Why do Muslims believe Muhammad is God's (Allah's) Prophet?

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The Catholic Faith is founded on Jesus (who we believe is divine), and Islam is founded on God (Allah) through Muhammad (whom they believe was not divine - but was very special to the extent that an image of Muhammad is considered an offense equal to an image of God).

The reasons that we believe in Jesus (and in his divinity) have filled hundreds of books from every possible perspective.

I see many parallels between Muhammad and Joseph Smith (who invented the Mormon (LDS) religion). They both claimed to have received a “holy book” which establishes a new religion. Why is the Koran any more credible than the Book of Mormon? Whereas both the Old and New Testaments are a collection of the writings of many authors, both the Koran and the Book of Mormon are the writings of a single author. So the credibility of this author is of paramount importance.

Why do Muslims believe that Muhammad is credible? I ask this here in CAF because I do not know of any Muslim forums similar to CAF, where Catholics are welcome to question the teachings of Islam (though CAF welcomes anyone who questions the teachings of the Catholic Church). We have some Muslims (and former Muslims) here - I hope they will respond.

Thank you.
 
Probably because it was a religion available to the Seljuk Turks during their conquest of the middle east, it allowed ambitious ‘jihad’. Just a guess.
 
I’ll leave it to actual Muslims on the CAF to give a proper reply, but here are some of my thoughts.

Firstly, the Quran itself is used as proof of the validity of the Quran. The Quran is regarded as the single greatest piece of Arabic literature in existence, and some believe that its perfection as a document is indicative of its divine nature. This isn’t too dissimilar to some arguments for the validity of the Bible that I have heard.

Secondly, some Muslims likely look to early military successes made my Muhammad. In the Quran, much ado is made about the fact that a relatively small band of Muslims was able to conquer a much larger force of polytheists. The existence of these (perceived) miracles at the birth of Islam is likely used as evidence for the validity of the Quran’s message.

I realize this threat is starting to slowly slip into the depths of the apologetics forum, so if there is no response from a Muslim on the CAF I’ll look into the issue more myself. It is a good question.
 
I suspect that part of it is that Islam is a Big Idea.

What I mean is, all the major religions are about ideas that capture people’s imaginations, and make them think, “yes, I knew something like that must be true” when they hear about it.

Islam has that, and ultimately I think that is what makes a religion credible to people.

At the time, I expect too that he was a man with a powerful personality who could communicate his idea to people.
 
Mohammad was a killer who converted people through fear and force. If they refused to convert they were murdered. Still the same today. In some muslim countries even now a muslim will be executed if he tries to convert away from Islam.
 
thistle said:
Mohammad was a killer who converted people through fear and force. If they refused to convert they were murdered. Still the same today. In some muslim countries even now a muslim will be executed if he tries to convert away from Islam.
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That is not totally accurate, historically, in Islam. There have been times when Muslim empires have been much more accommodating to members of other religions than the Christian ones have been. It is hard to generalize about such a long period of time that way.
 
Thanks for the replies, but many have been focused on Islam. I was hoping this discussion could focus on the credibility of Muhammad himself. I hope the thread can return to its original topic.
Mungling said:
Firstly, the Quran itself is used as proof of the validity of the Quran… This isn’t too dissimilar to some arguments for the validity of the Bible that I have heard.
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Or the arguments for the validity of the Book of Mormon or any number of other “holy books.” This one doesn’t ring my bell.
Mungling said:
Secondly, some Muslims likely look to early military successes made my Muhammad… The existence of these (perceived) miracles at the birth of Islam is likely used as evidence for the validity of the Quran’s message.
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There have been many lopsided military victories (see: Joan of Arc, with a nod to Thermopylae, among many others). But I think this explanation carries merit (but I wonder if it is enough).
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Bluegoat:
What I mean is, all the major religions are about ideas that capture people’s imaginations, and make them think, “yes, I knew something like that must be true” when they hear about it.
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Surely it is more than being the “next Big Thing.” When these people were exposed to Christianity (or whatever was the NEXT Big Thing) why didn’t they jump on board?
 
I am not muslim but I can answer your question. I have read the Quran and I can tell you that I have never read a book that has moved me like this one.

I recognise that to view a book or scripture as the innerant word of God is flat out Idolatry. The Quran itself through its words and style claims to be the innerant word of God and I therefor was able to see this wonderfull slice of literature as nothing more than either a brilliant literary work or the workings of the devil(couldn’t care less which).

The bible on the other hand can be viewed how ever you like. Certain Pagan cults teach that it is the innerant word of God but it does not have to be read as such.
 
My Muslim friend a very devout one at that is a kind, considerate and honest man. However, I think Muslims like my friend believe Mohammad as a prophet of God and they believe in him and what he taught and the same time Im not sure whether they believe he killed anybody.

But what struck me recently was my friend (actually my father’s good friend of 45 years) had said he was disappointed that he emailed my dad to wish happy Ascension Feast that he didn’t reply (for some reason the email wasn’t read and my dad apologized). To top this off, my friend said that the Ascension is a big deal for them. :eek:

I would love for a Muslim to clarify why the Ascension is important.

Lastly, what I want to say is that we shouldn’t lump extremism with all who practice the Islamic faith.

Now back to the topic of this thread.

Godbless

MJ
 
DavidFilmer said:
The Catholic Faith is founded on Jesus (who we believe is divine), and Islam is founded on God (Allah) through Muhammad (whom they believe was not divine - but was very special to the extent that an image of Muhammad is considered an offense equal to an image of God).

The reasons that we believe in Jesus (and in his divinity) have filled hundreds of books from every possible perspective.

I see many parallels between Muhammad and Joseph Smith (who invented the Mormon (LDS) religion). They both claimed to have received a “holy book” which establishes a new religion. Why is the Koran any more credible than the Book of Mormon? Whereas both the Old and New Testaments are a collection of the writings of many authors, both the Koran and the Book of Mormon are the writings of a single author. So the credibility of this author is of paramount importance.

Why do Muslims believe that Muhammad is credible? I ask this here in CAF because I do not know of any Muslim forums similar to CAF, where Catholics are welcome to question the teachings of Islam (though CAF welcomes anyone who questions the teachings of the Catholic Church). We have some Muslims (and former Muslims) here - I hope they will respond.

Thank you.
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we all know how people feel hight and proclaim themselves prophet. Now, if you manage to write some unique document among your people, this increases your credibility.
I also must point out the great favor we of having the Holy Spirit. We have many Christians who have written books which are much more admirable than the Koran or Book of Mormon. But, recognizing their smallness compared to Christ and the Holy Spirit, they didn’t claim divine authorship for thier books. People like St. Augustine are far above Mohammad and Smith in terms or writtings and teaching truth and virtue. We don’t see their writtings as divine books however. Muslims or Mormon should really read Catholic Saints and see how far in perfection they are from their holy books.
 
The Prophet (saw) was well-known among his people for honesty before his prophethood, and used to be called “al-Ameen” (the Trustworthy). This is a name that would not be given except to one who was extremely truthful, trustworthy and upright.

Even his enemies testified to this. Abu Jahl, in spite of his hatred for the Prophet (saw) and denial of him, knew that he was truthful. A man asked him, “Is Muhammad truthful or is he a liar?” He replied, “Woe to you! By Allah, Muhammad is truthful and he has never told a lie. But, if the sons of Qusayy acquire the standard, the distribution of water for pilgrims, the custodianship of the Ka`bah and prophethood, what will be left for the rest of the Quraysh?”

And Abu Sufyan, who before accepting Islam was the most adamant enemy of the Prophet (saw), was asked by Heraclius, “Did you ever accuse him of lying before he said what he said?” Abu Sufyan said, “No.” So Heraclius concluded, “I knew from what you told me that he would not have refrained from lying to people and then lie about Allah the Almighty.”

And his wife, Khadijah may Allah be pleased with her, when the Prophet (saw) came back to her, trembling and saying, “Wrap me up,” after revelation first descended upon him in the cave of Hiraa’, said to him, “Good tidings! No, by Allah, Allah will never humiliate you. For you keep ties with relatives and you speak the truth…” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Ibn `Abbas may Allah be pleased with him reported: "After the verse ‘And warn your closest kinsmen’ was revealed, The Messenger of Allah (saw) went out, climbed the hill of Safa and shouted to get their attention. They said, “What’s this?” and gathered before him. He addressed them, saying,

“If I was to inform you that horsemen were in the valley behind this hill ready to attack you, would you believe me?”

They replied, “Yes, for we have never known you to lie”. He (saw) said,

“Indeed, I am a Warner to you of severe punishment.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

The honesty and integrity of the Prophet caused the polytheists confusion over how to describe him. Sometimes they would say he was a lying magician, sometimes a poet, sometimes a soothsayer and sometimes that he was mad; and they would express disapproval of one another over this because they all knew that these were not attributes of the Prophet (saw).
 
Abu_Toshiba said:
The Prophet (saw) was well-known among his people for honesty before his prophethood, and used to be called “al-Ameen” (the Trustworthy). This is a name that would not be given except to one who was extremely truthful, trustworthy and upright.

Even his enemies testified to this. Abu Jahl, in spite of his hatred for the Prophet (saw) and denial of him, knew that he was truthful. A man asked him, “Is Muhammad truthful or is he a liar?” He replied, “Woe to you! By Allah, Muhammad is truthful and he has never told a lie. But, if the sons of Qusayy acquire the standard, the distribution of water for pilgrims, the custodianship of the Ka`bah and prophethood, what will be left for the rest of the Quraysh?”

And Abu Sufyan, who before accepting Islam was the most adamant enemy of the Prophet (saw), was asked by Heraclius, “Did you ever accuse him of lying before he said what he said?” Abu Sufyan said, “No.” So Heraclius concluded, “I knew from what you told me that he would not have refrained from lying to people and then lie about Allah the Almighty.”

And his wife, Khadijah may Allah be pleased with her, when the Prophet (saw) came back to her, trembling and saying, “Wrap me up,” after revelation first descended upon him in the cave of Hiraa’, said to him, “Good tidings! No, by Allah, Allah will never humiliate you. For you keep ties with relatives and you speak the truth…” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Ibn `Abbas may Allah be pleased with him reported: "After the verse ‘And warn your closest kinsmen’ was revealed, The Messenger of Allah (saw) went out, climbed the hill of Safa and shouted to get their attention. They said, “What’s this?” and gathered before him. He addressed them, saying,

“If I was to inform you that horsemen were in the valley behind this hill ready to attack you, would you believe me?”

They replied, “Yes, for we have never known you to lie”. He (saw) said,

“Indeed, I am a Warner to you of severe punishment.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

The honesty and integrity of the Prophet caused the polytheists confusion over how to describe him. Sometimes they would say he was a lying magician, sometimes a poet, sometimes a soothsayer and sometimes that he was mad; and they would express disapproval of one another over this because they all knew that these were not attributes of the Prophet (saw).
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A contemporary of Muhammad, who was also a great enemy of Muhammad…
…Swore by “Allah” that Muhammad was truthful and had never told a lie?

Why would an “ememy contemporary” of Muhammad accept Muhammad’s god?
…It’s difficult to understand this alledged confirmation of Muhammad’s great honesty as believable.
 
DavidFilmer said:
Why do Muslims believe that Muhammad is credible?
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Probably because of these factors:

1) Ishmael vs Isaac descendants religious issue, as the Jews had great prophet so the Arabs should have one.

2) His Grandfather (Abdul Mutallib) from Quraysh tribe (#1 tribe during those days) which their genealogy can be traced to Ishmael, was a wealthy man in Mecca.

3) Muhammed got married to his first wife (Khadijah bint Khuwaylid), the “Princess of Quraish”, who was a businesswoman and also very rich, so maybe she had the money but she wanted more (remember it was during her times the claimed revelation by Muhammed).

4) A political motivation, Muhammed’s Grandfather (Abdul Mutallib) said to Muhammed’s uncle (Abu Talib) these words when Muhammed was still a kid:

“This Kid will have a great future and he will rule you and will gain what no others have gained from my sons, so support him with your tongue, hand, and money”, (A) (A2).

يا أبا طالب إن أدركت أيامه فاعلم أني كنت من أبصر الناس و أعلم الناس به ، فإن استطعت أن تتبعه فافعل وانصره بلسانك ويدك ومالك فإنه و الله سيسودكم ويملك ما لم يملك أحد من بني آبائي


وكان عبد المطلب يختلي بولده أبو طالب ويحدثه عمّا سيكون لمحمدٍ هذا اليتيم الصغير من شأن كبير ويوصيه به قائلا:
“يا أبا طالب، إن لهذا الغلام لشأناً عظيماً، …… انصره بيدك ولسانك ومالك.”
​

5) Last scenario would be that Muhammed was deceived by his 4 caliphs and the people around him to gain political power, money, and lands, some examples are when caliph Uthman burnt all copies of Quran and kept only his version, and when Muhammed was in his death bed he wanted to write something for his companions but was denied by caliph Umar. (E) (E)
 
DavidFilmer said:
The Catholic Faith is founded on Jesus (who we believe is divine), and Islam is founded on God (Allah) through Muhammad (whom they believe was not divine - but was very special to the extent that an image of Muhammad is considered an offense equal to an image of God).

The reasons that we believe in Jesus (and in his divinity) have filled hundreds of books from every possible perspective.

I see many parallels between Muhammad and Joseph Smith (who invented the Mormon (LDS) religion). They both claimed to have received a “holy book” which establishes a new religion. Why is the Koran any more credible than the Book of Mormon? Whereas both the Old and New Testaments are a collection of the writings of many authors, both the Koran and the Book of Mormon are the writings of a single author. So the credibility of this author is of paramount importance.

Why do Muslims believe that Muhammad is credible? I ask this here in CAF because I do not know of any Muslim forums similar to CAF, where Catholics are welcome to question the teachings of Islam (though CAF welcomes anyone who questions the teachings of the Catholic Church). We have some Muslims (and former Muslims) here - I hope they will respond.

Thank you.
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Merely in terms of credibility, the major difference between Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and others like Joseph Smith is the proof of Prophet-hood that they brought with them.

The Qur’an that he brought to the world is really the ultimate proof that Muhammad (pbuh) is the Messenger of God.

Is it difficult to identify a play by Shakespeare… or a musical composition by Mozart… or a painting by Picasso?

I do not think that it would be very difficult for a connoisseur of the arts to do this because every one of these great master craftsmen of their respective trades would leave a distinctive mark in all of their masterpieces which would be identifiable as coming only from them and no one else.

Islam teaches that the Qur’an is one such ‘Masterpiece’ and there is indeed a way to test and ascertain whether or not it does come from the greatest ‘Master’ there is.

The following are all the relevant posts from the thread for anyone wishing to determine for themselves the truth of the Qur’an and henceforth verifying the proof of the divine Prophet-hood of Muhammad (pbuh):

1, 13, 34, 65, 126, 131, [136](http://forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php? p=2105491&postcount=136), 144, 147, 162, 191, 238, 253, 258, 260, 263, 278, 301, 302, 319, 323, 336, 351, 352, 356, 361, 369

And from other threads: 1, 2, 3
 
well ignorant people, believe anything… Mohammad claimed prophethood, there was an ex-monk - raheb al bahira - he was the one that made mohammad the person he was. That monk was an ex-monk, kicked from the church, believed mohammad to be the Paraclete, whom Jesus will send after he left earth.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraclete

[BIBLEDRB]john 15:26[/BIBLEDRB]

26"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth who proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me.]john 15:26

Sources suggest that this monk did what he did as a revenge against the church. This monk played a major role in the life of mohammad, he was his teacher, he taught him everything he knew, even he used to tell him what to do and say at night, and in the daytime he used to preached. Later on, when this monk died, mohammad preachings/ and so-called “revelations” decreased dramatically. This shows how influential as the role of that monk.

Note that mohammad never did a miracle, the only claimed one is the “quran”. He controlled the people by using their imaginations and fears, invaded tribunes and lands, and forced its people to convert or die.Mohammad was a man of war, was an invader, a raider, “outlaw man”. He had his little army, did many allies, and invaded new lands. Took loots, enslaved people, controlled them by making them embrace his ideology.
 
hamba2han said:
The Qur’an that he brought to the world is really the ultimate proof that Muhammad (pbuh) is the Messenger of God.
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Hi, hamba2han - thanks for participating in this discussion. I have heard this viewpoint speculated by non-Muslims, and I was dismissive of this idea, but now I have heard it from an a Muslim, so I am much more inclined to believe this explanation.
hamba2han said:
Is it difficult to identify a play by Shakespeare… or a musical composition by Mozart… or a painting by Picasso?
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Well, not if the play/score/painting was already known and attributed to the author. If we discovered some previously unknown (and unsigned) play/score/painting then I guarantee that authorship would be controversial. It is impossible to prove that a play/score/painting was authored by a particular person. The best we can hope for is to prove that a particular authorship it is not unlikely.
The following are all the relevant posts from the thread for anyone wishing to determine for themselves the truth of the Qur’an and henceforth verifying the proof of the divine Prophet-hood of Muhammad (pbuh)
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Thank you for the links - I will read these tomorrow (actually today, as it is 1:15 am).
 
Here’s what I don’t get: There is no proof of the Koran outside the Koran. There is proof of the Bible outside the Bible (see The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel). The Koran says that Jesus was never crucified. But from what I’ve read, Roman sources show that He was, in fact, crucified under Pontius Pilate, and this is why secular historians accept the Crucifixion as fact. (It would be great if someone who knows more history than I do could pull up some of those sources–sadly, I’m not a history expert.) Doesn’t that mean that the Koran is not infallible?

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach (to you) a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before, and now I say again, if anyone preaches to you a gospel other than the one that you received, let that one be accursed!” (Galatians 1:8-9, NAB)

hamba2han: How exactly is the Koran proof that Muhammad was God’s prophet? It sounds like you’re saying that the Koran is infallible because the prophet Muhammad wrote it, and that you know that Muhammad was God’s prophet because he wrote the Koran. I’m sure there’s something I’m misunderstanding…
 
Pythons said:
A contemporary of Muhammad, who was also a great enemy of Muhammad…
…Swore by “Allah” that Muhammad was truthful and had never told a lie?

Why would an “ememy contemporary” of Muhammad accept Muhammad’s god?
…It’s difficult to understand this alledged confirmation of Muhammad’s great honesty as believable.
Click to expand...
Because, even in pre-Islamic Arabia, ‘Allah’ was the common term for god. It’s not a specific noun that popped up along with Muhammad.

Quick Arabic lesson.
‘Al-’ = The
‘-Lah’ = god/deity

In Muhammad’s time, ‘Allah’ would have simply referred to the Moon god, the most supreme out of all the pagan gods (and isn’t related to the Islamic Crescent symbol FYI). It’s best not to jump to conclusions, my friend.
 
Muslims believe Muhammad was a prophet only by Muhammad’s word alone. The Bible was many works written by the same Holy Spirit by many men. Muhammad can only say believe him and him alone.Muhammad or any man will have to come up with something a lot better than than that weak argument in order to even get the smallest attention from me.
 
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