Peace "Bubbles",
You said on June 7th
Why do you believe the Quran is divinely inspired anyway? If every single word in the Quran is under scrutiny and we cannot be sure what the meanings of certain words are, what reason would I have for believing that the Arabic used in it is beautiful? If Muhammed's history is irrelevant why should I believe that he wasn't a power hungry liar?
JK- While the Quran says that Muhammad was sent as a "mercy for mankind" the sira depicts him very differently on various occassions so it is the history of Muhammad from hadith actually which DOES portry a picture of a power hungry man. You just select the good things out of the sira and hide the bad stuff. With this technique one can even turn Hitler into a good man bit it doesnt say anything about his true person. Now we know th hadith doesnt portry the true Muhammad as hes int he Quran. Here look at some of the stuff mostly hidden from new comers to "islam"
Ishaq 676 "?You obey a stranger who encourages you to murder for booty. You are greedy men. Is there no honor among you?' Upon hearing those lines Muhammad said, ?Will no one rid me of this woman?' Umayr, a zealous Muslim, decided to execute the Prophet's wishes. That very night he crept into the writer's home while she lay sleeping surrounded by her young children. There was one at her breast. Umayr removed the suckling babe and then plunged his sword into the poet. The next morning in the mosque, Muhammad, who was aware of the assassination, said, ?You have helped Allah and His Apostle.'
Umayr said, ?She had five sons; should I feel guilty?' ?No,' the Prophet answered. ?Killing her was as meaningless as two goats butting heads.'"
Ishaq 308 "Halfway to Medina, Ocba was called out to be executed." The Prophet said, ?Because of your enmity to Allah and to his Prophet.' ?And my little girl,' cried Ocba in bitterness, ?who will take care of her?' ?Hell Fire,' Muhammad responded. At that moment he was decapitated. ?Wretch that you were, you scoffed at me and claimed that your stories were better than mine. I give thanks that Allah has slain you and comforted me.'"
Tabari VIII122/Ishaq515 "The Prophet gave orders concerning Kinanah to Zubayr, saying, ?Torture him until you root out and extract what he has. So Zubayr kindled a fire on Kinanah's chest, twirling it with his firestick until Kinanah was near death. Then the Messenger gave him to Maslamah, who beheaded him."
Heres another SAHIH hadith which protrays Muhammad as a deceiver/liar sou YOU are the one who shld actually believe this
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 59, Number 369)
Narrated Jabir bin Abdullah
Allah's Apostle said, "Who is willing to kill Ka'b bin Al-Ashraf who has hurt Allah and His Apostle?" Thereupon Muhammad bin Maslama got up saying, "O Allah's Apostle! Would you like that I kill him?" The Prophet said, "Yes," Muhammad bin Maslama said, "Then allow me to say a (false) thing (i.e. to deceive Kab)." The Prophet said, "You may say it." Then Muhammad bin Maslama went to Kab and said, "That man (i.e. Muhammad) demands Sadaqa (i.e. Zakat) from us, and he has troubled us, and I have come to borrow something from you." On that, Kab said, "By Allah, you will get tired of him!" Muhammad bin Maslama said, "Now as we have followed him, we do not want to leave him unless and until we see how his end is going to be. Now we want you to lend us a camel load or two of food." (Some difference between narrators about a camel load or two.) Kab said, "Yes, (I will lend you), but you should mortgage something to me." Muhammad bin Maslama and his companion said, "What do you want?" Ka'b replied, "Mortgage your women to me." They said, "How can we mortgage our women to you and you are the most handsome of the 'Arabs?" Ka'b said, "Then mortgage your sons to me." They said, "How can we mortgage our sons to you? Later they would be abused by the people's saying that so-and-so has been mortgaged for a camel load of food. That would cause us great disgrace, but we will mortgage our arms to you." Muhammad bin Maslama and his companion promised Kab that Muhammad would return to him. He came to Kab at night along with Kab's foster brother, Abu Na'ila. Kab invited them to come into his fort, and then he went down to them. His wife asked him, "Where are you going at this time?" Kab replied, "None but Muhammad bin Maslama and my (foster) brother Abu Na'ila have come." His wife said, "I hear a voice as if dripping blood is from him." Ka'b said, "They are none but my brother Muhammad bin Maslama and my foster brother Abu Naila. A generous man should respond to a call at night even if invited to be killed." Muhammad bin Maslama went with two men. (Some narrators mention the men as 'Abu bin Jabr, Al Harith bin Aus and Abbad bin Bishr). So Muhammad bin Maslama went in together with two men, and said to them, "When Ka'b comes, I will touch his hair and smell it, and when you see that I have got hold of his head, strip him. I will let you smell his head." Kab bin Al-Ashraf came down to them wrapped in his clothes, and diffusing perfume. Muhammad bin Maslama said, "I have never smelt a better scent than this." Ka'b replied, "I have got the best Arab women who knows how to use the high class of perfume." Muhammad bin Maslama requested Ka'b, "Will you allow me to smell your head?" Ka'b said, "Yes." Muhammad smelt it and made his companions smell it as well. Then he requested Ka'b again, "Will you let me (smell your head)?" Ka'b said, "Yes." When Muhammad got a strong hold of him, he said (to his companions), "Get at him!" So they killed him and went to the Prophet and informed him. (Abu Rafi) was killed after Ka'b bin Al-Ashraf.
Notice how vile and merciless this depicts a picture of the Prophet but this is not a daeef hadith and for nyou to be consistent youd have to accept it. GOD Bless!
