Note from Mike Ghouse — A few exultant Muslims have put false narrations out there, what a shame! Those narrations are in currency and need to be removed, they are the fodder for Islamophobia. We hope someone can fund us to fix the problem by creating a Hadith book in two sections, the first volume will be authentic, and the second would be fake and questionable. First of all, Muslims need to know that some of the hadiths are false and outright criminals.
by Dr. Abdur Rab & Dr. Siraj Islam
The displays a particularly anti-Semitic sentiment. It urges believers to fight and kill the Jews wherever they are found. The following exemplify this:
Abdullah bin Umar reports that the Prophet said, “You (i.e. Muslims) will fight with the Jews till some of them will hide behind stones. The stones will (betray them) saying, ‘O ‘Abdullah (i.e. slave of Allah)! There is a Jew hiding behind me; so kill him.’”
A similar reported by Abu Huraira says that the Prophet allegedly said, “The Hour will not be established until you fight with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say. “O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him.”
Such violent, racist could not come from the Prophet. These are obviously fabricated falsely attributed to the Prophet
The shows the Prophet as an intolerant and violent person
Some showing the Prophet as a very intolerant and violent person are as follows:
Ibn Umar reports that the Prophet burned the garden of date palms of (the Jewish tribe) Bani an-Nadir.
Al-Bara bin Azib reports that Allah’s Apostle sent a group of the Ansar to Abu Rafi. Abdullah bin Atik entered his house at night and killed him while he was sleeping.
A longer version of this last by the same reporter does not mention that the victim was sleeping while he was killed.
Is it conceivable that the Prophet would send some of his people to kill others? The Quran urges believers to set even war captives free with or without a ransom.
While the Quran justifies only defensive wars, a reported by Abdullah bin Abi Aufa glorifies fighting without any qualification and says that paradise is under the shades of swords.
There are even reports that the Prophet did not forgive the Jewish tribe Bani al-Qurayza, whose necks were struck, whose wives and children were made slaves, and whose members estimated between 400 and 900 were killed. Some suggesting the occurrence of such an episode are as follows:
Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri reports, “When the tribe of Bani Quraiza was ready to accept Sad’s judgment, Allah’s Apostle sent for Sad who was near to him. Sad came, riding a donkey and when he came near, Allah’s Apostle said (to the Ansar), Stand up for your leader. Then Sad came and sat beside Allah’s Apostle who said to him. These people are ready to accept your judgment. Sad said, I give the judgment that their warriors should be killed and their children and women should be taken as prisoners. The Prophet then remarked, O Sad! You have judged amongst them with (or similar to) the judgment of the King Allah.”
Ibn Umar reports, “Bani An-Nadir and Bani Quraiza fought (against the Prophet violating their peace treaty), so the Prophet exiled Bani An-Nadir and allowed Bani Quraiza to remain at their places (in Medina) taking nothing from them (till they fought against the Prophet again). He then killed their men and distributed their women, children and property among the Muslims, but some of them came to the Prophet and he granted them safety, and they embraced Islam. He exiled all the Jews from Medina. They were the Jews of Bani Qainuqa’, the tribe of ‘Abdullah bin Salam and the Jews of Bani Haritha and all the other Jews of Medina.”
A report by al-Tabari and ibn Ishaq mentions that 800 to 900 Jewish boys and men were beheaded and dumped in ditches.
Another report by As-Sab bin Jaththama suggests the Prophet approved killing of women and children in a war: The Prophet passed by me at a place called Al-Abwa or Waddan, and was asked whether it was permissible to attack the pagan warriors at night with the probability of exposing their women and children to danger. The Prophet replied, “They (i.e. women and children) are from them (i.e. pagans).” I also heard the Prophet saying, “The institution of Hima is invalid except for Allah and His Apostle.”
All such reports belie the war rules and rules of behavior with the enemies that are required by the Quran. These stories must have been cooked up to malign the Prophet of Islam and the religion of Islam.
While the Quran provides complete freedom of religion, the tells believers to kill those who leave their religion. Some are as follows:
Ikrima reports that Ali burnt some people and this news reached Ibn ‘Abbas, who said, “Had I been in his place I would not have burnt them, as the Prophet said, ‘Don’t punish (anybody) with Allah’s Punishment.’ No doubt, I would have killed them, for the Prophet said, ‘If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, kill him.’”
But the Quran grants full religious freedom – freedom to accept or reject a religion. It does not therefore punish anyone for apostasy.
Excerpted from Hadith: The Authority Issue and How the Hadith Affects Muslim Beliefs and Practices, Second Print, pp. 85-89.
Dr. Abdur Rab is the author of Rediscovering Genuine Islam: The Case for a Quran-Only Islam, co-author, Toward A Quranic Understanding of the Divine: Perspective from Three Thinkers. His website is: http://quranonly.com/.
Dr. Siraj Islam is co-author of Toward A Quranic Understanding of the Divine: Perspective from Three Thinkers. He holds Quran-centric reformist views on Islam and currently maintains an active