The basis of the Quran is the revelation to Muhammad. According to Islam, the revelation was given by the angel Jibreel.
Were there witnesses who saw and heard this to verify the claim? No
Did Muhammad do any miracles to prove what he said happened? No.
I wanted to find out more so I did a brief study on these claims to find evidence that what Muhammad said is true. I think both Christians & Muslims might be surprised (or shocked) by some of these things. I’m sharing it here. If there are any errors, it is unintended. Please let me know, with your proof, so I can correct it. All references to the incident are from accepted Muslim sources like Sahih Hadith Bukhari & Hadith Muslim. (My own analysis of events is based on a comparison with the Bible.)
This is how it all unfolded….
Muhammad had an encounter with an angel. He did not know who or what this spiritual being was. The angel that appeared to him began to strangle and press him violently and tried to force him to recite/read. Even though Muhammad pleaded that he was illiterate but the angel kept insisting and kept up the torture. This happened repeatedly for a total of three times.
First of all, an angel is a servant of God and will only do what they are commanded by God. No angel of God has ever acted in such a violent and abusive manner against a single human being in this way. Secondly, shouldn’t the angel have known that Muhammad was illiterate, yet he cruelly forced Muhammad to do what poor Muhammad just could not do? Thirdly, this incident caused Muhammad such great fear and he was so terrified that he ran back home to his wife Khadija to find comfort.
In the Bible, any time that an angel appears to a human being, his first words are almost always, “DO NOT FEAR.” Because such fear is not from God! We see this repeated over and over again in the Bible. No prophet was ever abused in such a manner! Muhammad was so overcome with FEAR that he is described in Islamic sources as trembling, heart beating fast, snorting like a horse, and neck muscles twitching. In fact, Muhammad is convinced that it is a demon!
At home, Khatija comforts and assures her husband that Allah would not shame him. (even though she did not even witness what actually happened, she was trying her best to make Muhammad feel better; she was just being a good wife!). How did Khadija come to her conclusion that the “angel” was not from satan? By unveiling her private parts with the prophet seated on her lap. Her reasoning was that an angel of God would not be hanging around to while she exposes her private parts.
Later she and Muhammad went to visit her cousin, Waraqa, whom they hoped could make sense of what had happened and advise Muhammad. Waraqa was literate and he was supposedly a Christian. I say “supposedly” because there was a heretic cult in that place at the time. They were the Nestorians, whose beliefs differed from what the Bible teaches.
In all likelihood, Waraqa was a Nestorian and not a true Christian, follower of Jesus Christ.
What makes me say this?
What can we know about Waraqa? It is said that he used to “read the Gospel in Arabic”. This is false because the Gospel had not been translated into Arabic at that time! So what was he reading?!
It is also said that Waraqa used to “write/copy the Gospel in Hebrew.” Again this is untrue because the Gospel was only translated to Hebrew a few centuries later. So what was Waraqa copying?!
When Muhammad relates his encounter with the angel to Waraqa, this man, who was old and almost blind by this time, tells Muhammad that the angel is Jibreel (Gabriel). How and why did Waraqa come to such a conclusion when he himself was not there to witness what happened?
Waraqa claims the angel is the SAME Jibreel (Gabriel) that appeared to Moses. But wait a minute! This is a very crucial point. Gabriel did not appear to Moses!
There is no evidence anywhere in the Bible or in history where Gabriel had appeared to Moses! Where did Waraqa get his information?
In truth, the angel Gabriel is recorded as having appeared to three people in the records of the Bible – Daniel, Zechariah & Mary but NOT to Moses. So what Waraqa said was inaccurate!
Muhammad believes what Waraqa tells him. But he is worried that the Arabs might oppose him because of the revelations. Waraqa assures him that he will support Muhammad as long as he is alive. Unfortunately, Waraqa dies a few days later having fed misinformation to his nephew, the would-be prophet!
Muhammad is sad and becomes suicidal and tries to kill himself on several occasions.
Being suicidal is a satanic act. God would never lead anyone to suicide. Muslim scholar Bassam Zawadi defends Muhammad’s attempt to commit suicide and says it is because of depression. He argues, “What, a Prophet cannot be depressed? Says who? What criteria are people using to say that?”
I will give you 3 examples from the Bible of people who were suicidal.
1. King Saul – an evil spirit tortured him. He was often depressed and needed David to soothe him with music. In the end, how did Saul die? By killing himself with his own sword.
2. Judas Iscariot – satan entered him. He betrayed Jesus. Regretted it, and he hanged himself.
3. In Mark 9:21 is the story of a young boy who was demon-possessed and the evil spirit would always attempt to “kill him by causing him to fall into water (to drown) or fire (to be burnt).” Read the story, Jesus heals the boy. And “the spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out.” And the boy was restored and healed completely.
Did you notice that “convulsed him violently”. That’s what an evil spirit does to a body it can inhabit. Similar to what Muhammad experienced then?
Let’s move on.
After a period of silence, Muhammad again encounters the same angel. And from then on, the revelations became more regular.
According to Muhammad, the angel that appeared to him had 600 wings. Isn’t this a contradiction? The Quran says the maximum number is 4 wings (sura 35:1), which in turn contradicts what the Bible says about angels (seraphim) that have 6 wings. No record anywhere of any angel with 600 wings!
Who is this angel that came to Muhammad? This must be some “special” angel who wanted to terrify and impress Muhammad! Also, Muhammad saw the angel filling the sky and horizon and sitting on a throne. A THRONE? An angel that has a throne? This is very very strange!
There is no record anywhere that angels have thrones. The throne is only for God. It becomes clear that this being is a usurper. He is not acting on God’s instructions. This being has his own throne and authority and seems to change/disguise himself to have more wings than even God’s angels!
Therefore, I am convinced that the angel that showed up to Muhammad was not Jibreel (Gabriel) as Waraqa had mistakenly led Muhammad to believe. Some Hadith sources give the name of the angel as NAMUS.
It is worrisome that there are no such names for any angels anywhere else in the Bible or the Quran.
“Namus” is an Arabic word that means “law” or “custom”. Whereas “Gabriel” means ‘God is my Strength’. So we have Gabriel whose name shows that he is a servant of God and depends on God as his strength, and Namus, who has his own throne and by the definition of his name, would imply that he depends on the law or customs (rituals). Two very different beings.
So who was it who gave those revelations to Muhammad that became the basis for the Quran?
My conclusions
What Muhammad experienced during the first encounter shows signs of being an encounter by an evil spirit in the manner in which it attacked Muhammad. Hadiths show that Muhammad experienced the influence of magic, and witchcraft, had delusions, became suicidal, and became stark raving mad for 1 year before he recovered.
Fear is not from God, but from satan. Confusion is not from God. Muhammad was fearful. Muhammad was confused. He was possessed by an evil spirit who abused, tortured, and treated him violently so that Muhammad would fall under his authority. It was not the REAL Gabriel. He would never have done that. Waraqa was grossly mistaken. Read the accounts of Gabriel’s visits to humans and notice that his first words are always “Do not fear!” Satan is able to disguise himself as an angel of light. (2 Cor 11:14).
Satan is known as the father of lies. (John 8:44). What kind of message do you think the father of lies revealed? Jesus said, “The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy”. (John 10:10)
In my opinion, Muhammad is not to be blamed. The finger needs to be pointed at NAMUS.
Who is NAMUS?
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Hadith sources and references:
Sahih Bukhari Vol 1, Bk 1, No. 3; Vol 6, Bk 60, No. 478; Vol 9, Bk 87, No. 111; Sahih Muslim Bk 001, No. 0301, all by Aisha.
Sahih Bukhari Vol 1, Bk 1, No. 3; Vol 4, Bk 55, No. 605; Vol 4, Bk 54, No. 461: ; Vol 6, Bk 60, No.444, 445, 447,448; Vol 8, Bk 73, No. 233 by Jabir bin Abdullah;
Sahih Muslim Bk 001, No. 0304, 0307, 0330, 0331, 0332, 0333, 0337, 0340.
Sahih Bukhari Vol 4, Bk 54, No. 457: by Aisha; Vol 4, Bk 54, No. 458: by Masruq; Vol 6, Bk 60, No. 379: by Abdullah; Vol 6, Bk 60, No. 380
Suicidal: Sahih Bukhari 9:87:111. Ibn Ishaq p.106-107
Delusions: Bukhari 8:73:220.
Deception: Ishaq 323
Witchcraft: Sahih Muslim 26:5428
What a brilliant expose there. I have also thought of these as well but not as elaborate as the way it was presented here. In whatever one does in life, it requires cross examination and examine it thoroughly and compare with other cases where the character is picked from.
This is a very perfect and wonderful work. It really exhumed the whole matter. Nice job.
GREAT READ, ONE MORE THING I WANT TO POINT OUT IS THAT, SHAITAN CAN CLONE SOLOMAN, WHICH HE DID BEFORE, SO OF COURSE SHAITAN CAN CLONE GIBREEL, SO I FEEL IT WAS SHIATAN FOR SURE WHO MUHAMMAD HAD ENCOUNTERED..
It’s interesting how similar Muhammad’s visions are to Paul’s.
Only instances of people being taken to third heaven for example and Paul also didn’t get any “don’t be afraid”, it was straight to an allegation.
I believe they both met satan
G.F. Jensen,
Every cult leader can make stupendous claims of some mysterious “divine” calling. Jesus himself warned of false prophets.
The thing is we can identify who’s genuine and who are the frauds. What did Jesus say? “You can know them by their fruits.”
If you want to compare Paul and Muhammad, study their lives. I’ll give you a very basic example.
Most satanic cult leaders have a few things in common. Lust for sex, money and fame.
Muhammad said he could marry any woman he wants and he had 13 wives and sex slaves and he envisioned a paradise of endless sex.
Paul said to flee from sexual immorality.
This is very beautiful. I love your expositions
Thanks Brown.
Awesome expose
Thank you Jonathan
Wonderful read sir well done
Thank you
Amman, please check and study your bible verywell. First gabriel is not an archangel. Secondly he always identified himself. Thirdly he never allowed any man to worship him.
According to what I read in my bible.
Yes, there are references in the Bible to the archangel Gabriel appearing to the prophet Moses. Here are a couple of examples:
1) Exodus 3:2 – “There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush.”
Many biblical scholars and commentators identify this “angel of the Lord” who appeared to Moses in the burning bush as Gabriel, though he is not named explicitly.
2) Acts 7:30-35 (New Testament) – This is a speech by Stephen recounting Moses’ encounter at the burning bush:
“After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai…When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord’s voice: ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.'”
Again, the “angel” who appeared is understood by many to be the archangel Gabriel acting as God’s messenger to Moses.
So while Gabriel is not mentioned by name in these accounts, the presence of an angelic messenger identified as “the angel of the Lord” speaking for God is widely interpreted within Jewish and Christian tradition as a reference to the archangel Gabriel carrying out his role as God’s chief messenger.
Amman,
1. You refuted your own arguments by admitting that the Bible does not give the name of the “Angel of the Lord” as Gabriel. Your entire argument collapsed.
2. Who are the “many Biblical scholars and commentators” that supposedly claim it is Gabriel? Show me.
Here are several commentaries on Exodus 3:2. No one says it is Gabriel. Stop listening to your deceptive Muslim teachers!
3. If the “scholars and commentators” were honest, they would say that the text shows that the “Angel of the Lord” is not a mere creature but the incarnation of God himself.
i) In Exodus 3:2, the “Angel of the Lord” appears in the midst of the fire in the burning bush. Verses 4 to 6 tells us that it is God himself present and speaking. ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” (v.6) Is Gabriel your God?
ii) In Exodus 23:21, there is a warning to the Israelites that the “Angel of the Lord” will not pardon their transgressions if they refuse to obey him.
Who can pardon trangressions and sins? God or Gabriel?
iii) Read Judges 13. The “Angel of the Lord” appears to Manoah and his wife. At first he didn’t realize who it was. Later on, he understood that it was God himself who appeared to him and he cried, “We are doomed to die!” he said to his wife. “We have seen God!” Judges 13:22
The “Angel of the Lord” is the manifestation of God in a visible form. It is the pre-incarnate presence of Jesus himself.
Waraqa lied to Muhammad that Gabriel appeared to Moses for there is no such evidence in the Bible. Muhammad was ignorant and believed the tales that Waraqa told him
Well said and am pleased to read this, no any angel of God named Namus means custom or law and no any angel has or have a throne only jesus christ the lord. And my question is bible written by many people God choose and quran was predicted by one person muhammad, does it mean in islam there is no one who is holy God can talk to apart from muhamnad?
God spoke to many people and he choose or apear to another person once one died to read the people or write the living word.
Waraqa wasnt there how come he said something which he did not witnesed. These people need to be educated to know the truth, and i guess they know the truth but because is the satanism religion thats y they insist and sell their islam, religion wont be sold everyone can go to any religion she or he wnts
Amen
All the contents in this your story are nothing but false. You can’t compare Islam with Christianity. Islam is very clear while Christianity is ambiguous, full of a lot of ambiguity. Tell me in Bible where Jesus himself mention Christianity as a religion? Remember Bible is not a revelation.it’s a compilation of so called Jesus disciples. If truly you know that your story is not false provide us a reference or a proof.
Ismail,
You said everything in my article is false.
Muhamamd encountered a being in a cave that strangled him. Is this false?
Khadijah took Muhmmad to visit Waraqa. Is this false?
Muhammad tried to commit suicide three times. Is this false?
What is false? Tell me. You cant defend these embarassing stories about Muhammmad, so you call it false.
You said, “Tell me in Bible where Jesus himself mention Christianity as a religion?”
Which prophet in the Bible ever talked about religion? No prophet even mentioned the word religion!
Religions ae just man-made. Muhammad invented his own religion so he could get power and money and followers and all the sex he wanted.
The Bible talks about having a RELATIONSHIP with God, not a RELIGION with God.
Can Muslims have a relationship with God?
God richly bless you for this wonderful exposition, you’ve cleared a lot of misconceptions and doubts in our minds… Great job. Islam is the biggest scam in human history…
Of course! Any man or woman can have a relationship with God. That’s where Suifism comes in. As is Gnosticism. Jewish Kabaala etc.
Tommi,
Does the Quran support the idea that any man or woman can have a close relationship with God?
Sadly, the answer is NO. The only relationship a Muslim can have with Allah is SLAVE-MASTER. Read 19:93.
Amen sir….you have done a very good job here…all muslims need to see these…and also the fact that their kabba was originally a place for the idol god hubal…i dont think its God they worship there because every ritual the polytheistic arabic religion did to hubal is what muslims do…even encircling the kabba..muhammad also copied the polytheistic religion of hubal and added it to islam…such a shame…and if Muhammad was to come after jesus…why was he never mentioned in the bible??why didnt God not bother to tell the israelites and went to tell the polytheistic arabs???they also killed the israelites who refused islam…would God send people to kill his chosen nation????islam is sooo false
The only thing I disagree with on this article is the part about Nestorians. They were Christians. Getting something wrong scripturally like the nature of Christ doesn’t suddenly make somebody not a Christian.
If it did, well Catholics are heretics for believing in papal infallibility and many protestants are too for believing in speaking of tongues as an angel’s language. Both of which have no scripture support and therefore those who believe these things aren’t Christians at all according to this logic. I reject that though. They’re simply misinformed.
Waraqa however clearly wasn’t a Christian at all as he believed Muhammad to be a prophet and that “there has come to him the greatest Law that came to Moses.” If he was any type of Christian, even a Nestorian, he would have understood the law was fulfilled by Jesus. Jesus offered a new covenant and fulfilled the old. So there was no need for any new law just as there was no need for any prophet after Jesus. There was nothing to add. He gave us the answer to salvation through his crucifixion.
So Waraqa’s beliefs weren’t heretic, they weren’t even Christian in the first place.
The idea of him being Christian was probably something Muhammad or his followers added in an effort to try and convert Christians most likely.