by Sujit Das
He cannot be questioned for His acts, but they will be questioned . (Q: 21.23)
He who fears will obey . (Q: 87.10)
This is how Islam, the brain-child of Muhammad, propagates. According to the Qur’anic verse 59.21 even the mountains fear Allah. Muslims are slaves of Allah. Slaves must fear their masters. Through fear comes respect. Muhammad gained respect whereas he was supposed to be condemned as a criminal. In his lifetime, he was literally worshipped as God. It was not out of respect, but fear. Qur’an says,
Being niggardly with respect to you; but when fear comes, you will see them looking to you, their eyes rolling like one swooning because of death; but when the fear is gone they smite you with sharp tongues, (Q: 33.19)
The dominance urge of Muhammad had only one goal – to establish superiority on both friends and foes. Shaikh (1999, p. 13) commented, “ No person (in known history) has ever possessed the magnitude of dominance-urge that Muhammad did. If we turn the entire humankind into a pyramid, right at the apex shall be found the Arabian Prophet .” There are hundreds of jihadi verses in the Qur’an. If Allah was so hateful to the infidels, then why He did not eliminate the infidels with some so-called “divine punishment”, e.g., massive earthquake, plague, flood, bad harvest, etc? Actually all these hatred originated in the sick mind of a malignant Narcissist. If Muhammad could establish himself as a Prophet in Mecca, he would not have become a bandit. When he could not achieve by peaceful means, he became violent.
3.6.5.2: Muhammad’s Excessive Cruelty and Hatred for non-Muslims
Much had been talked about the cruelty of Muhammad in the traditional Islamic sources. There is no crime known to the society that he had not committed in the name of God. He was in fact a terrorist, criminal and murderer whose entire life was based on victimizing innocents and indulging in mindless violence, carnage and massacre. He was a man who destroyed peace wherever he went, and in its place brought terror, carnage and death. He did not possess a shred of pity or kindness, or the slightest sense of justice. He was obviously motivated by nothing but abnormal hatred for the society and greed for wealth and sex. The three main motivations behind Muhammad’s heinous actions were as follows,
1. His fanatic greed for all the wealth that had been created by the blood, sweat and toil of the Jews, Christians and idolaters.
2. His maniacal craving for power at any cost. If the Jews and Christians had accepted him as their Prophet at first call, surely they would not have been tortured and mass murdered.
3. His paranoid fear of all other religions. This malignant Narcissist felt that he was superior, omnipotent, omniscient, invincible, immune, above the law, and omnipresent (magical thinking). Anything that threatened his sick fantasy had to be eliminated.
The bloody stories of Muhammad’s trail of violence, hatred, sexual exploitation and bloodshed that soon destroyed the once flourishing culture of Arabia were well-documented by his biographers – surprise raids on merchant caravans and tribal settlements, the use of plunder thus obtained for recruiting an ever growing army of greedy desperados, assassinations of opponents, blackmail, expulsion and massacre of the Jews of Medina, attack and enslavement of the Jews of Khaybar, rape of women and children, sale of those victims after rape, burning alive, cruelty to animals, trickery, treachery and bribery employed to their fullest extent to grow the numbers of his religion, Islam, which ironically was supposed to mean “Peace”! Moreover; whenever this “Apostle of Peace” and “a mercy to all the worlds” (Q: 21.107) had committed one of his criminal onslaughts, he always justified the crimes by quickly claiming a divine revelation which conveniently removed the blame from his bloodied hands.
Muhammad was very sincere and alert to give an impression that Allah gave him authority to be cruel to others. This malignant Narcissist does not persecute, ransack, terrorize and abuse others in a cold, calculating manner. He does it as if he has an authority to do such horrible things. He does it so rudely that it becomes a sign of his true character. A Narcissist does not “own” his actions. He deliberately confuses guilt with responsibility. A sane person should feel guilty for terrorizing others, but for Muhammad it was his divine “responsibility” to terrorize.
Warfare is ordained for you, though it is hateful unto you; but it may happen that you hate a thing which is good for you and it may happen that you love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knoweth, you knew not . (Q: 2.216).
The Prophet said: Allah made me victorious with terror . (Bukhari: 1.7.331).
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle sent us in a mission (i.e. an army-unit) and said: I have ordered you to burn so-and-so and so-and-so, and it is none but Allah Who punishes with fire, so, if you find them, kill them . (Bukhari: 4.52.259).
Narrated ‘Aisha: Allah’s Apostle never took revenge (over anybody) for his own sake but (he did) only when Allah’s Legal Bindings were outraged in which case he would take revenge for Allah’s Sake . (Bukhari: 4.56.760)
So you did not slay them, but it was Allah Who slew them, and you did not smite when you smote (the enemy), but it was Allah Who smote, and that He might confer upon the believers a good gift from Himself; surely Allah is Hearing, Knowing. (Q: 8.17)
How skillfully Muhammad put the responsibility on Allah for having started the fighting and in terrorizing others. He did not say that he terrorized others, but it was Allah who made him successful in terrorizing others. Muhammad made Allah the author of his vicious thoughts and pretended that it was not his goal to kill his opponents but it was the decision of Allah, who was commanding him. This way Muhammad did not take any responsibility because he did not “own” his actions. The most insidious and devilish implication of the above Qur’anic verses is that Allah is completely justifying Muhammad’s murder of the innocent people in warfare. Over and above, Muhammad is conveniently implying that warfare is hateful to him, but he participated in it because it was ordained by Allah! He was just carrying out Allah’s instruction. Anyone who wants to achieve victory by terrorizing others is simply called a terrorist. But Muhammad was not a terrorist by choice, but by compulsion. It was Allah, who wanted him to be a terrorist. Nobody could blame Muhammad for whatever misery he had caused to the unbelievers and their women and children.
And that do not exalt yourselves against Allah, surely I will bring to you a clear authority. (Q: 44.19)
Narrated As-Sab bin Jaththama: The Prophet passed by me at a place called Al-Abwa or Waddan, and was asked whether it was permissible to attack the pagan warriors at night with the probability of exposing their women and children to danger. The Prophet replied, “They (i.e. women and children) are from them (i.e. pagans). ‘I also heard the Prophet saying, ‘The institution of Hima is invalid except for Allah and His Apostle’ . (Bukhari: 4.52.256)
In the following verse, Allah says that to kill or to create warfare in the sacred month is a very grave offence, but to justify his own violation of Allah’s rules, Muhammad came up with the idea that since the people killed were unbelievers, it was perfectly justified!
They ask thee concerning fighting in the Prohibited Month. Say: “Fighting therein is a grave (offence); but graver is it in the sight of Allah to prevent access to the path of Allah, to deny Him, to prevent access to the Sacred Mosque, and drive out its members”. Tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter. Nor will they cease fighting you until they turn you back from your faith if they can. And if any of you turn back from their faith and die in unbelief, their works will bear no fruit in this life and in the hereafter; they will be companions of the fire and will abide therein. (Q: 2.217).
During Ramadan (March 623) Muhammad ganged up all the criminals from Medina and set out to raid the caravan with three hundred men. The Meccans got word of the raid and sent out an army to protect the caravan. The Muslims killed some seventy Meccans and took seventy prisoners (Bukhari: 4.52.276). In history, this is known as battle of Badr. All seventy of the prisoners were ransomed and any prisoner who did not fetch a ransom had his he
ad chopped off. Muhammad was delighted at the sight of his murdered victims. This time Muhammad needed a revelation that would not only forgive him of all the guilt for murdering so many innocent people but also give him the divine right to get a huge share of the plundered booty. Accordingly quite a few revelations magically appeared.
It is not for any Prophet to have captives until he hath made slaughter in the land. You desire the lure of this world and Allah desires for you the hereafter and Allah is Mighty, Wise. (Q: 8.67)
Had it not been for an ordinance of Allah which had gone before, an awful doom had come upon you on account of what ye took. (Q: 8.68)
Now enjoy what you have won as lawful and good and keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is forgiving, merciful . (Q: 8.69)
The above revelations were in reference to the prisoners that Muhammad held for ransom after the battle. Allah the “Merciful” is saying that they should all have been killed! In addition, Allah is conveniently commenting that whatever loot Muhammad had plundered is “lawful and good” because it was done in the service to Allah. Therefore; murder, rape, plunder and destruction are all perfectly fine with Allah as long as they are done in the name of Islam! Muhammad is also insidiously making himself seem very kind for having spared the lives of the prisoners, when in fact he only let them live so he could get more money from the ransom for them. In today’s world this is called “terrorism” of the worst kind.
Muhammad’s most dreadful act of cruelty came in April 627, when he killed the entire adult male members (some 800 to 900 of them) of Quraiza tribe. Their adulthood was determined by the growth of pubic hair. The women and children were captured as slaves, their homes and properties were confiscated and distributed amongst Muslims. This beheading “ceremony” with heavy swords started in the morning and continued whole day long and then by torchlight into the following night (Khan, 2009, p. 48). Muhammad kept one-fifth of the captured property of the Quraiza and the rest was distributed amongst other Muslims. Amongst the female captives, the young and pretty ones became his sex-slaves. Muhammad himself took a beautiful woman, Rayhana, as his own concubine and took her to bed on the same night he had killed her male relatives. No historical record has enlightened us as to her state of mind of being raped by the man responsible for the decapitation of her husband and other males of her family a few hours earlier. As usual, Muhammad did not “own” his actions. Allah revealed a verse to clear Muhammad from taking any blame for his actions,
He brought those of the People of the Scripture who supported them down from their strongholds, and cast panic into their hearts. Some ye slew, and ye made captive some. And He caused you to inherit their land and their houses and their wealth, and land ye have not trodden. Allah is ever able to do all things”. (Q: 33.26, 27).
Narcissists have defense mechanisms by which they can disown their own actions. This way they are immune to taking any blame. They are apparently unable to predict the inevitable outcomes of their actions. Conscience is predicated on empathy. One puts oneself in other people’s shoes and feels the way they do. Without empathy, there cannot be conscience. A Narcissist can only recognize his reality and no one else’s. As Vaknin (1999, p. 67) wrote, “ A Narcissist’s behavior is directed by forces that he cannot master. Most of the time he is not even conscious of why he is doing what he is doing. When he is – he can’t tell the outcomes. Even when he can – he feels powerless to behave otherwise. The Narcissist is a pawn in the chase game played between the structures of his fragmented fluid personality. So, in a classical – juridical sense, the Narcissist is not to blame, he is not fully responsible or aware of what he is doing to others” .
The Narcissist feels that no evil can be inflicted on humans because they are like “objects”. With this mindset, it is very easy for him to become an antisocial or a psychopath killer because he is not prevented by his conscience. He simply does not understand the pain of others. Some researchers conclude that even if he is able to recognize emotions in others, he is also able to disconnect that recognition from his own emotions (Abbott, 2007, p. 942). Hence he does not share the pain he inflicts on others. There is high incidence of NPD among prison inmates. What prevents sane persons from immoral, cynical, callous behavior is that they have ethical imperatives embedded in them through socialization and empathy. Rational people can differentiate between right and wrong and this particular ability is internalized in them. They can choose right from wrong when they face a moral dilemma. They empathize with other human beings by “putting themselves in their shoes”, and refrain from doing unto others what they do not wish to be done to them.
When a malignant Narcissist’s lack of empathy and concern, deficient social skills, and disregard for social laws and morals erupt and blossom, he becomes a full-fledged antisocial (sociopath or psychopath). When he is in the leadership, he continues his cruel acts unabated. Muhammad ignored the wishes and needs of others, broke the law as he liked, and violated all rights – natural, social, ethical and legal. He held people in contempt and disdain, derided society and its codes, and punished the innocent peaceful citizen who did no harm to him, by acting criminally and by jeopardizing their safety, lives, or property. The most pathetic part of this story is; whatever Muhammad did, he did in the name of God.
Vaknin (1999, p. 191) wrote that a malignant Narcissist provokes violence, often not knowing why he is violent. Like a vampire, he simply cannot avoid bloodshed. When Allah instructed that a Prophet should not take captives “until he hath made slaughter in the land” (Q: 8.67), it was not a God but a malignant Narcissist talking in the name of God. Because of his defense mechanism, Muhammad was powerless to himself and did not know what would be the outcome of his cruel acts. It is hard to distinguish malignant Narcissists from psychopaths.
A malignant Narcissist is like a vulture which is attracted to corpses, and he is so much addicted to it that he destroys anyone who is around him. He simply cannot imagine any other way to live. In a psychiatric diagnosis in 1984, Kernberg used the terms “malignant narcissism” and “psychopathic behavior” interchangeably, and concluded that a sadistic element is included in malignant narcissism which makes the malignant Narcissist a cruel psychopath. For a psychopath, killing others is a small matter indeed.
Killing disbelievers is a small matter to us . (Tabari: IX.69).
Allah said, ‘A Prophet must slaughter before collecting captives. A slaughtered enemy is driven from the land. Muhammad, you craved the desires of this world, its goods and the ransom captives would bring. But Allah desires killing them to manifest the religion’. (Ishaq: 327)
Allah and Muhammad humiliated every coward and made our religion victorious. We were glorified and destroyed them all. By what our Apostle recites from the Book and by our swift horses, I liked the punishment the infidels received. Killing them was sweeter than drink . (Ishaq: 576)
Psychopaths and malignant Narcissists are social predators completely free of internal restraints. They are motivated by bloodlust often filled with dreams and wild ambitions (Stout, 2005, p. 2). Their hallmark is a stunning lack of conscience; their game is self-gratification at other person’s expense (Hare, 1993, p. 1). We can find these people in every race, culture, society and walk of life. Conscience is a sense of obligation. Genuine conscience brings positive changes to the society and to the world in various ways. It is deep-rooted in emotional connectedness. But unfortunately, the Prophet of Islam was bereaved of such a godly gift. He had a shallow emotion; lack of conscience was a “huge” and “secret” advantage for him, and because of this he was unfettered by guilt or remorse.
Muhammad was cruel to animals also. It is one of the distinguishing vices of low minds. The concept that people who are intentionally and repeatedly cruel to the animals are at risk of violence against people has been part of our popular culture for centuries (Merz-Perez & Heide, 2004, p. x). Kindness for animals is intimately connected with goodness of character of a man, and we can boldly assert that he who is cruel to
animals cannot be a good man.
On the authority of Abu Ya’la Shaddad ibn Aus, that the Messenger of Allah said: Verily Allah has prescribed proficiency in all things. Thus, if you kill, kill well; and if you slaughter, slaughter well. (Al-Nawawi, Hadith no. 17).
This was Muhammad’s way of pleasing Allah – “If you kill, kill well; and if you slaughter, slaughter well”. The final humiliation for any animal undergoing the Islamic “Halal” process is the slitting of the throat preferably hanging upside down, held aloft by the rear legs while the animal is still breathing. A cut to the major blood vessels in the neck allows continuous drainage of blood out of the animal while still alive with a beating heart. Big animals like camels take few minutes to die in this condition. This is the “humanness” of Allah and his messenger. Where are the animal right activists who emphasize the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings?
Muhammad would slaughter a large number of camels during his various pilgrimages. As his wealth and power increased, the scale of his sacrifices also increased. On his sixth year pilgrimage, he sacrificed seventy camels at Hodeibia and next year, he sacrificed sixty camels (Swarup, 1984, section 5.12). On the farewell pilgrimage (tenth year), one hundred camels were gathered. Muhammad slaughtered sixty-three camels by his own hand, one for each year of his life and rest were slaughtered by Ali. A piece of flesh from each animal sacrificed were put in a pot, and when it was cooked, both of them (Muhammad and Ali) took some meat out of it and drank its soup. (Muslim: 7.2803).