## The Beginning

In Muhammad's retelling of his first revelation, he says that an angel tried to make him read something and repeatedly "pressed" him harshly when he failed to read it. He then went to kill himself, thinking that he was "a poet or possessed", but this "angel" told him "Oh Muhammad! thou art the apostle of God and I am Gabriel." Read the story for yourself:

> When it was the night on which God honoured him with his mission and showed mercy on His servants thereby, Gabriel brought him the command of God. "He came to me," said the apostle of God, “while I was asleep, with a coverlet of brocade whereon was some writing, and said, 'Read!' I said, 'What shall I read?' He pressed me with it so tightly that I thought it was death; then he let me go and said, 'Read!' I said, 'What shall I read? 'He pressed me with it again so that I thought it was death; then he let me go and said 'Read!' I said, 'What shall I read?' He pressed me with it the third time so that I thought it was death and said 'Read!' I said, 'What then shall I read?'—and this I said only to deliver myself from him, lest he should do the same to me again."
>
> "[…] Now none of God's creatures was more hateful to me than an (ecstatic) poet or a man possessed: I could not even look at them. I thought, Woe is me poet or possessed—Never shall Quraysh say this of me! I will go to the top of the mountain and throw myself down that I may kill myself and gain rest.”
>
> _Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 106_

Does this sound like the story of a prophet of God, or a man being tormented by a demon?

## The End

Muhammad was poisoned by a Jewish woman who was the wife of a man killed when Muhammad captured the town (Khaibar). What is interesting about this is a prophecy he made about himself earlier in his life, and then what he said when he was dying.

> “And if he had fabricated against Us some of the sayings, We would certainly have seized him by the right hand, then We would certainly have cut off his aorta.”
>
> _Qur'an 69:44–46_

> "The Prophet in his ailment in which he died, used to say, "O Aishah! I still feel the pain caused by the food I ate at Khaibar, and at this time, I feel as if my aorta is being cut from that poison."
>
> _Sahih al-Bukhari 4428_

If you are a Muslim, this should be very alarming to you, as this seems to be a confession by Muhammad that he was a false prophet, and Sahih al-Bukhari is considered among the most reliable collections of Hadith. You might be thinking that this could not possibly be real, because otherwise no one would still be Muslim, but on the contrary, many Muslim leaders simply deny or avoid this story.

One common excuse is that the words used for aorta are different in the Qur'an and Hadith, which is true, but they still refer to the same thing, which is why they have been translated that way. With a little investigation, you can see this for yourself, so read _Tafsir Ibn Abbas_, _Tafsir Jalalayn_, and _Tafsir Ibn Kathir_ on _Qur'an 69:44–46_; and the translations of Hilali-Khan, Pickthall, Dawood, and Shakir. See also _Sunan Abu Dawud 4449_ and _Sunan Abu Dawud 4498_.

For context, the woman who poisoned Muhammad considered the poisoning a test, saying that a true prophet would not be harmed.

> “A Jewess presented [Muhammad] at Khaibar a roasted sheep which she had poisoned. The Apostle of Allah ate of it and the people also ate. He then said: Lift your hands (from eating), for it has informed me that it is poisoned. Bishr b. al-Bara b. Ma'rur al-Ansari died. So he (the Prophet) sent for the Jewess (and said to her): What motivated you to do the work you have done? She said: If you were a prophet, it would not harm you; but if you were a king, I would rid the people of you. The Apostle of Allah then ordered regarding her and she was killed. He then said about the pain of which he died: I continued to feel pain from the morsel which I had eaten at Khaibar. This is the time when it has cut off my aorta.”
>
> _Sunan Abu Dawud 4498_

[https://www.youtube.com/embed/m5oFLdVPfV0?si=GbU-hMBB2X3NX5B7](https://www.youtube.com/embed/m5oFLdVPfV0?si=GbU-hMBB2X3NX5B7)


The Beginning and End of Muhammad's Ministry

## According to Islam...

* Jesus was born of a virgin. Muhammad was not.
* Jesus was sinless, and Muhammad had to ask for forgiveness 70 times a day.[^1]
* Jesus made the blind see, raised the dead, etc. Muhammad performed no miracles but making the Quran.[^2]
* Muhammad is said to have fulfilled a couple of Old Testament prophecies by many Muslims, but there is no more polite way to say the truth here: these attempts are embarrassing.[^3] Jesus fulfilled many a staggering number of prophecies.[^4]

Jesus was sinless, miracle-working, and born of a virgin. He clearly fulfilled prophecy, whereas any honest Muslim can quickly find that there were no prophecies about Muhammad in the Bible.

Most Muslims don't read the Bible, but if you want to hear what Jesus had to say for himself, you should. In case your imam has told you that the Bible has been corrupt, however, see why the Gospels can be trusted as astoundingly well-preserved historical accounts [here](https://campusministry.org/article/8-reasons-to-trust-the-gospels). Besides, the Quran says that God's word cannot be corrupted (Surah 18:27; Surah 6:114–115).

[^1]: See Sahih al Bukjari 6307.

[^2]: [Muhammad's Only Miracle](https://qurantalkblog.com/2023/04/17/muhammads-only-miracle/)—Quran Talk Blog

[^3]: For example, it is said that Muhammad is spoken of in the Song of Solomon, but the only "evidence" is that there is a Hebrew word which sounds like Muhammad (*machamadim*), but it means altogether lovely; it is not a name. Read [here](https://carm.org/islam/does-song-of-solomon-516-predict-the-coming-of-muhammad/) for more.

[^4]: See [this article](https://www.preaching.com/articles/the-ultimate-guide-to-old-testament-prophecies-jesus-christ-fulfilled/) or [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq8oaOix3rs&t=3242s).

Jesus and Muhammad

## Was Muhammad's Conduct Perfect?

Even according to Islam, no. He sinned many times—so much so that he had to repent more than 70 times a day ([source](https://www.abuaminaelias.com/dailyhadithonline/2014/04/15/tawbah-repent-seventy-times-day/)).

## What Were His Good Qualities?

Muhammad hated many evil practices, such as sexual immorality and worshipping false Gods, which is admirable. He also certainly encouraged many good things, such as charity and brotherhood. Earlier in his ministry, he also promoted peace.

## What Were His Faults?

*Pedophilia:* Muhammad married his favorite wife Aisha when she was 6 or 7. He consummated the marriage at 9 (Sahih al-Bukhari 5158—Narrated Urwa). More sources are in the [full article](/articles/the-example-muhammad-set).

*Brutality:* Muhammad seemed to be violent and brutal not only when it was just, but with little regard for the lives of those he conquered. ([Muhammad's Excessive Cruelty](https://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/cruelty.htm). [List of Killings Ordered or Supported by Muhammad](https://wikiislam.net/wiki/List_of_Killings_Ordered_or_Supported_by_Muhammad).)

*Allowed evil acts among followers:* Muhammad permitted prostitution ([mut'ah](https://www.al-islam.org/muta-temporary-marriage-islamic-law-sachiko-murata/four-pillars-muta)), so long as the participants were "temporarily married" (some Muslims still believe this is permitted, but others do not). He also allowed the rape of captives and child marriage.

*False prophecy:* It seems that Muhammad falsely prophesied on several occasions. Examine [this article](https://muslimseekers.com/false-prophecies-of-muhammad/) and [this one](https://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/false_prophecies.htm) to look into the issue.

*Stealing Jesus:* Muhammad claimed that Jesus was a Muslim and would deny that He is God when He returns. This is in direct contradiction to what Jesus's followers believed from the beginning of Christianity and to the Bible (see Hebrews 1 and John 1). This can be proven by the fact that even a non-Christian Roman source calls Jesus Christians' God, besides the many copies of parts of the New Testament from hundreds of years before Muhammad.

Muhammad's Conduct

## One God

Islam does believe in one creator of the Universe, which is logical (see [The First Cause](/articles/the-first-cause)). However, there are several fundamental differences between the Muslim conception of God and the Christian or Jewish view, yet Muslims claim to in fact worship the same God. For example, God strictly has no son in Islam. More on this later. But it is also worthy of note that Allah's conduct is extremely disturbing to non-Muslims, as exemplified when he is given the title "the greatest of deceivers" in the Qur'an ([source](https://wikiislam.net/wiki/Allah,_the_Best_Deceiver_(Qur%27an_3:54))).

## How Was Muhammad's Authority Confirmed?

Islam tethers itself deeply to the God of the Bible, and God confirmed his messages with miracles in the Bible. Nevertheless, Muhammad worked no other miracles than producing the Qur'an, by his own admission (which is not really a miracle). Why should we believe his message instead of Jesus's? After all, according to the Qur'an, Jesus was a miracle worker.

 But let's consider other things before we dismiss the Muslim case.

Did Muhammad's life reflect that of a holy man, or that of a false prophet? (Jesus taught that we can recognize false prophets by their works.) Can an unrepentant pedophile be a man of God? Surely not. Yet Muhammad married and had sex with a child, as the most respected Hadith confirm.

> “The Prophet wrote the marriage contract with Aisha while she was six years old and consummated his marriage with her while she was nine years old and she remained with him for nine years (i.e. till his death).”
>
> Sahih al-Bukhari 5158—Narrated Urwa

## Islam's Relationship with the Bible

- Muhammad confirmed that the Torah and the Gospels are earlier testimonies from God, and that God _will not allow his word to be corrupted_. Therefore, a Muslim must believe that the Bible is true. Yet once a Muslim reads the Bible, he or she will very quickly see that the Bible rejects the claims of the Qur'an. For example, it is shirk to believe that Jesus is one with the Father, yet Jesus makes it clear repeatedly that He is God. “Before Abraham was, I am.”
- The Bible and the Qur'an are at odds. Therefore, believing the Qur'an would be like believing your friend, if your friend said, "Justin tells the truth about me," and Justin said your friend is a liar, and you should not believe him.
- Many Muslim scholars still claim that the Bible was corrupted, but there are copies of the Bible still around that are older than Muhammad. Indeed, other Muslim scholars are more honest and admit that the Bible has not been corrupted.






Why Believe in Islam?


Islam claims there is one God, and that his final messenger has come (Muhammad). Muslims believe in the authority of the Qur'an, which was spoken by Muhammad. They also believe in following the example of Muhammad, the final messenger, as set out in his biographies, the Hadith. Most Muslims also say that the Bible is authoritative, believing that God spoke through the early prophets and Jesus too.
