Acts17apologetics immitate the ancients; calumnies against Muhammad? The amazing trajectory of the prophet.

In answer to the video "Muhammad: The Suicidal Messenger (David Wood)"

A few centuries ago in Europe and especially from the time of the crusades, much malicious language was outpoured upon the noble personality of the prophet Muhammad by "holy spirit" inspired Christians. For example Maometis derived from Mahomet and means "The number of the beast", and the prophet's year of death supposedly was the year 666. Other nicknames imagined and given to him in the middle ages, in reference to a pagan god were Mahoun and Mahound. In Scottish it means the devil. There were also the charges, some of them still repeated, of child molesting, keeper of harem and an anti-Christ.

These calmunies of later times pale in comparison to the injurious talk of his contemporaries and their effects on him and those with him. In reality however they were only disgraceful to those that issued them, were not grounded in any objective reality and were self contradictory. For example during the pre-hijra period and for more than 10 years the Meccan pagans kept stirring up anyone they could against Muhammad and his followers by saying everywhere he was a magician, a sorcerer, a madman, a forger, a poet or bewitched or even demon possessed individual. They simply had no definite opinion in the matter.

These contradicting charges only revealed their own confused state for they called him by one epithet one day, then changed it to another the second day as they themselves felt that it did not fit his personality and actions. To this the Quran answered

51:52-56"..no apostle came to the Peoples before them, but they said (of him) in like manner, "A sorcerer, or one possessed" Is this the legacy they have transmitted, one to another? Nay, they are themselves a people transgressing beyond bounds. So turn away from them: not thine is the blame. But teach (thy Message) for teaching benefits the Believers. I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me".

As Ezekiel was told at the beginning of his prophetic call

Ezek2:6-7"And you, son of man, fear them not, and fear not their words, for they are obstinate and thorny with you, and you sit on eglantines; fear not their words, neither be dismayed by them, for they are a rebellious house. And you shall speak My words to them; whether they listen or they forbear, for they are rebellious".

Throughout time, the opponents of these prophets, because of their incapacity at denying the forceful arguments presented, reckoned that the only way in which they could tone down their ever increasing influence on the masses was to besmear their character and integrity

Ezek21:5"O Lord God, they say of me, 'Is he not an inventor of parables?".

Among their attacks, they would twist their prophecies publicly and deride the revelations

Ezek33:30-31"the members of your people who talk about you beside the walls and in the entrances of the houses..And they will come to you as a public gathering, and they will sit before you as My people, and they will hear your words but not fulfill them; instead they make them into jokes with their mouth; their heart goes after their gain".

These talks did cause them grief and sorrow however they were relieved knowing that God is their witness and, along with the angels, constantly showers them with blessings.

God would console his messenger, just as was done with his predecessors, those sent with an undeniable manifestation of the Truth, that they will be protected. Just as Jesus and Ibrahim were preserved from any harm and humiliation when seized by their opponents 5:110,21:68-71,29:24,37:97-8, Muhammad was rescued from the harm and the constant plotting of his enemies 5:67,8:30,33:37 like Salih before him 27:47-53. Allah promised Moses and his brother Aaron, reassuring them prior to their encounter with the greatest tyrant of the earth 

40:45,28:35"We will strengthen your arm through your brother and grant you both supremacy so they will not reach you. [It will be] through Our signs; you and those who follow you will be the predominant". 

All of them were raised and honoured, and their opponents brought low when the promised divine chastisement came to fruition. See similar passages in the HB Isa49:2,Jer11:18-23,15:20-21,20:11. An important thing to note is that truth ultimately prevails and the will of God established. Believers are eventually made to prevail over the oppressors and disbelievers. This might happen in their lifetime or in the hereafter, in or outside the time of a prophet. The Quran has enshrined this principle in sura Buruj, as it begins by relating the story of those martyred for their faith in God in a pit of fire, and then follows with the destroyed nations to whom prophets were sent. Allah assures us that He does what He intends, and that what matters is the grand scheme of things in which His will reigns supreme 

85:1-16"Indeed, the vengeance of your Lord is severe".

The denial and various accusations of Muhammad's contemporaries were not based on any conviction, rather their minds were vacilliating between on one hand, their selfish motives, interests, prejudices and blind attachement to their ancient ways that were being threatened by the calls for spiritual and moral reform, and on the other, the inevitable inclination of their hearts to admit to the Quran's uniqueness, alien to what any poet ever came up with.

Neither can madness create such a thing, nor can devils come to teach God-worship, piety and righteousness to the people.

Likewise when they called him a liar, they also had to struggle with their former opinions of uprightness and trustworthiness they had formed about him until he began preaching what they disliked

41:45"and most surely they are in a disquieting doubt about it".

When they accused him of fabricating it, they contradicted themselves on another count because they could not but admit it cannot be his word; and their calling it magic is by itself an express proof that they regard it as an extraordinary word, which cannot be of human composition 46:7. They belittled the message on one hand as being inconsequential to them, yet confessed that

25:41-2"he had well-nigh led us astray from our gods had we not adhered to them patiently!"

Eventually they could not but hope that time would ultimately prove his teachings wrong or delusional 52:30 as happens eventually to all falsehood. When that didnt happen they decided that nothing would prevent the spread of Islam other than to confront it on the battlfield. And when this too did not happen, most of them couldnt deny what their hearts knew all along, that this is the truth from their Lord.