Exploring Islam, Part Six: Contributions And Subtractions

Many have been the contributions to the world's culture and history that came out of Muhammad's efforts in the 7th century A.D..

Many, also, have been the subtractions.

Let's first look at a few positive contributions.

Through Muhammad's effort Arabia was centralized like never before in history.

Through a common religion were fractured tribal groups brought under a single dominion.

His effort bolstered a unifying identity where previously divisive tribalism, based on ancestry and various 'gods', had reigned for centuries.

From Muhammad's legacy was built an empire.

An empire that built wealth in ways similar to previous empires.

Systems of laws were developed, education was institutionalized, and public expectations were established through these.

One striking and positive difference, I say, was that his empire promoted a religious identity where previous empires allowed for what is called today 'freedom of religion' or the march towards secularism.

I say that was a positive effort.

That statement shouldn't be interpreted as me classifying 'freedom of religion' as a 'negative'.

As I understand things, God Himself desires mankind to acknowledge Him.

A Sole Creator from whom all things came to exist.

God's heart desires mankind to get to know Him, and ultimately worship Him.

Worship Him not because He is needy, but because through worship does man learn what is right from wrong.

Mankind learns about who man is... desperately in need of God's love, grace, forgiveness, and comfort.

Through worship of God does mankind benefit from God... for their own good.

It is this public expectation that I see as a good thing that came from Muhammad's religious effort.

The spread of ancient knowledge, specifically what the Greeks had learned, was 'rediscovered' by the growing and developing Islamic culture.

What is historically labeled as 'the west' came to benefit from Islamic trade and the transmission of 'lost' information.

If the individual human takes at face value the positive contributions of another individual, or their legacy, and if that individual is able to look beyond their prejudices regarding religious or cultural identities, that individual may realize a vast addition to man's cultural wealth.

It is interesting when looking at how God has branched out mankind throughout times.

He has continued to overlap languages and the transference of words and ideas.

One culture blends with another and another culture is eventually developed.

Words and ideas, when better understood, reveal a Sovereign God working behind the scenes throughout all times, throughout all peoples, throughout all places.

Never tiring.

Never ceasing.

Never defeated.

God continually raining down blessings and rain (literally) upon all His children.

Children who will later be revealed to have been called or rejected by Him and Him Alone.

If we look first at additions, the attritions can be fairly measured instead of being a sole focus.

In this way has God brought fruition and inclusion to all of Noah's children... regardless if certain men like this or not.

Thus, God's will is not dependent on secular nor religious minds.

God utilizes all minds and hearts to bring about His will.

Some men are allowed by God to go about their own ways, no matter what they think of themselves or what they claim, yet God's will prevails in the end.

His good and ever-present will.

Let us now answer a very critical question.

Critical not as in 'criticizing', but as in textual criticism.

Let us look at what exactly the message of Islam, from Muhammad, has said regarding this question.

The question: was Muhammad a prophet of the God of Abraham?

The word 'prophet' can be defined in a very broad manner from a secular point of view. (Oxford dictionary)

That Oxford definition reflects how the notion behind the word has grown to accommodate subsequent ideas.

How about that notion's etymology?

Looking at the origins of the notion of what a prophet is, and the definition or understanding, we can see a narrow (and more specific) view.

A glimpse of prophet's etymology (study of the true sense, origins, and meaning of a word / notion) provides a clearer and more detailed definition.

It is that more detailed and specific notion / definition which is found in the Hebrew testimony.

From a Bible scholar's point of view, a prophet's definition is quite specific. (read it here)

According to the testimony from the Hebrews (Torah), a prophet is a future-teller.

A prophet is also one who speaks a message from God (regarding the present, the past, or the future).

To be clear, Hebrew priests were consistently studying previous prophecies and the Law of Moses.

Yet the priests were not considered 'prophets', although they repeated or retold the Law or previous prophetic messages.

Much the same how Today, many people consider themselves or others 'prophets' because they have memorized and can readily repeat Scripture or religious content.

It is one thing to repeat religious ideas.

It is another thing to claim that God has spoken a message to / through you.

Such claims are accompanied by either a 'sign', but more importantly a prediction.

The prediction accompanies the message as a means to show results so the hearers can recognize God's message.

Signs can be illusions or masterful tips of the hat, and thus the foretelling is weightier since it eventually matches the message.

Why?

Only God knows future events.

To further clarify: a prophet is one who claims to bring a new message, or correction / chastisement.

A prophet often times has a prediction / telling about the future with their message, so people can tell God's testimony from a lie or a guess.

A prophet claims he / she speaks on behalf of God (or that God has spoken to them somehow).

Prescience and prediction are words to consider.

Looking at how prophets have been understood, and what accompanied any given message from such a claimant to prophethood, more specific and deeper definitions are found in contrast to the relatively later / more modern definitions.

The later (historically) definitions of 'prophet' exclude the predictive factor.

Here is a verse from the Torah (Hebrew Bible) defining and describing a prophet:

You may say to yourselves, 

“How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” 

If what a prophet proclaims in the Name of the Lord does not take place or come true, 

that is a message the Lord has not spoken. 

That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed. 

- Deuteronomy 18: 21-22

Notice in that passage a prophet is someone predicting future events.

Not the sole Biblical definition, but one of the attributes of a prophet for necessary reasons.

To establish and validate the claim and / or the message as coming from God.

A message from God is a gift.

The prediction is also a gift of God to the person (a prophet)... so that message can be recognized as coming from God.

Now that the term 'prophet' and its definition has been somewhat explored, we may consider the answer to the question 'was Muhammad a prophet of the God of Abraham?'

Let's look at some Islamic sources.

Muhammad's youngest wife, Aisha, is quoted stating the following:

Narrated Masruq: 

... Aisha further said, "And whoever tells you that the prophet [Muhammad] knows what is going to happen tomorrow, is a liar." She then recited: 'No soul can know what it will earn tomorrow.' ..

- al-Bukhari Volume 6, Book 60, Hadith 378

Here it is understood that Aisha denied that Muhammad was enabled (or able) to tell the future.

This is quite notable.

Her reason is given when she quoted Muhammad's poetry:

Verily Allah! with Him alone is the knowledge of the Hour, and He it is who sendeth down the rain and knoweth that which is in the wombs: and no person knoweth whatsoever it shall earn on the morrow, and a person knoweth not in whatsoever land he shall die. Verily Allah is Knowing, Aware. 

- Luqman (31) 34

It is fitting that Muhammad gives glory to God regarding prescience, or the ability to know what may come in the future.

Again, only God knows the future.

And as we have learned from the Hebrew and Christian testimonies, only those whom God appoints as prophets are given a foretelling message to validate His message.

In other words: God has spoken to certain individuals and has told them about future events.

These individuals are the definition of 'prophet'.

We see the Islamic sources not keeping this definition of 'prophet', but having a different definition.

Another person quoting Muhammad's words stated the following:

Narrated Ibn Umar: 

Allah's messenger [Muhammad] said, "Keys of the unseen knowledge are five which nobody knows but Allah... nobody knows what will happen tomorrow; nobody knows what is in the womb; nobody knows what he will gain tomorrow; nobody knows at what place he will die; and nobody knows when it will rain.” 

- al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 17, Hadith 149 

By and large, those statements echoed by Ibn Umar ring true... they are very agreeable.

People, on their own, cannot predict things unknown and unknowable.

However, the unknown can be made known to a person whom God tells.

If a person / messenger is actually a prophet, then through them can future 'knowledge' be revealed from God.

If you were to search out 'predictions and prophecies attributed to Muhammad', Islamic legend and lore mention many predictions.

How are those claims contrasted (or resolved) with Muhammad's denying his ability of prescience / prediction / future-telling?

Where an adherent of the Islamic religion may balk at what is shared herein, they need to answer Aisha's testimony regarding her husband.

The parts of Muhammad's poetry that declare no man is able to tell the future.

Did this include himself?

Let's read again what Muhammad's youngest wife, who was beside him prior to his death, said:

Narrated Masruq: 

... Aisha further said, "And whoever tells you that the prophet [Muhammad] knows what is going to happen tomorrow, is a liar." She then recited: 'No soul can know what it will earn tomorrow.' ..

- al-Bukhari Volume 6, Book 60, Hadith 378

To give some benefit to this doubt, and considering the voluminous amounts of sayings and accounts attributed to Muhammad, perhaps legends were added to his heart-felt and poetic delivery.

From such we find a scrutinizing criteria regarding Hadith.

Perhaps as the religion developed and more learning about the Hebrew and Christian prophets came to light, the search for Muhammad's predictions in his poetry (the Quran) began.

Almost every notable historical character has had words put in their mouths... words they never uttered.

Legends abound regarding any personality that caused a bit of a stir or swayed any measure of influence over others.

Perhaps this is also the case with the personality and legend of Muhammad, his poetry, and what people have praised about his legacy.

When considering the positive contributions Muhammad and his legacy has had the world over, we can notice a subtraction that sparked an intrigue which sadly continues to stir indifference.

Indifference among Muslims adhering to their favored religious group.

Also a wider indifference in the manner Islam came to conquer lands and peoples, and leave both good and bad in its wake (as have previous and current empires and regimes).

In the manner Muhammad's poetry and his personality has been interpreted and promoted, a major subtraction has been the factual understanding of the gift of prophecy.

A cloud of misunderstanding preventing the spiritual veil from being lifted.

This due to the misunderstanding of what a prophet is, according to the earliest sources and validations of those accounts.

Such a subtraction has brought all previous realities established by God through Messiah into question... and doubt... and has unfortunately beguiled the unstable... yet this too was God's will as allowance is understood.

To finish this series, let us read the broader context of a prophet's definition and how one can recognize a prophetic message as truly coming from the God of Abraham.

This content is widely used by Islamic apologists in claiming the prophet mentioned herein, who would be similar to Moses, is Muhammad.

But a key phrase depicts that too to be a misconception, miscomprehension, and misinterpretation.

Here is a passage where the Lord God is speaking to Moses, and tells Moses about a future time:

The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. 

But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. 

The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among you, 

from your fellow Israelites. 

You must listen to Him. 

For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, 

“Let us not hear the Voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.” 

The Lord said to me: 

“What they say is good. 

I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, 

and I will put My words in His Mouth. 

He will tell them everything I command Him. 

I Myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to My words that the Prophet speaks in My Name. 

But a prophet who presumes to speak in My Name anything I have not commanded, 

or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.” 

- Deuteronomy 18: 14-20

Question: from whom will a prophet like Moses arise?

Answer: from among the Israelites.

From which family tree was Muhammad?

Was he a son of Isaac (who was later called Israel)?

No.

He is claimed, according to Islamic tradition, to be the son of Ishmael, Isaac's older brother.

Thus the prophet mentioned in the context from Deuteronomy is not speaking of someone outside of the Israelite community.

Part One: Ideas That Separate and Unify

Part Two: Power of Poetry in Ancient Arabia.

Part Three: The First 'Revelation'

Part Four: Does The Quran Claim The Bible Was 'Changed'?

Part Five: Defining Messiah

Part Six: Contributions And Subtractions