Satanic Verses: The ORIGINAL incident which shows 'Human Mistakes' in Divine Revelation 🔥ʰᵒᵗ

Fictitious Novel of Salman Rushdie VS the Real Incident of Satanic Verses

It is extremely important that people know about the Real Incident of Satanic Verses, while it exposes the 'human error' in the so-called 'divine revelation', which ultimately means that no Allah is present in the heavens, and Muhammad was making revelation himself, and this led him to make human mistakes in it. 

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.

But 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" too, but it had almost 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, today people are totally unable to differentiate between what is reality and what is fiction.

Islamic apologists 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.

It was not the fault of Mr Rushdie though. He is an intelligent person, and he was able to see the contradictions in the so-called 'divine revelation'. But he was only a writer and not a scholar of Islamic Studies. He was not in a position to refute Muslim Scholars and at the same time evade attacks on his life. Actually, it was the duty of Scholars of Islamic Studies (and perhaps ex-Muslims too) to make the world aware of the original incident too.

Among the scholars of Islamic Studies, the first serious research work came from Mr. Shahab Ahmed only in the year of 2017, when his book 'Before Orthodoxy: The Satanic Verses in Early Islam' was published. In this book, he collected 50 traditions regarding the incident of Satanic Verses.

Mr. Shahab Ahmed was a genius person, and his book is amazing. Unfortunately, it is still incomplete. Mr. Shahab Ahmed intended to write the 2nd and the 3rd volume of this book too, but he died, due to leukaemia at the age of 48, before accomplishing this task in the year 2015. His death was a significant loss. Nevertheless, we are still fortunate enough that at least the first volume of his amazing work was still published, even after his death, in the year 2017. We are thankful to all those people who made the publishing of this book possible. 

Let us present the actual incident of the Satanic Verses so that people can see how important it is, and why the whole world should know about it.

Table of Contents:

Background and summary of 50 traditions regarding the incident of Satanic Verses

The pagans of Mecca were illiterate and superstitious. They worshipped many gods. They were not against the introduction of new gods, as 360 idols were present in Ka'ba and different tribes worshipped 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, thus making them richer.

Muhammad made the mistake he started his new religion by accusing their gods to be false deities. Muhammad wanted to have a monopoly upon 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 gods, but they failed too.

Therefore, the people of Mecca started reacting against Muhammad and his followers harshly. This went to that extreme, where many of Muhammad's followers had to run away from Mecca and to migrate to Abyssinia in order to save their lives. 

After some time Muhammad realized his mistake, Therefore, he made a new plan to reconcile with the Meccans by praising their gods, so that the Meccans accept Allah as a new god too, and him as a prophet.

Therefore, according to the new plan, Muhammad started telling Quraysh that he 'desired' that Allah also accepted the gods of Meccans as having high status too. 

One day Muhammad went to a Quraysh 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 he accepted the high status of their goddesses too.

The pagan goddesses were given a 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 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 come to the conclusion that there is no Allah present in the heavens, and it was Muhammad himself who was inventing those revelations on his own. They started to make more fun of Muhammad after that incident.

When Muhammad saw the failure of his plan, it compelled him to come up with a new story. In this new story, he started telling people that Allah didn't send any revelation about the 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 that 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 22:52-53) وَمَا أَرْ‌سَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّ‌سُولٍ وَلَا نَبِيٍّ إِلَّا إِذَا تَمَنَّىٰ أَلْقَى الشَّيْطَانُ فِي أُمْنِيَّتِهِ فَيَنسَخُ اللَّـهُ مَا يُلْقِي الشَّيْطَانُ ثُمَّ يُحْكِمُ اللَّـهُ آيَاتِهِ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ۔ لِيَجْعَلَ مَا يُلْقِي الشَّيْطَانُ فِتْنَةً لِّلَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ وَالْقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ لَفِي شِقَاقٍ بَعِيدٍ
    And We did not send from before you from a messenger, and nor a prophet, except when he 'desires' (Arabic: tamannā تمنی), the devil threw (Satanic Verses) in his desire (Arabic: um'niyyatihi أُمْنِيَّتِهِ), so God 'abrogates' what the devil throws in. Then Allah makes His verses precise again (by deleting the abrogated Satanic verses). And Allah is Knowing and 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.

What was the purpose of those 2 new verses of Surah al-Hajj?

  • First Purpose:
    Pagans were raising this objection why, despite being the prophet of Allah, was Muhammad got misguided by Satan?
    Thus, Muhammad answered their objection through this verse that his misguidance was not against the divine religion, as all prophets before him also got misguided by Satan due to their desires. 
  • Second Purpose:
    Muhammad had to remove the Satanic Verses from the Quran, which were praising the pagan goddesses. In order to achieve this purpose, Muhammad mentioned in those new verses that Allah abrogated (نسخ) what the devil threw in and made His verses precise again.
  • Third Purpose:
    Pagans were also raising this question, why did Allah let Satan misguide Muhammad and didn't correct the mistakes in verses on the spot (i.e. before Muhammad left the gathering of Quraysh).
    Upon that, Muhammad came up with this excuse that Allah didn't stop Satan from misguiding him, while Allah wanted to make it a 'Test' for those whose hearts had a disease.
    Note:
    This was an old tactic by Muhammad to declare the 'Mistake of Allah = Test from Allah'. Muhammad used this tactic many times in his life. 

 Therefore, Muhammad did the following distortions in the Quran in the name of 'abrogation' and making the Verses 'precise' again:

  • First Distortion:
    Muhammad deleted the 2 Satanic Verses from Surah an-Najm in the name of 'Naskh (نسخ)', as they were praising the pagan goddesses.
    (Surah an-Najm, verse 19) Have you thought upon al-Lat (goddess) and al-Uzza (goddess)
    (Surah an-Najm, verse 20) And Manat, the third (goddess)?
    (Abrogated Verse 1) These (3 goddesses) are of high status;
    (Abrogated Verse 2) Verily their intercession is accepted.'
    Note: These two abrogated verses are not present in the present Quran.

  • Second Distortion:
    After the deletion of Satanic Verses, Muhammad later added new verses to Surah an-Najm, and his purpose was to accuse those pagan goddesses to be false deities. Those new verses were as under:
    (Surah an-Najm, verse 21) Are you to have the males, and He (Allah) the females (i.e. the pagan goddesses as intercessors)? 
    (Surah an-Najm, verse 22) What a bizarre distribution.
    (Surah an-Najm, verse 23) These are nothing but names, which you have devised, you and your ancestors, for which God sent down no authority. They follow nothing but assumptions, and what the ego desires, even though guidance has come to them from their Lord.

  • Third Distortion:
    Muhammad further added another verse to Surah an-Najm, and the purpose of that new verse was to provide Muhammad with protection regarding his earlier 'desire', where he told pagans that he wished that Allah revealed something good about the pagan gods. This new verse was as under:
    (Surah an-Najm, verse 24) Or shall man have whatever he 'desires' (Arabic: tamannā تمنی)

  • Fourth Distortion:
    Muhammad further added more new verses to Surah an-Najm, and the purpose of those new verses was to deny the 'intercession' of high-flying pagan goddesses which he earlier attested in the Satanic Verses. These new verses claimed that Angels too are present there, high in the heavens (just like the pagan goddesses), but still the intercession of those angels is also not granted, except that Allah permits it. These new verses are as under:
    (Surah an-Najm, verses 25 & 26) ... How many an angel is there in the heavens whose intercession avails nothing, except after God gives permission to whomever He wills and approves?

Therefore, after all these distortions and deletion of verses in the name of “abrogation” (نسخ) and making them precise, today Surah an-Najm is present in this form in the Quran:

(Quran 53:19-26):

(Verse 19) Have you considered al-Lat and al-Uzza? 
(Verse 20) And Manat, the third one, the other? 
[The 2 abrogated Satanic Verses] These are the beautiful goddesses like high flying cranes; verily their intercession is accepted. (Note: These 2 abrogated verses are not present in Quran now, as Muhammad already deleted them from Quran in name of abrogation)
[Later revealed verses in order to deny the Satanic Verses]
(Verse 21) Are you to have the males, and He (Allah) the females?
(Verse 22) What a bizarre distribution. 
(Verse 23) These are nothing but names, which you have devised, you and your ancestors, for which God sent down no authority. They follow nothing but assumptions, and what the ego desires, even though guidance has come to them from their Lord.
(Verse 24) Or shall man have whatever he 'desires' (Arabic: tamannā تمنی)  
(Verse 25) To God belong the Last and the First.
(Verse 26) How many an angel is there in the heavens whose intercession avails nothing, except after God gives permission to whomever He wills, and approves? 

But Muhammad was so much ashamed of this incident that he had to bring up even more and more “excuses” again and again. Thus, he again claimed that more verses were revealed regarding the incident of Satanic Verses, and they are as under.

(Quran 17:73-75) And indeed, they were about to tempt you away from that which We revealed to you in order to [make] you INVENT about Us something else (i.e. the Satanic Verses); and then they would have taken you as a friend. And if We had not strengthened you, you would have almost inclined to them a little (i.e. Muhammad's DESIRE to reconciliate with them). Then [if you had], We would have made you taste double [punishment in] life and double [after] death. Then you would not find for yourself against Us a helper.

This verse is itself a witness that it was revealed for the incident of Satanic Verses too.

Muhammad was trying to divert the blame for Satanic Verses from Allah towards himself. It was very necessary to make Allah free of any blame, otherwise, the whole new religion of Muhammad would have collapsed. 

Then Muhammad tried to further support his claim through the revelation of the next verse so that people think that Allah was angry with him for this mistake and He threatened Muhammad with double punishment. 

But the question is that punishment can only be given for an 'intentional mistake'. But according to the Quran, Muhammad didn't recite the Satanic Verses intentionally, but he truly believed that Allah fulfilled his desire and Gabriel brought those verses from Allah to him. Therefore, if Allah gave this power to Satan to misguide the prophet, why then should the prophet get a double punishment for this unintentional mistake?  

All these above-mentioned verses were revealed for this same incident of Satanic Verses, but later Muslims scattered them at different places (i.e. different chapters of the Quran), so that readers cannot find them in one place in the Quran and don’t raise questions about them.

Importance of words 'Desire' and 'Intercession' and 'Abrogation & Deletion' in these verses

Desire 

Let us look at Suran an-Najm once again:

(Quran 53:19-26):

(Verse 19) Have you considered al-Lat and al-Uzza? 
(Verse 20) And Manat, the third one, the other? 
[The 2 abrogated Satanic Verses] These are the beautiful goddesses like high flying cranes; verily their intercession is accepted. (Note: These 2 abrogated verses are not present in Quran now, as Muhammad already deleted them from Quran in name of abrogation)
[Later revealed verses in order to deny the Satanic Verses]
(Verse 21) Are you to have the males, and He (Allah) the females?
(Verse 22) What a bizarre distribution. 
(Verse 23) These are nothing but names, which you have devised, you and your ancestors, for which God sent down no authority. They follow nothing but assumptions, and what the ego desires, even though guidance has come to them from their Lord.
(Verse 24) Or shall man have whatever he 'desires' (Arabic: tamannā تمنی)  
(Verse 25) To God belong the Last and the First.
(Verse 26) How many an angel is there in the heavens whose intercession avails nothing, except after God gives permission to whomever He wills, and approves? 

Please note:

  • Islamic apologists deny the occurrence of the incident of Satanic Verses altogether. 
  • Thus, they also deny that verses 19 to 26 of Surah an-Najm have anything to do with the incident of Satanic Verses.
  • They also deny that verses 19 to 26 of Surah an-Najm were later revealed.

Nevertheless. verse 24 of Suran an-Najm ( أَمْ لِلْإِنسَانِ مَا تَمَنَّىٰ  Or shall man have whatever he 'desires'?), proves that incident of Satanic Verses in those 50 Traditions is indeed true:

  • Please note that verse 24 (about getting what man 'desires') has nothing to do with the preceding verses (which are about the denial of the high status of pagan gods).
  • Similarly, this verse 24 (about getting what man 'desires') also has nothing to do with the proceeding verses (which talk about the intercession of angels). 

Therefore, the presence of this verse (of getting what man desires) makes absolutely no sense and no logic at this spot.

Nevertheless, if we accept the incident of Satanic Verses indeed happened (as mentioned in those 50 Traditions), then verse 24 of Surah an-Najm immediately starts making perfect sense and perfect logic at this spot. It proves that the writer of the Quran (i.e. Muhammad) later included this verse 24 (about getting what man desires) here, in order to counter the incident of Satanic Verses, as he had previously told Meccans about his 'desire' of reconciliation with them. 

Intercession:

Similarly, the word 'intercession' in verse 26 of Surah an-Najm also proves that indeed this verse was also linked to the incident of Satanic Verses. 

(Surah an-Najm, Verse 26) How many angels are there in the heavens whose intercession avails nothing, except after God gives permission to whomever He wills, and approves? 

Again, you can see that this verse of 'intercession of angels' has absolutely nothing to do with the preceding or the proceeding verses and makes no sense or logic at this spot. Nevertheless, if we accept that the incident of Satanic Verses indeed happened (as mentioned in those 50 Traditions), then verse 26 immediately starts making perfect sense and perfect logic in this spot. It proves that the writer of the Quran (i.e. Muhammad) placed this new verse here in order to refute the Satanic Verse, which claimed that the intercession of pagan goddesses was indeed accepted by Allah. 

Abrogation & Deletion (in the name of making Verses precise AGAIN) also proves that verses of Surah an-Najm and Surah al-Hajj are LINKED to each other:

Islamic apologists deny any link between these verses of Surah an-Najm and Surah al-Hajj as they deny the whole incident of Satanic Verses and those 50 Traditions about them. 

Nevertheless, Surah al-Hajj is a witness that indeed abrogation & deletion (in the name of cleaning filth) of Quranic verses took place. 

(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). And Allah is Knowing and Wise.

So, which were the verses which were abrogated and then deleted in name of making the Quran precise again? 

The 50 traditions are unanimous that it was Surah an-Najm, in which Satanic Verses were abrogated and then deleted for making Quran precise again. Thus these verses of Surah al-Hajj and Surah an-Najm are directly linked to each other and are about the same incident. 

Therefore, if Islamic apologists deny any link between these verses of Surah al-Hajj and Surah an-Najm, then they have to tell us: 

  • Which were those verses that were abrogated and then deleted.
  • And why were they abrogated and why were they deleted?

The word "DESIRE" in both verses of Surah an-Najm and Surah al-Hajj also proves they are LINKED with each other

Islamic apologists argue that verse 52 of Surah al-Hajj has nothing to do with any incident of Satanic Verses, as Surah al-Hajj and Surah an-Najm are two different chapters of the Quran. 

Nevertheless, the word ' tamannā تمنی' is common in both verse 24 of Surah an-Najm and verse 52 of Surah al-Hajj, which indeed proves that both these verses were revealed for the same incident of Satanic Verses, but later Muslims placed both those verses in separate chapters in Quran.

(Suran an-Najm, Verse 24) Or shall man have whatever he 'desires' (Arabic: tamannā تمنی)

(Surah Hajj 22:52) And We did not send from before you from a messenger, and nor a prophet, except when he 'desires' (Arabic: tamannā تمنی), the devil threw (Satanic Verses) in his desire (Arabic: um'niyyatihi أُمْنِيَّتِهِ), so God 'abrogates' what the devil throws in. Then Allah makes His verses precise again (by deleting the abrogated Satanic verses). 

Thus, these Quranic Verses themselves prove that those 50 traditions are correct about the incident of Satanic Verses. 

The incident of Satanic Verses in Traditions:

Imam Ibn Jarir al-Tabari recorded the following tradition (link): 

حدثنا ابن حميد قال حدثنا سلمة قال حدثني محمد بن إسحاق عن يزيد بن زياد المدني عن محمد بن كعب القرظي قال لما رأى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم تولى قومه عنه وشق عليه ما يرى من مباعدتهم ما جاءهم به من الله تمنى في نفسه أن يأتيه من الله ما يقارب بينه وبين قومه وكان يسره مع حبه قومه وحرصه عليهم أن يلين له بعض ما قد غلظ عليه من أمرهم حتى حدث بذلك نفسه وتمناه وأحبه فأنزل الله عز وجل (والنجم إذا هوى ما ضل صاحبكم وما غوى وما ينطق عن الهوى - فلما انتهى إلى قوله - أفرأيتم اللات والعزى ومناة الثالثة الأخرى) ألقى الشيطان على لسانه لما كان يحدث به نفسه ويتمنى أن يأتي به قومه تلك الغرانيق العلى وإن شفاعتهن ترتضي فلما سمعت قريش فرحوا وسرهم وأعجبهم ما ذكر به آلهتهم فأصاخوا له والمؤمنون مصدقون نبيهم فيما جاءهم به عن ربهم ولا يتهمونه على خطأ ولا وهم ولا زلل فلما انتهى إلى السجدة منها وختم السورة سجد فيها فسجد المسلمون بسجود نبيهم تصديقا لما جاء به واتباعا لامره وسجد من في المسجد من المشركين من قريش وغيرهم لما سمعوا من ذكر آلهتهم فلم يبق في المسجد مؤمن ولا كافر إلا سجد إلا الوليد بن المغيرة فإنه كان شيخا كبيرا فلم يستطع السجود فاخذ بيده حفنة من البطحاء فسجد عليها ثم تفرق الناس من المسجد وخرجت قريش وقد سرهم ما سمعوا من ذكر آلهتهم يقولون قد ذكر محمد آلهتنا بأحسن الذكر قد زعم فيما يتلو إنها الغرانيق العلى وإن شفاعتهن ترتضي وبلغت السجدة من بأرض الحبشة من أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وقيل أسلمت قريش فنهض منهم رجال وتخلف آخرون وآتى جبريل رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال يا محمد ماذا صنعت لقد تلوت على الناس ما لم آتك به عن الله عز وجل وقلت ما لم يقل لك فحزن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عند ذلك حزنا شديدا وخاف من الله خوفا كثيرا فأنزل الله عز وجل وكان به رحيما يعزيه ويخفض عليه الامر ويخبره أنه لم يك قبله نبي ولا رسول تمنى كما تمنى ولا أحب كما أحب الا والشيطان قد ألقى في أمنيته كما ألقى على لسانه صلى الله عليه وسلم فنسخ الله ما ألقى الشيطان وأحكم آبائه أي فإنما أنت كبعض الأنبياء والرسل فأنزل الله عز وجل (وما أرسلنا من قبلك من رسول ولا نبي إلا إذا تمنى ألقى الشيطان في أمنيته فينسخ الله ما يلقى الشيطان ثم يحكم الله آياته والله عليم حكيم) فاذهب الله عز وجل عن نبيه الحزن وآمنه من الذي كان يخاف ونسخ ما ألقى الشيطان على لسانه من ذكر آلهتهم إنها الغرانيق العلى وإن شفاعتهن ترتضي بقول الله عز وجل ذكر اللات والعزى ومناة الثلاثة الأخرى (ألكم الذكر وله الأنثى تلك إذا قسمة ضيزى) أي عوجاء (إن هي إلا أسماء سميتموها أنتم وآباؤكم - إلى قوله - لمن يشاء ويرضى) أي فكيف تنفع شفاعة آلهتكم عنده فلما جاء من الله ما نسخ ما كان الشيطان ألقى على لسان نبيه قالت قريش ندم محمد على ما ذكر من منزلة آلهتكم عند الله فغير ذلك وجاء بغيره وكان ذانك الحرفان اللذان ألقى الشيطان على لسان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قد وقعا في فم كل مشرك فازدادوا شرا إلى ما كانوا عليه وشدة على من أسلم 

Translation:

When the messenger of God saw how his tribe turned their backs on him and was grieved to see them shunning the message he had brought to them from God, he desired from his soul that something would come to him from God which would reconcile him with his tribe. With his love for his tribe and his eagerness for their welfare it would have delighted him if some of the difficulties which they made for him could have been smoothed out, and he debated with himself and fervently desired such an outcome. Then God revealed:

(Surah an-Najm, verses 1 to 3)'By the Star when it sets, your comrade does not err, nor is he deceived; nor does he speak out of (his own) desire...'

 and when he came to the words:

(Surah an-Najm, verses 19 and 20) Have you thought of al-Lat and al-Uzza and Manat, the third, the other?

then Satan cast on his tongue, because of his inner debates and what he desired to bring to his people, the words:

(Satanic Verse 1) 'These are the high-flying cranes;

(Satanic Verse 2) verily their intercession is accepted with approval. 

When Quraysh heard this, they rejoiced and were happy and delighted at the way in which he spoke of their gods, and they listened to him, while the Muslims, having complete trust in their prophet in respect of the messages which he brought from God, did not suspect him of error, illusion, or mistake.

When he came to the prostration, having completed the surah an-Najm, he prostrated himself and the Muslims did likewise, following their prophet, trusting in the message which he had brought and following his example. Those polytheists of the Quraysh and others who were in the mosque likewise prostrated themselves because of the reference to their gods which they had heard, so that there was no one in the mosque, believer or unbeliever, who did not prostrate himself ... The Quraysh left delighted by the mention of their gods which they had heard, saying,'Muhammad has mentioned our gods in the most favorable way possible, stating in his recitation that they are the high-flying cranes and that their intercession is received with approval.'

...  Then (later) Gabriel came to the Messenger of God and said, 'Muhammad, what have you done? You have recited to the people that which I did not bring to you from God, and you have said that which was not said to you.' Then the messenger of God was much grieved and feared God greatly, but God sent down a revelation to him, for He was merciful to him, consoling him and making the matter light for him, informing him that there had never been a prophet or a messenger before him who desired as he desired and wished as he wished but that Satan had cast words into his recitation, as he had cast words on Muhammad's tongue. Then God canceled what Satan had thus cast, and established his verses by telling him that he was like other prophets and messengers, and revealed:

(Surah al-Hajj, verses 52 and 53) And We did not send from before you from a messenger, and nor a prophet, except when he 'desires' (Arabic: tamannā تمنی), the devil threw (Satanic Verses) in his desire (Arabic: um'niyyatihi أُمْنِيَّتِهِ), so God 'abrogates' what the devil throws in، then Allah makes His verses precise again. And Allah is Knowing and Wise. 

Thus, God removed the sorrow from his messenger, reassured him about that which he had feared and canceled the words which Satan had cast on his tongue, that their gods were the high-flying cranes whose intercession was accepted with approval. He now revealed, following the mention of 'al-Lat, al-Uzza and Manat, the third, the other,' the words:

(Surah an-Najm, verses 21 to 26) 'Are yours the males and his the females? That indeed was an unfair division! They are but names which you have named, you and your fathers ...to whom he wills and accepts ' 

This means, how can the intercession of their gods avail with God?

When Muhammad brought a revelation from God canceling what Satan had cast on the tongue of His prophet, the Quraysh said,'Muhammad has repented of what he said concerning the position of your gods with God, and has altered it and brought something else.' Those two phrases which Satan had cast on the tongue of the Messenger of God were in the mouth of every polytheist, and they became even more ill-disposed and more violent in their persecution of those of them who had accepted Islam and followed the messenger of God.

Imam Suyuti recorded this incident from an "authentic" chain of narration (link):

وأخرج ابن جرير وابن المنذر وابن أبي حاتم وابن مردويه بسند صحيح، عن سعيد بن جبير قال: قرأ رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بمكة النجم، فلما بلغ هذا الموضع { أفرأيتم اللات والعزى ومناة الثالثة الأخرى } ألقى الشيطان على لسانه تلك الغرانيق العلى وإن شفاعتهن لترتجى. قالوا: ما ذكر آلهتنا بخير قبل اليوم، فسجد وسجدوا، ثم جاءه جبريل بعد ذلك قال: اعرض عليَّ ما جئتك به. فلما بلغ: تلك الغرانيق العلى وإن شفاعتهن لترتجى. قال له جبريل: لم آتك بهذا؛ هذا من الشيطان فأنزل الله { وما أرسلنا من قبلك من رسول ولا نبي }.

Translation:

Imam Ibn Jarir and others recorded through 'Sahih' (authentic) chain of narration from Saeed Ibn Jubayr that the prophet started reciting Surah Najam in Mecca. When he came to verse (Have you thought upon al-Lat and al-Uzza and Manat, the third, the other?), then the devil threw (alqa) upon his tongue: “Those are the elevated cranes: truly their intercession is dearly hoped!”

Upon that the pagans said to Muhammad that he never before praised their idols. The Prophet prostrated and the pagans too prostrated along with him.

In the evening, Jibrael came and asked Muhammad to recite that which he earlier brought to him. When Muhammad recited the satanic verse, then Jibrael told him that he didn't bring that verse to him, but it was from the Satan. Thus, Allah revealed at that time: (Quran 22:52: And We did not send from before you from a messenger, and nor a prophet, except when he "desires'' (Arabic: Tammana تمنی), the devil threw in his desire, so God erases what the devil throws in ...).

If you want to read all 50 traditions, then please buy the book of Mr. Shahab Ahmed. 

Criticism:

  1. 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 true deities with high status?

  2. 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 denied those Satanic Verses immediately on the spot.

  3. 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 the devil is not hidden from the angels.

  4. 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 warn 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.

  5. 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.

  6. And Allah also didn’t interfere during the whole incident, and he let Muhammad praise the pagan gods.

  7. 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.

  8. But the question is, why did Allah let Satan 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, failed in the test, and started thinking that the gods of Pagans were of high status and even prostrated them, then how could other people have 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 Muslims 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?

  9. Then Allah got busy cleaning the filth of Satanic Verses.

  10. And after deleting the Satanic Verses from the Quran, Allah boasts about himself that people should look at His power and that He has the ability to clean the filth. So, people should believe in Him.

PS:

This excuse for '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 a prophet of God, then Muhammad became enraged, and the writer of the Quran ordered to change the direction of Qibla (from Jerusalem to Mecca). Upon that when people objected, the writer of the Quran again came up with the same excuse that he wants to take a 'Test' that 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 the 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? The 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 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 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 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, Muhammad has a such high status that even a dream of a normal person becomes immune to Satan while the prophet Muhammad is present in his dream, but on the other hand, 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. 

50 Traditions in Islamic sources regarding the Incident of Satanic Verses:

As we mentioned above, the late Mr. Shahab Ahmed wrote an amazing book 'Before Orthodoxy: The Satanic Verses in Early Islam', in which he collected 50 traditions from many Sahaba (i.e. the 1st generation of Muslims) and tābi‘īn اَلتَّابِعِينَ (i.e. 2nd generation of Muslims) about the incident of Satanic Verses. You can buy this book if you want to read all these 50 traditions in English. Here, we are giving only a short list of those 50 traditions along with the name of Sahaba and tābi‘īn اَلتَّابِعِينَ who narrated it:

Riwāyahs 1 to 7: From Muḥammad b. Ka‘b al-Quraẓī
Riwāyah 1: From the Rayy Recension of the Sīrah of Muḥammad Ibn Isḥāq
Riwāyah 2: Abū Ma‘shar’s Report from Muḥammad b. Ka‘b and Muḥammad b. Qays
Riwāyah 3: al-Wāqidī’s Report from al-Muṭṭalib b. Ḥanṭab and the Banū Ẓafar
Riwāyahs 4 to 6: Summary Reports from Muḥammad b. Ka‘b al-Quraẓī
Riwāyah 4: A Summary Report from Muḥammad b. Ka‘b in the Tafsīr of Abū al-Layth al-Samarqandī
Riwāyah 5: A Summary Report from Muḥammad b. Ka‘b in the Tafsīr of Ibn Abī Ḥātim al-Rāzī
Riwāyah 6: A Summary Report from Muḥammad b. Ka‘b in the Tafsīr of Abū al-Shaykh al-Iṣbahānī
Riwāyah 7: From the Maghāzī of Yūnus b. Bukayr
Riwāyahs 8 to 13: From ‘Urwah b. al-Zubayr
Riwāyah 8: From Abū al-Aswad’s Egyptian Recension of ‘Urwah’s Maghāzī
Riwāyah 9: al-Bayhaqī’s Citation of the Maghāzī of Mūsā b. ‘Uqbah, and Ibn Kathīr’s Citation from Ibn Abī Ḥātim of the Maghāzī of Mūsā b. ‘Uqbah
Riwāyah 10: al-Dhahabī’s Citation of the Maghāzī of Mūsā b. ‘Uqbah
Riwāyah 11: Abū Nu‘aym al-Iṣbahānī’s Citation of the Maghāzī of Mūsā b. ‘Uqbah
Riwāyah 12: al-Suyūṭī’s Citation from Ibn Abī Ḥātim’s Tafsīr of the Maghāzī of Mūsā b. ‘Uqbah
Riwāyah 13: al-Kilā‘ī’s Citation of the Maghāzī of Mūsā b. ‘Uqbah
Riwāyahs 8 to 13: Conclusions
Riwāyahs 14 and 15: al-Zuhrī from Abū Bakr ‘Abd al-Raḥmān b. al-Ḥārith
Riwāyah 14: Probably from al-Zuhrī’s Tafsīr with a ṣaḥīḥ mursal isnād
Riwāyah 15: Probably from al-Zuhrī’s Kitāb al-maghāzī
Riwāyahs 14 and 15: Conclusions
Riwāyahs 16 to 20: From Abū al-‘Āliyah al-Baṣrī
Riwāyah 16: Cited by al-Ṭabarī with a ṣaḥīḥ mursal Basran isnād
Riwāyah 17: Also Cited by al-Ṭabarī with a ṣaḥīḥ mursal Basran isnād
Riwāyah 18: Cited by al-Suyūṭī in the Durr from the Tafsīrs of al-Ṭabarī, Ibn al-Mundhir and Ibn Abī Ḥātim by an Unspecified ṣaḥīḥ isnād
Riwāyah 19: Cited by al-Suyūṭī in the Durr from the Tafsīrs of al-Ṭabarī, Ibn al-Mundhir and Ibn Abī Ḥātim al-Rāzī
Riwāyah 20: Cited by Yaḥyā b. Sallām al-Baṣrī in his Tafsīr
Riwāyahs 16 to 20: Conclusions
Riwāyahs 21 and 22: From al-Suddī
Riwāyah 21: In the Tafsīr of ‘Abd b. Ḥumayd al-Samarqandī
Riwāyah 22: In the Tafsīr of Ibn Abī Ḥātim al-Rāzī
Riwāyah 23: From Muḥammad b. al-Sā’ib al-Kalbī
Riwāyahs 24 to 26: From Qatādah b. Di‘āmah
Riwāyah 24: Cited by Yaḥyā b. Sallām al-Baṣrī in His Tafsīr
Riwāyah 25: al-Ṭabarī’s Citation of Tafsīr Muḥammad ibn Thawr ‘an Ma‘mar ‘an Qatādah, and of al-Ḥasan b. Yaḥyā’s Citation of Qatādah in the Baghdādī Transmission of the Tafsīr of ‘Abd al-Razzāq al-Ṣan‘ānī
Riwāyah 26: From the Tafsīr of ‘Abd al-Razzāq al-Ṣan‘ānī
Riwāyahs 24 to 26: Conclusions
Riwāyahs 27 to 30: From Muqātil b. Sulaymān
Riwāyah 27: Muqātil’s Commentary on Qur’ān 22:52 al-Ḥajj
Riwāyah 28: Muqātil’s Commentary on Qur’ān 53:19–26 al-Najm
Riwāyah 29: Muqātil’s Commentary on Qur’ān 109 al-Kāfirūn
Riwāyah 30: Muqātil’s Commentary on Qur’ān 39:43–45 al-Zumar
Riwāyahs 27 to 30: Conclusions
Riwāyahs 31 to 33: From Mujāhid b. Jabr
Riwāyah 31: From Mujāhid’s Commentary on Qur’ān 22:52 al-Ḥajj Cited by Ibn ‘Aqīlah
Riwāyah 32: From Mujāhid’s Commentary on Qur’ān 39:45 al-Zumar Cited by al-Wāḥidī
Riwāyah 33: From Mujāhid’s Commentary on Qur’ān 17:73 al-Isrā’ Cited by al-Tha‘labī
Riwāyah 34: From al-Ḍaḥḥāk b. Muzāḥim al-Balkhī
Riwāyahs 35 to 44: Attributed to ‘Abd Allāh b. ‘Abbās
Riwāyah 35: From ‘Aṭiyyah b. Sa‘d al-‘Awfī
Riwāyah 36: From Abū Ṣāliḥ
Riwāyah 37: From ‘Aṭā’ b. Abī Rabāḥ al-Makkī
Riwāyah 38: Cited Directly from Ibn ‘Abbās in the Gharā’ib al-Qur’ān of Niẓām al-Dīn al-Naysābūrī
Riwāyah 39: From Abū Sāliḥ; from ‘Ikrimah the mawlā of Ibn ‘Abbās; and from an Unnamed Source
Riwāyahs 40 to 44: Sa‘īd b. Jubayr from Ibn ‘Abbās
Riwāyahs 40, 41 and 42: ‘Uthmān b. al-Aswad ← Sa‘īd b. Jubayr
Riwāyah 40: In the Mukhtārah of al-Ḍiyā’ al-Maqdisī with a Deficient isnād
Riwāyah 41: In the Tafsīr of Abū al-Layth al-Samarqandī with an Unacknowledged ṣaḥīḥ isnād
Riwāyah 42: In the Asbāb al-nuzūl of al-Wāḥidī with an isnād Stopping at Sa‘īd b. Jubayr
Riwāyahs 43 and 44: Shu‘bah ← Abū Bishr ← Sa‘īd b. Jubayr ← Ibn ‘Abbās
Riwāyah 43: Cited from Yūsuf b. Ḥammād al-Baṣrī in the Musnad of al-Bazzār with Two Cautionary Remarks
Riwāyah 44: Cited from Yūsuf b. Ḥammād al-Baṣrī in the Mu‘jam al-Kabīr of al-Ṭabarānī and in the Tafsīr of Ibn Mardawayh, with an Interesting Remark
Riwāyahs 35 to 44: Conclusions
Riwāyahs 45 to 47: From Sa‘īd b. Jubayr without Attribution to Ibn ‘Abbās
Riwāyah 45: Cited by al-Ṭabarī from Sa‘īd b. Jubayr via Shu‘bah and Abū Bishr Ja‘far b. Abī Waḥshiyyah
Riwāyah 46: Cited by Ibn Abī Ḥātim al-Rāzī from Sa‘īd b. Jubayr via Shu‘bah and Abū Bishr Ja‘far b. Abī Waḥshiyyah
Riwāyah 47: Cited by al-Suyūṭī in the Durr without an isnād
Riwāyahs 40 to 47: Conclusions
Riwāyah 48: From ‘Ikrimah, the mawlā of Ibn ‘Abbās
Riwāyahs 49 and 50: From al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī
Riwāyah 49: Cited from al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī in al-Nukat wa-al-‘uyūn of al-Māwardī
Riwāyah 50: Cited from al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī in Aḥkām al-Qur’ān of al-Jaṣṣāṣ

100% Transformation: All Muslims of the first 200 years believed in the incident of the Satanic Verses, while All Muslims of the last 200 years deny it

Muslims went through 3 stages regarding the incident of Satanic Verses:

  • 1st Period: All Muslims of the first 200 years universally accepted the incident of Satanic Verses in the light of Quran and Traditions. 
  • 2nd Period: Then came a period, where some of them were accepting it, while others were rejecting it.
  • 3rd Period: And now all Muslims of the last 200 years almost universally deny that the incident of Satanic Verses ever happened in the light of the same Quran and same Traditions. 

How was the Satanic verses incident transformed in Muslim consciousness from 100% Truth to 100% Lie? What caused it to happen?

Problem was, the 'contradictions' in the 'divine revelation' were badly exposed in the incident of Satanic Verses, and despite presenting all types of excuses, Muslims were not succeeding in hiding the human errors in those cases. 

Another problem was the emergence of the doctrine in the Muslim community that 'Prophets are protected from being misguided by Satan. Mr. Shahab Ahmed made this doctrine clear in these words:

Among the doctrines that emerged from the mid-2nd/8th century onwards was that of `ismat al-anbiya', literally the protection of the Prophets', meaning God's Protection of them from sin and error. The idea of the `ismah of the Prophets, which seems to have originated among the Shiah, was embraced as a doctrinal principle in some form or another by almost every Muslim sect and theological or legal school. With the spread of the concept that Muhammad constituted the model personality whose normative conduct (sunnah), as recorded in the klactith, was to be imitated by every Muslim, the idea that he should not sin must have appeared both logical and persuasive. Also, with the establishment of the legal principle that the Muslim community itself was protected from agreement upon error in the interpretation of Di-vine Law, it was hardly possible for the exemplar of the Law to be allowed to err himself.

Reference: Ahmed, Shahab. “Ibn Taymiyyah and the Satanic Verses.” Studia Islamica, no. 87, 1998, pp. 67–124. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1595926. Accessed 8 June 2021.

Therefore, later coming Muslims were forced to deny this incident altogether in order to defend the honour of Islam. Thus, they tried to fabricate lies and lame excuses in order to deny it. 

But the problem with fabricated lies is that they often contradict each other and one has to invent 100 more lies to hide a single lie. 

The same thing happened with these later coming Muslim generations. They initially got divided into two groups, who refuted each other on the basis of the same Quran and the same Traditions. 

  • The first Muslim group altogether denied this incident and claimed there exists no Quranic verse regarding this incident, and all the traditions regarding this incident are weak. Thus, this incident never happened. 
  • While the 2nd group of Muslims accepted the occurrence of this incident, but then they tried to save the honour of Islam by using 'Taweel' (Arabic: تاويل) i.e. figurative interpretation.

The 2nd Muslim group was compelled to refute the 1st Muslim group while this incident is present in the Quran itself, and also in 'authentic' traditions through different chains of narration, which makes it impossible to deny it altogether. 

Ibn Taymiyyah was himself an extremist Muslim and Islam apologist, but still he wrote (link):

والمأثور عن السلف يوافق القرآن بذلك ... وأما الذين قرروا ما نقل عن السلف فقالوا هذا منقول نقلا ثابتا لا يمكن القدح فيه والقرآن يدل عليه بقوله ۔۔۔

The majority of Salaf (i.e. Muslims of earlier generations) were of the opinion they (i.e. traditions regarding Satanic Verses) are in accordance with Quran … And from later coming Muslims, who followed those Salaf (i.e. earlier Muslims), they are also of opinion that these traditions are proven correct, and it is impossible to deny them, and even Quran is itself proving them

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani is considered to be one of the highest authorities upon Hadith by Muslims. He refuted the first group and wrote in his book “Fath-ul-Bari” (link):

وكلها سوى طريق سعيد بن جبير إما ضعيف وإلا منقطع ، لكن كثرة الطرق تدل على أن للقصة أصلا ، مع أن لها طريقين آخرين مرسلين رجالهما على شرط الصحيحين أحدهما ما أخرجه الطبري من طريق يونس بن يزيد عن ابن شهاب حدثني أبو بكر بن عبد الرحمن بن الحارث بن هشام فذكر نحوه، والثاني ما أخرجه أيضا من طريق المعتمر بن سليمان وحماد بن سلمة فرقهما عن داود بن أبي هند عن أبي العالية ۔۔۔ ثم نقل تضعيف ابن العربي والقاضي عياض القصة ثم قال - : ۔۔۔ فإن الطرق إذا كثرت وتباينت مخارجها دل ذلك على أن لها أصلا ، وقد ذكرت أن ثلاثة أسانيد منها على شرط الصحيح ، وهي مراسيل يَحتجُّ بمثلها مَن يحتجُّ بالمرسل ، وكذا من لا يحتج به ، لاعتضاد بعضها ببعض ۔۔

All the paths of this hadith are either weak or cut off, except for that of Sa`id ibn Jubayr... However, the profusion of the chains show that the story has a basis, furthermore, there are two other 'mursal' chains whose narrators are those of Bukhari and Muslim. The first one is that narrated by al-Tabari through Yunus ibn Yazid from Ibn Shihab [al-Zuhri]: 'Abu Bakr ibn `Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham narrated to me,' etc. The second is what al-Tabari also narrated through al-Mu`tamir ibn Sulayman and Hammad ibn Salama from Dawud ibn Abi Hind from Abu al-`Aliya.... Contrary to what Abu Bakr ibn al-`Arabi and al-Qadi `Iyad claimed, the story has no basis at all.... When the paths of a hadith are many and distinct, it shows that the report has a basis.... So, as I said, there are three sound but 'mursal' chains for it, among them what meets the criteria of the two Sahihs but for the fact that they are 'mursal'. These constitute proof for both those that accept 'mursal' reports as proof and those that do not, due to the mutual strengthening of the chains.

Actually, the witness of the Quran itself is so clear that we don’t need any traditions to testify to the occurrence of the Satanic Verses incident. Anyone who ponders upon the Quranic verses Surah an-Najm and Surah al-Hajj will automatically come to the same conclusion. 

We have presented a list of 50 Ahadith here so that people can see the tactics and deceptions of Muslims that they use in name of “Ilm-ul-Hadith” (i.e. Science of Hadith).

Moreover, this incident was also briefly mentioned twice in Sahih Bukhari. Despite being shorter versions, they still prove the occurrence of this incident. 

From companion Ibn Abbas in Sahih Bukhari (link):

Narrated Ibn `Abbas:

The Prophet prostrated while reciting An-Najm and with him prostrated the Muslims, the pagans, the jinns, and all human beings.

And from companion 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud in Sahih Bukhari (link): 

Narrated `Abdullah bin Mas`ud:

The Prophet recited Surat an-Najm (103) at Mecca and prostrated while reciting it and those who were with him did the same except an old man who took a handful of small stones or earth and lifted it to his forehead and said, 'This is sufficient for me.' Later on, I saw him killed as a non-believer

In order to deny these 2 traditions, Islamic apologists claimed that there is no mention of Satanic Verses present in them. But then the next question arose, why then Pagans prostrated along with Muhammad and Muslims? 

Upon that, Islamic apologists came up with this excuse:"It was the beauty of the Quran which made Pagans automatically fell down and to prostrate to Allah when they heard this verse: (Suran an-Najm 53:62: So prostrate to Allah and worship Him)."

But the problem with this excuse of Islamic apologists is this:

  • Nowhere is it written in these 2 traditions of Sahih Bukhari that Pagans prostrated due to any 'beauty' of the Quran. 
  • The Quran mentioned prostration to Allah in several places in the Quran, but pagans never prostrated upon them. Does it mean that the rest of the Quran does not have any beauty that pagans would have prostrated there?
  • And the preceding verses of this last verse of Suran an-Najm (53:62) tell exactly the opposite story i.e.
    * Pagans of Mecca were making fun of this Quran.
    * Pagans were playing with this Quran.
    * For them, the Quran was absolutely not beautiful, but only lies.
    How could then they prostrate with Muhammad and other Muslims after hearing it? 

(Suran an-Najm, verses 59 to 62) Do you then wonder at this recital (the Quran)? And you laugh at it and weep not, while ye amuse yourselves (while playing games with it)? So, prostrate to Allah and worship [Him].

Therefore, the preceding Quranic Verses themselves denied the lies and conjectures of Islamic apologists, and it becomes clear if pagans prostrated along with Muhammad, then it was only due to this reason that the Incident of Satanic Verses indeed happened, and Muhammad indeed praised their goddesses, and thereupon they prostrated along with Muhammad

2nd Group: Who tried to give another colour to the incident of Satanic Verses by using different 'Taweels' (i.e. figurative interpretations)

This 2nd group of Muslims accepted the existence of incident of Satanic Verses on the bases of Quranic Verses and multiple traditions, but they tried to deny it by using “Taweel” (تأويل) i.e. figurative interpretation, that is changing the meaning of the words and interpreting them in a way that does not conform to their literal meaning (link).

In reality, Taweel is nothing else than a 'lame excuse', which is not based upon any proof, but only upon Conjecture. Moreover, Taweel has nothing to do with 'Justice', but it is actually only a deception in order to kill justice. Unfortunately, still Muslims run after Taweel in order to safeguard the honour of their religion.

Ibn Hajar al-Asqallani belonged to this 2nd group. He recorded all these 'Taweels' that Muslims fabricated to defend the honour of Islam. 

Firstly, Ibn Hajar accepted this incident on the basis of multiple traditions. He writes (link):

All the paths of this hadith are either weak or cut off, except for that of Sa`id ibn Jubayr... However, the profusion of the chains show that the story has a basis, furthermore, there are two other 'mursal' chains whose narrators are those of Bukhari and Muslim .... When the paths of a hadith are many and distinct, it shows that the report has a basis.

Then Ibn Hajar argued the necessity of presenting Taweel, in order to save the honour of Islam. He continues (link):

 وإذا تقرر ذلك تعين تأويل ما وقع فيها مما يستنكر وهو قوله : " ألقى الشيطان على لسانه : تلك الغرانيق العلى وإن شفاعتهن لترتجى " فإن ذلك لا يجوز حمله على ظاهره لأنه يستحيل عليه - صلى الله عليه وسلم - أن يزيد في القرآن عمدا ما ليس منه ، وكذا سهوا

This said, it is required to interpret the incident (i.e. to do TAWEEL) and address what appears to be reprehensible, namely the statement 'the devil interjected the Satanic Verses upon the Prophet's tongue i.e. 'Those pagan goddesses are the elevated cranes: truly their intercession is dearly hoped.'' Such a thing is precluded from being accepted in literal terms for it is impossible for the Prophet - Allah bless and greet him - to add something to the Qur'an that does not belong to it whether deliberately (`amdan) or erroneously (sahwan). ..

Answer: 

We do not agree with the logic of Ibn Hajar. 'Justice' means accepting the facts and proofs as they are, and not changing them for the sake of the honour of religion. 

While this so-called Taweel (i.e. figurative interpretations) is nothing else than killing Justice by using conjectures. 

First Taweel: Prophet praised pagan gods in those 2 Verses only in order to ridicule them

Then Ibn Hajar presented the first Taweel that the Prophet uttered this praise of pagan goddesses in order to ridicule them (link): 

 قال عياض . وهذا جائز إذا كانت هناك قرينة تدل على المراد . ولا سيما وقد كان الكلام في ذلك الوقت في الصلاة جائزا -

Al-Qadi `Iyad did well when he said: 'It is possible the Prophet - Allah bless and greet him - was mentioning the belief of the pagans by way of derision, noting that at that time it was permitted to speak in the midst of prayer. To this position leaned Ibn al-Baqillani.

Answer: 

This conjecture is wrong, while If it was a mockery of the gods of pagans, then they would have never prostrated along with Muhammad and other Muslims. 

Second Taweel: It was not the Prophet, but Pagans themselves uttered those 2 Verses

Then Ibn Hajar presented the second Taweel that it was not the prophet, but the Pagans themselves, who uttered those 2 Satanic Verses. He wrote (link):

وقيل إنه لما وصل إلى قوله : ومناة الثالثة الأخرى خشي المشركون أن يأتي بعدها بشيء يذم آلهتهم به فبادروا إلى ذلك الكلام فخلطوه في تلاوة النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - على عادتهم في قولهم . لا تسمعوا لهذا القرآن والغوا فيه ونسب ذلك للشيطان لكونه الحامل لهم على ذلك ، أو المراد بالشيطان شيطان الإنس

It was also said that when he reached the words {Have ye thought upon Al Lat and Al Uzza? And Manat, the third, the other?} the pagans feared lest he would add something to mock their gods, so they hastened to interject and jeer so as to cover up what was coming next, as was their habit stated in the verse { And those who disbelieve say: 'Listen not to this Quran, and make noise in the midst of its (recitation) that you may overcome.'} (41:26). This act on their part was attributed to the devil as it was he that inspired it to them. Or, what was meant by the devil was the devil of humankind (i.e. it were Pagans themselves who uttered those Satanic Verses)....

Answer: 

Again, you can see that this Taweel is based only upon conjecture, which is against the Quran and all the 50 traditions which are about this incident. Quran is not talking about any noise by pagans etc, but it is talking about the 'desire' of the prophet and then Satan throwing in (the Satanic verses) in his desire, and then Allah becoming angry upon the prophet and threatening him with double punishment, and then Allah abrogating it.  

Third Taweel: The Prophet was neither misled by Satan nor he uttered those 2 Verses, but it was Satan who directly spoke those 2 verses in the voice of the prophet

Then Ibn Hajar presented the third Taweel, that it was Satan who spoke those Satanic Verses in the voice of the Prophet (link): 

وقيل : كان النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - يرتل القرآن فارتصده الشيطان في سكتة من السكتات ونطق بتلك الكلمات محاكيا نغمته بحيث سمعه من دنا إليه فظنها من قوله وأشاعها . قال : وهذا أحسن الوجوه .

It was also said that the Prophet - Allah bless and greet him used to recite the Qur'an slowly, so that the devil lay in wait for one of the pauses and uttered the words in question with the same timbre of voice. Those that were near him heard it as if coming from the Prophet - Allah bless and greet him - and attributed it to him. This is the best of all interpretations.' 

Answer: 

Again, you can see that this is only a conjecture, with no proof. Neither Quran nor 50 traditions talk about any 'pause', or Satan speaking in the voice of the prophet Muhammad to the people. And Quran is itself a witness that indeed Muhammad was misled due to his desire. 

Fourth Taweel: The meaning of 'Tamana تمني' is not only 'desire', but it also means 'recitation'

Then Ibn Hajar mentioned another excuse that the meaning of 'Tamana تمني' does not only wish/desire, but it also has another meaning of 'recitation', and thus it proves that it was Satan who recited those Satanic Verses, and not the prophet (link):

قال : ومعنى قوله : في أمنيته أي في تلاوته ، فأخبر تعالى في هذه الآية أن سنته في رسله إذا قالوا قولا زاد الشيطان فيه من قبل نفسه ، فهذا نص في أن الشيطان زاده في قول النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - -

'The meaning of 'omniyyatihi' in verse 52 (of Surah al-Hajj) is 'recitation'. Allah Almighty therefore informed us in this verse when His Messengers 'recited' something, then Satan adds something in their recitations. This is an explicit proof-text that (in case of prophet Muhammad too) it was Satan that conveyed those 2 verses inside the Prophet's recitation (i.e. The Prophet was himself not misled by Satan)'

Answer 1: The word 'Tamana تمني' in verse 24 of Surah an-Najm is proof that the same word 'Tamana تمني' in verse 52 of Surah al-Hajj is also used in the meaning of 'desire' and not of 'recitation'. 

We have already established above that both these verses of Suran an-Najm and Surah al-Hajj were revealed for the same incident. And verse 24 of Surah an-Najm is very clear that the meaning of 'Tamana تمني' can only be 'desire' here.

(Surah al-Najm, Verse 24) Or shall man have whatever he 'desires' (Arabic: tamannā تمنی)  

Thus, the meaning of 'Tamana تمني' in Surah al-Hajj is also 'desire' and not 'recitation'. Therefore, the correct translation of verse 52 of Surah al-Hajj is:

(Surah Hajj 22:52-53) وَمَا أَرْ‌سَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّ‌سُولٍ وَلَا نَبِيٍّ إِلَّا إِذَا تَمَنَّىٰ أَلْقَى الشَّيْطَانُ فِي أُمْنِيَّتِهِ فَيَنسَخُ اللَّـهُ مَا يُلْقِي الشَّيْطَانُ ثُمَّ يُحْكِمُ اللَّـهُ آيَاتِهِ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ۔ لِيَجْعَلَ مَا يُلْقِي الشَّيْطَانُ فِتْنَةً لِّلَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ وَالْقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ لَفِي شِقَاقٍ بَعِيدٍ

And We did not send from before you from a messenger, and nor a prophet, except when he 'desires' (Arabic: tamannā تمنی), the devil threw (Satanic Verses) in his desire (Arabic: um'niyyatihi أُمْنِيَّتِهِ), so God 'abrogates' (Arabic: fayansakhu فَيَنسَخُ) what the devil throws in. Then Allah makes His verses precise again. And Allah is Knowing and 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. 

Note: تَمَنَّىٰ is a verb, while أُمْنِيَّتِهِ is a noun, and both mean 'desire'.

Answer 2: None of the 50 Traditions used the word 'Tamana تمني' as 'recitation'

All these 50 traditions about the incident of Satanic Verses are unanimous that indeed Muhammad was misled by Satan due to his 'desire'. None of them used the word 'Tamana تمني' as 'recitation', but all of them are using it in the meaning of 'desire'.

How can then Islamic apologists reject these 50 traditions, and follow only their conjecture?

Answer 3: Look at the Double Standards of Muslims

There is absolutely no proof in pre-Islamic era Arab literature that the meaning of 'Tamana تمني' is also 'recitation'. And even after Islam, still we find absolutely nowhere that meaning of 'Tamana تمني' is recitation in the whole Quran and Sunnah.

But someone claimed that there exists a one-line poetry from Hassan Ibn Thabit in which the word 'Tamana تمني' was used as recitation (This one-line poetry is تمنى كتاب الله أول ليله ... i.e. reading the book of Allah in the first part of the night).

Nevertheless, there is no authentic source present to claim that this poetry is from Hassan bin Thabit. Only one person claimed centuries later that Hassan bin Thabit said this poetry without giving any chain of narration or without mentioning any other source.

Are you able to see the double standards of Islamic apologists, where there are 50 direct traditions about the incident of Satanic Verses (including authentic traditions with complete chains of narrations), but still they deny this incident completely. While on the other hand, when a 'singular' and totally 'unknown' source (without even having any chain of narration) claims the meaning of 'Tamana تمني' to be 'recitation', then all of them accept it without any criticism and hesitation and reject the established meaning of 'desire' without giving any reasons. 

Excuse by Modern Islamic apologists: Surah al-Hajj was revealed 8 years after Surah an-Najm

Modern Islamic apologists all together deny the existence of the incident of Satanic Verses. And their argument is:

Surah al-Hajj was revealed 8 years after Surah an-Najm. How is it possible to accept that Allah will reveal verses about one incident 8 years after it? 

Answer: 

This argument has no value as we all know that the Quran is not chronologically arranged. One Surah has verses of many different incidents that happened many years apart with each other. 

What to talk of two different incidents in one Surah, but the Quran is so ridiculously incoherent that even in one SINGLE verse one part is about one incident and 2nd part is about another incident which happened years apart.

For example:

(Quran 5:3)

(1st part of the verse):
Forbidden to you is that which dies of itself, and blood, and flesh of swine, and that on which any other name than that of Allah has been invoked, and the strangled (animal) and that beaten to death, and that killed by a fall and that killed by being smitten with the horn, and that which wild beasts have eaten, except what you slaughter, and what is sacrificed on stones set up (for idols) and that you divide by the arrows; that is a transgression.

(2nd part of the verse):
This day have those who disbelieve despaired of your religion, so fear them not, and fear Me. This day have I perfected for you your religion and completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam as a religion;

(3rd part of the verse):
but whoever is compelled by hunger, not inclining willfully to sin, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

All the commentators of the Quran are unanimous thatَ:

  • The first part of this verse is about Haram (prohibited) foods, and this order was revealed in the 6th Hijri year at the time of the Pact of Hudaybiyyah.
  • But the 2nd (middle) part of this verse suddenly started talking about the "Perfection of Religion", and this part was revealed at a totally different time in the 10th Hijri year. And this part has nothing to do with the previous part of the verse.
  • And the 3rd and last part of the verse (i.e. sentence) again returns to the first incident about Haram foods, which was revealed during the Pact of Hudaybiyyah in the 6th Hijri year.

Maulana Modoodi wrote in his commentary of the Quran under this verse:

"According to authentic traditions this 2nd part of the verse (about the perfection of religion) was revealed at the time of "Last Sermon" in the 10th Hijri year. But the initial part of the verse was about the Pact of Hudaybiyyah (which happened in the 6th Hijri year).

Initial Verses of Surah an-Najm are also a reason why Muslims were later forced to deny the incident of Satanic Verses completely

When Muhammad started his new religion and claimed that an Angel comes to him from God with revelations, the 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:

Suran an-Najm, Verses 1 to 5: 

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 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 the 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. 

Summary:

  1. There are indeed "Authentic" Traditions present too about the incident of Satanic Verses. 

  2. Moreover, there are 50 Traditions from different narrators about this incident present in Islamic sources, which automatically raise it to the status of 'Sahih Lighairihi' (i.e. Authentic due to the presence of multiple traditions).

  3. Moreover, Quranic Verses are themselves a witness, that the incident of Satanic Verses is indeed TRUE. That is why all the Muslims of the first 200 years UNANIMOUSLY considered this incident to be true, while Quran is itself PROVING it.

  4. Moreover, there is NOT a single tradition in Islamic sources, which denies this incident, and contradicts those 50 traditions. We don't find contradictory traditions against those 50 traditions, while All Early Muslims of the first 200 years UNANIMOUSLY believed that fabricating contradictory traditions is not going to work as Quran is itself proof of this incident.

  5. The Human Error of Muhammad in the so-called Divine Revelation leads us only to the conclusion that there is no Allah present in the heavens, but it was Muhammad himself who was making those revelations on his own. 

 

Parent Category: en
Category: Divine Revelation OR Human Drama?