While I generally approve of the idea of judging our ancestors by the standards of their day and not by our modern perceptions, I think there is still a flaw here in this reasoning. If we’re only judging Mohamed as a warlord or monarch of his time then yes we can wink at his indiscretions. I mean I’ll be the first to admit that as a warlord he wasn’t really that bad of guy. He was certainly reasonably fair in distributing booty amongst his warriors. He also was not all that bad to those he defeated as warlords go.
Muhammed was not a warlord . What does a warlord want any way ? Money? power ? leadership? Ladies ? honor ?`fame? All this was offered to Muhammed by the Meccans in return to stop preaching Islam and he refused. What made him refuse this generous offer if that was his end goal? If this world was what Muhammed wanted , he was already offered the best of it .
However, that is not what he claimed to be. Nor is it what his follower’s claim that he was. No he is the “seal of prophets”. We are supposed to believe that his life was sinless. He is also the best of men and so the best example to follow. The problem is that if he truly was supposed to possess all of these messianic like qualities he must be held to higher standard. The age that he lived in cannot be an excuse for his personal behavior.
There is no human that is sinless. Not even Jesus is said to be sinless in Islamic tradition. And sinlessness doesn’t mean much . Angels are sinless . There are tons of them and they are not God. They are creatures of God. Pious believers who are capable of sin are more worthy to God that a sin free made creature.
Muhammed didn’t do a ‘‘small’’ sin in his time that is ‘‘big’’ in our time. Muhammed married a lady that has become of age of pregnancy . It happens for this specific lady to be 9 . This lady didn’t miss out on anything , no school, sport clubs, or anything. He wasn’t a wicked husband nor an evil man. He asked her family and her family accepted. This lady never complained nor she felt harm. If God thinks ladies shouldn’t get married or give birth at early age he would have made them mature at 18 . Well… he didn’t . Muhammed didn’t go around marrying young girls. Aisha was the only virgin he ever married . He willingly proposed and married older ladies.
If Muhammed wanted to he could have had all he wanted without trouble. He died poor while Islam ruled arabia.
If he was pedophile he would have had all the small girls he wanted . The Meccans already offered him to marry their most beautiful and to make him their richest. And they had no problems with Marrying girls who just reached puberty.
If he was a warlord then why the heck did he refuse their offer for presidency and leadership? why he risked being shunned , boycotted from buying food or water for two years and firmly believing that he will have the help Of God?
Muhammed didn’t commit ANY sin by any level when he married Aisha who reached puberty at the age of 9. Not on a cultural level and not on a religious level.
Why would anyone follow the teachings and example of a man who led a less moral life than the average person today? While Mohammed may have been exceptional as a war lord of the ancient world, he leaves much to be desired as an eternal role model for humanity. If we want to excuse Mohammed’s excesses because of his era that’s completely legitimate, but then we can’t claim him as the “Seal of the Prophets”. If however, we want to claim him as the last and greatest prophet, and to be sinless, then he must be held accountable for his actions.
There is no man that had the responsibilities of Muhammed that would lead a moral life as much as he did. There has been no prophet that has been sent to the whole world except him. There has been no prophet who was faced by armies of his OWN people except him. Muhammed is not sinless. He mas made Mistakes and God has corrected him in the Quran itself. But Prophets do not commit major sins that compromise their character , or else God wouldnt rely on them to deliver his messages.
Even if the claims of Islam about Mohammed were relaxed a great deal it would make a difference. The old Jewish prophets were flawed men. Sometimes it was those very flaws that made their messages powerful. Christian saints have also been flawed individuals. Since Muslims though insist that Mohammed is the best person ever they open him up for scrutiny. The same goes for Jesus, since Christians claim that He was sinless. The difference is that while people are still trying to live up to the standards of Jesus, humanity has passed Mohammed in moral character.
