Was Muhammad an Illiterate Playboy Warmonger?
Q: “How do you explain the stories that Prophet Muhammad was illiterate, a playboy and an aggressive war-maker?”
A: Prophet Muhammad was uneducated, but he learned how to read and write the alphabet as, at the time, their mathematical system was algebraic, and he was a merchant. Actually, Muhammad wrote God’s Revelation by his own hand, a copy of which exists in the museum of Topkapi in Turkey.
25:5 “And they said, ‘Tales from the past that he wrote by his own, which were dictated to him day and night.’”
Here is a summary concerning this matter. The first Revelation (from surah 96 The Clot) includes:
96:4 “God Teaches by means of the pen.”
The second Revelation (from surah 68 The Pen) includes:
68:1 “… By the pen and what they write.”
Muslim scholars in the first 200 years following the Qur’an did not understand Qur’an’s challenge, to create anything like It. They were aware of many writers who might have composed words comparable to the Qur’an, but they knew nothing of the mathematical composition of the Qur’an. In fact, many writers claimed to be able to produce a work of quality equal to the Qur’an. The most recent such claim came from Taha Hussein, the renowned Egyptian writer.
Some of the ignorant Muslim scholars then decided to proclaim Muhammad an illiterate man. They figured that this would make the Qur’an’s extraordinary literary excellence truly miraculous. The word they relied on to bestow illiteracy upon the Prophet was “UMMY.” Unfortunately for those scholars, this word clearly means “Gentile,” or one who does not follow any scripture (Torah, Injeel or Qur’an) (see 2:78, 3:20 and 75, 62:2), it does not mean “illiterate.”
As for Muhammad having been a playboy, and a war-maker? Frankly, I believe the term playboy for a Prophet is very inappropriate and unjust, although the Religion of God includes no prejudice whatsoever. The definition of a playboy is “A man who is given to pleasure-seeking and sexual promiscuity.”
Muhammad is proved to be a Prophet of the Almighty God (as it is Stated in the Qur’an, and, as the Word of the Qur’an is mathematically proven to be the Word of God). Such definition is absolutely not adequate for a Prophet, be it Muhammad or any other Messenger and Prophet of the Almighty God. The fact is, only those totally ignorant of history could use such a term for Prophet Muhammad. If by this term is meant that he had several wives, here is my response.
Muhammad was married to one wife, Khadijah, until she died. All his children, except one, were from Khadijah. She and her children enjoyed the Prophet’s full attention during the 25 years that she lived. At the age of 50, and during the 13 remaining years of his life, he married the aged widows of his friends, who left many children. The orphans needed a home and a fatherly figure. Other than marrying widowed mothers of orphans (4:3), there were three political marriages in the Prophet’s life. His close friends, Abu Bakr and Omar, insisted that he marry their daughters, Aisha and Hafsah, to establish family ties among them. The third marriage was to Maria the Egyptian as a political gesture of friendship with the ruler of Egypt.
Concerning his being a war-maker, all his wars were situated around his town, as history tells. Meaning that the enemy had always come to him for war, and therefore his wars were self-defense.
The fact is, we should never consider prophets and Messengers as superhuman. And as all humankind, they have their weaknesses and bad tempers. The private life of a Prophet or Messenger is absolutely their own business and people have not the ability to judge them. Their Work and Mission, that is only spreading the Message of God, being completely and correctly done, they have accomplished their duty, and have rendered a great service to humanity. And as this is the essential Mission for a Prophet or a Messenger, as far as people are concerned, then people should be grateful to their Lord for such great Blessing, and leave the rest to the Lord, who Is the Best Judge. We should trust God and know that He never Chooses the wrong person for His Mission.
The radical and most important point, that I would like to remind here. To enjoy and understand the 2nd and 3rd Dimension of the Qur’an, which Opens today, and was meant for the people of the 21st century and this era, know that everything about the history of the past, concerning the Prophets/Messengers is mentioned in the Book, and no more. The God has Completed the Qur’an, and nothing that we need is left out (6:38).
6:38 “And there is not a (living) creature on Earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but communities like you. We have not Neglected a thing in the Book, and they all shall be gathered to their Lord (at the end).”
Then why not just trust our Lord the Creator of all universes?