Sam Shamoun "Muhammad’s Family In Hell: How Allah Dishonored his “Prophet”" (4)

Sam Shamoun "Muhammad’s Family In Hell: How Allah Dishonored his “Prophet”" (4)

In the Quran gratitude towards parents, that is described as one of the best human deeds 46:15 because of them being instrumental in one's coming to life, is linked to man's gratitude towards God 31:14,17:23-24 who is the ultimate cause and source of all existence. 

They must be honored and shown humility as likewise stated in the HB in Prov23:22. They must in addition be included in one's prayers even after their passing away 

"My Lord, have compassion on them, as they brought me up (when I was) little". 

This is a religious etiquette that benefits the person and society at large, by cementing the principle of goodness and honoring towards one's parents, event if they are not necessarily deserving of God's mercy. 

As well, they are to be assisted throughout their life and in their old days as a token of appreciation, without ever showing them disdain 

17:25"Your Lord knows best what is in your minds, if you are good then He is surely Forgiving to those who turn to Him frequently". 

The Quran integrates that pragmatic observation within the passage because it may be that a person impulsively says or does something hurtful to his parents. So long as one's core and habit is goodness and piety, then God may forgive such an unintented outburst. It is worthwhile noting that the verse eloquently omits to explicitly mention such a behavior, indicating that it isnt even befitting to speak of it, much less perform it. Together with the rest of the close family, a believer must pay special attention to their spirituality, reminding them of the prayers and the necessity of steadfastness on the straight path 20:132. 

They must be obeyed, not according to their own standards, but according to God's whose limits are that they or any other relatives should not associate others with Allah or incite into sin. Even in such cases however the Quran speaks of the believers' duty to deal with love, kindness and forgiveness with the closest family members, even if they reject Islam in peace, without actively contending and opposing the religion. While dealing kindly with them, the believers must remain firm in their religion 29:8,31:14-15,64:14.

However as logically stated in 58:22, none can be a true believer while at the same time having a close affectionnate and friendly relation with anyone actively fighting God's cause. As David says in his Psalms

Psalms119:104-5,139:21-22"From Your precepts I shall gain understanding; therefore, I hate all ways of falsehood. Your words are a lamp for my foot, and light for my path...Did I not hate Your enemies, O Lord? With those who rise up against You, I quarrel. I hate them with utmost hatred; they have become my enemies". 

Aversion towards everything false and sinful as well as severing of ties with all sources of wickedness is the natural outcome of the acceptance of the straight path and pursuit of the Truth. The prophets of the HB often repeated that reality, as well as Jesus in the NT Matt10:34-7,15:4-6,19:17-19. Family bonds, though sacred, can never take precedence over God's requirements. And when the case is such concerning the most sacred of human bonds, then how much more is it true when it comes to other relations and wordly interests towards which people hypocritically become conciliating 

33:1-4"O Prophet! be careful of (your duty to) Allah and do not comply with (the wishes of) the unbelievers and the hypocrites; surely Allah is Knowing, Wise. And follow what is revealed to you from your Lord; surely Allah is Aware of what you do; And rely on Allah; and Allah is sufficient for a Protector. Allah has not made for any man two hearts within him". 

As is often the case, the Quranic style of admonishing the prophet by stressing the importance of his moral duties and the consequences of a potential failure in their performance, is an indirect address to the believers. It increases their awareness, seeing that even the most saintly figure among them isnt above God's spiritual and moral commandments.

As to the wording in 58:22, it says HADD. The words implies active opposition (see 9:63) and the context is that of those who use all means against God's cause. And WADD which is rendered "love" isnt simple love but also carries the meaning of close relationship, affection and friendly support as clear from the context starting at verse 14. What is also interesting to note is that, in comparison to muhib (from hubb/love, more on the level of "liking") which is also used for Allah, wadd is a form of intense, passionate love. It is used in contexts of severe oppression, as in 85:14. It is in these harsh circumstances that a believer begins seeking and pleading for God's consideration, and thus the word is used to describe the intensity of His love and affection for those who undergo severe trials in His ways. In the Quran one reads time and again that Divine approbation does not necessarily manifest in ease, ampleness or material comforts. Both hardships and ease are trials meant at improving and testing one's spiritual resolve, and none of them occur except by God's will and knowledge 89:15-20.

In line with the upright attitude to be adopted with one's parents, Ibrahim during his mission, prayed for God to forgive his disbelieving father, who was among those that denied his message 26:69-86, like Nuh did before him for his disbelieving son. Ibrahim's dad in addition physically threatened his son, and Ibrahim's forbearance, all the while sharply dissociating himself spiritually, in regards to him is an example for every believer to contemplate. The Quran in 31:33 alludes to that idea, through a subtle linguistic device once more testifying to its unmatched eloquence. When speaking of the impossibility for father and child to bear one another's burden on the day of resurrection, it uses jaza in the future tense for the father while it is in the form of a noun for the child. This indicates permanence and repetition, in allusion to the child's duty in this life of repeatedly dealing with humility and forbearance with the parents. This also points to the hard reality that although it could and should be the case in this world, it is a state that will not perdure in the hereafter where eachone carries his own burdens.
Ibrahim in addition pledged to his disbelieving father that had just sent him away from the household on account of his incessant preaching 

19:46-8"Peace be on you, I will pray to my Lord to forgive you; surely He is ever Affectionate to me..maybe i will not be disappointed from my prayers to my Sustainer". 

In the meantime the wickedness of his nation had surpassed all limits and culminated with the attempted execution of Ibrahim in a furnace. Obviously, a small load of wood would have been enough to burn a single man however they decided to build a huge fire to quench their revenge, exposing how sunk they were in their attachement to their idols and how deeply affected they were by Ibrahim's actions and words against their religion. Their time of respite had thus arrived and they were about to meet the same fate as the nations of old that not only rejected but tried killing their prophet 9:70,21:70,37:98. 

As they were about to migrate, Ibrahim and the righteous severed all ties with the disbelieving people left behind. Ibrahim however put a limit to the extent of this severing of ties. He had given his word to his father, prior to it becoming clear that he would never mend his ways, that he would pray for his forgiveness and so he abided by his pledge 60:4,9:114. This second pledge that came at a time where the faith of the nation and that of Ibrahim's father became clear, contained a fatalistic element, contrary to the first one 

"I would certainly ask forgiveness for you, and I do not control for you aught from Allah". 

Ibrahim would therefore complete his pledge in order not to have failed a promise made to his father, all the while knowing, as reflected in his re-formulation of the pledge, that God dislikes and does not accede to prayers made on behalf of those who knowingly remain in their spiritual deviations after clear and repeated admonitions 9:80,63:6. This has always been the way of God, as taught to Muhammad and all prophets, for instance Jeremiah is told in the Hebrew Bible concerning the same kind of disbelievers 

Jer7:16"And you, pray not on behalf of this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer, and entreat Me not for I will not hear you" Jer14:11"And the Lord said to me; Do not pray for this people for good". 

God forbids prayers to those who obdurately take their idolatry with them to their grave 9:84,113. 

Ibrahim thus fulfilled his promise after his migration. He prayed for the forgiveness of both his parents 14:41. This establishes the important principle that should a situation occur where the enmity of a kinsfolk toward one's faith becomes so severe, as was the case with Ibrahim, or the early Muslims 60:1-3, one should severe all ties with them indiscriminately. One cannot, after that point pray for their forgiveness as Ibrahim did. Ibrahim only did so because he wanted to honour a pledge he had made when his father's opposition to the religion had not become as severe as when he later joined other idolaters in their enmity. Ibrahim would not had prayed for his father if he hadnt already given his word prior.  

Similarly the prophet Muhammad is told to warn his nearest relations and distance himself from them should they persist in their misdeeds 26:213-216. Likewise the prophet Nuh was commanded to turn away from the son he loved due to his active disbelief up to his last breath 11:45-7, Lut was told to leave his wife behind in the town about to be destroyed on account of her persistent transgressions and rejection. Jesus in the NT told his followers to equally dissociate from the closest family members who would persist in, and call to disbelief. As the prophet Micah stated

 Micah7:5-6"Believe not a friend; trust not a prince; from her who lies in your bosom guard the openings of your mouth. Believe not a friend; trust not a prince; from her who lies in your bosom guard the openings of your mouth".

This illustrates the fact that a close person's piety, be it a father, wife, son, etc does not save one from the consequences of sin and disbelief.

The love and mercy of Allah towards His creatures surpasses, in quantity and quality, the love of both the father and mother put together which is why obeying God must overrule obedience to the parents. When an important duty clashes with a still higher one, the former is to be sacrificed for the latter.
From birth to the last breath everything in the universe depends upon the rububiyat (stemming from Rabb, nourisher, cherisher and sustainer); the nourishing, cherishing, sustaining and protecting aspect of the mercy of the Lord of the worlds 

30:40"Allah is He Who created you, then gave you sustenance, then He causes you to die, then brings you to life"

A day will come where family ties will avail to naught and eachone will have to answer for his own deeds 66:10-11,31:33,35:18. But in all cases, a believer must implicate himself in trying to make them mend their ways 31:15,66:6. This attitude is not only a reflection of gratitude but also evidence of how convinced one can be in his faith to the point he is concerned of his beloved one's faith. In sura Furqan, after speaking of the characteristics of God's true servants, the Quran describes such compassionate believers' prayers 

25:74"And they who say: O our Lord! grant us in our wives and our offspring the joy of our eyes, and make us guides to those who guard (against evil)". 

But again, as already seen in 58:22,64:14 keeping one's faith takes precedence over maintaining one's relation with them if they begin severely opposing the religion. Jesus reflected that notion in Matt10:34,Lk14:26. See also Micah7:6,Matt30:21-36. This is why the Quran states that 

33:6"The Prophet has a greater claim on the faithful than they have on themselves, and his wives are (as) their mothers" 

Those who enjoyn to righteousness, in this case the prophet, provide the right example to follow 

33:21"for him who hopes in Allah and the latter day and remembers Allah much". 

Sam Shamoun "Muhammad’s Family In Hell: How Allah Dishonored his “Prophet”" (3)

Sam Shamoun "Muhammad’s Family In Hell: How Allah Dishonored his “Prophet”" (3)

Anyone familiar even on a most basic level with the Quran knows that among its most pervasive themes is the fact that to God, the value of a human, regardless of social status, gender, race or kinship only depends on righteousness in deeds and God-consciousness/taqwa 2:221,4:1,135,5:48,25:77,34:37,42:23,49:13.

God does not break ties that were created in this world, but cements them if based on truth and righteousness, everlasting values whose fruitful consequences shall be more evident on the Day of Resurrection. Companionship, including friendship, is one of the blessings of this world and a need of the human being, who is a social creature. It reaches its ultimate in Paradise, meaning one will live amongst friends and those one loves. This is a hopeful outlook on life and love, giving humans a sense of meaning to their earthly relationships which otherwise would be vain in the grand scheme of things.

It is only those bonds that were based upon falsehood and untruth that will dissolve, and the Quran repeatedly alludes to the fact that only the righteous will remain eachother's friends in the Hereafter, not forcefully but willfully dissociating themselves from the unrighteous, no matter who they were in this life 40:18,43:67. We see this phenomenon happening in our own life whenever people come together to commit crimes but are eventually caught and then begin hating and blaming one another when brought to justice. 

The Quran draws the picture of a person in Paradise recounting his 'friendship' with another, and when seeing the latter's state 37:50-7 will be glad that Allah saved him from that. It shows that even those relationships that one holds dear based upon worldly considerations will ultimately be of no value, if it so happened that one of them opposed truth in his life.

The superfluous ties between the people will be cut off to such an extent 2:48 the Quran describes people distancing themselves from their nearest relatives thinking they might have to share some of their burdens in addition to their own 80:34-7. But this severing will be such that even the relatives of the prophets will not be saved from their just fate 66:10. The only ties that will remain and upheld are those of righteousness 43:66. One should therefore firstly try to walk the straight path, and then exhert himself in showing guidance to those under one's responsibility. The prophet Muhammad is warned that he must first preserve himself from deviation in faith, and then call unto his relatives to follow his example 26:213-220. He should warn them that their kinship with him or among themselves will be of no avail in the Hereafter. When a man approached the prophet and asked about his father, who died before the Prophet’s mission, the Prophet said 

“He is in the Fire”. 

To sooth this companion's distress the Prophet did not hesitate to mention his own father 

“Indeed, my father and your father are in the Fire.” 

This was the prophet's nature who always knew how to empathize in the most pragmatic of ways without compromising the creed. Being the mercy to the worlds as stated in the Quran, the prophet was in a position to inadvertently claim special rights from God, especially in relation to his own parents. But he did not, and when he thought of his own mother, instead of asking for her forgiveness, he first asked his Lord if it was appropriate for him to even do so. That is how far removed from self-complacency the prophet was 

"The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) visited the grave of his mother and he wept, and moved others around him to tears, and said: I sought permission from my Lord to beg forgiveness for her but it was not granted to me, and I sought permission to visit her grave and it was granted to me. So visit the graves, for that makes you mindful of death". 

The prophet Nuh's son wasnt forgiven once God's judgement was meted out in this world 11:45-6. With the prophet Shuayb, that reality is eloquently presented. He is mentioned every time as the brother of Madyan, the nation to whom he was sent, but in a single instance in 26:176-7, where every other prophet listed is said to be the the "brother of" their specific nation, the qualification is dropped for Shuayb only. This is because his nation is now identified, not through their Midian/Arab race, but through their religious identity "ashaab al aika/the companions of al aika (the name of a tree they used to worship)". As a side note, the Quran many times creates a consistent pattern of words and expressions, only to break them in highly meaningful contexts.

The awesomeness of such Day, also called the Day of separation 44:40 due to God reducing to naught the value of these ties that were based on falsehood, disbelief and sin, will cause the humans to neglect any inquiry about one another 70:10, and dissociate themselves from one another to avoid being linked to a transgressor or criminal 29:25,39:47,69:35,2:166 giving up their dearest friends and own kinsfolk with whom they wouldnt even entertain the slightest idea of sharing the burden of sins, going as far as wanting to ransom them to save themselves 70:10-14,80:34-7 as each person will only be concerned with the perspective of his own judgement and how to come out successful from it 

23:101,30:14,31:33,35:18,66:10-11,80:37"Every man of them shall on that day have an affair which will occupy him". 

So horrific will be the nature of that day’s torment that emotions of communal support will give place to selfishness towards near ones for which a person has a natural affiliation and a deep bond and sense of defense in this world. It is very pertinent the way in which the Quran pictures that bargaining taking place; with the doomed laying down his most valuable assets immediately in order to buy himself out and get the deal done as soon as possible, his own children, then progressively seeking among his next most important relations, his loved and cherished wife (as denoted with the Arabic saahiba), his brothers and sisters, extended trustworthy family then finally anyone among humanity he would be allowed to use 70:11-14.

That each one will be concerned with his own self on Judgement Day is conveyed with the image of women suckling their infants leaving them unattended, or that of the owner of the she-camel just about to give birth, which represented tremendous importance to the Arabs of the time, becoming unmindful of his most precious possession 

81:4,14:42-3"a day on which the eyes shall be fixedly open, hastening forward, their heads upraised, their eyes not reverting to them and their hearts vacant". 

This day devoid of all hope to those who neglected it 22:55 will cause the people to behave erratically as if intoxicated 22:2 and young children' hair will turn grey at the sight of this general state of fear 73:17.
None will be wronged and 

40:17"every soul shall be rewarded for what it has earned"

 none will be questioned for the deeds of others 34:25-26 and none will want nor be allowed to relieve another from his burden, even if they be as closely related as fathers and sons 

31:33,35:18"And a burdened soul cannot bear the burden of another and if one weighed down by burden should cry for (another to carry) its burden, not aught of it shall be carried, even though he be near of kin". 

The idol-worshippers to who the Quran came, as well as other ancient tribes, believed that the life hereafter was an extension of this one, this is why they buried with them all types of necessities of life sometimes even their concubines and soldiers. But the Quran rejected all such beliefs in no uncertain terms 

6:94"And certainly you have come to Us alone as We created you at first, and you have left behind your backs the things which We gave you, and We do not see with you your intercessors about whom you asserted that they were (Allah's) associates in respect to you; certainly the ties between you are now cut off and what you asserted is gone from you". 

The people, all of them precisely numbered and encompassed by Allah's knowledge 19:93-95 will thus advance for judgement alone, as separate entities 99:6-8 because of the repeated principal of individual, untransferable responsibility of every responsible human being.

Sam Shamoun "Muhammad’s Family In Hell: How Allah Dishonored his “Prophet”" (2)

Sam Shamoun "Muhammad’s Family In Hell: How Allah Dishonored his “Prophet”" (2)

The Quran protects and upholds Jesus' miraculous conception in a far more truthful, efficient way than is done in the Greek writings.

The Quran consistently uses the matronym "son of Mary" to Jesus. Others in the Bible were referred to with matronyms such as Shamgar son of Anath. This noble matronym isnt a known name in the Christian world, while it is in the Muslim world. This is because the Gospel writers, in their fruitless efforts to trace Jesus back to David, had no interest in Mary's line. A woman's lineage is irrelevant in Jewish law when establishing ancestry. To fulfill the HB's tribal requirements for the messiah, the writers invented 2 (conflicting) genealogies through an adoptive father, Joseph. Jesus in those writings thus became known under a patronym, "son of Joseph". This leaves a whole list of damaging indicators in its trail, undermining the very reason the writers had to result to such falsehood. Not the least being the flaws in both genealogies cancelling any legitimate claim to the throne of the King Messiah (see the Jeconia curse, among other blunders).

The Quranic matronym "son of Mary" carried several deep implications, besides being simply an appellation. In 3:45 the angels give Mary the news that she will soon conceive of a child. This information in itself doesnt indicate anything special, unless it was given to a barren old lady with an equally barren old husband, as in Sara's case who was consequently incredulous at the angelic declaration 11:71-3. Mary would have naturally understood she would conceive in a normal way and there wouldnt have been any reason for her to be surprised at the news 3:47,19:20-1. 

But by adding the information that the future child will be named "son of Mary", among other names, the angels were telling her he would be born without the agency of a father, in a miraculous way. In semitic tradition a person was identified by the father's name so nothing could have been more striking in the psyche of a woman of the time to be told that her son will not be identified by his affiliation to a male, but to a woman.

This miraculous conception is a sign not only Jesus would be known by, but also his mother and the name "son of Mary" implies exactly that; she would jointly share this sign with him forever as both of their names will be mentioned together 

23:50,21:91"and made her and her son a sign for the worlds". 

Jesus as well as his mother were chosen to be made jointly, "A" single sign of the power of the Maker and Creator over all things. So from a Quranic perspective, that miracle equally sets Mary and Jesus apart from humanity. 

Before discussing the implications of this sign, it is worthwhile noting that by honoring Mary in such a way and joining her name to that of one of the most illustrious individuals to have walked the earth, God has defeated in His final revelation and until the resurrection, the slanderous talk of some among her contemporaries and those that followed, who wanted to put a stain on her and abase her.

As regards the sign, it consists in demonstrating how the resurrection of bodies isnt a difficult task to God. We deem it impossible for a female to give life without the necessary biological process yet God did it, so just as He easily creates life in conditions we think are impossible then similarly He is able to bring the dead back to life even if the conditions make it unfeasable from our perspective. The rejection of the concept of resurrection by many Jews of the time adds to the relevancy of that miracle. One can even argue that Jesus was given the greatest evidence for resurrection among God's prophets who all equally stressed the importance of that tenet to their people. This is because Jesus is the only explicit case in the prophetic history where a human's birth did not result from mating. The Quran doesnt even state that Adam was born in such a way, ie that he was not the result of sexual reproduction. 

Other miraculous births are recorded in the Quran, including around the time of Jesus as was the case for the prophet John/Yahya. But they primarily served the purpose of a reward and were not meant to be disclosed and shared openly other than within the circle of the people concerned. Jesus' birth not only was different than all others in its prominence because as already said, intercourse between a man and a woman did not even precede it, but also because it was primarily meant as a sign for all of humanity. As a testimony to this, the Quran uses a linguistic subtlety, showing again and again how it uses words surgically in order to maximize the impact. There is a slight different wording between God's answer to Mary 

3:47"Even so Allah creates what he pleases"

 and to Zakariya 

3:40"Even so does Allah whatsoever He pleases". 

The nuance -creates vs does- lies in that the miracle of a child born of a virgin is definitely more striking than a child born to a couple, even if barren. It must be kept in mind the Quran was recited in the form of speech, publicly and instantly as it came to the prophet, with no chance a re-editing and modifying, and the 2 verses are very closely located. How would one, let alone a known illiterate without any background in poetry or any form of oral eloquent speeches, instantly and naturally make such a distinction in a flowing discourse?
 
The NT writers firstly wanted Jesus to be traced up to King David to fulfill the criteria for the Messiah's lineage. But Jesus had no father as both the Bible and Quran agree, hence the introduction of an adoptive father, Joseph. Now Jesus had to be known under the patronym "son of Joseph" in his community, instead of "son of Mary" as affirmed in the Quran. 

In addition to providing a fabricated lineage, they were now, in their eyes, "protecting" Mary's public image and that of Jesus. She was now engaged before her pregnancy and married when she delivered, not, as the Quran says, completely alone when she met God's messenger, as well as all throughout her pregnancy, including when she secluded herself to deliver the baby. According to the Greek writers, the virgin birth was a secret yet this particular miracle was, according to those same writers that base themselves on the infamous mistranslation of Isa7:14 in the Greek Septuagint, one of the most crucial fulfilments of HB prophecies. This "secret" virgin birth supposedly was among the signs the Israelites had to know from the very beginning to identify the awaited savior 

Isa7:14,Matt1:22"All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel". 

It is no surprise that in his purported letters, Ignatius the bishop of Antioch and supposed disciple of the apostles declares that Mary's virginity and child bearing were secrets only made known to the world through a "star". 

This is not to mention the cultural ignorance of the non-Jewish Greek writer who penned the story. A Hebrew wedding is celebrated in two parts. In ancient times, the interval between the two ceremonies could take up to several weeks in order to allow time for the new home to be arranged. But to avoid secret encounters between the newly wedds who could not hold their urge to come together, the wedding ie the second ceremony was arranged at the earliest possible opportunity. It is clear from Deut22:23 that a girl described as "betrothed" to a husband already has the status of a legally married woman. This is why a newly-married couple normally consummates their union immediately after their betrothal ceremony to complete it and make it legally valid and binding (Unless there are exceptional reasons why this is impossible as mentioned in the verse, like medical reasons or menstruation). This makes it all the more absurd to paint Mary as "bethroted" prior to her pregnancy. 

The fact is that this non-existent virgin birth prophecy of the HB was inserted into the NT narrative retrospectively. From a theological viewpoint, Christians needed to solve the problem of having the perfect, sinless human sacrifice born of a human mother, while all humans are sinful in nature and that they pass on that depravity to their progeny. They thus neglected and forgot the true purpose of that miracle, and assumed that the object of the virgin birth was to guarantee Jesus would be born without the inevitable sinful stain. Back in these times people didnt know that women contribute just as much if not a bit more (in terms of genetic material) to the formation of a baby than men did. And so by believing that women were a mere passive vessel, in the absence of a human father Jesus would necessarily be free of original sin. The particularities of Yahya/John and Jesus' births, do not make any of them different or special than other human beings in terms of their physical nature. Neither were these miraculous circumstances necessary to accommodate the false notions retrospectively applied to them. For example Jesus did not need to come from a virgin to circumvent human depravity, something Jesus never even spoke of. Neither did Jesus need to combine the immaterial/RUH of Allah, with the material/human mother so as to assume his dual human/divine nature. All humanity has exactly this same dual aspect as Jesus, without any of us being divine.

Jesus had to be known, according to the NT writers themselves, as special since the very beginning, yet not only was the virgin birth obscured to the people through the absurd introduction of a husband but the NT also repeatedly says how the young Jesus was completely unknown in any particular way prior to his ministry in adulthood, see Matt13 for example.

The absurdity doesnt end here, the same NT that tells us his people knew nothing special about him prior to his ministry also tells us of all the wonderful signs and wonders surrounding his first moments as an infant, the celestial signs that prompted both friends and foes to look for him even from outside Palestine, people such as the Magi coming "from the east" to worship the newly born "king of the Jews". Signs of the messiah's impending rise were supposedly so obvious that king Herod, fearing for his throne, began slaughtering all male infants born in Bethleem at that particular time. Mary was prompted to flee with her son to Nazareth to hide and protect him Matt2. 

Part of the NT establishes the fact that it was well known in and outside Palestine that the awaited savior had come, and countless people identified him with Jesus since his youngest days. Elizabeth for instance refers to Mary as "mother of my Lord" as she saw her pregnant Lk1. Shepherds, informed by the angels, rushed to Bethleem to see the newly born messiah. After confirmation 

Lk2:17"they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them". 

Anna, the daughter of Penuel as well as Simeon recognized in the newly born Jesus the awaited savior and told others about him Lk2. Both rabbis and laymen at the Temple were astonished at the child Jesus' display of wisdom and knowledge. And yet we read elsewhere that nobody knew of the virgin birth miracle, that Jesus was unknown in any special way prior to adulthood. This last incident at the Temple is preceded by the improbable scenario of Jesus' parents travelling from Jerusalem where they had attended Passover, back to their hometown of Nazareth and only noticing after a day's walk that the little Jesus had been left behind. So they return to Jerusalem, and only find him after 3 days search. 

Astoundingly, the NT writers also paint Mary and Joseph, the very ones who witnessed first hand the virgin birth, as completely ignorant of what Jesus meant when he stated that he 

"must be concerned with the affairs of my Father". 

Jesus made that statement in response to Mary's scolding him because of his disappearance Lk2:42-50. Did Mary and Joseph suddenly forget all the miraculous signs and fame surrounding his infancy just 12 years after his birth, as if they had never heard of them and their obvious implications as regards his identity? In another context, Mary, who gave birth to him miraculously, and his brothers James and Jude even thought he had gone mad Mk3.

The Quran, far from copying the above NT absurdities, says the virgin birth was a miracle made known to all. It would be foolish to provide a miracle of virgin birth, while the woman supposed to carry the child is married. For an unmarried woman, in addition known for her piety and chastity, to show up with her own baby would immediately attract the eyes of an entire community upon her, maximizing the impact of the absolving speech of the infant Jesus at once, as vividly and eloquently described in sura Maryam. None would have spontaneously came to her had she been married prior, nobody would have inquired because there would have been no scandal of a woman dedicated to worship in God's temple suddenly showing up with a child. According to the NT depiction, the married Mary now has to prove the virgin birth miracle by going out of her way and pleading repeatedly to the unsuspecting community. It would have been inefficient and debasing. In the Quranic version of the story, the blessed Mary did not need to utter a single word to defend her innocence, preserving her honor and avoiding her the difficulty of having to argue and dispute with a crowd, and neither did the child need to be overexposed so as to repeat his speech senselessly.

The protection of the virgin birth reaches such an extent in the Quran and in such eloquent and intricate details, that whenever Jesus is quoted as addressing the Israelites, he does not once call them "my people" or "my nation" as other Israelite prophets like Moses are quoted as saying in the Quran. Jesus always calls them "Bani Israel" because they, contrary to him, could trace their lineage up to Israel from their fathers, which wasnt his case. Jesus had no worldly father, neither one involved in his conception, nor the made up one of the NT whom the writers needed to create a messianic lineage.

Son of Mary is an appelation used by those that testify to the miraculous circumstances of Jesus' birth, contrary to those calling him by the patronym of the NT. 

While the Quran does agree on certain points with the NT just as it does with the HB in other instances the Quran corrects the errors that have crept into these Books and further adds unknown, obscured or forgotten information. If Muhammad was copying from them, then one has to explain how the very subtle differences, which are loaded with meaning, let alone the major differences are there in the Quran. In fact so respectful of her own chastity and integrity is Maryam portrayed in the Quran, that when an occasion to transgress and fornicate did present itself, the spiritually aware, the highly God conscious Maryam sought protection to God and appealed to the messenger's own sense of self respect in his behavior towards her. This happened when the messenger came to the pious Maryam as she was secluded in the monastery, hidden from view 19:16-19. 

Thats how comprehensively the Quran protects Mary's chastity.

Further reading related to Sam Shamoun's article "Muhammad’s Family In Hell: How Allah Dishonored his “Prophet”"

Sam Shamoun "Muhammad’s Need of A Savior" (1)
Sam Shamoun "Muhammad’s Need of A Savior" (3)

Sam Shamoun "Muhammad’s Family In Hell: How Allah Dishonored his “Prophet”" (1)

Sam Shamoun "Muhammad’s Family In Hell: How Allah Dishonored his “Prophet”" (1)

God in His wisdom and all encompassing knowledge, chose individuals and lineages above the nations of the world in terms of divine favors, which includes prophecy 

3:33"Surely Allah chose Adam and Nuh and the descendants of Ibrahim and the descendants of Imran above the nations. Offspring one of the other; and Allah is Hearing, Knowing". 

Adam, who was not the first human being, but rather God's first vicegerent according to the precise words in the Quran, was the one who initiated the line of prophethood among the nations. Adam had several sons, at least two 5:27, and hence after the original prophet it was necessary to specify in which line the following prophet came; it was the line leading to the prophet Nuh. Nuh was survived by an unspecified number of offspring following the deluge 37:75-7 but prophethood or special divine favors did not spread to all of them or all their descendants, it was necessary to specify in which line the following prophet came; it was the line going through his descendant Ibrahim. 

Because prophethood then ramified and spread among Ismail and Isaac, the 2 sons of Ibrahim, the verse speaks of the chosenness of Ibrahim's household and finally, as an introduction to the story of the blessed Mary and her son the prophet Jesus, the verse discerns one of the lines within Ibrahim's household whose descendants were favored; it was the line running through Imran the father of Mary and grandfather of Jesus. The passage in no way point to the superiority of one of the mentionned lines from among Adam's progeny, above another.

Sam Shamoun "How the Prophet Hosea Exposes Muhammad as a False Prophet"

Sam Shamoun "How the Prophet Hosea Exposes Muhammad as a False Prophet"

These 2 articles answer the above objections

Apostate prophet existential struggle; why did Allah create humans?

Acts17apologetics feel orphaned; YHWH a father to Christians?

Sam Shamoun "The Deception of Allah and the Uncertainty of Salvation" (2)

Sam Shamoun "The Deception of Allah and the Uncertainty of Salvation" (2)

Related to the above article by Sam Shamoun:

Acts17apologetics switch to Quran; balanced approach of the servant to his Creator?

Apostate prophet finds divine contradiction; Allah creates people for hell?

Sam Shamoun "Ramadan: One of the Names of Allah???!!!" (1)

Apostate prophet disappointed; prophetic perfection?

Sam Shamoun "Muhammad’s Need of A Savior" (2)

Sam Shamoun "The Deception of Allah and the Uncertainty of Salvation" (1)

Sam Shamoun "The Deception of Allah and the Uncertainty of Salvation" (1)

Because of His attribute of Justice He would not wrong anyone. Allah is the Ultimate Truth and anything called upon besides Him is falsehood 20:6,62,24:25,31:30. 

He is the best (Khair means best in the sense of good and positive) Al Makireen 3:54,8:30, the best of planners because He always plans for the good, and only Him knows what is ultimately good.  In 3:54 for example, that planning came to oppose the Jews' plans to kill Jesus. It resulted in Allah raising Jesus to Himself and honoring him above his enemies. MAKARA (to plan) from the point of view of the humans can mean to plan for the good or plan for the bad and if it is for the latter then it is preceded by sayia/bad as in 40:45 or 16:45. 

When speaking of Allah protecting Musa from Pharaoh's plans, the Quran specifies that this plan of Pharaoh was bad sayiaat plur. Again in 35:10,43 the Quran uses sayiaat to specify how the things people are planning for are bad. When sayia is not used then the context specifies what type of makar the people are devising 27:48-50,8:30,10:21 by showing who is trying to deceive who. It is the never changing sunna/way of Allah that He will always counter the evil plans of those people planning against Him no matter how elaborate their plan is 

14:46"though their plan was such that the mountains should pass away thereby". 

Ultimately, Allah's plan is always good, even when it brings about total destruction. He is the best (Khair) Al Makireen as in Ibrahim, Jesus or the early Muslims' cases when He defeated the machinations of the wicked people by countering them with an elaborate, comprehensive plan that ultimately only leaves the "good" standing. 

The Hebrew Scriptures speak in similar terms of God's slowly but surely unfolding His destructive plan against the disbelieving oppressors without them realizing it Isa19:17. He is also said to be One who lays snares Jer50:24,Ezek17:20 plots evil towards the sinners Micah2:3, acts crookedly with the crooked Ps18:27 and creates not only good but also evil Deut30:15,Isa45:7,1Sam16:14.

The Quranic notion of Allah planning therefore always comes in the context of moral reflexivity, never as an initial action. The reflexive nature of good and evil deeds is a common theme in the Quran; spending in charity is like spending on oneself 2:272, eating the wealth of the orphans under care is like filling one's belly with fire 4:10. Stinginess ultimately translates into miserliness unto nobody but oneself 47:38, trying to lead astray leads oneself first and foremost astray 3:69,4:113 etc.
The planning of Allah is thus a a reciprocal effect in direct return to attempts at planning against Allah. The Quran states in the context of Yusuf/Joseph's story and the deception of his brothers to get rid of him

 12:21"And thus, We established Joseph in the land that We might teach him the interpretation of events. And Allah is predominant over His affair, but most of the people do not know". 

The story of Yusuf illustrates in one of the most beautiful ways the notion of Allah "planning", how He counters the plan of the evil doers with a more intricate plan that always prevails. Once the plan was fulfilled and all matters were settled, Yusuf said 

12:100"Indeed, my Lord is Subtle in what He wills. Indeed, it is He who is the Knowing, the Wise". 

The planning of Allah is subtle beyond human capacity, implemented with perfect knowledge and wisdom.

The Arabic for "to deceive" is khada'a, as in 2:9 when speaking of those trying to deceive Allah and the believers while they only deceive themselves. It is the law of Allah that if one intends to deceive Him, mock His communications 6:10,15:11-15 or actively fight His guidance 4:115 then that deceit, mockery or violence will encompass him 45:33. 

Its effect is in the metaphysical sphere first and foremost; hardening his heart through a seal of his spiritual senses, eventually taking him to his doom at his appointed time 

16:33-34,86:15-17,21:38-41"And they say: When will this threat come to pass if you are truthful? Had those who disbelieve but known (of the time) when they shall not be able to ward off the fire from their faces nor from their backs, nor shall they be helped. Nay, it shall come on them all of a sudden and cause them to become confounded, so they shall not have the power to avert it, nor shall they be respited. And certainly messengers before you were scoffed at, then there befell those of them who scoffed that at which they had scoffed". 

Their attempted deceptive plans against Allah, were always 14:46"with Allah" ie fully controlled by Him 

85:20"And Allah encompasses them on every side (wara2 as is used in common speak doesnt only signify "back" but "all sides")". 

He renders their plans ineffective by reversing the intended purpose;

In accordance with Allah's law of causality 2:9, the Quran shows in 4:142 the hypocrites striving to deceive Allah, then this same deception is returned to them by Allah, and this is the only verse attributing khada'a (to deceive) to Allah. That deception, which is in other words self-deception and the result of one's actions, is attributed to Allah because as in all phenomena, natural or spiritual, it is in accordance with His laws that the disbelievers or those seeking to harm His cause will destroy their own souls without perceiving it, whether through the 

41:23"(evil) thought which you entertained about your Lord that has tumbled you down into perdition" 

or through the active struggle of the enemies of Islam who 

40:25,4:113"do not bring (aught) to perdition but their own souls"

 deceiving their own selves without perceiving 

16:45-7,6:123"and they do not plan but against their own souls, and they do not perceive".

Not only do they not perceive that higher reality, but in fact so deep and intricate is a single of God's decree that all humans together would need a 1000 year of unceasing planning and reflecting to equal the lapse of time needed for it to be divinely decreed and concretely implemented 22:47,32:5. This is another way of expressing the impossibility for humans to come up with such intricate concepts.

The evil plotting of those who reject the truth and actively oppose it, aiming at ruining the faith of the believers 

6:26"only bring destruction upon their own souls while they do not perceive".  

As stated in the Quran, deceivers do not perceive that their very behaviour is causing their own destruction in degrees. This is the plan devised by Allah in regards to them, the fact that their deception inevitably causes a chain of events that puts the deceiver at the receiving end of his own actions 

7:182-3,68:44-45"We will overtake them by degrees, from whence they perceive not: And I do bear with them, surely My plan is firm".

 Destruction coming on them "from whence they perceive not" refers to it coming from the very reality they denied and called a lie 

39:25-48"Those before them denied, so the chastisement came to them from whence they perceived not..and what they never thought of shall become plain to them from Allah". 

At that time, when they are all gathered, they will be challenged to unleash that plan they believed would bring them victory 

77:38-9"This is the day of decision: We have gathered you and those of yore. So if you have a plan, plan against Me (now)".

The Quran in 16:26 uses the image of a building collapsing on the one devising evil plans, starting from the place one would normally seek refuge in when hiding from an attack, the foundations. This is because 

35:43"the evil plans shall not beset any save the authors of it". 

Their deception is returned to them while they do not perceive 

16:34"So the evil (consequences) of what they did shall afflict them and that which they mocked shall encompass them"

 causing them destruction through their own hands 

8:51"This is for what your own hands have sent on before".

 That gradually unfolding self-deception takes them to a destination, described in the Quran as "lying in wait" for those heedless of it 78:21. It is but a natural concept, that of the misdeeds accumulating to a point that they cannot but suddenly overwhelm the guilty. 

The idea is present throughout the HB as here stated by the prophet Hosea 

Hos7:2"They do not say in their heart that I remember all their evil. Now their deeds have surrounded them; they were before My face". 

David's eloquent Psalms says 

7:16-17"He dug a pit and deepened it, and he fell into the pit that he made. The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads" Ps35:8"May darkness that he does not know come upon him, and his net that he hid shall ensnare him; in the darkness may he fall into it". 

It is also to be noted that, contrary to 3:54,8:30 Allah never describes Himself as "khair al khadieen" because khair (good) cannot be used with khadaa which is an evil act. Makar therefore does not mean to deceive but to plan, either for good or for bad, this is further irrefutable through the following 

7:123"Firon said: Do you believe in Him before I have given you permission? Surely this is a plot which you have secretly devised (makar makartumuhu) in this city". 

If makar meant to deceive, this verse would be liguistically flawed "this is a deception which you have deceived". Makar instead, means to plan "this is a plan which you have planned". To determine the nature of that plan, as said earlier, one needs to look at the context in which the word is used as well as whether the word sayia is related to it.

The same case is repeated in 27:50 where makara can only mean to plan 

"And they planned (makaru) a plan (makran), and We planned (makarna) a plan (makran) while they perceived not".

Kayd, which may also be used for the good 12:76, is used in the same manner as makar 7:183,8:18,12:52,37:98,40:25,68:45etc and in particular 86:15 to see that it does not mean to "deceive".

Sam Shamoun "Allah Disgraces His “Prophet”" (3)

Sam Shamoun "Allah Disgraces His “Prophet”" (3)

On a Saturday or Sunday towards the end of Safar the second month of 10/632, the Prophet sensed the coming of his time. He took Ali by the hand, and accompanied by a few of his Companions, went to al-Baqi' the graveyard of Medina and, standing between the graves of his fallen companions, he addressed them and offered them his prayers. 

Gabriel used to review the Quran once a year with him and this special year, he did it twice. 

"I see this as an indication of the coming of my end" 

he said. 

He then returned to his home where he rested from his illness for 3 days till wednesday where he went to the mosque and admonished the people. After that, and to further cement the memorization of the Quran among his people, the prophet summoned Zayd bin Thabit, Ubayy bin Kaab and all three recited to one another. 

On a friday, he sat again on the pulpit reminding them of the essence of Islam 

"O people, there is nothing which can stand between Allah and anyone that could benefit a man or ward off evil from him except good deeds. O people, let no ambitious man claim anything, or one full of desires, desire anything! For by Him Who sent me with the truth, only good deeds coupled with Allah's mercy can lead to salvation. Even I, had I rebelled against Allah, would have fallen". 

His illness persisted for some days, and went on deteriorating until he began losing and regaining consciousness back and forth. Those present around him recognized the seriouslness of his condition while others began arguing among oneanother whether he had started losing his full mental faculties. That observation by some unnamed companions was not based on facts, the prophet was not speaking irrationally or behaving erraticaly. They were speculating upon his health as happens many times among people gathered around a severely ill person to whom they are attached 

"The Prophet replied, ‘Leave me as I am in a better state than what you are asking me to do.’" 

Umar, in his concern during those last moments did not want him to talk too much and exhert himself by having something written. Umar felt the prophet had conveyed all that was necessary for the guidance of the people and he thus did not need to further worry himself in those last, painful moments 

"When Allah’s Apostle was on his death-bed and in the house there were some people among whom was ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab, the Prophet said, “Come, let me write for you a statement after which you will not go astray.” ‘Umar said, “The Prophet is seriously ill and you have the Qur’an; so the Book of Allah is enough for us". 

Following the Book of God includes following the sunnah of the last prophet, as proven from the Book itself. Here Umar is directing his comment to those whom he felt were inappropriately pressing the prophet on his death bed. And in fact the prophet did issue verbatim instructions a few moments later, things which the community was already aware of but which he felt were important to stress again 

"keep well my memory through kindness to my family. Treat with kindness the people of dhimma, and feed the poor. Observe regular prayers, and be kind to the women whom your right hands possess" ‘Turn out all the pagans from the Arabian Peninsula, show respect to all foreign delegates by giving them gifts as I used to do.’. 

He continued to repeat these injunctions until he could endure no longer, and turned his face away from the people. Next morning, he allowed no one to come in to see him because of his grave illness. Ali, however, stayed beside him, not leaving him except for necessary errands. As his head was placed in Ali's lap, he opened his eyes and quoted in a feeble voice to Fatimah his daughter who was crying 

3:144"And Muhammad is no more than a messenger; the messengers have already passed away before him; if then he dies or is killed will you turn back upon your heels?" 

Through 3:144, the believers are therefore told to remember God's guidance by constantly being grateful and remain on the path of truth regardless of any hardship, including a tragedy like the death of their beloved prophet because at the end it is for their own good and disbelief is their loss only 

"And whoever turns back upon his heels, he will by no means do harm to Allah in the least; and Allah will reward the grateful".

The Prophet finally breathed his last, while Ali's hand rested beneath his jaw. The Prophet died two nights before the end of Safar.
Regarding his burrial, Ali suggested: 

"Allah, be He exalted, received the soul of His Prophet in the purest of spots; let him, therefore, be buried there." 

They accepted his advice and buried the Prophet in the room where he died. Aws ibn Khawli was the one who lifted the Prophet's body and brought it down in the grave. Ali went down into the grave and uncovered the Prophet's face and placed his cheek on the ground, facing the qiblah, and laid him on his right side. He laid grave slabs and covered the tomb with earth.

Sam Shamoun "Allah Disgraces His “Prophet”" (2)

Sam Shamoun "Allah Disgraces His “Prophet”" (2)

Assuming the poison story to be true, why didnt God's prophet die on the spot with those who ate the poisonned meal. 

Our opponents will keep on scratching their heads about this. 

Instead he lived on for years, fasted every year in the scorching desert heat, fulfilled all his duties of statesman, army commander, husband, counselor and friend, and conquered Mecca. He destroyed the idols with his own hands and fulfilled every prophecy made at the beginning of his call. What the opponents need to realize is that the reason he did not die then, is because God didnt allow the prophet to die until his mission was accomplished. 

5:67"O Apostle, deliver what has been revealed to you from your Lord; and if you do it not, then you have not delivered His message, and Allah will protect you from the people"

Muhammad died a natural death and he didnt even need to appeal to Christ in order to neutralize any type of injested poison as embarrassingly proposed by the Greek writers of the Gospels Mk16:18. After all Christians do believe in their potential in performing even greater miracles (Greek "erga") than Jesus Jn14:12. God was definitely supporting His prophet after he ate the poisoned meal, just as He supported him before despite the difficulties and attempts at his life. He was not immidiately put to death or disallowed to continue his mission and transmitting his message after injesting the poison. The opposite would have been the case had he been a false prophet or had done something at that point heavily disapproved of by God, as forcefully warned in the Quran would instantly, not progressively, happen to him 69:45-47. 

This defeated the "test" that the Jewess desired to make the prophet go through, as it says in one version of the report that she wanted to kill him with the poison 

"Thereupon he said: Allah will never give you the power to do it". 

The effect of poison as intended by the one using it is immidiate or very short term death of the victim, as happenned to one companion that ate the meal at that occasion with the prophet. The objective however of immidiate death or harm was defeated in regards the prophet.
It isnt uncommon in Jewish history to attempt poisoning a prophet sent to them. That is what they did to the prophet Jeremiah's food. In Jer11:19 it lit. says 

"Let us destroy his food with wood"

 ie Let us put poison into his food. This Jewish woman that poisoned the prophet's meal and his companion wanted to see 

"if you were a Prophet, then Allaah would tell you about it, and if you were not a Prophet the people would be rid of you". 

This as a side note bellies the unfounded allegation in anti-Islamic circles that the woman offered the poisonned meal in revenge for the killing of her family. She was testing his prophethood. So the prophet took a bite and sensed the poison, and immidiately said to all those taking part in the meal to withdraw their hands from it, although most had already eaten from it at that point. It was unfortunately too late for one of his companions who died from it. Miraculously, that companion was the only casualty of the incident, and this allowed the unveiling of an intricate outcome and lesson from the event. The prophet then confronted the culprit. This woman thought that a prophet claimant dying in such circumstances would expose him as a liar but the opposite happenned: his companion died and Muhammad lived on until

 "This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion". 

The Jewess Zaynab bint al harith was later forgiven by the prophet. Other versions state that when Bishr ibn al-Bara’ ibn Ma’roor died as a result of the effects of this food, then the prophet executed her as a qisaas punishment, while others yet like ibn Kathir maintain that she even converted to Islam, seeing that the prophet passed her "falsification" test and was thus left alone. She initially approached the prophet with the meal after the treaty negotiations with the Jewish leadership of Khaybar had ended. 

In such circumstances it would have been against decorum and basic sensitivity to refuse it based on suspicion. In ancient times, especially in rural cultures till this day, refusal to share a meal when the host clearly displays his peaceful intentions is a sign of treachery and mistrust. The Quran relates how Abraham was fearful of his guests that refused the food he offered them despite his clear hospitality 11:69-70. There were no means to the prophet Muhammad by which to chemically test the meal and verify his suspicion. His detractors wouldnt have missed this opportunity to charge him with accusing an innocent woman without proof. Neither did he behave like the kings and leaders of times past by having someone taste the food before he ate nor would it have ever been in his thought and character to have forced the woman to eat it herself or forced any of the Jews to eat it to prove that it was not poisoned.

 In accordance with his lofty character and prophetic status, he wanted to show that he was willing to trust the Jews, hoping that, perhaps, they will be guided. He did not yield to suspicion, even with the enemy. Yet, by eating, he did not show any lack of wisdom because showing suspicions without proof is not the way to build a relationship. And the prophet, in accordance with the Quran's commands was never one to be inconsiderate of others or sceptical of their inner condition.  Especially in the context of warfare, the good treatment of captives, as the prophet was here exemplifying, is expected to soften their hearts towards Islam. But if they act treacherously despite the Muslims' honourability, they will be overpowered just as they had been 8:70-71.

What is interesting with Bishr is that he was the only one, together with the prophet, that sensed the poison during the meal. Although the prophet spat out the morsel in his mouth after briefly chewing on it, Bishr, seeing him beginning to eat, trusted his judgement and swallowed his bite prior to the prophet's reaction. The remaining Muslims did not sense the poison and started eating, just like Bishr, trusting the prophet's judgement, until everyone was told to stop. This is where something strange occurs. Bishr, according to most reports dies instantly, as well as a dog that ate a morsel of the poisonned meal. The prophet lives on but suffers occasionally from the effects of the poison while it had no consequence on the remaining Muslims. Bishr's martyrdom revealed the deadly nature of the poison. The prophet's sickness proved the entire meal was toxic, not just Bishr's portion. The remaining Muslims' immunity was miraculous, given that the whole meal was poisoned. Had only Bishr or only the prophet been afflicted, one could have argued that a specific part of the meal was poisoned or that a specific individual was particularly sensitive to the poison. If the prophet was safeguarded and that someone else, together with Bishr were afflicted, someone could have said the prophet was simply lucky. The Prophet's sickness was necessary to prove that no human being will be allowed to put an end to his life, despite being clearly poisoned, until his mission is accomplished. The manner in which these events unfolded show that God was in full control.

The poison story, assuming it happenned, is actually just 1 of the many attempts at the life of God's prophet, keeping also in mind all the battles in which he himself took part against the rejecters, but never did God allow his messenger to die before the end of his mission, like Moses wasnt allowed to die through all his jihad battles until his mission was fulfilled. The poison certainly did injure him and cause him sustained pain, but nowhere does it say or hint that it was the direct cause of death. The poison damage on his body was just one of many scars the prophet carried with him until his deathbed, whether due to the years of hardship, starvation and persecution or the years of battle. Despite all that, he still lived beyond the average life expectancy of his common folk and only once his mission was completed. 

He saw with his very eyes every single prophecy made in the earliest years of prophethood fulfilled, cleansed God's chosen and blessed land of Mecca and restaured it to its original Abrahamic purpose. 

Neither Moses nor Aaron, according to the convoluted HB, even get to fulfill their life mission of entering the promised land, despite the battles they led. They are suddenly dispatched from the narrative for the most ridiculous reasons. Moses was condemned by God for some misdeed and put to death while his 

"eyes were not weak nor his strength gone". 

His heartfelt prayer was denied 

Deut3"Let me, I pray, cross over and see the good land on the other side of the Jordan..But YHWH was furious with me on your behalf and would not listen to me. YHWH said to me, “Enough! Never speak to Me of this matter again!"

If anything, the argument of sudden death as a sign of divine disapproval, a charge misapplied to the prophet Muhammad in relation to the poison story, fits instead the biblical Moses, put to death at the highlight of his prophetic career and while he was in full health. Even if, in the worst case, Muhammad's death is directly correlated to the Quranic warning in 69:45-47 not to falsely attribute a statement to God, then it still means the prophecy came true, that Muhammad was physically prevented from altering it and that the Quran is the authentic, preserved and protected word of the Creator. The verse says his hand will be seized the moment he tries doing so, then killed. The words imply even a minuscule uttering in God's name. It would be impossible for him to walk around making lengthy speeches up. That is why the verse comes in a passage where Allah stresses the divine origin of the Quran, and then states the hypothetical scenario, following by a reiteration of its veracity. But assuming for argument's sake Muhammad at some point lied and was killed by God, this must then mean that all he previously spoke in God's name, was true revelation uttered by a true prophet.

Just for arguments' sake, even if the prophet Muhammad had died from the delayed effects of the poison, this is certainly not an argument against his prophethood, not according to Zaynab bint al harith's own HB criteria for the identification of prophets as outlined in Deut18, nor in light of the Bible's own reports of the constant assaults, some succesful and others not, against true prophets' lives. 

As a final note it is ironic that those trying to cast doubts on the truthfulness of Muhammad's prophethood by misrepresenting this story are mainly if not only Christians, who firmly believe in the Greek Testament and its depiction of Jesus' ignoble, humiliating and accursed end which probably no true prophet, even those murdered by the sinful Israelites, ever were inflicted with. What does that do to Jesus' credibility as a man sent by God, judging by those critics' own standards?

Sam Shamoun "Allah Disgraces His “Prophet”" (1)

Sam Shamoun "Allah Disgraces His “Prophet”" (1)

The Quran rejects the popular occult sciences, like magic and witchcraft, such as those wrongly attributed to the prophet Sulayman by some of his contemporaries and those that followed 2:102. Obviously the people misinterpreted Sulayman's ability, granted to him by God, of controling entities of the unseen for his own benefit. Such falsehood is abundantly found in a wide variety of Solomonic lore, including the 5th century CE Testament of Solomon, each drawing from oneanother as well as other lost sources, written and oral. Particularly among Greek Christians that used amulets, medallions seals or rings with his name.

Magic or witchcraft are qualified with the word sihr, from the root S-Ha-R meaning to make things look other than what they actually are, ie deception. There are 3 ways one can try and achieve that objective; the trick or slight of hand, the chemistry and the psychological manipulation, all of themmeant at deceiving one into perceiving something else than what is actually occuring. These practices have therefore no intrinsic power. Sorcery at that time consisted of worshipping the jinn and straying from monotheism and that is why the Quran and the traditions warn against these practices.

Throughout the Quran, sorcery has always been associated with evil-mindedness, perverse beliefs, evil deeds and terrifying intimidation of people. It in addition is an act of apostasy to believe in the influence of false gods and the jinn who were worshipped in the process. Muslim jurists the likes of Malik ibn Anas considered sorcery as a manifestation of its practitioner’s perverted faith and prescribed punishments for it.

When relating Moses' public confrontation with Pharaoh's sorcerers, the Quran says that they

7:116"saharoo aAAyuna alnnasi/they tricked the eyes of the people",

the point being that magic is about tricking the eyes to think that what it sees is reality when it is not. There are some reports in hadith literature speaking of people attempting to bewitch the prophet, and even succeeding for a short lapse of time, confusing him in conjugal matters. In Bukhari and Muslim, the time span under which the prophet was affected is said to be 40 days. Weaker reports as narrated by ibn Saad from ibn al Hakam speak of 6 months. None however speak of whatever the prophet was afflicted with as "black magic". The scholars have referred to it as illusion, in conformity with the meaning of the word as stated earlier. It is known that to the prophet, besides being dutiful in his prophetic task of conveying the divine message, an area beyond the reach of evil interference, his second priority was being dutiful as a husband. Due to his outstanding daily responsibilities, the Quran gave him leeway in that aspect and yet, as attested in the traditions he would do his utmost to spend in an equal amount of time with each of his wives. Since this aspect of his private life was most important to him, he thus felt confused in that specific matter and in nothing else, by whatever evil had affected his perception of reality. It is not like the author of the illusion had intended to affect this specific matter in the prophet's life. Assuming the reports as true for argument's sake, a crafty magic trick/illusion can certainly confuse anyone momentarily, in any kind of matter, just as what happened to Moses as he was deceived by the sorcerers' slight of hand 20:66. 

Both Moses and Muhammad were eventually given the inner strength by God to heal from the effect.

Further, something which is highly inconvenient to those Islam critics who mainly use those reports to discredit the prophet, he actually is described therein as receiving a vision indicating the author of the sihr as well as the location of the device he used. False prophets dont receive divine visions. After finding the device, the prophet doesnt destroy it, he didnt need to. God cured him, meaning the tool used had no power in and of itself. 

"Those around him said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, should we not head toward that evil person and kill him?’ He said: ‘As for me, Allah has cured me, and I dislike causing evil to other people’. This is of the forbearance of the Messenger of Allah”.

To further corroborate the prophet, in such cases simply advised observing a certain diet, relevant to his own environment. He advised eating 7 ajwa dates of the type growing in Aliya near Medina, over 7 days at breakfast as a means by which the body is detoxified as well as safeguarded from the psychological manipulations of sihr (the health benefits of that diet were thought to keep the mind sharp and aware against such endeavors).

This is far from, and not even comparable to the absurd idea proposed in the Greek Testament of Christians able to neutralize deadly poison in Jesus' name. It is to be kept in mind however that the supposed confusion the prophet was victim of, never pertained to divine comunications, an area time and again declared as protected from any interference, human or else, from its descent from heaven until it is delivered to the prophet's heart and transmitted to the people. The Quran for example, in the context of truthfulness of prophethood and divine origin of the Book, repeatedly denies the claims made by his contemporaries that he might be demon possessed or under the effect of the jinn 16:98-100,26:221-3,69:41-2,81:22-25 or under a spell or that he is himself a magician/sorcerer 17:47-8,25:8-9,38:4,51:52-6 as other prophets were similarily calumnied.