Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 74
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 74 great Imams of hadith like Allamah Aini, Qazi Ayadh and Allamah Novi, have rejected this story after discussing it in detail. Allamah Aini has concluded, ‘There is no basis for it in fact or in reason. ’ Qazi Ayadh has observed, ‘The story finds no support in the reports of cau tious and intelligent narrators and is open to every type of criticism. None of its narrators has carried it to the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, or to any of his Companions. ’ Allamah Novi has written, ‘Not a word of it is true on the basis of fact or fro m the angle of reason. ’ Outstanding commentators like Imam Razi have described the story as false and nonsense. The most perceptive of the Sufis, Mohyuddin ibn Arabi, has said: ‘There is not the least basis for it. ’ Tabari, the most authoritative biographer of the Holy Prophet, m akes no mention of the offending verses. A study of the Sura Najm itself is enough to refute the whole story. The offending verses do not fit in anywhere with the rest of it. Above all, it is utterly inconsistent with the whole concept of Prophethood, and indeed with the righteousness of the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, that he could have been influenced by any Satanic incitement at any time. Reason rebels against the suggest ion that a person who had in the whole of his previous life never bowed to an idol, who was emphatically commanded by God Almighty to condemn idol - worship unsparingly and to call mankind to the worship of the One True God, the very foundation stone of whos e faith was the Unity of God, in support of which he was in constant conflict with his people, should have leaned towards idol - worship in order to please Quraish. Does the