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Responses to Bismikaallahuma : The Dissimilarity of Muhammad’s Religious
Experiences With The Experiences of the Biblical Prophets
Responses to Bismikaallahuma
The Dissimilarity Of Muhammad’s Religious Experiences
With the Experiences Of the Biblical Prophets
Mohd Elfie Nieshaem Juferi (MENJ) takes another stab at trying to prove that Muhammad’s
experiences were similar to the experiences of the true prophets of God. It seems that
MENJ is suffering from the same problem as Osama Abdallah,
namely the Mantra Syndrome. Like Osama, MENJ seemingly thinks that if he repeats
the same falsehood a certain number of times it will then somehow become fact,
at least in the minds of his readers. Here, like in his previous reply, MENJ appeals
to scholars, specifically Orientalists, to prove his contention regarding Muhammad’s
religious experiences and his sincerity. For an overview of the discussion so far, see
this article. MENJ begins:
It is noted that in his alleged "reply" to our summary of the Biblical
Prophets' experiences in their encounter with the Divine presence, the missionary had made
the arrogant claim that
It is rather evident that NONE of these prophets' experiences are even remotely similar
with Muhammad's traumatic experiences...
However, the missionary emphasis on the word "NONE" is amusing in its
travesty, especially when examined in light of the following quotations from the following
Orientalists who attested that "Muhammad's traumatic experiences" (the
words of the missionary, not our own) are strikingly similar to the Biblical
prophets. Emphasis in these quotations are our own.
See: "Epileptic Symptoms" In The Biblical Prophets?
RESPONSE:
What is truly an arrogant travesty is how MENJ thinks he can simply brush aside our
extensive refutation of his claim by merely repeating his outdated arguments and quoting
some Orientalists over and over again. MENJ’s constant repeating himself conclusively
shows that he cannot refute our arguments and needs to cover up his inability by
obfuscation.
Lord willing, this will be our final response to MENJ on this issue since his evasion
tactics do nothing to add substance to the discussion.
See this response to the above
referenced article on "Epileptic Symptoms".
MENJ turns to Guillaume for help:
ALFRED GUILLAUME
The outward marks of a prophet in Israel were
(a) impassioned utterance; (b) poetry; (c) intense preoccupation with God and moral
issues; (d) a sense of compulsion urging him to declare the will of God. Naturally these
characteristics varied from prophet to prophet: in some of the later prophets the feeling
of excitement, the inner urge which bursts as it were the bounds of language, and the
idealism are altogether lacking; but the broad pattern is consistent. How far then is it
possible to say that Muhammad was a prophet?
Now if we look at the accounts of his call, as recorded by the early biographers, some
very interesting parallels with the Hebrew prophets come to light. They say that it
was his habit to leave the haunts of men and retire to the mountains to give himself up to
prayer and meditation. One night as he was asleep the angel Gabriel came to him with a
piece of silk brocade whereon words were written, and said 'Recite!' He answered, 'What
shall I recite?' The order was repeated three times, while he felt continually increasing
physical pressure, until the angel said:
Recite in the name of thy Lord who created Man from blood coagulated. Recite! Thy
Lord is wondrous kind Who by the pen has taught mankind Things they knew not (being
blind).
When he woke these words seemed to be written on his heart (or, as we should say,
impressed indelibly on his mind). Then the thought came to him that he must be a sha'ir
(literally 'knowers') or possessed, he who had so hated such people that he could not bear
the sight of them; and he could not tolerate the thought that his tribesmen would regard
him as one of them -- as in fact they afterwards did. Thereupon he left the place with the
intention of throwing himself over a precipice. But while on his way he heard a voice from
heaven hailing him as the Apostle of God, and lifting up his eye he saw a figure astride
the horizon which turned him from his purpose and kept him rooted to the spot. And there
he remained long after his anxious wife's messengers had returned to report that they
could not find him.
Clearly this story belongs to the realm of visions and dreams. Whatever view is taken
of their objective reality, none can doubt their subjective reality to those who
experience them. This inaugural vision so affected Muhammad's preaching - at any rate in
its early stages - and Muhammad himself, that it is possible to believe that he was a
prophet. The burden of Muhammad's message from first to last was the almighty power of
God and man's duty to obey him, of sin and judgment. The sense of compulsion under which
he labored is clearly brought out in the dream in which the angel forced him to speak.
Some of his biographers have deleted the passages which speak of his doubts and fears; but
they are perhaps the most convincing elements in the story, and, apart from his
contemplated suicide, are strongly reminiscent of Jeremiah's doubts as to whether
he was inspired or whether he was on the same level as the false prophets of his day. And
as we shall see, Muhammad's tenacity was tested by adversity -- mockery, accusations of
soothsayings and of teaching the doctrines of foreigners, and finally undisguised
persecution. His biographers says truly that prophethood is a weighty and painful
office which few can sustain owing to the opposition that they encounter.
[1]
RESPONSE:
Please note carefully what Guillaume says:
... Then the thought came to him THAT
HE MUST BE A SHA’IR (literally 'knowers') OR POSSESSED, he who had so hated such
people that he could not bear the sight of them; and he could not tolerate the thought
that his tribesmen would regard him as one of them -- as in fact they afterwards did.
Thereupon he left the place WITH THE INTENTION OF THROWING HIMSELF OVER A PRECIPICE.
But while on his way he heard a voice from heaven hailing him as the Apostle of God, and
lifting up his eye he saw a figure astride the horizon which turned him from his purpose
and kept him rooted to the spot. And there he remained long after his anxious wife's
messengers had returned to report that they could not find him.
And:
... The sense of compulsion under which he labored
is clearly brought out in the dream in which the angel forced him to speak. SOME
OF HIS BIOGRAPHERS HAVE DELETED THE PASSAGES WHICH SPEAK OF HIS DOUBTS AND FEARS;
but they are perhaps the most convincing elements ...
According to Guillaume’s own words, Muhammad’s initial belief was that he was
possessed and his suicidal tendencies were such an embarrassment that some Muslims omitted
them from their biographies!!! We are really thankful for MENJ helping us to strengthen
the arguments made in our initial responses to him.
MENJ apparently hasn’t read Guillaume carefully, since in the above quote the
latter implicitly casts doubt on Muhammad’s illiteracy. Note again what Guillaume
says, this time with added emphasis:
... One night as he was asleep the angel
Gabriel came to him with a piece of silk brocade whereon words were written, and said
'Recite!' He answered, 'What shall I recite?' The order was repeated three times,
while he felt continually increasing physical pressure ...
Guillaume’s citation has Muhammad asking, "what shall I recite", as
opposed to the traditional version where Muhammad purportedly responded, "I do not
know how to read." The mention of brocade with words written on it presumes that the
"angel" wanted Muhammad to read these very words. Otherwise, why even bring silk
brocade with words on it if the spirit entity simply wanted Muhammad to repeat words heard
orally? Hence, Guillaume, by writing "What I shall recite?", may be viewed as an
indirect attempt of casting doubt on the traditional story regarding Muhammad claiming to
be illiterate, a story which MENJ accepts as historical fact. If this were the case, then
MENJ would have to therefore reject Guillaume’s version of the events, and would have
no hesitation in admitting that Guillaume is wrong here. Yet, if MENJ can concede that
Guillaume is wrong in this issue then he must concede the possibility that Guillaume
may also be wrong regarding Muhammad’s experiences being similar to the OT prophets.
Guillaume also says: "... that it is possible to believe that he was a
prophet." Yet, his explicitly stated criteria for prophethood are only outward
observations of experiences where there may be some superficial similarity. They are NEVER
used in the Bible as criteria for prophethood. Why does Guillaume ignore the biblical
criteria for prophethood?
Furthermore, Guillaume mentions a very important dissimilarity, the very topic
that we are discussing here:
... apart from his contemplated suicide, ...
i.e. this is something which is very dissimilar and not found in the Biblical prophets.
Hence, MENJ’s own authority actually supports our case!
It is clear here that Guillaume only gives his opinion. He does not actually carefully
compare the experience of Muhammad and Jeremiah. He only thinks they are reminiscent. That
is the same issue with all the other quotes. MENJ only provided a list of unsubstantiated
opinions. The whole article is one fallacy of appeal to authority while MENJ completely
failed to discuss the facts themselves.
We have already shown in our initial rebuttals that authors such as Guillaume are
wrong, and will provide additional proofs to show that they are wrong. With that just
said, let us contrast Jeremiah’s "doubts" with Muhammad’s:
"The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb
I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the
nations.’ ‘Ah, Sovereign LORD,’ I said, ‘I do not know how to
speak; I am only a child.’ But the LORD said to me, ‘Do not say, "I am
only a child." You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do
not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the LORD.
Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, ‘Now, I
have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to
uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.’ The word
of the LORD came to me: ‘What do you see, Jeremiah?’ ‘I see the branch of
an almond tree,’ I replied. The LORD said to me, ‘You have seen correctly, for I
am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.’ The word of the LORD came to me again:
‘What do you see?’ ‘I see a boiling pot, tilting away from the north,’
I answered. The LORD said to me, ‘From the north disaster will be poured out on all
who live in the land. I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,"
declares the LORD.’" Jeremiah 1:4-15
Jeremiah’s doubts arose from his awareness that he didn’t have the ability,
maturity and/or the courage to face the nations. Yet Jeremiah never doubted that the being
who spoke to him was God. This is very similar to Moses’ encounter with God. Cf. Exodus 3-4.
Now compare this with Muhammad. Whereas Jeremiah doubted HIMSELF, his rhetorical
skills, fearing to be rejected due to young age, etc., Muhammad, on the contrary, doubted
that what had happened to him was genuinely of God. Jeremiah’s doubts were about his
own abilities; Muhammad’s doubts were about the origin of his experience. That is a
completely different kind of doubt.
We also challenge MENJ to show us from the book of Jeremiah where the latter doubted
whether he was truly inspired or thought that he was on the same level of the false
prophets. In fact, Jeremiah KNEW he wasn’t on their level as the following passage
shows:
"In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of
Zedekiah king of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, said to me
in the house of the LORD in the presence of the priests and all the people: ‘This is
what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "I will break the yoke of the king
of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articles of the
LORD's house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon. I
will also bring back to this place Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the
other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon," declares the LORD, "for I will
break the yoke of the king of Babylon."’ Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to
the prophet Hananiah before the priests and all the people who were standing in the house
of the LORD. He said, ‘Amen! May the LORD do so! May the LORD fulfill the words you
have prophesied by bringing the articles of the LORD's house and all the exiles back to
this place from Babylon. Nevertheless, listen to what I have to say in your hearing and
in the hearing of all the people: From early times the prophets who preceded you and me
have prophesied war, disaster and plague against many countries and great kingdoms. But
the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the LORD ONLY IF
HIS PREDICITON COMES TRUE.’ Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke off the neck
of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it, and he said before all the people, ‘This is
what the LORD says: "In the same way will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years."’ At this, the prophet
Jeremiah went on his way. Shortly after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke off the
neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: ‘Go and tell
Hananiah, "This is what the LORD says: You have broken a wooden yoke, but in its
place you will get a yoke of iron. This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel,
says: I will put an iron yoke on the necks of all these nations to make them serve
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I will even give him control over
the wild animals."’ Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet,
‘Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to
trust in lies. Therefore, this is what the LORD says: "I am about to remove you
from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached
rebellion against the LORD."’ In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah
the prophet DIED." Jeremiah 28:1-17
Jeremiah even warns the people about the false prophets!:
"This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Do not listen to what the prophets are
prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own
minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. They keep saying to those who despise me, "The
LORD says: You will have peace." And to all who follow the stubbornness of their
hearts they say, "No harm will come to you." But which of them has stood in the
council of the LORD to see or to hear his word? Who has listened and heard his word? See,
the storm of the LORD will burst out in wrath, a whirlwind swirling down on the heads of
the wicked. The anger of the LORD will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the
purposes of his heart. In days to come you will understand it clearly. I did not send
these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they
have prophesied. But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words
to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds. Am
I only a God nearby,’ declares the LORD, ‘and not a God far away? Can anyone
hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the LORD. ‘Do not I
fill heaven and earth?’ declares the LORD. ‘I have heard what the prophets say
who prophesy lies in my name. They say, "I had a dream! I had a dream!" How long
will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of
their own minds? They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my
name, just as their fathers forgot my name through Baal worship. Let the prophet who has a
dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has
straw to do with grain?’ declares the LORD. ‘Is not my word like fire,’
declares the LORD, ‘and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? Therefore,’
declares the LORD, ‘I am against the prophets who steal from one another words
supposedly from me. Yes,’ declares the LORD, ‘I am against the prophets who wag
their own tongues and yet declare, "The LORD declares." Indeed, I am against
those who prophesy false dreams,’ declares the LORD. ‘They tell them and lead my
people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not
benefit these people in the least,’ declares the LORD." Jeremiah 23:16-32
So how could he have even thought that he was on the level of the false prophets!
MENJ needs to stop wasting our time and provide one example of a prophet who thought
that he was demon-possessed after his/her divine encounter or erroneously assumed that the
entity that appeared to him/her was actually Satan and contemplated suicide because of it.
MENJ continues:
D. B. MACDONALD
...
[Muhammad] was truly in
the succession of the Old Testament Prophets.[2]
RESPONSE:
Where is the proof? Claiming something is not the same as proving it. MENJ’s
appeal to MacDonald is nothing more than the fallacy of appealing to authority.
Interestingly, we had quoted MacDonald in our initial response
to MENJ to show that Muhammad’s religious experience was identical to the
experience of Jinn-possessed poets such as Hasan b. Thabit.
Hence, if MENJ believes that MacDonald was correct regarding Muhammad being in
the succession of the OT prophets, then MENJ should also accept his claims regarding
Muhammad’s experience being similar to Hasan’s possession. In fact, whereas
there is no proof that Muhammad’s experiences were like the OT prophets (contrary
to MENJ’s wishful thinking) there are plenty of proofs that his experiences were
like those of Jinn-possessed poets! See the above link for the evidence.
MENJ now turns to Watt for help:
W. MONTGOMERY WATT
... The [Biblical] passage
where the people of God are told that God will raise up for them one of their own
number, similar to Moses, who will them [1]
give them guidance [2] . This is often taken
by Christians to mean that God will raise up a prophetic order (whose
supreme exemplar is Jesus) so that in times of difficulty the people of God will
have a prophet to guide them. With a little stretching of the sense here and there,
Muhammad might perhaps be said to be one fulfillment of this prophecy...
...It has been argued that Muhammad is a charismatic religious leader within
the Abrahamic (or Judaeo-Christian) tradition, who guided some of the people
of God in a time of difficulty. He may thus be called a prophet in certain senses
of the word.