The following material is taken from ‘Abdallah ‘Abd al-Fadi’s classic refutation of the Quran, Is the Qur’an Infallible?, Part Ten Questionable Aspects of Muhammad’s Life, pp. 340-408, published by Light of Life, P.O. Box 13, A-9503, Villach, Austria.

1. His Wives

Question 210: We read in Sura al-Ahzab 33:50,51,53: “O Prophet, We have made lawful for thee thy wives whom thou hast given their wages and what thy right hand owns, spoils of war that God has given thee, and the daughters of thy uncles paternal and aunts paternal, thy uncles maternal and aunts maternal, who have emigrated with thee, and any woman believer, if she give herself to the Prophet and if the Prophet desire to take her in marriage, for thee exclusively, apart from the believers – We know what We have imposed upon them touching their wives and what their right hands own – that there maybe no fault in thee…. lt is not for you to hurt God’s Messenger, neither to marry his wives after him, ever; surely that would be, in God’s sight, a monstrous thing.”

We ask: Why did Muhammad make lawful for himself what he had forbidden others? Didn’t he appoint four wives for Muslim men when he said, “Marry such women as seem good to you, two, three, four; but if you fear you will not be equitable, then only one, or what your right hands own; so it is likelier you will not be partial” (Sura al-Nisa’ 4:3)?

Why did Muhammad throw off restraint only for himself and marry more women than Islamic law permitted? He allowed himself the option of marrying anyone who gave herself to him provided of course that he desired her. By the time he died he was married to nine wives and had two concubines, Maryam and Raihana. A1-Baidawi said, “The women who gave themselves to the Prophet were: Maimuna Bint al-Harith, Zainab Bint Khuzama the Ansarite, Umm Sharik Bint Jabir, and Khawla Bint Hakim!” Isn’t it strange, however, that Muhammad commanded the Muslims to be impartial to their wives, and yet permitted himself to show partiality to his own wives? He said, “Thou mayest put off whom thou wilt of them, and whom thou wilt thou mayest take to thee, and if thou seekest any thou hast set aside there is no fault in thee”!

Why did he give the right to all widows to remarry, and yet deprive his own wives of the same thing, commanding that no man should marry them after his death? A1-Baidawi said, “‘And any woman believer, if she give herself to the Prophet and if the Prophet desire to take her in marriage, for thee exclusively, apart from the believers’ was an announcement that this was an exclusive privilege for his prophethood and an admission that he was worthy of honour.”

We ask: If sexual relationships with many women was a privilege exclusively reserved for Muhammad, owing to his prophethood, why then didn’t any other true prophet of God receive the same right?

2. His Raids

Question 211: We read in Sura al-Anfal 8:39,65: “Fight them, till there is no persecution and the religion is God’s entirely; then if they give over, surely God sees the things they do…. O Prophet, urge on the believers to fight.”

We ask: Is God in need of violence and swords to spread His will? In fact, Muhammad made lawful for himself what had already been forbidden, in that he urged his followers to kill and fight, and commanded them to engage in invasion and holy wars for the sake of religion; yet while he was still in Mecca he said, “No compulsion is there in religion” (Sura al-Baqara 2:256) and, “Call thou to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and good admonition, and dispute with them in the better way. Surely thy Lord knows very well those who have gone astray from His way, and He knows very well those who are guided” (Sura al-Nahl 16:125). He used to say that God said to him, “It is thine only to deliver the Message, and Ours the reckoning” (Sura al-Ra’d 13:40). But when he grew stronger in Medina after the Hijra, and found himself surrounded by followers who wielded sharp swords, he attacked the Jews near Medina, killing most of them and commanding the Muslims to fight all those who disagreed with him, so that all people would be his followers. Yet, he overlooked the fact that God does not reign by cruelty and harshness but by love, for God is love.

3. Forbidding What God Made Lawful

Question 212: We read in Sura al-Tahrim 66:1,2: “Why forbiddest thou what God has made lawful to thee, seeking the good pleasure of thy wives? And God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate. God has ordained for you the absolution of your oaths. God is your Protector, and He is the All-knowing, the A11wise.”

We read in Al-Sira al-Halabiya that Muhammad was once in the house of Hafsa, ‘Umar’s daughter, who was one of his wives. She took leave of him to visit her father, and he gave her permission. Immediately, Muhammad sent for Mary, one of his concubines, and brought her into Hafsa’s house, and slept with her. Hafsa came back and saw Mary with him in her own house, so she did not go in until Mary left. Then she went in and said to him, “I saw who was with you in the house.” She also got angry and cried and said to him, “You have done to me what you have not done with any of your wives. On my day, in my house and on my bed!” Therefore he said to her, “Keep silent. Will it please you if I declare her forbidden for me and never touch her anymore?” She said yes. So he took an oath that he would never touch her. However, when his desire for Mary returned, he broke his oath and used the so-called “revelation from God” to prevent Hafsa from objecting to his behaviour.

4. His Kinsmen, the Inhabitants of Hell

Question 213: We read in Sura al-Tawba 9:113,114: “It is not for the Prophet and the believers to ask pardon for the idolaters, even though they be near kinsmen, after that it has become clear to them that they will be the inhabitants of Hell. Abraham asked not pardon for his father except because of a promise he had made to him; and when it became clear to him that he was an enemy of God, he declared himself quit of him.”

Al-Baidawi said, “It has been reported that Muhammad said to Abu Talib when the latter was on his deathbed, ‘Say a word which I can use in my argument with God for you.’ But Abu Talib refused. Muhammad said, ‘I will continue asking pardon for you unless I would be forbidden to do that.’ And then this verse descended. It was also said that when he conquered Mecca, he went out and visited his mother’s tomb. He stood up, with tears in his eyes, and said, ‘I have taken leave from my Lord to visit my mother’s tomb and he gave me leave, and have taken leave to ask pardon for her but he gave me no leave, and brought down on me these two verses.'”

Qatada said, “Muhammad said, ‘Surely I will ask pardon for my father as Abraham asked pardon for his father.’ And then this verse was revealed.” Expositors are in agreement that Muhammad used to ask pardon for his father ‘Abdallah, his mother Amina, and his uncle Abu Talib, and that God forbade him and rebuked him so strongly that he wept, for they were idolaters and inhabitants of hell. What a vast difference between the parents of Muhammad and those of Christ!

5. Revelation from Satan

Question 214: We read in Sura ai-Hail 22:52: “We sent not ever any Messenger or Prophet before thee, but Satan cast into his fancy, when he was fancying; but God annuls what Satan casts, then God confirms His signs – surely God is All-knowing, All wise.”

The expositors say that when Muhammad was gathered in the midst of the Quraish, he recited Sura al-Najm 53, and on reaching” …and Manat the third, the other,” he added, ”These most high deities whose intercession is to be sought” (53:20). The idolaters listening to Muhammad therefore rejoiced at his words and even knelt down to pray with him when he knelt, and said, “Muhammad made the best mention of our gods. We know that Allah gives life and puts to death, but our gods intercede for us to him.”

Yet, we ask, How could Muhammad renounce the unity of God in such a way, praising the gods of the Quraish in order to win them over to his side and Ultimately gain power over them by means of satanic utterances? What is the difference then between a true prophet and a false one, if Satan can speak through either of them?

6. They Were Near to Seducing Him

Question 215: We read in Sura al-Isra l 17:73: “Indeed they were near to seducing thee from that We revealed to thee, that thou mightest forge against Us another, and then they would surely have taken thee as a friend.”

We also read in the same sura, verse 39: “Set not up with God another god, or thou wilt be cast into Gehenna, reproached and rejected.”

In Sura al-Ahzab 33:1 are the words: “O Prophet, fear God, and obey not the unbelievers and the hypocrites. God is A11knowing, All-wise. And follow what is revealed to thee from thy Lord; surely God is aware of the things you do.”

In Sura al-Zumar 39:56 we read: ” If thou associatest other gods with God, thy work shall surely fail and thou wilt be among the losers.”

In Sura al-Ma’ida 5:67 the Qur’an says: “O Messenger, deliver that which has been sent down to thee from thy Lord; for if thou dost not, thou wilt not have delivered His Message.”

We ask: Doesn’t this verse indicate that Muhammad had a tendency to ingratiate himself with the idolaters and praise their gods? Later, he apologised by saying that God rebuked him and forbade him from doing that anymore!

7. He Married His Daughter-in-Law

Question 216: We read in Sura al-Ahzab 33:37,38: “When thou saidst to him whom God had blessed and thou hadst favoured, ‘Keep thy wife to thyself; and fear God’, and thou wast concealing within thyself what God should reveal, fearing other men; and God has better right for thee to fear Him. So when Zaid had accomplished what he would of her, then We gave her in marriage to thee, so that there should not be any fault in the believers, touching the wives of their adopted sons, when they had accomplished what they would of them; and God’s commandment must be performed.”

Most expositors agree that this verse speaks of Zainab, Zaid’s wife, whom Muhammad saw dressed in a chemise with a veil over her face when he went to Zaid one day on certain business. She was fair, and her physical appearance was perfect among the women of the Quraish, so that he was bewitched by her beauty. Then he said, “Praise be to Him, who changes hearts'” and left. When Zaid arrived home, she told him, and he looked into the matter diligently. He came to Muhammad and said, “I want to leave my wife.” Muhammad said to him, “What is the matter with her? Did she do anything to make you suspicious of her?” Zaid said, “No, by God. All I saw in her was good. But she treats me as inferior on account of her nobility, and hurts me with her tongue [i.e., with what she says].” So Muhammad said “Keep thy wife to thyself, and fear God” [that is, “Do not leave her”]. Yet, after this, Muhammad said that God rebuked him and said to him, “Why did you say, ‘Keep thy wife to thyself?’ Were you afraid the people would find fault with you and say, ‘He ordered a man to divorce his wife and afterward he himself married her’? Muhammad, do not fear the people.” But thanks to Gabriel, Muhammad did not have to fear the people and was able to announce his desire to take her from his son; not only that, but now all Muslims can also marry the wives of their adopted sons as long as the latter have accomplished what they wanted from them. How could Muhammad allow himself to lust after Zaid’s wife, who was his next of kin? How could he lie to the Arabs and tell them things other than what he really had in mind, and turn Gabriel into an enemy of Zaid so as to deprive him of his wife and take her for himself? Instead of repenting and asking for forgiveness, he praised God and said, “Praise be to Him, who changes hearts'” Is it consistent with the holiness of an archangel like Gabriel to condone Muhammad’s lustful desire and tum this wrong act into a law, thus removing all shame for those believers who commit such lawlessness? It was for this moral principle that Zainab used to boast to Muhammad’s other wives and say, “It was your fathers who gave you in marriage, but it was God himself who gave me in marriage.”

8. A Bewitched Prophet

Question 217: We read in Sura al-Falaq 113:1-5: “Say: ‘I take refuge with the Lord of the Daybreak from the evil of what He has created, from the evil of darkness when it gathers, from the evil of women who blow on knots, from the evil of an envier when he envies:”

Al-Baidawi said, “From the evil of the women who blow on knots” refers to the sorcerors who tie knots in threads and blow on them. The verb nafatha means “to blow on with saliva”. It was especially revealed because of a Jew who cast a spell on the Prophet with eleven knots, which he tied in a string and hid in a well. The Prophet fell ill, and Suras al-Falaq 113 and al-Nas 114 were revealed:’

In Al-Sira al-nabawiya al-malkiya (p. 200) we read:

It has been narrated that Labid Ibn al-‘A’sam, the Jew, cast a spell on the Prophet. So the Prophet imagined he had done things which in fact he had not. These things had nothing to do with the revelation, such as eating, drinking, or having intercourse with women. He remained in that condition for a year, or six months, until Gabriel came and told him about that spell and where it was hidden. So the Prophet sent someone, who brought the spell and loosened the knots. Then the magic over Muhammad was broken. Later Gabriel cast a spell over him to protect him against magic. (The same story is told in aPlqd alFarid and Bukhari.)

We ask: How could Muhammad be a prophet and yet submit to the power of Satan? On one occasion he lost his mind, and another time he received satanic verses, such as the ones he uttered in Sura al-Najm 53! For this reason his enemies accused him of being crazy. He tried to repel this accusation in many verses, such as the following: “By the Pen, and what they inscribe, thou art not, by the blessing of thy Lord, a man possessed…. The unbelievers wellnigh strike thee down with their glances, when they hear the Reminder, and they say, ‘Surely he is a man possessed'” (Sura al-Qalam 68:1,2,51). How strikingly different is he from Moses who prevailed against all the sorcerers of Egypt! How altogether “other” is he from Christ who drove out demons and raised the dead! If Gabriel could really neutralise the magic and heal him, why did he leave him for over six months in that helpless situation? How can such a man be trusted as a mediator of God’s revelation? Is that why his god said to him, “We shall make thee recite, to forget not” (Sura al-A’la 87:6)?

9. He Honoured the Stone

Question 218: We read in Sura al-Ahzab 33:21: ”You have had a good example in the God’s Messenger.” ‘Umar Ibn al-Khattab said concerning the black stone, “Yes by God, I know that you are a mere stone that does neither harm nor good. But for seeing God’s Messenger kissing you, I would not have kissed you!”

We ask: Why did Muhammad incorporate kissing the black stone as one of the rites of the pilgrimage, as the idolaters were used to doing? Is this really a good example? Why did he seek the favour of idolatrous Arabs by honouring the stone together with God?

10. The Incident of Slander

Question 219: We read in Sura al-Nur 24:11: “Those who came with the slander are a band of you; do not reckon it evil for you; rather it is good for you. Every man of them shall have the sin that he has earned charged to him; and whosoever of them took upon himself the greater part of it, him there awaits a mighty chastisement.”

A1-Baidawi said, “The slander is the sheer lie that was said about ‘Aisha. This was when the Prophet took her in his company on some of his raids, and one night he gave permission to the people to stop and return. She went off to do something and when she came back she found that her necklace, which was of onyx, had broken off. So she went back to look for it. The one in charge of her houda thought she had come back, so he kept on going. When she finally did come back, however, she found none of the people. She sat down, so that someone would find her after missing her. Now Safwan Ibn al-Mu’attal al-Sulami had camped behind the army. He walked by night and reached her by morning. When he reached her he recognised her, so he had his camel kneel down, and she mounted it. He led her to where they found the army, and she was accused of having slept with him. Among the band who accused her were: ‘Abdallah Ibn Ubay, Zaid Ibn Ritala, Hassan Ibn Thabit, Mistah Ibn Athatha, Hamna Bint Jahsh and all those who helped them.

We ask: Was Muhammad’s marriage to ‘Aisha a blessing or a curse? Ibn Hisham said, “Muhammad married 13 women, among whom was ‘Aisha, who was six years old when he married her and nine when he consummated the marriage with her.” Why would an old man like Muhammad marry a nine-year old child? If this was the habit of his contemporaries, why didn’t he correct them rather than practise it with them? Why did he take her with him on his travels and wars, thus giving people a chance to talk maliciously about herand about men like Safwan Ibn al-Mulattal in the raid of al-Mustaliq? (Ali Ibn Abi Talib was wise in the advice he gave to him, saying, “Why would God restrict you, whereas there are many women other than her?” But (Ali did not know how dear she was to his old heart; for he used to say about her that she was among women as porridge [i.e., the most delicious] among other foods. So Muhammad went to herand said, “I have heard aboutyou what Ihave heard; ifyou are innocent, then God will acquityou. But ifyou are guilty, then ask God for forgiveness and repent, because if a servant confesses his guilt to God and repents ofit, God returns to him.” But Gabriel promptly brought him a divine oracle that absolved (Aisha and cursed those who accused her. The testimony and curses of Gabriel occupy 18 verses of Sura al-Nur 24.

Ibn ‘Abbas said, “If you search the threats in the Qur’an, you will find no harsher ones than those revealed on account of the incident of the slander of ‘Aisha.”

Can’t a rational thinker see that Muhammad filled his Qur’an with his own as well as his wives’ personal affairs? If ‘Aisha were really innocent, why didn’t Muhammad acquit her immediately? Why did the revelation linger for so long, leaving her in her father’s house while Muhammad suspected her loyalty to him?

11. He Killed His Opponents

Question 220: We read in Sura al-Baqara 2:217: ”They will question thee concerning the holy month, and fighting in it. Say: ‘Fighting in it is a heinous [lit.: monumental] thing, but to bar from God’s way, and disbelief in Him, and the Holy Mosque, and to expel its people from it–that is more heinous in God’s sight; and persecuting is more heinous than slaying.”’

The pre-Islamic traditions prohibited fighting during the holy months, as does the Qur’an in Sura Muhammad 47:4. Yet, Muhammad broke with all this in order to take revenge on his enemies treacherously. He sent his cousin ‘Abdallah Ibn Jahsh with a battalion in the Jumada al-Akhira, a month before the Battle of Badr, and made him leader of the battalion. He wrote him a letter, saying, “Go in the name of God and do not read the letter except after you have walked for two days.” So ‘Abdallah walked two days. Later he opened the letter and read it. It said the following: “In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Go with the blessing of God with the friends accompanying you till you reach Batn Nakhla. There you will spot camels that belong to the Quraish; perhaps you can bring us some good from them.” He obeyed, as did his friends with him, who were eight in number. None of them stayed behind, and they all reached Batn Nakhla, which is between Mecca and al-Ta’if. The people in charge of the camels were Amr Ibn alKhudari, al-Hakim Ibn Kaysan, ‘Uthman Ibn ‘Abdallah Ibn alMughira and Hiraql lbn ‘Abdallah. When they saw Muhammad’s friends, they feared them, since they were assembled in their neighbourhood. ‘Abdallah Ibn Jahsh said, “The people are in a panic; so let one of you shave his head and expose himself to them. If they see him shaven, they will feel safe and say, ‘These are native people who will do us no harm.'” This took place on the last day of the second Jumada, and they thought it was in Rajab. The people counselled with one another and said, “If we leave them tonight, they will enter into the holy place and will be safe from you.” So they unanimously decided to fight the people. Thereupon, Waqid Ibn ‘Abdallah al-Sahmi shot ‘Amr Ibn alKhadhrami with an arrow and killed him; he was the first one to fall in the ranks of the unbelievers. AI-Hakim Ibn Kaysan and ‘Uthman were captured, and they became the first captives in Islam. As for Nawfal, he ran away and they were unable to capture him. So the Muslims drove the camels and the two captives back to Muhammad. The Quraish then said, “Muhammad profaned the holy month, shed blood, and carried away our possessions.” The inhabitants of Mecca ridiculed the Muslims in it for this. When Muhammad heard about it, he said, “I have not commanded you to fight in the holy month.” The camels and the two captives stood there and he refused to take any of them. The people who were in the battalion thought it too great a thing (to be done) and spoke with him about it, so he declared what they did as legal, applied the Qur’anic verse, took the camels and set apart one-fifth. This was the first fifth in Islam and the first battle spoil divided. The rest was divided among the people of the battalion.

We ask: How can God make fighting lawful when the idolaters held it to be unlawful? As if God is more violent than the idolaters! Following are some accounts of the opponents whom Muhammad had killed:

(1) The murder of Asma ‘ Sint Marwan: Muhammad sent ‘Umair Ibn ‘Adiy to Asma’ Bint Marwan and ordered him to kill her because she spoke ill of him. He was blind, so he went to her in the night and entered her home. Some of her children were there, sleeping, and she was holding a baby that she was nursing. He felt her, moved the baby away from her, and thrust his sword into her chest, which went through to her back. Then he went to the mosque and prayed! He told Muhammad what had happened, and Muhammad said, “Let no two goats butt heads with one another for her sake!” He commended (Umair profusely and went out to the people, saying, “If someone desires to look at a man who helped God and His Messenger, let him look at ‘Umair Ibn ‘Adiy.”

(2) The murder of Abu ‘Affaq the Jew: Muhammad sent Salim Ibn ‘Umair to assassinate Abu ‘Affaq. Abu ‘Affaq was 120 years old at that time, and he used to ridicule Muhammad in his poetry. So on a hot night Abu ‘Affaq slept in the courtyard of his house, and Salim knew this. He went up to him and drove his sword into his liver, and killed him.

(3) The murder of Ka’b Ibn al-Ashraf: On learning that Ka’b Ibn al-Ashraf ridiculed him and was stirring up the Quraish against him, Muhammad sent five men to kill him, among whom was Na’ila, his foster brother. Muhammad went with them as far as Saqi’ al-Farqad, and instructed them, saying, “Go on in the name of God! O God, assist them.” Then he returned home on that moonlit night. As for the men, they kept going until they arrived at the place where Ka’b and his forces were stationed.

[Ka’b had recently been married and was asleep in his tent.] Abu Na’ila called out, and Ka’b was startled under his blanket but went out confidently once he recognised the voice. So the men took Ka’b by treachery, murdered him, cut off his head, and returned until they reached Baqi’ al-Farqad. Then they magnified God. When Muhammad heard them magnifying God, he also magnified God, for he knew that they had killed Ka’b. The men approached Muhammad while he was praying, and he asked, “How successful was the mission?” They answered, ”What you wanted was accomplished, O Messenger of God,” and threw Ka’b’s head in front of him!

(4) The murder of Abu Rafi’ Ibn ‘Abdallah: Muhammad sent ‘Abdallah Ibn ‘Atik, together with four men to kill Abu Rafi’ Ibn ‘Abdallah for his enmity toward Muhammad. When all voices subsided, they came to his house, took one step up the staircase, and moved ‘Abdallah Ibn ‘Atik to the front because he spoke Hebrew. So ‘Abdallah spoke up and said, “Abu Rafi’, I brought you a gift!” The man’s wife opened the door for him, but on seeing the weapons, she wanted to shout. But they waved the swords at her, and she kept silent. They went in, stabbed Abu Rafi’ with their swords, and killed him.

(5) The murder of Salam Ibn Abi al-Haqiq: Muhammad ordered Salam Ibn Abi al-Haqiq to be killed, as Ibn Ishaq mentioned. He said, “The Aws and al-Khazraj tribes competed with one another in their zeal for Islam. Al-Aws claimed that they killed Ka’b Ibn ai-Ashraf. Al-Khazraj said that they would not have this as an advantage over them.

So they tried to recall someone who was as antagonistic to Muhammad as Ibn al-Ashraf. They remembered Ibn Abi al-Haqiq, who was in Khaybar. They got permission from the Messenger of God to take five men from Banu Salma to help them; these were ‘Abdallah Ibn ‘Atik, Mas’ud Ibn Sinan, ‘Abdallah Ibn Anis, Abu Qatada, Ibn Rab’i and Khuza’a Ibn Aswad. The Messenger of God made ‘Abdallah Ibn ‘Atik their leader, and forbade them from killing a child or a woman. They went out, and when they came to Khaybar, they went toward the house of Salam Ibn Abi al-Haqiq by night, and closed all the rooms in the house. It was said that he was in an upper room with a ladder leading up to it. So they went up the ladder, and when they stood at his door, they announced their presence. His wife came out to them and said, ‘Who are you?’ They said, ‘We are nomads looking for provision.’ She said, ‘Here is your friend, enter in to him.’ When they entered in, they closed the door on her and them, for fear that there should be anything to keep them from killing him. His wife cried out, and this made their presence known. So they took him while he was yet on his bed and struck him with their swords. The only thing that indicated his presence in the darkness of the night was his white skin which looked like cotton lying on the bed. When his wife shouted at them, each of them pointed his sword at her, but they remembered the forbidding of the Messenger and did not strike. But for this, they would have finished her off that night. So once they had stabbed him with their swords, ‘Abdallah Ibn Anis moved in closer and stabbed him with his own sword in the belly, which went through his body, and then they went out.

Now ‘Abdallah Ibn ‘Atik had poor vision, and he fell off a ladder, and his hand [or possibly his foot] was badly sprained. So they carried him and looked for a place to hide him. The people kindled fire and examined every face. The men carried their friend and came to the Messenger of God to tell the news of killing his enemy. They disputed as to who among them had killed Salam Ibn Abi Haqiq; each one of them claimed to be the one. The Prophet said, ‘Bring forth your swords.’ They all brought their swords, and he looked them over, pointed to the sword of (Abdallah Ibn Anis and said, ‘This killed him; I can see on it the traces of food.'” [Adapted from Sirat by Ibn Hisham; section on the killing of Salam Ibn Abi al-Haqiq.]

(6) The murder of Umm Qirfa: Shortly prior to the murder of Ibn Abi al-Haqiq, Umm Qirfa was killed at the command of Zaid. The people tied her legs to two camels and forced them to walk in opposite directions until Umm Qirfa’s body was ripped apart. Muhammad congratulated Zaid for his work and did not censure him for this bestial cruelty.

(7) The murder of Ibn Sunayna: Muhammad once said “Kill any Jewish man you meet.” Mahisa Ibn Mas’ud jumped on Ibn Sunayna, who was a Jewish seller of cloth and garments, and killed him. There was a non-Muslim named Huwaisila who reprimanded Mahisa for what he did. So Mahisa said to Huwaisila, “By God who commanded me to kill, if He commands me to kill you I will strike your neck off.” Huwaisila was afraid of getting killed, so he embraced Islam. This was reported by Ibn Ishaq.

(8) The slaughter of Banu Quraiza: When Muhammad attacked the Jewish tribe of Banu Quraiza and besieged them, they agreed to surrender on the condition that he should spare their lives for the sake of the tribe of Banu Aws. Muhammad delegated the decision on this issue to Sa(d Ibn Mu’adh, who decided to kill the men and distribute the possessions, the children and the women. Muhammad found that judgement agreeable. He commanded Banu Quraiza to be brought into the city, and a huge ditch was dug for them in the market place. Muhammad sat with his friends, and the Banu Quraiza were brought out to him; and six hundred of them were beheaded before his eyes.

(9) Seeking revenge for his uncle Hamza: When his uncle Hamza was killed in the Battle of Uhud, Muhammad was so angry that he swore to take revenge on the Quraish and kill seventy people in place of his uncle.

(10) The impact his spirit of treachery left on Muslims: There were numerous fights, instances of treachery, and heinous murders that took place throughout the history of the Muslims, according to the model of behaviour their Prophet left for them to follow. It suffices to quote here what Ali Ibn Abi Talib said: “Sword and dagger are our basil; fie the narcissus and the myrtle. Our drink is the blood of our enemies; our flask, but a human skull.”

With the foregoing in the background we now proceed to the second segment: Ten Questionable Aspects of Muhammad’s Life Pt. 2.

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