The Truth About Muhammad

The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion is a book by Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch and Stop Islamization of America.[1] It was published in 2006 by Regnery Publishing. In the book Spencer presents an account of what the Islamic prophet Muhammad said and did from the writings of the early biographers of Muhammad such as Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd al-Baghdadi, and Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, as well as the Qur'an and the hadith collections of Bukhari and Muslim. In the examination of the early sources, Spencer gives his view on the events of Muhammad's life which are invoked by contemporary Islamic clerics, governments, advocates and Yusuf al-Qaradawi today as a standard for their behaviour.

The Truth About Muhammad
AuthorRobert Spencer
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
PublisherRegnery Publishing
Publication date
September 15, 2006
Media typePrint (hardcover)
Pages256
ISBN978-1-59698-028-0
297.6/3
LC ClassBT1170 .S657 2006

The book aims to draw a connection between Muhammad's legacy and modern-day practices like child marriages and divorce laws, punishments such as stoning for adultery and amputation for theft, execution for apostasy as well as the jihad and dhimmi doctrines adopted towards non-Muslims, as found in some parts of the Muslim world.

Response

The Christian biographer of Muhammad Karen Armstrong criticized the book as follows:

Like any book written in hatred, [Spencer's] new work is a depressing read. Spencer makes no attempt to explain the historical, political, economic and spiritual circumstances of 7th-century Arabia, without which it is impossible to understand the complexities of Muhammad's life. Consequently he makes basic and bad mistakes of fact. Even more damaging, he deliberately manipulates the evidence. ...

When discussing Muhammad's war with Mecca, Spencer never cites the Quran's condemnation of all warfare as an "awesome evil", its prohibition of aggression or its insistence that only self-defence justifies armed conflict. He ignores the Koranic emphasis on the primacy of forgiveness and peaceful negotiation: the second the enemy asks for peace, Muslims must lay down their arms and accept any terms offered, however disadvantageous. There is no mention of Muhammad's non-violent campaign that ended the conflict.

People would be offended by an account of Judaism that dwelled exclusively on Joshua's massacres and never mentioned Rabbi Hillel's Golden Rule, or a description of Christianity based on the bellicose Book of Revelation that failed to cite the Sermon on the Mount. But the widespread ignorance about Islam in the West makes many vulnerable to Spencer's polemic; he is telling them what they are predisposed to hear. His book is a gift to extremists who can use it to "prove" to those Muslims who have been alienated by events in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq that the west is incurably hostile to their faith.[2]

To this Spencer replied:

This is, of course, a familiar tactic of Leftists, jihadists, and those who sympathize with them: characterize any accurate report of their activities as "hatred." Never mind that my book works strictly from the earliest extant Sunni Islamic sources, and only reports what they say. If there is any "hatred" in it, it comes from Sunni sources, not from me. ...

Reading this, I doubt Armstrong actually read the book. Or maybe she just wants to make sure no one else reads it. In fact, anyway, the beginning of chapter three, and many other passages throughout the book, are devoted to explaining "the historical, political, economic and spiritual circumstances of 7th-century Arabia."[3]

The government of Pakistan confiscated all copies of the book and banned it on 20 December 2006 citing "objectionable material" as the cause.[4] Spencer responded that the book does not assert anything that is not readily verifiable in the Sunni sources he provides.[5]

Reviews

Writing in the Asian American Law Journal, Deepika Bains and Aziza Ahmed strongly criticized the book, claiming to find structural problems, as well as "deep substantive flaws", such as unfounded assertions[6] and conclude that:

With its lack of analysis, absence of historical context, and gaps in information. Robert Spencer's The Truth About Muhammad accomplishes Spencer's goal of vilifying Muslims and misinforming readers about Islam. Spencer frames his book partly as a testament to the importance of the freedom of speech. However, Robert Spencer exercises his right to free speech free from responsibility, choosing instead to inspire hatred and encourage intolerance.[7]

David Thompson wrote in The Guardian that: "Robert Spencer provides a detailed and timely riposte to common misconceptions, outlining the mismatch between belief and historical reality and documenting the ways in which Muhammad's own deeds and purported revelations are used verbatim to mandate intolerance, xenophobia and homicidal 'martyrdom'." Thompson concluded with, "Denial, as they say, is not just a river in Egypt."[8] Andrew G. Bostom wrote about the book in The Washington Times: "'The Truth About Muhammad' eschews contemporary 'P.V. Muhammad' hagiography, reviving the highly informative, unapologetic genre of biographical narratives of Muhammad epitomized by the works of Muir, Margoliouth and Caetani."[9] Andrew C. McCarthy wrote in the conservative magazine National Review that this book is important and that everybody should read it: "Robert Spencer graphically illustrates the depth of our folly in thinking – or, rather, blithely assuming – otherwise. An alarming book, and a necessary one."[10]

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See also

References
  1. Ali, Wajahat; Clifton, Eli; Duss, Matthew; Fang, Lee; Keyes, Scott; Shakir, Faiz (2011). Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America (PDF). Washington: Center for American Progress. pp. 27, 45. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  2. Armstrong, Karen (April 27, 2007). "Balancing the Prophet". Financial Times. London. Archived from the original on May 1, 2007. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  3. Spencer, Robert (April 28, 2007). "Karen Armstrong Reviews Spencer's The Truth About Muhammad!". Jihad Watch. Archived from the original on April 30, 2007. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  4. De Russy, Candace (January 9, 2007). "Pakistan: Book Closed on Muhammad". Phi Beta Cons. National Review Online. Archived from the original on June 12, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  5. Banned in Pakistan - FrontPageMag
  6. Bains, Deepika; Ahmed, Aziza (2007). "Inspiring Intolerance: The Truth About Robert Spencer". Asian American Law Journal. 14: 237. doi:10.15779/Z38X58J. ISSN 1078-439X.
  7. Bains, Deepika; Ahmed, Aziza (2007). "Inspiring Intolerance: The Truth About Robert Spencer". Asian American Law Journal. 14: 242. doi:10.15779/Z38X58J. ISSN 1078-439X.
  8. The other side of the Prophet
  9. Scrutinizing Muhammad's example and teachings
  10. Religion of Peace?
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