BEHOLD THE BEAST
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Islam Reviewed
12 - MORAL LIFE OF THE PROPHET MOHAMMEDThe Christian refusal to recognize the prophethood of Muhammad is
annoying to most Muslims. They wonder why we fail to reciprocate
their recognition of the prophethood of Jesus. Our Muslim friends
should be aware of the fact that the recognition of a true prophet is
not based on mutual approval. If Muhammad was the "greatest" and
the "seal" of the prophets - if he provides a more sure and certain
way of getting to heaven than Jesus does - then Christians should not
hesitate to accept him. But a thorough investigation of a prophet must
take place before he is received, because believing a prophet's
message can have eternal consequences for our souls.
During the course of our investigation, we should also be
permitted to question a prophet's morality, and this includes Muham-
mad's. As the "Seal" of the prophets (an Islamic claim), and according to
the Koran, Muhammad was granted a special marital status by Allah.
Many Islamic historians admit that Muhammad married eleven wives.
Those who think his escapades with women a measure of his greatness,
admit that he had as many as twenty seven. In addition to these wives,
Muhammad was also commanded by Allah to keep as many concubines
(female captives in Jihad) as his right hand possessed. Pondering the
Koranic text that granted these special privileges to Muhammad, one
cannot resist the temptation to believe that Muhammad wanted the
unrestricted freedom to have as many women as he wished, and used his
"revelations" to prevent his wives and followers from placing any
limitations on his carnal cravings. That is not just an idle speculation:
The following "revelations" speak for themselves: (link)
"O prophet! We have made lawful to thee thy wives to whom
thou hast paid their dowers; and those whom thy right hand
possesses out of the prisoners of war whom God, has assigned
to thee; and daughters of thy paternal uncles and aunts, and
daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts who migrated [from
Mecca] with thee; and any believing woman who dedicates her
soul to the prophet if the prophet wishes to wed her; - this only
for thee, and not for believers [at large]; we know what we
have appointed for them as to their wives and the captives
whom their right hand possess; - in order that there should be
no difficulty for thee. And God is oft-forgiving, most merciful.
(Sura 33:50).
With fleets of wives at Muhammad's disposal, coupled with his special
privilege to have as many concubines as he desired, Muhammad's
passion for women seemed to know no bounds. He even took the only
wife of his adopted son, Zaid. Zaid Ibn Haritha was Muhammad's freed
man and adopted son. Muhammad wedded Zaid to a beautiful lady
named Zainab, but with the passage of time, Muhammad's heart began
to long for her. So on his visit to Zaid's abode, the prophet of Islam said:
"Praise belongeth unto Allah who turneth the hearts of men as he
willeth." Zaid got the message and arranged to divorce his wife.
Muhammad knew quite well that nothing short of a new "revelation"
could save his face from this detestable act, so he dissuaded Zaid from
putting his wife away until the transaction could be sanctioned by a
"revelation" from Allah. Read the words of the following sura:
"Behold! thou didst say to one who had received the grace of
God and thy Favor: 'retain thou [in wedlock] thy wife, and fear
God.' But thou didst fear in thy heart that which God was about
to make manifest: thou didst fear the people, but it is more
fitting that thou shouldest fear God. Then when Zaid had
dissolved [his marriage] with her, with the necessary [formal-
ity], we joined her in marriage to thee: in order that in [the
future] there may be no difficulty to the believers in [the matter
of] marriage with the wives of their adopted sons, when the
later have dissolved with the necessary [formality] [their
marriage] with them. And God's command must be fulfilled."
(Sura 33:37)
The reason for these self-serving "revelations" is obvious: Zainab,
daughter of Jahsh, was Muhammad's cousin, and the Arabian custom
(before Islam) forbade marriage with the wives of their adopted sons
even after divorce.1 Can you imagine a religion that claims to promote
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1 Comp. Yusuf Ali's Comm. No. 3726
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purity of heart and good moral conduct, permitting its prophet - who
already had eleven wives plus numerous concubines - to take the only
wife of his own adopted son? The pathetic side of this recorded historic
incident is that Allah, supposedly the architect of justice and morality,
actually approved of this despicable act. The doom of all who love
justice, holiness and righteousness is sealed if Allah, who condones this
kind of wickedness, is allowed to prevail.
On the other hand, the God of the holy Bible is against sin of any
kind, and will punish whoever commits it. There is no respect of persons
with the God of the Bible (Romans 2:11). If the Bible God were to be the
same as the Koranic Allah, then He would have to apologize for
punishing the prophet David, who fell into a similar sin (2 Samuel 12:1-
12). Letters of apology would also need to be dispatched to the people
of Sodom and Gomorrah, whom God destroyed for immorality (Genesis
19:24-28).
While the Bible teaches that God is all powerful, it also teaches that
He is absolutely holy. The Bible God cannot exercise His power in a way
that contradicts His holy nature. The Christian God always acts in accord
with His holiness. The Bible God has never tolerated sin. If He did, He
would cease to be a holy God. That was why He cast Satan and his fallen
angels out of heaven. That is why He punished Noah's generation,
Sodom and Gomorrah and the rest.
One of Islam's major ills is a faulty concept of God. Islam sees God
as a very powerful being who exercises his power capriciously. Who can
question him, they reason. Whereas the Bible God changes not. He is the
same, yesterday, today and forever.
Another example of prophet Muhammad's moral life is his affair with
Maryam - a Coptic girl presented to him by the governor of Egypt. He
slept with her on the day it was Hafsah's turn. In an attempt to defuse
Hafsah's anger, Muhammad swore never to touch the girl again. He then
commanded Hafsah to keep the matter secret from his other wives.
However, she disclosed the matter to them. Displeased at finding his
confidence betrayed, Muhammad disciplined the rest of his wives by
separating from them for one month, a time incidentally, which he spent
in Maryam's apartment. Call it a temporary divorce!
As expected, "revelations" poured down from Aljana. The revelations
not only favored Muhammad but also contained assurances of backing
from Allah, Gabriel, righteous believers and the angels:
"O Prophet! why holdest thou to be forbidden that which God
has made lawful to thee? Thou seekest to please thy consorts
[wives] but God is oft-forgiving, most merciful. When the
Prophet disclosed a matter in confidence to one of his consorts
[wives], and she then divulged [to another], and God made it
known to him, he confirmed part thereof and repudiated a part.
Then when he told her thereof, she said 'who told thee these?'
He said 'He told me who knows and is well acquainted [with all
things]? If ye two turn in repentance, to Him, your hearts are
indeed so inclined; but if ye back up each other against him,
truly God is his protector, and Gabriel, and [every] righteous
one among those who believe, - and furthermore the angels
will back [him] up.'" (Sura 66:1,3,4).
As can be seen from the following Ayat, the Koran went on to absolve
Muhammad of any guilt in the incident, and to free him from censure if
similar cases were to arise in the future:
"It may be, if he divorced you [all], that God will give him in
exchange consorts [wives] better than you, - who submit [their
wills], who believe, who are devout, who turn to God in
repentance, who worship [in humility], who travel [for faith]
and fast, - previously married or virgins" (Sura 66:5).
Let's look at the incident honestly. Maryam who was at the center of this
episode was not legally married to Muhammad. Her position was that of
a concubine. Muhammad lay with her on the day due Hafsah, and Allah,
who is supposedly just in his judgement, or at least considerate, is
portrayed as sending down verdicts against Muhammad's wives for
daring to raise their eyebrows at his actions. However, another contradic-
tion arises here. Other "revelations" represent Allah as telling Muham-
mad to pray for the forgiveness of his sins:
"Verily, we have granted thee a manifest victory: that God may
forgive thee thy faults of the past and those to follow; and guide
thee on the straight path" (Sura 48:1-2).
Commentator Abbasi explains this to mean the offences which
Muhammad committed before he claimed to be a prophet, and those
that he was going to commit even until his death. Imam Al-Zamakhshari,
in his commentary says: "What went before of thy fault; i.e. the matter
of Zainab, and what followed after; i.e. the matter of Maryam (Mary the
Copt)." The meaning of the Glorious Koran (Pickthall translation)
rendered Sura Muhammad, 19 thus:
"So know (O Muhammad) that there is no God save Allah, and
ask forgiveness for thy sin and for believing men and women,
Allah knoweth [both] your places of turmoil and your place of
rest" (Sura 47:19).
The Hadiths also pictured Muhammad as conscious of his sins, thereby
pleading for pardon.1
In the Koran, in every case where Muhammad's actions are
questionable, Allah justifies his actions with "revelations." Muhammad's
affair with Zainab (his son's wife) is an example. Even Arabian pagans
regarded that behavior as an abomination. But, surprisingly enough, it
got the blessing of Allah whose standards of morality were supposedly
higher than those of Arabian pagans. Allah also supported Muhammad
in his liaison with Maryam, the Copt. Justifying Muhammad's behavior
while commanding him to ask forgiveness for his sins leaves room for
another possibility: that Muhammad had committed graver sins (not
recorded in the Koran) for which Allah is telling him to ask pardon.
How Muhammad Treated His Opponents
A general misunderstanding of the Islamic world by western nations is
causing serious international tensions. Whenever the Islamic faithful
carry out their religious duties, they are tagged as terrorists. Americans
are so obsessed with the term "terrorist" that their government has
blacklisted a number of Islamic countries: Libya, Iran and Syria.
When Islamic suicide bombers, May 15 group, Abu Nidal, Hamas,
Islamic brotherhood, Mujahadin, Hisbollah, etc. carry out their religious
obligation against Israeli civilians, those who are ignorant of the
elementary principles of Islam call them all sorts of names. Those who
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1 See Mishkatul Masabih, p. 62
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know nothing about Muhammad's writings are baffled when they hear
that the above mentioned groups have guerillas, assassins, kidnappers
and weapon experts all over the world, including within the United
States itself. It is beyond Western understanding that a seemingly logical
people proudly take credit for blowing up airborne planes (with
hundreds of innocent souls aboard), and other wanton murders, plus the
destruction of their property.
Why should a seemingly sane people choose violence, anarchy, war
and murder as a way of life, and even anticipate more of the same in
Aljana? Part of the answer lies in the way and manner that Muhammad,
the prophet of Islam, treated his opponents. During his lifetime,
Muhammad sent assassin after assassin (today we call them "death
squads") to eliminate his opponents. He rained curses upon the ones his
assassins couldn't track down. Here are a few examples:
Muhammad sent Umayr b. Adi (Allah's helper) to kill Asthma bint
Marwan, a poetess who wrote against him. The assassin entered the
woman's abode at night and found her surrounded by her sleeping
children, including a suckling child whom he pushed away from her
breast. He then drove his sword through her body, murdering her.
In another dreadful incident, Muhammad sent Salim b. Amir to
assassinate a 120 year old Jew whose poetry attacked Muhammad. On
hot summer nights, the Jew would sleep in the courtyard of his home.
Salim knew that, so he sneaked in and plunged his sword into the old
man's liver, killing him.
It is related by Ibn Hisham (quoting Ibn Ishaq) that Muhammad
said, "Whomsoever among the men of the Jews you overcome, kill him."
That was enough incitement for Muhaisah ibn Mas'ud, who subsequently
attacked and killed ibn Shunaimah, a Jewish merchant.
The story of the murder of Ka'b ibnu'l Ashraf is told in Ibn Hisham's
Siratur Rasul vol. 2, p. 25. Ka'b ibnu'l Ashraf returned to Medina and
praised the beauty of Muslim wives until the Muslims became annoyed.
The Apostle of Allah said, "Who is with me in the matter of Ibnu'l
Ashraf?" Muhammad ibn Malamah replied, "I am for thee in this affair,
O Apostle of Allah: I will kill him." He laid in ambush for three days,
neither eating nor drinking until, with the assistance of five assassins, he
killed Ka'b ibnu'l Ashraf.
Muhammad appointed five other assassins, Abdullah ibn utaik,
Masud ibn Sanan, Abdullah ibn Unais, Abu Quadatu'l Harith ibn Rab'i
and Khaza'i ibn Utaik, to go to Khaiba to murder Abi'l Huqaiq. The deed
was carried out successfully, to the supposed glory of Allah.
On another occasion, Muhammad praised Zaid for commanding the
brutal murder of an aged woman named Umm Kirfa. Her legs were tied
to camels. These were driven in different directions until the unfortunate
woman was torn asunder.
Muhammad also sent "Amr ibn Umayyah and jabbar ibn Sakhar from
Medina to Mecca to assassinate Abu Sufan ibn Harb. However, those
hired killers failed in their mission because the plot was uncovered
before they were able to strike." (Ibn Hishan Siratur Rasul vol. 3,
pp.89,90).
Some escaped Muhammad's hit squads, but they could not escape
his venomous outbursts. Since in Islam, love and mercy are regarded as
weaknesses, Muhammad was not expected to pardon those who
offended him. Vendetta is an extolled virtue in Islam. Listen to this one
of the suras of Koran that many Muslims believe supersedes the Holy
Bible:
Perish the hands of the Father of Flame! Perish he! No profit to
him from all his wealth, and all his gains! Burnt soon will he be in
a fire of blazing flame! "His wife shall carry the (crackling) wood
- as fuel! - A twisted rope of Palm - leaf fibre around her (own)
neck!" (Sura 111:1-5).
This sura is dedicated solely to the cursing of one of Muhammad's
uncles, Abu Lahab, meaning father of Lahab, but nicknamed father of
flame because he rejected Muhammad's prophetic claims.
Since Muslims believe that every word, comma, semi-colon, full
stop, in the Koran is the word of Allah, we should take the above sura as
a "revelation" from him. It proves further that Allah has no love, no
mercy and no forgiveness, only cursing, killing, wars and judgment.
The indiscriminate assassination of people throughout the world by
Islamic faithfuls is nothing new. They are merely imitating the prophet
Muhammad, who after all, is the "perfect" model of correct Islamic
behavior. Ignorance of Islam is what makes western journalist call
Islamic faithfuls "terrorists."
However, so-called terrorism is just what we see in the physical
world. It is not the real problem. What we really have between Islam and
the West is a titanic but unseen spiritual battle that began in the garden
of Eden. It is a conflict between God and Satan, love and hatred, good
and evil, peace and war. Those battle-lines are clearly visible now. The
peace of Khalifah Haroun al-Rashid is over, and a militant Islam again
calls for a worldwide Jihad. 1
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1 Editor's Note: The first Islamic Jihad ended in 786AD, when Khalifah Haroun al-
Rashid made peace with the Western nations. From then until this very century,
Islam remained primarily in the Middle East, and as a minority religion in Africa
and the Far East. Islam did not again pose a threat to world peace until after WW2,
when the West started sending vast sums of money to the Arab nations in exchange
for oil. That oil money has enabled the Middle East (the Leopard-Bear-Lion beast
of Revelation 13:1-9) to arm itself with modern weaponry. In those figurative
verses, the Bible clearly predicts there would be a 2nd Islamic Jihad just prior to
Jesus' return. That 2nd Jihad is visible today in the military and economic pressure
with which the Islamic states and the Palestinians are threatening Israel and the
West.
Revelation further shows that this Jihad would lead to Earth's final war, the
battle of Armageddon (Rev 16:12-16). Though Armageddon may spread over the
whole world, with up to 2,500,000,000 people killed, it will begin in the Middle
East and be of short duration. It will end with the return of the Lord Jesus. For
further details, see Ellis H. Skolfield, The False Prophet, (Fish House Publishing,
Ft. Myers, FL, 1995)
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