Adil Salahi - Muhammad: Man and Prophet: A Complete Study of the Life of the Prophet of Islam

Muhammad

Man and Prophet

A Complete Study of the Life of the Prophet of Islam

Adil Salahi

THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION

Published by

THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION

Markfield Conference Centre,

Ratby Lane, Markfield, Leicestershire LE67 9SY, United Kingdom

E-mail:

Website: www.islamic-foundation.com

Quran House, PO Box 30611, Nairobi, Kenya

PMB 3193, Kano, Nigeria

Kube Publishing Ltd.

Tel: + 44 (0)1530 249230, Fax: + 44 (0)1530 249656

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Revised Edition, Adil Salahi 2002/1423 H,

2nd impression, 2005/1426 H

3rd impression, 2006/1427 H

4th impression, with corrections and an added appendix, 2008/1429H

5th impression, 2010/1431 H

All right reserved.

First published in the UK in 1995 by Element Books Limited

The right of Adil Salahi to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

Salahi, M.A., Muhammad: Man and Prophet: a complete study of the life of the Prophet of IslamRev. ed.1. Muhammad, Prophet, d. 632Biography 2. Muhammad, Prophet, d. 632Prophetic office 3. IslamOrigin

I. Title II. Islamic Foundation

297.63

ISBN 978-0-86037-327-8
ISBN 978-0-86037-322-3

Cover design by Suhaib Salahi
Typeset by Nasir Cadir and N.Qaddoura

Dedication

TO MY PARENTS who have taught me that loving the Prophet Muhammad could only be demonstrated by following his teachings, not by singing his praises.

To Amr, Suhaib and Zaid, my children, and to their generation of English-speaking Muslims. I hope this effort will make it easier for them to follow the Prophets guidance.

And to Hayfa She knows why.

Preface to the Present Edition

THIS EDITION BENEFITS by a major change introduced in , where a certain event is reported in a new light that totally negates what has been held as true by most people, including the present author. The case of the Qurayzah Jews and the judgement passed on them when they surrendered to the Prophet is thus placed under fresh scrutiny. The majority of sources on the history of the period report that the Qurayzah men were executed and their women and children were taken slaves. Across the centuries, authors were at pain to explain that this was the right judgement, considering their treachery that could have led to the eradication of Islam and the Muslim community. I previously followed in the same tradition, arguing the same case. Now I praise God for enabling me to see the event in question in its true light.

It is not an easy task to go against traditional wisdom in explaining events of history, particularly when you stand at odds with your most reliable sources. In the case of the fate of the Qurayzah Jews, all sources, old and contemporary, rely on Ibn Ishaqs report. They practically produce it verbatim. Ibn Ishaq himself was a scholar of high merit, but he was not immune to misjudgement. In this case, he is clearly in the wrong. Islam stands for absolute justice to all. It does not accept that a single person may be treated unfairly under any circumstances. The Quran lays down a great principle: Never allow your hatred of any people to lead you away from justice. Be just, this is closer to righteousness. (5: 8) This is coupled with a similarly important principle: No soul will bear the burden of another. (35: 18) Thus, collective punishment, whereby a group of people are punished for the crimes committed by some of their numbers, could never be sanctioned. No consideration of political expediency can outweigh the importance of justice, even when dealing with our most hostile enemy. The injunction to uphold justice is repeated many times in the Quran and by the Prophet.

I am indebted to a scholarly paper by the late Professor Walid Arafat which questions the case and throws doubt on the report by Ibn Ishaq. This set me on a course of investigating the case anew. My findings are outlined in of this edition. I seek Gods forgiveness for not undertaking such an investigation earlier, and I praise Him for enabling me to clarify the picture concerning this event.

The other major change in this edition is the appendix concerning [Aishahs age at the time of her marriage to the Prophet. This has always been a cause of unease for Muslims. They try to explain it in different ways, but I have always felt that the common notion concerning her age is wrong. I have only put in writing what I have long argued in private and public discussions.

Transliteration Table

Consonants. Arabic

initial: unexpressed medial and final:

Vowels, diphthongs, etc.

Contents

PERHAPS THE WORLD was never in greater need of an accurate account of the Prophet Muhammads life than it is now. Interest in Islam has soared over the last couple of decades, and the trend continues after the turn of the century, but not always for the right reasons. Events, some of which were brought about by Muslims painting themselves as advocates of Islam, tended to give this last divine religion a tarnished image. Though alien to Islams very nature, extremism has been trying to impose its hard line attitude on Islam. It continued to play its eye-catching role, providing a fertile area for those who wish to detract from Islam and to show it in a negative light. World media, always quick to feed on sensational news, has kept Islam as a recurrent topic in its coverage of events, particularly those taking place in hot spots of the world.

The charge that is often laid at the door of Islam is terrorism. This has gathered much greater force after the tragic events of 11 September 2001, but certainly did not start with them. Several months earlier, news channels reported that an audience in the US were asked to state the first word that came to their minds when Islam is mentioned, and a substantial majority of the respondents said terrorism. We are reminded that when the Oklahoma City explosions occurred a few years ago, few media channels were prepared to show the willingness to wait for evidence before pointing an accusing finger at Islam. Needless to say, investigations soon proved that no Muslim had anything to do with that event. But the speed with which the media reacted and its unfounded accusations were indicative of an attitude of mind that certain quarters had helped to develop, fostering a false association between Islam and terrorism.

Nothing can be further from the truth. In fact, Islam considers terrorist action against civilians a very grave crime that must be punished. In Islamic law, punishment always looks at the nature of the offence and aims to deter offenders before they embark on a course of action leading to an offence. This deterrent element is seen, for example, in the fact that Islam requires that punishment of certain offences must be carried out in public. Thus justice is seen to be done, and prospective offenders are aware not only of the magnitude of the punishment they may have but also the publicity which their offences generate. Islam, then, deals with crime before it is committed, trying to reduce its incidence. At the same time, Islamic punishments serve a dual purpose of making the guilty pay for their crimes and deterring any future offenders. The Islamic attitude towards terrorism is an implementation of its approach to crime, aiming to achieve its dual purpose.