Americal Thinker

By Richard C. Crandall

Within Islam, the Prophet Muhammad is highly respected and revered. Even mentioning his name requires Muslims to follow it with an honorific like “peace be upon him.” He was also given prestigious titles, such as apostle, messenger, prophet, and warner. The popularity of the name Muhammad for baby boys also demonstrates the respect Muslims have for him. Muhammad has been a common name for boys in Muslim countries for centuries and is becoming increasingly popular in Western countries that have become infested with large Muslim populations. But then, who wouldn’t want to name their child after a serial rapist (see Juwayriyah, Mariyah, Rayhanah, and Safiyah), mass murderer, pedophile, slave owner, and wife abuser

    Why do Muslims hold Muhammad in such high regard  Is it because he was the author of the Koran  Muslims disagree on whether the Koran was created or uncreated, but they agree that Muhammad was not its author.

    Is it possible that Muhammad is revered within Islam because he was the first messenger or prophet sent by the Islamic god  This isn’t the reason, since Muhammad was the last prophet. Before Muhammad, there were between 310 and 320 messengers and 124,000 prophets, meaning that Muhammad was “a prophet,” not “the prophet” of Islam. In fact, messengers and prophets have been sent to every community and nation to warn them about what will happen if they refuse to submit to Islam. When all of these hundreds of thousands of communities and nations recognized the depravity of Islam, they rejected and distorted its message to align more closely with their beliefs, which led to the need for more messengers and prophets.

    Is Muhammad’s elevated status because he perfected Islam  Again, the answer is no. The Islamic god perfected Islam. The Islamic god told Muhammad that nothing was revealed to him that hadn’t been revealed to the messengers who preceded him. As with those before him, Muhammad received revelations that he then recited to his followers. Muhammad was nothing more than an actor reading a script, the same script that hundreds of thousands of messengers and prophets had recited before him.

    Could his elevated status stem from his desire to help others  Probably not, since he is portrayed as someone who speaks not out of his own desire. We don’t know Muhammad’s desires, although the Satanic Verses give some indication that Muhammad’s desires didn’t always align with those of the Islamic god. After he revealed the Satanic Verses, Muhammad was warned, via the angel Gabriel, about fabricating something the Islamic god had not revealed. To prevent further fabrications, Muhammad was made to stand firm, and he was warned that if he didn’t, his punishment, both before and after death, would be doubled.

    Was Muhammad revered because he was more charismatic than the hundreds of thousands of messengers and prophets who preceded him  It doesn’t appear that he was a naturally gifted speaker, as he had to be given the ability to recite the revelations to his followers. Also, from 610 until he left Mecca for Medina in 622, he attracted relatively few followers, suggesting that he was a less than charismatic figure. In his defense, the message had previously been rejected by hundreds of thousands of communities and nations, suggesting that the message, not the messenger, was the problem. Once in Medina, it wasn’t his charisma that attracted thousands of followers, but the new revelations allowing his followers to loot and rape non-Muslims.

Does the respect Muslims have for Muhammad exist because of his behavior  Many verses in the Koran tell Muslims that if they want to reach paradise, they need to emulate Muhammad’s behavior. In fact, Muhammad is regarded as the ideal model for Muslims to emulate to attain paradise, as he possessed an exalted character. However, Muhammad was also a sinner. The Islamic god told Muhammad that if he asked for forgiveness, he might be forgiven for his sins. Because of his sins and the fear that he wouldn’t be allowed in paradise, Muhammad sought forgiveness by praying seventy times a day. Unfortunately, Muslims aren’t told which of his behaviors are to be followed and which are sinful and should be avoided. Was his serial raping and pedophilia a sin to be avoided or a behavior to be followed

    To increase Muhammad’s chances of entering paradise, the Islamic god instructed his followers to say “peace be upon him” after saying his name. Then, to increase the use of the honorific and his chances of being admitted into paradise, Muhammad told his followers that every time they used an honorific after his name, their chances of entering paradise increased tenfold.

    Is Muhammad respected because he was responsible for the salvation of thousands, saving them from an eternity in hell  Before answering this question, we need to address predestination and free will. This is a frequently debated issue among Islamic scholars, even though there shouldn’t be any debate since the Islamic god and Muhammad forbade Muslims from arguing about it. Instead of arguing and debating, Muslims were told to refer the issue to either Muhammad or the Islamic god.

    Predestination is a fundamental doctrine within Islam. Muslims believe that before birth, everyone’s destiny is written on the Eternal Tablet. Predestination is reflected when Muslims say, “If Allah wills.” One verse, for example, instructs Muslims that when they say they are planning to do something, they also need to say, “If Allah wills.” Predestination is also supported by the verse that says nothing will happen except what the Islamic god has ordained. In a similar verse, Muhammad said, “Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us.” Predestination is so comprehensive that the Eternal Tablet includes when every leaf has fallen or will fall.

    So is Muhammad’s popularity because he saved thousands from hell  Again, the answer is no! Muhammad was predestined to warn non-Muslims of what would happen if they didn’t convert to Islam, and those who listened to his warnings were predestined to convert or not to convert. Muhammad, like all Muslims, was a slave of the Islamic god, and slaves were not created to override the will of the all-powerful Islamic god and change what is written on the Eternal Tablet. Instead, Muslims, the slaves of the Islamic god, were created because the Islamic god enjoys being praised. One verse in the Koran is critical of Muhammad for seeking to guide those whom the Islamic god had made to go astray because of what they had earned. The verse concludes by mocking Muhammad’s futile and pathetic attempts to save non-Muslims from hell, telling him that no matter how much he preaches and warns others, “you will never find for him any way (of guidance).”

Muhammad’s popularity is somewhat of a mystery. It is, however, interesting that out of the hundreds of thousands of messengers and prophets, Muhammad was selected as the man to represent Islam. Seriously, is that the best the Islamic god could do

    The author taught at the university level for 50 years, during which he observed the once proud discipline of sociology transform into a cesspool of liberal lies, indoctrination, and propaganda. Consequently, he is now in a recovery program for sociologists, which, unlike programs with a defined number of steps, is a never-ending walk of shame. Fortunately, the program includes wine. In addition to several articles, the author has written books on gerontology, running, Inuit art, and Islam. He is currently completing a book titled Islam: The Evil among Us.