The Thirty-Two Sins of Muhammad: A Scholarly Theological Exposé
By Dr. Maxwell Shimba, Shimba Theological Institute
Abstract
Muhammad, founder of Islam, is venerated as the final prophet and an exemplary moral leader by Muslims. Yet a rigorous theological and historical inquiry, especially when set against biblical ethical paradigms, reveals profound inconsistencies in his teachings and conduct. This paper critically analyzes thirty-two moral and theological failings attributed to Muhammad, engaging both Islamic primary sources and critical scholarship, to assess their implications for the claim of prophetic legitimacy.
1. Institution of Veiling (Hijab) Not Ordained by God
The Qur'an’s prescription for veiling (Q 33:59) is absent from prior Abrahamic scriptures and is argued by critics to reflect social control rather than divine ordinance. Scholars such as Cook (2001) observe that the imposition of hijab is neither universal in pre-Islamic Arabia nor part of Christian/Jewish law, raising questions about its revelatory status1.
2. Ordinance of Polygamy
Unlike New Testament ethics which uphold monogamy (1 Tim. 3:2), Muhammad allowed men up to four wives (Q 4:3), and for himself, an even broader sexual prerogative (Q 33:50). Peters (1994) notes that the Qur’anic basis for polygamy facilitated rapid population growth and social alliances, but its divine origin is contestable2.
3. Exclusive Sexual Privileges
The Qur’an provides Muhammad with unique marital exemptions (Q 33:50–51), allowing him to marry any woman who offered herself to him, a privilege denied even to his followers. Ibn Ishaq records multiple instances of these personal revelations3. Critics regard this as self-serving and ethically problematic.
4. Revelations Driven by Lust
Numerous Qur’anic revelations seem tailored to Muhammad’s immediate desires, especially regarding marriage and sexual relations (e.g., Q 33:37, legitimizing his marriage to Zaynab, his adopted son’s ex-wife). Watt (1956) and others discuss the apologetic responses and the moral ambiguities involved4.
5. Sexual Enslavement of Captives
After the Battle of Khaybar, Muhammad took Safiyya bint Huyayy as a concubine (Ibn Ishaq, p. 511; Bukhari 5:59:512). The permissibility of sexual relations with female captives (Q 4:24) is widely attested. Modern scholars universally critique this as a violation of contemporary and biblical moral norms5.
6. Women's Testimony Valued as Half
Qur’an 2:282 explicitly states that a woman’s testimony is worth half that of a man’s. This legal provision institutionalizes gender inequality, diverging sharply from the Christian doctrine of equality in Christ (Galatians 3:28) and from the Old Testament’s evolving ethics6.
7. Sanctioning Wife-Beating
Qur’an 4:34 authorizes husbands to “strike” their wives as a last resort in marital disputes. This has led to extensive controversy in both Islamic and non-Islamic contexts, with attempts at reinterpretation failing to mask the plain sense of the text7.
8. Initiation of Caravan Raiding
The first Muslim attack on a Meccan caravan at Nakhla occurred during a sacred month (Ibn Ishaq, pp. 286–288), violating Arabian tradition. This action established a precedent for jihad as offensive warfare for material gain, which is ethically and theologically contestable8.
9. Assassination of Critics
Historical accounts record Muhammad ordering the assassination of poets who criticized him, such as Asma bint Marwan and Ka’b ibn al-Ashraf (Ibn Ishaq, pp. 676–682). These acts, justified as “defending the faith,” are inconsistent with the prophetic forbearance in the biblical tradition9.
10. Refusal to Reconcile with Jews and Christians
Qur’anic hostility towards Jews and Christians (Q 5:51; 9:29–30) and Muhammad’s actions during his Medinan years show an unwillingness to foster reconciliation, contrary to the biblical imperative for peace with all people (Romans 12:18)10.
11. Participation in the Massacre of Banu Qurayza
After the siege of Banu Qurayza, sources agree that Muhammad authorized and possibly participated in the beheading of approximately 600–900 Jewish men (Ibn Ishaq, pp. 461–464; Bukhari 5:59:362). This massacre remains a central critique of his moral legacy11.
12. Authorizing Murder of Non-Believers
Numerous Qur’anic verses (e.g., Q 9:5; 9:29) and hadiths call for the killing of unbelievers, especially during the post-Hijra period. This is sharply at odds with the biblical injunction to love one’s enemies (Matthew 5:44)12.
13. Anti-Semitic Rhetoric
Muhammad is recorded as referring to Jews as “apes and pigs” (Q 2:65; 5:60). Such derogatory rhetoric has fueled centuries of anti-Semitism in Islamic societies (Lewis, 1984)13.
14. Failure to Correct Corrupt Laws
According to Zahid Khan and some critical Muslim traditions, Muhammad allegedly refused divine requests to amend or retract self-serving or harsh laws he had issued, raising the issue of prophetic fallibility and moral flexibility14.
15. Refusal to Limit Marriages
Despite alleged divine commands to divorce excess wives (beyond the four permitted for Muslims), Muhammad retained his privileges (Q 33:52), further highlighting the personal exemption principle15.
16. Refusal to Unite with Christianity
Khan claims that Muhammad was divinely requested to seek unity with the Christian church but chose religious exclusivism (Q 9:33; 61:9). No explicit record exists in Islamic sources, but the trajectory of his later revelations supports this exclusivist approach16.
17. Religious Supremacism and Intolerance
Muhammad’s later revelations increasingly declare the supremacy of Islam and the need to suppress other faiths (Q 9:33). This contrasts with early Meccan tolerance and with the pluralism of biblical prophecy (Isaiah 56:7)17.
18. Refusal to Seek Interfaith Unity
Despite Qur’anic statements inviting People of the Book to common terms (Q 3:64), Muhammad’s actual policies led to the subjugation and marginalization of Jews and Christians in Arabia18.
19. Expansionist Marital Policy
The legal allowance for four wives, with the purpose of quickly increasing the Muslim population, is seen as strategic rather than ethical (Peters, 1994)19.
20. Claims of Seeing God’s Form Without Witness
Muhammad’s ascension (mi’raj) claims private visionary experiences (Bukhari 5:58:227), but these were never witnessed or corroborated, raising epistemological and prophetic legitimacy questions20.
21. Refusal of Religious Partnership with Jesus
Islamic theology positions Muhammad as the “Seal of the Prophets” (Q 33:40), but polemical literature accuses him of refusing collaboration with Jesus, whose status in Christianity is unique and unshared (Q 4:171)21.
22. Creation of a New Religion
Traditions suggest that Muhammad’s divergence from both Judaism and Christianity resulted in a new religious system, despite the Qur’an’s claims of continuity (Q 2:135). Some Islamic apologists accept this as divine innovation, while critics see it as opportunistic22.
23. Ignoring Gabriel’s Counsel
Several hadiths record Muhammad being admonished by Gabriel for mistakes or omissions (e.g., Bukhari 1:1:3), but critics allege selective or self-serving obedience23.
24. Refusal to Edit Out His Own Verses
Critical tradition claims Muhammad was requested by God to remove certain personal or harsh verses but refused, challenging the Islamic doctrine of the Qur’an’s divine perfection24.
25. Responsibility for Arab-Israeli Hostility
Some scholars, such as Lewis (1984), trace modern Arab-Jewish conflict to Muhammad’s precedent of hostility toward Jews, particularly through the events in Medina25.
26. Exiling Jewish Tribes
Muhammad’s expulsion of Banu Qaynuqa and Banu Nadir and the massacre of Banu Qurayza are well-documented (Ibn Ishaq, pp. 437–464). These acts have been critiqued as ethnic cleansing26.
27. Lack of Compassion for Jews
Despite Qur’anic claims that “there is no compulsion in religion” (Q 2:256), Muhammad’s actions towards Jewish tribes were devoid of reconciliation or compassion27.
28. Ordering Death of Rival Prophets
Muhammad allegedly ordered the death of Musaylimah and other rival prophets during the Wars of Apostasy (Ridda), establishing a violent standard for religious leadership28.
29. Extracting Harsh Laws from Older Traditions
Muhammad implemented legal punishments (stoning, amputation, lashing) drawn from pre-Islamic and Old Testament laws, but without the redemptive context found in later biblical revelation29.
30. Triple Talaq Divorce
Muhammad sanctioned divorce by pronouncement of “talaq” three times (Bukhari 7:63:197), a practice later regarded as detrimental to women’s rights even within Muslim reform movements30.
31. Prohibition of Marrying His Widows
Qur’an 33:53 forbids Muslims from marrying Muhammad’s widows, motivated by concern for his posthumous reputation. This contrasts with Old Testament and Christian traditions, which provide for widows’ remarriage31.
32. Misleading Promises of Heavenly Rewards
The Qur’anic promise of “virgins” for martyrs (Q 56:22–24; 78:31–33) has been interpreted as temporally limited by some critics, yet Muhammad did not clarify this, leading to centuries of doctrinal confusion and extremism32.
Conclusion
Each of the thirty-two points elaborated above is supported by primary Islamic sources and examined through the lens of critical, interfaith, and biblical ethics. This comprehensive review reveals deep tensions between Muhammad’s legacy and the ethical standards of prophetic monotheism. The imperative for open academic discourse on these matters remains vital for genuine understanding and interfaith relations.
References
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