Jesus’ and Muhammad’s Revelation and Mission
Here we will consider the vast differences between the manner in which Muhammad and Jesus understood their place in God’s plan and their missions.
When Muhammad received his initial revelation he was alone in a cave. Subsequent revelations were received by Muhammad experiencing epileptic-like seizure-like fits with no one able to hear or see anything.
Three examples of the manner in which Jesus’ revelations came will suffice to demonstrate quite a difference. These were objective experience that occurred before eyewitnesses and earwitnesses who heard the Father speak from heaven in order to testify regarding Jesus.
“When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, ‘You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased’ (Matthew 3:16-17; Mark 1:10-11; Luke 3:21-22).
“While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’ And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched them and said, ‘Arise, and do not be afraid’ (Matthew 17:5-7; Mark 9:7).
Jesus said, “‘Father, glorify Your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.’ Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to Him.’ Jesus answered and said, ‘This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake‘” (John 12:28-30).
Muslim biographer Muhammad Husayn Haykal wrote,
“Stricken with panic, Muhammad arose and asked himself, ‘What did I see? Did possession of the devil which I feared all along come to pass?’ Muhammad looked to his right and his left but saw nothing. For a while he stood there trembling with fear and stricken with awe. He feared the cave might be haunted and that he might run away still unable to explain what he saw…as she did on earlier occasions when Muhammad feared possession by the devil, so now stood firm by her husband.”1
We also learn that when Muhammad received his revelations he went into epileptic like convulsions. Sahih al-Bukhari’s hadith states in Vol. 6, Book 61, #508,
“Ya’la used to say, ‘I wish I could see Allah’s Apostle at the time he is being inspired Divinely’…Ya’la came and pushed his head (underneath the screen which was covering the Prophet) and behold! The Prophet’s face was red and he kept on breathing heavily for a while and then he was relieved.”
After his initial experience (the one just described by Haykal) Muhammad was plagued by doubts and went into such deep depressions that he attempted suicide. We also learn that Muhammad believed that satan influenced some of his revelations and so Allah then had to correct (change) them. Sahih al-Bukhari retells similar experiences.
Vol. 4, Book 53, #400, “Once the Prophet was bewitched so that he began to imagine that he had done a thing which in fact he had not done.”
Vol. 4, Book 54, #490, “Magic was worked on the Prophet so that he began to fancy that he was doing a thing which he was not actually doing.”
On the other hand, no such thing is ever even hinted at regarding Jesus. Quite the opposite is true, for example, when He was twelve years old He was found at the Temple knowing full well that He was to be doing that for which He was born.
“So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.’ And He said to them, ‘Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?’” (Luke 2:48-49).
Also, as we saw above, in Luke 3:21-22 we find Jesus being baptized and find Him in a clear, assured, and calm mindset along with the presence of the Holy Spirit and the Father affirming His mission.