If Muhammad’s Revelation was From Satan, How could it Contain Virtuous Teachings?

Brother Daniel

A Muslim asks: “If Satan was the one who inspired Muhammad, how could he forbid drinking alcohol and doing other bad things? What kind of Satan forbids evil things?” Whenever Christians point out the dark sides of the “revelation” of Muhammad, Muslims commonly use this argument in defense of him.

The Bible says that Satan masquerades as an angel of light, and that his servants masquerade as the ministers of righteousness:

“And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” (2 Cor. 11:14–15)

Our Lord Jesus likened false prophets to wolves who come in sheepskin (Matt. 7:15–20). As one Christian author puts it: Imagine a fold of sheep—the most innocent, gentle, and naive creatures on Earth—peacefully and innocently grazing. But amid the grazing sheep is their mortal enemy—the creature that presents the greatest possible danger to them: a wolf. Somehow he has snuck into the flock undetected, and they are utterly ignorant of his presence because he is dressed up in the skin of one of their own. He looks to them like a sheep, but inwardly he is a wolf. And he’s not just any wolf; he is a particularly ravenous wolf ready to pounce on any of them and fill his stomach with their flesh at the first possible opportunity. This is the frightening picture Jesus presents of false Prophets. (Jerry Rueb. Defending the Flock of God: Unmasking the Threat of False Teaching, 2019, p. 18)

False prophets such as Mani, Bahaullah, and Joseph Smith have taught many good things, but teaching good things did not stop them from being false prophets. Likewise, the fact that there are some good commands in the Qur’an and other Islamic books doesn’t mean that Muhammad is a true prophet. If false prophets had not used good teachings to disguise their true identity, their followers would not have been fooled into following them. Satan does not come proclaiming that he is Satan; rather, he deceives human beings by hiding his true identity, even to the point of warning against “Satan.” Jesus called Satan “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). He cunningly mixes truth with falsehood to misrepresent God and misdirect people, just like he did in the Garden of Eden to deceive Adam and Eve. He uses good things to cover his evil, in the nether setting a snare for our souls. Toxic food maybe 99% normal nutrition with only 1% or less poison in it. Since what matters is its toxicity, it is folly to ingest such food simply because its color, smell, and taste are like normal food. The same is true for the teaching of false prophets. Even if it looks good superficially, there is Satan’s poison in it, which puts our lives in jeopardy. It’s a killer!

False prophet can be compared to a robber in a monk’s robe with a cross on his neck, but armed with a sword underneath his garment. You may welcome him into your home and provide him with food and bed as if he were a true man of God. You may also wash his feet and stand before him lowering your neck and waiting for a word of blessing from him. But, at any time, he can draw the sword that has been hidden under his garment and strike off your head. What’s next? Then he’ll rob your house and belongings, make your wife his sex slave, and rape your 9-year-old daughter. The clothing is only a cover for his true identity, intended to trick you into welcoming him into your home. The prudent man does not endanger his life and that of his family by hastening to welcome a would-be man of God into his home without proper investigation. He tests him by his words and deeds, looks at his identification card, looks for someone who can testify about the man, and verifies in every possible way if he is truly someone he claims to be. Likewise, we should not accept every person who claims to be a prophet simply because there are good elements in his teaching. We should put him on the balance of the previous prophets, inspect every aspect of his teaching by the word of God, and make sure that his lifestyle is that of a God-fearing man. As John, the beloved Apostle of our Lord, warned us:

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1John 4:1)

Even though Muhammad had taught some good things, the bad things he taught by his words and deeds prove beyond reasonable doubt that he is a false prophet and an impostor. Let’s recall the warning of our Lord Jesus concerning false prophets:

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matt. 7:15-20)

According to the principle set by our Lord, no matter what Islam says, based on its bitter and deadly fruit, we can conclude that its foundation is a lie and anti-peace; its founder was also a false prophet who was not sent by the true God of the Universe. Since the good teachings in Islam are an outer cover of poisonous teachings in its core, the Islamic world became the source of terror and massacre rather than being the epicenter or even edge of peace and blessing. Terrorist groups and tetanized murderers are the true manifestations of the character of Islamic teaching. Hence, Muhammad is a false prophet, and Islam is false. We conclude our article with the words of our Lord Jesus:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

Amharic Version የመሐመድ መገለጥ ከሰይጣን ዘንድ ከሆነ መልካም ትምሕርቶች እንዴት በውስጡ ሊገኙ ቻሉ?