The Conduct of the 'Excellent Example'
What would the world look like if everyone acted like the 'prophet'?
Qur’an 33:21 states: “Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for whoever has hope in Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah often.”
So what did this ‘excellent example’ look like in practice? Well, based on impeccable Islamic sources Muhammad:
1. Ordered raids (razzias) on caravans (and took part in several) to steal their contents and to sell people for ransom
2. Forced several of his enemies (e.g., Abu Sufyan) to accept his prophethood or be executed. He forced his adopted son (by receiving a 'revelation' from God) to divorce his wife so that he could marry her (Sahih Muslim Volume 2 Number 2347; Sahih Bukhari Volume 3 Number 249; see also Qur'an 33:6-38).
3. ‘Married', and had sex with, a woman on the same day that her husband, father, brother, and most of her family were slaughtered by his followers (Sahih Bukhari Volume 2 number 68 and Volume 4 number 143,280)
4. Instead of only taking four wives (the amount he allowed his followers) he received a special revelation allowing him to take as many as he wished (Qur'an 33:50). Prompting his favourite wife Aisha to exclaim that it seems that God sent down revelations merely to suit the prophet (Sahih Muslim Volume 2 Number 3453)!
5. Married Aisha when she was six and consummated the marriage while she was only nine (Sahih Bukhari Volume 7 Book 62 Number 64) One tradition even states that she was still playing with dolls at the time the marriage was consummated (Sahih Muslim Volume 8 Number 3311).
6. Committed genocide by allowing the slaughter of 900 unarmed male members of the Banu Qurayzah (Jewish) tribe after they refused to embrace Islam and received 'divine sanction' for it (Qur'an 33:25-26).
7. Ordered the assassination of several people who were of him (e.g., the poets Asma bint Marwan and Abu Afak).
8. Ordered the torture of Kinana al-Rabi to with a red-hot iron to 'encourage' him to reveal the whereabouts of a hidden treasure.
9. Broke a treaty (The treaty of Hudabiyyah) which committed him to live in peace with the people of Mecca. Again, he conveniently receives a 'revelation' justifying his actions (Qur'an 60:10).
10. Allowed his followers to rape captive women (Sahih Muslim Book 8 Number 3371)
What would the world look like if people consistently modelled their behaviour on that of the ‘prophet’? Frankly, it does not bear thinking about.
For much more on the serious questions that can be asked about the truth-claims of Islam, please see my book ‘Questioning Islam - Tough Questions and Honest Answers About the Muslim Religion’.
Kind regards,
Peter
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