Muhammad, peace and blessing be upon him, is the last messenger of God. As happened with the previous messengers and prophets, he also faced certain objections from his people. Here, I would like to focus on a subtle one among those objections: "he is one among us humans; he should have been an angel!"
Although those disbelievers used his human nature as a pretext to reject his message, the believers, on the other side of the spectrum, glided in time towards using his "chosen status" to reject his human nature. Of course this is not how it is pronounced, but it is what happens in practice. So, what I would like to do is to highlight and display the human nature of the last messenger of God, Muhammad pbuh.
I must admit that this misguided psychological glide towards rejecting the human nature of the prophet is not the only reason I am writing this blog. There is also the actions committed by the believers that are "claimed to be done in the name of religion and in the footsteps of the messenger of God", but which are doing nothing but creating conflict and harm for humanity. Islam is sent to establish global peace, not conflict. So, those actions that are referenced to prophet Muhammad must be handled from a fundamental perspective. What do I mean by this?
When sincere believers do such things, they usually do them out of 1- ignorance, 2- lack of critical thinking, 3- unbounded trust in scholars and leaders, 4- cultural and historical prejudices. And when you remind them about the consequences of their actions, they don't care, because the difficulties faced on the way of God are not considered bad. So, the misguided nature of their actions must be explained not in a pure rational way but through a method that incorporates both reason and religious sciences such as tafseer and hadith.
In short, the human nature of Muhammad pbuh must be analyzed not just through rational and historical means but through reason, history, Quran and hadith combined. However, this is not an easy task! It is not easy not because of the intellectual challenges but psychological walls. It is the human nature to praise excessively those we love, in the first place. So, when you want to bring that loved one to human level again, the human nature switches to the defense mode. Those who highlight the human nature of the messenger are deemed guilty, weak in their faiths, are outcast and possibly found worthy of punishment.
Unfortunately, because of this untouchable and sensitive status of the issue, it is marginalized, and from time to time, the media portrays figures who prove those reactionary claims true. That is, more often than not, those who highlight the human nature of the prophet turn out to be the ones who are weak in their religious practices, not dedicated in their personal relationship with Allah, and using the human nature of the prophet to justify a worldly life.
As a result, it becomes very difficult to maintain a balanced position when discussing this topic with people. And that is why I am using this blog to share my thoughts and findings on the issue. I should warn you that this is going to be a very lengthy study. On the way, if you are already well versed in hadith, you are going to be familiar with the references I am making; but if you are not, then there is going to be a bit of homework for you, if you want to benefit fully from what is going on.
Throughout this exploration, I am going to take several critical looks at the methodology of understanding hadith and making jurisdiction based on it, hence question some of the actions of the Muslims today. So, be ready for some heavy stuff. And I mean HEAVY! You are going to set out for a journey where you are going to practice the Quranic verses that invite the believers to believe!
"You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah ." (3/110)
"O you who have believed, shall I guide you to a transaction that will save you from a painful punishment? [It is that] you believe in Allah and His Messenger ..." (61/10-11)Then, what is this heavy stuff? If you do the homeworks properly, you are going to meet Prophet Muhammad pbuh again, for a fresh start, unlike before. But in order to meet him anew, you are going to have to, first, distance yourself, then come again. Are you ready for this risk? The same risk also involves distancing from the people following the prophet, who we hold holy. It also means you may find yourself disappointed by the scholars that you deem respectable. Brief, are you ready to be alone in the river of history?
Exploring the Human Muhammad pbuh
In a nutshell, what you are going to witness is the human nature of the messenger of God and the people around him and after him. I am sure you are familiar with this concept, but only as a concept! Have you actually taken any step based on it? This is what we are going to do. And in the end, inshaAllah, instead of believing in Muhammad pbuh "because he is perfect, flawless and working miracles", we are going to believe in him because he is chosen by Allah. In other words, we are going to rip the super/beyond human picture about the prophet and see the real picture, that is 1) a human, like us and among us, and 2) who is the messenger that brought the word of God, and 3) who was from time to time, not always, guided by God in his actions.
First, I want to begin with the verses from the Quran that tell us to follow the example of Muhammad pbuh:
"Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." Say, "Obey Allah and the Messenger." But if they turn away - then indeed, Allah does not like the disbelievers." (3/31-32)
"There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often." (33/21)
"There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful." (9/128)
"... And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from..." (59/7)
"But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission." (4/65)
In caring for and paying attention to the prophet, Our Lord, Himself, has set the example in the following verses:
"Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [ Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [ Allah to grant him] peace." (33/56)
"But if they turn away, [O Muhammad], say, "Sufficient for me is Allah ; there is no deity except Him. On Him I have relied, and He is the Lord of the Great Throne."" (9/129)
"We have certainly seen the turning of your face, [O Muhammad], toward the heaven, and We will surely turn you to a qiblah with which you will be pleased." (2/144)
"...And Allah will protect you from the people. Indeed, Allah does not guide the disbelieving people." (5/67)
"And if they disobey you, then say, "Indeed, I am disassociated from what you are doing." And rely upon the Exalted in Might, the Merciful,who sees you when you arise and your movement among those who prostrate. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Knowing." (26/216-220)
"It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error." (33/36)
"O you who have believed, do not enter the houses of the Prophet except when you are permitted for a meal, without awaiting its readiness. But when you are invited, then enter; and when you have eaten, disperse without seeking to remain for conversation. Indeed, that [behavior] was troubling the Prophet, and he is shy of [dismissing] you. But Allah is not shy of the truth. And when you ask [his wives] for something, ask them from behind a partition. That is purer for your hearts and their hearts. And it is not [conceivable or lawful] for you to harm the Messenger of Allah or to marry his wives after him, ever. Indeed, that would be in the sight of Allah an enormity." (33/53)
However, when you read the Quran, you would realize that these are not the only kind of relationship between the Lord of the worlds and His messenger. Just like God sets Muhammad pbuh as an example, He also highlights his human nature. In fact sometimes, God does this by revealing to everyone the things that the prophet was hiding in his heart. I tried to prepare a long list below in order to make a clear case on this issue, i.e. although chosen and commissioned by God, our prophet was a real human constrained by his society's culture and the conditions of humanity in general unless guided by Allah!
In order to understand the weight of the following verses, you need to know the historical context in which they were revealed (asbab-i nuzul); and I am leaving that to you as a homework, if you don't already know them:
"And if Muhammad had made up about Us some [false] sayings, We would have seized him by the right hand; Then We would have cut from him the aorta. And there is no one of you who could prevent [Us] from him." (69/44-47)
"O Messenger, announce that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message..." (5/67)
"And [remember, O Muhammad], when you said to the one on whom Allah bestowed favor and you bestowed favor, "Keep your wife and fear Allah," while you concealed within yourself that which Allah is to disclose. And you feared the people, while Allah has more right that you fear Him. So when Zayd had no longer any need for her, We married her to you..." (33/37)
"The Prophet frowned and turned away, because there came to him the blind man, [interrupting]. But what would make you perceive, [O Muhammad], that perhaps he might be purified or be reminded and the remembrance would benefit him? As for he who thinks himself without need, to him you give attention. And not upon you [is any blame] if he will not be purified. But as for he who came to you striving [for knowledge]
while he fears [ Allah ], from him you are distracted." (80/1-10)
"It is not for a prophet to have captives [of war] until he gains power [upon Allah 's enemies] in the land. Some Muslims desire the commodities of this world, but Allah desires [for you] the Hereafter. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise. If not for a decree from Allah that preceded, you would have been touched for what you took by a great punishment." (8/67-68)
"Indeed, We have given you, [O Muhammad], a clear conquest That Allah may forgive for you what preceded of your sin and what will follow and complete His favor upon you and guide you to a straight path..." (48/1-2)
"Perhaps, [O Muhammad], you would kill yourself with grief that they will not be believers." (26/3)
"Indeed, [O Muhammad], you do not guide whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills. And He is most knowing of the [rightly] guided." (28/56)
"O Prophet, why do you prohibit [yourself from] what Allah has made lawful for you, seeking the approval of your wives? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." (66/1)
"Your Lord has not taken leave of you, [O Muhammad], nor has He detested [you]." (93/3)
"Say, "Indeed, I am on clear evidence from my Lord, and you have denied it. I do not have that for which you are impatient. The decision is only for Allah . He relates the truth, and He is the best of deciders." Say, "If I had that for which you are impatient, the matter would have been decided between me and you, but Allah is most knowing of the wrongdoers."" (6/57-58)
In fact, there have been other instances throughout the mission of Muhammad pbuh, which are not mentioned in the Quran but which also highlight the fact that the prophet himself is limited to the human conditions unless explicitly guided by God. One example of this is the caring of the date trees:
"I and Allah's Messenger pbuh happened to pass by people near the date-palm trees. He (the Holy Prophet) said: What are these people doing? They said: They are grafting, i. e. they combine the male with the female (tree) and thus they yield more fruit. Thereupon Allah's Messenger pbuh said: I do not find it to be of any use. The people were informed about it and they abandoned this practice. Allah's Messenger pbuh (was later) on informed (that the yield had dwindled), whereupon he said: If there is any use of it, then they should do it, for it was just a personal opinion of mine, and do not go after my personal opinion; but when I say to you anything on behalf of Allah, then do accept it, for I do not attribute lie to Allah, the Exalted and Glorious." (Sahih-Muslim,Virtues,184)With this event, the companions of the prophet were shockingly taught by the destiny the fact that Muhammad pbuh is a human being, and not all of his words and actions are pure wisdom or God's will. The same notion was highlighted after the battle of Badr regarding the slaves, which is the topic of the Quranic verses quoted above from chapter Al-Anfal (8/67-68).
Again, the same limitation was blatantly pronounced when the event of slander happened regarding Aisha, the wife of the prophet. He did not know the facts, and he could not free himself of the suspicions. The entire community of the believers was shaken by this event, and Aisha had to stay away from her husband due to the severity of the situation. Then, God revealed the verses (24/11-20) that clarify Aisha from the slander, and only then, things went back to normal.
The death of the Khadijah, his first wife and the mother of his children, is another event that clearly portrays Muhammad pbuh in the human condition. During the burial of his wife, the prophet descended with her body to the grave, and lied with her for a while. Then, for days, he couldn't get out of his house from sorrow, and stayed indoors with his children for days. The know-it-all minds of today should be stupefied by this situation of the messenger of God: how come a person who believes in the after life bursts into such a level of sorrow from the passing of a individual who has been foretold to enter paradise!
Just before the battle of Badr, the issue of positioning was discussed, and one companion, Hubab bin Munzir, disagreed with the messenger of God, and so he asked whether the current location was God's order or the prophet's personal view. When the prophet pbuh said that it was his personal opinion, then Hubab revealed his idea, and the prophet agreed with what he said. So again, the human factor was put forward, and experience and wisdom was praised by the very words of the messenger of God.
In order to see further examples of this kind, that is the cases that highlight the human condition of the messenger of God but that are not mentioned in the Quran, I am going to assign another homework for you on certain subjects. Make a search on the hadith about "eating with right hand and not left hand", "drinking water while standing", "urinating while standing", "acquiring houses more than the necessary one", "women going to the graveyard", "not having sex if your wife is breastfeeding ". And while reading these, pay attention to the language, then look at how the hadith scholars interpret them in a way that is understandable and acceptable with today's mind. But then you will ask, "if these words of the prophet are open for interpretation, then why is the sharp language?"
Then, go with a deeper search on hadith about "music and singing", "making pictures and statues", "women being half-minded", "prayer of the houris against a wife who annoys her husband", "malediction by the prophet to his companion who killed a man that had revealed his faith", "his words to Wahshi, the murderer of the prophet's uncle", "weight of not attending the congregation for salah". Feeling uneasy, look at how the scholars, again despite the sharp language in the original words, interpret them based on the "wisdom of time, benefit of people and lack of explicit support from Quran". If these hadith are open for interpretation, why did the prophet use those authoritative phrases? And under what authority did those scholars execute a will for interpretation? If they are not open for interpretation, then the fundamentalists are correct, after all! But they shouldn't be! Then what is the solution? Are we trying to distort the religion according to our desires when resisting the words of the messenger of God? But then, why did he himself change his position during his life time, despite having used that sharp language previously on the same issues?
Resolving the Complications
I don't know you but I, for one, asked all these questions, and couldn't find a satisfactory answer other than the following:
Imagine this. Is it possible that "the Creator who persistently calls us to use our minds and common sense to read His creation in order to have conscience of Him" suddenly wants us to shut them down after the death of His messenger? Because of the atheistic assaults on religion and on faith, there was a reaction to protect those values during the major part of the 20th century. This protective reaction, unfortunately, triggered a bar against the reason. Now, we have to get rid of that reactionary psychology and internalize the fact that "criticizing a person does not mean disrespecting them, and respecting a person does not mean idolizing them".
This is where "the scholars", or more broadly "the critical thinkers - wise people", come in. Prophet Muhammad said:
Then, go with a deeper search on hadith about "music and singing", "making pictures and statues", "women being half-minded", "prayer of the houris against a wife who annoys her husband", "malediction by the prophet to his companion who killed a man that had revealed his faith", "his words to Wahshi, the murderer of the prophet's uncle", "weight of not attending the congregation for salah". Feeling uneasy, look at how the scholars, again despite the sharp language in the original words, interpret them based on the "wisdom of time, benefit of people and lack of explicit support from Quran". If these hadith are open for interpretation, why did the prophet use those authoritative phrases? And under what authority did those scholars execute a will for interpretation? If they are not open for interpretation, then the fundamentalists are correct, after all! But they shouldn't be! Then what is the solution? Are we trying to distort the religion according to our desires when resisting the words of the messenger of God? But then, why did he himself change his position during his life time, despite having used that sharp language previously on the same issues?
Resolving the Complications
I don't know you but I, for one, asked all these questions, and couldn't find a satisfactory answer other than the following:
- If there is a great risk with dire consequences, this risk invades the language. For example, when you say "if you cross the street without watching for the traffic, you get hit." Of course such accidents don't happen all the time, but the grammar implies so. Then why do we say it as such? It is our human psychology to avoid risks, hence the warnings.
- Following up with the previous item, if you have compassion for the people you are warning (Tawbah 9/128), then the language gets even further exaggerated in order to make sure that your loved ones are out of trouble.
- Arab culture, specifically the oral culture of the prophet's time, has a tendency to exaggerate things as those people are fond of poetry even to the simplest person.
- Although there is this misfit between reality and the description of it, there are still cases where those risks actually happen. So, those words are not completely wrong. Then, they must be taken as warning for risks. As a matter of fact, when Islam came, it abolished many practices of the time of ignorance, e.g. idol worshiping, alcohol consumption, adultery, etc. So, in order to avoid any relapse into the old practices, which is likely due to the long time presence of those practices in the society before Islam, people had to be conditioned firmly. This is similar to the case of "if you do such and such deed, you enter paradise". It is an encouragement pointing at a potential, not an ever-present situation, although the language implies otherwise in the appearance. Or it is similar to the case of "you don't have faith until/unless...". These are again a motivation towards certain acts, and point at the perfection of faith, although the language presents it as "all or none".
- Similar to the special situation of the wives of the prophet (Al Ahzab, 33/30-31) compared to other believing women, the situation of the companions of the prophet is special compared to other believers at other times (Grade: Hasan, Tirmidhi, Fitan, 2267). So, the extreme sensitivity towards their actions and the accompanying sharpness in the language of hadith is due to the perfection expected of them. The same perfection, if not explicitly commanded by Allah, can be a goal for other believers but not necessarily a criterion for belief nor a border between halaal and haraam.
- The scientific knowledge did not exist much at the time, and also baseless prejudices prevailed in that society, as in every other society then. And, although being a wise man and being guided by God at times, the messenger of Allah, Muhammad pbuh was not immune to all of them.If and when you can digest these, then you can appreciate the fact that certain rulings could be made by the prophet and certain phrases might have been formulated in his language considering his situation where he is trying to abolish idol-worshiping, alcohol consumption, mistreatment of slaves, misuse of women. Then you can appreciate the fact that the later scholars, following the prophet's example, considered the new conditions of their own time despite the rigid language of the hadith. And then, you can understand why we, too, should use our common sense and reason in order to solve the problems of our time that haven't been seen before.
Imagine this. Is it possible that "the Creator who persistently calls us to use our minds and common sense to read His creation in order to have conscience of Him" suddenly wants us to shut them down after the death of His messenger? Because of the atheistic assaults on religion and on faith, there was a reaction to protect those values during the major part of the 20th century. This protective reaction, unfortunately, triggered a bar against the reason. Now, we have to get rid of that reactionary psychology and internalize the fact that "criticizing a person does not mean disrespecting them, and respecting a person does not mean idolizing them".
This is where "the scholars", or more broadly "the critical thinkers - wise people", come in. Prophet Muhammad said:
"...The learned are the heirs of the Prophets, and the Prophets leave neither dinar nor dirham, leaving only knowledge, and he who takes it takes an abundant portion." (Grade: Sahih. Abu Dawud, Knowledge, 3641)Here, I am not going to go into the discussion of who is a scholar and who is not, but what we see in the words and jurisdictions of today's scholars is an interpolation, not interpretation, that can also be done by an artificial intelligence machine. I would presume that a scholar should have a farther sight and a further insight than a computer!
Return to Today
Let's summarize and put a formal frame around our findings about the knowledge that has been reported from our prophet, messenger of God, Muhammad pbuh:
1- There are things that he said or did, and are corrected or completed by Allah. Some of these are expressed in the Quran (e.g. slaves of Badr, slander event on Aisha, distancing himself from his wives) and others are reported in history (e.g. risk of leakage of the news about the plans to conquer Mecca)
2- There are things he said, and were not corrected through revelation, but were corrected by himself with his own initiative (e.g. not having sex with your wife during the breastfeeding period, forbidding women from visiting the graves)
3- There are things he said, and were not corrected through revelation, but were corrected by himself with the initiative of his companions (e.g. army position before Badr)
4- There are ways of doing certain actions that he told, but at some occasions he did the opposite of what he said (drinking water while standing, urinating while standing)
5- There are things he said, and were not corrected through revelation, were not changed by himself during his lifetime but were interpreted and put under a conditional validity by the scholars of later times. This happened by looking at his example through a comprehensive analysis including the Quran, the entirety of the messenger's life, and the human conditions in general.
All these show that among the words and actions of the messenger of God, unless explicitly dictated by God, there are things that must be reassessed through a benefit/harm analysis based on the knowledge and conditions of the time, even if the original language used by the prophet is very decisive in nature. This is why the messenger of God pbuh assigned the ulama, the knowledgeable ones, as his heirs.
Finally, I would like to make a point aside on "what I am doing and what I am not". Messenger of God warns us against "using Quran as a tool to refute his example" (Tirmidhi, Knowledge, 2663), and at the same time there are hadith that warns us against hiding knowledge (Tirmidhi, Knowledge, 2649). Along the same lines, Quran reprimands the people of the book who hid the revelation from people, and also warns against those who are obsessed with their desires in interpreting the Quran (3/7). And the history shows us the deeds of the believers, which prove to be evil in the long run and which are seeding conflict in the world. When it comes to situations of this nature, prophet Muhammad instructs us to stop evil as best as we can (Muslim, Faith, 49).
So, I find myself, in a sense, cornered by different fears: "fear of following my desires and going astray" on one hand but "fear of becoming silent devil" on the other. And all I can do is share the results of my contemplation as suggested by our Creator (Maidah 5/2).
Allah knows the best,
And before His messenger, in reverence, I rest.
