Basis for Trusting Muhammad?

[Augustus]

Its been noted that he was quite well traveled and had plenty of interaction with the Jews and Christians of the day. Its not hard to wonder if maybe although he may have not been able to read, took advantage of his interactions with people, to learn their theologies and philosophies.

Also worth noting that the initial audience for the Quran, Muhammad's peers were also clearly familiar with Syriac Christian theologies and narratives. The Quran refers to these frequently, yet never explains them. You don't make reference to things that your audience don't understand without explanation, so it is pretty safe to assume there was no need to explain as they were intimately familiar.

I think it is more revealing to look at what the audience is assumed to know rather than looking at what Muhammad could have learned.

Arabia was to a significant extent monotheist before Muhammad, and many Arabs had a high degree of interaction with the Romans and Persians who had been paying them as mercenaries for a couple of centuries. The 'isolated pagan backwater' idea is mythical, although pagan communities might well have existed alongside monotheistic ones.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

The question is at that time what would have made you trust Muhammad. Now you only trust Muhammad on the basis of the Qur'an. But when Muhammad was starting out, there was no Qur'an. So what would have made you trust him then? There are many trustworthy people, but to believe his prophecy on the basis of his trustworthiness is quite foolish. There's a number of possibilities that can make an otherwise trustworthy person lie.

Doesn't this apply just as much to Moses as to Muhammad? I don't see why a prophet coming down from a mountain would necessarily be any more credible than a prophet coming out of a cave.

 

[First Baseman]

Doesn't this apply just as much to Moses as to Muhammad? I don't see why a prophet coming down from a mountain would necessarily be any more credible than a prophet coming out of a cave.

Aren't you forgetting that the people also heard the voice and saw the cloud? Also, the people saw the cloud lead them by day and the pillar of fire by night.

Also, there was mannah on the ground for them each day.

This isn't a good comparison at all.

 

[First Baseman]

I am glad that people are asking themselves this question about this man Mohammed. There is no way I would believe anyone who comes out a cave and blasphemes the Bible by claiming it is all wrong and that hey, he has a new Bible! Please. Take that crap elsewhere, I will not hear it.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

A man comes out of a cave and claims he recieved a prophecy. Why do you believe him?

Yes, I understand he was successful in his wars. But does that make him more heaven-sent than any other successful general?

If you were around in the time of Muhammad, on what basis would you believe he's telling the truth?

I don't know. I'm far removed from that time and place. I'd be willing to at least listen to him, though.

 

[First Baseman]

I don't know. I'm far removed from that time and place. I'd be willing to at least listen to him, though.

Would you continue to listen to him after he told you that Jesus Christ is not the Son of God, did not die on the cross and did not rise again? Surely you would not!

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Would you continue to listen to him after he told you that Jesus Christ is not the Son of God, did not die on the cross and did not rise again? Surely you would not!

I've considered converting to Islam before.

 

[Tumah]

Doesn't this apply just as much to Moses as to Muhammad? I don't see why a prophet coming down from a mountain would necessarily be any more credible than a prophet coming out of a cave.

Unlike Christian and Muslims with regards to Jesus and Muhammad, not taking Moses' word for it on his say so, was a key feature of Jewish interaction with him. Moses tells G-d that the Jews would (rightfully) not believe him on his say so and charisma. Even with the signs that G-d gave him to present to them, the Torah doesn't say they believed him until they personally experienced divine revelation themselves.

This thread is dedicated to Muhammad though. So I'll be discussing that rather than Moses or (l'havdil) Jesus here.

 

[Tumah]

I am glad that people are asking themselves this question about this man Mohammed. There is no way I would believe anyone who comes out a cave and blasphemes the Bible by claiming it is all wrong and that hey, he has a new Bible! Please. Take that crap elsewhere, I will not hear it.

This thread wasn't intended for that discussion, but you seem to have no problem taking the gospels' authors word for it either.
But we'll leave that for another thread.

 

[Tumah]

I don't know. I'm far removed from that time and place. I'd be willing to at least listen to him, though.

I imagine listening to him is the only way to find out what he's claiming.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I imagine listening to him is the only way to find out what he's claiming.

Well, yeah. Lol. I'd love to talk to all the prophets and founders of religions. Abraham, Jesus, Mohammad, the Buddha, etc.

 

[loverofhumanity]

A man comes out of a cave and claims he recieved a prophecy. Why do you believe him?

Yes, I understand he was successful in his wars. But does that make him more heaven-sent than any other successful general?

If you were around in the time of Muhammad, on what basis would you believe he's telling the truth?

There are a myriad reasons why I believe Muhammad is a Prophet from God. Among them the Quran. Another is He was prophesied in the Bible. Yet another is He banned a lot of things like infanticide which existed at the time and He united the warring tribes of Arabia into a great nation. Not forgetting He was an illiterate. He was the first Prophet of God to bring a constitution which have rights to the religions of the day.

Apart from the Bible, the Babi and Baha'i Writings confirm Him to be a Prophet from God. Christ spoke of Him also.

One more I just remembered. He was the greatest ever Teacher of Jesus. To become a Muslim one must accept Jesus. So far 1.7 billion believe in Jesus because of Muhammad.

 

[First Baseman]

I've considered converting to Islam before.

Why? Why on Earth would you turn from Him who gave His life for you? Did Mohammed die for you?

 

[Tumah]

Well, yeah. Lol. I'd love to talk to all the prophets and founders of religions. Abraham, Jesus, Mohammad, the Buddha, etc.

I'm not sure I'd call Abraham the founder of Judaism, but I get what you're saying.

 

[First Baseman]

Well, yeah. Lol. I'd love to talk to all the prophets and founders of religions. Abraham, Jesus, Mohammad, the Buddha, etc.

The only one of them you can talk to is Jesus. The rest of the people in that list are all dead.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

The only one of them you can talk to is Jesus. The rest of the people in that list are all dead.

Despite how incredibly rude you're being, I need to point out to you that Abraham is considered a Saint in the Catholic Church, so he is very much alive in Heaven and can intercede on our behalf. Don't tell me you don't believe in the Communion of Saints. If not, you really should just stop calling yourself a Catholic and just be the rabid Evangelical you're already coming off as. I'd definitely rather speak to Mohammad and the Buddha than you.

 

[Tumah]

There are a myriad reasons why I believe Muhammad is a Prophet from God. Among them the Quran.

This is an incomplete sentence.

Another is He was prophesied in the Bible.

And this is false.

Yet another is He banned a lot of things like infanticide which existed at the time

That seems like more of a reason to be repulsed by early Arabs, not a reason to believe him to be a divine messenger. Hopefully anyone with a thread of humanity and a bit of power would do so.

and He united the warring tribes of Arabia into a great nation.

So did a number of others in their countries.

Not forgetting He was an illiterate.

How illiterate is debatable.

He was the first Prophet of God to bring a constitution which have rights to the religions of the day.

This is false as well actually.

Apart from the Bible, the Babi and Baha'i Writings confirm Him to be a Prophet from God.

That doesn't really say very much, without presenting a reason to believe the Bab.

Christ spoke of Him also.

I doubt it.

One more I just remembered. He was the greatest ever Teacher of Jesus. To become a Muslim one must accept Jesus. So far 1.7 billion believe in Jesus because of Muhammad.

I'm not sure why you count that as a positive thing or as a proof of the divine nature of his message.

 

[loverofhumanity]

This is an incomplete sentence.

And this is false.

That seems like more of a reason to be repulsed by early Arabs, not a reason to believe him to be a divine messenger. Hopefully anyone with a thread of humanity and a bit of power would do so.

So did a number of others in their countries.

How illiterate is debatable.

This is false as well actually.


That doesn't really say very much, without presenting a reason to believe the Bab.


I doubt it.


I'm not sure why you count that as a positive thing or as a proof of the divine nature of his message.

Muhammad was sent by the same God as Jesus and all the Prophets. He had the same Holy Spirit that Christ had. Just like I recognise the Holy Spirit in Christ I can see that same light in Muhammad.

There is no difference between Them except the time and people They appeared to.

 

[FearGod]

For someone tells how universe created "big bang" and "expand of universe" and tells about sign of last day , and many others things.
Plus to the depth linguistic of Quran as you described.

I think it's not coincidence , or something reachable in that time.

Such verses are convincing for our time, but in the time of the prophet such verses didn't make
any sense as they weren't able to recognize that the universe was expanding or even more
precisely the space itself or to know that the earth was kind of smoke, actually such kind
of verses in that time is looks like magic and an unbelievable stories, only today and because
the advancement in science that we believe it to be true.

 

[Godobeyer]

Muhammad was sent by the same God as Jesus and all the Prophets. He had the same Holy Spirit that Christ had. Just like I recognise the Holy Spirit in Christ I can see that same light in Muhammad.

There is no difference between Them except the time and people They appeared to.

We the Muslims had the same respect to all Prophets of God .

Have a question
What's your religion ?