The Worship of Muhammad – Part Four

In the past three articles, I have discussed how Muslims unwittingly deify Muhammad. Some readers may be tired of this line of discussion, but it is so important, I felt it necessary to expose how the Hadith discuss Muhammad, and therefore how Muslims are to revere him. The Hadith offer an interesting picture that goes beyond the pale of treating Muhammad as a mere man. The following Hadith makes it more clear how early Muslims viewed Muhammad.

In this first Hadith, consider how a Muslim would feel had he possessed a lock of Muhammad’s hair.

Narrated Ibn Sirrn: I said to ‘Ablda, “I have some of the hair of the Prophet which I got from Anas or from his family.” ‘Abida replied. “No doubt if I had a single hair of that it would have been dearer to me than the whole world and whatever is in it.” [i]

Here we see the hair of a dead man’s head was considered more valuable than the entire earth and its contents. If this is not worship, what is?

Many Hadith on seemingly unrelated topics contain information about Muhammad and his importance. A well-known Hadith called the “law laaka” deals with Adam’s first trespass, and his subsequent request for forgiveness. The Hadith claims that when Adam repented of his sin, he did so for the sake of Muhammad, who of course was not even born yet! [ii} In other words, it was because of Muhammad that Allah chose to forgive Adam. For those readers confused by the anachronism of how Adam could have known about Muhammad, see the source cited.

Perhaps one of the boldest claims comes from the words of a Muslim author from the same cited source discussing this particular Hadith. We find that Muhammad is the entire reason for creation itself!

“Indeed the Prophet of Allah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) is the reason for the creation of Adam ‘alaihis salam and the universe. If the Prophet of Allah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was not in existence, then the ‘Arsh and Kursi, Lawh and Qalam, the Skies and the Earth, Heaven and Hell, the trees and stones and all other creatures would not exist.” (emphasis mine)

How can a man be the sole reason causing God to create the universe? Not only is Muhammad deemed the reason for creation itself, but perhaps most astoundingly, even Muhammad himself claimed a unique capability relative to his followers. In another Hadith, Muhammad describes five things given to no other prophet but himself. The 4th one is that “I have been given the right of intercession (on the Day of Resurrection).” [iii] There are other Hadith which claim Muhammad as intercessor for Muslims such as this,

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: I shall be pre-eminent amongst the descendants of Adam on the Day of Resurrection and I will be the first intercessor and the first whose intercession will be accepted (by Allah). [iv]

In this Hadith, Muhammad is seen to be above all other humans, and indeed all other prophets, with regard to his status in relation to Allah. Muslims disagree about exactly how much authority this Hadith shows Muhammad to have. However, what is agreed upon is that Muhammad has a special role at the time of judgment, thus elevating him to a unique status in relation to the rest of humanity.

Yes, Christians believe judgment has been granted to Jesus Christ, but since Jesus is God the Son, it is still God and God alone who has the ultimate say.

How ironic that Muslims revile at the idea of Jesus as intercessor, yet Muhammad, who never claimed deity as such, did claim to have special and unique powers of intercession for Muslims.

To recap this series, the shahada requires Muslims submit and believe in “a man”. The Qur’an equates Allah and Muhammad in ways that a man cannot be equated with God. Finally, the Hadith give Muhammad supremacy in ways no man could ever have. What conclusion is ultimately to be drawn? Muslims can continue to claim that they don’t worship Muhammad, and that is what is stated over and over again. Yet their creed, the Qur’an, their actions, and the Hadith tell a very different story.

[i} Sahih Bukhari: Volume 1, Book 4, Number 171

[ii] http://www.sunnah.org/msaec/articles/hadith_of_lawlaak.htm

[iii] Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 7, Number 331

[iv] Sahih Muslim, Book 30, Number 5655

Like or share this post:
This entry was posted in Unraveling_Islam and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

3 Responses to The Worship of Muhammad – Part Four

  1. Can you please correct this article too 🙂

    Do Muslims Worship Muhammad?

    According to Islamic belief, the Prophet Muhammad was the last Messenger of God. He, like all of God’s prophets and messengers – such as Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus — was only a human being. Christians came to the mistaken assumption that Muslims worship Muhammad by formulating an incorrect analogy – they worship Jesus so they assumed Muslims worship Muhammad. This is one of the reasons that they called Muslims by the incorrect name “Mohammedans” for so many years! Muhammad, like Jesus, never claimed divine status. He called people to worship only Almighty God, and he continually emphasized his humanity so that people would not fall into the same errors as Christians did in regards to Jesus. In order to prevent his deification, the Prophet Muhammad always said to refer to him as “the Messenger of God and His slave”. Muhammad was chosen to be God’s final messenger — to communicate the message not only in words but to be a living example of the message. Muslims love and respect him because he was of the highest moral character and he brought the Truth from God – which is the Pure Monotheism of Islam. Even when Islam was in its very early stages, God revealed that Muhammad “was sent as a mercy to all of mankind” – thus informing us that the message of Islam would become very widespread. Muslims strive to follow the great example of Muhammad, peace be upon him, but they do not worship him in any way. Additionally, Islam teaches Muslims to respect all of God’s prophets and messengers – but respecting and loving them does not mean worshipping them. All true Muslims realize that all worship and prayer must be directed to Almighty God alone. Suffice it to say that worshipping Muhammad — or anyone else — along with Almighty God is considered to be the worst sin in Islam. Even if a person claims to be Muslim, but they worship and pray to other than Almighty God, this cancels and nullifies their Islam. The Declaration of Faith of Islam makes it clear that Muslims are taught only to worship God. This declaration is as follows: “There is nothing divine or worthy of being worshipped except for Almighty God, and Muhammad is the Messenger and Servant of God”.

    • Adam,

      Yes, I understand that Islam teaches what you have said. However, you do not address the main points of the articles. Notice, even in your last sentence, you say “There is nothing divine or worthy of being worshipped except for Almighty God, and Muhammad is the Messenger and Servant of God”. Why must you include the second part of that creed? Why not stop before the “and”. Alternatively why not mention other prophets besides Muhammad if they are all loved and respected? If we are to have a discussion, you must address the points I have made, not just repeat standard Islamic dogma.

      If I am incorrect in any point I have brought up, please by all means, tell me specifically in what respects I have misspoken.

  2. Allah Is Not God says:

    Muhammad was merely a self-proclaimed prophet, who unwittingly inserted words in the mouth of Allah, the supreme rock God of the kaaba. There were three Gods within the Kaab’a, Al Allat (Allah) and his two daughters, Al manat, and al Uzza. Allah is a moon god, one of many gods, there is nothing special about allah, only that a desert lunatic thought that this supreme rock God spoke to him, how deluded! I guess ol’ prophet (or should I say “profit”) Mo, got duped, along with the other 1.2 billion brain dead Muhammadans.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *