An Invitation to Peace

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Liar or Madman?
An Invitation to Peace
They called him a liar, but a liar’s only aim is to achieve some worldly
benefit, and Muhammad, like all messengers before him, had
accepted no return for his services from people and chosen a life of
rugged simplicity and devotion to God until the very end. He had
always been known for his scrupulous honesty, before Islam and after.
On the day his beloved son Ibrahim died there was an eclipse. The
people were quick to conclude that this was a sign of the Prophet’s
status that even the sun shared in his sorrow and that God had
expressed His personal condolence. This was an ideal opportunity to
exploit if he had been a liar and to strengthen the people’s faith in him.
Instead, the Messenger summoned the people and declared, “The Sun
and the Moon are signs from the signs of God. They do not eclipse for
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the death of anyone or for his birth.”
And what liar seeking self-glory would compose verses to be regarded
as God’s that admonished him? Once while the Messenger was
engaged in speaking to some of the leaders of Quraysh, leaders whose
conversion would have meant a great deal to Islam and the Muslims in
those early days, a blind believer, `Abdullah ibn Umm Maktoom,
approached the Prophet and, not aware of his preoccupation, began
asking him to teach him something of his religion. Ibn Umm Maktoom
was considered among the low and undignified in pre-Islamic
Makkah, and the tribal leaders began turning their noses up at his
approach. The Messenger, sensing the loss of what had seemed a
promising opportunity, frowned. While the blind companion probably
hadn’t even noticed what the Prophet’s reaction had been to him, God
Almighty decided this was not becoming of His Messenger and
accordingly sent down revelation:
(Continued from page 40) Stanley Lane-Poole, The Speeches and Table-Talk of the Prophet
Mohammad, London 1882, Introduction, pp. 46,47
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(Current page) Related by al-Bukhari, v. 1, p. 360
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