ORIENTALISTS’ VIEWS ON PROPHETHOOD OF MUHAMMAD ﷺ: A CRITICAL STUDY OF W. MONTGOMERY WATT’S ARGUMENTS
Abstract
It is an undeniable fact that Islam and its civilization all over the world are definitely reflecting that Islam is a living religion and have always been showing very useful contribution and influence in the development and welfare of the humanity. While it is very unfortunate and unrealistic attitude of the West that most of the Westerners do not recognize and appreciate the great services of Islam and its Prophet Muhammad ﷺin uplifting the humanity. Rather they are spreading hatred and enmity against Islam and its Prophet in the West and European societies even in today’s modern era of scientific research and education. It is because of their political and occupying mentality or mindset behind most of the academic scholarships or research work especially related to Islam, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Muslims, as have been proved or concluded by several scholars or critiques of Orientalism or Western scholarship e.g. Edward Saeed, Ahmad Ghorab, M. Shahid Alam etc, in the their valuable writings.
Anyhow, when I started my research about Orientalism with special reference to Sirah, I found that most of the Western scholars or Orientalists do not follow the principles of research recognized Internationally even in this era of modern scientific research methodology especially when they study about life of the last Prophet of Allah, Muhammad ﷺ and the Book Al-Quran revealed upon him ﷺ from Him (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). However it is also a fact that some Orientalists have studied Islam and its last Prophet in a scientific manner and with a true spirit of learning of Islam.
One of the Orientalists of English and Christian background, W.Montgomery Watt in his book “Muhammad at Mecca” has established so many arguments against the Prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ, to prove that he ﷺ was not Prophet of the Allah (SWT). Out of these arguments two namely (a & b) had been analyzed in my previous article published in one of the issue of the same journal (Al-Adwa) and now we are going to analyze his following two other important arguments critically or scientifically in this research paper:
- c) Who told Muhammad ﷺ that “thou art the Messenger of God”?
d) The Issue of Recitation (i.e Meaning of Ma Ana Biqari).
References
For detailed analysis, see writer’s article published in AL-ADWA, University of Punjab, Islamic Center, Lahore, December 2012, (bi-annual), pp.1-18.
See Watt: Muhammad At Mecca, Oxford University Press, 1953, p.42.
See above referred Issue of research journal (i.e. AL-ADWA) ; See Al-Quran: 81 : 19-21; 94 : 04
See Watt: Loc, cit
Al-Quran 101:1-3
Al-Quran 26:130
Al-Quran 26:19
Abul Fida Ismail: Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Arabic Version) ,Vol.4,Darul Fikr, Berut, 1980, p.250.
See Ibn Kathir: Op.cit, pp.251-2
See Ibn Qayyim: Zaad-ul- Ma‘ad, Vol.2, p.47
Watt: op, cit, p.45
See Ibid
See Supra, p.1
See Ibid
See Al-Qur’an 53:5-6; 66: 06; 82: 19-21; 97:04.
See Watt. Op. cit, p.44
Watt: Op. cit, p.45
Ibid
Ibid, p.44
Ibid, p.40
Its details are to be discussed in the next coming sub-title (d).
Watt: Op.cit, p.46
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibn Hajar Asqalani : Fathul Bari, Darul Fikr (without date) vol.8, p.718
Ibid, p.47
Ibid.
Al-Quran 15:09
Al-Quran 10:37
Al-Quran 29:48
Al-Quran 29:48
Margoliouth categorically says that Muhammad (ﷺ) “was not as a child taught to read or write, though these arts were known to many Meccan”. See Muhammad and The Rise of Islam, New York and London: G.P. Putnam, The Knickerbocker Press, 1905, p.59.
Watt: Muhammad’s Mecca p.52.
Al-Quran 25:4-6 { Those who disbelieve say: ‘‘This (the Quran) is nothing but a lie that he (Muhammad ﷺ) has invented, and others have helped him at it, so that they have produced an unjust wrong thing and a lie”. And they say: “Tales of the ancients, which he has written down, and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon” }.
Ibid.
See Al-Quran 29:48
Al-Quran 4:82
Al-Quran 53:11-12
Muslim 1:158
At-Tabari 22:507
At-Tabari 22:508
Al-Quran 31:34
Al-Quran 6:103
Al-Quran 42:51
Al-Quran 81:23
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