Muhammad – The Cruel and Abusive “Prophet”
According to the Quran, Muhammad was sent as a mercy unto mankind:
And We have sent you (O Muhammad) not but as a mercy for the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists). S. 21:107 Hilali-Khan
The Islamic scripture further attests that Muhammad wasn’t harsh or cruel to his followers:
And by the Mercy of Allah, you dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and harshhearted, they would have broken away from about you; so pass over (their faults), and ask (Allah's) Forgiveness for them; and consult them in the affairs. Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah, certainly, Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him). S. 3:159 Hilali-Khan
However, at times Muhammad was anything but merciful to his own followers and best friends. According to the so-called sound ahadith Muhammad would actually yell, curse, harm and/or beat those who loved him the most and didn't do anything to deserve such abuse:
Chapter 23: HE UPON WHOM ALLAH'S APOSTLE INVOKED CURSE WHEREAS HE IN FACT DID NOT DESERVE IT, IT WOULD BE A SOURCE OF REWARD AND MERCY FOR HIM
A'isha reported that two persons visited Allah's Messenger and both of them talked about a thing, of which I am not aware, but that annoyed him AND HE INVOKED CURSE UPON BOTH OF THEM AND HURLED MALEDICTION, and when they went out I said: Allah's Messenger, the good would reach everyone but it would not reach these two. He said: Why so? I said: Because you have invoked curse and hurled malediction upon both of them. He said: Don't you know that I have made condition with my Lord saying thus: O Allah, I am a human being and that for a Muslim upon whom I invoke curse or hurl malediction make it a source of purity and reward? (Sahih Muslim, Book 032, Number 6285)
This hadith has been reported on the authority of A'mash with the same chain of transmitters and the hadith transmitted on the authority of 'Isa (the words are): "He had a private meeting with them AND HURLED MALEDICTION UPON THEM AND CURSED THEM and sent them out." (Sahih Muslim, Book 032, Number 6286)
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Apostle as saying: O Allah, I make a covenant with Thee against which Thou wouldst never go. I am a human being and thus for a Muslim whom I give any harm or whom I scold or upon whom I INVOKE A CURSE or whom I BEAT, make this a source of blessing, purification and nearness to Thee on the Day of Resurrection. (Sahih Muslim, Book 032, Number 6290)
Salim, the freed slave of Nasriyyin, said: I heard Abu Huraira as saying that he heard Allah's Messenger as saying: O Allah, Muhammad is a human being. I lose my temper just as human beings lose temper, and I have held a covenant with Thee which Thou wouldst not break: For a believer whom I give any trouble or invoke curse or beat, make that an expiation (of his sins and a source of) his nearness to Thee on the Day of Resurrection. (Sahih Muslim, Book 032, Number 6293)
Muhammad even cursed an orphan girl, wishing that she wouldn’t live long, making her cry as a result!
Anas b. Malik reported that there was an orphan girl with Umm Sulaim (who was the mother of Anas). Allah's Messenger saw that orphan girl and said: O, it is you; you have grown young. MAY YOU NOT ADVANCE IN YEARS! That slave-girl returned to Umm Sulaim weeping. Umm Sulaim said: O daughter, what is the matter with you? She said: Allah's Apostle has invoked curse upon me that I should not grow in age and thus I would never grow in age, or she said, in my (length) of life. Umm Sulaim went out wrapping her head-dress hurriedly until she met Allah's Messenger. He said to her: Umm Sulaim, what is the matter with you? She said: Allah's Apostle, you invoked curse upon my orphan girl. He said: Umm Sulaim, what is that? She said: She (the orphan girl) states you have cursed her saying that she might not grow in age or grow in life. Allah's Messenger smiled and then said: Umm Sulaim, don't you know that I have made this term with my Lord. And the term with my Lord is that I said to Him: I am a human being and I am pleased just as a human being is pleased and I lose temper just as a human being loses temper, so for any person from amongst my Ummah whom I curse and he in no way deserves it, let that, O Lord, be made a source of purification and purity and nearness to (Allah) on the Day of Resurrection. (Sahih Muslim, Book 032, Number 6297)
There are several problems with Muhammad’s actions and statements. First, Muhammad’s excuse that he was no more than a human being is no justification for abusing and harming people who loved him more than their own selves. There are human beings who are not prophets that are able to control their rage and anger, and do not lash out against their family and friends the way Muhammad did. Therefore, how much more control should Muhammad have had over his sinful impulses and rages, especially when he was supposed to be protected by his god?
This leads to us to the second problem. Muslim scholars claim that prophets are guarded and protected (isma/masum) from committing sins. If so then why did Allah fail to protect his prophet from his unrighteous and unjustified anger? Why didn't Allah give Muhammad complete mastery over his sinful rage so as to not verbally abuse and curse his followers who loved him more than they loved themselves?
Third, instead of controlling his tongue, or instead of Allah giving him victory over his rage and foul mouth, Muhammad justifies his cursing, attacks and insults on people by saying that Allah will bless anyone he harms, curses, and/or beats! Thus, instead of rebuking and chastening him for his sins Allah actually condoned Muhammad’s cruelty and vileness by agreeing to bless anyone he curses and harms! Why did Allah allow Muhammad to revel in his sin by accepting his deal to bless anyone he curses? What kind of god would accept such an agreement thereby allowing Muhammad the freedom to justify and continue with abusing and cursing his own followers, such as that poor innocent orphan girl? Doesn’t this make Allah complicit in Muhammad’s sins? Doesn’t this show that Allah was actually Muhammad’s servant since he acquiesced to and granted the latter’s whims and desires?
Even more troubling is Muhammad’s arrogance in presuming that Allah will automatically accept his conditions. The above hadiths give no evidence that Allah agreed to Muhammad’s demands. These narrations merely report what Muhammad said and take it for granted that Allah gave in to his messenger’s desires.
In fact, in the last hadith it is merely a request he makes. Notice, once, again Muhammad’s statements:
I have made condition with my Lord …
O Allah, I make a covenant with Thee against which Thou wouldst never go.
O Allah, Muhammad is a human being. I lose my temper just as human beings lose temper, and I have held a covenant with Thee which Thou wouldst not break:
Aren’t those very presumptuous formulations? Muhammad unilaterally makes a covenant. It is not Allah who offers a covenant to Muhammad. Muhammad simply declares this rule and claims that Allah would certainly never go against it. This is nothing but sheer arrogance on Muhammad’s part. Fallible, sinful creatures are simply in no position to demand from God to endorse or justify their sinfulness, and yet Muhammad thinks he has such a right.
Moreover, as part of our repentance we Christians can pray that God would graciously turn our evil deeds into a blessing for the person we have harmed, and then sincerely ask that God may change our heart and give us the strength to never act in this way again (Does Goodness Live In You?, see also: 1, 2, 3). But that is something entirely different than what we see in the above hadiths. Muhammad basically “invents that imaginary deal” so that he can go on as before and does NOT have to change. That is Biblically unacceptable and an outright travesty against the holiness and justice of the true God.
In particular, Muhammad is exempting himself from the obligation to ask for forgiveness from the people he has cursed, beaten, or otherwise harmed. (After all, he only caused blessings…) The Biblical principle is that we have to ask for forgiveness for our wrongs, both of the person we have harmed and of God. That requires humility and acknowledging that one is wrong. Clearly, Muhammad does not want to apologize and admit that he was wrong in anything. With this trick now, he can say: “Why do you complain? I actually caused you to be blessed!” And thus, in the final analysis, he is calling evil good, destroying the very basis of morality.
Fourth, Muslims often quote the following verse to prove that Muhammad only spoke by inspiration:
By the star when it goes down, (or vanishes). Your companion (Muhammad) has neither gone astray nor has erred. Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only an Inspiration that is inspired. S. 53:3-4 Hilali-Khan
If it is true that Muhammad never spoke from his own desires but was always inspired to speak then this means that it was Allah who actually wanted his messenger to curse and abuse his own followers who didn't deserve such treatment! The obvious question is why would the Islamic deity, who is supposed to be all-holy and all-merciful, cause Muhammad to curse and harm believers who loved their god and his prophet more than their own lives for no good reason?
To make matters worse, Muhammad stands condemned by his own teachings!
4184. It is narrated from Abu Bakrah that the Messenger of Allah said: “Modesty is part of faith, and faith will be in Paradise. Obscenity in speech is part of harshness, and harshness will be in Hell.” (Sahih)
Comments…
c. Using foul language means, abusing or using bad language, quarrelling and the like, these acts are contrary to the characteristic of a believer. (English Translation of Sunan Ibn Majah - Compiled by Imam Muhammad Bin Yazeed Ibn Majah Al-Qazwini, From Hadith No. 3657 to 4341, Ahadith edited and referenced by Hafiz Abu Tahir Zubair 'Ali Za'i, translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab (Canada), final review by Abu Khaliyl (USA) [Darussalam Publications and Distributors, First Edition: June 2007], Volume 5, 37. The Chapters On Asceticism, Chapter 17. Modesty, Shyness, p. 330; underline emphasis ours)
This shows that, once again, Muhammad failed to practice what he preached since he abused and used bad language against those who loved him the most and who hadn't done anything to deserve such treatment, even though he warned his followers not to do such things. As such, Muhammad stands condemned and deserves to go to hell according to his own words.
The Lord Jesus himself warned people that they would be judged for what they say:
“The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:35-37
This means that Muhammad comes under the judgment of the Lord Jesus Christ as well!
Finally, it is one thing to curse those who oppose and attack you, something that Muhammad did quite often. (Just compare the final words of Muhammad and Jesus.) It is completely another thing altogether to belittle and insult those who love you more than their own lives and didn't do anything offensive to deserve such abuse and mistreatment.
Thus, it is clear that the more one studies the life of Muhammad the more evidence one finds that he was not a prophet at all, nor was he a mercy to mankind, but was rather a curse on humanity. Muhammad’s life and teachings have brought more harm and have caused greater damage to the world, i.e. his cursing and abusing people, prostituting women and calling it temporary marriage, permitting Muslims to rape women whom they have taken captive even if they happen to be married, stealing his adopted sons’ wife, abolishing adoption as a result of it, commanding his followers to murder or subjugate individuals who refuse to accept him as a prophet… the list could go on and on.
It is time for Muslims to abandon this false prophet and to turn to the risen Lord Jesus Christ, God’s beloved Son, since he is their only hope of salvation.
I want to thank Jochen Katz for his comments on this article and a number of suggestions which I incorporated.