Muhammad and Satanic Influence in Islamic Texts: A Critical Examination
Dr. Maxwell Shimba, Shimba Theological Institute
Abstract
This paper critically examines key Islamic primary sources and early biographical materials that suggest episodes of satanic influence upon Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. By analyzing authenticated hadith collections, classical biographies, and relevant Qur'anic verses, this study investigates claims of satanic intervention in the prophetic experiences of Muhammad, contrasting these accounts with Biblical theology. The study also draws theological parallels between the character of Allah in the Qur'an and the Biblical description of Satan, providing a foundation for further interfaith apologetic dialogue.
A. The Nature of Muhammad’s Revelations
1. Divine Inspiration as a Ringing Bell
In Sahih Al-Bukhari (Vol. 4, Book 54, Hadith no. 438), Aisha narrates how Muhammad described the mechanism of divine inspiration. He confessed that sometimes it resembled the sound of a ringing bell — a description of supernatural communication that finds no parallel in Biblical prophetic tradition:
“The Angel sometimes comes to me with a voice which resembles the sound of a ringing bell, and when this state abandons me, I remember what the Angel has said, and this type of Divine Inspiration is the hardest on me…”
This peculiar phenomenon warrants scrutiny, particularly in light of Muhammad’s own aversion to bells elsewhere in Islamic tradition.
B. Bells and Satanic Associations
In Sunan Abu Dawud (Book 34, Hadith no. 4218), Muhammad explicitly condemns the use of bells, claiming:
“Women cannot wear bells on their legs. There is a devil along with each bell.”
The contradiction between the medium of Muhammad’s claimed revelation and his own assertion of bells’ satanic association raises a critical theological dilemma.
C. Satanic Revelation in Early Islam
1. Satan as the Source of Revelation
According to Umdah al-Ahkam (Vol. 3, Hadith no. 460), a disturbing tradition suggests:
“Allah was Satan in the form of an angel that revealed to me the verses and his book the Quran and I am his prophet.”
Though this narration is contested in isnād authenticity by many Muslim scholars, its very circulation within early Islamic discourse reveals theological anxieties about the source of Muhammad’s revelations.
2. The Incident of the Satanic Verses
The most infamous episode appears in The Life of Muhammad by Ibn Ishaq (pp. 165–167) and is corroborated by al-Tabari and others. Muhammad, while reciting Surah an-Najm (Qur'an 53:1-20), allegedly spoke favorably of pagan deities al-Lāt, al-‘Uzzā, and Manāt:
“These are the exalted cranes (gharānīq) whose intercession is to be hoped for.”
This utterance, later acknowledged by Gabriel as satanic interpolation, profoundly impacted early Islam. Qur'an 22:52 later attempted to theologically sanitize the event:
“Never did We send a Messenger or a Prophet before you, but when he did recite the revelation, Satan threw some (falsehood) in it. But Allah abolishes that which Satan throws in…”
Theologically, this episode undermines the Islamic claim of incorruptible prophetic transmission.
D. Paradoxical Marriages in Paradise
In Sunan Ibn Majah (Zuhd 39), Muhammad claimed:
“Everyone that Allah admits into Paradise will be married to seventy-two wives: two of them houris and seventy of his inheritance from the dwellers of Hell…”
This disturbing eschatological teaching suggests sexual relations between Paradise dwellers and women from Hell, challenging the moral coherence of Islamic paradise and further implicating a potential collusion between Hell and Heaven.
E. Allah as “The Best of Deceivers”
In Qur'an 3:54, Allah is described as:
“The best of deceivers (makireena).”
Biblical theology reserves the title of deceiver for Satan alone (Revelation 12:9):
“And the great dragon was hurled down — that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.”
The moral character of a deity self-described as a deceiver starkly contrasts with the immutable, holy nature of the God of the Bible.
F. Muhammad’s Encounter with a Possessed Woman
According to Sunan Al Daraqutni (Vol. 1, p. 739):
“A woman possessed by the devil claimed, ‘I am Allah,’ and Muhammad, frightened, fled from her.”
The prophet’s reaction to demonic possession, coupled with the entity’s claim of divinity, raises disturbing implications about Muhammad's perception of the supernatural.
G. Muhammad’s “Satan” Abandoning Him
In Sahih Bukhari (Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith no. 475), it is recorded:
“O Muhammad! I think that your Satan has forsaken you, for I have not seen him with you for two or three nights.”
This was in reference to the temporary lapse in Muhammad’s revelations, leading to the subsequent Qur'anic reassurance (Qur'an 93:1-3). The accusation that Muhammad was accompanied by a personal Satan was not refuted, but instead dismissed by an appeal to revelation — a weak apologetic defense.
Conclusion
The Islamic primary sources themselves, when examined critically and comparatively, demonstrate troubling accounts of satanic influence on Muhammad's prophetic claims. The contradictions within Islamic tradition, particularly regarding divine communication, the Satanic verses incident, and the moral attributes ascribed to Allah, call into question the reliability of Muhammad’s prophethood. The Biblical standard of prophetic consistency, moral holiness, and unassailable divine nature stands in sharp contrast to the theological inconsistencies evident in early Islam.
References
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Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol. 4, Book 54, Hadith no. 438
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Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 34, Hadith no. 4218
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Umdah al-Ahkam, Vol. 3, Hadith no. 460
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Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad, pp. 165-167
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Qur'an 22:52, The Noble Qur’an
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Sunan Ibn Majah, Zuhd 39
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Qur'an 3:54, The Noble Qur’an
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Revelation 12:9, The Holy Bible
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Sunan Al Daraqutni, Vol. 1, p. 739
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Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith no. 475
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