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By Tyson Thorne

January 14, 2014
 
 

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Today, American Muslim’s celebrate the birth of their prophet, Muhammad. Some celebrate by fasting, others by feasting and many by special prayers and commemorations. Like Christians, Muslims do not know the exact date of their leader’s birth (circa 570 AD), but the occasion is intended to praise his life and message. In some regard Christians can learn from this Islamic tradition. Instead of focusing on gift-giving and the baby Jesus we ought to spend time being proud of the person Jesus is and praying in ways that draw us closer to God. Be that as it may, Eid Milad ul-Nabi, “The Prophet’s Birthday”, begs a question: was Mohammad a prophet at all?

Both the Old and New Testaments outline four requirements (two from each Testament) for a prophet. By examining his life briefly we can discover if the man measures up to the office.

From childhood, Muhammad had many spiritual experiences. Before his parents’ demise early in his life, pre-school aged Muhammad was visited by two spirits appearing as “men in white garments.” From Ibn Ishaq’s biography (page 36) we see them described as carrying a gold basin filled with snow. The men took the child and, according to the story, split open Muhammad’s body, removed his heart, then split open his heart and removed what sounds like a tumor from it. They then washed the heart, placing it back in his chest, and washed his body clean with the snow until he was “made pure.” Upon hearing the story, Muhammad’s Bedouin wet nurse became very afraid and feared that a demon had possessed him. While no one saw what Mohammad had seen, his friend’s father saw Muhammad struggling on the ground and feared he had suffered a stroke. Shortly thereafter Muhammad was orphaned and went to live with his Uncle.

For the next 30 years or so Mohammad led a rather uneventful life. He had friendly dealings with those in and around his community, and even respected the “people of the book” – that is Jews and Christ-followers.

Which brings us to the first test a prophet must pass. Isaiah 8.20 states that any new prophecy must not contradict previous words of God. At the start, Muhammad had a very Judeo-Christian understanding of spirituality. All of that changed, however, at the age of forty when he was visited yet again. Later in his life Mohammad would deny the Trinity (Sura 4:171). At this time, however, there was still hope.

Mohammad had married a woman 15 years his senior and ran her estate well. Unsatisfied with the doldrums of life, he was partial to taking some provisions and camping at a cave within a day’s journey of his home. It was at this cave that he began having dreams – not ordinary dreams, but dreams that would often be fulfilled in a day or two. Many in the community believed he was consulting a Jinn (or demon).

Jeremiah 28.9 relates the second test of prophets, the fulfillment of the prophecy or predictions. This Mohammad apparently did for a time. Then one day he was visited by a spirit who identified himself as the angel Gabriel.

This encounter was terrifying. In Islam’s own scriptures it is described: “The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, ‘I do not know how to read.’ Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, ‘I do not know how to read (or what shall I read)?’ Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me…” (Sahih Bukhari 1,1,3).

The oppression continued, the spirit visiting him often – even in his own home – and Mohammad himself began to believe that he might be demon possessed. So much so that he tried to kill himself on several occasions, each time being stopped by the spirit. He lived under the spirits influence for a year, believing he was eating and attending to his many wives when he was not, having conversations with a being that no one else could see, or if others did see thought the being was someone else, someone that they knew. It was this being’s message that Mohammad preached and served.

This “prophet” gained few followers in the beginning, and those that did follow him were in danger of those in the surrounding communities. The danger grew to the point that Mohammad moved them from Mecca to Abyssinia, and then on to Medina. His first military campaign was against a Jewish outpost (about 800 residents in all). All the men of the village were killed, the women and children sold into slavery and the property divided among the conquerers. He then warred for several years against the Meccan tribes with a force that had grown 10,000 strong.

During the years of war Muhammad lost his respect for Jews and Christians. Whereas he used to speak highly of them, he now referred to them as “dogs” and encouraged his followers to kill them if they would not convert. In 632, after the conquest of Mecca, he returned to Medina and promptly fell ill and died.

Matthew 17.15-.20 warns believer’s to examine the fruit of the message a prophet brings, which is our third test for prophets. Sometimes the fruit is not immediately evident and it can take decades, or even a century before such a judgment can be reached. Since Mohammad lived over 1,000 years ago there has been plenty of time to see the results of Islam’s message, and it is an appalling one, consisting of the killing of thousands of Jews and Christians that continues up to the present day. For a current perspective visit www.persecution.com

While his life took a turn from mundane to one of successful adventuring, this alone does not provide the credentials of a prophet. The fourth test is found in 1 John 4.1-.3 which requires that the message uphold Jesus is God. Mohammad was very clear that Jesus is not only not God, but that Jesus was never even crucified (Sura 4:157-158).

Since Mohammad fails these four tests, it can be stated with certainty that he was not a prophet of God. Since he called himself such we are left with the options of false prophet and even anti-Christ (of which each age has many). There further remains the possibility that Muhammad was demonically oppressed throughout his life. For details on that possibility please consult the excellent article located here.