Why would anyone believe him?

Ron Webb wrote: Many people believed (the Christian version of) Jesus too.  And Buddha.  And Lao-Tzu.  And Joseph Smith.  And L. Ron Hubbard.  Why don't you believe any of them?

Now, now, don't change the subject.  You opened this thread, Ron.  You gave it the title "Why would anyone believe him?"  Well, people did believe him, Ron!  Your central question was absurd from the get-go! Do you acknowledge that?

Ron Webb wrote: All of the above.  Or maybe he was just crazy.  I dunno, lots of people claim that God talks to them.  Should we believe all of them?

So you have no proof and no answers.  You're just throwing out all sorts of crackpot theories.  You know, you are a good candidate for the "Agnostic Code":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R66r_XMoDkk

Now, let's deal with your theories.  Was Muhammad (peace be upon him) motivated by power, wealth and influence?  The short answer is no.  Here is the long answer:

He was already a well-respected merchant and married to a well-off woman, Hazrat Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her), by the time he received the revelation.  So, the idea that he decided one day that in order to get power, wealth and influence, he had to pretend like he received God's revelation is just absurd.  But in case you are still not convinced, let us consider that once he had made his message public and the pagan elites of Mecca had initially reacted with anger and at times violence, they became frustrated with his persistence and hence made him an offer which any man who was seeking power and wealth would have been crazy to turn down.  They offered him those things.  They offered him influence and power, if only he would stop preaching against their idols.  Yet, he refused their offer!  Why would he have done that if his goal was the very things the pagans had just offered him? 

Let's look at it another way.  If Muhammad (peace be upon him) was an impostor, then why did he go above and beyond in the practice of his religion, doing more than what he required of his followers?  For example, in the matter of fasting, it is well known that he fasted longer than his followers and that when his followers asked to be allowed to fast as long as he did, he did not allow them to do so.  Why did he do that?  Why would he have deliberately placed more difficulties on himself if he was indeed an impostor? 

For more, read the following: http://www.islam-guide.com/ch1-6.htm 

As for your other crackpot theory, that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was "crazy", kindly enlighten us as to how a supposedly "crazy" person was able to so successfully change not just Arabia but the whole world?  If he was crazy, how was he able to make competent decisions in the heat of battle?  How was he able to negotiate peace treaties with various tribes?  How would a "crazy" person have accomplished so much? 

Ron Webb wrote: For any or all of the aforementioned reasons.  Plus, once he started down that road, what choice did he have?  How you think he would have been treated if he had recanted?

 

Well, for one thing, he could have accepted the Meccans offer in exchange for not preaching against their religion.  Having made his enemies desperate enough to give him all the things he wanted, why did he reject their offer?  Why did he choose to live a simple life, using only a leather bed?  Why did he deliberately do more religious acts than he required of his followers?  Why did he, when he died, have only a white mule, his swords and some land?  Imagine!  The most powerful man in Arabia had no wealth at the time he died?  Where did the wealth go?  Even the land he had left was given in charity. 

You see, Ron?  Your crackpot ideas are utterly ridiculous!  But don't worry.  You can still live in your own world and refuse to believe in Muhammad (peace be upon him).  No one cares!  But on the Day of Judgment, you might look back on these conversations and kick yourself! 


Edited by islamispeace - 01 July 2014 at 4:18pm

islamispeace wrote: As-salaam alaikum.  Brother, we should not get upset when unbelievers make st**id statements.  Rather, we should respond to them.  We cannot be too uptight.  Otherwise, they may get the impression that we don't have any answers.

With respect bro, this clown Ron Webb has been 'at it' for well over a year now. He just conterargues every point we make with nonsense and we shouldn't entertain clowns like him.

Greetings,
Why they believed him? Well if some1 has seen a person getting to the age of 40 right infront of them n only seen the good things from that person. If u have known that person only to be an honest and truthful man and an upright member of an high esteemed household.
Another factor of every religion, no matter how many u associate with God, all of them believe in 'ONE TRUE POWERFUL, THE CREATOR OF EVERYTHING'. Not long back they themselves had seen Rab of kaaba saving this sacred house without any human help.
And lastly ron
have u ever read Holy Quran? Any person reading Holy Quran without any bias would know its something different.
He saw talked about sacial unjustice and told people that this wordly division is not what matters, He saw gave them a hope. He saw told them where and who u born does not matter as much as what u do with urself.
And yeah some other leaders mentioned did try to do somethings but they lacked in one way r other. In the book 100 most influential people, it is said that he was the only leader to achieve excellence on both wordly n religious fronts. Somebody who dint only preach equality but his prayer showed n put a master next to slave.
I know people who choose not to believe him r there but his companions saw miracles with being around him.


Edited by fatima - 05 July 2014 at 12:32am

Now the question why only him saw, there are so many others. Well the ones b4 him in their own time, if they were Prophets who came to their people should have been followed by those people they came to. Sayyidiba Muhammad saw came as a last Prophet to the whole world, every human living on this planet today is his ummah whether he believes in him r not. Previous generations were punished when they rejected a Prophet. But as Sayyidina Muhammad saw was last Prophet n that too to the whole world time limit is more.
As for gautam buddha, a scholar from pakistan dr israr mentions in his tafsir that according to few other scholars n him, buddha might have been a prophet whose teachings were lost with time.
And guru nanak never claimed to have divine revelation. In fact if u read history u will find out that a muslim scholar of the time shah waLi Allah wanted to give guru nanak a muslim burial. As he claimed that guru nanak had accepted islam before his death. Now if u look into guru nanak'S teaching u will c emphasis on one creator. This a fact a human being who truely is seeking the truth can get to on his own. Next is the divine revelation which stopped with Sayyidina Muhammad saw but been promised to be preserved till the last day.
ALLAHU Subhanahu Wataala alam