30 October 2015
Muhammad: Man of Faith or Doubt?
Allegations: Quran 10:94 tells Prophet Mohamed that he must check with the
People of the Book (Jews & Christians) if he doubts God’s words in the
Quran. This proves: (i) Prophet Mohamed doubted God’s words in the Quran and (ii)
Quran instructs Prophet Mohamed to listen to the People of the Book.
Reference:
“If you are in doubt as to what we have
revealed to you, ask those who read the Book before you; certainly the truth has
come to you from your Lord, so never be among the doubters. And never be of
those who deny the signs of God and [thus] be among the losers.” (Quran
10:94-95)
Answer to the allegation that Prophet Mohamed doubted God’s
words in the Quran:
Quran 10:94 does NOT say Prophet Mohamed doubted
God’s words in the Quran. It says “IF
are you in doubt about what I have revealed to you, then ask the People of the
Book.” The conditional particle IF
indicates that Prophet Mohamed should ask the People of the Book if he is in
doubt. BUT if Prophet Mohamed
is not in doubt, then he does not need to ask the People of the Book.
Now the question is: Was
Prophet Mohamed in doubt about what God has revealed to him in Quran? There are
many Quran verses that make it clear that Prophet Mohamed was not a doubter in
God’s revelation. I will just touch upon a few verses to prove the case.
Example One:
In the Battle of Badr, 313 Muslims fought against 1,000
pagans. The night before the before the Battle of Badr, Prophet Mohamed begged
God for help realizing it was impossible for 313 outnumbered Muslims to defeat
1,000 pagans without the help from God. God heard the prayer of Prophet Mohamed
and sent down revelation saying he would help Muslims. Prophet Mohamed believed
in God’s revelation and gave glad tidings of God’s help to his companions
before the Battle of Badr took place. The two verses summarize the incident:
·
“[Remember]
when you asked help of your Lord, and He answered you, "Indeed, I will
reinforce you with a thousand from the angels, following one another." (Quran
8:9).
·
“[Remember] when
you said to the believers, ‘Is it not sufficient for you that your Lord should
reinforce you with three thousand angels sent down?’ ” (Quran 3:124)
To sum up, if Prophet Mohamed was a doubter in God’s
revelation, he would not believe God’s promise to send down angles to reinforce
Muslims in the Battle of Badr.
Example Two:
The Quran says Prophet Mohamed used to grieve for disbelievers
realizing that disbelievers would extremely suffer hereafter for doubting the
Quran. If Prophet Mohamed himself was a doubter in the Quran, then Prophet
Mohamed wouldn’t grieve for disbelievers for their doubts in the Quran. Prophet
Mohamed’s action proves he didn’t doubt the Quran. The following verses shows
Prophet Mohamed felt sorry for doubters in the Quran.
·
“Perhaps
you are going to grief to death if they do not believe in this narration”
(18:6)
·
God does not
guide the disbelieving people. Do not grieve over the disbelieving
people (5:67- 68)
·
“And whenever
a chapter is revealed, they turn away. God has turned away their hearts because
they are a people who do not understand. A Messenger from your own people has
come to you. Your destruction and suffering is extremely grievous to him.
He really cares about you and is very compassionate and merciful to the
believers. (9:127-128)
One may ask why God tells
Prophet Mohamed “If you are in doubt...” if Prophet Mohamed was not a doubter. First,
we have already seen that Quran verses prove Prophet Mohamed was a believer, NOT
a doubter. Therefore, the statement “If you are in doubt...” is a rhetorical
statement. We have seen that often God uses rhetorical questions and statements
in the Quran. For example:
·
"Can
there be doubt about God, the creator of the heavens and earth?” (Quran 14:10)
·
“So which of
the favors of your Lord would you deny?” (Quran 55:38)
·
Call upon
your helpers beside God, if you are truthful. (2:23)
·
O Jinn and
mankind, if you can penetrate the diameters of the heavens and the earth, do
so, but you cannot do so without power and authority. (55:33)
A rhetorical question is asked
in order to make a point rather than to elicit an answer. And a rhetorical
statement is used to make an argument more meaningful or persuasive. God knows
Prophet Mohamed does not doubt the revelation. The reason God uses rhetorical
statement “If you are in doubt...” is to emphasize the truthfulness of his
revelation.
One may further ask: Why God would
tell Prophet Mohamed not to be a doubter and denier (10:95), if he wasn’t a
doubter and denier? Note that we have already proven that Prophet Mohamed was
not a doubter or denier. Why does God tell Prophet Mohamed not to be a doubter
and denier then? God wants to give Prophet Mohamed advices. That’s all. An
advice is guidance or recommendations concerning careful future action,
typically given by someone regarded as knowledgeable or authoritative. Note
that you do not tell an alcoholic person not to be an alcoholic. You tell
him/her to quit alcohol. On the other hand, you advice a non-alcoholic person never
to be an alcoholic. Prophet Mohamed was neither a doubter nor a denier.
Answer to the allegation that Quran instructs Prophet Mohamed
to listen to the People of the Book:
As mentioned earlier, Prophet
Mohamed was not a doubter in Quran. Therefore, asking People of the Book (Jews
& Christians) to check if Quran speaks the truth is completely irrelevant. The
relevancy of asking People of the Book only comes up IF Prophet Mohamed was not a doubter in Quran which he was
not. Doubters in the Quran are losers will go to hell hereafter.
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