Muhammad: a Prophet or an imposter?
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Muhammad said he was a prophet, therefore we have two possibilities; either he said the truth, or he was a liar and an imposter. Only one of these 2 can be true.
Let’s 1st look at the hypothesis that he was a liar and an imposter, that he himself invented the Quran, and that even though he was illiterate.
First what was Muhammad’s interest to create a new religion? Until the age of 40, he lived a happy and comfortable life with his rich wife Khadija, he was loved and respected for his honesty and morality by all of his tribe. Why would he have gone through 10 years of persecutions, hardships and reject from most of his tribe, what was his interest in going through so much suffering and persevering in the transmission of his message?
Until the end of his mission, even when he ruled almost the whole of the Arabic peninsula (a territory about 5 times the size of France), he always lived in the most complete destitution, sleeping on a bed of dried leaves, without a castle nor a palace or anything resembling it, without a single bodyguard, wearing clothes repaired by himself, shoes repaired by himself… Why did this “imposter” never used all his power to acquire wealth, palaces and luxurious gardens like other kings and heads of states?
And if he only had created this religion in reaction to Jews and Christians as some have claimed, why would about half of the Prophets mentioned in the Quran would be …Jewish? Why does the Quran praise so much Mary the mother of Jesus, a Jewish woman, but never mentions Muhammad’s mother, nor any member of his family?
In order to convince the Arabs, who were often in conflict with the Jews, wouldn’t it have been easier to denigrate all these Jews instead of praising them? Yes, but that’s neither what the Quran says, nor what Muhammad said.
Moreover, if you wanted to create and spread a new religion, surely you’d make it easy to practice, with as few constraints as possible, just like most idolatrous religions of the time. Would you try to impose the complete banning of alcohol, a whole month of fasting every year, 5 compulsory daily prayers at fixed times?… No, it wouldn’t make sense, because nobody would follow such a religion. But amazingly that’s what the Quran and Muhammad have done, without ever accepting any compromise to this message. And the most extraordinary is that this religion has triumphed over all the others !
If Muhammad was an imposter, what was his personal interest to have his people abide by these countless food restrictions, this entire month of fasting every year, these 5 compulsory prayers every day? Why did he insist so much on these restrictions, which personal interest did he get from it?
Of course none, it even made many tribes hesitate and sometimes abandon him. It really made his mission very much harder to fulfill, but yet he never accepted any compromise to this message.
In a famous episode of Muhammad’s life, a tribe called Thaqif accepted to convert to Islam and to obey Muhammad if he allowed them to keep some of their idols and to be exempted from the 5 daily prayers. Muhammad refused categorically. Rather than to acquire absolute power over this important tribe without any effort, he preferred to remain faithful to the message God had transmitted him.
But let’s still continue this hypothesis “Muhammad was an imposter and invented the Quran”, already shaken by these few facts; if Muhammad wasn’t guided by God, then we also have to admit that he was:
-The greatest Arabic writer in history ; because no one can deny that the Quran is the greatest literary piece ever written in this language. Still 14 Centuries later, if you go to any University to study Arabic literature, you’ll study mainly the Quran for its inimitable style and the beauty of its verses. God himself challenges anyone to produce anything like it (Quran 11:13,14). A challenge that still 14 Centuries later no human has been able to meet.
-A scien
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quote:
Muhammad said he was a prophet, therefore we have two possibilities; either he said the truth, or he was a liar and an imposter. Only one of these 2 can be true.
I choose answer # 2
What's my prize Monty? 
Peace and God Bless
Nicene
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Just my take but this seems to fall under:
fail to seek discussion or debate and purely proselytize
Well written though.
This is the third topic started without intent to discuss.
Peace and God Bless
Nicene
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abd77,quote:
Originally posted by abd77
Is it reasonable to think that this man (who until the age of 40¾the beginning of his Mission¾ had never shown any interest for any of these fields) could have suddenly become such a genius?
Or is it more reasonable to think that something really extraordinary happened in this night of the year 610, that through the Angel Gabriel it is really God that addressed him and Guided him in a Divine Mission.
This is so similar to what I hear from Mormons. Tell me, does Islam consider Joseph Smith to have been a prophet too?
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Yes, it made me think of the Mormons, also. They were persecuted for their faith and had many restrictions on their members - as have several cults and unorthodox groups throughout the centuries.
A third option is that he was sincerely deceived. We have one person who visits these very boards who thinks he's Elijah or Moses in the flesh and no doubt feels persecuted by the Christians who oppose his heresy.
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There's a similar option with Christ: Liar, Lunatic, or Lord, per C.S. Lewis.
I'll take Door Number 3, Monty.
"You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You." St. Augustine of Hippo
Edited by Theophilus on 05/29/2006 16:59:30
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Mohammed was definitely an imposter. He was not only illiterate, but he was also a pedophile. Aiesha his wife, was 6 yrs. old when they wed, and Khadijah was 9 yrs. For some reason,he believed a girl to be a woman at puberty, and 9 was the accepted age to consumate a marriage. I don't care if those girls did have precocious puberties, they were still children. This and the fact that allah, is an idol moon god, which I've seen the statue of, I thought it was funny at first, but then I saw the symbol of the moon and the star on its chest, and I know that they celebrate their holidays by the lunar calendar. Mecca is the ruins of a temple where all idol gods were worshiped. Mohammed ran the others away, and now only allah is worshiped there.
http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/moongod.htm
http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/islam.htm
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quote:
Originally posted by Theophilus
There's a similar option with Christ
That's precisely what I was going to say. Only without the reference to Lewis. I'm not that spiffy.
Who can be sure of anything? And also, ABD77, you said, "... these countless food restrictions, this entire month of fasting every year, these 5 compulsory prayers every day". I'd be careful about that, seeing as, (though not quite the same, obviously), some of us do observe Lent, religiously say our prayers, and so forth.
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quote:
Originally posted by Jasmine Cummings
Mohammed was definitely an imposter. He was not only illiterate, but he was also a pedophile. Aiesha his wife, was 6 yrs. old when they wed, and Khadijah was 9 yrs. For some reason,he believed a girl to be a woman at puberty, and 9 was the accepted age to consumate a marriage. I don't care if those girls did have precocious puberties, they were still children. This and the fact that allah, is an idol moon god, which I've seen the statue of, I thought it was funny at first, but then I saw the symbol of the moon and the star on its chest, and I know that they celebrate their holidays by the lunar calendar. Mecca is the ruins of a temple where all idol gods were worshiped. Mohammed ran the others away, and now only allah is worshiped there.
http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/moongod.htm
http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/islam.htm
you found some good resourses to know that!
Amen!
I may or may not believe coming forward is a necessary condition for salvation. But, if I clearly taught elsewhere that repentance/belief alone was sufficient no one would think coming forward is necessary for salvation,or water baptism is necessary for salvation.
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Good and biased.
"You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You." St. Augustine of Hippo
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Evan, did you know Jasmine denies the Trinity? I guess she's found some really good resources to know that too! It appears more and more that you'd side with the devil himself if he agreed with your opinion (and I suspect sometimes he does.).
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man you all just love to pounce on eachother like friggin' ravenous wolves. It is sad that Venatius can't be "sure of anything." Why is that brother, I thought you were devout and fasted and prayed and did your hail mary's and all that jazz. No offense intended but it seems to me that if you "do" all that you get to go to heaven......or are you not sure of that either? Maybe someone in this thread can help you out? Anyway, I think history shows that ol Mohammed liked Kiddies. But the question is, Is he dead? Or is he alive like Jesus is right this very moment? We all know the answer to that one except Venatius maybe......no offense intended. Sola SCRIPTURA, SOLA FIDE.
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AEG, get the beam out of your own eye first. You chastise others for something you immediately do in the exact same post! This is a debate forum, after all.
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quote:
Originally posted by Theophilus
Good and biased.
You would rather dispute your brother in Chrits than an unsaved Muslim?
Says a lot.
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Saying something is biased is not the same as agreeing with the other position. Can we use lies to proclaim the truth?
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