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Islam and Intercession
by Anwar Shaikh
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SHAFI-E-MAHSHAR
| Man is afraid of death and the Unknown.
This human fear has been exploited by those who project themselves
prophets and messiahs to be remembered, followed and worshipped by
ordinary mortals, who are willing to do so for the promise of paradise
i.e. a happy eternal life.
The Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad has
binding intercessionary powers which he will use to force Allah to let his
followers go into paradise because it matters not that a Muslim is a
rapist, a murderer, a thief or a traitor. The Prophet will intercede on
his behalf on the Day of Judgement to save him from hell and guarantee him
a seat in paradise which is a place of sexual and economic luxury. This is
why the Muslims call the Prophet Muhammad "Shafi-E-Mahshar," the
one who will intercede for them on the Day of Judgement. Without doubt,
this is the greatest attraction to become a Muslim. It is for this reason
that the Muslims of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have accepted the
mental yoke of the Arabian superiority and prefer Mecca to Delhi, Karachi
and Dacca. By doing so, they are determined to prove their love for the
Prophet because without such a proof he will not intercede for them.
Intercession means recommendation or
wire-pulling. Its usual purpose is to pervert the course of justice. If
Allan is really God, He must do justice and punish the rapists, the
murderers, the usurpers. I need hardly say what we think of a judge who is
persuaded by recommendation and does not do justice. Such an Allah cannot
quality as the true God.
Anwar Shaikh discusses this issue under
the heading of "Islam And Intercession." |
ISLAM and INTERCESSION
Intercession is the product of man's
instinctive fear which requires alleviation through mercy, munificence and
mellowness of the Supreme Being, who controls the universal phenomenon. It is
believed that He listens to prayer only, but not to evervone's supplication.
Since He has "beloveds," He readily pays attention to their orison and
grants them wishes, no matter, how heinous, hazardous and horrendous they may
be. These "beloveds" are usually the men who suffer from theomania
i.e. the illusion that they are God and want to be acknowledged as such; they
usually call themselves Messengers or Vicars of God, who are so dearly loved by
Him that He cannot refuse them any wish. Thus, these messengers and messiahs
claim to possess intercessory powers. Therefore, intercession means salvation
through a divine intermediary.
Life has been prone to be clanish right from the
beginning of civilisation; the unity or a clan was a stronger remedy against the
unforseen hazards than the strength of an individual. However, clanish
solidarity required a strong element of mutual well-wishing. Respect for the
departed kins was held a symbol of tribal reverence and provided a bond of
mutual affection. While the living members of the clan could help each other
through deeds, welfare of the dead required praying to ease their lives in the
next world. This is what bestowed priestly powers on the tribal chief whose
prayers amounted to intercession, because he was considered to have influence
with God. The concept of intercession was not confined to the primitive
cultures; its advanced form was symbolised by the ruler-priests of Babylon and
Assyria. They recommended the departed souls to the mercy of God and, in certain
cases, could forgive them themselves through their own intercessory powers,
which tle Almighty had bestowed upon them out of love. An expression or this
fact is found when Christ cries from the Cross: "Father forgive them for
they know not what they do." (St. Luke 23: 34)
These words of Christ serve as the fountain of
intercession for the Christians, who invented the lore of intercession to
abolish the mosaic Law, which was binding on them:
"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and
truth came by JeSus Christ.'' (St. John 1: 17)
To make intercession a credible doctrine the Church
dignitaries had to raise the divine dignity of Jesus Christ sky- high:
"For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn
the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (St. John 3:
17)
Thus Jesus is depicted as the Saviour of the world whose
only purpose of life was to save the world:
"For God so loved the World that he gave his only
begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have
everlasting life." (St .John 3:16)
With a view to bestowing further divine honour on Christ,
crucifixion, is equated with salvation: ".... Behold the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world." (St. John 1:29)
What a mythology it is! To secure followers, a man's
death is treated as the fountain of redemption. The mere act of believing in,
Christ guarantees his intercession leading to salvation. In fact, intercession
is the gross contempt of law and morality; it renders practice, piety and
perseverance totally irrelevant for sccuring salvation. See for yourself:
1. Christians are not under the law but grace. (Romans
6:14)
2. If you confess Jesus to be your Lord, you shall be
saved. (Romans 10: 9)
3. Grace to be grace has got to be irrelevant to
works. (Romans 11:6)
4. The life of a just Christian is based on faith.
(Gal: 3: 11)
5. Law is a curse, and Christ has liberated us from
it. (Gal: 3: 11)
6. Law is not for the righteous but the wicked. (1
Timothy 1: 9 -10)
The whole purpose of preferring faith to morality and law
is, that people should salute, supplicate and serve Christ and his lieutenants
such as popes, cardinals, bishops and clergies, who used their intercessory
powers as a tool to fool and snool the Christendom for centuries. Intercession
is the major cause of sin, crime and destruction in this world.
Though Christianity has lost its magic, and the
authority of moral conscience is accelerating its tempo, Islamic doctrine of
intercession is becoming more tenacious with the growing tyranny, twisting and
tantalisation in Islamdom. The reason for this detailed introduction with
reference to Christianity is, that Islam has incorporated all the fundamental
teachings of the Bible including its concept of intercession. The Christians
believe that on the Day of Resurrection, only they will go to heaven and the
rest will be thrown into hell. (Rev. 20: 15). Islamic concept is apparently
loftier than the Christian notion because it treats the Day of Resurrection as
the Day of Judgement, which means that people will be actually judged for
salvation on their merits. This is the most beautiful hoax. Why? I shall answer
this question in detail because the principle of the Prophetic Intercession has
become the major cause of moral decline in the Islamic world leading to what is
dreadful, destructive and the least desirable.
Hope has the same significance to humankind what steam
has to a locomotive engine, rain to crops and light to eyes. Life without hope
is tasteless, twisted and torturous. The concept of Resurrection raises one's
hope of everlasting life. Equating Resurrectlon with the Day of Judgement when
people will be rewarded or punished according to the quality of their deeds,
makes morality the foundation of humanity, thus exalting the human status.
Possibly, the greatest aspect of the day of Judgement is the hope of
compensation leading to the fulfilment of thwarted desires and the completion of
rewards which one could not achieve owing to the usurpative actions of others.
This is the Day when everybody will receive justice denied him in the world
through folly, fickleness and felony.
It is not Judaism but Zoroasterianism which is the
spring of the Day of Resurrection or Judgement. Zoroaster, who died about 551
B.C. was nearly a contemporary of Lord Buddha of India. He was a priest; he
claimed to have received a vision from Ahura Mazda, the wise Lord, who appointed
him to convey the Divine message to the people. In the eastern traditions, he
was thus a Messenger of God.
Zoroaster, also known as Zarathustra, according to the
Gathas, the early hymns, mostly written by himself, created an eschatology which
emphasises the notion of life-after- death. He asserted that the earthly
existence had a direct hearing on the life-to-come, when people would be
assembled before the Wise Lord (God) who would judge them according to their
deeds including speech and thoughts. After judgement, the good will go to
paradise, the place of eternal delight, and the bad will be imprisoned in hell,
the region of horrors and darkness. Zoroaster, the Iranian Prophet emphasised
the significance of the Bridge of the Requiter (Cinvat) which the soul of every
man must negotiate. The righteous, being invigorated by their virtues, would
walk into paradise whereas the wicked, being weakened by their vices, would fall
into hell beneath them. This idea known to Islam as Pul-Saraat, was incorporated
by the Prophet Muhammad in his teachings.
At this juncture, it is interesting to know the Vedic
influence on the doctrine of Judgement in terms of heaven and hell. Both these
notions were developed in India. The Indian Swarg came to be known as the Middle
Eastern paradise and Narg was named as hell. Of course, the Hindus do not
believe in resurrection but Karman, the action, which is responsible for man's
eventual release or Mukti, though righteousness, according to its magnitude, may
lead to a stay in paradise proportionately, and wickedness guarantees a sojourn
in hell on the same basis. One should bear in mind that the major vedic gods
such as Mitra, Varuna, Indra and the two Nastyas form an integral part of Avesta,
the Zoroasterian Scripture. However, with a view to establishing his own
distinction, Zoroaster depicted Indra, the chief Indian god, and Nanhaithya, as
demons. The latest scholarly studies have confirmed the Zoroasterian influence
on the development of Judaism and Christianity including Pythagorianism and
Chaldean doctrines of Babylon. These are well-researched facts whose veracity is
further attested by the close kinship of the Iranian language with that of
Northern India, which shows how the Iranians emigrated from India along with
their Vedic cultural inheritance.
The Jews took the idea of Resurrection from Zoroaster,
and is explained by the Jewish observance known as Rosh Hashana marked by the
sounding of the ram's horn (Shofar) at the synagogue service. The horn-blast is
held to acclaim God as Ruler of the universe. It is customary for most Jews to
engage in penitential prayers at a river to perform the Tashlikh ("Thou
will cast") ceremony symbolises the casting of sins into the river. This
reminds one of the old Hindu custom of cleansing one's sins with the holy water
of the Ganges.
Islam borrowed the doctrine of Resurrection or the day
of Judgement from the Bible. To start with, it is a righteous and reformative
idea because it depicts Islam as the champion of justice. Thus, it gives people
the hope of Deffered Fulfilment, that is, all those genuine desires which should
have been accomplished in this life but failed to materialise owing to
injustice, poverty, ignorance or incapacity, would be granted to the good
through a fair and honest process of judgement by the Almighty. All decisions
are to be based on justice, and not intercession; people shall be able to gather
the fruit of what they have cultivated.
Now, let us have a look al the Islamic view of justice:
"Lo! Allah loveth the equitable." (Private
Apartments: 9)
Since Allah, the Islamic God, loves the just, He himself
is the model of justice, and no matter who may a person be, including Muhammad,
Allah shall not deviate from the course of justice. This is the reason that the
Prophet states categorically as per command or Allah:
"Say, lo! none can protect me from Allah, nor can I
find reruge beside Him (Allah)." (The Jinn: 22)
It is quite evident if Allah is not prepared to spare
Muhammad in the field of justice, he will not listen to intercession in respect
of anyone else. Again, intercession is a form of gross deviation; it is the
major source of injustice, the biggest crime, because it persuades Allah, the
greatest judge, to bend the rules of fairness at the request of a saint or
prophet. It is sheer wickedness and gross mockery of the concept of justice.
Again, how a righteous person known as prophet can even think of persuading God
to do what is unjust, and hence vicious and sinful. This is the way of crooks,
criminals and conmen. How such a God, who is Himself bent, can expect people to
be straight? Exactly, the same remarks apply to a prophet or a saint. What will
you call a barrister who perverts the course of justice owing to his personal
relationship with the guilty client, and the judge who approves of it knowingly?
Therefore, intercession is the doctrine, devised to insult both the Prophet and
God. This is especially true when rapists, murderers, thieves, cheats, robbers,
thugs, traitors, etc., shall be rewarded with paradise just as a result of
intercession. These are the people who deserve hell. If not, then the entire
idea of God, prophets, saints, piety, righteousness, justice, etc., turn out to
be a sheer hoax, and must be condemned, because it mocks human dignity.
May be, to uphold the Divine dignity, the Koran states
right in the beginning:
"(Allah is the) Master of the Day of Judgement."
(The Opening: 3)
Thus, the Day or Resurrection turns out to be the Day of
Judgement, whose only purpose is dispensation of justice by God absolutely
independently. If He listens to intercession, He ceases to be the Master of the
Day of Judgement. The Koran confirms this point of view:
"Ask pardon for them, or ask not pardon for them;
If you ask pardon for them seventy times, God will not pardon them."
(Repentance: 80)
To the Koranic God, intercession on the Day of Judgement,
seems an irrelevance:
"Do you know what is the Day of Judgement? That is
the day when no one shall be able to benefit else; the command shall belong
unto God." (The Splitting: 15)
So far the Koran conforms to the most desirable standard
of justice, which according to the international juristic doctrine, is neutral.
It means that no verdict is just or lawful unless the judge decides on the merit
of the case without fear or favour. This is the notion which has caused the
separation and independence of judiciary from the executive and legislature
throughout the civilised world. Hence, the principle that unless justice is
neutral, it is not natural. To qualify as natural justice, it has got to be free
from all elements of corruption such as fear, favour, bias, recommendation,
bribe and unfairness.
Islam appears to be aware of this standard of justice
and thus bases salvation on evidence and refuses to acknowledge the concept of
intercession (Shafaat) in judgement. Therefore, the Koran declares that
everything a person does, is recorded:
"He (Allah) sends recorders over you (people) till,
any one of you is visited
by death, our messengers take him
and they neglect not ... His (Allah)
is the judgement; He is the
fastest of " Censors." (Cattle: 60)
It is on the strength of these verses, the Muslims believe
that everyone of them is constantly attended by two angels until death, for
recording their deeds. They are, therefore, called "recorders."
To provide a system of evidence, the Koran goes
further:
"Surely, it is We (Allah) who bring the dead to
life
and write down what they have forwarded
and what they have left behind, everything
We have numbered in a clear register."
(Ya Sin: 10)
It means that Allah has a Record Office where a register
of deeds is maintained in respect of each person. This fact is further
confirmed:
"With Us (Allah) is a book recording." (QAF:
1)
The Koran repeatedly states that nobody is wronged by
Allah, and this principle shall be strictly observed on the Day of Judgement. So
that nobody can complain of injustice and wrong-doing by Allah, everybody shall
be presented with his/her book of record and told:
" Read thy book. "
(The Night Journey: 10-15 170 also Resurrection: 10)
So far the Koran seems to be the Champion of Justice by
strictly sticking to the ideal of testimony. It goes so far as to state that on
the Day of Judgement, a person's own limbs such as tongue, hands, feet, will
give evidence about him! (Light: 10 and Distinguished: 15)
The Islamic doctrine of justice, so far, appears to be
perfect for totally rejecting the concept of intercession, which denotes undue
influence of a prophet or messiah on God to pervert the course of justice. Take
for instance the Muslims who believe that the Prophet Muhammad's intercession
shall guarantee them entry into paradise because:
a. He is the mercy (blessing) for all beings, and b.
being God's beloved, the Almighty himself cannot turn down his intercession.
These are very naive assumptions because they slander both
Allah and the Prophet. How? It is because Resurrection is the Day of Judgement,
when justice shall be dispensed according to one's deeds. It is not the day of
showing mercy. Again, wilful mercy to the cheats, thugs, murderers, robbers,
rapists, molesters, tyrants, thieves, etc., is a sign of further cruelty to
their countless victims, who desperately need the justice that they failed to
secure in former life. Not only such an unjust Allah becomes the target of human
condemnation, the Prophet himself loses the appellation of "Mercy for all
beings." Why? Because through his intercession wrong-doers are to be set
free, their casualties are going to feel even more torne, tortured and
tantalised. If the Prophet is really the Divine Ambassaor of Mercy, then he
cannot and must not intercede; his intercession becomes the source of pleasure
to the few and fountain of persecution for the countless who have been waiting
for justice so long, and believe in the Day of Judgement for this reason only.
This is why the Koran repeatedly rejects the theory of
intercession. In fairness, I should further quote from the Koran:
Having stated the principle of no-intercession in The
Cow: 48, 123 and 254, it is stated in 281:
"Then every soul will be paid in full that which it
earned, and they will not be wronged."
However, in the Cow: 284, it is asserted:
"He will forgive whom He will and He will punish
whom He will. Allah is able to do all things."
It is obvious that both punishing and rewarding are the
prerogatives of Allah, and intercession has nothing to do with it. However,
Allah cannot exercise this prerogative unjustly because He is committed not to
wrong anyone. If His act of pardoning or punishing is proved to be perverse,
then He eases to be Allah for being puerile, petty-minded and a persecutor.
One should also remember the Divine rule:
"Allah loveth not wrongdoers." (The Family of
Imran: 57)
It is obvious that if Allah rewards the wrongdoers with
the greatest blessing known as paradise just on the Prophetic intercession, then
what more can He offer to the good? Intercession is certainly an insult to piety
and God-fearing. In fact, Allah blurtly rejects the idea of intercession:
"It is no concern at all of thee (Muhammad) whether
He pardon them or punish them; for they are evil-doers."
(The Family of Imran: 128)
The Koranic Order claims to be based on justice:
"Say: My Lord enjoineth justice." (The
Heights: 29)
and it is in addition to asserting that Allah is the
greatest of all judges in "The Fig" 8.
Intercession is another name for manipulation and wire-
pulling. The judge who succumbs to temptation through fear or favour is exactly
the opposite of the dispenser of justice.
There is still a lot more evidence available in the
Koran to this effect but I think, I have sufficiently argued my case. In fact, I
may have overdone it owing to the delicacy and significance of this issue. It is
delicate because the Muslims are likely to find it offensive that the doctrine
of intercession is injurious to the dignity of judicial doctrine as well as to
the holiness of Allah who claims to be the greatest of all judges, including the
righteousness of the Prophet who asserts to be the ambassador of virtue. Of much
greater importance than delicacy, is the significance of this issue to the
Muslims all over the world. Why?
The Muslim nations are (psychologically) conditioned to
the name of the Prophet Muhammad through a persistent preaching of centuries. He
has been projected as the Saviour, whose intercessory powers are too great to be
ignored by Allah. Therefore, once the Prophet has told Allah tnat an evil-doer
must be pardoned, He has no choice in the matter. Further, his followers believe
that the Prophet is the greatest object of love.
If a person has ment oned the name of Muhammad
affectionately even once in his/her life-time, he will intercede for him/her to
secure him/her a place in the paradise.
This conditioning to the name of Muhammad; has reached
fantastic proportions in the world of Islam for the following reasons:
a. Though there is an exception to every rule, generally
speaking, all Muslim countries are members of the Third World which is
infested with poverty, disease, injustice and ignorance. People's honour and
legitimate aims seldom reach the point of realisation; their individual
desires bleed with frustration; justice is something to be talked about and
not to be practiced; simply to get-by, people have to forge and lie; the
bigger the liar, the cleverer he is thaught of; thieving and backbiting are
considered as hobbies; the meaning of sincerity and honesty are becoming
harder to understand. Nothing can be achieved without resorting to bribing and
sycophancy. People still live under feudal conditions which are the
characteristic of the Islamic System, though against all evidence, they are
told that the Koran is an ardent advocate of democracy and human rights. To be
able to earn a loaf of bread, is a sign of good luck, and finding medicine for
the ailing loved ones is a miracle.
Against these most painful social conditions, one
must think of human desire for pleasure. It is natural for a person living in
hell (which the present social conditions imply) dream of heaven. Since the
Prophet being the saviour, is the guarantor of paradise, the place of the
highest pleasures, his followers find him the most praiseworthy, adorable and
holy. As he is the sole medium of realising their frustrated desires in the
world-to-come, they will do anything in his name without any reference to
morality. Why worry about the demands of ethics when the conveniences of
immomlily can guarantee salvation through the sheer force of faith?
b. Secondly, the Muslim priest and politician, find
the Muhammadan conditioning of greatest financial and political advantage.
They know that the force of faith has paralysed people's faculties of
reasoning, and thus it is easy and convenient to exploit them in the name of
Muhammad. This method of exploitation has become so effective that the Islamic
doctrines are habitually misinterpreted. This is the reason for political and
social unrest and revolutions in most Islamic countries.
Exploiting the name of Muhammad in different ways has
become the business doctrine. Take journalists, for instance; they are usually
aethists or unbelievers, yet they fill up their journals and newspapers with
quotations from the Koran and hadith, and highly exaggerated narratives
extolling the virtues of Muhammad; they know full well that their papers would
end up in the lavatories, yet they do it for their gain, which is usually
against the national and religious interests. What a hypocrisy it is!
The Koranic attitude towards judgement has been adorable
so far, but now I regret to add that like all Scriptures, the Koran is an
aggregate of contradictory principles. Having advocated the doctrine of
no-intercession emphatically, it suddenly preaches the precept of intercession:
"There is no intercessor except with His (Allah's)
permission ... " (Jonah: 3)
This rule is again repeated:
"On that Day no intercession availeth except
(that of) him unto whom the Beneficient hath given leave and whose He
accepteth." (TA HA: 109)
Now the Prophet declares: "I will be the first
intercessor and the first person whose intercession will be accepted (by
Allah)" (Sahih Muslim: Vol. 4: 5655)
To express the enormity involved in the collapse of
No-Intercession doctrine, I may point out certain facts:
An authoritative hadith says: "I (Muhammad) sought
permission (of Allah) to beg forgiveness for my mother, but He did not grant it
to me ... " (Sahih Muslim Vol:11: 2129)
When the Prophet was asked if his prayer for his uncle
Abu Talib, who defended him valiantly, had benefited him (the uncle) in any way,
the Prophet said: "Yes; he would be in the most shallow part of the Fire
(Hell): and if it were not for me, he would have been in the lowest (deepest)
part of Hell." (Sahih Muslim Vol. 1: 408)
If the Prophet cannot save his own mother and the
fatherly- uncle, especially when they both were of good character, how will he
guarantee paradise to the countless murderers, rapists, robbers, cheats and
liars?
The truth is that the previous utterances of the
Prophet show that he was conscious of the concept of justice, and thought of
intercession as a device of deviation leading to vice, virulence and venality.
Here is a hadith to demonstrate it:
The Makhzumia lady committed theft which involved the
Koranic punishment of cutting hands. When Usama pleaded with the Prophet, he
said: "Do you intercede (with me) to violate one of the legal punishments
of Allah?" Then he got up and addressed the people, saying, "O People!
the nations before you went astray because if a noble person committed theft,
they used to leave him but if a weak person among them committed theft, they
used to inflict the legal punishment on him. By Allah, if Fatima, the daughter
of Muhammad committed theft, Muhammad will cut off her hand." (Bukhari Vol.
8: 7&2(1))
Muhammad was human. If he had sufficient courage to
rebuff the interceder, God, who is considered the creator of this infinite
universe, must be bold enough to show contempt for intercession to maintain the
dignity of justice. Again, no human can command God to be unfair; this is
exactly what intercession is. Mortals are afraid for their own salvation, and
beg God to forgive them. How dare they intercede for others? Being a mortal,
Muhammad is no exception: this fact is confirmed by the Prophet's death.
Aisha reported: "Allah's Messenger at the time of
breathing his last was reclining against her chest and she was leaning over
him and listening to him as he was saying: O Allah, grant me pardon, show
mercy to me, enjoin me to companions." (Sahih Muslim Vol. 4: 5986)
It is obvious that a person who himself needs mercy and
begs for it, is in no position to intercede for others.
Yet the truth is, that the Prophet eventually claimed
to have intercessory powers. Why did he do so? The answer to this puzzle can be
painful, punitive and petrifying. Yet someone has to take this risk in the
interest of human dignity and its spiritual survival. I believe in a philosophy
which briefly stated means: Man is God and God is man; spiritual evolution from
humanity to divinity is attainable through moral conscience and philanthropy
only. Since the corcept of intercession is opposed to it, I am inclined to
explain it briefly:
Some people suffer from dominance-urge which prompts
them to rule their fellowmen by hook or by crook. In some, this urge is so great
that they want to be adored as God long after they are dead and buried. To
achieve this end, the Semitic device: Revelation, known as prophethood, is very
fruitful indeed, because it enables a person to attain Godly prestige without
claiming himself to be God. This contrivance is effective because the prophet
claims that he has no personal axe to grind in the matter. In fact, he expresses
his humility by declaring himself to be the servant of God and stresses that he
is acting as God's vicar under God's command, and has no personal wish to do so.
Whereas the truth is that he quietly attains all God's traits, and then a stage
is reached when he begins to dominate God Himself. Look at the following facts
and decide for yourself:
1. God has ninety-nine holy names, and so has Muhammad.
2. Just belief in Allah does not make a person
Muslim; he must believe in Muhammad as well.
3. Allah and Muhammad command together, and a Muslim
must obey them jointly.
4. God's law is what Muhammad says it is. The
doctrine of intercession is an example in point.
5. Allah is nearer to man than his jugular vein and
the Prophet is nearer to the faithful than their selves.
6. Allah does what suits Muhammad and acts as his
factotum. For example, a Muslim can have four wives at a time but Allah broke
this law and authorised Muhammad to have nine wives simultaneously. There are
many other instances which I have narrated in my book, "Islam, the Arab
National Movement."
7. According to the Koran, Prophet is a mortal and
hence subject to all human conditions:
a. "You art mortal; and they are mortal; then on
the Day of Resurrection before your Lord you shall dispute." (The
Companies: 475)
It means that the Prophet is a human like all other people
and shdll be resurrectecd accordingly. This is true because the Prophet is also
buried in his grave.
b. Not only that, he is subject to God's punishment like
all other mortals:
"Set not up with God
another God, or you (Muhammad)
will be cast into Gehenna (Hell), reproached
and condemned."
(The Night Journey: 40)
For thirteen long years the Prophet preached to secure
followers and after a good deal of trouble, he was able to convert some seventy
people. This was not enough. A prophet is the person who wants the maximum
possible number of followers to be adored as if he were God:
"I hope that I will have the greatest
following on the Day of Resurrection." (Muslim Vol. 1: 283)
It is for this reason that the Prophet abolished all other
religions including Judaism and Christianity. Thus "People of the
Book" have no substance, and serve just as a convenience. See for yourself:
"... he who amongst the community of Jews or
Christians hears about me, but does not affirm his
belief in that with which I have been sent (i.e.
Koran) and dies in this state (i.e. as non-Muslim),
he shall be but one of the denizens of Hell-Fire."
(Muslim, Vol. 1: 284)
Now, one can see the significance of believing in Muhammad
the mortal; this is the only way that he can be treated as God. In fact, a
prophet is in competition with God, and wants to be acknowledged as His superior
in practice, but keeps glorifying Him apparently. Observe the following:
"Those who believe, they love Allah more than
anything else." (Baqara, 2: 165)
The faithful are invited to treat Allah as the sole object
of love, but why? Herein lies the answer:
"Say, if you do love Allah, follow me, (Muhammad)
Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.." (Al-Imran, 3: 31)
As nobody can contact Allah, the Prophet becomes a
substitute for Him, and people begin to show him the same reverence as if the
Prophet possesses some supernatural prerogatives. This is the reason that the
Prophet declared that he had the intercessory powers. Though it was against what
he had preached for seventeen years, by now he had established himself the ruler
of Arabia. It was certainly a at achievement and resulted from his magnetic
personality ebullient with greatness. It was sufficient to convince the Arabs,
who had touched the political and social nadar, that the Prophet did possess
intercessary powers, and nobody was fussy enough to criticise his previous
claims. One should remember that success came to the Prophet during the last ten
years of his life when he was settled at Medina; Islam gripped Arabia even
later, that is, diuring the last five years.
Now, we can see why love for Muhammad becomes even more
important than love for Allah:
"No person attains faith, till I am dearer to him
than the persons of his household, his wealth and the whole of mankind."
(Muslim, Vol. 1:70)
Gradually, the Prophet exalts himself over Allah
Himself:
"God and His angels pray peace to the Prophet, O
believers, do you also bless him, and pray him peace." (The Confederates:
55)
Formal blessing and praying peace are the ritualistic
forms of worshipping. This fact can be seen in the prayers of the Muslims all
over the world. They actually worship Muhammad but apparently bow before Allah.
After the Prophet has established himself as the object
of devotion of Allah, the angels and the Muslims, it is quite easy for him to
declare:
"Truly this is the word of a noble Messenger having
power, with the Lord of the Throne secure, obeyed, moreover trusty." ( he
Darkening: 15 - 20)
These verses constitute the foundation of the Islamic
belief that the Prophet will share the Throne of Justice with Allah on the Day
of Judgement. He will sit on the right-hand side and his intercession will be
binding on Allah. As a result, all Muslim rapists, thugs, murderers and thieves
will go into paradise and all non-Muslims, no matter how pious, will be thrown
into hell for not believing in Muhammad.
Has ever anybody reflected that the Prophet is buried
in his grave like everybody else? How will he intercede for others?
"And (on the Day of Judgement) the Trumpet is blown
and lo! from the graves they hurry unto their Lord." (Ya Sin, 51)
Even if one believes in the myth of the Day of
Resurrection, it is logical to think that the Prophet being human, will be
subject to the same physical conditions as other people because in this world he
was born and brought up like all other humans; he felt thirsty and hungry; he
became ill and needed medication; he had wives and required sex; he died and was
buried as other mortals. Being rational, we cannot assess him by faith only;
humanity demands that his status is judged by reason.
The Prophet gave himself intercecsory powers to look
even superior to Allah: first, he claims that both Allah and angels worship him
and demands of his followers to do the same, and then he claims to share the
Throne of Justice with Allah who wants him to intercede with Him and whose
intercession He will accept readily. What God is so bent that He will punish the
righteous if they are non-Muslims, but He will pardon the miscreants if they are
Muslim. Obviously, it is Muhammad who decides and Allah is just his puppet. What
a low dignity Allah commands in relation to Muhammad!
This viewpoint which is certainly the core of the
Islamic faith; raises a very serious point; it proves my contention that
Revelation (Wahi, Nabbuwat, Risaalat) is a Semitic device which enables a person
to be treated as God but indirectly. Having discussed it in my books
"Eternity" and "Islam, the Arab National Movement," I shall
not go into details here. Speaking frankly, Islam is not the antagonist of Shirk
but its protagonist, though it claims to be founded on monotheism, that is,
Oneness of God (Wahdat):
"There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His
servant and Messenger."
This is called Shahada, and is said to be the fundamental
doctrine of Islam. It may be a good theory but the practice, as I have stated,
is exactly the opposite. Muhammad is not the servant but the Master. This is the
real purpose of Revelation. Christ was a prophet but he ended up as God. The
same is true about Muhammad. In the Koranic language, equating someone with
Allah or showing him the reverence which is due to Allah, is considered as
shirk, which is unforgivable, though every other sin may be remitted:
"Verily! Allah forgives not that a partner should
be ascribed unto Him. He forgives all other sins to whom He wishes, and
whoever ascribes partners to Allah has indeed invented a tremendous sin."
(Women, 4: 48)
"If you ascribe partners to Allah, all your
deeds will be fruitless, and definitely you will be one of the losers." (Az-Zumar,
39: 65)
The truth is that a person is his own saviour through
piety of action and service to fellowmen. I have discussed this doctrine in my
book, "Eternity."
Finally, I should ask the faithful to show respect for
the Koran by arguing their case in the Koranic way:
"Bring your proof if you are truthful." (The
Cow: 111)
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