"Prophet of Doom continued"

Submitted by Lactantius Jr (United Kingdom), Mar 23, 2009 at 19:57

To Shaji

Your response to my original posting at http://www.danielpipes.org/comments/152391 makes the usual Muslim "out of context" assertions, and to deal with each one of your 54 Allegations would take a very long time, and more words than Dr Pipes would be able to post, so I confine my response to your concluding wish that "all those who read this also get the taste of real Islam," and focus on violence in Islam, the alleged prophetic status of Muhammad and the nature of the Qur'an, in order to expose "the real Islam."

At the heart of my posting was the statement that violence was foundational to Islam and remains deeply embedded in it, and I stand by that, believing the sunnah of Muhammad the prophet of Islam, the Qur'an, the Hadith, the Sirat and Tarikh literature amply support my statement, and the words of the late Professor Samuel Huntingdon, "that Islam's borders are bloody and so are its innards, that Muslims are involved in the majority of the world's conflicts, and that wherever one looks along the perimeter of Islam, Muslims have problems living peaceably with their neighbours."

"The Clash of Civilizations: And the Remaking of World Order"

Samuel P.Huntingdon, Free Press, 2002 ISBN- 10: 074323149X

Islam was indeed "spread by the sword," some 5 centuries after Muhammad, the great Muslim philosopher-theologian Al-Ghazali, (Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad at-Tusi al-Ghazali, born 1058 AD in Tus, Iran, and died Dec 18 1111, Tus), earned the title "hoggat al-Islam," meaning rock of Islam, and he was unapologetic in stressing the use of force in the preservation and progress of Islam: Here's what Al-Ghazali said,

"After the death of Mohammad, the man of the miracle [the Qur'an] and the apostle of truth and the companions, fearing the weakening of Islam, the decrease of the number of its followers, and the return of masses to their previous infidelity, saw that holy war and invading other countries for the sake of Allah, smashing the faces of the infidels with the sword and making people enter the religion of Allah as the most worthy of all tasks and better than all sciences."[ Ihy'a 'Uloum ed-Din by al-Ghazali, Dar al-Kotob al-'Elmeyah, Beirut, Vol. V, p. 35.]

The use of the sword in the spread of Islam is also attested to by the following statement from al-Ghazali,

"Just as scholastic theology is used with thinking people concerning the truth, the sword is used with the infidels after informing them with the truth ... so just as it cannot be said that the sword was Mohammad's most eloquent argument, neither can it be said that scholastic theology is the ultimate science."[ Ihy'a 'Uloum ed-Din by al-Ghazali, Dar al-Kotob al-'Elmeyah, Beirut, Vol. V, p. 35.]

"Islam is not Christianity, Islam is the religion of agitation, revolution, blood, liberation, and 'martyrdom'"

Sheikh Morteza Motahari ( Nehzat Islami dar Sadsal Akhir [Islamic Movements in the Last One Hundred Years] Tehran, 1979, p 83.

The most telling assessment of the whole issue, confirming the centrality of the sword in Islam; comes from a modern scholar who wrote in the magazine of Al-Azhar University, Cairo, the most prestigious University in the Muslim world:

"Holy war (Jihad) is an Arabic virtue, and a divine obligation: the Muslim is always mindful that his religion is a Qur'an and a sword ... the Muslim then is forever a warrior."[ Al-Azhar magazine, Cairo, the opening article by Ahmad Hasan az-Zayat, August 1959.]

In his 1996 fatwah published in Al Quds Al Arabi, a London-based newspapers, declaring war on America, Osama Bin Laden quotes a hadith passage describing al-jannah for shahids. The first moment blood gushes, they are guaranteed al-janna, they receive crowns, jewels, and 72 houris each.

[A] martyr's (sic) privileges are guaranteed by Allah; forgiveness with the first gush of his blood, he will be shown his seat in paradise, he will be decorated with the jewels of belief, married off to the beautiful ones, protected from the test in the grave, assured security in the day of judgment, crowned with the crown of dignity, a ruby of which is better than this whole world and its entire content, wedded to seventy-two of the pure Houris (beautiful women of Paradise) and his intercession on the behalf of seventy of his relatives will be accepted.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/terrorism/international/fatwa_1996.html

Suras 61:10-12, 4:74, and 9:111 guarantee Islamic shahids al-janna in an economic bargain. Indeed, these three references explicitly use words that connote buying and selling and signing a contract of sale, and the currency behind the deals is the death of the shahid in Allah's service.

I am indebted to James Arlandson, for his careful analysis and exegesis of the above three Qur'anic references, taken verbatim from his article Islamic Martyrdom? What a bargain! The Economy of Death in the Quran at,

http://www.answering-islam.org/Authors/Arlandson/death_economy.htm

Sura 61:10-12

In this passage, the Arabic word "jihad" (root is j-h-d) is the means or currency to trade in this life for the life to come.

"You who believe, shall I show you a bargain that will save you from painful punishment? Have faith in Allah and His Messenger and struggle [j-h-d] for His cause with your possessions and your persons—that is better for you, if only you knew—and He will forgive your sins, admit you into Gardens graced with flowing streams, into pleasant dwellings in the Gardens of Eternity. That is the supreme triumph." (M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, The Qur'an, Oxford University Press, 2004)

Other translators agree with Haleem's "bargain" (t-j-r) in bold print, but render the key word as follows: "profitable course" (Dawood, not a Muslim, but an Iraqi), "merchandise" (Shakir and Maulana), and "trade" (Fakhry, Hilali and Khan, and the team of scholars translating Ibn Kathir). Regardless of the various words, they still convey the central meaning of an economic exchange.

It is difficult to pin down the historical context of Surah 61:10-12 because internal evidence directly bearing on external events is slim; the surah, after all, is only fourteen verses long. Reputable scholars, though, place the surah not long after the Battle of Uhud in March 625 AD (so named after a hill to the north of Medina), which pitted the Muslims against the Meccans. This battle was the Meccan riposte to the surprise victory of the Muslims over the Meccans in the Battle of Badr a year earlier in March. But in this present case, the Meccans got the better of the Islamic community. Muhammad was rumoured even to be have been killed, but he was actually chased up into higher ground. The Muslim defeat stung at first, but that night, burying their dead, Muhammad realized that he did not lose substantially, so he sent a raiding party the next morning to confront the Meccans, who had stayed in the vicinity because Arab custom demanded that an army returning from battle must not appear to retreat, a sign of weakness. The leader of the Meccans was not in a position to attack, for he suffered losses too, so eventually he and his army made their way back to Mecca.

Moreover, the surah may have been revealed later than Uhud, but still in 625 AD. In this case, the Muslims are gaining ground despite the slight loss at Uhud, because they expelled the Jewish Nadir tribe from Medina in August 625 AD on the flimsy charge of refusal to pay blood-wit (compensation for loss of life) and a revelation that members of the tribe were attempting to assassinate him. (For more on this expulsion, refer to James Arlandon's Seeds of Jihad at,

http://www.americanthinker.com/2004/07/seeds_of_jihad_2.html

The larger historical context of Surah 61:10-12, then, is warfare with the Meccans and other outsiders and internal conflict in Medina, all of which the Muslim community managed to overcome.

The literary context—the eleven verses surrounding vv. 10-12—reveal five themes. First, Muhammad scolds the hypocrites (nominal Muslims who do not jump when Muhammad cracks the whip) for promising to do things, but not following through, in the context of fighting in solid lines or ranks in the cause of Allah (vv. 3-4). This faction of "conscientious objectors" does not wish to join Muhammad in his wars. Second, it is interesting that the surah is entitled "Solid Lines" because of v. 4; Allah loves it when his soldiers line up neatly in battle. This neatness of lining up is reminiscent of Muslims lining up to pray. According to reliable hadiths, Muhammad placed orderly marks on the floor in his mosque so his Muslims would pray in rows. Third, the word "fighting" in v. 4 comes from qital (root is q-t-l), which means only warring and killing. Fourth, Muhammad appeals to Moses and Jesus as inspirations because they too encountered resistance from their followers (vv. 5-6; 14). Muhammad is just like them and better. Finally, Allah tells his prophet that it is Islam, despite the opposition, which will rule the world and rise above all other religions (vv.7-9) (For more on this "great commission" which is a distortion of the Great Commission in the Gospel of Matthew 28:18-20, refer to James Arlandon's The Ultimate Goal of Islam at,

http://www.answering-islam.org/Authors/Arlandson/ultimate_goal.htm

Thus, the literary context of Surah 61:10-12 is warfare (q-t-l); Allah's love of soldiers who fight in solid lines or ranks (the surah's title); the condemnation of hypocrites who do not wish to fight, and Muhammad's identity with Moses and Jesus, though Muhammad and his new religion triumphantly fulfill the first two leaders and their religions.

Interpreting Surah 61:10-12 reveals three unpleasant themes. First, the divine "bargain" has death as the currency behind it. What do Allah and his followers get in the exchange? The shahids receive the forgiveness of sins and al-janna, and Allah receives complete devotion to him in establishing his community and religion. Allah has sent Muhammad as his messenger with the truth—the final answer—which must win the world. Also, the bargain apparently even saves Muslims from a painful torment in hell. This image of humans suffering in hell, which includes even reluctant and disobedient Muslims like the hypocrites, occurs frequently enough in the Qur'an (2:81, 206; 23:103; 66:8; 20:124-126, to cite only a few); Muhammad's prediction of it for many who disobey him, demonstrates how much social control of the worst kind he exerts over his followers, many of whom waited for him to get his haircut so they could take even one hair and cherish it. The economic metaphor is effective, but diabolical in the context of warfare and fiery devotion.

Second, Muhammad guarantees martyrs a place in al-janna in exchange for a struggle not only with their possessions, but also with their persons or lives. Hence, jihad in this context means more than a bloody struggle, but jihad also must include bloodshed in these three verses. They answer the misinformation spread by Muslim apologists that jihad means only and exclusively a struggle with sin in the soul. It may include that, but it must also include a bloody war in some contexts like the one for Surah 61:10-12.

Finally, in the bargain, Muhammad mixes salvation with works, which is bound to force Muslims to strive hard (j-h-d) to earn their place in al-janna—pure, unadulterated grace gets lost in Islamic theology, but an unhealthy mixture of faith and works is the core belief. Hence, "martyrdom" (sic) is the ultimate good work; and from a psychological standpoint, doing the highest of the best deeds frees the jihadists' minds from the torment of doubt over their eternal destiny. Today, the promise of a Garden is a strong inducement for troubled, would-be shahids to kill themselves in their self-conceived jihad against the Great Satan, against the little Satan, and now even against the Iraqi Shi'ites, simply because their theology differs from the Sunnis.

Thus, Surah 61:10-12 can only whisper temptations in the ear of a Muslim with a radical bent, and only propel him forward in the deadly economic trade of his life for the life to come in the context of jihad. Muhammad and his Qur'an are the deepest source of inspiration for today's jihadists. Their path to al-janna is secured by the ultimate good work mixed in with their twisted faith.

Surah 4:74

In this verse the Arabic switches from jihad to qital (q-t-l), and this word means warring, fighting and killing with swords, and it again becomes the currency for fatally selling or trading this life for the Hereafter.

Let those of you who are willing to trade the life of this world for the life to come, fight [q-t-l] in Allah's way. To anyone who fights [q-t-l] in Allah's way, whether killed [q-t-l] or victorious, We shall give a great reward. (Haleem)

Other translations of the key word "trade" (sh-r-a) in bold print read as follows: "sell" (Hilali and Khan, Fakhry, Yusuf Ali, Maulana, Pickthall, Shakir), "exchange" (Dawood), "barter" (Ahmed Ali) and "barter away" (Maududi), all of which have an economic connotation.

Like Surah 61, the historical context of Surah 4 is difficult to discover. Three different passages reveal that the surah occurred in a nearly three-year span: after the Battle of Uhud in 625 AD in which Islam lost 70 holy warriors (vv. 1-35); the so-called Prayer of Fear in which Muhammad instructs his soldiers how to pray during a military campaign in 626 AD (v. 101-103); and during still another military expedition in 627 AD, in which he instructs his soldiers how to perform ablutions when no water is available (sand is used) (v. 43). Whichever timeframe Surah 4:74 fits into, the overall historical context shows Muhammad establishing his community in Medina during warfare outside of the city.

The literary context of Surah 4:74 consists of warfare (q-t-l) outside of Medina and strife within Medina between Muhammad and the faction of hypocrites, some of whom want only the spoils of war, and others of whom want peace, prayer, and almsgiving. Muhammad, however, chooses the warpath, along with forced prayer and forced almsgiving, two of the Five Pillars in Islam. Peace does not reign in early Islam.

Moreover, Muhammad splits the world in two according to believers and unbelievers in the context of warfare or q-t-l (v. 76). A believer fights (q-t-l) for Allah, but an unbeliever fights (q-t-l) for an unjust cause and for Satan. So the world is divided up into Dar-al-Islam (Abode of Islam) and Dar-al-Kufr (Abode of Unbelief), which belongs therefore to Dar-al-Harb (Abode of War). This means that Islam may wage war on unbelief, because this holy warfare—both q-t-l and j-h-d—eliminates the disciples of Satan, for example, citizens of the Great Satan and of the little Satan. If a civilization does not come under the control of Islam, then ipso facto it perpetuates injustice and unrighteousness, so Islam needs to subjugate it in order to purge out its bad qualities. A strategy in the gradual conquest can include aggressive "martyrdom," as we will see in two Muslims' interpretation of Surah 9:111, below.

The interpretation of Surah 4:74 is simple. First, the trade or selling of one's life forms the currency in which one conducts the trade with the deity. Allah demands a Muslim's whole life in the context of warfare. As a return payment, he gives al-janna to the shahid. In this scenario, Allah receives the establishment of his true religion and guidance. Second, the short verse piles on violent and bloody qital in various forms, three times. This word clearly does not mean a struggle with sin only in the soul, to say the least. Next, a qitalist fights in Allah's cause or way, and two results ensue: either he lives to fight another day so that maybe he can be "martyred," or he dies in battle and securely goes to al-janna, completing the ultimate good work. Finally, in a religious system (Islam) that requires an unspecified quantity of good works, today's jihadists and qitalists have a strong psychological pull on their troubled minds to kill themselves in "martyrdom." This lifts their burden of insecurity over their eternal destiny. They are inspired by their founder who fought in sacred bloody battles (historical reality) and by his sacred book that conveniently endorses his sacred bloody battles (textual reality).

Surah 9:111

Muhammad continues using qital (q-t-l) in its various forms as the currency for his death-cult:

Allah has purchased the persons and possessions of the believers for the Garden—they fight [q-t-l] in Allah's way: they kill [q-t-l] and are killed [q-t-l]—this is a true promise given by Him in the Torah, the Gospel, and the Qur'an. Who could be more faithful to his promise than Allah? So be happy with the bargain you have made: that is the supreme triumph. (Haleem)

No, no, no. The Torah and Gospel do not require killing and being killed to achieve paradise, and at the time of 9/11 Mr John Ashworth, the then US Attorney General, showed he knew much more about Islam than his President, by saying "The difference between Christianity and Islam, is that the God of the Bible sent His Son to die for us, whilst Allah, the god of the Qur'an, requires Muslims sons to die for him."

That's a massive difference isn't it Shaji?

Some translators agree with Haleem's key words "purchased" (sh-r-a) and "bargain" (b-aa-^c), but others use "bought" (Maulana, Yusuf Ali, Maududi, Fakhry, Pickthall, et al.), and one uses "pledge" for "bargain" (Shakir). With the possible exception of Shakir's translation, which raises the commitment beyond just a bargain, all of these translations still remain within an economic semantic field.

The historical context of Surah 9:111 sees Muhammad returning from a military expedition against the Byzantine Empire in 630 AD, two years before his death of a fever in 632 AD. Muhammad heard a rumour that the Byzantines amassed an army some 700 miles to the north in Tabuk in order to attack Islam, so he led an army of 30,000 holy warriors to counter-strike pre-emptively. However, the Byzantines failed to materialize, so Muhammad's expedition was fruitless, except he managed to extract (extort) agreements from northern tribes that they would not attack him and his community. They were also forced to pay a "protection" tax for the "privilege" of living under Islam. Muhammad's military expedition qualifies as an Islamic Crusade long before the European ones. And as for the extortion of taxes, an army of 30,000 soldiers from the south must have deeply impressed the disunified, loose northern tribes, so in no way did they plan to attack Islam; thus, Muhammad's forced tax was aggressive and hence unjust, not defensive and hence just.

The historical context of Surah 9:111, then, is warfare (q-t-l) on a large scale against the Byzantines.

The literary context of the targeted Surah 9:111 shows Muhammad scolding the hypocrites who finished building a mosque while he was away in Tabuk (vv. 107-110). They asked him to bless it when he returned to Medina, but instead he ordered it torn down. Truthfully, it is likely that they would have used it to stir up trouble within the Muslim community. In contrast to the hypocrites, in the verses after 9:111 Muhammad defines what true believers are: they do good works, bow down and prostrate themselves and forbid what is wrong (v. 112). Finally, Muslims ask their prophet if they should pray for their polytheistic relatives. He orders them not to, fabricating a story about Abraham who had prayed for his polytheist father, but who changed his mind and washed his hands of his father, after Abraham learned that he was the enemy of Yahweh. If Abraham prayed for his father only because he had made an earlier arrangement with him, but then washed his hands of him, why would Muslims pray for their relatives and ancestors (vv. 113-116)?

Thus, local verbal and political fighting (j-h-d and q-t-l); squabbling with his internal enemies like the hypocrites (cf. Surah 9:4, 73, 123); and disagreement with and correction of his uninformed Muslims who want to pray for their polytheist ancestors and relatives make up the literary context. See this article by James Arlandson, for more information on Muhammad's wars on the polytheists and hypocrites.)

Jihad: Qur'an 9:123 vs. Matthew 10:34

http://www.answering-islam.org/Authors/Arlandson/sword.htm

To judge from the second and third steps (historical and literary contexts) in Surah's 61:10-12, 4:74, and 9:111, it should be clear by now that Muhammad's community in Medina does not experience very long stretches of peace, and this fact colours the very origins of Islam and what goes into the Qur'an. Islam at its core is not the religion of peace, contrary to the standard line fed to the unsuspecting West.

Surah 9:111 has caught the imagination of two widely used Muslim commentators, so we should let them speak for their own religion.

Sayyid Abdul A'la Maududi (d. 1979) was an Indo-Pakistani revivalist and radical who advocated the establishment of an Islamic state on the model of the prophet's, from the top down. without depending on swaying the public to accept the Islamic state. In other words, he opposed democracy and supported a centralized and powerful theocracy. Sayyid Qutb was an Egyptian radical and godfather of modern jihadist movements today. He was tried and executed in 1966 for plotting to overthrow the Egyptian government.

Maududi emphasizes the spiritual and psychological aspects of Allah's transaction. A Muslim believer must be willing to relinquish his soul and possessions for Allah. A believer "surrenders his freedom and sacrifices his desires and wishes in this present world in return for His promise of the Gardens and eternal bliss in the Next World" ... Total devotion to a deity and total surrender of desires and wishes is the heart of the human-centered message of all of the great religions of the world. And total devotion can be positive. However, in the context of warfare (qital), combining the doctrine of total surrender with "martyrdom" is twisted and distorted.

Hence, Maududi commits two errors, one as a commentator, the other as a theologian. He fails to deal adequately with the context of Surah 9:111—fighting in war and killing and being killed. He seems to want only the spiritual side of sacrifice and to avoid the bloody mess of "martyrdom" in a pitched battle. The second error is theological. He says that a believer must go on fulfilling the terms of the transaction (selling his life to Allah) "up to his last breath." In an earlier note in his commentary on Surah 9, he says that a Muslim may atone for his sins by doing acts of charity. Of the many problems with the Islamic doctrine of salvation, the main one is its ambiguity. It does not specify the quantity of good works necessary to reach al-janna. As noted, when this ambiguity is mixed in with the absoluteness of "martyrdom" in achieving al-janna, the results can be deadly. Thus, a Muslim suffering from anxiety over his failure to totally surrender reads in his Qur'an (61:10-12; 4:74; 9:111) that if he dies as a shahid, he reaches al-janna. Why would this not motivate him?

This is apparently true of Muhammad Atta, the Egyptian terrorist who crashed a fuel-laden jet into one of Twin Towers on 9/11. In a letter to his fellow jihadists, he accurately understands the doctrine of Qur'anic "martyrdom:"

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/network/personal/instructions.html

You should feel complete tranquility, because the time between you and your marriage [in heaven] is very short. Afterwards begins the happy life, where Allah is satisfied with you. And eternal bliss 'in the company of the prophets, the companions, the martyrs and the good people' ...

He also told them to tame their souls because they must have "100% obedience." But how does one define absolute obedience? Islamic "martyrdom." He fulfilled the terms of the economic transaction by doing the highest and best deed imaginable: selling his life to Allah in a worldwide battle against the Great Satan, the Dar-al-Kufr (Abode of Unbelief), which is subject to warfare (Dar-al-Harb). It must also be stated that many of the Muslim shahids may be mentally troubled, but surely some of them act with level heads. They follow a simple, rational equation:

Total surrender = martyrdom in a holy war = Islamic heaven.

Many such examples could be given of how Islamic terrorists demonstrate their understanding of Allah's "contract of sale," but I quote just one, that being Saajid Badat, the wannabe passenger jet bomber, until he got "cold feet" and "chickened-out." This young English Muslim from Gloucester, went to Islamic terrorist training camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan, from where he wrote to his parents, saying, "I have a sincere desire to sell my soul to Allah in exchange for paradise."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/4305161.stm

For Islam, this is 100% obedience. Historically, Muhammad the Founder of Islam engaged in this warfare on Dar-al-Kufr, for example, against the polytheist Meccans and against the Christian Byzantines. Fighting them for Allah signifies total surrender, which in turn leads to al-janna. How could terrorists not be inspired by their prophet and his book?

Qutb is a radical, but a straightforward radical because, unlike Maududi, he deals with the historical context of warfare in his comments on Surah 9:111; indeed he embraces it with deep emotion. "Hence the sense of dread that I now feel as I am writing these words" [of 9:111]. In a section he subtitles "A Very Special Contract," Qutb, following Muhammad, scolds the Muslims around the world who are unwilling to sacrifice their lives in the cause of Allah (code for war). His rebuke also reveals a call that echoes in the head of all jihadists of the last several generations:

The [economic] deal fills us with awe. Yet those who are claiming to be Muslims everywhere, from the far east to the far west are sitting idle, unwilling to strive hard in order to establish the fundamental truth of Allah's Lordship [read: Islam] on earth, or to remove the tyranny which usurps the qualities of Lordship over human life on earth [read: non-Islamic governments]. They are unwilling to fight, kill and be killed for Allah's cause ...

This excerpt reflects his ideology laced throughout his multivolume commentary. He assumes that Islam is the fundamental truth of Allah's Lordship, and Muslims must be willing to fight in order to impose it on the world.

Furthermore, as Surah 9:111 says at the end of the verse, Qutb reminds his fellow jihadists that they must rejoice in the bargain; they should gladly give up their lives, which amounts to nothing compared with the virgin-rich Garden. This reflects another verse that demonstrates that the early Muslims were eager to die in battle. In the historical context of the Battle of Uhud in 625 AD (see above, Surah 61:10-12), Muhammad tells his jihadists: "Before you encountered death, you were hoping for it" ... (Surah 3:143). This means that shahids are allowed to hope for death in battle, and, logically, this permits Muslim homicide bombers today to seek out a means of death in a worldwide struggle to eliminate the enemies of Allah. In fact, Surah 3:143 is precisely the verse that Muhammad Atta quotes in his letter, and he too tells his jihadists to be optimistic and cheerful.

Finally, Qutb believes that all governments that are non-Islamic are ipso facto tyrannical because they impose order apart from Allah and his revealed will in the Qur;an and in the Sharia, the code of law derived from the Qur'an and the words and deeds of Muhammad. It never occurs to Qutb that the Qur'an and the Sharia are tyrannical by their very nature. It is no wonder that Qutb did not endorse democracy and neither does Zarqawi, the Jordanian evil-doer who beheads innocent civilians, saying recently that democracy is evil and that he will wage a fierce war on it.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1326586/posts

To sum up the essence of Surahs 61:10-12, 4:74, and 9:111, the doctrine of Islamic "martyrdom" has been placed in economic terms in the historical context of aggressive warfare. A Muslim sells his life through "martyrdom" in a holy war in a bargain with Allah. In return, the believer gets the guaranteed reward of al-janna. For the deity's part, he uses the surrender to spread his true religion around the world. Allah will establish Islam and get the ultimate victory. This guarantee appeals to Muslims today, who sell their lives in martyrdom against the Great Satan and the little Satan. Allah asks his fighters to "rejoice" in the bargain they have made with him, that is, to be inspired by it.

An article in The Muslim Weekly dated July 8^th.2005, by Abid Ullah Jan, titled Islam Faith and Power had as its key points,

· Muslims should strive to gain political and military power over non-Muslims

· Warfare is obligatory for all Muslims

· Islamic state, Islam and Sharia law, should be established throughout the world

Please note that July 8^th.2005 was the day after the London bombings carried out by four Islamic terrorists, and which killed 52 people, injuring over 700 people.

With these assertions, and murderous attacks, the Qur'an, the Hadith, the history of Islam, and Islamic scholars, ancient and modern, concur.

It is of key importance to focus on Muhammad's career and prophetic claims, because he is Allah's sole spokesman, Islam stands or falls on Muhammad's claim to be a prophet of the One true God. So let's take a closer look at the prophet of Islam. Does he stand in the line of Biblical prophet's? is he "the seal of the prophets?"

The only source of information concerning Muhammad and his career, are the most authoritative documents of Islam itself, and these are what I have referred to for the information cited, and where Qur'anic passages are quoted, Pickthall's version is quoted, and they may be checked online at,

http://www.quranbrowser.com/

There are many, many reasons which disqualify Muhammad from being a prophet of the true and living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but I concentrate on just one, some of Muhammad's satanic encounters, with everything that follows being sourced to the only place where it is documented, and that is in Islam's most authoritative documents, it being inescapable that the accounts contained in them have extremely disturbing implications.

Around 1,400 years ago, Muhammad walked out of a cave on Mount Hira (in present-day Saudi Arabia) and said he was a prophet of Allah, claiming to be receiving revelations from the angel Gabriel, but was so frantic with fear that it was the devil appearing to him, he intended to commit suicide, by walking further up the mountain and throwing himself off a cliff, only being persuaded not to commit suicide by 'Gabriel' again appearing to him, assuring him he really was the angel Gabriel, and that he Muhammad, really was the prophet of Allah.

Few people are aware of Muhammad's intended suicide attempts by intending to throw himself off a cliff, with the same spirit being that caused him to be so fearful intervening. Later, over the course of the next three years, the visitations by this spirit being became rare, with Muhammad becoming depressed, and then again attempting suicide in a similar manner. Again, it was only due to the intervention of this spirit being, that Muhammad did not kill himself. Muhammad begins to believe he is a messenger of a god called Allah, a god whose influence caused him to contemplate suicide.

None of the true prophets of the Biblical God ever responded like this after receiving His revelation, and reading the stories in the Bible about people who encountered the living God, reveals nothing resembling Muhammad's experience. These people actually met God, while Muhammad's claim to prophethood rests upon what a spirit being in a cave told him. The people recorded in the Bible were filled with a reverent fear, but never became suicidally depressed as a result of their experiences. These people fellowshipped with God. Some walked with Him, and to others He revealed Himself. None of them ever contemplated suicide. But many times over up to three years, Muhammad tried to commit suicide, and each time, this spirit being "Gabriel" stopped him.

Of course the ramifications are large. Muhammad had strange spiritual encounters. Was it really the angel Gabriel choking Muhammad in the cave? The word of the living God saying,

"And no wonder! satan does it all the time, dressing up as a beautiful angel of light."

2 Corinthians 11:14

Muhammad was also persuaded he was a prophet of Allah, by a spot of 'lap-dancing' with his wife Khadija,

"Isma'il b. Abu Hakim, a freedman of the family of al-Zubayr, told me on Khadija's authority that she said to the apostle of Allah, 'O son of my uncle, are you able to tell me about your visitant, when he comes to you ?' He replied that he could, and she asked him to tell her when he came. So when Gabriel came to him, as he was wont, the apostle said to Khadija, 'This is Gabriel who has just come to me.' 'Get up, O son of my uncle,' she said, 'and sit by my left thigh'. The apostle did so, and she said, 'Can you see him?' 'Yes,' he said. She said, 'Then turn round and sit on my right thigh.' He did so, and she said, 'Can you see him?' When he said that he could she asked him to move and sit in her lap. When he had done this she again asked if he could see him, and when he said yes, she dis­closed her form and cast aside her veil while the apostle was sitting in her lap. Then she said, 'Can you see him?' And he replied, 'No.' She said, 'O son of my uncle, rejoice and be of good heart, by Allah he is an angel and not a satan.'" (Ibn Ishaq's "Sirat Rasul Allah", The Life of Muhammad, translated by A. Guillaume, p. 107:)

Let's recall that as a child, Muhammad had an experience causing some people to think he was demon-possessed, this being documented in Alfred Guillame's "The Life of Muhammad" page 72, this being Guillame's translation of Ibn Ishaq's "Sirat Rasullullah"edited by Ibn Hisham.

Here is the story as told by Muhammad's wet-nurse. "His [Muhammad's friend's] father said to me , 'I am afraid that this child has had a stroke, so take him back to his family before the result appears………….she [Muhammad's mother] asked me what had happened and gave me no peace until I told her. When she asked whether I thought a demon had possessed him, I replied that I did.'"

Even in his childhood then, some people thought Muhammad was demon-possessed. Carefully note it was Muhammad's mother that brought up the possibility of him being demon-possessed. So it is peculiar that both the mother would suggest it, and the wet nurse would return Muhammad in those circumstances.

Something alarming occurred to him as a child, and as an adult, whilst meditating in a cave, he encounters a spirit being which so terrifies him, he intends to commit suicide, only being dissuaded by the spirit being. Over the next three years, the visitations of the spirit being become rare, causing Muhammad to become depressed, again intending suicide by throwing himself off a cliff, again being dissuaded by the spirit being.

Who was the spirit being that appeared to Muhammad in the cave? Was Muhammad right in his initial belief that it was the devil? The devil being good at lying, the Lord Jesus Christ saying of him, "For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies."

John 8:44

The Satanic Verses

When Muhammad was in Mecca, his followers were few and his movement grew painfully slowly, and according to early and treasured biographical and historical accounts of Muhammad, authored by competent Muslim scholars (such as writings of at-Tabari and Ibn Sa'd), Muhammad longed for better relations and reconciliation with his community. Thereafter, the accounts continue, Allah revealed Surah 53 to Muhammad up to and including ayat 19, 20. These two reading:

Have ye thought upon al-Lat and al-Uzza
And Manat, the third, the other? 53:19,20

Then, originally, the verses (known today as the satanic verses) followed:

These are the exalted cranes (intermediaries)
Whose intercession is to be hoped for.

The cranes whose intercession was recognized were, of course, the three deities. The same accounts tell us that after this revelation was completed, Muhammad, his followers and the pagan Arabs all prostrated. Tensions eased, reconciliation was at hand, and all were delighted.

But Muhammad soon retracted, for the account continues that Jibril (Gabriel), the angel of revelation, informed Muhammad that Satan had used Muhammad's desire for reconciliation with the pagan leaders to insert into the revelation of Allah the verses about the interceding cranes, otherwise called "the satanic verses". The verses which follow, not the satanic verses, serve as the proper sequence to 53:19,20 (above):

Are yours the males and His the females?
That indeed were an unfair division! 53:21,22

In other words: When you Arabs have sons (whom you prefer to daughters!), how unfair of you to say that Allah has daughters! The idea of a plurality of gods or goddesses or sons or daughters of Allah is ridiculous. Allah alone is god. The three goddesses are false.

There are three Qur'anic passages that reference this episode, Surah's 53:19-26; 22:52-53 & 17:73-75

Have ye thought upon Al-Lat and Al-'Uzza And Manat, the third, the other? Are yours the males and His the females? That indeed were an unfair division!

They are but names which ye have named, ye and your fathers, for which Allah hath revealed no warrant. They follow but a guess and that which (they) themselves desire. And now the guidance from their Lord hath come unto them. Or shall man have what he coveteth?

But unto Allah belongeth the after (life), and the former. And how many angels are in the heavens whose intercession availeth naught save after Allah giveth leave to whom He chooseth and accepteth.

Surah 53:19-26

Never sent We a messenger or a prophet before thee but when He recited (the message) Satan proposed (opposition) in respect of that which he recited thereof. But Allah abolisheth that which Satan proposeth. Then Allah establisheth His revelations. Allah is Knower, Wise; That He may make that which the devil proposeth a temptation for those in whose hearts is a disease, and those whose hearts are hardened - Lo! the evil-doers are in open schism –

Surah 22:52-53

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.

Surah 17:73-75

This episode in Muhammad's life is completely destructive to his prophetic credentials, the satanic verses undercutting Islam's truth-claims, specifically Muhammad's claim that the Qur'an itself is the miracle of Islam, and the "produce a Surah like it" challenges of Surah's 2:23 and 10:37-38 to "produce a Surah like it," which have been met, and in contradiction of 17:88, have been met by the devil, the devil said at 18:50 to be one of the jinn. The Qur'an therefore, self-destructs on the satanic verses episode, and the "challenges" to "produce a surah like it."

Here are the above Surah, quoting Pickthall's version.

"And if ye are in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto Our slave (Muhammad), then produce a surah of the like thereof, and call your witness beside Allah if ye are truthful."

Surah 2:23

"And this Qur'an is not such as could ever be invented in despite of Allah; but it is a confirmation of that which was before it and an exposition of that which is decreed for mankind - Therein is no doubt - from the Lord of the Worlds.

Or say they: He hath invented it? Say: Then bring a surah like unto it, and call (for help) on all ye can besides Allah, if ye are truthful."

Surah 10:37-38

"Say: Verily, though mankind and the jinn should assemble to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like thereof though they were helpers one of another."

Surah 17:88

And (remember) when we said unto the angels: Fall prostrate before Adam, and they fell prostrate, all save Iblis. He was of the jinn, so he rebelled against his Lord's command. Will ye choose him and his seed for your protecting friends instead of me, when they are an enemy unto you? Calamitous is the exchange for evil-doers.

Surah 18:50

In light of Surah 15:39-43 the satanic verses episode is especially destructive of Muhammad's prophetic claim, and here is Pickthall's version of that passage,

"He said: My Lord! Because thou hast sent me astray, I verily shall adorn the path of error for them in the earth, and shall mislead them every one, Save such of them as are thy perfectly devoted slaves. He said: This is a right course incumbent upon Me: Lo! as for my slaves, thou hast no power over any of them save such of the froward as follow thee, And lo! for all such, hell will be the promised place."

According to the most authoritative Islamic traditions, Muhammad was deceived by satan, who clearly exercised some degree of authority over him. Since Surah 15:42-43 states that satan has no authority over Allah's servants, but only has authority over those who put themselves in the wrong and follow satan, whose followers will be cast into hell, one can therefore logically deduce whom Muhammad followed and where he is today.

"Lo! as for my slaves, thou hast no power over any of them save such of the froward as follow thee, And lo! for all such, hell will be the promised place." Surah 15:42-43

The "challenge" of Surah 2:23 to "produce a Surah like it" has been met, and met by the devil, in answer to Surah 17:88 doesn't that disturb you Shaji?

That Muhammad spoke satan's words, that neither he nor anyone else was able to distinguish from Allah's words, is well documented in the Islamic sources. The four early biographers of Muhammad's life detail the episode of the satanic verses. Many Hadith also establish it, with references to it in the Sahi Hadith. Finally, there is specific references to it in the Qur'an at Surah's 53:19-26; 22:52-53 & 17:73-75

The devil met the challenge to "produce a Surah like it," how many other words of the Qur'an were influenced by the devil? Why would the true God make light of a prophet of His speaking satan's words as His words? As Allah did? The Biblical God commanded that false prophets should be put to death Deuteronomy 13:5 with the Lord Jesus Christ predicting that false prophets would come after Him and mislead many Matthew 24:11

Hear what the living God says, about "angels" preaching "another gospel" than the New Testament Gospel,

"But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed."

Galatians 1:8-9

Is Islam's denial of the Lord Jesus Christ's identity, satan's stronghold on more than a billion people? Are Muslims following one of the false prophets the Lord Jesus Christ foretold?

In light of the above, I ask you, to compare and contrast the hopelessness of Muhammad and his Islam, with the sure and certain knowledge of life in Jesus' name, and I commend the New Testament teaching to you, teaching which is commended to you in many, many places by the Qur'an, and I quote just one, that found at Surah 5:46 and I quote Pickthall's version.

"And We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow in their footsteps, confirming that which was (revealed) before him in the Torah, and We bestowed on him the Gospel wherein is guidance and a light, confirming that which was (revealed) before it in the Torah - a guidance and an admonition unto those who ward off (evil)."

The Qur'an does not give you a way of salvation Shaji. It leaves you in doubt as to whether Allah will forgive your sins, and accept your good works.

In the gospel it is plain, sure and certain, "gospel" meaning good, good news, or news which brings joy. The Lord Jesus Christ bore your sins, He died in your stead; He died to save you from dying. This is just what you and I want and need, what an exchange, life instead of death. The Lord Jesus Christ telling us His "job-description" by saying "I have come that you may have life, life in all its fullness" John 10:10 going on to say, "I give them eternal life and they will never perish, no one will take them from My hands." John 10:28 and saying, "I am the resurrection and the life, whoever believes in Me will never perish, and whoever lives and believes Me, will never really die at all." John 11:25-26

The choice is yours Shaji, will you choose the life that only the Lord Jesus Christ can give you, or will you choose the hopelessness and death of the Islam of Muhammad?

You're going to live forever Shaji, please choose your address.

With kind regards and best wishes

Lactantius Jr

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