Was Muhammad Inspired of God?

[David T]

When I googled 'Islam 72 virgins' and 'Islam pre-pubescent boys', all I saw advocating that specific literal belief and interpretation were anti-Islam websites pointing out that this was why they were evil.

Please present a pro-Islam website (by a practicing Muslim) that declares that they believe they will receive 72 virgins, and several pre-pubescent boys in the afterlife. Or a pro-Muslim publication I can see on Google books with a similar claim.

If you are citing the Qur'an or Hadith, please direct me to the website or book edition from where the particular citation was taken.

Also: It is my understanding that all that which are presented as hadith are not equal in solidity of authenticity or authority.

[thesometimesaint]

cinepro:

Joining a different religion might be problematic in Saudi Arabia. So why would God not inspire a Muslim to be the best Muslim they can be?

I guess God could have, but for some reason he waited another 13 century.

I have no problem with what I believe. That Jesus is the Christ. The only begotten Son of God in the flesh. That there is but one name given under Heaven by which we can return to The Father. That there is but one true and living church on the face of the earth, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is it.

That ALL men/women ever to have lived on this earth will have a full opportunity, in this life or the next, to hear and completely understand the Restored Gospel. Then accept or reject it as their own desires dictate. That no one will denied any blessings God provides because of accident of birth. That includes ALL good Muslims and Muhammad himself.

That Muslims accept Jesus as a prophet. That God will judge all of us by what we did with what we knew. That judging another persons' eternity is far beyond my pay grade.

[ELF1024]

When I googled 'Islam 72 virgins' and 'Islam pre-pubescent boys', all I saw advocating that specific literal belief and interpretation were anti-Islam websites pointing out that this was why they were evil.

Please present a pro-Islam website (by a practicing Muslim) that declares that they believe they will receive 72 virgins, and several pre-pubescent boys in the afterlife. Or a pro-Muslim publication I can see on Google books with a similar claim.

If you are citing the Qur'an or Hadith, please direct me to the website or book edition from where the particular citation was taken.

Also: It is my understanding that all that which are presented as hadith are not equal in solidity of authenticity or authority.

Your request seems a bit disengenious, since you already quoted a Wiki article that gives you chapter and verse.

"It was mentioned by Daraj Ibn Abi Hatim, that Abu al-Haytham 'Adullah Ibn Wahb narrated from Abu Sa'id al-Khudhri, who heard Muhammad saying, 'The smallest reward for the people of Heaven is an abode where there are eighty thousand servants and seventy-two houri, over which stands a dome decorated with pearls, aquamarine and ruby, as wide as the distance from al-Jabiyyah to San'a.^[65]

(Volume IV, Chapters on "The Features of Heaven as described by the Messenger of Allah", chapter 21: "About the Smallest Reward for the People of Heaven", hadith 2687)

1. ^ Al-Tirmidhi, Sunan. Vol. IV: "The Features of Heaven as described by the Messenger of Allah". Chap. 21. Hadith: 2687, and also quoted by Ibn Kathir in his Tafsir (Qur'anic Commentary) of Surah Rahman (55), ayah (verse) 72.

No matter if you want to argue that the verse means raisins, or if it means virgins, or if you want to argue that the Qu'aran doesn't ever list the number; there is still a common belief among those who call themselves Muslims, correct or not, that they will be rewarded with Virgins.

[Hamba Tuhan]

From the June 2002 Liahona:

One of the noteworthy examples of the Latter-day Saint commitment to treasure up true principles is the admiration that Church leaders have expressed over the years for the spiritual contributions of Muhammad.

As early as 1855, at a time when Christian literature generally ridiculed Muhammad, Elders George A. Smith (1817

[TAO]

That ALL men/women ever to have lived on this earth will have a full opportunity, in this life or the next, to hear and completely understand the Restored Gospel. Then accept or reject it as their own desires dictate. That no one will denied any blessings God provides because of accident of birth. That includes ALL good Muslims and Muhammad himself.

I think this is the heart we should all take, that I do.

I know for a fact God DOES give some light to other religions, there are good things about them.

Would God really be fair if he only cared exclusively about Latter-Day-Saints? No. He tries to help everyone, in the ways he can.

[Hamba Tuhan]

I work primarily in sixteenth-century Jesuit/Portuguese texts in which accusations against Islam abound. Muslims were corrupt, many of these writers claimed, specifically because they dared to believe in a 'material reward.' To be clear, this indicated the shocking notion that, instead of a purely 'spiritual' heaven, Muslims looked forward to a physical paradise in which they would exist as physical beings with actual resurrected bodies which would allow them to do physical things like continue to enjoy sexual relations with their wives. In this we can see the genealogy of later anti-Islam slurs...and a few echoes of anti-Mormon ones.

[USU78]

No idea.

[Hamba Tuhan]

No idea.

So God giving 'moral truths' to Muhammad in order 'to enlighten whole nations and to bring a higher level of understanding to individuals,' to quote from the First Presidency statement, may not necessarily equal being inspired of God in your book?

[USU78]

So God giving 'moral truths' to Muhammad in order 'to enlighten whole nations and to bring a higher level of understanding to individuals,' to quote from the First Presidency statement, may not necessarily equal being inspired of God in your book?

I don't know how much of the Quran is Mohammed and how much is somebody else.

I don't know to what extent Mohammed was inspired by G-d and to what extent he was not.

I'm unclear to what extent I'm supposed to accept a tendentious read on a non-committal statement that doesn't really take a position.

I'm likewise unclear why it matters much, other than politically: JSJr certainly took no clear position vis-a-vis the Muslims and Mohammed. Why must I?

[Hamba Tuhan]

I don't know how much of the Quran is Mohammed and how much is somebody else.

Agreed.

I don't know to what extent Mohammed was inspired by G-d and to what extent he was not.

True, but I think this is different to suggesting that he wasn't inspired by God but instead was inspired by Satan, as Lurker has suggested.

I'm unclear to what extent I'm supposed to accept a tendentious read on a non-committal statement that doesn't really take a position.

You and I clearly read the First Presidency statement differently, then. Care to point out specifically how/where I'm being tendentious?

I'm likewise unclear why it matters much, other than politically: JSJr certainly took no clear position vis-a-vis the Muslims and Mohammed. Why must I?

Perhaps because his successors have taken such a position, and, unlike Muslims, we believe in continuing revelation?

[USU78]

Agreed.

Ensign Article

It's quite a different thing to state that Mohamed . . . or Plato . . . or the Buddha . . . received a portion of G-d's Spirit and a portion of His TRVTH and saying that any of the above was G-d's Prophet. T.A. Edison is as much a bearer of G-d's TRVTH as Mohamed, from one perspective.

I don't need to accept Mohamed as G-d's Prophet while at the same time accepting that G-d's Spirit may have moved him to say, or write or do something.

I simply am not required to accept Mohamed as G-d's Messenger to mankind. I can choose to or not on the merits. To the extent the early suras convey an essentially Christian (and Deuteronomic) message of peace and liberty, they are surely of G-d. To the extent the later suras are violent and martial and vindictive, they are surely not of G-d. To the extent any of the suras are substantively and substantially variant from the Gospel, they are not inspired.

I cannot see "portion of G-d's Light" as being the same thing as Mohamed is G-d's Prophet and this statement is binding upon the membership of His Church. If that is not your assertion, then I'd surely like to know what you really meant.

[sunstoned]

I believe the NT saying that by their fruits you will know them is a valid test of an organization or person. I am no expert on Islam or Muhammad, but I am not totally ignorant of the man

[Daniel Peterson]

I've read a little bit about Muhammad and about Islam and I would like to add my two cents' worth.

1. I'm not sure whether Muhammad was a prophet or not. I'm reasonably confident that he received inspiration from God. So was the First Presidency under Spencer W. Kimball, and so have been certain other past apostles and leaders of the Church.

2. From what I can tell, Muhammad seems to have been a reasonably good man by the standards of his day. In considering his actions, it helps to remember the old saying that "The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there." Was he involved in violence? Yes. But so were Moses, Joshua, Samuel, and many of the other prophets of ancient Israel.

3. Suggesting that Muhammad may have received divine inspiration is quite distinct from a complete endorsement of Islam as it is taught and practiced today, let alone of extremist Islam and terrorism. I take it that we don't blame Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Paul, and Jesus for everything done by medieval and Renaissance Christians, so I see no reason to blame Muhammad for every act of Muslims over the centuries.

4. Islamic civilization is responsible for much good, in philosophy, art, architecture, science, mathematics, medicine, literature, and many other fields. Islam has given meaning to the lives of billions of people over a millennium and a half, has taught them to pray, and has conveyed to them a great deal of truth about God. I personally cannot say that the bad of Islam outweighs the good of it.

[Hamba Tuhan]

I cannot see "portion of G-d's Light" as being the same thing as Mohamed is G-d's Prophet and this statement is binding upon the membership of His Church. If that is not your assertion, then I'd surely like to know what you really meant.

Mate, who said anything about needing to accept Muhammad as a prophet? The question, taken directly from the title of the thread, is whether he was inspired of God or whether 'the devil made him do it.' Your answer was, 'No idea.' Latter-day prophets, however, have clearly come down on the side of Muhammad being divinely inspired. That's 'what really meant.'

[Hamba Tuhan]

Islam has given meaning to the lives of billions of people over a millennium and a half, has taught them to pray, and has conveyed to them a great deal of truth about God.

Having spent large parts of my adult life living in a predominantly Muslim nation, I've seen this reality up close and personal. I can easily find common ground with most Muslims. They have the basics. I know literally dozens of Latter-day Saints, including one of my current housemates, for whom Islam was an important part of their journey to accepting the Restoration.

[zerinus]

Really? Cherry picked quotes? Anti-Islam sites? Please show I've used either. There were no quotes in what I wrote.

Man accused of polygamy in France fights back

I read that report, and found it very amusing. The guy has a point. In France (as in the rest of Europe and the US), cohabiting between consenting adults is not illegal; and you can have as many as you like. A man can have ten "mistresses" if he likes, or the other way round, without breaking any law. So what difference does it make whether you put the title of "marriage" on it (especially that of another religious tradition) or not?

[Rob Bowman]

Dan,

You wrote:

I've read a little bit about Muhammad and about Islam and I would like to add my two cents' worth.

You shouldn't be so modest.

You wrote:

1. I'm not sure whether Muhammad was a prophet or not. I'm reasonably confident that he received inspiration from God.

Why haven't you simply prayed about it? Don't you believe that if you ask God in faith, he will make known to you whether someone is a prophet or not?

[volgadon]

It's quite a different thing to state that Mohamed . . . or Plato . . . or the Buddha . . . received a portion of G-d's Spirit and a portion of His TRVTH and saying that any of the above was G-d's Prophet. T.A. Edison is as much a bearer of G-d's TRVTH as Mohamed, from one perspective.

I don't need to accept Mohamed as G-d's Prophet while at the same time accepting that G-d's Spirit may have moved him to say, or write or do something.

I agree, he wasn't a prophet, though certainly he received truth and light. So did many others, of course.

To Rob Bowman, I have prayed about it and had received a negative answer.

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

I would like to thank Dan Peterson for an enjoyable and interesting 2 hours last night at the fireside in CA. I found the comparisons between Muhammad & Joseph Smith very interesting, especially the part about Muhammad being inspired and perhaps even a prophet. A question occurred to me after the meeting was over. Why would God inspire a man to create a religion whose intent is to remove Christianity from the earth? It seems to me that given the spread of the Islam that perhaps the inspiration was not from God.

Prophets of God...bear witness of Christ. He denied the virgin birth and taught that Christ was only a man (Prophet, but just a man) also born under a palm tree if I remember correctly. He also ordered the execution of people who did not convert. So no

[Rob Bowman]

This really ought to make news, that the LDS Church's leading scholar on Islam says he isn't sure if Muhammad was a prophet or not. If I were LDS, I would be definitely embarrassed by such a statement. (No offense, Dan.)

[cinepro]

This really ought to make news, that the LDS Church's leading scholar on Islam says he isn't sure if Muhammad was a prophet or not. If I were LDS, I would be definitely embarrassed by such a statement. (No offense, Dan.)

Embarrassed that he isn't sure Mohammad was a prophet, or embarrassed that he isn't sure he wasn't?

[Daniel Peterson]

You shouldn't be so modest.

Yes, as a matter of fact, I should.

Why haven't you simply prayed about it?

Why do you assume that I haven't?

Don't you believe that if you ask God in faith, he will make known to you whether someone is a prophet or not?

Whether Muhammad was or was not a prophet is not a matter of existential concern to me, and would make no difference to the way I live my life. I have found the gospel and church of Jesus Christ, and I don't think God really cares that much about answering questions of merely antiquarian curiosity.

That said, though, and despite your obvious attempt to mock Mormonism and Moroni 10:4-5, I will add this: I have found prayerful consideration of Islamic texts far more valuable to me, as both a person and a scholar, than the reading of the thirty or so evangelical anti-Islamic books that I've collected in my personal library -- which, significantly, bear very close resemblance in both tone and academic rigor to the evangelical anti-Mormon materials that are emitted by the same sad and unseemly sector of the evangelical community.

Prophets of God...bear witness of Christ. He denied the virgin birth

I'm aware of no evidence to support this. The Qur

[zerinus]

Why haven't you simply prayed about it? Don't you believe that if you ask God in faith, he will make known to you whether someone is a prophet or not?

I never needed to pray about the Book of Mormon. I just read it, and knew it was true. You don't always have to pray about everything. The First Presidency of the Church has stated:

[zerinus]

This really ought to make news, that the LDS Church's leading scholar on Islam says he isn't sure if Muhammad was a prophet or not. If I were LDS, I would be definitely embarrassed by such a statement. (No offense, Dan.)

You are not LDS! If you were LDS, you wouldn't be. I am LDS, and I am not. LOL!

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

Not to worry, though. It's a common enough misreading.