Instilling FEAR and DREAD in the hearts of their followers is the most effective weapon used by those who claim to be in contact with gods, deities, and the spiritual world.
Now, let’s examine the methods of Prophet Muhammad through the lens of reason.
Muhammad claimed that during revelations, terrifying bells would ring that would cause the inhabitants of the heavens to faint and lose consciousness. Even Muhammad himself would tremble, become drenched in sweat, shiver from the cold, and so on.
Narrated 'Aisha: Al-Harith bin Hisham asked Allah's Messenger "O Allah's Messenger! How is the Divine Inspiration revealed to you?" Allah's Messenger replied, "Sometimes it is (revealed) like the ringing of a bell, this form of Inspiration is the hardest of all and then this state passes off after I have grasped what is inspired. Sometimes the Angel comes in the form of a man and talks to me and I grasp whatever he says." 'Aisha added: Verily I saw the Prophet being inspired divinely on a very cold day and noticed the sweat dropping from his forehead.
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger as saying: The bell is the musical instrument of the Satan.
‘Abd Allah (b. Mas’ud) reported the Messenger of Allah as saying: "When Allah, the exalted, speaks to send revelation, the inhabitants of heaven hear the clanging of a bell from the heavens like a chain being dragged across a rock, and they swoon (faint). They continue to remain like that until Jibril comes to them. When he comes to them, they recover and say: 'O Jibril, what did your Lord say?' He would say: 'The truth,' and they would say: 'The truth, the truth.'"
Dear Readers, please reflect upon these questions:
- The bell is the musical instrument of the devil. So why is Allah so insistent on ringing the devil's instrument repeatedly during revelations? Why can't Allah send revelations without the devil's musical instrument?
- And it was extremely difficult for the Messenger of Allah. Not only for the Messenger, but the inhabitants of the heavens also could not find peace and were terrified by the ringing of bells in the heavens. So why did Allah continue to send revelations throughout the Prophet's life, causing him such hardship? Why couldn't Allah send revelations in a way that was not burdensome for the Prophet or the inhabitants of the heavens?
- What is the divine wisdom behind this decision, considering that the inhabitants of the heavens have already witnessed death and angels and are already in awe of Allah? Why do they need EXTRA fear, as their actions no longer result in rewards or punishments.
Revelation caused SHIVERING, or it caused SNORING?
Have you noticed that those who deceive innocent people in the name of jinn or black magic, or claiming to communicate with spirits, or through amulets and talismans, are often great actors as well? For example, they will pretend to shiver or tremble, or make their voice heavy in the name of being possessed by a jinn or witch, so that people believe their claims. And it is almost impossible for people to catch their deception because jinn, spirits, and witches are all "unseen." Thus, no one can prove their claims false. That is why Muhammad claimed that the REVELATION was horrible, caused shivering and sweating.
However, a Direct Witness caught Muhammad to be SLEEPING and SNORING during the revelation:
Sahih al-Bukhari, The Book of Umra (Translated by Aisha Bewley):
حَدَّثَنِي صَفْوَانُ بْنُ يَعْلَى بْنِ أُمَيَّةَ يَعْنِي، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، أَتَى النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهُوَ بِالْجِعْرَانَةِ وَعَلَيْهِ جُبَّةٌ وَعَلَيْهِ أَثَرُ الْخَلُوقِ أَوْ قَالَ صُفْرَةٍ فَقَالَ كَيْفَ تَأْمُرُنِي أَنْ أَصْنَعَ فِي عُمْرَتِي فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، فَسُتِرَ بِثَوْبٍ وَوَدِدْتُ أَنِّي قَدْ رَأَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَقَدْ أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ الْوَحْىُ. فَقَالَ عُمَرُ تَعَالَ أَيَسُرُّكَ أَنْ تَنْظُرَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَقَدْ أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ الْوَحْىَ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ. فَرَفَعَ طَرَفَ الثَّوْبِ، فَنَظَرْتُ إِلَيْهِ لَهُ غَطِيطٌ وَأَحْسِبُهُ قَالَ كَغَطِيطِ الْبَكْرِ. فَلَمَّا سُرِّيَ عَنْهُ قَالَ " أَيْنَ السَّائِلُ عَنِ الْعُمْرَةِ اخْلَعْ عَنْكَ الْجُبَّةَ وَاغْسِلْ أَثَرَ الْخَلُوقِ عَنْكَ، وَأَنْقِ الصُّفْرَةَ، وَاصْنَعْ فِي عُمْرَتِكَ كَمَا تَصْنَعُ فِي حَجِّكِ ".
1697. Safwan ibn Ya'la ibn Umayya related from his father, "While the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was at al-Ji'rana with some of his Companions, a man came to him wearing a cloak which had traces of khaluq-perfume (or he said, 'yellowness') on it and said, 'What do you order me to do in my 'umra?' Revelation came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he was shaded by a cloth. I had been wanting to see the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when the revelation was descending on him. 'Umar said, 'Come on, would you like to see the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when Allah is sending down the revelation on him?' I said, 'Yes.' So he lifted a corner of the cloth and I looked at him and he was snoring. (I think he said, 'Snoring like a young camel.') . When the state left him, he said, 'Where is the man who asked about 'umra? Take off your cloak, wash off the trace of khaluq from yourself and then wash away the yellowness. Do the same in your 'umra as you do in your hajj.'"
Note:
Islamic apologists have distorted the translation of this hadith by using the word "inspiration" instead of "revelation." For example, see the translation of this Hadith at Sunnah.com. The Arabic word used here is "الْوَحْىُ," which means "revelation," not "inspiration." They resort to these deceptive tactics to conceal this Islamic contradiction (of Shivering vs. Snoring) from innocent people.
Hassan Radwan