The First Test Is The Test Of True Source Of Inspiration

The Bible is the absolute standard in this area.  When God called Moses to be the founder of Judaism he spoke to him directly:

And to Moses Allah spoke direct
(Surat Al-Nisa 4:164).

There are many instances mentioned in the Torah where it is said, "The Lord spoke to Moses." Thirty-five times we read in the book of Leviticus "And the Lord spoke to Moses." The line of communication never stopped between God and Moses, since he was called to be a prophet, and in every move Moses followed God's directions.
God confirmed His call to Moses with miracles.  When Moses erected the tabernacle of meeting, and Aaron offered the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering, we read how God demonstrated His glory to authenticate Moses' prophethood:

And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people.  Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, and fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar.  When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces (Leviticus 9:23, 24 NKJ).

Now we come to Muhammad.  His call came by the spirit who met him at the cave of Mount Hira, squeezed him so tightly that he thought he would die, and left him in great distress of mind.  Then the spirit left him with no revelations for a period of time.
Muhammad suffered greatly every time he received a revelation from that spirit.

Al-Imam (cleric) Al-Bukhary quoted Aisha, Muhammad's wife, when she said:

Harith Ibn Hesham asked the messenger of Allah:  "Messenger of Allah, how do you receive the revelation?' "Sometimes it comes to me like a ringing bell, and this is the hardest.  When he leaves me I remember what he said" Muhammad answered.  Then he continued, "Sometimes the angel appears to me as a man, he speaks to me and I remember what he said." Aisha said, "I saw him when revelation comes down to him, sweat covers his forehead in the very cold day."

Imam Ahmad cited Abdallah Ibn Omar, who asked Muhammad, "Do you feel the revelation?" "I hear ringing, then I stay silent.  Every time the spirit came with revelation I thought I would die," Muhammad answered.
Ibn Saad quoted Aisha when she said:

When revelation comes down to Muhammad, he submerged his head in water, his face turns pale, he feels that he is very cold and he sweats with large drops of sweating (Al-Helal Magazine, December 1970, page 73).

Allah did not speak to Muhammad directly, only the spirit of unknown origin did.
Moreover, when Muhammad entered Makkah victoriously, and cast out all of the idols from the Kaaba, God did not reveal His glory there as he revealed it in the Tabernacle of Meeting.  No sign of God's presence was felt in the Kaaba.
Ibn Hesham recorded that the prophet stood there to display the Muslims' armies with all their banners.  Abu-Sufian the Amowite and Al-Abaas, the prophet's uncle, stood to watch the parade.

"The Kingdom of your nephew Muhammad became so great today" Abu-Sufian said to Al-Abaas.  "It is the prophethood, not the Kingship, Abu-Sufian," Al-Abaas "As to prophethood, I still have my reservations concerning it," Abu-Sufian answered (Islamic Caliphate, page 103).

There were great doubts in the hearts of many in Arabia concerning Muhammad's prophethood.  Some of the contents of the Quran declare that it was not inspired by God.  Read the following verse:

Also mention in the book Idris:  He was a man of truth [and sincerity], and a prophet.  And we raised him to lofty station (Surat Maryam 19:56, 57).

Ahmad Bahgat recorded on page 164 of his book, The Prophets of Allah:

Legends say that Idris is Osiris the hero of the ancient Egyptian legend.

Idris is the Arabic pronunciation of Osiris.  The Reader's Digest Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary defines "Osiris" on page 1203:

The ancient Egyptian god of the underworld.  In Egyptian mythology the god who was ruler and judge in the underworld and the brother and consort of Isis.  He is identified with the Nile, and his annual death and resurrection symbolized the self-renewing vitality and fertility of nature.

The Quran declares that Idris, or Osiris, who was the ancient Egyptian god of the underworld, is:

... a man of truth [and sincerity], and a prophet.  And We [Allah] raised him to lofty station (Surat Maryam 19:56, 57).

Amazing!!

Is Osiris the god of the underworld, or a prophet?  With such an error, could the Quran be the inspired word of the true God?
Another person was mentioned in the Quran and commentators have no idea who he was.  His name is Zul-Kifl and he is mentioned in Surat Al-Anbiyaa 21:85, 86:

And remember Ismail, Idris, and Zul-Kifl, all [men] of constancy and patience.

Who is Zul-Kifl?  Nobody knows!  That is contrary to what is written in the Bible:

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope (Romans 15:4 NKJ).

But the Quran recorded things with no benefit for its readers.
[TOP]

The Story of Joseph in the Quran is Distorted

We have to remember that Christianity is the extension of Judaism and is founded on the Old Testament.  The stories of the Old Testament are referred to but are not repeated in the New Testament because together they are one book "The Bible."  The New Testament is a continuation of the Old Testament.
The Quran, however, is not the extension of the Bible and is not consistent with the Bible.  Therefore, Islam cannot not be accepted as God's final religion for mankind.  The Quran repeats the biblical stories of Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Jesus and others and it does so with significant distortion.  We see this clearly from the conflicting story of Joseph in the Bible and the Quran.
In the Bible we read how Potiphar's wife tried to seduce Joseph to lie with her, and how Joseph refused to commit such a gross sin.  The biblical story describes a young man who felt the presence of God with him who, by the grace of God, refused to lie with his master's wife.  The two conflicting stories are recorded on these pages for the reader to discern which one is true inspiration.

The Bible story:

Now it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph and she said, "Lie with me." But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand.  There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife.  How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"
So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.  But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, that she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside, and so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, "See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us.  He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.  And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside."
So she kept his garment with her until his master came home.  Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, "The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside."
So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, "Your servant did to me after this manner," that his anger was aroused.
Then Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined.  And he was there in the prison
(Genesis 39:7-20 NKJ).

Now, the distorted story in the Quran:

Ladies, said in the city:  "The wife of the [great] Aziz is seeking to seduce her slave.  Truly hath he inspired her with violent love:  we see she is evidently going astray.
When she heard of their malicious talk, she sent for them and prepared a banquet for them:  she gave each of them a knife:  and she said [to Joseph], "Come out before them." When they saw him, they did extol him, and [in their amazement] cut their hands:  they said, "Allah preserve us!  no mortal is this!  This is none other than a noble angel!"
She said:  "There before you is the man about whom ye did blame me!  I did seek to seduce him from His [true] self but he did firmly save himself guiltless!...  And now, if he doth not my bidding, he shall certainly be cast into prison, and [what is more] be of the company of the vilest!" (Surat Yusuf 12:30-32).

Another distortion concerns life in the eternal state.  Jesus said:

For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven (Matthew 22:30)

The Quran declares:

As to the Righteous, they will be in gardens, and in happiness.  They will recline [with ease] upon couches arranged in ranks, and We shall wed them to maidens with beautiful big and lustrous eyes (Surat Al-Tur 52:17, 20).

Other examples of the distorted biblical stories written in the Quran are the story of Noah (Surat Al-Ankabut 29:14, Surat Al-Tahrim 66:10); and the story of Abraham where the Quran says that he was ordered to sacrifice Ishmael, not Isaac (Surat Al-Saffat 37:100-107).
These distorted stories and teachings are far from being God's inspired word.
Any discerning reader has the right to question the source of the Quran's revelations.
[TOP]

Muhammad Used the Quran to Solve his Own Problems and to Satisfy His Own Desires

It is clear from the following examples that Muhammad used the revelations of the Quran to solve his own problems and satisfy his carnal desires.
1.  Muhammad lusted after Zainab, his daughter-in-law, and desired to marry her, so a revelation came to him from his Allah saying:

Then when Zaid [Muhammad's adopted son] had dissolved [his marriage] with her [with Zainab, his daughter-in-law] We joined her in marriage to thee (Surat Al-Ahzab 33:37).

2.  Aisha, the youngest of Muhammad's wives, conspired with his other wives against him because he had sex with Mary, the Coptic slave, in the bed of his wife Hafsa, daughter of Omar.  Muhammad refused to share their beds for one month.  Then the following revelation came to threaten them:

When the Prophet disclosed a matter in confidence to one of his consorts, and she then divulged it [to another], and Allah made it known to him, he confirmed part thereof and passed over a part.  Then when he told her thereof, she said, "Who told thee this?" He said, "He told me Who is the Knower, the Aware."
If ye two turn in repentance to Allah, your hearts are indeed so inclined; but if ye back up each other against him, truly Allah is his Protector, and Gabriel, and [every] Righteous one among those who believe and furthermore, the angels will back [him] up.
It may be, if he divorced you [all], that Allah will give him in exchange consorts better than you - who submit [their wills], who believe, who are devout; who turn to Allah in repentance, who worship [in humility], who fast - previously married or virgins (Surat Al-Tahrim 66:3-5).

Muhammad's wives were scared.  They repented.  The revelation did what Muhammad wanted and he came back to them.  (The full story is in the book, The Wives of the Prophet, pages 100-104.)

3.  Muhammad's wives asked his permission to adorn themselves, and wanted him to raise their allowance, so the following revelation came to threaten them:

O Prophet!  say to thy consorts:  "If it be that ye desire the life of this world, and its glitter - then come!  I will provide for your enjoyment and set you free in a handsome manner (Surat Al-Ahzab 33:28).

This meant that he would give them money and divorce them.  The sword of divorce was always ready to threaten Muhammad's wives and subdue them in the name of Allah.

4.  Muhammad was afraid that his wives would be seduced by other men, so a revelation came to him to order his wives as well as other Muslim women to wear a veil:

O Prophet!  Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons [when out of doors]:  That is most convenient, that they should be known [as such] and not molested.  And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (Surat Al-Ahzab 33:59).

Another verse was given to Muhammad's wives:

O ye wives of the Prophet!  Ye are not like any other women.  If ye keep your duty [to Allah], then be not soft of speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease aspire [to you], but utter customary speech (Surat Al-Ahzab 33:32).

5.  Muhammad was afraid that his wives might commit lewdness hind his back, especially since some of them were much younger than him, so the following revelation came to threaten them and instill terror in their hearts:

O ye, wives of the Prophet!  Whosoever of you committeth manifest lewdness, the punishment for her will be doubled, and that is easy for Allah (Surat Al-Ahzab 33:30).

The question is:  if Muhammad's godly example and the teachings the Quran had an influence on the wives of Muhammad, to keep them honest and pure, why would such a threat be needed?

6.  Muhammad was annoyed by those who used to enter his houses without permission, and was afraid that they might seduce his wives, so the following revelation came to him:

O ye who believe!  Enter not the Prophet's houses, until leave is given you, for a meal, [and then] not [so early as] to wait for its preparation:  but when ye are invited, enter; and when ye have taken your meal, disperse, without seeking familiar talk.  Such [behavior] annoys the Prophet he is shy to dismiss you, but Allah is not shy [to tell you] the truth.
And when ye ask [his ladies] for anything ye want, ask them from before a screen:  that makes for greater purity for your hearts and for theirs.  Nor is it right for you that ye should annoy Allah's Messenger, or that ye should marry his widows after him at any time.  Truly such a thing is in Allah's sight an enormity (Surat Al-Ahzab 33:53).

7.  Muhammad was annoyed by those who called him from behind his apartments, so he needed a revelation to stop them from doing it.

Those who shout out to thee from without the inner apartments - most of them lack understanding.  If only they had patience until thou couldst come out to them, it would be best for them:  but Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (Surat Al-Hujurat 49:4, 5).

8.  To motivate his followers to pay alms to him, that he would pray for them or meet them in private for counsel, Muhammad needed a revelation.  The revelation came in the following words:

Of their wealth take alms, that so thou mightest purify and sanctify them; and pray on their behalf.  Verily thy prayers are a source of security for them:  And Allah is One Who heareth and knoweth (Surat At-Tawbah 9:103).

Incidentally, the reader may ask how Muhammad, who is himself a sinner, can purify and sanctify his followers, something only God can do.

O ye who believe!  When ye hold conference with the messenger, offer an alms before your conference.  That is better and purer for you.  But if ye cannot find [the wherewithal] then lo!  Allah is Forgiving.  Merciful (Surat Al-Mujadilah 58:12 MPT).

Muhammad's prayers and counsel cost Muslims their money.

9.  When Muhammad went to Al-Madina, he commanded the Muslims to pray toward Jerusalem, toward the destroyed Jewish temple which is now "Al Aksa Mosque." He thought that by this act the Jews would accept him as a true prophet.  However, the Jews rejected him, so he wanted to change the direction from Jerusalem to the Kaaba in Makkah.  It was a political move to please the Arabs.  But he needed a revelation to do it:

The fools among the people will say "What hath turned them from the Qiblah [the direction to which the Muslims must turn when they pray] to which they were used?" Say:  To Allah belong both East and West:  He guideth whom He will to a way that is straight.
We see the turning of thy face [for guidance] to the heavens:  now shall we turn thee to a Qibla that shall please thee.  Turn then thy face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque:  Wherever ye are, turn your faces in that direction (Surat Al-Baqarah 2:142, 144).

We must not forget that the sacred mosque, the Kaaba, was full of idols at that time.

10.  When Abu-Bakr suggested to Muhammad to take ransom from the prisoners of war at the battle of Badr and free them, Omar suggested that the prisoners of that war should all be killed.  Now Muhammad needed a revelation to justify Omar's suggestion since it was against any code of war.  The revelation came as follows:

It is not for any Prophet to have captives until he hath made slaughter in the land.  Ye desire the lure of this world and Allah desireth [for you] the Hereafter, and Allah is Mighty Wise. . (Surat Al-Anal 8:67 MPT).

11.  According to Muhammad, Allah had commanded that a man could marry up to four women at any one time:

Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four (Surat Al-Nisa 4:3).

Four women were not enough for Muhammad, so he needed special permission from Allah to marry any number of women he wished.  The revelation came as follows:

O Prophet!  We have made lawful to thee thy wives to whom thou has paid their dowers; and those whom thy right hand possesses out of the captives of war whom Allah has assigned to thee; and daughters of thy paternal uncles and aunts, and daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts, who migrated with thee; and any believing woman who gives herself to the Prophet if the Prophet wishes to wed her - this only for thee, and not for the believers [at large]; we know what we have appointed for them as to their wives and the captives whom their right hands possess - in order that there should be no difficulty for thee.  And Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful (Surat Al-Ahzab 33:50).

12.  To instill terror in the hearts of his enemies, revelations came to say:

The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is:  execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land:  that is their disgrace in this world and heavy punishment is theirs in the hereafter (Surat Al-Maidah 5:33).
Remember thy Lord inspired the angels [with the message] "I am with you:  give firmness to the Believers:  I will instill terror into the hearts of the infidels [literal translation] smite them above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them"
(Surat Al-Anfal 8:12).

All the verses we mentioned, indicate how in the name of Allah, Muhammad got everything he wanted.  Many of the suras are concerning Muhammad and directed to him.  It has no meaning to the 20th century person; no application to his life.
Moreover, we sense in these verses a sadistic behavior toward those who oppose Muhammad.
Many verses of the Quran were revealed to solve Muhammad's problems and satisfy his desires.
[TOP]