It is extremely important that people know about the Real Incident of Satanic Verses. There is no other incident which can expose the 'human errors' in the so-called 'divine revelation' so clearly as this incident of Satanic Verses.
Unfortunately, 99% of people (including Muslims) don't know about that original incident.
It is due to the reason that Mr. Rushdie wrote a fictitious novel with the name of "Satanic Verses", but it had nothing to do with the original incident of Satanic Verses. Due to this misunderstanding, the actual incident of Satanic Verses never reached the masses. Unfortunately, now people are unable to differentiate between what is reality and what is fiction.
The radical Mullahs took full advantage of this situation and they used it in order to successfully incite the Muslim youth and to fill them with hatred against the West.
Background:
The pagans of Mecca were illiterate and superstitious. They worshiped many gods. They were not against the introduction of new gods, as 360 idols were present in Ka'ba and different tribes worshiped different idols there. But they didn't want anyone to accuse their gods of being false deities. Especially when their economy was also connected with the worship of those gods as people were visiting Mecca (Ka’ba) for Hajj every year, and thus making them richer.
Muhammad made this mistake that he started his new religion by accusing their gods to be the false deities. Muhammad wanted to have monopoly upon all the religious economy, which didn't go well with the people of Mecca.
Prior to Muhammad, Jews and Christians also made such attempts to get rid of pagan’s gods, but they failed too.
After sometime Muhammad realized his mistake. Therefore, he made a new plan to reconcile with the Meccans by praising their gods, so that Meccans accept Allah as a new god too, and him as a prophet.
Therefore, according to the new plan, Muhammad started telling to Quraysh that he 'desired' that Allah also accepted the gods of Meccans of having high status too.
One day Muhammad went in a Quraysh's gathering, and he claimed that Allah started sending revelation upon him through Gabriel (angel). And then Muhammad started reciting Surah an-Najm.
In the middle of Surah an-Najm, Muhammad also talked about the pagan goddesses and praised them for their high status and for their power to do intercession. Those were 4 verses in total:
وَاللاتِ وَالْعُزَّى وَمَنَاةَ الثَّالِثَةِ الأُخْرَى، فَإِنَّهُنَّ الْغَرَانِيقُ الْعُلَى وَإِنَّ شفاعتهن لَتُرْتَجَى
(Verse 1) Have you thought upon al-Lat (goddess) and al-Uzza (goddess)
(Verse 2) And Manat, the third (goddess)?
(Verse 3) These (3 goddesses) are like high flying cranes (i.e. they are of high status);
(Verse 4) Verily their intercession is accepted.
When Muhammad finished the complete Surah an-Najm, then Muhammad prostrated, and Quraysh also prostrated along with Muhammad while accepted the high status of their goddesses too.
The pagan goddesses were given resemblance to high flying cranes while 'high flying', metaphorically meant flying high in the heavens closer to Allah - to act as intercessors.
But this plan of Muhammad failed miserably. People were able to see the clear 'contradictions' in the 'divine revelation'. Earlier those divine revelations had constantly accused pagan gods to be the false deities, but the new revelation was confirming them to be the true deities with high status and the power to intercede.
Thus, it was easy for the pagans of Mecca to came to the conclusions that there is no Allah present in the heavens and it was Muhammad himself who was inventing those revelations at his own. They started to make more fun of Muhammad after that incident.
When Muhammad saw the failure of his plan, he was compelled to come up with a new story. In this new story, he started telling people that Allah didn't send any revelation about high status of pagan gods, but it was all his (i.e. Muhammad's) fault as Satan misguided him in uttering those 2 Satanic Verses.
In this newly made story, Muhammad told Quraysh that:
- Gabriel came to Muhammad and asked him to revise the verses which he brought earlier to him.
- Thus, Muhammad recited those Satanic verses in front of Gabriel, which were praising the gods of Quraysh.
- Thereupon Gabriel told him that those were not the verses which he brought from Allah, but those were the Satanic verses, which Satan caused him to recite.
- And then Muhammad claimed that Allah sent 2 more verses as revelation, which are as under:
(Surah Hajj 22:52) And We did not send from before you from a messenger, and nor a prophet, except when he 'desires', the devil threw (Satanic Verses) in his desire, so God 'abrogates' what the devil throws in. Then Allah makes His verses precise again (by deleting the abrogated Satanic verses). He (Allah) makes what is thrown in by Shaitan (Satan) a Test for those in whose hearts is a disease (of hypocrisy and disbelief) and whose hearts are hardened. - Thus Muhammad later deleted the 2 Satanic Verses from Surah an-Najm in name of 'abrogation', and they are thus not present in the present Quran anymore.
The incident of Satanic Verses in Traditions:
Al-Baghwi recorded the incident in his Tafsir (Link):
Ibn `Abbas, Muhammad ibn Ka`b al-Qurazi and others of the commentators of Qur’an said that when the Prophet – Allah bless and greet him – saw the turning away of his people from him and it bore heavily on him to see the distance grow between them and what he brought them on Allah’s part, he desired in his soul (tamanna fi nafsihi) that there come from Allah something that would bridge the gap between him and his people, for he was deeply concerned that they should have faith. As he was in a gathering of the Quraysh one day, Allah revealed Sura al-Najm (through Jibrael), whereupon Allah’s Messenger – Allah bless and greet him — began to recite it:
- 'By the star when it sets! Your companion has not erred or gone astray, and does not speak from mere fancy…'
.... until he reached His saying:
- Have ye thought of Al Lat and Al Uzza?
- And Manat, the third, the other?
whereupon the devil interjected upon his tongue (alqa al-shaytan `ala lisanihi) in connection with that of which he spoke to himself and was hoping for:
(Satanic Verse 1) Those are the elevated cranes
(Satanic Verse 2) Truly their intercession is dearly hoped!
When the Quraysh heard this, they rejoiced greatly. Allah’s Messenger proceeded with his recitation until the end of the Sura, at which point he prostrated, and the Muslims prostrated with him as well as all those of the pagans that were in the mosque ... When evening came, Jibrael came to Allah’s Messenger – Allah bless and greet him – and said: “O Muhammad! What have you done? You have recited to the people something which I never brought you from Allah Exalted and Almighty.” Hearing this, the Prophet – Allah bless and greet him – was deeply grieved and feared much from Allah (swt). So, Allah revealed to him the following verse in which he consoled him, as He was ever merciful towards him:
{Never sent We a messenger or a Prophet before thee but when He recited (the message) Satan proposed (opposition) in respect of that which he recited thereof. But Allah abolished that which Satan proposed. Then Allah established His revelations. Allah is Knower, Wise. He (Allah) makes what is thrown in by Shaitan (Satan) a Test for those in whose hearts is a disease (of hypocrisy and disbelief) and whose hearts are hardened. } (Surah al-Hajj 22:52)
When this verse was revealed, then pagans of Mecca said that Muhammad was ashamed of praising our gods, and thus he changed his statement.
There are 50 Traditions in Islamic sources regarding the incident of Satanic Verses. You can read them in the book 'Before Orthodoxy: The Satanic Verses in Early Islam' by Prof. Shahab Ahmed.
Criticism:
- This incident happened 5 years after Muhammad had already got prophethood. How then Muhammad didn’t know even after 5 years if the pagan gods were false deities or the true deities with high status?
- Even Meccans (Quraysh) were able to see this huge 'contradiction' in the revelations and they started making fun of Muhammad for that. Why then Muhammad was not able to see that? It was such a huge contradiction that Muhammad should have himself denied those Satanic Verses immediately on the spot.
- And when Gabriel was revealing the verses, how was Satan able to take control of Muhammad in his presence? Why didn't Gabriel block Satan immediately? According to Islam, only humans are not able to see Satan, but devil is not hidden from the angels.
- And even if we have to believe that Gabriel was not able to see Satan, still Gabriel was able to hear what Muhammad was reciting to the gathering of pagans. Why didn’t then Gabriel warned Muhammad and stopped him on the spot? Gabriel should have not let Muhammad go away from that gathering of Quraysh before making him aware of his fatal mistake and without correcting it.
- And even more strange is this that Muhammad claimed when Gabriel came to him later, Gabriel still neither knew that Satan misguided Muhammad in reciting the Satanic Verses, nor he knew what happened during that gathering. Gabriel came to know about it only after he asked Muhammad to revise the verses which he brought to him in the day.
- And Allah also didn’t interfere during whole incident, and he let Muhammad to praise the pagan gods.
- But in the evening, Allah also became immediately active, and he immediately sent down the verses of Surah Hajj, where he started to comfort Muhammad by telling all prophets before him had also been misguided by Satan due to their desires.
- But the question is, why did Allah let Satan to misguide his messengers? Thereupon Allah presented the same old excuse that he wanted to take a “test”.
But here another question arises: “Test of whom?”
When Muhammad himself got misguided, and failed in the test, and started thinking that gods of Pagans were of high status and even prostrated them, then how could other people had any chance to pass this so called 'test'?
Therefore, along with Muhammad, all prostrated to the pagan gods, including all the Muslims who were present in that gathering. None of the Muslim ever recited: “Lahola Wala Quwat لاحول واللہ قوۃ “upon it, and none of them told Muhammad that those were Satanic Verses. All of them unanimously failed in that test along with Muhammad.
Therefore, even if we assume there really exists any Allah, still there arises the question about the “wisdom” of Allah, why was he taking such a test in which the success rate would have been surely 0%, while the prophet himself got misguided by Satan? - Then Allah got busy cleaning the filth of Satanic Verses.
- And after deleting the Satanic Verses from the Quran, Allah boasts about himself that people should look at His power that He has the ability to clean the filth. So, people should believe in Him.
PS:
This excuse of 'Test' is very strange. Whenever the writer of the Quran is unable to answer a question, he uses this same old excuse of 'Test'. For example, when Jews didn't accept Muhammad as prophet of God, then Muhammad became enraged, and writer of Quran ordered to change the direction of Qibla (from Jerusalem to Mecca). Upon that when people objected, then writer of Quran again came up with same excuse that he wants to take 'Test' who stands firm with Muhammad and who leaves him (Quran 2:143). Even more strange is this that there was not a single person (either Muslim or hypocrite) who had left Muhammad due to change of Qibla i.e. success rate in that case was 100% and all passed the exam (including all Hypocrites). So, what was the benefit of such a test where all would pass it, including the hypocrites? Reality is that this 'Test' is a lame excuse, and the real reason for the change of Qibla was enmity against the Jews.
Islamic Aqeedah (Belief): Even a 'donkey' is able to see the Satan, but Prophet and Gabriel could not
On one hand Islam claims that even a 'donkey' has the power to see Satan and make people aware of his presence. But on the other hand, Prophet Muhammad and Gabriel were not able to see the Satan and thus Satan overpowered all i.e. Muhammad and Gabriel and the revelation.
Sahih Bukhari, Beginning of Creation (Link):
The Prophet said, 'When you hear the crowing of cocks, ask for Allah's Blessings for (their crowing indicates that) they have seen an angel. And when you hear the braying of donkeys, seek Refuge with Allah from Satan for (their braying indicates) that they have seen a Satan.'
At another place, the Prophet boasts about himself that he was so powerful that he not only saw Satan, but he also almost strangled him to death.
Sahih Bukhari, Beginning of Creation (Link):
The Prophet once offered the prayer and said, 'Satan came in front of me and tried to interrupt my prayer, but Allah gave me an upper hand on him and I choked him. No doubt, I thought of tying him to one of the pillars of the mosque till you get up in the morning and see him.
On one hand prophet Muhammad has such high status that even a dream of normal person becomes immune of Satan while the prophet Muhammad is present in his dream, but on the other hand prophet Muhammad was himself not immune to misguidance from Satan.
Sahih Bukhari, Book of Interpretations of Dreams (Link):
The Prophet said, 'Whoever has seen me in a dream, then no doubt, he has seen me, for Satan cannot imitate my shape.
And on one hand the prophet was so great that he was able to make other people immune to Satan, but on the other hand he was unable to protect even himself from the misguidance of Satan.
Sahih Bukhari, book of creation (Link):
I went to Sham (and asked. 'Who is here?'), The people said, 'Abu Ad-Darda.' Abu Darda said, 'Is the person whom Allah has protected against Satan, (as Allah's Messenger said) amongst you'. The sub narrator, Mughira said that the person who was given Allah's Refuge through the tongue of the Prophet was `Ammar (bin Yasir).
Here you can see the 'contradictions' in the so-called divine revelations, which will ultimately lead to only one conclusion that it was Muhammad who was himself making those revelations.
Initial Verses of Surah an-Najm and bad luck of Muhammad
When Muhammad started his new religion and claimed that an Angel comes to him from God with revelations, then Meccans used to make fun of him and used to tell him that he was misled by Satan.
Thus, when Muhammad started reading Surah an-Najm in the gathering of Meccans, then in the very beginning of this Surah, he denied this charge of being misled by Satan.
The initial verses of this Surah are as under:
By the Star when it goes down,- Your Companion [Muhammad] is neither astray nor being misled. Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) Desire. It is naught but revelation that is revealed, which one of mighty powers has taught him.
It was a huge 'bad luck' for Muhammad that in this same Surah, he himself later had to affirm the charge of being misled by Satan i.e. indeed Satan successfully made Muhammad to praise the pagan gods. And accepting this charge of being misled was totally against the initial verses of Surah an-Najm.
But it was a huge 'good luck' for us, as we can easily see the 'human error' in the so-called divine revelation through this and easily come to conclusion that there was no Allah present in the heavens, and Muhammad was making those revelations on his own, which led him to make human mistakes in the revelations.
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Hassan Radwan