False Stories about Prophet Muhammad There are several false stories about Prophet Muhammad going around Anti-Islamic circles. Here I will examine these stories and say why they are false.
Here I document 8 false stories about Prophet Muhammad and why they should be discarded (Note for the first five false stories, I already cover it in a previous essay and the link, links to that essay). As for False story #6—Bassam Zawadi already covers it on his website, which I link to.
False Story #5 The Zaniab bint Jash StoryFalse Story #7 The Talking Donkey Yafoor False Story #8: The Deer Story False Story #9: The Prophet Said the Torah was from God. False Story #10 Prophet Muhammad killed 900 Jews from the Tribe of QurayzaFalse Story # 11 Prophet Muhammad ordering the killing of any Jew and the death of Ibn SunayaFalse Story #12 Other false killing stories in Ibn Ishaq's sira (biography) False Story #13 Prophet Muhammad said that Adam was 90 feet tall False Story #14 Prophet Muhammad said that when a boy grows up he'll see judgement day False Story #15 Prophet Muhammad said a man will not be asked as to why he beat his wife False Story #16 Prophet Muhammad said that only the man can allow for divorce/ Prophet forced divorcesFalse Story #17 Prophet Muhammad and snakesFalse Story #6 Zaninab Bint Jash: The Truth Behind the Marriage
Update: I have responded to the story of Zaniab bint Jash in more detail here.
The story of Zaninab Bint Jash changing her clothes and Prophet Muhammad peeking into her room, seeing her undress and falling in love with her beauty is false. This false story is found in Al-Tabari (which is filled with fake narrations as I document here). The story of Prophet Muhammad finds Zaniab Bint Jash changing her clothes and fanscinated with her beauty gets a revelation from Allah telling him its okay to marry her because Zaid is ordered to divorce her. The story goes like this:
The Messenger of God came to the house of Zayd b. Harithah. (Zayd was always called Zayd b. Muhammad.) Perhaps the Messenger of God missed him at that moment, so as to ask, "Where is Zayd?" He came to his residence to look for him but did not find him. Zaynab bt. Jash, Zayd's wife, rose to meet him. Because she was dressed only in a shift, the Messenger of God turned away from her. She said: "He is not here, Messenger of God. Come in, you who are as dear to me as my father and mother!" The Messenger of God refused to enter. Zaynab had dressed in haste when she was told "the Messenger of God is at the door." She jumped up in haste and excited the admiration of the Messenger of God, so that he turned away murmuring something that could scarcely be understood. However, he did say overtly: "Glory be to God the Almighty! Glory be to God, who causes the hearts to turn!"
When Zayd came home, his wife told him that the Messenger of God had come to his house. Zayd said, "Why didn't you ask him to come in?" He replied, "I asked him, but he refused." "Did you hear him say anything?" he asked. She replied, "As he turned away, I heard him say: ?Glory be to God the Almighty! Glory be to God, who causes hearts to turn!'"
So Zayd left, and having come to the Messenger of God, he said: "Messenger of God, I have heard that you came to my house. Why didn't you go in, you who are as dear to me as my father and mother? Messenger of God, perhaps Zaynab has excited your admiration, and so I will separate myself from her." Zayd could find no possible way to [approach] her after that day. He would come to the Messenger of God and tell him so, but the Messenger of God would say to him, "Keep your wife." Zayd separated from her and left her, and she became free.
While the Messenger of God was talking with 'A'isha, a fainting overcame him. When he was released from it, he smiled and said, "Who will go to Zaynab to tell her the good news, saying that God has married her to me?" Then the Messenger of God recited: "And when you said unto him on whom God has conferred favor and you have conferred favor, “Keep your wife to yourself .'"- and the entire passage.
According to 'A'isha, who said: "I became very uneasy because of what we heard about her beauty and another thing, the greatest and loftiest of matters - what God had done for her by giving her in marriage. I said she would boast of it over us. [1]
When reporting this story Tabari (the hadith narrator) failed to provide a chain of narrators, is not a single chain of narrators at all, regarding this hadith (or story). It just begins with, "It was said that...." This is not a trustworthy narration and in fact is discarded by several Islamic scholars:
"So far as the fanciful stories and calumnies of the Orientalists are concerned, we can only say that these are so absurd that any one having even a grain of sense in him would unhesitatingly reject them as mere fabrications. William Muir and so may others like him state that the Prophet, having seen Zaynab by change through a half-open door, was fascinated by her beauty, and that Zayd having come to know of the leanings of his master, divorced her and then she was marred by Muhammad. There is absolutely no truth in these stories which have been fabricated in this connection." [2]
Why didn’t he marry her when she was single? Moreover the story of Prophet Muhammad seeing Zanib undress and seeing her beauty, and making Zaid (his apopted son) divorce her so he could marry her is apocryphal (fake) and not at all historical. The real story behind why Prophet Muhammad married Zaniab was because her marriage with Zaid was not working out because she was constantly complaining and nagging to Zaid. Prophet Muhammad refused to have Zaid divocrce her and told Zaid to Fear God. After the marriage proved to be fruitless and Zaniab continued over to over to nag and complain, Zaid had enough and divorced her. Prophet Muhammad then decided to marry her, not of lust, but out of mercy due to her financial status.
When Zanib divorced Zaid she had no home, and Prophet Muhammad offered her a home by marrying her. As to Prophet Muhammad manipulating the divorce to satisty his own whims, I think Paul Grieve (2006) writes it best when he writes:
There are also responses to be made to the accusation that Muhammad manipulated the divorce to satisfy his own sexual whim. ….. whom he (Muhammad) knew well (Zaniab), and he could have married her at a much earlier time had he been so inclined. Secondly, at the time of the marriage, after the Farewell Pilgrimage, Muhammad was in poor health and close to death.” [3]
Moreover Prophet Muhammad did not want to marry Zaniab as this hadith tells us:
Narrated Anas: Zaid bin Haritha came to the Prophet complaining about his wife. The Prophet kept on saying (to him), "Be afraid of Allah and keep your wife." Aisha said, "If Allah's Apostle were to conceal anything (of the Quran) he would have concealed this Verse." Zainab used to boast before the wives of the Prophet and used to say, "You were given in marriage by your families, while I was married (to the Prophet) by Allah from over seven Heavens." And Thabit recited, "The Verse:-- ?But (O Muhammad) you did hide in your heart that which Allah was about to make manifest, you did fear the people,' (33.37) was revealed in connection with Zainab and Zaid bin Haritha." (Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 516)
So the marriage between Prophet Muhammad and Zaniab was divinely ordained in the Quran and is in no way did Prophet Muhammad steal someone’s wife. Zaniab being a divorcee was to be married to Prophet Muhammad whether he liked it or not because of commandment of Allah by the Quran. Zaniab divorced Zaid because the marriage was not working out, and Prophet Muhammad offered to marry her. This was backed by a divine commandment by Allah (God) in the Quran. So all what happened is that Prophet Muhammad married a divorcee. That’s it.
References
[1] The History of Al-Tabari: The Victory of Islam, translated by Michael Fishbein [State University of New York Press, Albany, 1997], Volume VIII, pp. 2-3
[2] (Source: The Life of Muhammad, by Abdul Hameed Siddique, Islamic Publications LTD, p. 214, bold and underlined emphasis ours)
[3] Grieve, Paul: Islam: History, Faith and Politics: The Complete Introduction. Carroll and Gulf Publishers, New York, 2006 pgs.77-78
False Story # 7: The Talking Donkey, Yafoor
According to many Islamic scholars over the years, the story of Prophet Muhammad having a donkey and speaking to it is a false story. The story first appeared in The book "The Beginning and the End" written by Ibn Kathir, Chapter Six, Entry title: "The Conversation of the Donkey". The story goes like this:
"When Allah opened Khaybar to his prophet Muhammad – may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him – he (Muhammad) received as his share of the spoils four sheep, four goats, ten pots of gold and silver and a black, haggard donkey.
The prophet – may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him – ADDRESSED the donkey asking, ‘What is your name?’ THE DONKEY ANSWERED, ‘Yazid Ibn Shihab. Allah had brought forth from my ancestry 60 donkeys, none of whom were ridden on except by prophets. None of the descendants of my grandfather remain but me, and none of the prophets remain but you and I expected you to ride me. Before you, I belonged to a Jewish man, whom I caused to stumble and fall frequently so he used to kick my stomach and beat my back.’
The prophet – may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him – said to him, ‘I will call you Ya’foor, Oh Ya’foor.’ Then Ya’foor REPLIED, ‘I obey.’ The prophet then asked, ‘Do you desire females?’ The donkey replied, ‘NO!’
So the prophet used to ride the donkey to complete his business and if the prophet dismounted from him he would send the donkey to the house of the person he wanted to visit and Ya’foor would knock at the door with his head. When the owner of the house would answer the door, the donkey would signal to that person to go see the prophet.
When the prophet died, the donkey went to a well belonging to Abu Al-Haytham Ibn Al-Tahyan and threw himself in the well out of sadness for the prophet’s death, making it his grave."
In regards to the story of the speaking donkey, please refer to the following sources that speak of its fabrication:
- Ibn Hibban states that there is no foundation for this narration in Al Majrooheen, Volume 2, page 328
- Al Dhahabi states that this narration is fabricated in Mizan al-Itidal¸ Volume 4, page 34
- Sheikh Albany states that this narration is fabricated in Silsilatil Ahaadeeth Al Da'eefa, Hadith no. 5405
- Ibn Al Jawzi asked Allah to curse the individual who fabricated this narration. See Mizan al-Itidal and Lisaan Al Mizan [1]
False Story # 8 The Deer Story
As for the Speaking Deer story found in "The Beginning and the End" written by Ibn Kathir, Chapter Six, Entry title: "The Conversation of the Deer", it again is a fabricated story. The story is bascially a deer talks to Prophet Muhammad and tells him that she wants to feed her young and then she would return to her captors. She keeps
her promise, and the Arabs who captured her let her go because they heard her talking to the Prophet. It's a nice story, I remember my Mom told me it a while
ago. However its been deemed weak or fabricated.
In regards to the story of the speaking deer, please refer to the following sources that speak of its weakness:
- Al Bayhaqi states that it is weak in Dalail Al Nubuwwah, Volume 6, page 35
- Al Dhahabi in Mizan al-Itidal, Volume, page 456 states that it is fabricated.
- Ibn Kathir criticizes the matn (content) and isnad (chain of transmission) in Tuhfatil Taalib, page 158
- Ibn Hajar Al Asqalani states that this narration is rare in Muwaafaqatil Khabar Al Khabar, Volume 1, page 246.
- Al Suyuti in his Al Khasaais Al Kubra, Volume 2, page 61 [2]
References
[1] From Bassam Zawadi’s website: http://www.call-to-monotheism.com/rebuttal_to_sam_shamoun_s_article__muhammad_and_his_donkey__the_amazing_fables_of_islam_
[2] Ibid.
False Story #9 The Prophet Said the Torah was from God.
This isn't much of story, rather its a hadith. Bascially the hadith in Abu Dawud Book 38, Number 4434 shows that Muhammad respected the Torah and thus acknowledged its sanctity. This shows that Muhammad believed that the Torah at his time was not textually corrupted.
Narrated Abdullah Ibn Umar: A group of Jews came and invited the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) to Quff. So he visited them in their school.
They said: AbulQasim, one of our men has committed fornication with a woman; so pronounce judgment upon them. They said: AbulQasim, one of our men has committed fornication with a woman; so pronounce judgment upon them. They placed a cushion for the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) who sat on it and said: Bring the Torah. It was then brought. He then withdrew the cushion from beneath him and placed the Torah on it saying: I believed in thee and in Him Who revealed thee.He then said: Bring me one who is learned among you. Then a young man was brought. The transmitter then mentioned the rest of the tradition of stoning similar to the one transmitted by Malik from Nafi'(No. 4431). (Dawud Book 38, Number 4434)
This report is considered weak because one of its reporters is Hisham ibn Sa'd whose narratives are disturbed and corrupted according to many hadith critics like Ibn Hanbal, Ibn Ma'een, Abu Hatem, al-Nisa'ee, Ibn Sa'd, Ibn 'Adii, al-Madini, al-Hakim, al-'Aqili, Ibn Habban and others.
This is the reason why Ibn Hazm notes:
As for the report in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) took the Torah and said: "I believe in thee", it is a fabricated false report that did not reach us with proper chain of transmission (Ibn Hazm, Al-Fisal fe al-Milal wa al-Ahwaa wa al-Nihal, Volume 1, p. 237)
It is also worthy to note that this particular hadith has been reported through multiple chains of transmission; however, no one has ever mentioned the incident of the Prophet (saws) praising the Torah except in the report of Hisham ibn Sa'd from Zaid ibn Aslam.
False Story #10 Prophet Muhammad killed 900 Jews from the Tribe of Qurayza
This along with the Talking Donkey story is probably the most ridicolous story I have ever heard about Prophet Muhammad. It is alleged that the Prophet Muhammad
ordered the killing of 400 to 900 Jews from a tribe in Madinah. However this is false, there is no way that many people were killed in Madinah. It has been suggested
that this story is a later invention and that the source of this story has sources in Jewish Traditions.
The story is found in Ibn Ishaq's sira (Biography) of Prophet Muhammad. Again I document the problems with Ibn Ishaq here. Ibn Ishaq died around 151 A.H. (The Islamic
calender). Ibn Ishaq died around 145 years after the alleged event. Critics of Islam and Oreintal (White/European People) Historians constatnly rely soley on Ibn Ishaq
without bothering to check his uncertain list of authorities or whether Ibn Ishaq is relibale or not. Ibn Hajar [2] states that this story is an odd tale [1]. And we've already
seen that Imam Malik had called Ibn Ishaq a "liar" several times.
The story opens with a description of the effort of named Jewish leaders to organize against the Muslims an alliance of the hostile forces. The leaders named included three from the Banu al-Nadir and two of the tribe of Wa'il, another Jewish tribe; together with other Jewish fellow-tribesmen unnamed. Having persuaded the neighbouring Bedouin tribes of Ghatafan, Murra, Fazara, Sulaym, and Ashja' to take up arms, they now proceeded to Mecca where they succeeded in persuading the Quraysh. Having gathered together a besieging force, one of the Nadir leaders, Huyayy b. Akhtab, in effect forced himself on the third Jewish tribe still in Medina, the Banu Qurayza, and, against the better judgement of their leader, Ka'b b. Asad, he persuaded them to break faith with the Prophet in the hope, presented as a certainty, that the Muslims would not stand up to the combined attacking forces and that Qurayza and the other Jews would be restored to independent supremacy. The siege of Medina failed and the Jewish tribes suffered for their part in the whole operation.
But the important thing to note is that Prophet Muhammad never ordered the execution of the Bani Qurayza. Rather it was a man named Sad bin Muadh who
ordered that the warriors of Bani Qurayza should be killed and their women and children should be taken as slaves. This is found in the books of Bukhari (authentic
sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammad):
Narrated Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri: 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." (Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 280)
Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: Some people (i.e. the Jews of Bani bin Quraiza) agreed to accept the verdict of Sad bin Muadh so the Prophet sent for him (i.e. Sad bin Muadh). He came riding a donkey, and when he approached the Mosque, the Prophet said, "Get up for the best amongst you." or said, "Get up for your chief." Then the Prophet said, "O Sad! These people have agreed to accept your verdict." Sad said, "I judge that their warriors should be killed and their children and women should be taken as captives." The Prophet said, "You have given a judgment similar to Allah's Judgment (or the King's judgment)." (Bukhari Volume 5, Book 58, Number 148)
So we can see it was not Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who issued the order that their men should be killed and their women and children made
into slaves; it was Saad bin Muadh whom the Jews selected to judge their fate.
Scholars and historians usually either accept all of the Story or flatout reject the entire thing as a fabrication. We've seem that Ibn Ishaq used to take stories about the Prophet from the Jews of Madinah. Both Imam Malik and Ibn Hajar were right in rejecting Ibn Ishaq as an authentic source for the Prophet's life.
[1] Tahdhib al-tahdhib, IX, 45. See also `Uyun al-athar, I, 17, where the author uses the same words, without giving a reference, in his introduction on the veracity of Ibn Ishaq and the criteria he applied.
[2] Ibn Hajar was a Shalifi and a very respected Hadith Scholar. He lived from 1372 C.E. to 1448 C.E.
False Story # 11 Prophet Muhammad ordering the killing of any Jew and the death of Ibn Sunaya
The 11th false story we can turn our attention towards is Prophet Muhammad allegedly ordering the killing of Jewsih men and a man named Muhayyisah killing a Jewish
man because of what he heard the Prophet say. The story is found in the hadith collection of Dawud:
Narrated Muhayyisah: The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: If you gain a victory over the men of Jews, kill them. So Muhayyisah jumped over Shubaybah, a man of the Jewish merchants. He had close relations with them. He then killed him. At that time Huwayyisah (brother of Muhayyisah) had not embraced Islam. He was older than Muhayyisah. When he killed him, Huwayyisah beat him and said: O enemy of Allah, I swear by Allah, you have a good deal of fat in your belly from his property.
(Abu Dawud Book 19, Number 2996)
Muslim apologist Hesheem already refuted this story:
Despite the fact that this story is mentioned in Sunan Abu Dawood, it is weak and unreliable. Concerning isnad (i.e. chain of reporters), this Hadith was narrated by servant of Zaid Ibn Thabet on authority of daughter of Muhayyisah. Servant of Zaid is Muhammad Ibn Ibi Muhammad and he is unreliable, and daughter of Muhayyisah is unknown. Concerning matn (i.e. text), it says that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) ordered to kill all Jews which is illogical even if Christian missionaries want to believe it! Because the Jews had a treaty with Muslims and there was no evidence that Muslims indulged in killing any Jew other than this Hadith. Moreover, Ibn Hesham himelf who edited the work of Ibn Ishaq suggests that the incident of Huwayyisah and Muhayyisah occurred during slaughter of Bani-Qurayzah, not after murder of Ka'b Needless to say, there is no such thing as "Kill any Jew that come under your power". (Source) As-Sirat-un-Nabawiyyah, Volume 3, page 18
False Story #12 Other false killing stories in Ibn Ishaq's sira
I already answered and refuted many of these killing stories found in Ibn Ishaq here.
False Story #13 Prophet Muhammad said that Adam was 90 feet tall and he was created in Allah's image
There are some hadith in Bukhari, Muslim and Ahmad that say that Adam was orginally 90 feet tall in Heaven, and when he was sent to earth he shrunk in height.
However it should be noted that Imam Malik (a hadith scholar) denied the authencity of this hadith. Also another similar hadith is found in Muslim (see Muslim Book 039, Number 6707) where it was said that Prophet Muhammad said that Allah created certain things on certain days of the week. However that hadith has been deemed weak by Imam Muslim.
False Story #14 Prophet Muhammad said that when a boy grows up he'll see judgement day
According to a hadith from Muslim, Prophet Muhammad said that when a boy grows up he'll see judgement day. The hadith goes like this:
Anas reported that a person asked Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as to when the Last Hour would come. He had in his presence a young boy of the Ansar who was called Muhammad. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon bion) said: If this young boy lives. he may not grow very old till (he would see) the Last Hour coming to you. (Muslim Book 041, Number 7051)
This hadith is false for many reasons. One Prophet Muhammad himself said that no man knows the end of the world except Allah (God) alone. Second Islamic scholars
have deemed this hadith to be weak. Third even if this hadith is true-- it doesn't mean Prophet Muhamamd gave a false prophcey since it could be interpreted as when
this boy grows older judgement day is coming closer.
False Story #15 Prophet Muhammad said a Man will not be asked why he beat his wife
Umar reported the prophet as saying: "A man will not be asked as to why he beat his wife".(Abu Dawud # 2142)
This hadith is weak due to a weak narrator by the name of Daawood ibn Abdullah al Awdi.
See Sheikh Albani's detailed discussion in Erwaa Al Ghaleel, Hadeeth no. 2034. So we can
toss this hadith out the window.
False Story #16 Prophet Muhammad forced Divorces
The hadith in question is this:
It was narrated that Ibn 'Abbas said: "A man came to the Prophet and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, my master married me to his slave woman, and now he wants to separate me and her.' The Messenger of Allah ascended the pulpit and said: 'O people, what is the matter with one of you who marries his slave to his slave woman, then wants to separate them? Divorce belongs to the one who takes hold of the calf (i.e., her husband).'" (Da'if)( From English Translation of Sunan Ibn Majah - Compiled by Imam Muhammad Bin Yazeed Ibn Majah Al-Qazwini, From Hadith No. 1783 to 2718, Ahadith edited and referenced by Hafiz Abu Tahir Zubair 'Ali Za'i, translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab (Canada), final review by Abu Khaliyl (USA), [Darussalam Publications and Distributors, First Edition: June 2007], Volume 3, The Chapters on Divorce, pp. 193-194;
Sheikh Albani in his Erwaa Al Ghaleel, hadith no. 2041 shows that all narrations regarding this hadith contain weaknesses in them.
False Story #17 Prophet Muhammad and snakes
The Hadith in Question is this:
Narrated AbdurRahman Ibn AbuLayla: The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) was asked about the house-snakes. He said: When you see one of them in your dwelling, say: I adjure you by the covenant which Noah made with you, and I adjure you by the covenant which Solomon made with you not to harm us. Then if they come back, kill them. (Abu Dawud Book 41, Number 5240)
This hadeeth is weak (see Shaykh Al Albani's Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith no. 5260)
