Booty Ahoy!
What exactly was the profession of Mohammed, the founder of Islam?
Did he work at Wal-Mart?
Did he flip burgers at McDonald’s?
Did he at least work for a Jew jeweler, making ornaments for the beautiful women of Medina?
The correct answer is, ‘None of the above’. Sure enough, there was no Wal-Mart or McDonald’s 1400 years ago. Even if there was one, he would not have worked as a blue-collar laborer because he was involved in a lucrative business that did not require any investment. Although, in his childhood, Mohammed briefly worked as a shepherd and made a few business trips on behalf of his ‘soon to be wife’ Khadija, he spent the rest of his life looting, kidnapping and slave-trading when he ran out of Khadija’s wealth.
It is an Islamic fact that Mohammed’s early delusion of preaching peaceful Islam did not work very well; in fact, it was as bad as one of the flop movies of Hollywood. Like a spoiled brat, he lived on his wife’s money, and, with a handful of followers, roamed around the city of Mecca – aimlessly. When he moved to Medina, he became a professional mobster.
However, contemporary Islamic scholars, the gadflies who relentlessly promote peaceful Islam, do not admit that Mohammed’s sole intention was robbing; rather, they find Mohammed’s action as a means to promote Islam. They try to believe (and attempt to make others believe) that it was necessary for Mohammed to fight with disbelievers, precisely those unclean polytheists in order to establish Islam, and often as self-defense. Was the fight aimed to abolish polytheism and establish Islam, or did the raids committed by Mohammed have one simple purpose – robbing? Let’s read one of the Ahadith to find the truth.
“Aisha said (this is the version of narrator Yahya): A man from the polytheists accompanied the Prophet (may peace be upon him) to fight with him. He said (Go back. Both the narrators (Musaddad and Yahya) then agreed. (The Prophet said): We do not want any help from a polytheist.” (2276, Sunan Abu Dawud)
Strange! Do you see the problem? Mohammed supposedly fought with polytheists, yet one of those polytheists wanted to accompany the prophet. Though Mohammed refused to take the guy with him, why should a polytheist dare to ask? Obviously, Mohammed’s adventures had nothing to do with preaching Islam or subduing polytheists, but making money from the raid. That’s why the polytheist wanted to join Mohammed and make some easy money.
Most Muslims claim and believe a myth – ‘Mohammed only fought defensive wars; he never harmed anyone unless he was attacked.’ Surprisingly, the Ahadith, Quran and Sirat Rasul Allah repeatedly prove otherwise. Here are a few examples from Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasullah, out of many incidents.
“THE RAID ON WADDAN WHICH WAS HIS FIRST RAID: ….until he reached Waddan, which is the raid of al-Abwa…” (p 281).
“THE RAID ON BUWAT: …Then the apostle went raiding in the month of Rabiul-Awwal making for Quraish…” (285).
“THE RAID ON SAFAWAN, WHICH IS THE FIRST RAID OF BADR: The apostle stayed only a few nights, less than ten, in Medina when he came back from raiding Al-‘Ushayra….(286)
“THE RAID ON B.SULAYMAN IN AL-KUDR: The apostle stayed only seven nights in Medina before he himself made a raid against B.Sulayman…” (360).
“THE RAID OF DHU AMARR: When the apostle returned from the raid of al-Sawiq he stayed in Medina for the rest of Dhu’l-Hijja, or nearly all of it. The he raided Najd…..” (362).
See how busy Mohammed’s schedule was? He had to work hard, much harder than any top rated CEO of a big corporation. He really did not have any choice; after all, he had to support a dozen wives, an unknown number of slaves and numerous jobless bohemians – his followers that is. Unlike the legendary Robin Hood or Zorro, Mohammed did not go out and fight with the rich people; rather, his companions did most of the ugly work. However, Mohammed had a responsibility to make sure that looted wealth was equally distributed. He merely charged one-fifth of the looted goods, known as Khumas, for his service, which of course was a sizable amount for his living.
Obviously, handy-dandy Allah was very helpful in legalizing the robbing business. Mohammed, in fact, made his Allah involved in it, and had him declare…
“And know that whatever ye take as spoils of war, lo! a fifth thereof is for Allah, and for the messenger…” (Q 8:41)
“That which Allah giveth as spoil unto His messenger from the people of the townships, it is for Allah and His messenger…” (Q 59:7).
Is it not amazing how Allah asked for his share of booty? How the heck a god, supposedly an all merciful god, would do with the booty is the question. It’s not only the Quran, but several Ahadith also confirm how Mohammed took it upon himself to distribute the looted wealth.
“Abd Allah b. Amr said: When the Apostle of Allahs (May peace be upon him) gained a booty he ordered Billal to make a public announcement. He made a public announcement, and when the people brought their booty, he would take a fifth and divide it…..” (2706, Sunan Abu Dawud).
If you have seen, for instance, one of those action Hollywood movies, which also happen in real life, you may have noticed how the criminals fight with each other after robbing a bank. Often, the robbery is successful, but each of the criminals tries to gulp the whole treasure, depriving others and, in most cases, they kill each other in a tense moment. Mohammed indeed had a tough job of controlling those robbers and maintaining the discipline. He did not hesitate to implement tough punishment for those who stole from the booty. Here’s another Ahadith from Suan Abu Dawood:
Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-‘As: The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him), AbuBakr and Umar burned the belongings of anyone who had been dishonest about booty and beat him
Ah booty! What a sweet word for Mohammed!
The word ‘booty’ refers to spoils of war; in other words, it is the treasure that was received after a raid or so-called expedition. The treasure often included money, jewelry, swords, and camels, and even women and children could be sold as slaves. Seemingly, according to Mohammed, consuming booty was a special privilege that was never permitted to any other prophet. At a later time, Khalifah Umar, as recorded in Bukhari, testified this fact proudly and did not see any problem in such heinous acts.
Narrated Jabir bin ‘Abdullah:
The Prophet said, “I have been given five things which were not given to anyone else before me.
1. Allah made me victorious by awe (by His frightening my enemies) for a distance of one month’s journey.
2. The earth has been made for me (and for my followers) a place for praying and a thing to perform Tayammum, therefore anyone of my followers can pray wherever the time of a prayer is due.
3. The booty has been made Halal (lawful) for me yet it was not lawful for anyone else before me.
4. I have been given the right of intercession (on the Day of Resurrection).
5. Every Prophet used to be sent to his nation only but I have been sent to all mankind
Though all five claims deserve a careful examination and they speak volumes of an insane person, considering our main focus on booty, I will resist the temptation. Let’s discuss claim number three that proclaims a special privilege for Mohammed. Apparently, by saying ‘anyone else’ he meant other prophets who came before Mohammed. Despite having a low rate of success, prophecy always had been a lucrative business. There is no record of how many people failed in this ‘no money down’ business and left quietly. However, our prophet of Islam took the challenge personally when most of the people of the then Arabia refused him. Other successful prophets did not go for looting because they were either supported by their followers or considered looting as an immoral act. Mohammed not only glorified robbing, he also fused robbing into Islam in such a manner that it became a holy act.
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