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Does Prophet Muhammad's Contemplation of Suicide Disprove His Prophethood?

By
Bassam Zawadi

It seems like some Christians are trying to overdue and go far with this whole issue regarding Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) contemplation of suicide. They go as far as saying that Muhammad was possessed by Satan. Of course they offered no proof for saying such a statement. So many people have committed or attempted to commit suicide and no one ever concluded that they were possessed by Satan. So why the exception to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)? 

Even according to the missionary's article on the very bottom he posted evidence stating that the main reason why people commit or attempt to commit suicide is because of depression. This is the same thing that happened with the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), he was depressed. What, a Prophet cannot be depressed? Says who? What criteria are people using to say that? 

Lets look at the following hadith.....

Saheeh Bukhari

Volumn 009, Book 087, Hadith Number 111.
-----------------------------------------
Narated By 'Aisha : The commencement of the Divine Inspiration to Allah's Apostle was in the form of good righteous (true) dreams in his sleep. He never had a dream but that it came true like bright day light. He used to go in seclusion (the cave of) Hira where he used to worship(Allah Alone) continuously for many (days) nights. He used to take with him the journey food for that (stay) and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his food like-wise again for another period to stay, till suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him in it and asked him to read. The Prophet replied, "I do not know how to read." (The Prophet added), "The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it anymore. He then released me and again asked me to read, and I replied, "I do not know how to read," whereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it anymore. He then released me and asked me again to read, but again I replied, "I do not know how to read (or, what shall I read?)." Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me and then released me and said, "Read: In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists). Has created man from a clot. Read and Your Lord is Most Generous... up to... that which he knew not." (96.15)

Then Allah's Apostle returned with the Inspiration, his neck muscles twitching with terror till he entered upon Khadija and said, "Cover me! Cover me!" They covered him till his fear was over and then he said, "O Khadija, what is wrong with me?" Then he told her everything that had happened and said, 'I fear that something may happen to me." Khadija said, 'Never! But have the glad tidings, for by Allah, Allah will never disgrace you as you keep good reactions with your Kith and kin, speak the truth, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guest generously and assist the deserving, calamity-afflicted ones." Khadija then accompanied him to (her cousin) Waraqa bin Naufal bin Asad bin 'Abdul 'Uzza bin Qusai. Waraqa was the son of her paternal uncle, i.e., her father's brother, who during the Pre-Islamic Period became a Christian and used to write the Arabic writing and used to write of the Gospels in Arabic as much as Allah wished him to write. He was an old man and had lost his eyesight. Khadija said to him, "O my cousin! Listen to the story of your nephew." Waraqa asked, "O my nephew! What have you seen?" The Prophet described whatever he had seen.

Waraqa said, "This is the same Namus (i.e., Gabriel, the Angel who keeps the secrets) whom Allah had sent to Moses. I wish I were young and could live up to the time when your people would turn you out." Allah's Apostle asked, "Will they turn me out?" Waraqa replied in the affirmative and said: "Never did a man come with something similar to what you have brought but was treated with hostility. If I should remain alive till the day when you will be turned out then I would support you strongly." But after a few days Waraqa died and the Divine Inspiration was also paused for a while and the Prophet became so sad as we have heard that he intended several times to throw himself from the tops of high mountains and every time he went up the top of a mountain in order to throw himself down, Gabriel would appear before him and say, "O Muhammad! You are indeed Allah's Apostle in truth" whereupon his heart would become quiet and he would calm down and would return home. And whenever the period of the coming of the inspiration used to become long, he would do as before, but when he used to reach the top of a mountain, Gabriel would appear before him and say to him what he had said before. (Ibn 'Abbas said regarding the meaning of: 'He it is that Cleaves the daybreak (from the darkness)' (6.96) that Al-Asbah. means the light of the sun during the day and the light of the moon at night).

Taken from http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/MH_LM/from_the_beginning_of_revelation.htm

Taken from http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/SM_tsn/ch1s7.html#Interruption%20of%20Revelation

After mentioning the coming of the Revelation, the Messenger of All?[pbuh] said: "I have never abhorred anyone more than a poet or a mad man. I can not stand looking at either of them. I will never tell anyone of Quraish of my Revelation. I will climb a mountain and throw myself down and die. That will relieve me. I went to do that but halfway up the mountain, I heard a voice from the sky saying ‘O Muhammad! You are the Messenger of All?[pbuh] and I am Gabriel.’ I looked upwards and saw Gabriel in the form of a man putting his legs on the horizon. He said: ‘O Muhammad You are the Messenger of All?[pbuh] and I am Gabriel.’ I stopped and looked at him. His sight distracted my attention from what I had intended to do. I stood in my place transfixed. I tried to shift my eyes away from him. He was in every direction I looked at. I stopped in my place without any movement until Khadijah sent someone to look for me. He went down to Makkah and came back while I was standing in the same place. Gabriel then left, and I went back home. I found Khadijah at home, so I sat very close to her. She asked: ‘Father of Al-Qasim! Where have you been? I sent someone to look for you. He went to Makkah and returned to me.’ I told her of what I had seen. She replied: ‘It is a propitious sign, O my husband. Pull yourself together, I swear by All?that you are a Messenger for this nation.’ Then she stood up and went to Waraqa and informed him. Waraqa said: ‘I swear by All?that he has received the same Namus, i.e. angel that was sent to Moses. He is the Prophet of this nation. Tell him to be patient.’ She came back to him and told him of Waraqa’s words. When the Messenger of All?[pbuh] finished his solitary stay and went down to Makkah, he went to Waraqa, who told him: ‘You are the Prophet of this nation. I swear by All? that you have received the same angel that was sent to Moses.’" [At-Tabari 2/207; Ibn Hisham 1/237,238]

The Prophet was depressed about Waraqa dying and on top of all that he was also depressed about the revelation not coming down to him for a while. The Prophet was all alone. Almost everyone except a few went against him. Calling him a mad poet, magician, soothsayer, crazy etc. This all affects someone psychologically. The Prophet would ignore them and feel confident about him self because of the revelation that he would receive from God. However, this 'pause of revelation', known in Arabic as 'Fatrah', which at this time lasted some where between 6 months to three years made the Prophet feel lonely and depressed. Some even feel that it was only a matter of days.....

Taken from http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/SM_tsn/ch1s7.html#Interruption%20of%20Revelation

Other opinions were either 15 days or 25 days or 40 days. (Tasfsir of Qurtubi, Source: Online)

Conclusion

Assuming that the hadith is truly authentic, the whole issue of the Prophet contemplating suicide really doesn't prove anything against his Prophethood. The Prophet did not go around jumping from the mountain and surviving and failing to kill himself. No, he did not throw him self because Gabriel came and stopped him. If the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was truly inspired by Satan then Satan would order him to jump and kill him self just like how he tried to do with Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 4. Plus who was sending down these revelations to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) anyways? If these were the words of the Prophet Muhammad himself then why would the Prophet purposely do such a thing to him self? This Quran must have been coming from a supernatural source. Is that supernatural source Satan? Does the author of the Quran identify himself as Satan or as God?

From God

Surah 55:1-2

The Beneficent God, It is He Who has taught the Qur'an.

Not Satan

Zakir Naik makes a good point when he says......... 

Many people have a wrong concept of Satan. They think that Satan can probably do everything, except a couple of things that God can do. According to them, Satan is slightly below God in power. Since the people do not want to accept that the Qur’an is a miraculous revelation, they say that it is Satan's handiwork.

1. If Satan would have written the Qur’an, he would not have mentioned in the same Qur’an in Surah Nahl, chapter 16 verse no. 98

   "When thou does read
   The Qur’an, seek Allah’s protection from Satan the Rejected One."

   Is this how you feel Satan would write a book? Does he tell you; "Before you read my book ask God to save you from me?"

    

2. There are several verses in the Qur’an which will give enough evidence that Satan is not the author of the Qur’an.

   In Surah Al Aaraf chapter 7 verse 200

   "If a suggestion from Satan assail your (mind),
   seek refuge with Allah; for He hears and knows
   (all things).

   Why would Satan tell his followers, that whenever he gives any suggestions to them, they should seek refuge in Allah (swt) to whom he is an avowed enemy.

    

3. In Surah Baqarah, chapter 2 verse 168

   "O ye people!
   Eat of what is on earth, lawful and good;
   and do not follow the footsteps of the Evil one,
   For he is to you an avowed enemy."

    

4. In Surah Yasin, chapter 36 verse 60

   "Did I not enjoin on you,
   O ye children of Adam,
   that ye should not worship Satan;

   for that he was to you an enemy avowed?"

   Satan is intelligent, no wonder that he can put this idea into the minds of people that he himself wrote the Qur’an. Compared to Almighty God, Satan is insignificant, and Allah (swt) is far more intelligent. He knows Satan's evil intentions and hence no wonder that He has given the reader of the Qur’an several proofs to show that Qur’an is God’s word, and not Satan's word.

If Christians want to be stubborn and insist that the Quran is not the word of God but the word of Satan then they would have to provide evidence for such assertions and not just assume. The Quran claims to be the word of God, it is up to you to prove that the author of this book is lying.

The Prophet's depression and then rehabilitation does not disprove his Prophethood, as a matter of fact to me it goes even further to prove it. Because if he was possessed by Satan he would not have pulled through and succeeded in his mission to spread the message of God.

Recommended

https://www.answering-christianity.com/bassam_zawadi/was_muhammad_deceived.htm

Back to Rebuttals, and exposing the lies of the Answering Islam team section.

Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) section.

Islam and the Noble Quran - Questions and Answers.

Contradictions and History of Corruption in the Bible.

Bassam Zawadi's Rebuttals section.

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