Lies About Muhammad (1)

Misquoting Muhammad
Once again, we see how they are.. 

(part 1)

Are People Misquoting Muhammad? (YES!)

"Read this important information to learn how the "liars" twist other people's sayings to look as if these are hadeeth from Bukhari - I was shocked!" - Yusuf Estes

"There's no migration - only 'jihad" - "Paradise is under the shade of swords" - "I am bringing you to slaughter . ." - "Expel them from the Arabian peninsula . ." - "Whoever leaves his religion - execute him . ." - regarding women & children in war "they are from them . ." - "There is no deed equal to jihad . . ."

Enemies of Islam have misquoted Muhammad, peace be upon him, so much and so often, even some Muslims are getting confused over this.

Find out the truth - and enjoy the freedom that goes with truth.

Introduction: Understanding Misquoted Narrations
1. "such a deed as equals Jihad..."
2. "There is no migration now, only Jihad..."
3. "Paradise is under the shade of swords..."
4. "...I am bringing to you slaughter!"
5. "I have been made victorious with terror..."

[Part 2]    

6 "Expel them all from Arabia . ."
7. "Whoever leaves his religion - execute him"
8. Regarding women & children in war - "they are from them . ."
Conclusion

Understanding Misquoted Narrations of Hadith
by Ansar Al Adl
(hadith) The Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

We will now examine some of the frequently misquoted narrations (hadith) from Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). With regards to the narrations, the vast majority of narrations circulated amongst Islam-haters are unauthentic, fabricated and contain mistranslations (as many of them were translated by non-muslims).

Muslims only accept the Sahih hadith as authentic. The collection of narrations known as Sahih Bukhari and also Sahih Muslim are the largest collection of authentic ahadith, and can be trusted, while other collections do not enjoy the same status in Islam.

Therefore, it this article we will only examine the authentic narrations, on the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Islam-Haters often will quote from works such as Ibn Ishaq or At-Tabari, and other works which contain many mistranslations and unauthentic narrations. Arguments based on such narrations can be rejected outright without the need for further investigation.

The second point to note with regards to the narrations is that most of those which are perceived negatively are simply those which encourage Jihad. Since Jihad is misunderstood by many to be a "holy war" against non-muslims, any narration that encourages Jihad is automatically perceived in a negative light. The truth of course is that Jihad is not a negative concept.

Jihad refers to any type of stuggle or strife in the way of Islam for the sake of Allah, and fighting against oppression and injustice and fighting to uphold peace, justice, and security in the land is one of many things included in this word.

This has been re-iterated throughout this article. If we understand that Jihad is intended to help humanity, then we can understand the narrations about Jihad properly. The Jihad that was encouraged by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was Jihad to extinguish the suffering, enslavement, and oppression of human beings.

First we shall address the following quote, often presented by liars against Muhammad:

[note: this is not really a hadeeth at all - read what they do]:

"Bukhari: Jihad (holy fighting) in God's Cause (with full force of weaponry) is given the utmost importance in Islam and is one of its Pillars. By jihad (striving; struggling) Islam is established, God is made superior and He becomes the only God who may be worshiped.
By Jihad Islam is propagated and made superior. By abandoning Jihad (may God protect us from that) Islam is destroyed and Muslims fall into an inferior position. Their honor is lost, their lands are stolen, and Muslim rule and authority vanish. Jihad is an obligatory duty in Islam on every Muslim. He who tries to escape this duty dies as a hypocrite."

This is NOT a hadeeth at all - Islam-haters deceptively write Bukhari before the above quote in order to convey the impression that this narration is part of the collection of narrations from Prophet Muhammad in Sahih Bukhari. However this is not the case.

Anyone who opens a copy of Sahih Bukhari will find this note written in as a footnote. This note does not appear in any Arabic copies, therefore, this is not the saying of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), nor even the saying of Imam Bukhari, but simply the commentary of the translator, Muhammad Muhsin Khan.

This is his opinion and not a saying of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This quote is often used to depict Jihad as a military campaign to destroy or oppress people of other beliefs. Having already defined Jihad in the light of the Qur'an and Sunnah, we can reject such a notion as completely false.

Misquoted narration #1

Bukhari: A man came to God's Apostle and said, "Instruct me as to such a deed as equals Jihad in reward".
He replied, "I do not find such a deed. Can you, while the Muslim fighter has gone out for Jihad, enter a mosque to perform prayers without ceasing and fast forever?"
The man said, "No one can do that." (Volume 4, Book 52, Number 44)

4:75 And what is wrong with you that you fight not in the Cause of Allah, and for those weak, ill-treated and oppressed among men, women, and children, whose cry is: "Our Lord! Rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from You one who will protect, and raise for us from You one who will help

We can understand the Jihad the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) encouraged if we examine the historical situation at that time. Muhammad Husayn Haykal notes the following in his biography of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him):

Fighting was permitted in Islam, and carried out by Muhammad and his companions, in order to stop their being persecuted for their faith and to have all the freedom they needed to call men to it.
Later, when we see the details and the proofs of this, it will become clear that in all these alliances Muhammad's purpose was the consolidation of the defence of Madinah. The objective was to remove Madinah beyond any design the Quraysh might have against its Muslim inhabitants.
Muhammad could not have forgotten that the Makkans once sought to extradite the Muslims from Abyssinia... ...This peaceful show of strength by Islam does not at all mean that Islam, at that time, forbade fighting in defence of personal life and of religion, or to put a stop to persecution. Indeed, Islam did not.
Rather, it imposed such defence as a sacred duty.
What it did really mean at that time, as it does today or will ever do, was to condemn any war of aggression. "Do not commit any aggression," God commands. He counsels, "God does not love the aggressors."[Qur'an, 2:190] (Haykal, The Life of Muhammad; US North American Trust Publications, 1976, p.206, 208 emphasis added)

Therefore, Islam, being a system which aims for the betterment of humanity, imposes fighting against oppression and injustice as a religious duty. This is the reason for the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) which encourage his followers to fight for the sake of God.

Misquoted narration #2

Bukhari: God's Apostle said on the day of the conquest of Mecca, "There is no migration now, only Jihad and good intentions. And when you are called for Jihad, you should come out at once." (Volume 4, Book 53, Number 412)

The Prophet camped on a height opposite the mountain of Hind and in the proximity of the graves of Abu Talib and Khadijah. He was asked whether he wanted to rest in his old house in Makkah and answered, "No! They have leveled it."
The Prophet then retired to his tent grateful to God for this glorious and victorious return, and for bringing to its knees the cruel city which had tortured and banished him.
For a moment, he turned his gaze toward the valley of Makkah as well as to the surrounding hills.
He recalled that in those hills he often found refuge from the persecution of Quraysh. Mounting his she camel, al Qaswa', he rode toward the Ka'bah where he circled the Kabbah without dismounting. He then dismounted and called upon 'Uthman ibn Talhah to open the Kabbah for him.
Muhammad stood at the door surrounded by the many worshippers who had found their way to the holy House.
He delivered a speech to the people present in which he said, quoting the Qur'an... ..."O men, We have created you from male and female and constituted you into peoples and tribes that you might know and cooperate with one another. In the eye of God, highest among you is the most virtuous. God is omniscient and all wise." [Qur'an, 49:13]
He continued: "0 Men of Quraysh, what do you think I am about to do with you?" "Everything good," they answered, "for you are a noble brother and a noble nephew of ours." Muhammad went on: "Rise, then, and go. For you are free." With this word, Muhammad gave a general amnesty to all Quraysh and all the Makkans.

The Prophet's General Amnesty
Oh, the beauty of pardon and forgiveness on the part of the mighty and powerful! How great is the soul of Muhammad which rose above hatred and above revenge, which denied every human feeling and ascended to heights of nobility man had never reached before!
There were the Quraysh among whom were people whom Muhammad well knew had plotted to kill him, had persecuted him, and inflicted upon him and his companions all kinds of injury and harm, who fought him at Badr and at Uhud, who blockaded him in the Campaign of al Khandaq, who incited the Arab tribes to rise against him, and who would even then tear him apart if only they had the power.
There, the whole of Quraysh stood totally under Muhammad's hand, indeed under his feet, totally subject to his command.
Indeed, their very life depended upon the first word emerging from his lips. All these thousands of men, of Muslims in battle array, stood on the ready waiting for that one word to wipe out the whole of Makkah and its people within minutes.
Muhammad, however, was no less than Muhammad! He was no less than the Prophet of God! No alienation, antagonism, or hostility could find any permanent abode in his heart. His heart was absolutely free of injustice, of malice, of tyranny or false pride. In the most decisive moment, God gave him power over his enemy. But Muhammad chose to forgive, thereby giving to all mankind and all the generations the most perfect example of goodness, of truthfulness, of nobility and magnanimity.
(Haykal, The Life of Muhammad ]; US North American Trust Publications, 1976, pp. 406-408)

At this point, Islam had become the major authority in the Arabian Peninsula and was established as a full state. With this many followers it was clear that in the face of danger, migration was no longer an option for such a large nation as no Muslim could turn their back on a fellow believer. Rather it was imperative that they all recognize the need for standing united in defending against the inevitable attacks from the armies of Persians and Romans.

Misquoted narration #3

Bukhari: Allah's Apostle said, "Know that Paradise is under the shades of swords." (Volume 4, Book 52, Number 73)

...Allah's Apostle in one of his military expeditions against the enemy, waited till the sun declined and then he got up amongst the people saying, "O people! Do not wish to meet the enemy, and ask Allah for safety, but when you face the enemy, be patient, and remember that Paradise is under the shades of swords."

Then he said, "O Allah, the Revealer of the Holy Book, and the Mover of the clouds and the Defeater of the clans, defeat them, and grant us victory over them."(Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 52, Number 266l)

This narration makes it abundantly clear that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught his followers to hate violence and never desire conflict with the enemy. However, in the event of a battle, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) encouraged his companions to be patient and informed them of the reward promised by God to those who die fighting oppression and injustice. This saying should be presented in its full context so that the reader may see that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a man who desired peace and patiently endured the struggles thrust upon him by his enemies. As Dr. Jamal Badawi mentioned about this narration:

The hadith deals with the situation where Muslims are forced to the battlefield as the last resort to defend themselves in which case the use of the sword may be necessary and martyrdom (self-sacrifice) is rewarded with Paradise. (SOURCE)

Misquoted narration #4

The Prophet said "I swear by the One in Whose hand is my soul, O Quraysh, that I am bringing to you slaughter!" (Musnad Ahmad # 7036, Ibn Hisham 1:289)

Al-Bukhari, on the authority of Ibn Mas‘ud, narrated that once when the Prophet [pbuh] was prostrating himself while praying in Al-Ka‘bah, Abu Jahl asked his companions to bring the dirty foetus of a she-camel and place it on his back.

‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu‘ait was the unfortunate man who hastened to do this ignoble act. A round of laughter rose amongst the pagans. In the meanwhile, Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet [peace be upon him], happened to pass that way. She removed the filth from her father’s back. The Prophet [peace be upon him] invoked the wrath of Allâh upon them, especially upon Abu Jahl, ‘Utbah bin Rabi‘a, Shaibah bin Rabi‘a, Al-Waleed bin ‘Utbah, Omaiyah bin Khalaf and ‘Uqbah bin Mu‘ait.

It is recorded that all of them were killed in the battle of Badr.
[Bukhari 1/37]

Scandal-mongering and backbiting were also amongst the means of oppression that the chiefs of Makkah, in general, and Omaiyah bin Khalaf, in particular, resorted to in their overall process of evil-doing. In this regard, Allâh says:
"Woe to every slanderer and backbiter."
[Al-Qur'an 104:1]

‘Uqbah bin Al-Mu‘ait once attended an audience of the Prophet [pbuh] and listened to him preaching Islam. A close friend of his, Ubai bin Khalaf, heard of this. He could not tolerate any act of this sort, so he reproached ‘Uqbah and ordered him to spit in the Prophet’s holy face, and he shamelessly did it.

Ubai did not spare any thinkable way to malign the Prophet [pbuh] ; he even ground old decomposed bones and blew the powder on him...

The Tyrants’ Decision to kill the Prophet [pbuh]
Now that all the schemes and conspiracies of Quraysh had failed, they resorted to their old practices of persecution and inflicting tortures on the Muslims in a more serious and brutal manner than ever before.

They also began to nurse the idea of killing the Prophet [pbuh]. In fact, contrary to their expectations, this new method and this very idea served indirectly to consolidate the Call to Islam and support it with the conversion of two staunch and mighty heroes of Makkah, i.e. Hamzah bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib and ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab[R].

‘Utaibah bin Abi Lahab once approached the Prophet [pbuh] and most defiantly and brazenly shouted at him, "I disbelieve in: "By the star when it goes down." [53:1] and in "Then he (Gabriel) approached and came closer." [53:8] In other words: "I do not believe in any of the Qur’ân."

He then started to deal highhandedly with Muhammad [pbuh] and laid hands violently on him, tore his shirt and spat into his face but his saliva missed the Holy face of the Prophet [pbuh].

Thereupon, the Prophet [pbuh] invoked Allah’s wrath on ‘Utaibah and supplicated: "O Allah! Set one of Your dogs on him."

Allah responded positively to Muhammad’s supplication, and it happened in the following manner: Once ‘Utaibah with some of his compatriots from Quraysh set out for Syria and took accommodation in Az-Zarqa’. There a lion approached the group to the great fear of ‘Utbah, who at once recalled Muhammad’s words in supplication, and said: "Woe to my brother! This lion will surely devour me just as Muhammad [pbuh] supplicated.

He has really killed me in Syria while he is in Makkah." The lion did really rush like lightning, snatched ‘Utbah from amongst his people and crushed his head. [Tafheem-ul-Qur'an 6/522; Quoted from Al-Isti'ab, Al-Isaba, Dala'il An-Nubuwwah, etc] It is also reported that a wretched idolater from Quraysh, named ‘Uqbah bin ‘Abi Mu‘ait once trod on the Prophet’s neck while he was prostrating himself in prayer until his eyes protruded.
[Mukhtasar Seerat Ar-Rasool p.113]

..the tyrants of Quraysh would not be admonished, contrariwise, the idea of killing the Prophet [pbuh] was still being nourished in their iniquitous hearts.

On the authority of ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al-‘As, some people of Quraysh were in a place called Al-Hijr complaining that they had been too patient with the Prophet [pbuh], who suddenly appeared and began his usual circumambulation.

They started to wink at him and utter sarcastic remarks but he remained silent for two times, then on the third, he stopped and addressed the idolators, saying: "O people of Quraysh! Hearken, I swear by Allah in Whose Hand is my soul, that you will one day be slaughtered to pieces."

As soon as the Prophet [pbuh] uttered his word of slaughter, they all stood aghast and switched off to a new style of language smacking of fear and even horror trying to soothe his anger and comfort him saying: "You can leave Abul Qasim, for you have never been foolish." [Ibn Hisham 1/289]

‘Urwa bin Az-Zubair narrated: I asked Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al-‘As to tell me of the worst thing that the pagans did to the Prophet [pbuh] .

He said: "While the Prophet [pbuh] was praying in Al-Hijr of Al-Ka‘bah,
‘Uqbah bin Al-Mu‘ait came and put his garment around the Prophet’s neck and throttled him violently.

Abu Bakr came and caught him by his shoulder and pushed him away from the Prophet, peace be upon him, and said: "Do you want to kill a man just because he says, My Lord is Allah?" [Bukhari 1/544]

(Al-Mubarakpuri, Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum; Riyadh-Saudi Arabia, Dar-us-Salam Publications, 1996; pp. 94 & 105-108, emphasis added)

Read the history of the early converts to Islam, and every heart would melt at the sight of the brutal treatment of innocent Muslim men and women.

Sumayya, an innocent women, is cruelly torn into pieces with spears,

An example is made of "Yassir whose legs are tied to two camels and the beast were are driven in opposite directions",

Khabbab bin Arth is made lie down on the bed of burning coal with the brutal legs of their merciless tyrant on his breast so that he may not move and this makes even the fat beneath his skin melt." "Khabban bin Adi is put to death in a cruel manner by mutilation and cutting off his flesh piece-meal."

In the midst of his tortures, being asked weather he did not wish Muhammad in his place while he was in his house with his family, the sufferer cried out that he was gladly prepared to sacrifice himself his family and children. And why was it that these sons and daughters of Islam not only surrendered to their prophet their allegiance but also made a gift of their hearts and souls to their master?

Is not the intense faith and conviction on part of immediate followers of Muhammad, the noblest testimony to his sincerity and to his utter self-absorption in his appointed task ? (Ramakrishna Rao, Islam and Modern Age)

Decline or destruction is therefore the ultimate and inevitable destiny of any ungrateful nation, any nation which rebels against God and follows the path of immorality. But this ultimate destruction is brought about in accordance with principles. Here are some of them. a. Destruction or chastisement does not befall a nation until it is sufficiently warned. This warning can come to them through the medium of a Messenger from God:

"And never did Thy Lord destroy the townships, till He had raised up in their mother-town a messenger reciting unto them our revelations. And never did we destroy the townships unless the folk thereof were evil doers." (Qu'ran:xxvii,59) "Never did We destroy a population, but had its warners------by way of reminder; and We never are unjust." (Qur'an 27:208-209)

Or they may be caused to know in some other way that they are guilty and should therefore expect to be punished. (The Process of Islamization, Part 4 © 1977 The Muslim Students' Association of the US and Canada Fourth Printing - January 1983)

So the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was performing his duty of warning the Quraysh of an impending punishment from God if they did not desist from their crimes and sins. In the end, most of the Quraysh did repent and embraced Islam, thus the punishment was averted from them.

Misquoted narration #5

Bukhari: Allah's Apostle said, "I have been made victorious with Terror" (Volume 4, Book 52, Number 220)

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "I have been sent with the shortest expressions bearing the widest meanings, and I have been made victorious with ru'b (extreme fear cast into the hearts of the enemy), and while I was sleeping, the keys of the treasures of the world were brought to me and put in my hand." Abu Huraira added: Allah's Apostle has left the world and now you, people, are bringing out those treasures (i.e. the Prophet did not benefit by them).
Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 52, Number 220

By using the word 'Terror' for ru'b, the Islam-hater intends to convey the following definition of terror:

Violence committed or threatened by a group to intimidate or coerce a population, as for military or political purposes. (The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) saod: "I was given victory through Ru`b (fear and anxiety): the enemy becomes filled with Ru`b (fear and anxiety) even though they are the distance of a month's journey away from me." (Ahmad #20337)

The meaning is thus obvious that when the enemies' attempts to detroy the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) failed, they began to fear him as he grew in strength in Arabia and gained more followers. They feared and hated the religion he brought which preached equality and morality and would remove them from their position of corrupt tyrants who enslaved the poor and the non-arabs.

It was fear of the mysterious power which granted Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his followers such rapid success. This fear was not the fear that resulted from past combat, as many Islam-haters would have us believe, rather it was a type of fear which prevents further combat.
As Jalal Abualrub notes:

Ru`b ', means, ‘anxious with fear': Here is a list of some of the Islamic resources explaining, ‘Ru`b', as, ‘Exessive Fear', and, ‘Awe': Fat`h al-Bari bi Shar`h Sahih al-Bukhari ; Tu`hfat al-A`hwadhi bi Shar'h Jami' at-Tirmidhi ; and, Shar`h Sunan an-Nasaii . These books were written by Muslim Scholars explaining Hadeeths contained in, Sahih al-Bukhari , and the Sunan collections of Imams at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasaii, respectively....

Al-Waqidi said in his, Maghazi , that Juwairiyah Bint al-Harith said, “ We were at the Muraisii` area when the Messenger of Allah marched forth towards us. I heard my father say, ‘There has come to us a gathering that we cannot resist.' I saw men and horses in such numbers that I cannot describe. After I became Muslim and the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, married me I looked at the Muslims and found their numbers to be less than what I had thought. I knew that this was Ru'b (excessive fear) that Allah, the Exalted, throws in the hearts of the polytheists.'”
 
There are many similar examples in which the enemies of Islam, who, just like the Muraisii` people, had gathered armies to attack Madinah and the Prophet, scattered throughout the desert in fear when they heard that the Prophet had gathered an army to resist their treacherous attacks. Many lives were saved through Allah throwing fear in the hearts of the enemies of Muhammad, peace be upon them, because his enemies feared him, fled and did not meet him in battle.
Thus, ‘excessive fear', in the Hadeeth...saved Muslims and many of their enemies the hardship of battle and warfare.
(Abualrub, The Prophet of Mercy, emphasis added)

By doing so, it would appear that the Prophet, peace be upon him, was seeking or wishing to acquire other people's wealth for himself. Contrary to this false illusion, this was a vision that the Prophet saw which contained glad tidings for the generations of Muslims to come.
This is why in the same Hadeeth, Abu Hurairah added, as al-Bukhari and Muslim reported from him, "Allah's Apostle has left the world and now you, people, are bringing out those treasures" (i.e. the Prophet did not benefit by them).
(Abualrub, The Prophet of Mercy)

Narrated 'Aisha: The family of Muhammad had never eaten their fill of wheat bread for three successive days since they had migrated to Medina till the death of the Prophet.
(Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 76, Number 461)

Narrated 'Aisha: The family of Muhammad did not eat two meals on one day, but one of the two was of dates.
(Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 76, Number 462)

Narrated 'Aisha: The bed mattress of the Prophet was made of a leather case stuffed with palm fibres.
(Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 76, Number 463)

Narrated Qatada: We used to go to Anas bin Malik and see his baker standing (preparing the bread).

Anas said, "Eat. I have not known that the Prophet ever saw a thin well-baked loaf of bread till he died, and he never saw a roasted sheep with his eyes."
(Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 76, Number 464)

Narrated 'Aisha: A complete month would pass by during which we would not make a fire (for cooking), and our food used to be only dates and water unless we were given a present of some meat.
(Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 76, Number 465)

In truth, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) never desired anything of the worldly pleasures. His mission was solely to please his Lord and spread the true message across the land, calling people to morality, justice and peace achieved through submission to God.

End of Part 1

For Part 2 [click here]

Also, the lies about Prophet Muhammad's marriage to Ayesha:  They claim prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, married Ayesha while she was too young for marriage (another lie) CLICK HERE

Prophet of Islam .com website [lick here]