Islam: It Is What It Is
Over the past few weeks I have immersed myself in the study of Islam in order to understand whether it is a “religion of peace” as many people claim or not. During this personal journey I learned much that I hadn’t picked up over the years living and traveling in Muslim countries or had not been taught in my comparative religions classes in high school.
For example, I hadn’t known that the Koran was a perfect copy of a book that Allah possessed, the umm al-kitab. No other book has such a pedigree, thereby giving the Koran special status similar to the host in a Catholic mass after it has been transformed into the body of Christ. Even the most fundamentalist Christians who take a literal interpretation of the Bible do not hold the Bible itself in such high regard. This fact goes a long way to explaining the sensitivity Muslims show towards the Koran; any attack on it is a direct attack on Allah rather than on a religious symbol. The Koran isn’t a symbol at all; it is Allah. The Bible and other holy works such as the Vedas and Upanishads are more similar to Islam’s hadith, inspired by God but written by Man.
And that’s part of the problem Westerners face today. Islam is a unique religion and throwing it into a mental bin alongside the other “Great Religions of the World” does a disservice to both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Such actions equating Islam to Judaism, Christianity, or Buddhism highlight the ignorance of those who make such generalizations more than they illuminate the unique characters of these religions.
I had viewed Muhammad as a prophet along the lines of the Biblical prophets including Jesus Christ, and later prophets such as Joseph Smith. However after studying his life in depth I see him as less of a figure talking to God in the desert and more like Julius Caesar or Genghis Khan, a great conqueror wielding the power of the sword just as deftly as the power of God. But even those roles don’t adequately fit Islam’s prophet. The truth is that Muhammad is unique: he is in fact both a holy man and a general. There is simply no one like him in history to compare to.
The New Testament of the Bible encourages Christians to imitate Christ. Paul writes, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27), “Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 2:5), and in Ephesians 5:1 Paul exhorts Christians to be “imitators of Christ as dearly beloved children.”
Similarly in Islam Muhammad is held up as al-insan al-kamil – the Perfect Man – and is viewed as the standard by which all should judge themselves. The Koran states flatly that Muhammad is “an excellent example of conduct,” (33:21).
But that is where the similarities end. Nowhere in the New Testament does Christ kill anyone. In fact when one of his apostles moves drew his sword in defense of him, Jesus rebuked him. “And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword,” (Matthew 26:51-56).
Muhammad participated in 27 battles, and significant passages of the Koran are dedicated to the warfare and the division of the spoils of war. In addition Muhammad personally killed or ordered the killings of at least 700 people as shown in the table below.
| Number Killed | Where | Circumstances |
|---|---|---|
| ?tens? | Nakhla Raid | Muhammad justifies the killing of women and children (Al-Mushrikun) (1) |
| 2 | unclear | Muhammad orders an adulterous couple stoned to death. (2) |
| 70 | Battle of Badr | Muhammad personally leads his warriors into battle against superior forces. (3) |
| 1 | Battle of Badr | Uqba bin Abi Mu'ait begs for his life. "Who will look after my children, O Muhammad?" "Hell" Muhammad replies and orders Uqba killed. |
| 1 | Battle of Badr | Abu Jahl beheaded. |
| 1 | unclear | Jewish poet Ka'b bin Al-Ashraf assassinated on Mohammed's orders for writing verses insulting Muslim women. |
| 1 | unclear | Jewish merchant Ibn Sunayna killed after Mohammed orders his followers to "Kill any Jew that falls into your power." Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq's Sirate Rasul Allah, A. Guillaume trans, 369 |
| 1 | unclear | Sufyan ibn Khalid al-Hudhali killed on Mohammed's orders. |
| 1 | Uhud Mountain | Muhammad kills Quraysh warrior Ubayy bin Khalaf who had once taunted him. |
| 600+ | Banu Qurayzah tribe | Muhammad participates in the killing of captives in the marketplace of Medina. |
| ?100s? | Banu Mustaliq tribe | Men killed, women, children enslaved. |
| 93 | Khaybar Raid | Muhammad breaks treaty with Jewish tribe. |
| 1 | Khaybar Raid | Kinana bin al-Rabi tortured to reveal location of treasure, beheaded by Mohammed. |
| 1 | unclear | Zaynab bint al-Harith attempts to poison Mohammed (some traditions say she was spared). |
| ?100s? | Mecca | Muhammad orders those who resist, and those on a list to be killed. |
| 3 | unclear | Murder of the Poets. Muhammad orders murders of Abu 'Afak, Asma bint Marwan - the latter of whom was pregnant. |
| ------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 700 - 2,000 | Total |
Note that these are not people killed in Muhammad ’s name but who were ordered killed by the prophet himself. Karen Armstrong writing in defense of Muhammad states “it is not correct to judge (these incidents) by twentieth-century standards,” and that “in the early seventh century, an Arab chief would not be expected to show any mercy towards traitors such as the Qurayzah,” (Karen Armstrong, Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet). That just points out how even more extraordinary the lives were of Jesus, living 600 years before, and Guatama Buddha, living 400 years before that.
Besides Muhammad ’s actions of the seventh century were unusual in how successful he became. He founded a religion and spread it from a small desert kingdom to encompass a huge portion of the Middle East in just twenty years. His successors then took it and spread it around the world, and today a billion people practice the faith he founded 1,400 years ago. Not too shabby for a former merchant from Mecca.
Islam is many things, but it is not a religion of peace. It’s important for non-believers to see the religion for what it is, and understand how important its founder is to those who practice it, no matter how uncomfortable it makes them. Muhammad isn’t Jesus Christ. He is not another Buddha, and the men operating in his name aren’t apostates. They are following his example just as they claim to be.
——————————-
Sources:
1. Muhammed Ibn Ismaiel Al-Bukhari, Shih al-Bukhari: The Translation of the Meanings, Muhammed M. Khan trans, Dar Es Salaam, 1997, vol 4, book 56, no. 3012. Note that other traditions in (nos. 3014 and 3015) have Muhammad forbidding the massacre of women and children.
Here is how no. 3012 reads:
The prophet passed by me at a place called Al-Abwa’ or Waddan, and was asked whether it was permissible to attack Al-Mushrikun (unbelieving) warriors at night with the probability of exposing their women and children to danger. The Prophet replied, “They (i.e. women and children) are from them (i.e. Al-Mushrikun).”
2. Bukhari, vol. 4, book 61, no. 3635
3. Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, A. Guillaume, trans, Oxford University Press, 1955, p. 301
pavan:
I agree. Muhammad was an impressive warlord. He pillaged, raped, plundered and enslaved as well as anyone in history. In many ways, Hitler was an amateur by comparison. I personally think Muhammad was the greatest con man the world ever knew. He realized he could manipulate people by pretending he was a prophet who was doing God’s bidding. It worked extremely well.
However, he did not advocate doing good like Jesus and other religious prophets. He advocated doing whatever it takes to get your way, including lying, stealing and assassination. He did not teach ethics and honesty, which is why Muslim countries are all a complete mess. The last thing we need is more Muslim influence. The US is already losing its ethical foundation, and hence we are also turning into a mess.
12 October 2010, 5:39 pmJoseph:
The truth is that Muhammad is unique: he is in fact both a holy man and a general. There is simply no one like him in history to compare to.
Constantine, Deborah, and David come to mind. I don’t know enough about all four to say who is better and who is worse, but the general/prophet is found in Jewish and Christian tradition as well.
13 October 2010, 5:36 amJoseph:
I guess the most significant thing about Muhammad is how modern members of his faith view his wars. Judaism teaches that G-d had Solomon and not David build the Temple, because David had lead wars. Modern Christians are not proud of Constantine’s wars. It is about time for Muslims to look at their history of conquest and acknowledge that killing others in not something to brag about.
13 October 2010, 5:41 amWatcher of Weasels » Watcher Council Nominations October 13, 2010:
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13 October 2010, 7:51 amScott Kirwin:
Joseph
13 October 2010, 11:21 amGood points all. I had forgotten about David esp. He’s the closest thing to Muhammad in my book.
Pj:
I’m not sure I would include Constantine on that list. Although he used religious symbology to enhance his political objectives, I don’t think he was necessarily seen as a particular god’s representative on earth, nor did he necessarily claim to be one, except in his own personage as emperor. It is true that he promulgated the Edict of Milan, sponsored the Council of Nicaea, and even favored one or another form of Christianity later in life, but I think it’s pretty clear that he also patronized different gods at different times for various ends, including Tyche, Herakles and Sol Invictus. Indeed, his patronage of the latter is why we now have “Sunday.” Constantine remained the Pontifex Maximus throughout his life – certainly not something a decidedly Christian emperor would do. Who knows, he may have just been hedging his bets.
13 October 2010, 11:22 pmGNM088:
Jeez, it’s no wonder they rammed airliners into NYC and now want to build an “outreach center” (read “outreach center” as another base for killing us poor Judeo-Chrisitian US “infidels”) there too! I can’t stand Islam, between the approved raping and “honor killings” of their own women and killing every other non-Muslim thing that moves…
We need to find our steel ones and shove their sorrow egomaniac, murderous tails out of Detroit, out of NYC, out of every crevice of our great nation that was founded under GOD, not “Allah”!
13 October 2010, 11:34 pmBookworm Room » Spectacular submissions at the Watcher’s Council:
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14 October 2010, 5:18 pmJack:
Scott, I more or less agree with Joseph in that it depends on how modern members of Islam view Mohammad’s wars. I say more or less because, at the end of the day, I think all theistic religions create problems for the modern world, and hamper our progress as a species.
And though Christ taught peace, his present-day fundamentalist followers really, really enjoy Old Testament solutions to today’s problems. I remember Jerry Falwell going on and on about how God was pro-war to justify Bush’s two wars. He used the Old Testament to do it.
And before anyone jumps on me, I’m not trying to debate the pros and cons of those wars, I’m just pointing out how, at the time, a Christian religious leader used the Bible to find his own justification.
15 October 2010, 9:24 amScott Kirwin:
Jack
I don’t disagree with you regarding how religion is used to justify wars.
My point is that Christ himself did not kill anyone; Mohammad killed at least 700 people, most likely more. Both are held up by their respective religions as models of behavior.
So to act Christlike one turns the other cheek. To act like Mohammad one must kill non-believers. This isn’t a judgment call on my part, it’s the fact as laid out by Islamic sources.
I’ve already written a followup to this piece that goes into more detail about this difference, but the key point is that it’s much harder today for Muslims to preach peace and tolerance when their religion’s founder did not.
15 October 2010, 9:40 amWatchers Council – Domestic Jihad Online And Off | Mere Rhetoric:
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18 October 2010, 12:53 pmTaQi:
i really loved reading the Article a lot but you didn’t provide us with any proofs of what you are saying. You didn’t even provide us with reference and that’s really sad. I’m not defending my religion or something, i just want to give you a clear feedback of what you mentioned in this Article. According to you, Mohammed was a Holy man and General and he had several battles to save Islam religion and Muslims of being hunted by Non-Muslims. About the information that you provided in the table, some of them are right, but you didn’t provide us with REASONS for them because there are strong reasons to do that. Before going to any battle, Mohammed last speech to his soldiers was to:
– Not to kill innocent people. – Not to kill children. – Not to kill women. – Not to kill soldier without weapon. – Not to kill enemy who runs into someone home for refuge. – Not to harm any tree which gives fruit.
About the relationship between Muslims and Jewish, Islam told us to respect them and live peacefully with them. I have Jewish friends more than i have Muslim friends and it is really sad to see some people (who called themselves Muslims) killing innocent people while Islam ordered us to do the opposite. those people just misunderstand the whole thing about Islam.
anyhow, thanks for giving me the chance to share with you about this topic and i’m glad to answer any questions
12 January 2011, 7:33 am