{"id":5564,"date":"2006-05-18T18:51:50","date_gmt":"2006-05-18T18:51:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/victorhanson.com.108-166-28-151.mdgnetworks.com\/wordpress\/?p=5564"},"modified":"2013-04-10T18:52:40","modified_gmt":"2013-04-10T18:52:40","slug":"what-would-mohammad-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/what-would-mohammad-do\/","title":{"rendered":"What Would Mohammad Do?"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Raymond Ibrahim<\/span><\/p>\n

Private Papers<\/em><\/p>\n

W<\/span>e\u2019ve all seen them \u2014 those little wristbands Christians sometimes wear, or put on bumper stickers, with the acronym \u201cWWJD?\u201d \u2014 What Would Jesus Do? A reminder for them to ask, in every situation they face, what their Lord would do, and to emulate Jesus\u2019 teachings of divine compassion, love, patience, faith, hope, and charity.<\/p>\n

What about Muslims?\u00a0 Muslims are clear that Mohammad is not divine.\u00a0 However, they are directed to follow their Prophet\u2019s example [e.g. Koran 33:21] with literal devotion.\u00a0\u00a0 In fact, the Sunnis, who make up some 90% of the world\u2019s 1.2 billion Muslims, are precisely that: the Arabic word \u201cSunna,\u201d defined by the Hans Wehr dictionary, is \u201chabitual practice, customary procedure or action, norm, usage sanctioned by tradition; the \u2018Sunna of the Prophet,\u2019 i.e., his sayings and doings, later established as legally binding precedents.\u201d\u00a0 Thus by definition, Sunnis \u2014 \u201cthe people of custom\u201d \u2014 are those who (are at least supposed to) follow the practice and example of the Prophet, in both word and deed, often quite literally.\u00a0 One of the founders of Sunni Islam\u2019s four schools of jurisprudence, the highly respected Ibn Hanbal, forbade himself from eating watermelons because he found no evidence that Mohammad ever ate one.<\/p>\n

Even so, emulation of the Prophet and his warrior companions is not limited to flowing robes, beards, and veils; personal conduct is much more important than these superficialities.\u00a0 To that end, Muslims consult the Koran and the Hadith: the former the Divine Word of Allah; the latter a vast compilation of the words, thoughts, musings, and deeds \u2014 a biography of sorts \u2014 of Allah\u2019s Prophet, as witnessed by his contemporaries.\u00a0 Thus what Mohammad would do in any given situation is not only an extremely important question for Muslims; it is also readily attainable.<\/p>\n

T<\/span>oday, one wonders, What\u00a0would<\/i>\u00a0Mohammed do?\u00a0 Would he smile upon \u201cmoderate\u201d Muslims such as America\u2019s \u201cfriends,\u201d the many secular regimes who do not enforce Islamic law (which itself is based on his own commands) and who cooperate fully with the infidel West, or would he find favor in a man like Osama bin Laden, who defies the West?\u00a0 The answer to this question is easily found in the Koran and historical record of the Prophet.<\/p>\n

Allah proclaims:\u00a0 \u201cBut when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practice regular charity [i.e. embrace Islam], then open the way for them: for Allah is oft forgiving, most merciful\u201d (Koran 9:5). This message is repeated continuously in the Koran and Hadith, and most Muslim jurists are agreed that these \u201cSword Verses\u201d abrogate all earlier verses of tolerance and peaceable co-existence between Muslims and non-Muslims.\u00a0\u00a0<\/i>Furthermore, the commandments of the Koran transcend time and are thus as applicable today as they were in the 7th<\/sup>\u00a0century.<\/p>\n

The historical record of Islam \u2014 its rise and spread \u2014 is even more illustrative than the words of the Koran. Islam was established by the sword. This is an historical fact, not an accusation.\u00a0 It\u2019s not for nothing that Saudi Arabia, home of the Prophet and Islam, depicts a scimitar with the words \u201cThere is no god but Allah and Mohammad is His Prophet\u201d on its national flag.\u00a0 Both Muslim and non-Muslim histories of Islam agree that the Warrior-Prophet personally waged war after war with the express purpose of spreading Islam.<\/p>\n

These were wars forcing other peoples, first Arabs then non-Arabs, to embrace Islam and submit to the life-guiding Words of Allah (the Sharia), or else to pay tribute and live in humility as subjects of Islam, or else, to die by the sword.<\/p>\n

These jihads prevailed for centuries. Indeed, just a mere century after the Prophet died, jihad had established Islam supreme in much of Asia, all of North Africa, and much of Mediterranean Europe (Spain, Sicily). This was more territory than the Roman Empire ever ruled in its heyday. It took Christianity five times as long to achieve such ubiquity (possibly because methods of diffusion differed). Holy War only ceased when Islam was defeated on the battleground \u2014 not because a new Revelation from Allah declared that expansion should cease, or that the three choices \u2014 conversion, submission, or death \u2014 have been abrogated. (The orthodox view in Sunni Islam is that peace will only exist once Islam reigns supreme over the whole world).<\/p>\n

I<\/span>slam is a rigorous faith with many laudable principles and prescriptions. Many people, not only Muslims, agree that other cultures can learn from the ideas of mercy, charity, and justice that also underlie Islam. But the fact remains that establishing Islam\u2019s supremacy itself is the first principle, according to its holiest books and history. Moreover, based on the actions of the Prophet, his Companions and first caliphs, establishing Islamic hegemony through the sword was and thus is the norm.<\/p>\n

So, based on his history, words, and deeds, what\u00a0would<\/i>\u00a0Mohammad do?\u00a0 What would he do at a time when, far from assertively spreading Islam, the entire Muslim world believes that\u00a0they<\/i>\u00a0are being ruthlessly persecuted by a Christian and godless West?\u00a0 What would his views and subsequent actions be regarding Israel\u2019s occupation of Palestine, one of Islam\u2019s holiest regions?\u00a0 What would he do about infidels stationed all around the Arabian Peninsula \u2014 where no non-Muslim is permitted to stay, per his own command?\u00a0 Iraq?\u00a0 Afghanistan?\u00a0 Would he go, briefcase in hand, to parley at the United Nations?\u00a0 Rebuke bin Laden for his violent ways?\u00a0 No, what he would do is all too clear:<\/p>\n

Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book [Christians and Jews], until they pay the jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. (Koran 9:29)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It is mportant to bear in mind that this injunction and similar verses depict the standard relationship between Muslims and infidels \u2014 even when the latter mind their own business. How much more is expected of Muslims when it isthey<\/i>\u00a0who are under attack from the infidels?<\/p>\n

Before he died, Mohammad sent a message to the Christian Roman emperor in Constantinople inviting him to embrace Islam or suffer the consequences. Up to that time, the Christian Empire had little to do with Arabia and nothing to do with Islam. The demand was dismissed. Mohammad then initiated jihads against Christian lands, permanently annexing a good chunk, till Constantinople itself, the seat of Christianity, fell to Islam after 800 years of jihad campaigns.\u00a0 That\u2019s what the Prophet wanted, and that\u2019s what his faithful followers accomplished.<\/p>\n

So, what would Mohammad do now that Islam is perceived to be under direct attack?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Raymond Ibrahim Private Papers We\u2019ve all seen them \u2014 those little wristbands Christians sometimes wear, or put on bumper stickers, with the acronym \u201cWWJD?\u201d \u2014 What Would Jesus Do?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[227,774],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p466Sb-1rK","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2548,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/how-islamic-absurdities-prove-islamic-violence\/","url_meta":{"origin":5564,"position":0},"title":"How Islamic Absurdities Prove Islamic Violence","author":"victorhanson","date":"July 10, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Ibrahim FrontPageMagazine.com The other day I saw a\u00a0video of a sheikh\u00a0warning Muslims against disregarding Muhammad's\u00a0sunna, or the rules and customs the prophet prescribed for Muslims. To support his point, he read a\u00a0hadith\u00a0wherein Muhammad told Muslims: \"When you wake up from sleep to pray, wash your hands before you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Islam"","block_context":{"text":"Islam","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/the-world\/the-middle-east\/islam\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1002,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/the-face-of-muhammad\/","url_meta":{"origin":5564,"position":1},"title":"The Face of Muhammad","author":"victorhanson","date":"December 31, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Ibrahim Middle East Quarterly Review of\u00a0Images of Muhammad: Narratives of the Prophet in Islam across the Centuries\u00a0by Tarif Khalidi (New York: Doubleday, 2009. Pp. 327). True to its title, this study by a professor of Islamic studies at the American University of Beirut chronicles the myriad images of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Raymond Ibrahim"","block_context":{"text":"Raymond Ibrahim","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/our-contributors\/raymond-ibrahim\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2431,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/mubarak-deceived-israel-as-muhammad-deceived-infidels\/","url_meta":{"origin":5564,"position":2},"title":"Mubarak Deceived Israel as Muhammad Deceived Infidels?","author":"victorhanson","date":"August 19, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Ibrahim Hudson New York In light of ousted president Hosni Mubarak's ongoing trial, Western readers may be surprised to learn who some of Mubarak's staunchest defenders are: Salafi Muslims, that is, those Muslims who practice the 7th-century Islam of Muhammad, often referred to as \"radicals.\" Sheikh Mahmoud Amer,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Egypt"","block_context":{"text":"Egypt","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/the-world\/the-middle-east\/egypt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5493,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/what-do-muslims-want\/","url_meta":{"origin":5564,"position":3},"title":"What Do Muslims Want?","author":"victorhanson","date":"April 11, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Priority problems. by Raymond Ibrahim National Review Online All humans generally live according to some set of priorities. A person may make a priority of health, of pleasure, of study, of almost anything, really. But it is practically a law of nature that a person must make a priority of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Raymond Ibrahim"","block_context":{"text":"Raymond Ibrahim","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/our-contributors\/raymond-ibrahim\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1864,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/how-taqiyya-alters-islams-rules-of-war-defeating-jihadist-terrorism\/","url_meta":{"origin":5564,"position":4},"title":"How Taqiyya Alters Islam’s Rules of War: Defeating Jihadist Terrorism","author":"victorhanson","date":"January 31, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Ibrahim Middle East Quarterly\u00a0(Winter 2010) Islam must seem a paradoxical religion to non-Muslims. On the one hand, it is constantly being portrayed as the religion of peace; on the other, its adherents are responsible for the majority of terror attacks around the world. Apologists for Islam emphasize that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Raymond Ibrahim"","block_context":{"text":"Raymond Ibrahim","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/our-contributors\/raymond-ibrahim\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1454,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/islams-predictability-apostasy-execution-and-lies\/","url_meta":{"origin":5564,"position":5},"title":"Islam’s Predictability: Apostasy, Execution, and Lies","author":"victorhanson","date":"November 15, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Ibrahim Jihad Watch As one ponders the fate of Yousef Nadarkhani, the Iranian pastor on death row for refusing to renounce Christianity, it is well to reflect that, for all the talk that Islam is perpetually \"misunderstood,\" it is actually immensely predictable and consistent; not only do its\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Iran"","block_context":{"text":"Iran","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/the-world\/the-middle-east\/iran\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5564"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5564"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5564\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5566,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5564\/revisions\/5566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}