Judge by Yourself

By Yusuf Estes, Former Christian Preacher




Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul Muttalib Born 570 C.E. (Christian Era);
died 633 C.E.
The following is based on books, manuscripts, texts and actual eyewitess
accounts, too numerous to mention herein, preserved in orignal form
throughout the centuries by both Muslims and non-Muslims.
Many people today are discussing Prophet Muhammad, may Allah his
mention. Who was he exactly? What did he teach? Why was he loved so
much by some and hated so much by others? Did he live up to his claims?
Was he a holy man? Was he a prophet of God? What is the truth about this
man? You be the judge.
Here are the facts as narrated by thousands of people, many of whom knew
him personally. He was born to a noble tribe to the lineage of the leaders of
Makkah.
* His name comes from the Arabic root "hamd " and literally means "praised
one." People at his time and until this very moment, praise him many times
per day, may Allah exalt his mention.
* He never fell into the common practice of his tribesmen to worship statues,
idols or man-made "gods."
* He believed that God was truly One God, and as such, He was to be
worshipped alone, without any other "gods" beside Him.
* He held the Name of God in the highest of reverence and never took God's
ame in vain or for any vain glorious purpose.
* He despised false worship and all of the complexities and degradation to
which it leads.
Judge by Yourself

He adhered to the Commandments of Almighty God, just as prophets of old
had done in the past.
* He never committed adultery, and he forbade others from doing it.
* He forbade usury and interest on money lending, as Jesus, may Allah exalt
his mention, had done centuries before him.
* He never gambled and did not allow it.
* He never drank alcohol or strong drink; even though it was a very normal
thing for people of his time and place.
* He did not engage in gossip and used to turn away from hearing anything
related to it.
* He fasted for days at a time to be closer to Almighty God and away from the
narrowness of worldly attractions.
* He taught that Jesus, may Allah exalt his mention, was the immaculate
conception and miracle birth of Mary, and that she was among the best
creation of Almighty God.
* He insisted even to the Jews of Medina, that Jesus, may Allah exalt his
mention, was the Messiah, the Christ, the one predicted to come in their
Torah (Old Testament).
* He said Jesus, may Allah exalt his mention, did many miracles by the
permission of Almighty God, curing the lepers, restoring sight to the blind
and even bringing a dead man back to life.
* He stated clearly that Jesus, may Allah exalt his mention, was not dead,
rather Almighty God had raised him up.
* He foretold that Jesus, may Allah exalt his mention, is going to return again
in the Last Days to lead the true believers in a victory over the evil and
unrighteous people, and he will destroy the Anti-Christ.
* He commanded the payment of charity to the poor and he was the defender
and protector of widows, orphans and the wayfarers.

* He ordered people to unite with their families and honor the ties of kinship
and he restored relationships between family members.
* He required his followers to engage only in lawful marriage relationships
with women, and forbade sex outside of Almighty God's Ordinance.
* He insisted on giving women their proper rights, dowries, inheritance and
property.
* His patience and humble attitude were exemplary and all who knew him had
to admit to these virtues.
A. He never lied, never broke a trust never bore false witness, and he was
famous with all the tribes in Makkah and was known as: "The Truthful" (Al-
Ameen).
B. He never once engaged in sex outside of marriage, nor did he ever
approve of it, even though it was very common at the time.
C. His only relationships with women were in legitimate, contractual
marriages with proper witnesses according to law.
D. His relationship to Ayesha was only that of marriage. Their relationship
is described in every detail by Ayesha herself in the most loving and
respectful manner as a match truly made in heaven. Ayesha is considered
as one of the highest scholars of Islam and lived out her entire life only
having been married to Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention. She never
desired any other man, nor did she ever utter a single negative statement
against Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention.
E. He forbade any killing until the orders came from Allah. Even then the
limits were clearly spelled out and only those engaged in active combat
against the Muslims or Islam were to be fought in combat. And even then,
only according to very strict rules from Allah.
F. Killing any innocent life was forbidden.
G. There was no genocide of Jews. He offered mutual protection and
forgiveness to the Jews even after they broke their covenants with him many
times. They were not attacked until it was clearly proven they were traitors

during time of war and tried to bring down the prophet, may Allah exalt his
mention, and the Muslims at any cost. Retaliation was only to those Jews
who had turned traitor and not others.
H. Slaves were common in those days for all nations and tribes. It was Islam
that encouraged freeing of the slaves and the great reward from Allah for
those who did so. Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, gave the example
of this by freeing slaves and encouraging all of his followers to do the same.
Examples include his own servant (who was actually considered like a son
to him) Zaid ibn Al Haritha and Bilal the slave who was bought by Abu Bakr
only for the purpose of freeing him.
I. While there were many attempts of assassination made on Muhammad,
may Allah exalt his mention, (most famous was the night that Ali took his
place in bed while he and Abu Bakr escaped to Madinah), he did not allow
his companions to slaughter any of those who had been involved in these
attempts. Proof for this is when they entered Makkah triumphantly and his
first words were to command his followers not to harm such and such tribes
and so and so families. This was one of the most famous of his acts of
forgiveness and humbleness.
J. Military combat was forbidden for the first thirteen years of prophethood.
The desert Arabs did not need anyone to tell them how to fight or do combat.
They were experts in this area and held feuds amongst tribes that lasted for
decades. It was not until the proper method of warfare was instituted by
Allah in the Quran, with proper rights and limitations according His
Commandments, that any retaliation or combat was sanctioned. Orders
from Allah made it clear who was to be attacked, how and when and to what
extent fighting could take place.
K. Destruction of infrastructures is absolutely forbidden except when it is
ordained by Allah in certain instances and then only according to His
Commands.
L. Cursing and invoking evil actually came to the prophet, may Allah exalt
his mention, from his enemies, while he would be praying for their guidance.
Classic example is that of his journey to At-Taif where the leaders would not
even hear him out nor offer so much as the normal courtesy called for and
instead they set the children of the street against him, throwing rocks and
stones at him until his body was bleeding so much, blood filled his sandals.

He was offered revenge by the angel Gabriel, if he would give the command,
Allah would cause the surrounding mountains to fall down upon them
destroying them all. Instead of cursing them or asking for their destruction,
he prayed for them to be guided to worship their Lord alone, without any
partners.
M. Prophet Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention, claimed every person
who is born is born in a state of ISLAM (submission to God), as a Muslim
(MU-Islam means; "one who does ISLAM" i.e.; submits to God's Will and
obeys His Commandments). Then as they grow older they begin to distort
their faith according to the influence of the prevailing society and their own
prejudices.
N. Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention, taught his followers to believe
in the God of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Solomon and
Jesus, peace be upon them all, and to believe in them as true prophets,
messengers and slaves of Almighty Allah. He insisted on ranking all the
prophets up at the highest level without any distinction between them.
O. He also taught the Torah (Old Testament), Zaboor (Psalms) and Injeel
(Gospel or New Testament) were originally from the very same source as
the Quran, from Allah.
P. He prophesied and foretold of events to come and they happened as he
had said. He even predicted something from the past that would come true
in the future, and it has.
Q. The Quran states pharaoh was drowned in the Red Sea while chasing
after Moses and Allah said He would preserve Pharaoh as a sign for the
future. Dr. Maurice Bucaille in his book, "Bible, Quran and Science " makes
it clear this has happened and the very person of Pharaoh has been
discovered in Egypt and is now on display for all to see.
R. This event took place thousands of years before Muhammad, may Allah
exalt his mention, and it came true in the last few decades, many centuries
after his death.
There has been more written about the propha lwwdvi hdiet Muhammad,
may Allah exalt his mention, than any other person on earth. He has been
praised very high even by famous non-Muslims for centuries. One of the first

examples we quote from is from the Encyclopedia Britannica , as it confirms
(regarding Muhammad)” ". . . a mass of detail in the early sources shows that
he was an honest and upright man who had gained the respect and loyalty of
others who were likewise honest and upright men." (Vol. 12).
Another impressive tribute to Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention is in
the very well written work of Michael H. Hart, "The 100: A Ranking of the
Most Influential Persons in History." He states that the most influential person
in all history was Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention, with Jesus in the
third place. Examine his actual words: "My choice of Muhammad to lead the
list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and
may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was
supremely successful on both the religious and secular level." Michael H.
Hart , THE 100: A RANKING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN
HISTORY, New York: Hart Publishing Company, Inc., 1978, page. 33.
While we are reviewing statements from famous non-Muslims about Prophet
Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention, consider this: "Philosopher, orator,
apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of
a cult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one
spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human
greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than
he? " Lamartine , HISTOIRE DE LA TURQUIE, Paris, 1854, Vol. II, pp. 276-
277.
George Bernard Shaw, a famous writer and non-Muslim says: "He must be
called the Savior of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume
the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems
in a way that would bring it much needed peace and happiness." (The Genuine
Islam, Singapore, Vol. 1, No. 8, 1936) .
K.S. Ramakrishna Rao, an Indian (Hindu) professor of Philosophy, in his
booklet "Muhammad the Prophet of Islam" calls him the "perfect model for
human life." Professor Ramakrishna Rao explains his point by saying: "The
personality of Muhammad, it is most difficult to get into the whole truth of it.
Only a glimpse of it I can catch. What a dramatic succession of picturesque
scenes. There is Muhammad the Prophet. There is Muhammad the Warrior;
Muhammad the Businessman; Muhammad the Statesman; Muhammad the
Orator; Muhammad the Reformer; Muhammad the Refuge of Orphans;
Muhammad the Protector of Slaves; Muhammad the Emancipator of Women;

Muhammad the Judge; Muhammad the Saint. All in all these magnificent
roles, in all these departments of human activities, he is alike a hero."
Mahatma Gandhi, speaking on the character of Muhammad, may Allah exalt
his mention, says in 'YOUNG INDIA' : "I wanted to know the best of one who
holds today undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind... I became
more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in
those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter selfeffacement
of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense
devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his
absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried
everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the
2nd volume (of the Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not more for
me to read of the great life."
Thomas Carlyle in his 'Heroes and Hero Worship' , was simply amazed as to:
"How one man single handedly, could weld warring tribes and wandering
Bedouins into a most powerful and civilized nation in less than two decades."
Diwan Chand Sharma wrote in "The Prophets of the East ": "Muhammad
was the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt and never forgotten by
those around him" . (D.C. Sharma, The Prophets of the East, Calcutta, 1935,
pp. 12).
Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention, was nothing more or less than a
human being, but he was a man with a noble mission, which was to unite
humanity on the worship of ONE and ONLY ONE GOD and to teach them the
way to honest and upright living based on the commands of God. He always
described himself as, 'A Slave and Messenger of God' and so indeed every
action of his proclaimed to be.
Speaking on the aspect of equality before God in Islam, the famous poetess
of India, Sarojini Naidu says: "It was the first religion that preached and
practiced democracy; for, in the mosque, when the call for prayer is sounded
and worshippers are gathered together, the democracy of Islam is embodied
five times a day when the peasant and king kneel side by side and proclaim:
'God Alone is Great'... I have been struck over and over again by this indivisible
unity of Islam that makes man instinctively a brother."
(S. Naidu, Ideals of Islam, vide Speeches & Writings , Madras, 1918, p. 169).

In the words of Professor Hurgronje: "The league of nations founded by the
prophet of Islam put the principle of international unity and human brotherhood
on such universal foundations as to show candle to other nations." He
continues, "the fact is that no nation of the world can show a parallel to what
Islam has done towards the realization of the idea of the League of Nations."
Edward Gibbon and Simon Ockley, on the profession of ISLAM, writes in
"History of the Saracen Empires" : "I BELIEVE IN ONE GOD, AND
MAHOMET, AN APOSTLE OF GOD' is the simple and invariable profession
of Islam. The intellectual image of the Deity has never been degraded by any
visible idol; the honor of the Prophet have never transgressed the measure of
human virtues; and his living precepts have restrained the gratitude of his
disciples within the bounds of reason and religion." (History of the Saracen
Empires , London, 1870, p. 54) .
Wolfgang Goethe, perhaps the greatest European poet ever, wrote about
Prophet Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention. He said:
"He is a prophet and not a poet and therefore his Koran is to be seen as
Divine Law and not as a book of a human being, made for education or
entertainment." (Noten und Abhandlungen zum Weststlichen Dvan, WA I, 7,
32).
People do not hesitate to raise to divinity and even make 'gods' out of other
individuals whose lives and missions have been lost in legend. Historically
speaking, none of these legends achieved even a fraction of what Muhammad,
may Allah exalt his mention, accomplished. And all his striving was for the
sole purpose of uniting mankind for the worship of One God on the codes of
moral excellence. Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention, or his followers
never at any time claimed that he was a son of God or the God-incarnate or
a man with divinity – but he always was and is even today considered as only
a Messenger chosen by God.
Today after a lapse of fourteen centuries, the life and teachings of Muhammad,
may Allah exalt his mention, have survived without the slightest loss, alteration
or interpolation. They offer the same undying hope for treating mankind's
many ills, which they did when he was alive. This is not a claim of Muhammad’s,
may Allah exalt his mention, followers, but the inescapable conclusion forced
upon by a critical and unbiased history.

In the words of Professor Hurgronje: "The league of nations founded by the
prophet of Islam put the principle of international unity and human brotherhood
on such universal foundations as to show candle to other nations." He
continues, "the fact is that no nation of the world can show a parallel to what
Islam has done towards the realization of the idea of the League of Nations."
Edward Gibbon and Simon Ockley, on the profession of ISLAM, writes in
"History of the Saracen Empires" : "I BELIEVE IN ONE GOD, AND
MAHOMET, AN APOSTLE OF GOD' is the simple and invariable profession
of Islam. The intellectual image of the Deity has never been degraded by any
visible idol; the honor of the Prophet have never transgressed the measure of
human virtues; and his living precepts have restrained the gratitude of his
disciples within the bounds of reason and religion." (History of the Saracen
Empires , London, 1870, p. 54) .
Wolfgang Goethe, perhaps the greatest European poet ever, wrote about
Prophet Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention. He said:
"He is a prophet and not a poet and therefore his Koran is to be seen as
Divine Law and not as a book of a human being, made for education or
entertainment." (Noten und Abhandlungen zum Weststlichen Dvan, WA I, 7,
32).
People do not hesitate to raise to divinity and even make 'gods' out of other
individuals whose lives and missions have been lost in legend. Historically
speaking, none of these legends achieved even a fraction of what Muhammad,
may Allah exalt his mention, accomplished. And all his striving was for the
sole purpose of uniting mankind for the worship of One God on the codes of
moral excellence. Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention, or his followers
never at any time claimed that he was a son of God or the God-incarnate or
a man with divinity – but he always was and is even today considered as only
a Messenger chosen by God.
Today after a lapse of fourteen centuries, the life and teachings of Muhammad,
may Allah exalt his mention, have survived without the slightest loss, alteration
or interpolation. They offer the same undying hope for treating mankind's
many ills, which they did when he was alive. This is not a claim of Muhammad’s,
may Allah exalt his mention, followers, but the inescapable conclusion forced
upon by a critical and unbiased history.