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.