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".
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.
In sura najm 53:1 the oath sworn by the setting star comes in the context of accusations that Muhammad was either deluded and wilfully went astray, or was mislead against his will. But just as the setting of the star and dawning of the day signals the end of darkness where one was justified in his conjectures and guesses concerning the surrounding realities that were shrouded from clear view, the same is the case of Muhammad whose life and personality isnt hidden in darkness to any of his addressees. His character and history is manifest like the bright dawn.
He is
"your companion"
an often repeated phrase 7:184,34:46,81:22 to stress how well known and familiar to them he was. None can justifiably conjecture and question his sanity, sagacity, righteousness and honesty -all of which were known qualities of his- by accusing him of willfuly walking into the ways of crookedness and sin or unwillingly dragged into an evidently false path in ignorance of the right way. Among the well known incidents even deep into his prophethood years, where his enemies themselves could not deny his sincerity, is when Abu Sufyan was summoned by Heraclius to be questioned regarding the prophet, he recalled
"Heraclius said, "Bring him (Abu Sufyan) close to me and make his companions stand behind him." Abu Sufyan added, Heraclius told his translator to tell my companions that he wanted to put some questions to me regarding that man (The Prophet) and that if I told a lie they (my companions) should contradict me." Abu Sufyan added, "By Allah! Had I not been afraid of my companions labeling me a liar, I would not have spoken the truth about the Prophet".
A similar oath is sworn in 81:15-26 testifying to the divine source of this revelation. It is part of a spiritual system as clear as the natural system is. Just as the oath by the appearing stars, the departing night and the first light of day symbolize the bringing to light of that natural system, Similarly the Quran through its rightly guiding qualities, brings to light the fact that it cannot be the word of an evil entity
"Most surely it is the Word of an honoured messenger...Nor is it the word of the cursed Shaitan.."
Elsewhere an oath is sworn by the positions of the stars 56:75-81 that bring physical guidance to the night traveller like the Quran brings spiritual guidance, with the oath implying that just as the celestial system is stable, consistent, harmonious despite the apparent scatterring of the stars and cosmic bodies, the same is the case of this Quran who is firm and consistent, free from any discrepancies despite the scattering of its verses revealed over a long period of time.
The oath comes also in a context of refuting the accusations of sorcery levelled against this revelation, and it being the inspiration of evil spirits, for just as the guidance provided by the wonderful celestial system cannot be the product of an evil entity so is this glorious Quran and its spiritual guidance far from being the inspiration of evil ones
56:77-80"a honoured Quran, in a book that is protected, none shall touch it save the purified ones, a revelation by the Lord of the worlds"26:210-12"And the Shaitans have not come down with it. And it behoves them not, and they have not the power to do (it). Most surely they are far removed from the hearing of it".
But this vilification campaign only attracted more curiosity and eventual conversions, considering the compelling logic and beauty of the Quran as well as the outstanding personality of the message bearer.
The same is the case with today's Islamophobic industry, which is actually serving Islam much more than harming it. Except for the few who have made up their minds about Islam being false and evil, people very rarely take for granted the naive depictions and superficial analysis of the critics of Islam present in the media. Anybody can sense that the claims rarely scratch 1% of a topic, before drawing their hasty conclusions. This leads people to want to know more about Islam, both Muslims and non-Muslims and the more they dig the more they understand that things are certainly not what these malicious and deceitful critics want to convey. Similarly in the prophet Muhammad's time, people came from Yemen inquiring about the news of a prophet who had risen in Mecca, and after secretly accepting Islam, would go back to work among their tribes. The clan of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari in Yemen accepted Islam in this manner.
These were moments where only the strongest in faith and the most sincere could bare, in the face of public persecution and humiliation. None of his followers sought wealth or reputation, power or sovereignty. Rather, they were seekers after the truth and believers therein.
The Prophet himself had grown accustomed to a barrage of assault whenever he passed through a particular route. Thorns were strewn in his way, dirt and filth were thrown at him while he was engaged in prayers, and street urchins were incited to follow him, shouting and clapping their hands in derision 41:26. Facing this relentless persecution, the followers of the new faith who had to abandon their hearts and homes would sometimes, out of desperation ask the prophet to invoke Allah's curse on his ennemies
"People have gone by who were sawn and torn to pieces in the cause of God, but they did not desist from their duties. God will accomplish His plan till a rider will go from Sinai to Hadramaut fearing none except God".
History now bears witness to the realization of this prophecy.
The Quran also refers to the other prophetic revelations of the unseen granted to Muhammad, such as the good news that
24:55"God has promised those who have believed among you and done righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession [to authority] upon the earth just as He granted it to those before them and that He will surely establish [therein] their religion which He has preferred for them and that He will surely substitute for them, after their fear, security, [for] they worship Me, not associating anything with Me. But whoever disbelieves after that - then those are the defiantly disobedient".
Muhammad communicated this prophetic vision, along with the fact his enemies will try expelling him along with his followers. In no uncertain terms he publicly proclaimed that these people will be uprooted from the land they had full dominion over, as happened to nations of rejecters much more powerful than them before 17:103. These statements were made at a time when he and his followers were severely oppressed and brutalized in Mecca, when none could have hoped for such an outcome to be true
6:4-6,16:1,20:133-5,21:18,37-46,109,38:11-17,17:76-7"And surely they purposed to unsettle you from the land that they might expel you from it, and in that case they will not tarry behind you but a little. (This is Our) course with regard to those of Our messengers whom We sent before you, and you shall not find a change in Our course".
Those who fled their homes in utter helplessness, fearing for their lives but unwilling to remain in a spiritually oppressive environement, were promised a great future in this very life 16:41 notwithstanding the hard struggle of a powerful nation, united in its determination to exterminate them 24:55. These were not the words of a human being which had all the chances of not coming true. They were the words of God which were spoken by His messenger at a time when the disbelievers were convinced that time itself would prove the prophet wrong and defeat his purpose, that his teachings were false or at best, a delusion 52:30.
These prophecies were made very early on, leading some among the early Muslims to doubt their verracity in the face of adversity
33:12"Allah and His Messenger did not promise us (victory) but only to deceive".
The firm in faith on the other hand recognized in the massive forces gathered to exterminate them, the beginning of the fulfilment of prophecies made long before
38:11,54:45,33:22"And when the believers saw the allies, they said: This is what Allah and His Messenger promised us, and Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth; and it only increased them in faith and submission".
The Quran addressed the prophet in no uncertain terms, telling him in a prophecy that this city of Mecca ruled by a powerful people who had just expelled him and his followers from it 47:13,50:36 will become the centre to which men will come for pilgrimage and for the devotion of the One God 22:25-7. He and his followers will see the realisation of that prophecy in their lifetime. That powerful nation will be uprooted and cut off from God's mercy although the current state of affairs was indicative of the contrary, that the opponents will instead succeed in cutting him off 108:3. Prophecies continued coming speaking of their abasement as the rejecters in the nations of old were abased 58:5 while the Believers are exalted 47:1-5,54:45-6 and bound to be victorious 47:35. The prophet is told that such an outcome will be witnessed in his lifetime, with the entering of the people like waves upon waves into the religion 110:1-3.
And above that, Muhammad is told that despite these calumnies he will be dignified 94:4.
The elevation of the prophet's remembrance besides having initiated in his own life is an ongoing, virtually unceasing exponential worldwide phenomenon. It occurs when the time of adhan followed by one of the timed prayers arrives, and does so continuously a few minutes later in a close-by location and by a certain point, the cycle starts again for another prayer at the origin.
Another interesting observation is that whenever God addresses him personally, he is called by his function of messenger (besides 2 occasions where he is called by his condition 73:1,74:1) and the very few times his name is mentioned, it follows by describing his function. Other prophets weren't exalted in such a way, when God addresses them, He does so by their personal names.
These slanders were not reserved for Muhammad, in fact all the messengers and prophets were equally made targets of such afflictions and misfortunes from their own people
2:102,6:10,33-36,22:41-5,23:23-6,44,35:4,38:14,61:5-6,41:43"Naught is said to you but what was said indeed to the messengers before you; surely your Lord is the Lord of forgiveness and the Lord of painful retribution"
51:52-53"Thus there did not come to those before them a messenger but they said: A magician or a mad man. Have they charged each other with this? Nay! they are an inordinate people"35:4"And if they call you a liar, truly messengers before you were called liars, and to Allah are all affairs returned".
See also 5:110 or in the NT in Jn7:5,20,Jn8:52,Mk3:21,Matt12:22-29 for Jesus and the HB for Jeremiah, Isaiah or Moses in Jer1:19,12:6,20:1-4,37:18,38:4-6,Isa30:11,2Chr36:15-16.
It is in the face of such calumnies, by his own people, that Jesus made the thoughful statement
Matt13:57"A prophet is not without honour except in his home town and his own house".
A slight nuance however between Muhammad and Jesus is that while Jesus was opposed by his closest relatives, Muhammad was first and foremost recognized and accepted by his own bosom friends and people of his household. They knew him intimately and would have detected the inconsistent actions and thoughts of a deceiver abroad and at home. This is strongly corroborative of his sincerity. Jesus on the other hand was rejected in his hometown and by his family, despite his own parents knowing of the wonderful circumstances of his birth and childhood! His own mother, who gave birth to him miraculously, and his brothers James and Jude even thought he had gone mad Mk3.
11:120"And all we relate to you of the accounts of the messengers is to strengthen your heart therewith; and in this has come to you the truth and an admonition, and a reminder to the believers"
The Quran would often parallel the prophet Muhammad's interaction with his people, with the way prophets and messengers of old were treated. They all preached Divine Unity, laid stress on the doing of good, yet every messenger was received with severe opposition, accused of madness, demon possession, lies, magic or witchcraft yet they ultimately succeeded in establishing the truth.
In such context of grievous calumnies, the prophet is told to answer his opponents according to the principle that none bears another person's burdens of sins, that if their accusations of going astray were true, then the burden of his sin is on him alone, none will have to carry that burden 34:50. The Quran often reiterates the principle that sin destroys oneself primarily even though it may also impact others. The histories of the prophets relating the destruction of their opponents and the succor of the righteous, and their allusion to the ultimate triumph of Muhammad are contained chiefly in Meccan revelations, when the Prophet's opponents were at the zenith of their power, and the cause of Islam was to all appearances hopeless
21:9-11"Then We made Our promise good to them, so We delivered them and those whom We pleased, and We destroyed the transgressors. Certainly We have revealed to you a Book in which is your good remembrance; what! do you not then understand? And how many a town which was iniquitous did We demolish, and We raised up after it another people!"
The Quran in this period warned them all, from the most violent rejecters to the moral harassers and scoffers that ultimate destruction will befall them in this world, in a totally unexpected manner while they are heedless and deeply inebriated with their worldly successes 68:7-33, as was done with the prophets of old
21:41"And certainly messengers before you were scoffed at, then there befell those of them who scoffed that at which they had scoffed"37:171-9"Now, they will soon come to know (the consequences of this attitude). We have already promised Our servants whom We sent that they would certainly be helped, and Our army alone would be triumphant. Therefore, O Prophet, leave them for a while to themselves and watch (them); soon they will see it for themselves. Are they clamoring for our torment? The day when it descends in their courtyards, will be a dreadful day for those who have been warned. So leave them alone for a while and watch; soon they will themselves see".
See also 41:13-14.
The most interesting parallel the Quran draws between the prophet Muhammad and a prophet of old, is in Sura Yusuf where the prophet Muhammad is promised future mastership over his oppressors and brothers as was the case with Joseph, as well as his magnanimity towards them once submitted
12:7"Certainly in Yusuf and his brothers there are signs for the inquirers".
See also Genesis37.
The Quran also prophetically alluded to the prophet Muhammad's imminent and inevitable victory over the Quraysh, through the example of Moses whose situation was much harsher than his, coming from an enslaved and shackled nation, accused of murder, and having to face Pharao who was the leader of a powerful nation without any comparison with the Quraysh. Yet Pharaoh could not do any harm to Moses and ultimately perished in the conflict so how could the Quraysh be expected to succeed?
42:52"And thus did We reveal to you an inspired book by Our command. You did not know what the Book was, nor (what) the faith (was), but We made it a light, guiding thereby whom We please of Our servants; and most surely you show the way to the right path"46:8-9"Say: If I have forged it, you do not control anything for me from Allah; He knows best what you utter concerning it; He is enough as a witness between me and you, and He is the Forgiving, the Merciful. I am not the first of the messengers, and I do not know what will be done with me or with you: I do not follow anything but that which is revealed to me, and I am nothing but a plain warner"
He, as well as the Believers of all times, should therefore not be worried about the apparent success of the followers of falsehood in this life, for in a universe created with an inner Truth and for an appointed term 30:8, by Allah who is Truth in essence 22:6,62 falsehood cannot survive and is bound to perish as happened to the past sinful nations 3:196-7,15:80-5,21:16-8,17:81,20:129. That is the underlying wisdom behind the oath in 89:1-5, with the dawn of day signaling a great change; the removal of darkness and the appearance of a new world. The oath is taken to the darkness which moves to the light; a moving darkness, not a stationary one. Darkness is frightening when it becomes fixed and immobile, but when there is movement unto the light, it becomes valuable. That same image is used in ancient scriptures, for instance when the prophet Hosea spoke thus
Hos6:3"let us know, let us strive to know the Lord: like the dawn whose going forth is sure, and He will come to us like rain, like the latter rain which satisfies the earth".
The moral system follows a similar pattern where the darkness of falsehood ultimately disappears. That system may manifest itself in this world as in the days of the prophets but its true reality will be unveiled on the day of Judgement. In the above Quranic oath, the night is symbolized by this very world whose darkness has enshrouded the dawn of the Day of Judgement where justice will reach its ultimate form and all people that ever roamed this world will be gathered at once, because those who were destroyed on account of their corruption and transgression were preceded by others who paved the way for falsehood and were not at all held accountable in this life, and neither did they suffer the consequence of their misdeeds. Just as the ten nights in which the transformations in the moon are very prominent 89:2, this world also is gradually moving to its destination which is the Day of Judgement, and this will be exactly according to the time-table which the Almighty has ordained for it. This transformation of the moon, one of the signs the people are told to often ponder upon as a symbol of the perpetual change pervading in our universe 36:39,84:18-19 bears evidence that the Almighty has prescribed a gradual course for the appearance for all His signs and manifestations.
During that process the prophet will remain protected by Allah and His angels
54:9-14,52:48"you are before Our eyes"
just as Noah and his group of followers were safeguarded from their enemies
11:39,23:27"before Our eyes"
during the tiedous and lengthy project of constructing the ship.
And the believers, Muhammad's followers, through whom Allah will bring about His punishment as He did in the days of Moses will be spared this doom 23:93-5,67:28 as the followers of the previous prophets such as Nuh, Hud, Salih, Lut, Shuayb whose nations were destroyed including their family members when they belonged to the disbelievers, except the righteous
11:40,58,66,81,94,117,30:47,41:17-8,12:110"Until when the messengers despaired and the people became sure that they were indeed told a lie, Our help came to them and whom We pleased was delivered; and Our punishment is not averted from the guilty people".
The Quran ascertains that whether the prophet is made to see the promised punishment of his nation or not, their requital will inevitably come
13:40-2,36:26-32,40:77,43:42 because 40:51,58:21"Allah has written down: I will most certainly prevail, I and My messengers; surely Allah is Strong, Mighty".
Most of these announcements came at the time when the Muslims were being driven away from Mecca and when it seemed the city lost every chance of becoming a Muslim centre, and when the Muslims themselves were in danger of being entirely destroyed
32:28-30"And they say: When will this judgment take place, If you are truthful? Say: On the day of judgment the faith of those who (now) disbelieve will not profit them, nor will they be respited. Therefore turn away from them and wait, surely they too are waiting".
The prophecy is announced in the most forcible words that Islam will spread to all countries of the world, and Mecca will become the universal centre to which pilgrims from all nations will resort.
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