It has been quite some time since I last wrote a blog post and for that I say life has been exceptionally busy. However, the recent events in Israel however, i.e., the massacre of Jews at the hands of Islamic extremists, has got the blood pumping once again and I thought it would be an opportune time to put into practice some of my recent studies on Islam.
My reasons for this are manifold. First, Jews being massacred speaks for itself. Second, the world is full of idiots (like the Greens!) who imply that the Jews deserved it and it’s full of people who couldn’t possibly admit that Jews being massacred is bad except for maybe a general admonition that violence is usually not ok; (how the Greens exist in light of how they react to violence in Israel is criminal). Third, violence in Israel is always a time where we hear the lie that Islam is a religion of peace. Lastly, the fundamental difference between Islam and Christianity is that the violent side of Islam is true to its origin and message whereas that is not the case for Judaism and Christianity. Of course, the death of innocents on either side is tragic and no life is worth more than the other. God will account for every life taken and for every misstep Israel takes in the conflict. The Bible is not a fairy tale though and there is a time for war and that time for Israel is seemingly now.
We may write further on Islam but for now this is a quick three things that Muhammad did in his life which paint a picture of the type of so-called prophet he is.
Child Marriage
Muhammad had 12 wives during his lifetime; none more famous than his third wife, Aisha, who was the daughter to Abu Bakr a close companion to Muhammad – and later the first Caliph of Islam. Apologists will likely debate this until they are blue in their face, but ancient commentators report that Aisha was just six years old when married to Muhammad and nine years old when the marriage was consummated. Aisha, who herself became a devotee of Islam and an important source for Muhammad’s life, explicitly says herself ‘The Messenger of God married me when I was seven; my marriage was consummated when I was nine’.
Apologists will likely point out that child marriage for the benefit of securing an alliance was the norm in Muhammad’s day. They would, moreover, likely say based on no evidence that Aisha must have hit puberty when the marriage was consummated. The problem is that multiple sources, which are considered reliable by Islam itself, report the marriage to Aisha and the idea that she had hit puberty prior to consummation is a mere assumption created for Islam to save face.
The main issue is of course the fact that Muhammad sets the standard of behaviour for Muslims to this day. Thankfully, by today’s gloriously enlightened standards Muhammad would be in prison for sexual assault of a child. Quite the example.
Zaynab Bint Jash – Muhammad’s Convenient Revelation
The Quran wasn’t a one-off download from Allah – but rather a revelation that Muhammad continued to receive throughout his life. Because of this, the revelations in the Quran often directly relate to events that occurred over the course of Muhammad’s life. A benefit of this – let’s call it ‘progressive revelation’ – was that Muhammad was able to conveniently receive revelations that served his own personal interests. Case and point is his marriage to Zaynab bint Jash.
Zaynab was originally married to Muhammad’s cousin, but after his death she married Zayd ibn Harithah who was Muhammad’s adopted son (so Zaynab was Muhammad’s daughter in law). Muhammad himself had arranged this marriage which apparently was an unhappy one.
Of course, Zaynab was well known for her beauty and after her marriage to Zayd ‘Muhammad’s eye fell on her, and love for Zaynab budded in his heart’. Later, Muhammad attempted to visit Zayd at home but only Zaynab was present. It would have been scandalous for Muhammad to enter the home with only a woman present, so Muhammad reportedly walked away muttering and exclaiming ‘Glory be to God Almighty! Glory be to God, who causes hearts to turn!’
Zayd, unhappy in his marriage and knowing that Muhammad clearly wanted Zaynab for himself spoke to Muhammad following this;
“Messenger of God, I have heard that you came to my house. Why didn’t you go in, you who are as dear to me as my father and mother?”
“Messenger of God, perhaps Zaynab has excited your admiration, and so I will separate myself from her.”
Muhammad told him: “Keep thy wife to thyself, and fear Allah.”
The above text is considered the context to Muhammad’s response “keep thy wife to thyself…’ which is found in the Quran chapter 33.
The point here is that it would have been scandalous for Muhammad to marry his son’s daughter but having been ‘excited’ by Zaynab’s beauty the Quran legislates and legitimises Muhammad’s subsequent marriage to her. How convenient!
Surah Al Ahzab (33) 37 And ˹remember, O Prophet,˺ when you said to the one for whom Allah has done a favour and you ˹too˺ have done a favour, “Keep your wife and fear Allah,” while concealing within yourself what Allah was going to reveal. And ˹so˺ you were considering the people, whereas Allah was more worthy of your consideration. So, when Zaid totally lost interest in ˹keeping˺ his wife, We gave her to you in marriage, so that there would be no blame on the believers for marrying the ex-wives of their adopted sons after their divorce. And Allah’s command is totally binding.
38 There is no blame on the Prophet for doing what Allah has ordained for him. That has been the way of Allah with those ˹prophets˺ who had gone before. And Allah’s command has been firmly decreed.
Beheading the Jews
Having been rejected in Mecca, Muhammad eventually settled in Medina which was a region home to various Arabic and Jewish tribes. In subsequent posts we may go into Muhammad’s life but in short he essentially became a local warlord during this stage of his career. His merry band of followers relied on raids for financial survival and the Muslims also fought numerous battles against the Quraysh who were the dominant tribe in Mecca.
One such battle was called ‘The Battle of the Trench’ where essentially the Quraysh and a confederation of other local tribes (including Jewish ones) attempted to crush the Muslim movement. In a significant victory for Islam, they built a trench around Medina and were able to fend off the siege.
A fact which apologists love to highlight is that one such Jewish tribe, the Banu Qurayzah, sided with the confederates against Islam despite having an earlier peace treaty with Muhammad (who had already fought and defeated other Jewish tribes). Because of this, Muhammad was implored by the angel Gabriel (who provided Muhammad with his revelations which now make up the Quran) to continue fighting the Jews. Aisha, Muhammad’s child bride, reports;
“When Allah’s Messenger returned on the day (of the battle) of Al-Khandaq (i.e., Trench), he put down his arms and took a bath. Then Jibril (Gabriel) whose head was covered with dust, came to him saying, ‘You have put down your arms! By Allah, I have not put down my arms yet.’ Allah’s Messenger said, ‘Where (to go now)?’ Jibril said, ‘This way,’ pointing towards the tribe of Bani Quraiza. So Allah’s Messenger went out towards them.”
In Muhammad’s approach to the Qurayzah he addressed them as follows;
“You brothers of monkeys, has God disgraced you and brought His vengeance upon you?”
The Qur’an in three places (2:62-65; 5:59-60; and 7:166) says that Allah transformed the Sabbath-breaking Jews into pigs and monkeys.
In the subsequent siege the Qurayzah Jews surrended. Muhammad then delegated judgement to a man called Sa’d who decreed that the men would die and that the women and children would be taken as captives. Muhammad’s response confirmed the judgement;
“O Sa‘d! You have judged amongst them with (or similar to) the judgment of the King (Allah)… You have decided in confirmation to the judgment of Allah above the seven heavens.”
According to early Islamic sources;
“The apostle went out to the market of Medina (which is still its market today) and dug trenches in it. Then he sent for [the men of the Qurayzah] and struck off their heads in those trenches as they were brought out to him in batches.”
Before having his head cut off by Muhammad, one of leaders of the Qurayzah apparently exclaimed;
“God’s command is right. A book and a decree, and massacre have been written against the Sons of Israel.”
The Quran references this battle and slaughter in chapter 33:26;
And those of the People of the Book who aided them—Allah did take them down from their strongholds and cast terror into their hearts. (So that) some ye slew, and some ye made prisoners.
Besides the bleedingly obvious, one of the huge issues with this incident is what the Quran goes on to say in the same chapter (33:21) (as it also does in many other places in the Quran);
“Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the praise of Allah”
Simply put, the idea that Islam is a religion of peace is a complete farce. It’s model of conduct, Muhammad, lived a life of war and set the example that organisations like Hamas now follow. The idea of Islam as a religion of peace however is a ‘polite fiction’ which serves an important purpose for social cohesion. The Muhammad that is increasingly known in the modern world is simply a modern fabrication that denies the truth.
We could continue with other scandalous episodes from Muhammad’s life but we shall leave the Prophet of Islam there for now. I won’t bore you with how the Quran reports on scandal amongst Muhammad’s wives (i.e. which wife got more attention), the scandal of Aisha’s adultery, other battles Muhammad fought in, assassinations which Muhammad ordered, or Muhammad’s revelation that men can beat their wives, as long as they beat them gently; no, we will save those scandals for perhaps another day.
Jesus
For the sake of fairness, I thought I would at least list similar controversies relating to Jesus.
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