Re: The Simple Life of Muhammad....

January 4, 2005

and this relates to jaw surgery how...i'm pretty sure mohamad or

whatever didn't have jaw surgery...

Tom

> What you are about to read might sound unusual but it could be very

> enlightened

>

> The Simple Life of Muhammad

>

> If we compare the life of Muhammad before his mission as a

> prophet and his life after he began his mission as a prophet, we

will

> conclude that it is beyond reason to think that Muhammad was a false

> prophet, who claimed prophethood to attain material gains,

greatness,

> glory, or power.

> Before his mission as a prophet, Muhammad had no financial worries.

As a

> successful and reputed merchant, Muhammad drew a satisfactory and

> comfortable income. After his mission as a prophet and because of

it, he

> became worse off materially. To clarify this more, let us browse the

> following sayings on his life:

> Aa'isha, Muhammad's wife, said, " O my nephew, we would sight three?

new

> moons in two months without lighting a fire (to cook a meal) in the

> Prophet's houses. " Her nephew asked, " O Aunt, what sustained you? "

She

> said, " The two black things, dates and water, but the Prophet had

some

> Ansar neighbors who had milk-giving she-camels and they used to

send the

> Prophet some of its milk. "

>

> Sahl Ibn Sa'ad, one of Muhammad's companions, said, " The? Prophet

of God

> did not see bread made from fine flour from the time God sent him

(as a

> prophet) until he died. "

>

> Aa'isha, Muhammad's wife, said, " The? mattress of the Prophet , on

which he

> slept, was made of leather stuffed with the fiber of the date-palm

tree. "

>

> Amr Ibn Al-Hareth, one of Muhammad's? companions, said that when the

> Prophet died, he left neither money nor anything else except his

white

> riding mule, his arms, and a piece of land which he left to

charity.

> Muhammad lived this hard life till he died although the Muslim

treasury was

> at his disposal, the greater part of the Arabian Peninsula was

Muslim

> before he died, and the Muslims were victorious after eighteen

years of his

> mission.

> Is it possible that Muhammad might have claimed prophet hood in

order to

> attain status, greatness, and power? The desire to enjoy status and

power

> is usually associated with good food, fancy clothing, monumental

palaces,

> colorful guards, and indisputable authority. Do any of these

indicators

> apply to Muhammad ? A few glimpses of his life that may help answer

this

> question follow.

> Despite his responsibilities as a prophet, a teacher, a statesman,

and a

> judge, Muhammad used to milk his goat, mend his clothes, repair his

shoes,

> help with the household work, and visit poor people when they got

sick. He

> also helped his companions in digging a trench by moving sand with

them.

> His life was an amazing model of simplicity and humbleness.

>

> Muhammad's followers loved him, respected him, and trusted him to an

> amazing extent. Yet he continued to emphasize that deification

should be

> directed to God and not to him personally. Anas, one of Muhammad's

> companions, said that there was no person whom they loved more than

the

> Prophet Muhammad , yet when he came to them, they did not stand up

for him

> because he hated their standing up for him, as other people do with

their

> great people.

>

> Long before there was any prospect of success for Islam and at the

outset

> of a long and painful era of torture, suffering, and persecution of

> Muhammad and his followers, he received an interesting offer. An

envoy of

> the pagan leaders, Otba, came to him saying, " ...If you want money,

we will

> collect enough money for you so that you will be the richest one of

us. If

> you want leadership, we will take you as our leader and never

decide on any

> matter without your approval. If you want a kingdom, we will crown

you king

> over us... " Only one concession was required from Muhammad in

return for

> that, to give up calling people to Islam and worshipping God alone

without

> any partner. Wouldn't this offer be tempting to one pursuing worldly

> benefit? Was Muhammad hesitant when the offer was made? Did he turn

it down

> as a bargaining strategy leaving the door open for a better offer?

The

> following was his answer: {In the Name of God, the Most Gracious,

the Most

> Merciful} And he recited to Otba the verses of the Quran 41:1-38.

The

> Following are some of these verses:

> A revelation from (God), the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful; a

Book

> whereof the verses are explained in detail; a Quran in Arabic, for

people

> who know, giving good news and warning, yet most of them turn away,

so they

> do not listen. (Quran, 41:2-4)

>

> On another occasion and in response to his uncle's plea to stop

calling

> people to Islam, Muhammad's answer was as decisive and sincere: {I

swear by

> the name of God, O Uncle!, that if they place the sun in my right-

hand and

> the moon in my left-hand in return for giving up this matter

(calling

> people to Islam), I will never desist until either God makes it

triumph or

> I perish defending it}

>

> Muhammad and his few followers did not only suffer from

> persecution for thirteen years but the unbelievers even tried to

kill

> Muhammad several times. On one occasion they attempted to kill him

by

> dropping a large boulder, which could barely be lifted, on his head.

> Another time they tried to kill him by poisoning his food. What

could

> justify such a life of suffering and sacrifice even after he was

fully

> triumphant over his adversaries? What could explain the humbleness

and

> nobility which he demonstrated in his most glorious moments when he

> insisted that success is due only to God's help and not to his own

genius?

> Are these the characteristics of a power-hungry or a self-centered

man?

>

> For more information about Islam

> http://www.geocities.com/mu7ammad1/1.html

January 4, 2005