Life after Muhammad is as fascinating as life during his life. To many, this prophet is still alive. Though they recognize that he is not alive literally, they keep him alive by referring to him many times during any day, prraying for him as they ask God to bless him, asking him for guidance, so on and so forth, just as he was alive. Below, we will present you with major contradictions between most Muslims and the commandments of Islam found in the Quran;

Make No Distinction Between Messengers,

When Muhammad was in `Arabia, he was confronted with Jews and Christians, believers in his God. The two people had their own men they idolized beside all of the others that God sent as messengers. For example, to Jews, it is said that everything else the prophets(after him) had written do not compare to what Moses brought. For this, they consider him the teacher, as they call him Moishe Rabbienu or Moses, Our Teacher. Judaism's 13th Principle of Faith, the most widely accepted of beliefs, includes the belief that Moses was the greatest prophet that Judaism has ever known. Similar, the Christians consider Jesus above all of those that came before him. Christianity is based on the belief that Jesus was before all of them and that they all taught what he taught them. As the Son of God and part of the God Three-head, he is worthier than ALL of mankind combined. With such outlook on this faith's history, God did not want Muslims to hold Muhammad above all. Hence, the revealing of many verses against it, including the following;

Say: "We believe in God and what has been revealed to us, and what was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and what was given to Moses and Jesus and to the prophets from their LORD; we do not make any distinction between any of them, and to Him do we submit. Surrat ul `Alla Imran, 3:84

As you will learn more about it in this article, Muslims have surely made a great distinction between Muhammad and the rest. If nothing else, look at the constant prayer of "may God's peace and special blessing be upon him"(Sallalahu `Allayhi WaSallim) where they use the phrase "peace upon him"(`Allayhi Salaam) for ALL of the other prophets. It may not sound a distinction to you, but it is.

Ashes to Ashes, Tombs to Pilgrimages,

When Muhammad died, Muslims buried him where he died. It became a mosque and now it is part of the Hajj(Islam's annual pilgrimage.) This did not include the Hajj before Muhammad and there is no place in the Quran where God asks us to include his burial in the Hajj. Like many things added to Islam, this is a clear innovation.

Why didn't Muslims think of the past prophets? Abraham and Ishmael rebuilt the House after Adam. None of their tombs is part of the Hajj. Not only that, but none of their tombs is even clearly known. This expresses how Islam does not follow around the dead. But this escaped the intelligence of the Muslims living at the time of this prophet's death. Perhaps, because they knew him, their beliefs were corrupted by their friendship and love for him. As Muslims, however, we are required to rise above the emotion when the occasion arises. We are even asked to testify against those whom we love in truth and leave them if they do not live up to God.

We ask you, is it not a clear distinction to have his tomb part of something that belongs to Islam at large when others are not included? The tombs of the House of Israel is known, why not add them? Why not add the tombs of those other Arab prophets known at the time of Muhammad, as Hud and Saleh? A clear distinction, indeed.

The Best of Creations,

To many Muslims, the prophet Muhammad is khair ul khalq ul lah or the best of God's creations. This is a clear gross statement that does not belong in Islam. There are traditions that are written down that include this. To be the best of creations would call for him to be more than we are, or the Angels, or anything known to man and not known to man. However, that he is not, as the Quran asks him to say;

Say: "I am only a mortal like you; it is revealed to me that your god is one God, therefore whoever hopes to meet his LORD, he should do good deeds, and not join any one in the service of his LORD. Surrat ul Kahf, 18:110

So, as you can see, nothing more than a mortal like us who just happens to be a messenger of God. He cannot be the best of creations if he is like us, can he? Furthermore, isn't that exactly why God condemns the Christian Theology in the Quran?

Obey The Messenger, Not the Man,

Like any other messenger of God, God asks us in the Quran to obey Muhammad;

O you who believe, obey God and obey the Messenger, and do not make your deeds of no effect. Surrat ul Muhammad, 47:33

How do you go about doing that? When he lived, that was easy, you just accepted whatever he brought(the laws of Quran, which were not collected yet) as the messenger of God. Today, you obey what he brought(the Quran, which is now completely collected and put together.)

Today, the majority of Muslims follow also the Hadiths to the letter. Hadiths are stories collected from the believers of certain times which they inherited from their families on how Muhammad lived. Everything from how ate to what side he preferred to sleep to how he bathed to how he made love and many, many more. All of his personal choices as a human being and plenty fabricated stuff are recorded there for others to follow. While everything he uttered from God is what is known as the Quran, Hadiths include things he would even be embarrassed about as a human being. His wives told even how he preferred to do things with them. That is personal!

Most of Muslims do not seem to tell Muhammad the Messenger from Muhammad the Man. While everything Muhammad said as the Messenger are things from God, the man part of him did things that were illogical and sometimes right out sin, as God in the Quran recalls;

And when you said to him to whom God had shown favor and to whom you had shown a favor: "Keep your wife to yourself and be careful of (your duty to) God;" and you concealed in your soul what God would bring to light, and you feared men, and God had a greater right that you should fear Him. But when Zaid had accomplished his want of her, We gave her to you as a wife, so that there should be no difficulty for the believers in respect of the wives of their adopted sons, when they have accomplished their want of them; and God's command shall be performed. Surrat ul Ahzab, 33:37

Here we learned Muhammad concealed things because he was afraid of what humans would think of him. Compare that with the "best of creations" image the Muslims try to put out! And then there is the following;

O you Prophet, why do you forbid (yourself) that which God has made lawful for you; you seek to please your wives; and God is Forgiving, Merciful. Surrat ul Muharim, 66:1

The above story deals with the famous story of Muhammad making honey unlawful to himself afer his wives plot against him. Since God had forgiven him of all of his past and future sins, like any other messenger, it is still a testament to Muslims and mankind at large how he was just a man, beside being God's messenger. The reason God mentions these things and others(as that story of frowning, see chapter 80) is to show he was a man(the Quran teaches that man was created weak!) Hence, not obey his personal choices if they conflict with God.

Did He Authorize People Prying into His life?

One of the most amazing things is that in the Hadiths there are hadiths that state Muhammad did not authorize that anything should be written of him except the Quran;

[The Seventh(Chapter) - The Forbidding of Writing Beside the Quran: Abbi Sa`ed Al Khudri, pleased be God with him, said: "The Messenger of God said, may God's peace and blessing be upon him: 'Do not write from me anything beside the Quran. Anyone who wrote anything beside the Quran let him delete it.'"] Saheh Muslim.

Saheeh Muslim is one of two most "authentic" hadith collections in the Muslim world. The same hadith is also in the widely loved hadith books by Ahmed Ibn Hanbal. So, according to the Hadiths, nothing should have been written except the Quran. And, if they were, they shouldn't be attributed to Muhammad, since that always calls for destructive nature in the nation. The reasons why Jews consider Moses so special is not because it is in the Torah but because it is in the works of men. Mishnah, which is just like Hadiths more or less, is a great contribution to this. But the above hadith is in complete agreement with the repeated phrase; "what sayings(arabic; hadith) after this(Quran) will you believe?"

Imposing His Lifestyle on All Mankind,

The saddest part of all this is that Muslims don't see the hadiths as they should be; stories about Muhammad's personal life, told through others whom some of them had their own agendas. Thus, it should always be looked at with a skeptical look. More than this, even if all that is attributed to him were things he said and done, they would still be his personal way of life, his lifestyle. To impose it on all mankind for all times is grossly wrong.

It would be like imposing all mankind to live how Adam and Eve lived. Imagine that! The reason there is a separation between personal and divine authoritative is that because the personal one gets old while Divine is Eternal. But, as the Quran prophecies, Muhammad is testifies in the hereafter how his people had forsaken the Quran;

And the Messenger will say; "O my LORD, surely my people have taken this Quran to be a forsake-able thing." Surrat ul Furqan, 25:30

Celebrating Muhammad Alone,

As believers in Islam, we believe, as mentioned above, all that is from God; what was sent before us and what was sent to us(i.e, prophets, sites, and holy men.) If we should celebrate their lives, we should celebrate as many as we can.

In the Muslim world, there is a holiday called Mauled. It is the celebration of the birth of prophet Muhammad. While the dates of his birthday is not known, after his death, Muslims chose a date(just like Christians chose Dec. 25th as the Birthday of Jesus.) While it is not wrong to celebrate his birthday, what is wrong is that it is the only birthday celebration of any messenger in Islam.

To not defy God's Law, you either celebrate all that you can or simply don't celebrate anyone's special days. If you don't celebrate, you gain no sin. If you pick and choose, you gain plenty. You make the choice.

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Will continue, God Willing :::::