Greetings everyone,
May God Bless you all. I am curious why Muhammad seems to be the only prophet who changes his mind daily about what God says. I’m also curious why most Muslims claim that the only prophecy that counts when something is contradictory is the most recent one. Can someone please explain this behaviour to me.
Thank you very much for your input.
Barry
PS. Please note, I mean no offense by this question. I’m just trying to understand. Once again thank you for your responses.
Re: Question about Muhammad
Greetings to you too.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by lyrixforu: *
I am curious why Muhammad seems to be the only prophet who changes his mind daily about what God says.
[/QUOTE]
Can you provide some examples of what you mean? Quran, which is the word of God Almighty according to the belief of all muslims, was revealed over a period of 23 years. It encompasses a whole range of issues, stories and commandments.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by lyrixforu: *
I'm also curious why most Muslims claim that the only prophecy that counts when something is contradictory is the most recent one.
[/QUOTE]
From Adam (Peace be Upon him) to Muhammad (Peace be Upon him), there were many Prophets (May peace be upon them all) of God, who all came with the same message: There is only one God. Muslims believe that all the Prophets who came before Muhammad were messangers of God and called their people to the right path. With Muhammad, the line of Prophets has ended. Islam, in many ways reiterates the message of all the previous messangers, and it refines and perfects the commandments of our Creator - God Almighty. While all the previous prophecies (be it Psalms, Old Testament or the New Testment) were revealed by God Almighty to those prophets, however Quran is the final word and to this date has remained unchanged, word-to-word, as to what was revealed, and will remain so, till the Day of Judgement.
My friend faisal,
I am only refering to things I have read on this site and other Islam forums at this time. My own knowledge of the Quran is very limited but I have often seen people post here that Muhammad said to do this, but he did this, I guess the first thing that pops into my mind is the number of wives he had. How many prophets do you know of who tell us to do one thing and then do another thing themselves? I guess that just doesn't make sense to me and I want to understand where it was written that the word of God is any different for the prophets. I only know of a place somewhere that says to those given little, little will be required but to those given much, much will be required. So if I understand this right we should expect more from one who is a prophet than we should expect from the common man. Meaning to me, they should follow what they preach. But I could be wrong. Please understand I am only asking questions to understand. Maybe you could help me.
Bless you,
Barry
Well, lets take it step by step. You asked two questions in your first post. Are you clear about the answer to your question #2?
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by lyrixforu: *
I am only refering to things I have read on this site and other Islam forums at this time. My own knowledge of the Quran is very limited but I have often seen people post here that Muhammad said to do this, but he did this, I guess the first thing that pops into my mind is the number of wives he had. How many prophets do you know of who tell us to do one thing and then do another thing themselves?
[/QUOTE]
Things that you read on this forum and other forums, where muslims are debating issues in the light of Islam, are in many instances, of an advanced level. One can not understand those discussions if they are not familiar with the initial foundations of Islam. So, if you have little information about Islam, then I suggest you keep asking questions here on the issues which confuse you, and members here will attempt to provide answers. Like any other internet forum with a wide variety of members, not all members will agree on their answers, but they all attempt to provide their input based on their knowledge.
Coming back to the question you raise... the comment that why did the Prophet of Islam married several wives, is often asked by non-muslims. To understand the answer, you have to understand the culture of Arabia at that time and the accurate history of our Prophet Muhammad (May Peace be Upon Him). He married at the age of 25 to a woman who was a 40-years old widow. They remained married for 20 years and had children together. Until her death she remained his only wife. None of the other women he married, with the exception of one, were virgins. In most cases they were widows. It was a custom of that time that when men die in wars, the sons will marry their mothers, and other such rituals which belittle women. Islam put a stop to that. In times of war, when men die and women become widows, in order to take care of them as a society, Islam permits men to marry more than once, but it cautions them to be just and treat all wives fairly and equally. Being a prophet, Muhammad's (May Peace Be Upon Him) life was a lesson to all of us, on how to treat all wives justly and properly. Having said that, Quran makes it clear that if someone can not do justice to all his wives, they should only marry once.
Greetings again,
[QUOTE]
Well, lets take it step by step. You asked two questions in your first post. Are you clear about the answer to your question #2?
[QUOTE]
The bigger question in my head is why the Prophet does not practice what he preaches?
I have never seen any prophet who told followers of God to do one thing and follow a rule and does not follow that rule himself. But I do know that anytime any of the followers, prophet or not, of God did not follow his rules or what he said to do they were punished. Why is it that when Muhammad does not follow God's rules he is not punished and in fact God makes special cases for him.
Moses did not see the promised land because of his disobediance in the desert.
David was punished for taking another man's wife and sending her husband to his death in war.
Jonah into the belly of the whale.
Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu when offering unauthorized fire died.
Adam was banned for eating the apple.
Why when Muhammad is found taking more wives than the 4 allowed is he not punished? I know I have heard of more things that Muhammad did aginst rules he himself gave that he was alotted "special" privileges for on this site but I can't recall any right now.
I guess what I want to know is why is Muhammad different than any other prophet?
Peace,
Barry
Lyrix, in many instances there have been Prophets who have been deemed to do things which their followers did not…
How many people do you know that can raise the dead like Jesus :as:?
How many people do you know that will follow the command of Allah :swt: and sacrifice their offspring like Abaraham :as:?
How many do you know that would be willing to die on the cross like Jesus :as:?
How many people do you know that talk to God like Moses :as:?
And many many other cases…
Many things the Prophets were given to do and follow yet their followers were barred from doing it or stopped…Prophets are not everyday folks like you and me…You know what they say, different strokes for different folks…
Thank you for your response Lajawab,
I know that Prophets did special things, but what you mention are things that edify God. And what you are not mentioning is that anytime one of these followers of God did not do what God commanded he was punished. Especiallly in the time before Jesus.
Please explain how disobeying a rule, that Allah/God has given, can be edifying God.
It only leads to a question asked by those outside Islam. "Is Quran Truth and revelation of Allah, as given by Muhammad. When Muhammad himself did not follow its rules, nor was he punished for disobedience?"
Yes prophets are not everyday people you are right. But all other prophets save one are bound by the laws. I am still waiting for an answer why is Muhammad above the law?
maybe through this discussion I will understand better.
Blessings,
Barry
Our Holy Prophet (saw) was not above the law, and like all Prophets before him was subject to reprimand by Allah :swt: too…
As for punishments, there are no punishments that befall Prophets, only trials and corrections…
One Hadith which I remember is that when the Holy Prophet :saw: was in Medina and fame of his Prophethood had reached many parts of the world, a delegation of learned elders of the Jews came to see him with questions to verify whether in reality he was a true Prophet of Allah :swt: or not…They met with him and asked him the questions that they were here to ask him…
So they came to see him and the Holy Prophet :saw: said that he will receive an answer from Allah (swt) tomorrow regarding their questions, and told the delegation to come the next day…
However, no revelation came the next day, so the Prophet :saw: said to come the following day, but still no revelation…Many days had passed but there was still no revelation whereupon the delegation decided that the Holy Prophet :saw: was not a real prophet and they were about to return…
However before the delegation left, Hazrat Gabriel :as: descended with the answers to the Jews’ queries, alongwith with a verse from the Quran reprimanding the Holy prophet (saw) for being overly confident and claiming to be revealed the answer the next day…The reprimand was for the fact that the Holy prophet (saw) did not say InshAllah (Allah willing) when he told the Jews to come tomorrow…Meaning, the Prophet (saw) had become so sure of Allah (swt)'s help that he did not seek Allah’s intervention…
The Hadith including the questions posed by the Jews, I can’t recollect right now, however I will search for it and see if I can come up with it…
An answer, whether it is beneficial to you or not, isnt my concern, but this is the answer to your question nonetheless. smile
Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) married this number at a time, when the norm of the place in which he lived (Arab Peninsula in the 7th century) allowed men to marry a much larger number than that, there was no legislation to prohibit this behavior yet.
After that, the Divine order came to Muslims through their Holy book (Qur’an), to restrict the number of their wives to a maximum of four. God said to them:
If ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, Marry women of your choice, Two or three or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one, or (a captive) that your right hands possess, that will be more suitable, to prevent you from doing injustice.
Surah 4 Verse 3
On hearing this order, all who men who had more than four wives divorced them, in full submission to God's orders. The divorced wives - who accepted this divine decree with full satisfaction, implied by their deep faith - soon found other marriages and lead normal lives. Nevertheless, the Prophet (may peace be upon him) - who had nine wives at the time the order was revealed - was exempted from this order in a later verse of Qur’an:
O Prophet! We have made lawful to thee thy wives to whom thou hast paid their dowers; ...
Surah 33 Verse 50
This exemption was because there was a prohibition in the Qur’an for any Muslim to marry the Prophet's wives once he died or divorced them:
...Nor is it right for you that ye should annoy God's Apostle, or that ye should marry his widows after him at any time. Truly such a thing is in God's sight an enormity.
Surah 33 Verse 53
**Chapter : 33 (Al-Ahzab) Verse : 51 [Short Commentary]
"O Prophet! We have made lawful to thee thy wives whom thou hast paid their dowries, and those whom thy right hand possesses from among those whom Allah has given thee as gains of war, and the daughters of thy paternal uncle, and the daughters of thy paternal aunts, and the daughters of thy maternal uncle, and the daughters of thy maternal aunts who have emigrated with thee and any other believing woman if she offers herself for marriage to the Prophet provided the Prophet desires to marry her; this provision is only for thee, and not for other believers - We have already made known what We have enjoined on them concerning their wives and those whom their right hands possess - in order that there may be no difficulty for thee in explaining the Law to them. And Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful. "
**
The Holy Prophet's (saw) marriages were motivated by highly noble considerations and not by those imputed to him by his ignorant and ignoble critics. With the solitary exception of his marriage with Hadhrat Aisha (ra), he married only widows or divorced women. He married Hafsha(ra) whose husband was killed in battle of Badr; Hadhrat zainab whose husband was killed in battle of Uhud; and Umm Habibah, daughter of Abu sufiyan who became a widow in 5 or 6 A.H. (in exile in Abyssinia); he married Jawairiyah and Safiyya, both widows in 5 A.H and 7 A.H respective, seeking a union with and pacification of their tribes. It is to be noted that hundred families of the Bani Mastaliq were liberated by muslims when the Holy Prophet married Jawairiyah. Maimunnah, another widow. He married Mariah in 7 A.H, and thus by raising a freed slave girl to the highly eminent spiritual status of the 'Mother of faithful' he gave a death blow to slavery.
Such were the pious and noble motives of our Master Hadhrat Muhammad (saw).
In the above mentioned verse, the clause "this provision is only for thee, and not for other believers" means that it was a special privilege of the Holy Prophet and was due to the special permission granted to the Holy Prophet, to retain all his wives, after the commandment contained in 4:4 was revealed limmiting to four the number of wives allowed to muslims at one time.
The words, "We have already made known what We have enjoined on them concerning their wives and those whom their right hands possess " refer to commandment contained in 4:4, according to which only 4 wives at the most at a time are allowed to muslime men. But in view of Holy Prophet's own and of his wives' very high spiritual status and other spiritual and moral considerations, exception was made in the case of Holy Propohet (saw) in the opening words of this verse.
LOVE FOR ALL, HATRED FOR NONE.....
Greetings and thanks,
Ok, I think we need to get on the same page. We obviously do not have the same definitions of the words which we are using to discuss this topic.
I will give my definitions and you can give me yours.
Punish- Impose a penalty on. IE. Your mom doesn't let you go out for the evening because you didn't take out the trash.
Therefore according to the definition I have given for the word punish:
Against will of God--
Jonah did not go to warn the people when told to do so by God.
Punishment--
Swallowed by whale.
Against will of God--
Moses did not give God the credit when he hit the rock in the desert and brought forth water.
Punishment--
Not allowed into the promised land.
Did you get my question? How can disobeying a rule given by God/Allah be glorifying God. And yes the prophets are special but no they are not given special rules. I can not think of any others that were given special rules when they could not follow God's laws. As a matter of fact all the others were punished, according to the definition above. Please, if you can think of any, tell me.
Specifically why is it OK for Muhammad to take 7 wives at a time when he clearly states the law is 4?
Peace,
Barry
Hi Zakiahmed,
Sorry I posted my last message before I got your response. Thanks for the smile, smilin' right back at ya!
Ok, so I can see that it was special for the prophet. I can buy that, not sure about the special prophecy, but at least I can buy it.
My question then is why is it that other prophets are punished when outside of the law and Muhammad gets special prophecy? I have heard people say that he got special prophecy for various different cases here on this site, unfrotunately I can not remember them all. I'm sorry I just don't understand why this prophet doesn't seem to be bound by the same rules as other prophets. What changed between the time of the last prophet and Muhammad that he was so special?
Thanks again and cheers to all who read :)
Barry
Lyrix, first of all, Muslims don’t hold the concept of punishments for Prophets…No Prophet was ever punished and the trials that you mention about the other Prophets were in fact a lesson for mankind…We all know that every Prophet has been the most beloved of creatures of Allah :swt:…He adored them and cherished them, and the afflictions that befell them were but part of lessons for future generations to ponder upon and learn…
If we are to take trials as ‘punishments’, as you call them, then you’d see that the entire life of our Prophet :saw: was a punishment…His struggles, his life, the persecution he faced by the people, the ridicule and the hate that he received from people was punishment in itself enough…In fact, except for Prophet Job :as:, whose entire body was besotten with worms and his great wealth taken from him as well as family and friends, I don’t see a prophet who was more persecuted than our Holy Prophet (saw)…
As for breaking the commands and being punished for them is concerned, we Muslims believe that the Holy Prophet :saw: being the last of the Prophets, was the most beloved of Allah :swt:. Why you ask? Because he was one of the only prophets who led his life by the most letter perfect example of the Holy Quran, Allah :swt:'s word…The Prophet (saw) wrapped his life in the words of the Holy Quran, and that rarely left any margin of error to be punished for…
Lyrix: You are welcome to pose as many questions as you like and we would be more than happy to reply to them…If something is unclear to you, do not hesitate to ask again and again…
Your questions are formed very respectfully and truly show a person who is in pursuit of knowledge, and according to Islam, there is nothing more worthy in the eyes of Allah :swt: than the pursuit of knowledge…
I hope that we are able to answer your questions in a fashion that you like and understand, if not you can always ask what you require an answer to…
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by lyrixforu: *
Hi Zakiahmed,
Sorry I posted my last message before I got your response. Thanks for the smile, smilin' right back at ya!
Ok, so I can see that it was special for the prophet. I can buy that, not sure about the special prophecy, but at least I can buy it.
My question then is why is it that other prophets are punished when outside of the law and Muhammad gets special prophecy? I have heard people say that he got special prophecy for various different cases here on this site, unfrotunately I can not remember them all. I'm sorry I just don't understand why this prophet doesn't seem to be bound by the same rules as other prophets. What changed between the time of the last prophet and Muhammad that he was so special?
Thanks again and cheers to all who read :)
Barry
[/QUOTE]
First of all, our belief as 'muslims' is that Hadhrat Muhammad (saw) is 'khatam-un-nabiyyeen' meaning 'Best of all prophets'. He is the 'master' of the prophets and is the 'Best' human being that Allah has produced. No other human being can reach to a status of spirituality that Huzur(saw) has been blessed with. He is 'rahmatul lil alameen' (blessing for all worlds). These blessings have not been bestowed upon any other prophets in the history of religion.
It was Allah's decision who to make the best of the prophets and he is the best judge among all.
As far as working under the laws are concerned, Quran clearly states that if this prophet says or does anything that is against the direct teachings from Allah, Allah will show no mercy upon him.
[69:41] That it is, surely, the word brought by a noble Messenger,
[69:42] And not the word of a poet; little is it what you believe!
[69:43] Nor is it the word of a soothsayer; little is it that you heed!
[69:44] It is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.
[69:45] And if he had forged and attributed any sayings to US,
[69:46] We would, surely, have seized him by the right hand,
[69:47] And then, surely, We would have cut his life-vein,
[69:48] And not one of you could have held Our punishment off from him.
[69:49] And verily, it is a reminder for the righteous,
Now as we believe, Quran is the word of God, therefore we have to believe that Muhammad(saw) could not have done or have said anything that can go against the direct teachings from God. Therefore, all that he(saw) did, was under the direct commandment of Allah.
I hope this helps you understand this point....
Brother Barry/…
You may consider this question :topic: … it may help me understand ur question…
1-Do u belive/think the Prophet MUHammad:saw: was a prophet …
if u consider him as one…then no point in arguing whether ALLAH taala gave him punishment or not…
kindly state that…
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by lyrixforu: *
My question then is why is it that other prophets are punished when outside of the law and Muhammad gets special prophecy? I have heard people say that he got special prophecy for various different cases here on this site, unfrotunately I can not remember them all. I'm sorry I just don't understand why this prophet doesn't seem to be bound by the same rules as other prophets. What changed between the time of the last prophet and Muhammad that he was so special?
Thanks again and cheers to all who read :)
Barry
[/QUOTE]
How do you know this? According to what reference does it say that one was special and another not? Muslims dont follow the current Bible, so that is not a frame of reference for us, nor the current Torah. Please provide information that would substantiate the claim. Thanks.
Friends I hope you all don't mind me refering to you as such:)
I am pleased at your responses. I'm not sure I could agree with everything said. what is said but that is ok. and you have interesting incite. I want to respond to all your questions that have come since my last question so I will try to respond to each individually. in reverse order.
Munni,
What I mean is; to me it seems that whenever Muhammad did something outside of what was then considered the law a "special" sura arises to justify his actions. I am sorry I can not remember the discussion/s I was following when I saw written, multiple times, "But he was the prophet so he must have known better".
bao bihari,
Well bao, thank you for refering to me as brother same to you. I must answer that in order that I could believe as such, Muhammad is prophet, I would have to answer these questions I ask in a manner such that would leave no doubt in my mind that he could be a prophet. Then as he would be prophet in my mind all else must fall in place, ie. everything in quran must be true. But... if these questions can not be answered in a manner such that I could believe with out a doubt that he were a prophet then the whole house crumbles and the book goes with it. I really hope this is not offensive to all of you. My intention is not to offend just seeking the truth.
Zakiahmed,
Ok, so Muslims believe that Muhammad is above the rest, got that. Can you show me where it is revealed that he will be above the rest. Ok maybe this isn't fair but I'm looking for other sources fortelling of his greatness and coming that lie outside of the quran because he was the human writer of the book. It would be very easy for me to state that I, in fact am God, and write books about my greatness. I think we can all agree that everyone would think I am nuts and you could all throw me in the loony bin:)(and I wuold help you) as it would be ludicrous for me to expect of you that my self proclaimed Godness should speak for itself, without do sign revealing my power. My simple book could not change water to blood, or allow me to fly. The only thing that would convince you that I am God is if I actually did something that showed you my "Godly" ability. So how does Muhammad get his greatness, is it proclaimed as such or does some other source (a sign from God, prophecy speaking of his coming) show his greatness?
Lajawab,
Maybe it would help me if you explained how Muslims define punish. I'm not sure I understand what would constitute punishment or who would be considered punished or should be punished according to the Muslim faith.
Again thank you all for your candid and open responses. I really hope I am not offending anyone, I am only seeking truth.
God bless,
Barry
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by lyrixforu: *
Munni,
What I mean is; to me it seems that whenever Muhammad did something outside of what was then considered the law a "special" sura arises to justify his actions. I am sorry I can not remember the discussion/s I was following when I saw written, multiple times, "But he was the prophet so he must have known better".
Barry
[/QUOTE]
Barry, I understand you feel that way, but as I stated, I need references to what you are saying. Once you provide them, then I will think your claim to have merit, until then I cannot. And I will give you an example of atleast one instance where what you state is an example of where this did not happen. Surah 80, beginning verses:
**(The Prophet SAW) frowned and turned away.
Because there came to him the blind man.
And how can you know that he might become pure (from sins)?
Or he might receive admonition, and the admonition might profit him?
As for him who thinks himself self-sufficient,
To him you attend;
What does it matter to you if he will not become pure (from disbelief: you are only a Messenger, your duty is to convey the Message of Allah).
But as to him who came to you running,
And is afraid (of Allah and His punishment).
Of him you are neglectful and divert your attention to another,
Nay, (do not do like this), indeed it (this Qur'an) is an admonition...**
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by lyrixforu: *
Greetings and thanks,
Ok, I think we need to get on the same page. We obviously do not have the same definitions of the words which we are using to discuss this topic.
I will give my definitions and you can give me yours.
Punish- Impose a penalty on. IE. Your mom doesn't let you go out for the evening because you didn't take out the trash.
Therefore according to the definition I have given for the word punish:
Against will of God--
Jonah did not go to warn the people when told to do so by God.
Punishment--
Swallowed by whale.
Against will of God--
Moses did not give God the credit when he hit the rock in the desert and brought forth water.
Punishment--
Not allowed into the promised land.
Did you get my question? How can disobeying a rule given by God/Allah be glorifying God. And yes the prophets are special but no they are not given special rules. I can not think of any others that were given special rules when they could not follow God's laws. As a matter of fact all the others were punished, according to the definition above. Please, if you can think of any, tell me.
Specifically why is it OK for Muhammad to take 7 wives at a time when he clearly states the law is 4?
Peace,
Barry
[/QUOTE]
let us get ourselves on the straight path first....
we, as muslims, dont think that any of the prophet went against the Will of God....
imagine the irony if prophets (the guides) themselves went astray!!!!
noetheless, Allah did warn them all to stick well to their duties....
He warned Muhammad too, as an example....
Quran 5:67
O Messenger! Make known that which hath been revealed unto thee from thy Lord, for if thou do it not, thou wilt not have conveyed His message....
but, being humans, like us, they too were sometimes driven by emotions and could not perform their duty to the level they shud....
Jonnah did not just plainly refuse to deliver the message....
he spent decades on them and left them when he lost all hope in them....
But the West has still to go a step forward to discover the greatest reality about Muhammad (PBUH) and that is his being the true and the last Prophet of God for the whole humanity. In spite of all its objectivity and enlightenment there has been no sincere and objective attempt by the West to understand the Prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH). It is so strange that very glowing tributes are paid to him for his integrity and achievement but his claim of being the Prophet of God has been rejected explicitly or implicitly. It is here that a searching of the heart is required, and a review of the so-called objectivity is needed. The following glaring facts from the life of Muhammad (PBUH) have been furnished to facilitate an unbiased, logical and objective decision regarding his Prophethood.
Up to the age of forty Muhammad (PBUH) was not known as a statesman, a preacher or an orator. He was never seen discussing the principles of metaphysics, ethics, law, politics, economics or sociology. No doubt he possessed an excellent character, charming manners and was highly cultured. Yet there was nothing so deeply striking and so radically extraordinary in him that would make men expect something great and revolutionary from him in the future. But when he came out of the Cave (HIRA) with a new message, he was completely transformed. "Is it possible for such a person of the above qualities to turn all of a sudden Van impostor and claimed to be the Prophet of Allah and invited all the rage of his people?" One might ask: "for what reason did he suffer all those hardships?" His people offered to accept him as their King and to lay all the riches of the land at his feet if only he would leave the preaching of his religion. But he refused their tempting offers and went on preaching his religion single-handedly in face of all kinds of insults, social boycott and even physical assault by his own people. "Was it not only God's support and his firm will to disseminate the message of Allah and his deep-rooted belief that ultimately Islam would emerge as the only way of life for the humanity, that he stood like a mountain in the face of all oppositions and conspiracies to eliminate him?". "Furthermore, had he come with a design of rivalry with the Christians and the Jews, why should he believed in Jesus Christ and Moses and other Prophets of God (peace be upon them), which is a basic requirement of faith without which no one could be a Muslim?"
"Is it a clear proof of his Prophethood, that in spite Of being unlettered and having led a very normal and quiet life for forty years, when he began preaching his message, all of Arabia stood in awe and wonder and was bewitched by his wonderful eloquence and oratory?". It was so matchless that the whole legion of Arab poets, preachers and orators of highest caliber's failed to bring forth its equivalent. "And above all, how could he then Pronounced proof of scientific truths contained in the Qur'an that no other human?being could possibly have acquired at that time?".
Last, but not the least, why did he lead a hard life even after gaining power and authority? Just ponder over the words he uttered while dying: "We the community of the Prophets are not inherited. Whatever we leave is for charity".
As a matter of fact, Muhammad (PBUH) is the last link of Prophets sent in different lands and times since the beginning of the human fife on earth.
If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislation's, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the then inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and souls his forbearance in victory, his ambition, which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no manner striving for an empire; his endless prayers, his mystic conversations with God, his death and his triumph after death; all these attest not to an impostor but to a firm conviction which gave him the power to restore a dogma. This dogma was twofold, the unity of God and the immateriality of God; the former telling what God is, the latter telling what God is not; the one overthrowing false gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with the words.
Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?
Lamartine, Histoire de la Turqtfie, Paris 1854.
Vol. H, pp. 276-77.
It is not the propagation but the permanency of his religion that deserves our wonder; the same pure and perfect impression which he engraved at Mecca and Medina is preserved, after the revolutions of twelve centuries by the Indian, the African and the Turkish proselytes of the Koran... The Mohammedans have uniformly withstood the temptation of reducing the object of their faith and devotion to a level with the senses and imaginations of man. 'I believe in One God and Mohammed the Apostle of God', is the simple and invariable profession of Islam. The intellectual image of the Deity has never been degraded by any visible idol; the honors of the prophet have never transgressed the measure of human virtue; and his living precepts have restrained the gratitude of his disciples within the bounds of reason and religion.
Edward Gibbon and Simon Ocklay,
History of the Saracen Empire,
London 1870, p. 54.
He was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without Pope's pretensions, Caesar without the legions of Caesar: without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a palace, without affixed revenue; if ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by the right divine, it was Muhammad, for he had all the power without its instruments and without its supports.
Bosworth Smith, Mohammad and Mohammadanism,
London 1874, p. 92.
It is impossible for anyone who studies the life and character of the great Prophet of Arabia, who knows how he taught and how he lived, to feel anything but reverence for that mighty Prophet, one of the great messengers of the Supreme. And although in What I put to you I shall say many things which may be familiar to many, yet I myself feel whenever I re-read them, a new way of admiration, a new sense of reverence for that mighty Arabian teacher.
Annie Besant, The life and Teachings of Muhammad,
Madras 1932,p.4.
His readiness to undergo persecutions for his beliefs, the high moral character of the men who believed in him and looked up to him as leader, and the greatness of his ultimate achievement all argue his fundamental integrity. To suppose Muhammad an impostor raises more problems than it solves. Moreover, none of the great figures of history is so poorly appreciated in the West as Muhammad.
W. Montgomery, Mohammad at Mecca,
Oxford, 1953, p. 52.
Muhammad, the inspired man who founded Islam, was born about A. D. 570 into an Arabian tribe that worshipped idols. Orphaned at birth, he was always particularly solicitous of the poor and needy, the widow and the orphan, the slave and the downtrodden. At twenty he was already a successful businessman, and soon became director of camel caravans for a wealthy widow. When he reached twenty?five his employer, recognizing his merit, proposed marriage. Even though she was fifteen years older, he married her, and as long as she lived remained a devoted husband.
Like almost every Major Prophets before him, Muhammad fought shy of serving as the, transmitter Of God's word, sensing his own inadequacy. But the angel commanded 'Read'. So far as we know, Muhammad was unable to read or write, but he began to dictate those inspired words which would soon revolutionize a large segment of the earth; "There is one God".
In all things Muhammad was profoundly practical. When his beloved son Ibrahim died, an eclipse occurred, and rumors of God's personal condolence quickly arose. Whereupon Muhammad is said to have announced, 'An eclipse is a phenomenon of nature. It is foolish to attribute such things to the death or birth of a human being'.
At Muhammad's own death an attempt was made to deify him, but the man who was to become his administrative successor killed the hysteria with one of the noblest speeches in religious history: 'If there are any among you who worshipped Muhammad, he is dead. But if it is God you worshipped, He lives forever.'
James A. Michener, 'Islam the Misunderstood Religion'. In the Reader's Digest (American Edition) for may, 1955,pp. 68-70.
My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular level.
Michael H. Hart, The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History,
New York: Hart Publishing Company, Inc. 1987, p.33.