Non-Muslim Verdict on MUHAMMAD
AND THE QUR'AN[9]
1. "
I believe in one God, and Muhammad, the Apostle of God,' is the simple and
invariable profession of Islam. The intellectual image of the Deity has never
been degraded by any visible idol: the honors of the prophet have never
transgressed the measure of human virtue: and his living precepts have
restrained the gratitude of his disciples within the bounds of reason and
religion".
[Edward Gibbon and Simon Ockley,
History of the Saracen Empire, London 1870, p.54].
2. "
Muhammad was the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt and never
forgotten by those around him".
[Diwan Chand Sharma, The
Prophets of the East, Calcutta 1935, p.122].
3. "
Four years after the death of Justinian, A.D. 569, was born at Mecca, in Arabia
the man who, of all men exercised the greatest influence upon the human
race…Muhammad…"
[John William Draper, M.D.,
LL.D., A History of the Intellectual Development of Europe, London 1875, Vol.
1, pp. 329-330].
4. "
I doubt whether any man whose external conditions changed so much ever changed
himself less to meet them".
[R.V.C. Bodley, The Messenger,
London, 1946, p.9].
5. "
That his (Muhammad's) reforms enhanced the status of women in general is
universally admitted".
[H.A.R. Gibb, Mohammedanism,
London 1953, p.33].
6. "
In little more than a year he was actually the spiritual, nominal and temporal
ruler of Medina, with his hands on the lever that was to shake the world".
[John Austin, "Muhammad the
Prophet of Allah," in T.P.'s and Cassel's Weeklyfor 24th September 1927].
7. "
Next to the Bible[10] (Qur'an) is the most esteemed and most
powerful religious book in the world".
[J. Christy Wilson, Introducing
islam, New York 1950, p.30].
8. "
It is more read than any other book in the world. The Christian Bible may be a
world best-seller, but nearly 250 million [11] followers of the Prophet
Muhammad read or recite long sections of Al coran five times a day, every day of
their lives, from the time they can talk".
[Charles Francis Potter. The
Faiths Men Live By, Kingswood, Surrey 1955, p.81].
9. "
The Koran is the Mohammedan Bible, and is more reverenced than any other sacred
book, more than the Jewish Old Testament or the Christian New Testament".
[J. Shillidy, D.D., The Lord
Jesus in the Koran, Surat, 1913. p.111].
10.
" Well then, if the Koran were his own composition other men
could rival it. Let them produce ten verses like it. If they could not (and it
is obvious that they could not), then let them accept the Koran as an
outstanding evidential miracle".
[H.A.R. Gibb, Mohammadenism,
Calcutta 1931, p.4].
11.
" So there has been no opportunity for any forgery or pious
fraud in the Koran, which distinguishes it from almost all other important
religious works of ancient times….It is exceedingly strange that this
illiterate person should have composed the best book in the language".
[Basanta Coomar Bose,
Mohammedanism, Calcutta 1931, p.4].
12.
" The picture of the Muslim soldier advancing with sword in one
hand and the Koran in the other is quite false".
[A.S. Tritton, Islam, London
1951, p.21].
13.
" History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical
Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword
upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that
historians have ever repeated".
[De Lacy O'Leary, Islam at the
Crossroads, London 1923, p.8].
Notes:
[9] QUR'AN: is the closest approximation to the Arabic title of the Holy
Book of God, despite the numerous variant
spellings by Western writers in
the quotation that follow.
[10] Coming from a Christian critic of Islam we will not take exception to
this "SECOND PLACE".
[11] Latest estimate is a thousand million Muslims.
Definitions written by WAMY
The author K.S. RAMA KRISHNA RAO, is a retired professor of
Philosophy (Emeritus) at the University of Mysore in India. Although a Hindu,
he asserts, he is " fully convinced of the Truth of the Prophet". His
other book 'Significance of prayers in Islam' has been published by Idara
Adbiyat Delhi. These days he is busy in writing yet another book on the Life of
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) which, in his own
words:' is going to be his 'magnum opus' ".
The book MUHAMMAD - THE PROPHET OF ISLAM earlier published in
India, South Africa and Saudi Arabia has won the recognition of being among the
first grade literature on the Life of Prophet Muhammad. It has already been
translated and published in several Indian languages.
WORLD ASSEMBLY OF MUSLIM YOUTH (WAMY), founded in 1972, is the
first international Islamic organization dealing specially in youth affairs.
Based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, it embraces over 450 Islamic youth/students
organization in the five continents. Among other things, it aims at:
consolidating the factors of ideological unity and strengthening the Islamic fraternal
relationship among Muslim youth.
WORLD
ASSEMBLY OF MUSLIM YOUTH (WAMY).
P.O. Box:
10845, Riyadh 11443, SAUDI ARABIA.
