Various strategies against Islam

Propaganda

When the pagans did not succeed in stamping out Islam by mocking the Prophet or by diverting people’s attention from the teachings, they then attempted to discredit him.

First, they claimed that the Qur’an was nothing but a bundle of confused dreams which Muhammad had at night and then recited during the day. Next, they claimed that he had concocted the Qur’an line for line all by himself, while at other times they said that a certain man composed the Qur’an for him, and Muhammad then simply memorised and recited the verses.

On other occasions the pagans said that the Qur’an was all lies he had fabricated with the help of others. They also asserted that the Qur’an was a collection of folk tales and ancient stories which Muhammad recited morning and evening. They even went so far as to say that an evil jinn or demon taught the verses of the Qur’an to Muhammad . Thereupon Allah said: “Shall I inform you about those upon whom demons descend? They descend upon every sinful liar!” (26: 221-222)

The pagans also spread the rumour that the Prophet suffered from fits and seizures. These frenzied fits, the pagans claimed, were the source of Muhammad’s poetic inspiration! In reply to this claim, Allah said: “As for poets, only those who are astray follow them. They ramble aimlessly about every subject, claiming to have done things that they have not done.” (26: 224-225)

In this verse, Allah challenges the pagans’ claim that Muhammad was a poet. Three characteristics of poets are mentioned: their followers are deviants; they expound about subjects without direction; and they boast about deeds they did not perform. When we scrutinise the Prophet’s character and those of his followers, however, we find that they were upright; Muhammad’s teachings focused calling people to worship Allah, the One God; and that Muhammad put his teachings into action and lived by the precepts he taught his followers.