Seven Characteristics of Jesus in the Quran which Make Him Superior to Muhammad

In this article I am going to list seven characteristics that the Quran attributes to Jesus which prove that Christ is superior and better than Muhammad himself. This doesn’t mean that we believe what the Islamic scripture teaches about Jesus, since it is not a revelation from God nor a historically reliable book when it comes to the life and teachings of the historical Jesus, or any of the other biblical characters that it mentions. We simply cite the Quran for the sake of the Muslims who did believe in its authority in order to force them to contend with what their own religious text has to say about Jesus being greater than their own prophet.

1. Jesus’ maternal family has been preferred above all creatures.

Lo! Allah preferred Adam and Noah and the Family of Abraham and the Family of ‘Imran above (all His) creatures. They were descendants one of another. Allah is Hearer, Knower. (Remember) when the wife of ‘Imran said: My Lord! I have vowed unto Thee that which is in my belly as a consecrated (offering). Accept it from me. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Hearer, the Knower! And when she was delivered she said: My Lord! Lo! I am delivered of a female – Allah knew best of what she was delivered – the male is not as the female; and lo! I have named her Mary, and lo! I crave Thy protection for her and for her offspring from Satan the outcast. S. 3:33-36

1b. Muhammad’s family members were pagans who worshiped idols.

2. Jesus’ mother is the greatest woman ever created and the only woman mentioned by name in the entire Quran. Mary even has an entire chapter named in her honor, namely, the nineteenth chapter titled Surah al-Maryam (“The Chapter of Mary”).

And when the angels said: O Mary! Lo! Allah hath chosen thee and made thee pure, and hath preferred thee above (all) the women of creation. S. 3:42

2b. Muhammad’s parents were pagans who are burning in hell.

Chapter 204: THE APOSTLE OF ALLAH SEEKING PERMISSION FROM THE LORD, THE EXALTED AND HIGH, FOR VISITING THE GRAVE OF HIS MOTHER

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger as saying: I sought permission to beg forgiveness for my mother, but He did not grant it to me. I sought permission from Him to visit her grave, and He granted it (permission) to me. (Sahih Muslim, Book 004, Number 2129 https://sunnah.com/muslim/11/134)

Abu Huraira reported: The Apostle of Allah 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. (Sahih Muslim, Book 004, Number 2130 https://sunnah.com/muslim/11/135)

Chapter 86: HE WHO DIED WITH UNBELIEF WOULD BE (THROWN) INTO THE FIRE, INTERCESSION WOULD BE OF NO AVAIL TO HIM AND THE RELATIONSHIP OF HIS FAVOURITES WOULD NOT BENEFIT HIM

Anas reported: Verily, a person said: Messenger of Allah, where is my father? He said: (He) is in the Fire. When he turned away, he (the Holy Prophet) called him and said: Verily my father and your father are in the Fire. (Sahih Muslim, Book 001, Number 0398 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=001&translator=2&start=0&number=0398)

3. Jesus and his blessed mother are absolutely pure and sinless.

“And when the angels said: O Mary! Lo! Allah hath chosen thee and made thee pure…” S. 3:42a

He said: I am only a messenger of thy Lord, that I may bestow on thee a faultless son. S. 19:19

3b. Muhammad and his parents were sinners tainted by Satan.

“… ‘And I have named her Mary and commend her to You with her seed her children to protect them from the accursed the outcast Satan’. In a hadīth it is stated ‘EVERY new-born is touched by Satan and begins life by crying except for Mary and her son’ as reported by the two Shaykhs Bukhārī and Muslim.” (Tafsir al-Jalalayn, Q. 3:36 https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=3&tAyahNo=36&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2; bold emphasis ours)

(“… And I seek refuge with You for her and for her offspring from Shaytan, the outcast.”) means, that she sought refuge with Allah from the evil of Shaytan, for her and her offspring, i.e., `Isa, peace be upon him. Allah accepted her supplication, for `Abdur-Razzaq recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said…

<<EVERY newly born baby is touched by Shaytan when it is born, and the baby starts crying because of this touch, except Maryam and her son.>> Abu Hurayrah then said, “Read if you will…

<<And I seek refuge with You for her and for her offspring from Shaytan, the outcast>>.” The Two Sahihs recorded this Hadith. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=546&Itemid=46; bold emphasis ours)

4. Jesus is the preexistent Word of God who came down from God’s presence as a Spirit in order to take on flesh from Mary.

O People of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter aught concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was an Apostle of Allah, and His Word which He cast down unto Mary, and a Spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers, and say not “Three” – Cease! (it is) better for you! – Allah is only One God. Far is it removed from His Transcendent Majesty that He should have a son. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And Allah is sufficient as Defender. S. 4:171

4b. Muhammad was nothing more than an ordinary, fallible, imperfect man who was filled with doubts and fears, and whose god would often threaten to punish and/or kill him.

And seek forgiveness of Allah. Lo! Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful. And plead not on behalf of (people) who deceive themselves. Lo! Allah loveth not one who is treacherous and sinful. S. 4:106-107

Allah forgive thee (O Muhammad)! Wherefor didst thou grant them leave ere those who told the truth were manifest to thee and thou didst know the liars? S. 9:43

And if thou (Muhammad) art in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto thee, then question those who read the Scripture (that was) before thee. Verily the Truth from thy Lord hath come unto thee. So be not thou of the waverers. S. 10:94

And they indeed strove hard to beguile thee (Muhammad) away from that wherewith We have inspired thee, that thou shouldst invent other than it against Us; and then would they have accepted thee as a friend. And if We had not made thee wholly firm thou mightest almost have inclined unto them a little. Then had we made thee taste a double (punishment) of living and a double (punishment) of dying, then hadst thou found no helper against Us. 17:73-75

Or thou have a house of gold; or thou ascend up into heaven, and even then we will put no faith in thine ascension till thou bring down for us a book that we can read. Say (O Muhammad): My Lord be Glorified! Am I aught save a mortal messenger? S. 17:93

Say: I am only a mortal like you. My Lord inspireth in me that your God is only One God. And whoever hopeth for the meeting with his Lord, let him do righteous work, and make none sharer of the worship due unto his Lord. S. 18:110

O Prophet! Keep thy duty to Allah and obey not the disbelievers and the hypocrites. Lo! Allah is Knower, Wise. S. 33:1

And verily it hath been revealed unto thee as unto those before thee (saying): If thou ascribe a partner to Allah thy work will fail and thou indeed wilt be among the losers. S. 39:65

Then have patience (O Muhammad). Lo! the promise of Allah is true. And ask forgiveness of thy sin, and hymn the praise of thy Lord at fall of night and in the early hours. S. 40:55

Say (unto them O Muhammad): I am only a mortal like you. It is inspired in me that your God is One God, therefor take the straight path unto Him and seek forgiveness of Him. And woe unto the idolaters, S. 41:6

Say: I am no new thing among the messengers (of Allah), nor know I what will be done with me or with you. I do but follow that which is inspired in me, and I am but a plain warner. S. 46:9

So know (O Muhammad) that there is no God save Allah, and ask forgiveness for thy sin and for believing men and believing women. Allah knoweth (both) your place of turmoil and your place of rest. S. 47:19

Lo! We have given thee (O Muhammad) a signal victory, That Allah may forgive thee of thy sin that which is past and that which is to come, and may perfect His favour unto thee, and may guide thee on a right path, S. 48:1-2

And if he had invented false sayings concerning Us, We assuredly had taken him by the right hand And then severed his life-artery, And not one of you could have held Us off from him. S. 69:44-47

He frowned and turned away Because the blind man came unto him. What could inform thee but that he might grow (in grace) Or take heed and so the reminder might avail him? As for him who thinketh himself independent, Unto him thou payest regard. Yet it is not thy concern if he grow not (in grace). But as for him who cometh unto thee with earnest purpose And hath fear, From him thou art distracted. S. 80:1-10

Then hymn the praises of thy Lord, and seek forgiveness of Him. Lo! He is ever ready to show mercy. S. 110:3

5. Jesus was conceived of and born from a virgin maiden who had never been sexually touched by any man.

She said: My Lord! How can I have a child when no mortal hath touched me? He said: So (it will be). Allah createth what He will. If He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is. S. 3:47

She said: How can I have a son when no mortal hath touched me, neither have I been unchaste? He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me. And (it will be) that We may make of him a revelation for mankind and a mercy from Us, and it is a thing ordained. S. 19:20-21

5b. Muhammad was born in the ordinary manner of sexual intercourse.

6. Jesus is the Creator and life-Giver who raised the dead and breathed life into inanimate clay objects, in the same way that God does.

And will make him a messenger unto the Children of Israel, (saying): Lo! I come unto you with a sign from your Lord. Lo! I create for you out of clay the likeness of a bird, and I breathe into it and it is a bird, by Allah’s leave. I heal him who was born blind, and the leper, and I raise the dead, by Allah’s leave. And I announce unto you what ye eat and what ye store up in your houses. Lo! herein verily is a portent for you, if ye are to be believers. S. 3:49

When Allah saith: O Jesus, son of Mary! Remember My favour unto thee and unto thy mother; how I strengthened thee with the holy Spirit, so that thou spakest unto mankind in the cradle as in maturity; and how I taught thee the Scripture and Wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel; and how thou didst create from clay as it were the likeness of a bird by My permission, and didst blow upon it and it was a bird by My permission, and thou didst heal him who was born blind and the leper by My permission; and how thou didst raise the dead by My permission; and how I restrained the Children of Israel from (harming) thee when thou camest unto them with clear proofs, and those of them who disbelieved exclaimed: This is naught else than mere magic; S. 5:110

6b. Muhammad performed no miracles.

They also say, ‘Why has no sign been sent down upon him from his Lord?‘ Say: ‘Surely God is able to send down a sign (ayatan), but most of them know not.’ S. 6:37

They have sworn by God the most earnest oaths if a sign comes to them they will believe in it. Say: ‘Signs are only with God.’ What will make you realize that, when it comes, they will not believe? S. 6:109

The unbelievers say, ‘Why has a sign not been sent down upon him from his Lord?’ Thou art ONLY a warner, and a guide to every people. S. 13:7

Naught prevented Us from sending the signs but that the ancients cried lies to them; and We brought Thamood the She-camel visible, but they did her wrong. And We do not send the signs, except to frighten. S. 17:59

This last passage is one of the clearest proofs that Muhammad did absolutely no miracles whatsoever. The text says that Allah refrained from providing miracles, which would make no sense at all if Muhammad did indeed perform signs and wonders. Regarding this verse, the late Sunni scholar Muhammad Asad candidly admitted:

This highly elliptic sentence has a fundamental bearing on the purport of the Qur’an as a whole. In many places the Qur’an stresses the fact that the Prophet Muhammad, despite his being the last and greatest of God’s apostles, WAS NOT EMPOWERED TO PERFORM MIRACLES similar to those with which the earlier prophets are said to have reinforced their verbal messages. His ONLY miracle was and is the Qur’an itself – a message perfect in its lucidity and ethical comprehensiveness, destined for all times and all stages of human development, addressed not merely to the feelings but also to the minds of men, open to everyone, whatever his race or social environment, and bound to remain unchanged forever… (Asad, The Message of the Qur’an [Dar Al-Andalus Limitd 3 Library Ramp, Gibraltar rpt. 1993], p. 427, fn. 71; online edition; capital and underline emphasis ours)

7. Jesus returned to God himself, since that is where he originally came from.

(And remember) when Allah said: O Jesus! Lo! I am gathering thee and causing thee to ascend unto Me, and am cleansing thee of those who disbelieve and am setting those who follow thee above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. S. 3:55

But Allah took him up unto Himself. Allah was ever Mighty, Wise. S. 4:158

7b. Muhammad died and was buried.

Muhammad is but a messenger, messengers (the like of whom) have passed away before him. Will it be that, when he dieth or is slain, ye will turn back on your heels? He who turneth back on his heels doth no hurt to Allah, and Allah will reward the thankful. S. 3:144

Lo! thou wilt die, and lo! they will die; S. 39:30

Further Reading

The Quran Agrees: Jesus is the most Exalted of all (https://answeringislam.net/Shamoun/jesus_most_exalted_q.htm)

The Quran Also Agrees: Jesus Is the Most High! (https://answeringislam.net/Shamoun/jesus_most_high_q.htm)

Jesus Christ: Islam’s Greatest Prophet and Messenger (https://answeringislam.net/Shamoun/jesus_knows_unseen_q.htm)

Mary in the Islamic Perspective: Additional Proof for Jesus’ Superiority over the Prophet of Islam (https://answeringislam.net/Shamoun/mary_amina.htm)

Muhammad and Miracles (https://answeringislam.net/Responses/Azmy/mhd_miracles.htm)

Evidence that Muhammad was a Sinful Transgressor (https://answeringislam.net/authors/shamoun/mhd_transgressor.html)

Muhammad the compromiser and doubter (https://answeringislam.net/Shamoun/compromise_doubt.htm) 

Sura 10:94 and Muhammad’s doubts (https://answeringislam.net/Responses/Osama/zawadi_s10_94.htm)

Muhammad: Man of Faith or One Filled With Doubts? (https://answeringislam.net/Responses/Osama/zawadi_q10_94.htm)

Muhammad the Doubter Still (https://answeringislam.net/Responses/Osama/zawadi_mhd_doubter.htm)

Source: https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2019/04/27/7-characteristics-of-jesus-in-the-quran-which-make-him-superior-to-muhammad/

IHS

Allah Abdul-Muhammad (“Slave of Muhammad”) Pt. 2

I continue from where I previously left off (https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/07/allah-abdul-muhammad-slave-of-muhammad-pt-1/). 

5. The Exegesis of Q. 66:1-5.

According to the Muslim sources, surah 66 was “revealed” to bail out Muhammad from another problem he caused for himself, due to his inability to control his lustful passions. Islamic tradition says that Muhammad would apportion certain days to specific wives or sex slave that he so desired. On those days Muhammad was supposed to limit himself to that particular wife, and not visit any other.

On the day Muhammad assigned to Hafsah, the daughter of Umar bin al-Khattab, Muhammad’s wife decided to visit her father. Muhammad took this as an opportunity to bring his concubine Mariyah the Copt to Hafsah’s home in order to have sex with her. When Hafsah returned she caught Muhammad with his sex slave in her home and on her bed. Suffice it to say, Hafsah was livid and caused a scene. In order to diffuse the situation, Muhammad swore an oath to never sleep with his concubine again and banish her to a house in the outskirts of Medina to be left there all alone, as long as Hafsah promised to tell no one about what had happened. He especially told her not to share this scandal with his childbride Aisha. Though she had sworn not to do so, Hafsah couldn’t help herself and ended up telling Aisha anyway. This upset Muhammad so much that he threatened to divorce all his wives and swore not to touch any of them for a whole month.

Once again, Muhammad’s god rushed to the defense of his prophet, severely reprimanding the wives, specifically Hafsah and Aisha, for annoying his prophet, and gave Muhammad the authority to dissolve the oath he took to never have sex with his concubine Mariyah.

1. Muhammad, we are told, was once found by his wife Hafsah with a Coptic slave from whom he had promised her to separate. Of this Hafsah secretly informed ‘A’ishah, another wife of his. To free Muhammad from his promise to Hafsah was the object of this chapter. Some of the references are obscure. (N.J. Dawood, The Koran [Penguin Books, 1993 paperback], p. 398)

Another conjugal matter which must be mentioned, because it caused a stir at the time and is the subject of Qor’anic verses, is the Prophet’s boycott of Mariya the Copt. One day Mariya went to see the Prophet at Hafsa’s house. Hafsa was not at home. He took Mariya into the bedroom and lay down with her. Hafsa came back. In great indignation she shouted at him, “Why are you lying with your slave-girl on my bed?” In order to placate Hafsa, the Prophet swore that he would never touch Mariya again. When the storm abated, and perhaps because he was fond of Mariya or affected by her hurt feelings and complaints about the interdict, he changed his mind. His conduct was justified by the revelation of the first verses of sura 66 (ot-Tahrim)… This [Q. 66:2] is evidently a reference to verse 91 of sura 5 (ol-Ma’eda), which authorizes expiation of ill-considered oaths through compensatory good deeds such as feeding or clothing ten poor persons, freeing a slave, or fasting for three days. According to one account, which is attributed to Moqatel b. Solayman, the Prophet expiated his oath about Mariya by manumitting a slave, but Hasan b. ‘Ali is reported to have said that the words “God is forgiving, merciful” in verse 1 mean that God forgave the Prophet… What had happened was evidently as follows. The Prophet had let Hafsa know in strict confidence that he undertook to have no more relations with Mariya, and had asked Hafsa not to tell anyone else; but Hafsa told ‘A’esha, and God informed the Prophet that she had done so. He then spoke to Hafsa, mentioning part of what he had been informed but refraining from mention of part of it. Hafsa, thinking that ‘A’esha had told the Prophet, asked him how he knew, and he answered that God had told him. (Ali Dashti, 23 Years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Muhammad [Costa Mesa, Ca. 1994; Mazda Publishers], pp. 136-137; bold emphasis ours)

‘Umar told the whole story (about his wife). “On that the Prophet smiled.” ‘Umar further said, “I then said, ‘I went to Hafsa and said to her: Do not be tempted to imitate your companion (‘Aisha) for she is more beautiful than you and more beloved to the Prophet.’ The Prophet smiled again. When I saw him smiling, I sat down and cast a glance at the room, and by Allah, I couldn’t see anything of importance but three hides. I said (to Allah’s Apostle) “Invoke Allah to make your followers prosperous for the Persians and the Byzantines have been made prosperous and given worldly luxuries, though they do not worship Allah?’ The Prophet was leaning then (and on hearing my speech he sat straight) and said, ‘O Ibn Al-Khattab! Do you have any doubt (that the Hereafter is better than this world)? These people have been given rewards of their good deeds in this world only.’ I asked the Prophet . ‘Please ask Allah’s forgiveness for me. The Prophet did not go to his wives because of the secret which Hafsa had disclosed to ‘Aisha, and he said that he would not go to his wives for one month as he was angry with them when Allah admonished him (for his oath that he would not approach Maria). When twenty-nine days had passed, the Prophet went to Aisha first of all. She said to him, ‘You took an oath that you would not come to us for one month, and today only twenty-nine days have passed, as I have been counting them day by day.’ The Prophet said, ‘The month is also of twenty-nine days.’ That month consisted of twenty-nine days. ‘Aisha said, ‘When the Divine revelation of Choice was revealed, the Prophet started with me, saying to me, ‘I am telling you something, but you needn’t hurry to give the reply till you can consult your parents.” ‘Aisha knew that her parents would not advise her to part with the Prophet. The Prophet said that Allah had said:– (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 43, Number 648 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=43&translator=1&start=0&number=648)

In a footnote to Q. 33:28, Hilali-Khan make the following comment regarding the above hadith:

*The Prophet was alone with Maria on the day that was devoted to ‘Aisha [sic]. When Hafsa learned that, the Prophet told her to keep that as a secret and promised that he would not come near Maria. But Hafsa disclosed the secret to ‘Aisha who got angry and then provoked the Prophet who took an oath that he would desert her for one month. (Interpretation of the Meanings of the Noble Qur’an: From Surah 29 to 37 (Darussalam Publishers & Distributors, Riyadh, Lahore Houston, New York, First Edition: January, 2000), Part 6, p. 228)

O Prophet! Why do you prohibit what God has made lawful for you, in terms of your Coptic handmaiden Māriya – when he lay with her in the house of Hafsa, who had been away, but who upon returning [and finding out] became upset by the fact that this had taken place in her own house and on her own bed – by saying, ‘She is unlawful for me!’, seeking, by making her unlawful [for you], to please your wives? And God is Forgiving, Merciful, having forgiven you this prohibition. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn http://altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=66&tAyahNo=1&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0; bold and italic emphasis ours)

Verily God has prescribed, He has made lawful, for you [when necessary] the absolution of your oaths, to absolve them by expiation, as mentioned in the sūrat al-Mā’ida [Q. 5:89] and the forbidding of [sexual relations with] a handmaiden counts as an oath, so did the Prophet expiate? Muqātil [b. Sulaymān] said, ‘He set free a slave [in expiation] for his prohibition of Māriya’; whereas al-Hasan [al-Basrī] said, ‘He never expiated, because the Prophet has been forgiven [all errors]’. And God is your Protector, your Helper, and He is the Knower, the Wise. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn http://altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=66&tAyahNo=2&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0; bold and italic emphasis ours)

And, mention, when the Prophet confided to one of his wives, namely, Hafsa, a certain matter, which was his prohibition of Māriya, telling her: ‘Do not reveal it!‘; but when she divulged it, to ‘A’isha, reckoning there to be no blame in [doing] such a thing, and God apprised him, He informed him, of it, of what had been divulged, he announced part of it, to Hafsa, and passed over part, out of graciousness on his part. So when he told her about it, she said, ‘Who told you this?’ He said, ‘I was told by the Knower, the Aware’, namely, God. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn http://altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=66&tAyahNo=3&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0; bold and italic emphasis ours)

If the two of you, namely, Hafsa and ‘A’isha, repent to God … for your hearts were certainly inclined, towards the prohibition of Māriya, that is to say, your keeping this secret despite [knowing] the Prophet’s dislike of it, which is itself a sin (the response to the conditional [‘if the two of you repent to God’] has been omitted, to be understood as, ‘it will be accepted of both of you’; the use of [the plural] qulūb, ‘hearts’, instead of [the dual] qalbayn, ‘both [your] hearts’, is on account of the cumbersomeness of putting two duals together in what is effectively the same word); and if you support one another (tazzāharā: the original second tā’ [of tatazāharā] has been assimilated with the zā’; a variant reading has it without [this assimilation, tazāharā]) against him, that is, the Prophet, in what he is averse to, then [know that] God, He (huwa, [a pronoun] for separation) is indeed his Protector, His supporter, and Gabriel, and the righteous among the believers, Abū Bakr and ‘Umar (wa-Jibrīlu wa-sālihu’l-mu’minīna is a supplement to the [syntactical] locus of the subject of inna [sc. ‘God’]), who will [also] be his supporters, and the angels furthermore, further to the support of God and those mentioned, are his supporters, assistants of his, in supporting him [to prevail] over both of you. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn http://altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=66&tAyahNo=4&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0; bold and underline emphasis ours)

And from his narration on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas that he said regarding the interpretation of Allah’s saying (O Prophet!): ‘(O Prophet!) i.e. Muhammad. (Why bannest thou that which Allah hath made lawful for thee) i.e. marrying Maria the Copt, the Mother of Ibrahim; that is because he had forbidden himself from marrying her, (seeking to please thy wives) seeking the pleasure of your wives ‘A’ishah and Hafsah by forbidding yourself from marrying Maria the Copt? (And Allah is Forgiving) He forgives you, (Merciful) about that oath. (Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs http://altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=73&tSoraNo=66&tAyahNo=1&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0; bold and italic emphasis ours)

(Allah hath made lawful for you (Muslims) absolution from your oaths (of such a kind)) and so the Prophet  absolved himself from his oath and married Maria the Copt, (and Allah is your Protector) and Helper. (He is the Knower) He knows that you forbade yourself Maria the Copt, (the Wise) in that which He enjoined about the expiation of oaths. (Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs http://altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=73&tSoraNo=66&tAyahNo=2&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0; bold and italic emphasis ours)

(When the Prophet confided a fact unto one of his wives) i.e. Hafsah (and when she afterward divulged it) Hafsah divulged to ‘A’ishah what the Prophet told her in confidence (and Allah apprised him thereof) and Allah informed him that Hafsah informed ‘A’ishah, (he made known (to her) part thereof) part of what she said to ‘A’ishah regarding the leadership of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar; and it is said: about seeing Maria the Copt on his own (and passed over part) he did not mention making forbidding Maria the Copt on himself nor what he told her concerning the leadership of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar after him, for he did not reproach him for this. (And when he told it her) when the Prophet informed Hafsah about what she said to ‘A’ishah (she said) Hafsah said: (Who hath told thee) that I informed ‘A’ishah? (He said) the Prophet said: (The Knower, the Aware hath told me) what you divulged to ‘A’ishah. (Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs http://altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=73&tSoraNo=66&tAyahNo=3&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0; bold and italic emphasis ours)

Period of Revelation

In connection with the incident of tahrim referred to in this Surah, the traditions of the Hadith mention two ladies who were among the wives of the Holy Prophet at that time Hadrat Safiyyah and Hadrat Mariyah Qibtiyyah. The former (i. e. Hadrat Safiyyah) was taken to wife by the Holy Prophet after the conquest of Khaiber, and Khaiber was conquered, as has been unanimously reported, in A. H. 7. The other lady, Hadrat Mariyah, had been presented to the Holy Prophet by Muqawqis, the ruler of Egypt, in A. H. 7 and she had borne him his son, Ibrahim, in Dhil-Hijjah, A. H. 8.These historical events almost precisely determine that this Surah was sent down some time during A.H. 7 or A. H 8. (Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, Tafhim al-Qur’an – The Meaning of the Qur’an https://www.englishtafsir.com/Quran/66/index.html)

Muhammad’s personal and family life were not always smooth. His wives sometimes bickered amongst themselves and even once engaged in a petty plot against him. A’ishah, for example, disliked her Jewish co-wife, Safiyah, and insulted her periodically. Muhammad had to defend her status and honor a number of times and scold the youthful A’ishah. Hafsah became jealous of her co-wife, Maria, when she found her and Muhammad resting[sic] in her apartment one day. Sawdah gave up her allotted day with the Prophet when she realized he was not really attracted to her. As for the conspiracy, A’ishah agreed with two other co-wives to convince the Prophet that eating honey made him unpleasant to be around. When Muhammad vowed to never eat honey again, she privately repented to her co-conspirators. Though these incidents were not the norm, they demonstrate that the women in Muhammad’s life were as human as the rest of us. (Yahiya Emerick, Critical Lives: Muhammad [Alpha Books, A Member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 2002], p. 263; underline emphasis ours)

2- At one time, because of one of his wives‘ complaint, he swore that he would stay away from Mariya then Allah Most High ordered him to cancel that oath without kaffara. (This may have been confused with a revocable divorce by some; in reality it confirms that a self-pronounced tahrim of mulk al-yamin is inconsequential. Imam Malik said: “Haram is halal with regard to slavewomen.”) (Shaykh Gibril F Haddad, Was Mariya al-Qibtiyya ever a spouse?: http://www.livingislam.org/fiqhi/sm1-gfh_e.html#9)

A more recent Muslim biographer named Muhammad Husayn Haykal believes that the Mariyah incident is what occasioned the “revelation” of Q. 66:1-5. Pay careful attention to his claims:

Their Rebellion

One day Hafsah went to her father’s house complaining about this situation. While the Prophet was in her room, Mariyah came to him and stayed with him some time. Upon Hafsah’s return she found the Prophet and Mariyah in her quarters and, as she waited for them to come out, her jealousy broke all bounds. When, finally, Mariyah left the quarters and Hafsah entered, she said to the Prophet: “I have seen who was here. By God, that was an insult to me. You would not have dared do that if I amounted to anything at all in your eyes.” At the moment Muhammad realized that such deep-lying jealousy might even move Hafsah to broadcast what she had seen among the other wives. In an attempt to please her, Muhammad promised that he would not go unto Mariyah if she would only refrain from broadcasting what she had seen. Hafsah promised to comply. However, she could not keep her promise as jealousy continued to affect her disposition. Hence, she intimated the secret to `A’ishah, who in turn reported it to the Prophet. He took it as evidence of Hafsah’s failure to keep her promise. Perhaps the affair did not stop with Hafsah and `A’ishah but spread to the other wives. Perhaps, too, all of them had noticed the high esteem in which Mariyah was held and sympathized with `A’ishah and Hafsah’s opposition to the Prophet. There is nothing unusual in the whole story, such gossip and petty jealousies being commonplace between man and his many wives. A man’s affection belongs where he puts it within his household, and the controversy which the daughters of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar had woven around the Prophet’s affection for Mariyah was utterly groundless. Previously we had seen that some disaffection had risen between the Prophet and his wives on various occasions because of the pocket money he allocated to them, or because of the honey Zaynab used to serve. Therefore, they had all the more reason to feel slighted and no little alienated when they discovered their husband’s inclination toward ‘A’ishah or his esteem for Mariyah.

An explosion was soon to come. One day, while the Prophet was staying with ‘A’ishah, his other wives delegated Zaynab, daughter of Jahsh, to go in and, in their name, to accuse him of injustice and unfairness to them, and to plead that his love for `A’ishah was a violation of the code which he himself had set down of a day and night for each of his wives. On the other hand, REALIZING that the Prophet DID NOT CARE VERY MUCH FOR HER CHARMS, and being no longer anxious to please him, Sawdah had given up her day and night to `A’ishah. But Zaynab was not satisfied with expressing the other wives’ indignation at this apparent injustice. She attacked `A’ishah personally. The latter was anxious to defend herself, but kept still in response to the Prophet’s reconciliating pleas. Seeing that `A’ishah was defenseless, Zaynab went to excess in her accusations, and the Prophet finally had to permit his favorite wife to take her defense into her own hands. `A’ishah spoke out with great eloquence in refuting Zaynab’s claims. The Prophet listened with obvious satisfaction and admired the perspicacity of Abu Bakr’s daughter.

Indeed, favoritism for some of his wives had created such controversy and antagonism among the “Mothers of the Believers” that Muhammad once thought of divorcing some of them, but they soon agreed to let him distribute his favors as he pleased. When Mariyah gave birth to Ibrahim, their jealousy was at its strongest, especially in the case of `A’ishah. Certainly, Muhammad’s leniency and gentleness encouraged rebellion, and the new status which he had conferred upon women in society fanned their vanity. Muhammad, however, was not free to spend his time dealing with household problems. The need soon came to be felt for a decisive lesson to reestablish discipline and to liberate him for teaching the message and fulfilling the mission of his prophethood. Hence, he decided to ignore his wives and, indeed, to threaten them with divorce. A lesson had to be taught to them, and the time had apparently come for a decision. Either these women were to return to reason or they would be given their freedom in a mutually convenient divorce.

The Prophet’s Separation from His Wives

Muhammad isolated himself from all his women for a full month and refused to talk about them to anyone. Nor did anyone dare talk to him concerning them. During this month, his mind was absorbed by his mission and the requirement of carrying the message of Islam beyond the Arabian Peninsula. Abu Bakr, `Umar, and his other in-laws as well, were deeply concerned over the sad fate that awaited the “Mothers of the Believers” now that they had exposed themselves to the anger of the Prophet and the consequent punishment of God. It was even said that Muhammad had divorced Hafsah, `Umar’s daughter, after she had divulged the secret she had promised to keep. The marketplace of Madinah hummed with rumors about the impending divorce of the Prophet’s wives. The wives, for their part, were repentent and apprehensive. They regretted that their jealousy of one another had carried them away, that they had abused and harmed their gentle husband who was to each one of them at all times an elder brother, a compassionate father, a nearest kin, and the best of everything that might be hoped for in this life and the next. Muhammad spent most of his time in a storeroom he owned, placing his servant Rabah at its doorstep as long as he was inside. Therein he used to sleep on a very hard bed of coarse date branches. (Muhammad Husayn Haykal, The Life of Muhammad, tran. Isma’il Raji al-Faruqi [American Trust Publications, USA 1976; Malaysian edition by Islamic Book Trust], pp. 436-438; bold and capital emphasis ours)

And:

The Judgment of Critical Historiography

In my opinion, the foregoing is the true account of the story of Muhammad’s self-imposed isolation from his wives, of the choice he gave them, of the incidents which led to his isolation as well as of its causes and consequences. This account is confirmed by all the evidence of the books of Qur’anic exegesis and of Hadith, as well as by the accounts of various biographies. The fact remains, however, that not one of these biographies has presented all these data in the proper sequence, beginning with the causes and ending with the consequences in the manner we have done here. Most of the biographers have passed by this matter too quickly and too simplistically. They give the impression that they found the material too rough to handle. Some accounts have pondered the story of the honey and maghafir at length but have omitted to point to the affair of Hafsah and Mariyah. As for the Orientalists, they regard the story of Hafsah and Mariyah and the former’s divulgence to `A’ishah of the secret she promised to keep as the cause of all that had happened. Their purpose is precisely to add to their already alienated readers further occasion to condemn the Arab Prophet by presenting him as a shameless runner after women. It is also my considered opinion that the Muslim historians are not justified in ignoring these incidents, or in omitting to examine all the data available with a view to giving them an objective interpretation. That is what we have sought to do here, though only in part. While the mistake of the Muslim historians was to underestimate the importance of these events, that of the western Orientalists is to exaggerate their importance, to violate historiographic precision, and to vent their Christian prejudice. Genuine historical criticism will not attribute to any man as great as Muhammad such a petty conduct as would be implied by referring his self-imposed exile solely to Hafsah’s divulgence of a domestic secret to `A’ishah. In fact, Muhammad had nothing to hide since the women in question were all his own legitimate wives. Indeed, whatever the nature of that domestic secret, it is too insignificant to cause Muhammad to threaten to divorce all his wives. Genuine historical criticism would also refuse to explain these events as due to the “honey” affair. A man as great, forbearing, and compassionate as Muhammad, as all historians and biographers acknowledge, would not regard such incidents as justifying a whole month’s isolation, let alone divorce. The critical attitude is satisfied only when all these incidents are arranged in such historical sequence as would not violate the causal interrelationships between them. Only such history-writing satisfies the requirements of objectivity and presents its data as elements in factual interrelationships acceptable to reason. The arrangement we have given these events seems to us to have achieved precisely this, and to accord perfectly with what is known of Muhammad’s wisdom, greatness, determination and farsightedness. (Ibid., 440-441; bold emphasis ours)

6. Summary Analysis of the Data.

The following sources candidly admit that Muhammad ended up actually divorcing Hafsa because of this incident:

884. The Prophet married her [Hafsa] in Sha‘ban 3/February 625 before the battle of Uhud. She was his fourth wife. One day, when she returned from her father’s house, she found the Messenger of God with Mariyah in her house and burst into hysterical behavior. The situation was further aggravated by ‘A’ishah’s chattering tongue. According to Ibn Ishaq (Kitab al-Mubtada’, 240) the prophet had divorced her once but then took her back. She died in Sha‘ban 45/665… (The History of Al-Tabari: The Last Years of the Prophet, translated and annotated by Ismail K. Poonawala [State University of New York Press (SUNY), Albany, NY 1990], Volume IX, pp. 131; bold emphasis ours)

Narrated Umar ibn al-Khattab:

The Prophet divorced Hafsah, but he took her back in marriage. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 12, Number 2276 http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/abudawud/012.sat.html#012.2276)

1595. The Prophet pronounced revocable divorce. Hence he took Hafsah back in marriage. It is reported that the Prophet was asked by Divine revelation to restore Hafsah as she was devoted to prayer and fasting. (Sunan Abu Dawud, English translation with Explanatory Notes by Prof. Ahmad Hasan [Sh. Muhammad Ashraf Publishers, Booksellers & Exporters; Lahore, Pakistan, 1984], Volume II, p. 619)

Next, the Prophet married ‘Hafsah, daughter of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab. Abu Dawood narrated that the Prophet divorced ‘Hafsah and then took her back.

[1] Shaikh Wahby said that al-Albani included this authentic ‘Hadith in his book, Sahih Sunan Abi Dawood, ‘Hadith no. 1998] (Ibn Qayyim al-Jauziyyah, Zad-ul Ma’ad fi Hadyi Khairi-l ‘Ibad [Provisions for the Hereafter Taken From the Guidance of Allah’s Best Worshipper], translated by Jalal Abualrub, edited by Alaa Mencke & Shaheed M. Ali [Madinah Publishers & Distributors, Orlando Florida; First edition, December October 2000], Volume 1, p. 166; bold and underline emphasis ours)

I’ll have more to say about this whole issue in the concluding section of my series.

Source: https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/07/allah-abdul-muhammad-slave-of-muhammad-pt-2/

IHS

Allah Abdul-Muhammad (“Slave of Muhammad”) Pt. 1

In this series of posts I am going to set out to prove that Allah is actually the slave of Muhammad who existed to satisfy the desires and pleasures of his own prophet. I plan to break down my posts in the following sections:

1.       Abstract.

2.       The Quranic References.

3.       The Exegesis of Q. 9:1-5.

4.       Summary Analysis of the Data.

5.       The Exegesis of Q. 66:1-5.

6.       Summary Analysis of the Data.

8.       The Alternate Versions.

9.       The Implications of and Problems with the Alternate Versions.

10.   Muhammad’s Oath Breaking and Mistreatment of Wives: A Model for Muslims to Follow.

1. Abstract.

Allah granted Muhammad certain privileges such as dissolving his oaths and choosing which of his wives and concubines he wanted to sleep with on a particular day. As such, Muhammad comes under the condemnation of the Holy Bible, God’s true Word, which gives strict warning to those who would fail to keep any oath or vow made before the Lord:

“Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: ‘This is what the LORD commands: When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.’” Numbers 30:1-2

“If you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God what you have promised with your mouth.” Deuteronomy 23:21-23

“Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words. When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, ‘My vow was a mistake.’ Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?” Ecclesiastes 5:2-6

Muhammad stands further condemned for his mistreatment of his wives and concubines since, during the OT period when polygyny was allowed, God warned men not to neglect their wives by failing to grant them the same treatment and rights, both in respect to their conjugal and material needs:

“When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has broken faith with her. If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter. If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights. And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money.” Exodus 21:7-11

2. The Quranic References.

A (declaration) of immunity from God and His Apostle, to those of the Pagans with whom ye have contracted mutual alliances:- Go ye, then, for four months, backwards and forwards, (as ye will), throughout the land, but know ye that ye cannot frustrate God (by your falsehood) but that God will cover with shame those who reject Him. And an announcement from God and His Apostle, to the people (assembled) on the day of the Great Pilgrimage, – that God and His Apostle dissolve (treaty) obligations with the Pagans. If then, ye repent, it were best for you; but if ye turn away, know ye that ye cannot frustrate God. And proclaim a grievous penalty to those who reject Faith. S. 9:1-3 Y. Ali

Here is how another version of this passage:

Freedom from (all) obligations (is declared) from Allah and His Messenger to those of the Mushrikun (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah), with whom you made a treaty. So travel freely (O Mushrikun – see V.2:105) for four months (as you will) throughout the land, but know that you cannot escape (from the Punishment of) Allah, and Allah will disgrace the disbelievers. And a declaration from Allah and His Messenger to mankind on the greatest day (the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah – the 12th month of Islamic calendar) that Allah is free from (all) obligations to the Mushrikun (see V.2:105) and so is His Messenger. So if you (Mushrikun) repent, it is better for you, but if you turn away, then know that you cannot escape (from the Punishment of) Allah. And give tidings (O Muhammad) of a painful torment to those who disbelieve. Hilali-Khan

Continuing with the Quran:

You (O Muhammad) can postpone (the turn of) whom you will of them (your wives), and you may receive whom you will. And whomsoever you desire of those whom you have set aside (her turn temporarily), it is no sin on you (to receive her again), that is better; that they may be comforted and not grieved, and may all be pleased with what you give them. Allah knows what is in your hearts. And Allah is Ever All-knowing, Most Forbearing. S. 33:51 Hilali-Khan

O Prophet! Why do you ban (for yourself) that which Allah has made lawful to you, seeking to please your wives? And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Allah has already ordained for you (O men), the dissolution of your oaths. And Allah is your Maula (Lord, or Master, or Protector, etc.) and He is the All-Knower, the All-Wise. And (remember) when the Prophet disclosed a matter in confidence to one of his wives (Hafsah), so when she told it (to another i.e. ‘Aishah), and Allah made it known to him, he informed part thereof and left a part. Then when he told her (Hafsah) thereof, she said: “Who told you this?” He said: “The All-Knower, the All-Aware (Allah) has told me”. If you two (wives of the Prophet, namely ‘Aishah and Hafsah) turn in repentance to Allah, (it will be better for you), your hearts are indeed so inclined (to oppose what the Prophet likes), but if you help one another against him (Muhammad), then verily, Allah is his Maula (Lord, or Master, or Protector, etc.), and Jibrael (Gabriel), and the righteous among the believers, and furthermore, the angels are his helpers. It may be if he divorced you (all) that his Lord will give him instead of you, wives better than you, Muslims (who submit to Allah), believers, obedient to Allah, turning to Allah in repentance, worshipping Allah sincerely, fasting or emigrants (for Allah’s sake), previously married and virgins. S. 66:1-5 Hilali-Khan

3. The Exegesis of Q. 9:1-3.

Why there is no Basmalah in the Beginning of This Surah

This honorable Surah (chapter 9) was one of the last Surahs to be revealed to the Messenger of Allah. Al-Bukhari recorded that Al-Bara’ said, “The last Ayah to be revealed was…

<They ask you for a legal verdict. Say: “Allah directs (thus) about Al-Kalalah.”> [4:176], while the last Surah to be revealed was Bara’ah.” The Basmalah was not mentioned in the beginning of this Surah because the Companions did not write it in the complete copy of the Qur’an (Mushaf) they collected, following the Commander of the faithful, `Uthman bin `Affan. The first part of this honorable Surah was revealed to the Messenger of Allah when he returned from the battle of Tabuk, during the Hajj season, which the Prophet thought about attending. But he remembered that the idolators would still attend that Hajj, as was usual in past years, and that they perform Tawaf around the House while naked. He disliked to associate with them and sent Abu Bakr As-Siddiq to lead Hajj that year and show the people their rituals, commanding him to inform the idolators that they would not be allowed to participate in Hajj after that season. He commanded him to proclaim…

<Freedom from (all) obligations (is declared) from Allah and His Messenger…>, to the people. When Abu Bakr had left, the Messenger sent `Ali bin Abu Talib to be the one to deliver this news to the idolators on behalf of the Messenger, for he was the Messenger’s cousin. We will mention this story later. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir; http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2585&Itemid=64)

Publicizing the Disavowal of the Idolators

Allah said…

<Freedom from obligations from Allah and His Messenger>, is a declaration of freedom from all obligations from Allah and His Messenger…

<to those of the Mushrikin, with whom you made a treaty. So travel freely (Mushrikin) for four months (as you will) throughout the land> [9:1-2]. This Ayah refers to idolators who had indefinite treaties and those, whose treaties with Muslims ended in less than four months. The terms of these treaties were restricted to four months only. As for those whose term of peace ended at a specific date later (than the four months), then their treaties would end when their terms ended, no matter how long afterwards, for Allah said…

<So fulfill their treaty for them until the end of their term> [9:4]. So whoever had a covenant with Allah’s Messenger then it would last until its period expired, this was reported from Muhammad bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi and others. We will also mention a Hadith on this matter. Abu Ma`shar Al-Madani said that Muhammad bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi and several others said, “The Messenger of Allah sent Abu Bakr to lead the Hajj rituals on the ninth year (of Hijrah). He also sent `Ali bin Abi Talib with thirty or forty Ayat from Bara’ah (At-Tawbah), and he recited them to the people, giving the idolators four months during which they freely move about in the land. He recited these Ayat on the day of `Arafah (ninth of Dhul-Hijjah). The idolators were given twenty more days (till the end) of Dhul-Hijjah, Muharram, Safar, Rabi` Al-Awwal and ten days from Rabi` Ath-Thani. He proclaimed to them in their camping areas, `No Mushrik will be allowed to perform Hajj after this year, nor a naked person to perform Tawaf around the House.” … (Ibid.; http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2584&Itemid=64)

Allah says, this is a declaration…

<from Allah and His Messenger>, and a preface warning to the people…

<on the greatest day of Hajj>, the day of Sacrifice, the best and most apparent day of the Hajj rituals, during which the largest gathering confers.

<that Allah is free from (all) obligations to the Mushrikin and so is His Messenger.> also free from all obligations to them. Allah next invites the idolators to repent…

<So if you repent>, from the misguidance and Shirk you indulge in…

<it is better for you, but if you turn away>, and persist on your ways…

<then know that you cannot escape Allah> Rather, Allah is capable over you, and you are all in His grasp, under His power and will…

<And give tidings of a painful torment for those who disbelieve> earning them disgrace and affliction in this life and the torment of chains and barbed iron bars in the Hereafter. Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Hurayrah said, “Abu Bakr sent me during that Hajj with those dispatched on the day of Sacrifice to declare in Mina that no Mushrik will be allowed to attend Hajj after that year, nor will a naked person be allowed to perform Tawaf.” Humayd said, “The Prophet then sent `Ali bin Abi Talib and commanded him to announce Bara’ah.” Abu Hurayrah said, “Ali publicized Bara’ah with us to the gathering in Mina on the day of Sacrifice, declaring that no Mushrik shall perform Hajj after that year, nor shall a naked person perform Tawaf around the House.” Al-Bukhari also collected this Hadith the this narration of which, Abu Hurayrah said, “On the day of Nahr, Abu Bakr sent me along with other announcers to Mina to make a public announcement that ‘No pagan is allowed to perform Hajj after this year, and no naked person is allowed to perform the Tawaf around the Ka`bah.’ Abu Bakr was leading the people in that Hajj season, and in the year of `The Farewell Hajj’ when the Prophet performed Hajj, no Mushrik performed Hajj.” This is the narration that Al-Bukhari recorded in the Book on Jihad. Muhammad bin Ishaq reported a narration from Abu Ja`far Muhammad bin `Ali bin Al-Husayn who said, “When Bara’ah was revealed to Allah’s Messenger, and he had sent Abu Bakr to oversee the Hajj rites for the people, he was asked, `O Messenger of Allah! Why not send this [message] to Abu Bakr?’ So he said…

<<It will not be accepted to have been from me if it is not from a man from my family.>> Then he called for `Ali and said to him…

<<Take this section from the beginning of Bara’ah and proclaim to the people on the day of the Sacrifice while they are gathered at Mina that no disbeliever will enter Paradise, no idolator will be permitted to perform Hajj after the year, there will be no Tawaf while naked, and whoever has a covenant with Allah’s Messenger, then it shall be valid until the time of its expiration.>> `Ali rode the camel of Allah’s Messenger named Al-`Adba’ until he caught up with Abu Bakr in route. When Abu Bakr saw him he said, `Are you here as a commander or a follower.’ `Ali replied, `A follower.’ They continued on. Abu Bakr lead the people in Hajj while the Arabs were camping in their normal locations from Jahiliyyah. On the day of Sacrifice, `Ali bin Abi Talib stood and proclaimed, `O people! No disbeliever will be admitted into Paradise, no idolator will be permitted to perform Hajj next year, there shall be no Tawaf while naked, and whoever has a covenant with Allah’s Messenger, then it shall be valid until its time of expiration.’ So no idolator performed Hajj after that year, Tawaf around the House while naked ceased. Then they returned to Allah’s Messenger. So this was the declaration of innocence, whoever among the idolators had no treaty, then he had a treaty of peace for one year, if he had a particular treaty, then it was valid until its date of expiration.” (Ibid.; http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2583&Itemid=64)

4. Summary Analysis of the Data.

The ahadith make it explicitly clear that Muhammad always had it in his heart to expel the pagans, Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula, and so waited and plotted until the appropriate time when he was powerful enough to do so:

Narrated Said bin Jubair:

Ibn ‘Abbas said, “Thursday! What (great thing) took place on Thursday!” Then he started weeping till his tears wetted the gravels of the ground. Then he said, “On Thursday the illness of Allah’s Apostle was aggravated and he said, ‘Fetch me writing materials so that I may have something written to you after which you will never go astray.’… The Prophet on his death-bed, gave three orders saying, ‘Expel the pagans from the Arabian Peninsula…’” (Ya’qub bin Muhammad said, “I asked Al-Mughira bin ‘Abdur-Rahman about the Arabian Peninsula and he said, ‘It comprises Mecca, Medina, Al-Yamama and Yemen.’” Ya’qub added, “And Al-Arj, the beginning of Tihama.”) (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 52, Number 288 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=52&translator=1&start=0&number=288)

Narrated Abu Huraira:

While we were in the Mosque, the Prophet came out and said, “Let us go to the Jews.” We went out till we reached Bait-ul-Midras. He said to them, “If you embrace Islam, you will be safe. You should know that the earth belongs to Allah and His Apostle, and I want to expel you from this land. So, if anyone amongst you owns some property, he is permitted to sell it, otherwise you should know that the earth belongs to Allah and His Apostle.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 53, Number 392 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=53&translator=1&start=0&number=392)

Narrated Said bin Jubair… “When the condition (i.e. health) of Allah’s Apostle deteriorated, he said, ‘Bring me a bone of scapula, so that I may write something for you after which you will never go astray.’ The people differed in their opinions although it was improper to differ in front of a prophet, ‘They said, ‘What is wrong with him? Do you think he is delirious?… Then the Prophet ordered them to do three things saying, ‘Turn out all the pagans from the Arabian Peninsula…’”… (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 53, Number 393 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=53&translator=1&start=0&number=393)

It has been narrated by ‘Umar b. al-Khattab that he heard the Messenger of Allah say: I will expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula and will not leave any but Muslim. (Sahih Muslim, Book 019, Number 4366 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=019&translator=2&start=0&number=4366)

Narrated Ibn ‘Umar:

Umar expelled the Jews and the Christians from Hijaz. When Allah’s Apostle had conquered Khaibar, he wanted to expel the Jews from it, as its land became the property of Allah, His Apostle, and the Muslims. Allah’s Apostle intended to expel the Jews but they requested him to let them stay there on the condition that they would do the labor and get half of the fruits. Allah’s Apostle told them, “We will let you stay on thus condition, as long as we wish.” So, they (i.e. Jews) kept on living there until ‘Umar forced them to go towards Taima’ and Ariha’. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 39, Number 531 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=39&translator=1&start=0&number=531)

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that the Messenger of Allah said, “Two deens shall not co-exist in the Arabian Peninsula.”

Malik said that Ibn Shihab said, “’Umar ibn al-Khattab searched for information about that until he was absolutely convinced that the Messenger of Allah had said, ‘Two deens shall not co-exist in the Arabian Peninsula,’ and he therefore expelled the Jews from Khaybar.”

Malik said, ”Umar ibn al-Khattab expelled the Jews from Najran (a Jewish settlement in the Yemen) and Fadak (a Jewish settlement thirty miles from Madina). When the Jews of Khaybar left, they did not take any fruit or land. The Jews of Fadak took half the fruit and half the land, because the Messenger of Allah had made a settlement with them for that. So Umar entrusted to them the value in gold, silver, camels, ropes and saddle bags of half the fruit and half the land, and handed the value over to them and expelled them.” (Malik’s Muwatta, Book 45, Number 45.5.18 https://sunnah.com/urn/416781)

The foregoing shows that Muhammad never had any intention of keeping his oaths or honoring the treaties he had with the pagans. The only reason why he even entered into such agreements with them was because he was outnumbered and knew he couldn’t impose his will upon them. It is clear that Muhammad had every intention of violating his promises and treaties once he was in a position to attack and subjugate the unbelievers. Muhammad, therefore, needed to use his Allah as a scapegoat to justify his shameless dissolution of the very promises and covenants he had sworn to honor.

I have a lot more to say in respect to Allah being Muhammad’s servant in the next part of my discussion (https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/07/allah-abdul-muhammad-slave-of-muhammad-pt-2/).

Source: https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/07/allah-abdul-muhammad-slave-of-muhammad-pt-1/

IHS