifixion of Jesus. The crucifixion of Jesus is one of the most well attested historical facts in all of ancient history.

It is found not only in first century AD New Testament sources like Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Paul’s letters, Hebrews, and First Peter, but also in other ancient Christian sources not found in the Bible, like Ignatius, Polycarp, Epistle of Barnabas, Justin Martyr, Hegesippus, Mileto of Sardis, Tertullian, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Origin, and the Diatessaron. In fact, Jesus’ crucifixion is even attested by early non-Christian (even anti-Christian) sources like Josephus and Lucian, and in a round-about way by Tacitus.

The crucifixion of Jesus is an accepted fact in the scholarly world. In fact, almost the only ones who reject this fact are Muslims. According to the Qur'an, Jesus only appeared to be crucified. The Qur’an refers to Jews boasting about killing Christ:

“That they said (in boast), ‘We killed Christ Jesus The son of Mary, The Apostle of God’’—But they killed him not, Nor crucified him, But so it was made to appear to them (Sura 4:157).

The Qur’an contains the words of Muhammad as remembered by his earliest followers. The sources I cited above which affirm the crucifixion of Jesus were written from 400 to almost 600 years before the time of Muhammad.

So why does Muhammad deny something as historically solid as the crucifixion of Jesus?

Muhammad was hoodwinked by a group of people we often call "Gnostics", who believed that Jesus was divine but not truly human. As a result, they didn’t believe Jesus could really die. So about 200 to 300 years after Jesus’ death, they argued that Jesus was not really crucified and that he died only in appearance. For example, one of the Gnostic writings, says,

“I did not succumb to them as they had planned. But I was not afflicted at all. Those who were there punished me. And I did not die in reality but in appearance…They struck me with the reed; it was another, Simon, who bore the cross on his shoulder. It was another upon whom they placed the crown of thorns. But I was rejoicing in the height over all the wealth of the archons…and I was laughing at their ignorance…for I was altering my shapes…” (Second treatise of the Great Seth 55-56).

A similar document says, “The Savior said to me, ‘He whom you saw on the tree, glad and laughing, this is the living Jesus. But this one into whose hand and feet they drive the nails in his fleshly part, which is the substitute…” (Apocalypse of Peter 81)

So supposedly, while “the living Jesus” was being crucified—one of the most brutal tortures imaginable—he was laughing because the nails had been driven into the hands of a substitute?! This is the pool of ideas from which Muhammad got his idea that Jesus was never crucified.

While Muhammad accepted the Gnostic idea that Jesus was not crucified, he rejected their idea that Jesus was a divine being. That is interesting because their reason for thinking Jesus was not crucified in the first place was because, in their view, Jesus was divine, but not not really human!

So if you think it is historically plausible that Jesus was not human at all, and that he was some kind of shape-shifter ("I was altering my shapes"), and was laughing on the cross because it was not really him on the cross but a substitute, then maybe Muhammad’s view of Jesus not being crucified might make sense to you.

But if, like virtually all scholars, you dismiss such nonsense as unhistorical, then you should also recognize that Muhammad was not a prophet of God at all, but was merely an ordinary man who was duped into believing this, and the numerous other historical errors he relates in the Qur’an.

The Life of Muhammad

A man named Ibn Ishaq was a devout Muslim who lived from AD 704-767 and wrote the first biography of Muhammad. His biography is respected and studied in Muslim universities around the world. The English translation is 690 pages long, not counting introduction, endnotes and indices. Muhammad Biography has a short summary of Ibn Ishaq’s Life of Muhammad. Excerpts appear below. When time permits, please read the entire summary (only about 13 pages long) at Muhammad Biography.

Here is the life of the man a billion people revere as the greatest prophet of God and whom many love more than life itself:

"One day, Muhammad said that while he was sleeping, Gabriel came to him with something that had writing on it, and said “Read!” According to Muhammad,

“I said, ‘What shall I read?’ He pressed me with it so tightly that I thought it was death; then he let me go and said, ‘Read!’ I said, ‘What shall I read?’ He pressed me with it again so that I thought it was death; then he let me go and said ‘Read!’ I said, ‘What shall I read?” He pressed me with it the third time so that I thought it was death and said, “Read!’ I said, ‘What then shall I read?—and this I said only to deliver myself from him, lest he would do the same to me again. He said, “Read…So I read it and he departed from me" (106).

Muhammad woke up and began to wonder if he was demon possessed. Afraid that the local Quraysh tribes would think he was indeed demon possessed he considered throwing himself down a mountain to kill himself but on the way up the mountain he heard a voice saying he was the apostle of God (105-106). Instead of committing suicide, Muhammad decided to tell his wife, Khadija, of his dream and of his fear of demon possession (106). Khadija sought advice from her cousin who was a Christian. When he heard the story he assured her that Muhammad must be a prophet (107).

After that, Muhammad began receiving revelations. Khadija accepted his revelations as true, became his first convert, and helped him in his work (111). Soon…men and women began to accept Islam in large numbers “until the fame of it was spread throughout Mecca” (117).

Most Meccans did not turn against the Muslims until Muhammad “spoke disparagingly of their gods.” Then “they took great offense and resolved unanimously to treat him as an enemy.”

Many of the Quraysh “called him a liar, insulted him, and accused him of being a poet, a sorcerer, a diviner and of being possessed.” Muhammad, however, continued to proclaim his message and condemn their religion (130).

One day Abu Bakr, one of Muhammad’s most faithful followers who would eventually be Muhammad’s successor, saw this slave being tortured. Abu Bakr said, “Have you no fear of God that you treat this poor fellow like this? Umayya responded saying, “You are the one who corrupted him, you save him from his plight…” (144). Abu Bakr said he had a black slave who was not Muslim and was stronger than the slave being persecuted. He offered to trade slaves and the deal was accepted (144).

Although Muhammad escaped much of the persecution through the protection of his powerful uncle, Muhammad could not protect his followers so he suggested that they go to Abyssinia in Africa whose Christian king, Muhammad told them, “will not tolerate injustice.” Many Muslims followed Muhammad’s advice (146).

When the Quraysh heard this, they sent men to Abyssinia to force the Muslims to return. The case came before the king who said he would not surrender the Muslims to them. He then summoned the Muslims and asked them about their religion.

They said that Muhammad has summoned them to acknowledge God’s unity, to worship God “and to renounce the stones and images” which they had formerly worshiped. Muhammad had forbidden them from committing abominations, speaking lies, devouring property of orphans, or vilifying chaste women. On the other hand, they were commanded to worship God alone and not to associate anything with Him,” and to observe “orders about prayer, almsgiving, and fasting” (150-152).

Meanwhile, Muhammad became very pained about his estrangement from his people and “longed that there should come to him from God a message that would reconcile his people to him.” It wasn’t long before Muhammad got a revelation saying that the three goddesses of Mecca, al-Lat, al-‘Uzza and Manat were exalted and that their intercession was approved by Allah. The Quraysh “were delighted and greatly pleased at the way in which he spoke of their gods” (167).

Muslims, however, thought there must be some mistake since this seemed to contradict the essence of Muhammad’s monotheism. The issue was soon resolved when Muhammad got another revelation saying that Satan, not God, had told him the goddesses’ intercession was approved. Muhammad repented and “God annulled what Satan had suggested” (179).

One day Muhammad reported that he and Gabriel had been carried away from the “mosque at Mecca” to “the Masjid al-Aqsa” in Jerusalem where “he found Abraham, Moses and Jesus among a company of the prophets.” Muhammad “acted as their imam in prayer.”…Muhammad then returned to Mecca in the morning and told the Quraysh people of his trip. “Most of them said…this is plain absurdity!” In fact, many Muslims even gave up their faith because of the story (181-183).

When asked what he thought of Muhammad now, Abu Bakr said if he says it, its true. Muhammad’s wife Aisha used to say that Muhammad’s body “remained where it was but God removed his spirit by night.” A woman named “Hind” said,

“The apostle went on no night journey except while he was in my house. He slept that night in my house. He prayed the final night prayer, then he slept and we slept. A little before dawn the apostle woke us, and when we prayed the dawn prayer he said…I prayed with you last evening prayer in the valley as you saw. Then I went to Jerusalem and prayed there” (183-184).

Muhammad’s wife Khadija and his uncle Abu Talib died in the same year. Khadija had been a faithful supporter who listened to his troubles while Abu Talib had been his protector. The Quraysh began to treat Muhammad “in an offensive way which they would not have dared to follow in his uncle’s lifetime”. Someone even threw dust on Muhammad’s head (191).

In the following year—“before the duty of making war was laid upon them”—twelve of Muhammad’s helpers met at al-Aqaba and pledged themselves to Muhammad, promising not to steal, not to commit fornication, not to kill their offspring, not to slander their neighbors, and not to disobey Muhammad in what was right. They understood that if they fulfilled these, paradise would be theirs but if they “committed any of those sins it was for God to punish or forgive as He pleased” (199).

“When God gave permission” for Muhammad to fight, “the second [meeting at] Aqaba contained conditions involving war” which were not part of the first pledge. The men “Now they bound themselves to war against all” for Muhammad and God (208). Muhammad received a revelation saying, “Fight them so that there be no more seduction” away from Islam and “Until God alone is worshiped” (213).

Once Muhammad emigrated to Medina he made a “friendly agreement” with the Jewish tribes of Yathrib (Medina). Any disputes were to be resolved by Muhammad (232). Once Muhammad was established in Medina he instituted prayers, fasting, alms tax, legal punishments and spelled out that which was forbidden and prescribed (235).

“Some Muslims remained friends with the Jews because of the tie of mutual protection and alliance which had subsisted between them.” Muhammad, however, received a revelation forbidding Muslims to take Jews as intimate friends. He explained that…“you have more right to hate them than they to hate you” (262-263).

One day Abu Bakr went to a Jewish school and called on one of their Rabbis to become a Muslim. The Rabbi’s response enraged Abu Bakr who hit the Rabbi in the face saying “Were it not for the treaty between us I would cut off your head.” The Rabbi complained to Muhammad and Muhammad asked Abu Bakr about it. Abu Bakr said the Rabbi had blasphemed but the Rabbi denied it. Muhammad then received a revelation supporting Abu Bakr (263).

One day Muhammad sent Abdullah b. Jahsh and eight other Muslims with orders to “Lie in wait for Quraysh and find out for us what they are doing….” A Quraysh caravan came by and the Muslim raiders “decided to kill as many as they could of them and take what they had.” When they returned to Muhammad he rebuked them for fighting during the sacred month. Muhammad, however, later received a revelation relieving them “of their anxiety” in the matter. Muhammad took one-fifth of the booty and rewarded the raiders out of what was left over (288).

Muhammad then heard that a large caravan of Quraysh loaded with money and merchandise was coming from Syria led by Abu Sufyan b. Harb. Muhammad ordered the Muslims to attack the caravan…Muhammad’s men routed their foe, killed many of their chiefs, and captured many of their nobles in this battle of Badr (289-294).

Muhammad then divided the booty including the captives equally among the Muslims (307). As Muhammad ordered one of the captives to be killed the captive pleaded, “Who will look after my children?” “Hell,” replied Muhammad, and the man was executed (308). Muhammad then divided the prisoners among his companions, telling them to treat them well (309).

One day Muhammad received a revelation saying, “I am with you so strengthen those that believe…I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve, so strike off their heads and cut off their fingers, because they oppose God and His apostle.” The revelation went on to say that Muslims on the march who turn back in the face of the unbelievers are destined for hell (322).

Muhammad heard that Ka’B b. Al-Ashraf had composed poetic verses insulting Muslim women so Muhammad asked who would rid him of Ka’B. The response came from Muhammad b. Maslama who said he would kill the man but would have to tell lies. Muhammad told him to kill Ka’B if he could and to say whatever he needed. When the Muslims came to Ka’B’s castle he suspected nothing. After some time Muhammad b. Maslama cried, “Smite the enemy of God!” He thrust his dagger into Ka’B’s body and “bore down upon it until I reached his genitals, and the enemy of God fell to the ground.” This attack “cast terror among the Jews, and there was no Jew in Medina who did not fear for his life” (367).

On another occasion Muhammad said, “Kill any Jew that falls into your power”. Muhayyish b. Mas’ud obeyed Muhammad’s command and killed a Jewish merchant… (369).

In one of the battles, the “Muslims were put to flight and the enemy slew many of them.” An enemy got to Muhammad, hitting him in the face with a stone, breaking one of his teeth and injuring his lip so that blood was running down his face. Muslims came to Muhammad’s aid and Muhammad ordered them to bring the attacker to him. The attacker “died with his face on” Muhammad’s foot (380).

After the battle, Utba and some women began to mutilate the bodies of the dead Muslims. “They cut off the ears and noses” and a woman named Hind made these body parts into “anklets and collars.” “She cut out Hamza’s liver and chewed it, but she was not able to swallow it and threw it away.” “Then she mounted a high rock and shrieked at the top of her voice: We have paid you back for Badr…” (385).

When Muhammad found Hamza “with his belly ripped up and his liver missing and his nose and ears cut off” he said, “If God gives me victory over Quraysh in the future I will mutilate 30 of their men.” Muhammad later pardoned some enemies and forbid mutilation (387). When he got home Muhammad handed his sword to his daughter Fatima, saying, “Wash the blood from this daughter for by God it has served me well today” (389).

One day Muhammad received a revelation saying, “God commands you, Muhammad, to go to B. Qurayza” because God was about “to shake their stronghold.” Calling the Jews of Qurayza “brothers of monkeys,” Muhammad laid siege to their forts for twenty-five nights. The people Qurayza finally surrendered to Muhammad who confined the captives in Medina while he had trenches dug in the market place. Muhammad then ordered the execution of every adult man of Qurayza. The captive Jews were brought out to the trenches in batches and the Muslims cut off their heads—estimates ranged from 600 to 900 men in all. Muhammad then divided their property, wives and children among his Muslim followers after selling some of them for horses and weapons and taking one-fifth for himself. Muhammad also chose “one of their women for himself.” He had proposed marriage to her but she “clung to Judaism.” She remained under his power until her death (461-466).

After “the fight at the trench and the affair of the B. Qurayza were over, the matter of Sallam b. Abu’l-Haqayq…came up…. Khazraj asked for Muhammad’s permission to kill Sallam who was in Khaybar and Muhammad granted it. Accompanied by Abdullah, Khazraj came to Sallam’s house and Sallam’s wife answered the door. They told her they were Arabs in search of supplies. Once inside they bolted the door behind them and killed Sallam with the sword. When they came back to Muhammad, Khazraj and Abdullah both claimed to have killed Salam. Demanding to see their swords, Muhammad said, “It is the sword of Abdullah b. Unays that killed him; I can see traces of food on it” (483).

…Muhammad received word that his milch-camels had been raided. The man guarding them had been killed and the man’s wife had been captured. Muhammad ordered his men to pursue. The perpetrators were captured and their heads were removed (486-489).

In A.H. 6, Muhammad “received news that B. al-Mustaliq were gathering together against him.” In the ensuing battle, Muhammad put them to flight, killing some of them and taking “their wives, children and property as booty.” Muhammad distributed them among the Muslims but kept a most beautiful captive, Juwayriya d. al-Harith, for himself. She agreed to marry him in return for his agreement to release a hundred families of her tribe (490-493).

One day Muhammad marched against Khaybar. When Khaybar workers came out in the morning and saw Muhammad’s army they turned and ran. Muhammad cried, “Allah akbar! Khaybar is destroyed!” Muhammad “seized the property piece by piece and conquered the forts one by one.” He also took captives including a woman named Safiya b. Huyayy. Although Kihya b. Kahalifa had asked Muhammad for this woman, Muhammad took her for himself. Muhammad, however, gave Kihya her two cousins. The rest of the women were distributed among the Muslims (510-511).

Kinana b. al-Rabi had custody of the treasure from B. al-Nadir. He was brought to Muhammad who asked him about it and said, “Do you know that if we find you have it I shall kill you?” Kinana said, yes. Muhammad excavated the place and found some of the treasure but Kinana refused to produce the rest so Muhammad gave orders to have him tortured “until you exact what he has.” They “kindled a fire with flint and steal on his chest until he was nearly dead.” Then Muhammad turned him over to Muhammad b. Masalama who cut off his head in revenge for killing his brother (515).

After Kaybar had been conquered, al-Hajjaj b.‘Ilat al-Sulami asked permission of Muhammad to retrieve money owed him by some merchants of Mecca. Muhammad gave permission but al-Hajjaj said, “I must tell lies, O apostle.” Muhammad said, “Tell them” (519).

One day Muhammad said to Abu Sufyan, “isn’t it time that you recognize that I am God’s apostle?” Abu Sufyan said that he still had some doubts. Umm Salama told Abu Sufyan to “Submit and testify that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is the apostle of God before you lose your head.” Abu Sufyan converted (547).

When Muhammad and his armies finally attacked Mecca he instructed his commanders that they were “only to fight those who resisted them,” but that a few were to be killed no matter what. One of those doomed to execution was Abdullah b. Sa’d because he was once a Muslim who even wrote down Muhammad’s revelations, but he left the Muslim faith and returned to the Quraysh. Another was Abdullah b. Khatal who had also left the Muslim faith. Abdullah had two singing girls who “used to sing satirical songs” about Muhammad so Muhammad ordered them killed as well (Muhammad later granted one of them immunity). Another was al-Huwayrith b. Nuqaydh who used to insult Muhammad in Mecca (550-551).

Muhammad then conquered Mecca and ordered that their 360 idols be broken up and burned. He also ordered that the pictures in the Ka’ba (their temple) be erased, except the pictures of Jesus and Mary (552).

Muhammad “stood at the door of the Ka’ba and said…O Quraysh, God has taken from you the haughtiness of paganism and its veneration of ancestors.” Then he told them to go their way, they were free. The people of Mecca then gathered together to “do homage to the apostle in Islam” (552-553).

After the conquest of Mecca, Muhammad went out with 2,000 Meccans and 10,000 of his companions to Hunayn. “When the polytheists were routed” the Muslims continued on to al-Ta’if (569, 574).

In A.H. 9, Muhammad sent Abu Bakr in command of the pilgrimage to Mecca “to enable the Muslims to perform their hajj while polytheists were at their pilgrimage stations.” Muhammad then received a revelation “permitting the breaking of the agreement” between him and the polytheists. When the sacred months passed, the Muslims were to “kill the polytheists wherever you find them, and seize them and lie in wait for them in every ambush.” However, “if they repent and perform prayer and pay the poor-tax, then let them go their way” because “God is forgiving and merciful” (614-618).

After Muhammad conquered Mecca, Tabuk, and Thaquif, Arabs knew they could not fight Muhammad or even “display enmity towards him” so they came to him from all directions and converted to Islam “in batches” (628).

Then Muhammad sent Khalid b. al-Walid to the people of b. al-Harith and gave them three days to accept Islam. If they refused, Khalid was to attack. They decided to accept Islam so Khalid wrote to Muhammad informing him of their decision. When the people of al-Harith were brought to Muhammad he asked them if they were the people “who when they were driven away, they pushed forward.” They remained silent so Muhammad said, “if Khalid had not written to me that you had accepted Islam and had not fought I would throw your heads beneath your feet” (645-646).

Muhammad “took part personally in twenty-seven” raids and “actually fought in nine engagements” (659-660). Muhammad had said, “fight everyone in the way of God and kill those who disbelieve in God. Do not be deceitful with the spoil; do not be treacherous, nor mutilate, nor kill children” (672).

“After the killing of Khubayb and his companions” Muhammad sent Amr b. Umayya and an “Ansari” out telling them to kill Abu Sufyan.” The Meccans recognized these men so they fled to a mountain cave. While they were there ‘Uthman b. Malik came by the entrance of the cave cutting grass for his horse. Amr told his friend that Uthman would reveal their location so they “stabbed him under the breast with the dagger” (673-674).

Amr then hid in another cave and someone from his own clan came by. They stayed together in the cave until the passerby started singing “I won’t be a Muslim as long as I live…” As soon as the singer was asleep Amr put the end of his bow in the other man’s eye and “bore down on it until” it came out the back of his neck. Amr then came across two men who were sent to spy on Muhammad. He ordered them to surrender and when they refused he shot one (with an arrow) and killed him. When the other surrendered, Amr bound his thumbs with bowstring and brought him to Muhammad. Muhammad laughed when he saw the prisoner and, after hearing all that happened, blessed Amr (674-675).

On another occasion, Abu ‘Afak “showed his disaffection” when Muhammad killed al-Harith b. Suwayd. Muhammad asked, “Who will deal with this rascal for me?” Salim b. ‘Umayr went right out and killed Abu ‘Afak for Muhammad (675).

On yet another occasion the daughter of Marwan was criticizing Islam and asking, “Is there no man of pride who would attack” Muhammad? When Muhammad heard it he said, “Who will rid me of Marwan’s daughter? Umayr b. ‘Adiy al-Khatmi went to her house that night and killed her. In the morning he reported what he had done and Muhammad told him, “You have helped God and His apostle, O ‘Umayr!” (675-676).

In the raid of Muharib, Muhammad “had captured a slave named Yasir, and put the slave in charge of his milch-camels.” Some men came to Muhammad saying they were “suffering from an epidemic and enlarged spleens.” Muhammad told them to drink the milk and urine of his milch-camels and they would recover. They drank it and recovered. Then they killed Muhammad’s shepherd-slave Yasar “and stuck thorns in his eyes and drove away his camels.” Muhammad sent Kurz B. Jabir who captured them and brought them to Muhammad who cut off their hands and feet and gouged out their eyes (677-678).

Muhammad “sent Usama to Syria and commanded him to take the cavalry into the borders of the Balqa and al-Darum in the land of Palestine.” Meanwhile, Muhammad began to suffer from the illness which eventually took his life. The pain overcame him as he was making the rounds to his wives. He asked their permission to be nursed in Aisha’s house and they agreed. His illness and pain worsened and after some time he “died with the heat of noon” (678-682).

(Ibn Ishaq. The Life of Muhammad. New York : Oxford University Press, 1955, 2006.)

Jerusalem and Islam

After promising an American Jewish group that Jerusalem should be the undivided capital of Israel, Barack Obama told another group that the future of Jerusalem should be negotiated with Palestinians. Since Jerusalem is the third most holy city in Islam (after Mecca and Medina) it might be helpful to know why Jerusalem is so holy to Palestinian Muslims.

The following citations come from The Life of Muhammad by Ibn Ishaq. This is the very earliest biography of Muhammad in existence, written by a devout Muslim.

Ibn Ishaq says that according to Muhammad, Muhammad was sleeping in a mosque one night when “Gabriel came and stirred me with his foot” (182). Muhammad said that Gabriel then:

“brought me out to the door of the mosque and there was a white animal, half mule, half donkey, with wings on its sides with which it propelled its feet, putting down each forefoot at the limit of its sight and he mounted me on it (182).

They then went to Jerusalem and there Muhammad “found Abraham the friend of God, Moses, and Jesus assembled with a company of the prophets, and he prayed with them.” Muhammad then returned to Mecca, a roughly 1,500 mile round trip, all in one night.

Although Muhammad claimed to be in a mosque when Gabriel came with his winged half-mule, a woman named Umm Hani (not one of his wives) told a different story. She said that Muhammad

“went on no night journey except while he was in my house. He slept that night in my house. He prayed the final night prayer, then he slept and we slept” (184).

The next morning Muhammad told her how he had gone to Jerusalem overnight. She begged him not to tell anyone else because she knew they would mock him. When he refused to listen, she sent her black slave-girl to follow Muhammad to hear what he was saying.

When Muhammad told the people of his trip to Jerusalem, he was apparently saying that it was something that really happened and not just a vision, because many of the people said, “By God, this is a plain absurdity” (182). In fact, they considered the story so absurd that “Many Muslims gave up their faith” (183).

Some of them went to Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s closest associate, and asked what he thought of Muhammad now. Abu Bakr said, “If he says to then it is true” (183). One of Muhammad’s wives, A’isha, said that Muhammad’s “body remained where it was but God removed his spirit by night” (183).

So there you have it. That is the Muslim claim on Jerusalem as their third most holy city. So although the Jews had already lived in Jerusalem for a thousand years before Jesus was even born (And Jews were still living there 600 years later in the time of Muhammad),

Muhammad and Jesus

Most non-Muslims don’t realize that Muhammad had a lot to say about Jesus. According to Muhammad, Jesus’ mother Mary was a virgin who was told by angels that the son she would have would be known as Christ Jesus and that he would speak to men even as an infant from his cradle. Muhammad taught that Jesus would grow up to be a righteous prophet and a man of great honor.

Muhammad said that God strengthened Jesus with holy inspiration, revelation, and with the “holy spirit.” Jesus was empowered not only to heal the blind and those who were lepers, but even to raise the dead! Muhammad also calls Jesus a Word from God and says Jesus was a “Spirit proceeding from” God (Qur’an, Suras 2:87, 253; 3:39-49; 4:171; 5:110; 6:84-85).

This creates an interesting dilemma. Muhammad never claimed to be anything other than an ordinary man who was God’s prophet. He never healed the sick. He never raised the dead. In fact, Muhammad never really did any miracles. He died of natural causes and remained dead. Even his story about ascending to heaven after meeting Jesus, Abraham and Moses in Jerusalem was somewhat contradicted by his own wives who said Muhammad had a dream or vision but that he never went anywhere that night!

On the other hand, by Muhammad’s own testimony, Jesus did amazing miracles and even raised the dead! Muhammad not only called Jesus a righteous prophet whom God had endowed with inspiration and revelation, but Muhammad also said Jesus was a spirit proceeding from God; even the Word of God born of a virgin! (One Muslim apologist tried to explain the “spirit proceeding from God” by saying that this expression was used of others beside Jesus. The verses he cited from the Qur’an, however, all related to the idea that God breathed his spirit of life into the first man. None of them said anything about someone being a spirit proceeding from God. There is a huge difference).

Although Muhammad taught that he (Muhammad) was the last and greatest prophet, what he taught about Jesus sounds like Jesus was much greater than Muhammad! To think of Jesus as a Word proceeding from God Himself, is the same kind of language the Gospel of John uses to argue for Jesus deity when it says, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” In the Gospel of Matthew, the claim that Jesus was born of a virgin leads to the author’s calling Jesus, “Immanuel,” meaning “God with us.”

But although Muhammad had great respect for Jesus, he adamantly denied Jesus’ deity. Why would someone who taught that Jesus was born of a virgin, was inspired by God, did amazing miracles, raised the dead and was a Word or Spirit proceeding from God; and who believed the Gospel (Injil) was sacred—stop just short of proclaiming the Gospels’ teaching on Jesus’ deity?

The answer comes from Muhammad’s strong advocacy of monotheism (the idea that there is just one God). Muhammad and his followers had been persecuted by the tribes of Mecca for his unflinching opposition to their polytheism (the idea that there are many gods). In Muhammad’s day there were people who called themselves Christian but who had actually mixed Gnosticism in with their brand of Christianity. The Gnostics were essentially polytheists who believe in multiple levels of gods and goddesses.

These Gnostic “Christians” taught that there were at least three “Christian” Gods: God the Father, God the Mother and God the Son (See for example, the Gospel of the Egyptians and the Gospel of the Hebrews). The idea that there were three Gods (like the three goddesses of Mecca), or that God the Father would have sex with God the mother and produce God the son, was rightfully repugnant to Muhammad and he rejected that teaching.

There are numerous examples in the Qur’an in which Muhammad had interacted with these Gnostic “Christian” ideas but unfortunately, Muhammad does not seem to have been aware that genuine Christianity had also rejected the polytheism of these Gnostic pseudo-Christians. Genuine Christians were (and are) staunch monotheists who believe there is one and only one God who exists eternally as Father, Son and Spirit.

While modern Muslims may think the idea of one God existing in three persons is contradictory and charge Christians with being polytheists, their criticism is no more valid than charging modern physicists with contradiction for their belief that light is simultaneously particle and wave at the same time (no, not waves of particles). In fact, the charge is no more valid than if Christians were to charge Muhammad with being a polytheist for his mention of the “holy spirit” and for believing that Jesus is a word or spirit proceeding from God.