Misconceptions About Muhammad (pbuh) Clarified- 1

His Personality

Muhammad (pbuh) the prophet of Allah (SWT) - God Almighty, one of the most illustrious

and noble reformer to walk on the face of this planet was an elite personality, a righteous

warrior, an emancipator, a political icon and a loyal friend all in one. His work and ideology

with the aid of God Almighty had brought about such a phenomenal revolution, which had

dawned in the Arabian peninsula, to spread its light far and wide across the globe, never to be

witnessed by the world, something of the like.

As all great men have had their lives haunted by dark episodes, partly fate and partly by

unconvinced audience. Muhammad’s (pbuh) path met more hindrances from unfair and biased

critics than, probably anyone else of similar stature, in history. If one where to look into his life

with a fair eye, one would have no other alternative but to conclude that he was a righteous man,

a man chosen by God to guide all humanity.

Muhammad(pbuh) in pre-Islamic times

He was known for his honesty, sincerity, truthfulness and noble character. He was also known as

a humble person, one who kept the bond of kinship strong. He was not a liar.1 Though nobility

was bestowed on him from birth, he continued to live a life contrary to that of fellowmen, even

before he attained prophet hood. His people where a nomadic lot, indulging in idolatry ,

female infanticide, and tribalism in the Arabian peninsula. Muhammad(pbuh) was met with strife

and vehement disregard when He told his people that he was the messenger of Allah(SWT) and

that God Almighty was the only true god to be worshipped and worship of idols was the worst

sin any human being could do. One of the primary reason for the Arabs of Makah to reject his

message was their dislike of his teachings. His people put forward allegations towards him in

order to support their claim of invalidity of his message. They said he was mad man ,a liar, a

deluded person, a sorcerer or magician etc(May Allah forbade). An important point to be noted

here is that the very same people who put forward these allegations complained nothing of the

like before he attained prophet hood. On the contrary, he was called ‘As Amin’ and ‘As-Sadiq’

or the trustworthy and the truthful by the very same people. Let us analyze how one by one these

claims inherently prove themselves to be false.

1.’Muhammad :Life Based on Earliest Resources’ by Martin Lings Pg 34

Was he a liar?

A number of incidents showed that this claims was untrue. Muhammad(pbuh) did not lie

about the revelation of Quran from God, neither did he lie regarding its details. 1The

Surah (chapter)111:1-5 says that one of his staunch enemies Abu Lahab will perish in

hell-fire, implying that he will never accept the faith of Allah(SWT).The surah(chapter)

was revealed during the lifetime of Abu Lahab, and he lived about ten years or so after

its revelation. If Muhammad (pbuh) had any dishonesty in him or his message he would

not dare put himself to this challenge. It was so easy for Abu Lahab to prove

Muhammad(pbuh) a liar, all he had to do is to verbally testify this faith and the Quran as

well as Muhammad(pbuh) prophet hood would be proved wrong. The pagans entrusted

him with left their valuables and he never once betrayed their trust. This is one of the few

incidents in which he is proved innocent of such allegations. Moreover if lies is what he

was preaching, then definitely his teachings would contradict clearly, he would waver

and stumble somewhere loosing integrity and changing on his own words. A liar

usually tries to put forward more hoaxes as he sees people responding to his call. A self

proclaimed false prophet would , after attracting enough crowd, would start proclaiming

divinity and demand the right to worship.2 As has happened with false prophets, who

have forced their own ‘religion’ by means of physical torture. This was not the message

of Muhammad(pbuh) at any point of his mission he didn’t even claim to posses

knowledge of the unseen except what God had revealed to Him.4

1. http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/168/

.2 Surah As Saad 38:65

Say (unto them, O Muhammad): I am only a warner, and there is no God save Allah, the One, the

Absolute,

Sura 39 - Az-Zumar (MAKKA) : Verse 13

Say (O Muhammad SAW): "Verily, if I disobey my Lord, I am afraid of the torment of a great Day."

3. Musailimah The Liar page 477 from ‘The Biography of Abu Bakr As siddeeq’

By Ali Muhmmad Muhammad Assallaabee

4.. The Noble Quran Surah At Takwir chapter 81:24

.‘And he (Muhammad (SAW)) withholds not a knowledge of the unseen’.

Was he deluded?

Some critics, mostly of recent times, have the concept that Muhammad(pbuh) was of

good conduct and was honest, but was deluded or just considered himself to be a

prophet, mentally unfit and began imagining himself to be a messenger. The revelation

given to him contains about a thousand or so verses or ayahs which speak about science,

not a single one of these verses have anything contradicting established science. An

illiterate person fourteen hundred years ago could have never spoken about such

scientific facts established only recently.1Non- Muslim scientists as well as professors of

different scientific disciplines have accepted their faith as Islam after witnessing

scientific facts spoken in the Quran2.

Moreover his lifetime incidents preceding prophet

hood never indicated any signs of illness or mental malfunction at all. A lunatic would

not continue in such a noble and daring endeavor as Muhammad (pbuh) did for twenty -

three years. His successors in caliphate (never in prophet hood) and his companions were

noble tradesmen, renowned poets, warriors and men of intellect, if Muhammad (pbuh)

was mentally unfit they would never have laid down their lives, forsaken their family and

wealth for his message.

It is illogical for a man to be a liar and a deluded person at the same time. If he was a liar and

claimed prophet hood, it surely means that his intention was deceit towards humanity in order to

posses wealth and fame, this was not the case with Muhammad(pbuh).When the pagans asked

him to shun his preaching in return for kingship of all Arabia, possession of wealth and power,

he a humble messenger gave the reply ‘if they were to place the sun in my right hand and the

moon in my left, I would still not give up preaching my message.’ A treacherous man would not

go ahead and preach morality and worship of one god nor would he be able to resort people to

good if himself failed to live his preaching. When we say a man is deluded or has visions, it

means he is not deceitful but just mentally unfit or suffering from some kind of disorder. A

man claiming to be a prophet can be either one of these or none of these that is the case when he

is truthful and really is a prophet, he can never be both in one.

1. http://www.islamreligion.com/category/33/

2.http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/118/

http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/219/

Was he a poet or a sorcerer or magician?

From his biography we come to know that Muhammad(pbuh) was illiterate and did not have any

schooling or learning all through his life ,for a person to be a poet, he not only should master the

language but also the field of poetry. The renowned Arabian poet Tufail bin Amr Ad Dausi had

clearly acknowledged the difference between ordinary poetry, the work of man and the divine

nature of what Muhammad’s(pbuh) message1. He embraced Islam upon hearing the Qur’anic

verses after being convinced that these are indeed God’s revelation. His conversion to Islam is a

testimony of recognition that Muhammad(pbuh)’s message revealed to him was no poetry and he

was not a poet. Quran did not confirm to any rules of poetry or did not resemble anything like it.

It was distinct in its eloquence and guidance, thereby being unmatched to any literature.

Muhammad (pbuh) is also acquitted of the accusation of being a sorcerer similarly. He preached

and was emphatic against sorcery and other such evils. History has it evidence that he never

indulged in learning, teaching or even speaking in favor of sorcery. On one occasion, an spell

was cast upon on Muhammad(pbuh) and as a consequence he suffered illness. He was only

informed of this by revelation and he could not recognize it nor did he practice a sorcery to

counter it. This clearly show that he was not a sorcerer.

1. http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/SM_tsn/ch3s1.html

[Ibn Hisham 1/385; Mukhtasar Seerat Ar-Rasool p.144]

2.http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=833&Itemid=169

His character

Was he a womanizer?

The most common sinister of all criticism Muhammad’s(pbuh) personality faces is the claim

by the monogamous societies, that he was a womanizer as he had multiple wives.

Muhammad (pbuh) is further attacked by some modern day critics for marrying young

women. Polygamy at the time of Muhammad (pbuh) was well accepted and not at all

considered a taboo. In order to prove these claims, they have to point out at least a single ill

character that is evil to society as a whole at all times. Indecency or lewdness can be only

attributed to contact to women outside marriage, abuse within marriage or act of treason

within marriage. Muhammad(pbuh) as certified by historians had nothing of the sort. Judeo-

Christian fundamentalists claim that Muhammad(pbuh) was of ill-character for marrying

more than one wife1. As opposed to today, polygamy was well-accepted in the time of

Muhammad(pbuh it was also a norm in the early Jewish societies and neither the Bible nor

did Jesus(pbuh) speak a word against polygamy. Islam allows a Muslim man to marry a

multitude of wives not more than four at once. Muhammad(pbuh) was not allowed to take

more wives when this verse was revealed and he, like the other Muslims and companions

did could not simply divorce these wives because they were honored by the title ’Mother of

the believers’ meaning they could never stay in marriage with anyone else other than

Muhammad(pbuh).Muhammad(pbuh) married at the age of 25 to a woman quite older to

himself, Khadeejah (may Allah be pleased with her) of forty. A man of lust would commit

nudity, or at least marry a multitude of women when young, instead Muhammad(pbuh)

chose to marry women to provide them social security, to bind disputing tribes in

friendship, to honor his devout and steadfast disciples and to rescue the bereft widows from

their misery.

The Modern day Judeo-Christian fundamentalists are emphatic against polygamy, reasoning

that it is a practice of injustice, the practice of immoral societies. Polygamy is a solution to

problems of humanity as it provides the growing number of female population a bond of

security through marriage. The West fails to realize that the female count in America alone is 7

million females more than males, 5 million more in UK alone and around 9 million more in Russia.

More men die as a consequence of war, alcoholism and drug abuse as compared to women, leaving

them in misery and in a state of vulnerability to social injustice. Polygamy not only protects women

but also channelizes a means of secure sexual relationship, thereby preventing illicit sex and spread

of STDs.2 Islam urges men to marry chaste women rather than indulging in illicit sex or marrying

prostitutes and as consequence spreading STD’s3.

1.http://lastisland.wordpress.com/2007/09/26/why-did-prophet-muhammad-pbuh-have-eleven-

wives/

2. http://www.avert.org/women-hiv-aids.htm

3.‘Although women are often perceived to be at low risk of HIV infection because it is not common to

have more than one lifetime sexual partner, a great number of women are put at risk of HIV infection as a

result of their husbands having unprotected sex outside of marriage or injecting drugs. It has been

estimated that 90% of women living with HIV in Asia were infected by their husband or long-term partner.20’

(AIDS and HIV information form Avert.org)