How does a Catholic refer to the Prophet of Islam?

[doormouse73]

I am sorry but I do not believe this is a proper Christian attitude.

i am sorry i didnt mean to put it like that.

it was not right for me to use those words.

what i was trying to say was that he holds no title in my eyes be it in history or what ever…

i dont hold him in that regard.so i find myself in order not to have him with a status of a prophet…

would people like me to lie??

isnt that a sin??

false prophets.what are we told about them of Jesus in his teachings?

i think i am being christian like following Jesus on what he teaches…

 

[dzheremi]

Why is just calling him Muhammad without any extra honorific or title disrespectful? It is known from context who you’re talking about, just like if I say Peter to a Catholic, they will automatically think of St. Peter and not…I don’t know…film director Peter Bogdanovich.

 

[jakasaki]

Why is just calling him Muhammad without any extra honorific or title disrespectful? It is known from context who you’re talking about, just like if I say Peter to a Catholic, they will automatically think of St. Peter and not…I don’t know…film director Peter Bogdanovich.

Welcome back dear friend…

 

[dzheremi]

Thank you, Jakasaki.

 

[Reuben_J]

Why is just calling him Muhammad without any extra honorific or title disrespectful? It is known from context who you’re talking about, just like if I say Peter to a Catholic, they will automatically think of St. Peter and not…I don’t know…film director Peter Bogdanovich.

Hi. As Usbek said, calling him Mohammad without the honorific is not offensive to Muslims and therefore not disrespectful. I am glad of that. I have never call him Prophet Mohammad, reason being obvious but I would want not to be drawn in a situation either, whereby I could innocently offend them.

 

[dzheremi]

Hi Reuben J. My apologies, I should have made it more clear that this is a more or less rhetorical question meant for the OP. I know that simply calling him Muhammad is not offensive to Muslims (how could it be? That’s his name), since if it were otherwise I probably wouldn’t have any Muslim friends.

 

[Reuben_J]

Referring back to the topic: How does Catholic refer to the prophet of Islam?

I guess from what has been transpired so far, it is alright to call him Mohammad. Thanks God this generally does not offend Muslims.

Theoretically it would be a betrayal of our belief to call him Prophet Mohammad; there is no necessity to do that, after all he is a dead person. Probably this is the crux of the matter here – what common courtesy dictates? It is not discourteous to refer to a dead person by his name without the full name or even include the titles. If Muslims themselves are fine with this, then common sense prevails and the matter resolved.

What about if Muslims do not like that their prophet being mentioned without the title? Probably that situation need to be reviewed and I would be suspicious why they would want to extend that to non-Muslims. Christians caught in this situation should probably be more discerning and whether it is the right place for them to be. I think it smacked of some ulterior motive and probably not healthy as a whole, to impose others to address a dead person with his full title.

Prudent should be the wisdom of the day should Catholic is caught in this situation. Why would we enter into a conversation whereby we have to comply with their demand? Why not just keep our mouth shut, be good guests and be non-committal (like avoiding the topic and not to be drawn into a situation whereby you would find yourself have to say the full title in referring to the dead person).

 

[Reuben_J]

Hi Reuben J. My apologies, I should have made it more clear that this is a more or less rhetorical question meant for the OP. I know that simply calling him Muhammad is not offensive to Muslims (how could it be? That’s his name), since if it were otherwise I probably wouldn’t have any Muslim friends.

No problem. Noted. It is good for knowledge too and for someone who have experience in this to give (name removed by moderator)ut. We can be intense in our belief but sometimes we can learn from each other especially in living the practical life with people who differ from us in belief.

 

[Tyuiop411]

I would have said “Mohammed, may the peace and blessing of our Lord, Jesus Christ be with him always.”. But then again my ancestor was a part of the great event of 11 September 1683.

Mine too, I thought I was the only one I’d ever find with an ancestor from that participated in the Battle of Vienna. Was your’s with the Polish or the Holy Roman Empire’s forces?

Anyway as to the OP I simply say “Muhammad”, it actually kinda irks me when I hear Christians say the “Prophet Muhammad”.

 

[The_Wizard]

My ancestor served under the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania and saver of Europe Jan III Sobieski. There are indications that he was member of the Towarzysz Husarski (winged Polish Hussars) but no hard evidence to that fact exists.

 

[Tyuiop411]

My ancestor served under the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania and saver of Europe Jan III Sobieski. There are indications that he was member of the Towarzysz Husarski (winged Polish Hussars) but no hard evidence to that fact exists.

My ancestor was part of the relief force from Saxony and he served under John George III the Elector of Saxony. Funny how you run into people you share a connection with from long ago only living a couple of hundred miles away. It’s a small world ain’t it?

 

[IbnFiktur]

In the academic world, Muhammad is referred to as “The Prophet” by non-Muslim scholars relatively frequently (ie, it is not uncommon for a scholar to refer to a Hadith as a "saying of the Prophet). The unspoken implication whenever the term is used by a non-Muslim scholar is “The Prophet [of Islam].” I used the term fairly frequently in my own work on Muslim jurisprudence.

That said, in a personal context at a religious ceremony I don’t think I would refer to him as The Prophet. In such a context that indicates that I believe he is, in fact, a prophet. THAT said, there is nothing wrong with wishing Peace and Blessings upon him, as we should hope that all souls experience the peace and blessings of The Lord.

In any event, I do not believe you did anything wrong. In the future it may be helpful to consider the contextual implications of your words, but your intentions of respect were good and those same intentions should continue to be a part of your dealings with people of different faiths

 

[MartinJordan]

I would say “Your prophet Mohamed”.

If for any reason it is taken in bad spirit I would reiterate God as my no. 1 focus and would excuse myself politely if it is again regarded as some sort of sarcasm.

MJ

 

[Ion]

False prophet. If you want to be polite, call him Mohamed.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Hi. As Usbek said, calling him Mohammad without the honorific is not offensive to Muslims and therefore not disrespectful. I am glad of that. I have never call him Prophet Mohammad, reason being obvious but I would want not to be drawn in a situation either, whereby I could innocently offend them.

You can not in any way make such a blanket statement.

I have had Muslims tell me that not including “peace be upon him” (or in writing “pbum”) or calling him “Prophet” is offensive.

So obviously your over generalized blanket statement is false.

 

[Eufrosnia]

I am sorry but I do not believe this is a proper Christian attitude.

Every person is due respect as they are created in the image and likeness of God.

Wouldn’t it be reasonable to say that if we simply agreed with everyone out of “respect” that too is problematic?

So if we agree or seem to condone the idea that Mohammed is a prophet, what sort of message do we send out to those who look up to us? Does it not cause scandal?

Also, does it not cause scandal to the person we are talking with in making it seem like we also do approve of their faith?

I would say best course of action is to avoid having to say the name.

ALSO, it is not disrespect to deny someone a position they do not hold. So not using the title Prophet for Muhammad is perfect valid and not a sign of disrespect. no?

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Wouldn’t it be reasonable to say that if we simply agreed with everyone out of “respect” that too is problematic?

So if we agree or seem to condone the idea that Mohammed is a prophet, what sort of message do we send out to those who look up to us? Does it not cause scandal?

Also, does it not cause scandal to the person we are talking with in making it seem like we also do approve of their faith?

I would say best course of action is to avoid having to say the name.

ALSO, it is not disrespect to deny someone a position they do not hold. So not using the title Prophet for Muhammad is perfect valid and not a sign of disrespect. no?

No where did I say that we must agree with everyone to show respect.

The reply you quoted was explicitly posted against the comment that one has to earn respect before it is shown.

 

[jakasaki]

You can not in any way make such a blanket statement.

I have had Muslims tell me that not including “peace be upon him” (or in writing “pbum”) or calling him “Prophet” is offensive.

So obviously your over generalized blanket statement is false.

We as Christians are not commanded to state the PBUH when we mention his name. This is what muslims must do, not us Christians.

 

[Tyuiop411]

You can not in any way make such a blanket statement.

I have had Muslims tell me that not including “peace be upon him” (or in writing “pbum”) or calling him “Prophet” is offensive.

So obviously your over generalized blanket statement is false.

Yeah, but we’re not Muslims so the standards are different for us. We don’t insist that Muslims call Jesus “Son of God”, because they don’t believe he is the Son of God. So It’s not unreasonable for us to just say Muhammed without the honorific, and if Muslims get offended then thats their problem.

 

[johnnyjones]

I am a devout Catholic. Recently, I was invited to and attended a ceremony of a Muslim friend where he was doing his first recitation of the Qur’an. It was a very pleasent ceremony and following meal. During dinner, I was talking to him about the ceremony, and the name of the Prophet came up. Out of respect for his religious beleifs, I said the “Prophet Muhammed, Peace and Blessings be Upon Him,” and then continued to say whatever it was that my point was.

My question was this: was this right or wrong to do? How should Catholics refer to the Prophet in similar scenarios?

PAX

Don’t say anything, you are not required to. I’m not sure why you offered that statement up unless you just felt an inner obligation based on hearing a bunch of Muslim conversations. Would a Muslim bless themselves with the sign of the cross as we do as Catholics in your presence on their own?

I don’t believe that even if coaxed they would do so.