16 Sickness and Death of Mahomet. June, A.D. 632

The principles of Islam required continued prosecution of war

In the last year of Muhammad’s life at the age of sixty three he was the undisputed potentate of the Arabian Peninsula . His health was dwindling and he was in pain. However he was well aware that if he stopped expanding and keeping his army in a constant warlike state, his powers will be weakened and discontent and schism will divide his nation. He had created a machinery of war that survived by ravaging others and feeding on the booty.

Despite the claim of its adherents, Islam is not a religion of peace. The word Islam does not mean peace; it means submission and this submission cannot be achieved without aggressive war. Jihad is a pillar of Islam without which Islam becomes pointless. There can be no submission if there is no aggression. The objective of Islam is to expand, to conquer and to dominate. The aggressive course of Islam must be continuously pursued if Islam is to survive.

Now that Arabia was entirely conquered, Muhammad turned his attention to the Roman Empire .  Spurred by the need to keep the army fully engaged, coupled with his own insatiable craving for power, Muhammad summoned his men to attack the Roman frontiers and the Christians residing the Syrian desert to establish his supremacy and vindicate the defeat of his army in Muta in the Fall of 629 C.E.    

Osama, son of Zeid, appointed to the command of the army destined for the Syrian border. 28th Safar, A.H. XI. 28th May A.D. 632.

On that day his health deteriorated and he was seized with violent headache and fever. But it passed off. In the morning of the next day he felt well enough to come out of the bed and make Osama bin Zaid, the seventeen year old son of his adopted son Zaid ibn Haritha who had been killed during the war of Muta, the commander of the army. He then instructed Osama with these words:

…Lead the army of Islam and wage a war against the Romans who have killed your father. Go to the place where he was killed and crush your father’s killers. I am appointing you as my army’s commander. Attack the army of Ahle Abna early morning suddenly and reach before the news of your arrival reaches them. Take such people with you who may guide you and send the scouts of spies before you go."

Then binding upon the flagstaff a banner for the army, he presented the flag to the boy and said:

“Fight beneath this banner in the name of Allah and for his cause. And Discomfit and slay the disbelievers

He was weak and frail and spoke with difficulty. After giving the above directives he ordered everyone else to accompany Osama. He called them by their names ‘Abu Bakr you go, Umar you go, Abu Obaida, Talha, Zubair you all go.’ Then he retired to his bed and continued to ask whether all the Muslims had left Madina.

Osama taking the flag left Madina and camped at Jerfan in the outskirt of Madina, waiting for the Muslims to join him.

Up until now Muhammad had not suffered major health problems. On the sixth year of Hegira he suffered from loss of appetite, pinning depression and hallucinations for a period ascribed as the incantation of the Jews. [Bukhari Volume 7, Book 71, Number 660]

 In the following year, his system sustained a shock for ingesting a poisoned meat at Khaibar form which he never fully recovered. From there on periodically he complained of malaise and attributed the present attack also to the effect of that poison.

Throughout his life Muhammad suffered from epilepsy. He would go through sudden and recurring sensory and psychic malfunction some times accompanied with loss of consciousness and convulsive seizures. He ascribed these overpowering fits to the effects of revelation. Sometimes he would be overtaken by excitement and agitations symptomatic of his bipolar (manic depressive) disorder that would last for months. All these mental and physiological strains had a taxing effect on his health and he began to stoop.

He must have sensed his end for his servant Abu Rafi has recorded, 'The apostle of Allah awoke me in the middle of the night and said, "I am commanded to implore pardon for the dead in the cemetery!" So I went there with him, and when he stood among the dead, he exclaimed, "Peace be upon you, tenants of these graves! May the state you are in be better than that which lies in store for mankind…”

Of course it makes little sense for God to order his prophet to rise from his sick bed in the middle of the night and go to the graveyard to implore him for the forgiveness of the dead people. Surly if God wanted to forgive anyone he would not need anyone imploring him for it. Obviously Muhammad must have been hallucinating.

Muhammad used to stay each night at the house of one of his wives. But as his health deteriorated, he asked all his wives to let him stay at the house of Aisha.

There is a story reported by Aisha that shows her wittiness. One night when she was moaning about her headache, Muhammad said, it is not you who should complain about headache but me. And then jokingly said, wouldn’t you like to die before me so the Prophet of God can pray over your corpse, wrap you in shroud with my own hands and burry you. “That happen to another, and not me" exclaimed Aisha raillery, “And I can imagine right after burring me you would go straight to my house and spend the very evening sporting with a new bride in my bed.” This brought smile to Muhammad but his sickness pressed on him too heavily to admit of a rejoinder in the same strain.

The sickness lasted seven or eight days and Muhammad sometimes would ventur outside Aisha’s apartment into the Mosque (The door of Muhammad’s wives’ houses opened into the courtyard of the mosque) and led the public prayers and enquiring why everyone has not left Medina yet.

But many did not leave Medina . They felt insulted and spoke 'He has put this stripling in command over the chiefs'. When Muhammad heard of this he was very much wroth and came forth with head bandaged a sheet being drawn loosely round him sat in the pulpit and cursed those who disobeyed him and did not go forth. “Curse of Allah be upon those who do not go with Osama." He said and turning to Osama he said, "Leave Madina with the name of Allah."

It is strange that Muhammad would leave mature experienced men at the command of a seventeen your old kid. It is possible that he thought Osama, to avenge the blood of his father, would be more ruthless and unforgiving than others. Or perhaps he wanted to make him savor the sweet taste of revenge.

Muhammad’s calculations were right as when after his dead the army of Muslims headed by Osama overrun the provice of Belqa. In fire and blood, he avenged his father's death.  "They ravaged the land; says, the historian," with the well-known cry of Ya Mansur Amit ('Strike, ye conquerors!') they slew all who ventured to oppose them in the field, and carried off captive the remainder. They burned the villages, the fields of standing corn, and the groves of palm trees: and there went up behind them, as it were, a whirlwind of fire and smoke."[Ibn Sa’d p. K. Wackidi, 189.]

During the last days his health had deteriorated and his fever increased He appointed Abu Bakr to lead the public prayers and announced: "Verily the chiefest among you all for love and devotion to me is Abu Bakr. If I were to choose a bosom friend it would be he: but Islam hath made a closer brotherhood amongst us all. Now let every door that leads into the Mosque be closed, excepting only the door of Abu Bakr." The right of presiding at the public prayers was always recognized as the mark of secular power. Accordingly by appointing Abu Bakr to lead the prayers Muhammad had nominated him as his rightful successor and intended to signify the delegation of the supreme authority to him in his absence. However this is disputed by the Shiites who claim Ali was the rightful successor of Muhammad and that Abu Bakr had usurped the mantle of Khalafat. There is absolutely no proof to that claim.

After the delivery of this address his sickness aggravated and did not have the strength to rise from his bed and fell back in a fainting fit. By Saturday night June 6th 632 his sickness became serious. He was burning in his fever and his body was racked with pain. He was restless and moaning. During the night, Aisah said  "O Prophet! if one of us had moaned thus, you would surely have found fault with it." "Yes," he replied, "but I burn with the fever-heat of any two of you together." Obviously the prophet felt his own pains more than he could feel the pains of others. So while he would slight people for complaining about their pains, he himself was very expressive of his own. Some who visited him narrated “I visited Allah's Apostle while he was suffering from a high fever. I touched him with my hand and said, "O Allah's Apostle! You have a high fever." Allah's Apostle said, "Yes, I have as much fever as two men of you have." I said, "Is it because you will get a double reward?" Allah's Apostle said, "Yes, no Muslim is afflicted with harm because of sickness or some other inconvenience, but that Allah will remove his sins for him as a tree sheds its leaves."  [Bukari Volume 7, Book 70, Number 564]

This was a strange superstition, but Muhammad believed that Suffering is expiation for sin.

Omar, approaching the bed, placed his hand on Muhammad’s head and exclaimed, “O Prophet, how sever is your fever!” “Yes”, replied Muhammad. I have been prying all night reciting the Surahs of the Quran” “But Allah surely has forgiven your sins” responded Omar, “It is better that you rest. “No," replied Muhammad, "for wherefore should I not be a faithful servant unto him?"

It is very likely that Muhammad truly had prayed and was not making a false pretense of his piety. It is obvious that Muhammad was convinced of his own position as the prophet of God and his cruelties, his massacres of innocent people, his robberies and cold blooded murder of his opponents did not at all perturbed his conscience. Muhammad was a narcissist and narcissists have no conscience. They are truly convinced that they evil deeds is justifiable and if they receive approval from others, they become doubly assured of they justice of their cruelties.

Muhammad did not fear to be chastised for his murders, rapes, plunders and genocides, but he rather thought because of his sickness he will be rewarded in the hereafter. Ibn Sa’d writes another attendant put his hand bellow the sheet and feeling the excessive heat, made a remark similar to that of Omar. Muhammad replied: "Even as this affliction prevails now against me, so shall my reward hereafter be enhanced." And continuing this convoluted reasoning he said that there was a prophet that was killed by lice and another who was afflicted by poverty who had nothing but a rag to cover his "yet each of them rejoiced exceedingly in his affliction, even as one of you would rejoice in great spoil."  [Katib al Waqidi p. 142]

Following this absurd thinking, Muslims are not bothered committing the most dastardly acts of violence in the way of Allah and admire their terrorists and do not see that as something evil, but rather they pride themselves for their poverty and sufferings. The Muslim world has remained a backward word because the Muslims do not strive to improve their lives. They are rather content of their misery and expect to be rewarded in the other world. This is the tenor of the nihilistic culture of ignorance inaugurated by the Prophet of Arabia.  

The god that Muhammad envisioned was just as crazy as himself. Why would a save god make people suffer in this world only to reward them in the next? This seems to be absurd but Muslims are so brainwashed that have accepted this without a second thought. It is now part of their psyche. They are genuinely convinced that the more they suffer the more will be their rewards after they die.   

Mahomet curses the Jews and Christians.

After this the conversation turning upon Abyssinia, Omm Salama and Omm Habiba, the two wives of Muhammad who had spend their in their self imposed exile, spoke of the beauty of a cathedral in that country, called the church of Maria (St. Mary) and of the wonderful pictures on its walls. Muhammad listened quietly and then said, “People who build a shrine for the saints adorn it with their pictures, are the worst of all the creation." Then he covered himself with the bedclothes exclaimed “"May Allah curse the Jews and Christians for they built the places of worship at the graves of their Prophets."  [Bukhari Volume 1, Book 8, Number 427]

Some traditions also claim that at this moment Muhammad also said: “Let there not remain any faith but that of Islam throughout the whole land of Arabia !" If he said such thing his order was not executed immediately for the Jews of Khaibar remained and labored their confiscated lands and paid half of the proceeds until Umar expelled them from Hijaz.

[Narrated Ibn 'Umar:
Umar expelled the Jews and the Christians from Hijaz. When Allah's Apostle had conquered Khaibar, he wanted to expel the Jews from it as its land became the property of Allah, His Apostle, and the Muslims. Allah's Apostle intended to expel the Jews but they requested him to let them stay there on the condition that they would do the labor and get half of the fruits. Allah's Apostle told them, "We will let you stay on thus condition, as long as we wish." So, they (i.e. Jews) kept on living there until 'Umar forced them to go towards Taima' and Ariha'.  Bukhari Volume 3, Book 39, Number 531]

He also expelled the Christians of Najran to Kufa.

Tradition also claims that while in this state of high fever, he asked the paper and pen be brought to him and said “that I may record for you a writing which shall prevent you going astray”. Omar is said “he is having delirium and the book of God enough for us”. Some of the women present argued that his wish should be complied and others worried that he is not in a mental state to write anything. A discussion ensued and someone asked Muhammad what he intends to write. By then he was too tired to respond and said “Leave me alone, for my present state is better than that ye call me to." [Ibn Sa’s p. 150]

Muhammad claimed to be illiterate, if the above story is true, it would make that claim suspicious. But the tradition may not be true. It could have been a fabrication of the Shiits to give the impression that Muhammad intended to nominate Ali as his successor and that Omar fearing this had disobeyed him.

Tradition also has it that he asked Aisha to bring the gold that he had given her for safekeeping and then ordered that it be divided among certain indigent families. Then resting his head on the pillow he said, "Now I am at peace. It would not have become me to meet my Lord, and this gold in my possession."

If the tradition is true, it is one more indication of Muhammad dearth of conscience. All the gold, all the wealth that he had in his possession were spoils of wars and were plundered after killing or enslaved their rightful owners. But plundering the wealth of those who disagreed with him was absolutely justifiably and he felt no pang of conscience of guilt for the cruelties that he had done against thousands of innocent people. He was truly convinced that if he gives generously to those who him liked most and who were servile to him, he had done his duty and God would look at him mercifully. 

But this also could be a fabrication of Aisha who as we can see from her tales, was very particular to portray Muhammad as being dispossessed of material goods and for living a very modest life. In one Hadith she even claims that on the night that Muhammad was about to die, she did not have enough oil to burn the lamp and was forced to borrow it from a neighbor.

However it must be noted that Muhammad did live a frugal if not an abstemious life. He was not fond of luxuries and fancy dresses. His meal was simple and he never gave to excesses. In fact he was exaggeratingly modest in his means. His only excesses were his lust for sex and power.

Dr. Sam Vaknin, in his book Malignant Self Love on the subject of False Modesty  explains”

“The "modesty" displayed by narcissists is false. It is mostly and merely verbal. It is couched in flourishing phrases, emphasised to absurdity, repeated unnecessarily – usually to the point of causing gross inconvenience to the listener. The real aim of such behaviour and its subtext are exactly the opposite of common modesty.

It is intended to either aggrandise the narcissist or to protect his grandiosity from scrutiny and possible erosion. Such modest outbursts precede inflated, grandiosity-laden statements made by the narcissist and pertaining to fields of human knowledge and activity in which he is sorely lacking.

False modesty is only one of a series of feigned behaviours. The narcissist is a pathological liar, either implicitly or explicitly. His whole existence is a derivative of a False Self, his deceitful invention and its reflections. With false modesty he seeks to involve others in his mind games, to co-opt them, to force them to collaborate while making ultimate use of social conventions of conduct.

The narcissist, above all, is a shrewd manipulator, well-acquainted with human nature and its fault lines. No narcissist will ever admit to it. In this sense, narcissists are really modest.”

Muhammad appropriated the wealth of thousands of people and even had benefited by selling his captives as slaves, and at this moment hold at least one tenth of he wealth of the entire Arabia , was feigning poverty and his astute wife, later made claims that they did not have the bare necessities of their live. 

By Monday morning his fever and pain abated and he even mustered enough strength to walk into the mosque aided by two attendants on his flanks and attend the prayer while Abu Bakr was leading the prayer. Abu Bakr, slowly moved aside, as Muhammad appeared from Aisha’s quarter with a smile on his lips probably thinking that his prayers have been answered and he is on the rout to recovery. The congregation who has flocked to the Mosque anxious to hear about the health of their prophet was pleased to see him. 

Muir writes:

“What doubts or fears may have crossed the mind of Muhammad, as he lay on the bed of death, and felt that the time was drawing nigh when be must render his account to that God whose messenger he professed to be,- tradition affords us no grounds even to conjecture. The rival claims of Aswad and Musailama had perhaps suggested misgivings such as those which long before distracted his soul. What if he too were an impostor, deceiving himself and deceiving others also! If any doubts and questionings of this nature had arisen in his mind, the sight of the great congregation, in attitude devout avid earnest, may have caused comfort and reassurance. That which brings forth good fruit, he would argue, must itself be good. The mission which had transformed gross and debased idolaters into spiritual worshippers such as these, resigning every faculty to the service of the one great God, and which, wherever accepted and believed in, was daily producing the same wonderful change, that mission must be divine, and the voice from within which prompted him to undertake it must have been the voice of the Almighty; revealed through his ministering spirit. Perhaps it was a thought like this which passed at the moment through the mind of the Prophet, and lighted up his countenance with that smile of joy, diffusing gladness over the crowded courts of the Mosque.” [Life of Muhammad V. 4 p. 275]

Sperry (1995, p. 114) notes that individuals with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), are expansive and inclined to exaggerate; they focus on images and themes and take liberties with the facts. They use self-deception to preserve their own illusions. They will do whatever is needed to reinforce their self-ascribed superior status (Beck, 1990, p. 50). They are competitive, boastful, impatient, arrogant, and hypersensitive (Sperry, 1995, p. 114). Individuals with NPD evidence an uneven morality and a readiness to shift values to achieve goals; they may engage in pathological lying (Akhtar, 1992, p. 69). [Dual Diagnosis and the Narcissistic Personality Disorder http://www.toad.net/~arcturus/dd/narc.htm ]

All these traits are easily detectable in Muhammad through his biography. His morality was extremely uneven. On one hand he would massacre innocent people, plunder them and enslave them and on the other he would show generosity and kindness to his close relatives, supporters and those whom he wished to impress and influence. On one hand he would raid and loot caravans and defenseless nomad and villagers and kill hundreds and thousands of unarmed people with clarity of conscience, but if someone stole some wool or a small thing from the booty, he would be harsh on him and threaten him with divine punishment and hell fire. He was indeed the master of self-deception. He genuinely believed in his illusions of grandiosity and the blind acceptance of his benighted followers confirmed his delusions. Any shadow of doubt would have vanished when he met his followers and witnessed their devotion towards him. This was a mutual deception: he deceived them and they deceived him and thus the prophet and the followers were both confirmed in their delusions. How could he be wrong is so many people believed in him?  

Abu Bakr hearing the rustle of the worshipers behind him at the sight of Muhammad’s appearance stepped aside in reverence and vacated the place for the leader. But Muhammad motioned him to resume the post and he himself sad on the ground he the side of Aby Bakr who resumed the service and finished the prayer. 

After this Muhammad addressed the throng of the followers, bade Osama who had come back from the camp to enquire about the health of his master to re-join the army and prepare for the attack and. Then he called anyone who had any claim against him to come forward, the tradition says some rose and made their claims and he ordered their debts be paid. He even addressed his daughter Fatima and his aunt Safiyah and said that he had no power to grant them salvation and they should procure the acceptance of the Lord with their own deeds. Exhausted by the exertion he had undergone he retired to Aisha’s room and lay down upon his bed. [Sira p. 460.]

Lying on the bed with no strength he prayed “O Allah, assist me in the agonies of death” and ejaculated three times “Gabriel, come close unto me!" The he started praying and blowing upon himself. This is part of Islamic superstition that a prayer is recited upon a sick and blown on him in the same fashion that kisses are blown. When he was exhausted, Aisha took tip the task and continued blowing the same prayers on him. Then she took his right hand and rubbed it while continuing with prayers. This was a sort of charm or incantation that Muhammad himself practiced when visiting a sick. In this way, Muhammad took his last breath in the arms of Aisha and died.

There is a huge body of tradition concerning this moment that defies any logic. One of these traditions say that Gabriel appeared to Muhammad and said 'O Ahmad! Allah has deputed me as an honor and favor unto you that he may inquire of you concerning that, which he knows better than you. He asks, How you find yourself this day?' 'O Gabriel!' replied Muhammad, 'I find myself in sore trouble and agony.' This scene is repeated for three consecutive days. Everyday Gabriel descended, each time in the company of a different angel who paid their utmost respect to the dying tyrant and enquiring about the health of Muhammad on behalf of the all knowing Allah.

On the third day, Gabriel said that the angel of death is at the door seeking permission to enter. Muhammad grants the permission and the angel of death humbly stands in front of Muhammad and tells him that Allah is longing for the company of his beloved Prophet but is orders is to obey the prophet wishes and if he orders him to go away he will comply. He also says that he has never asked permission to take the soul of anyone and will never do that. But Muhammad tells him to take his soul and thus his soul was taken to heaven. 

The traditions add that during the death of Muhammad celestial voices could be heard wailing and praising the Lord but no one could be seen and these were the angels praying. [Ibn Sa’d p. 158]

Thus are the superstitions that captivate the imagination of the befogged followers of Muhammad and hinder from rational thoughts. Any nonsensical absurdity is gobbled gullibly and they allow themselves no doubt as to the veracity of these asinine beliefs. The rest of the world is advancing in science, logic and technology, conquering new frontiers in every field of knowledge and the Mohammedans are shackled in these superstitions and inanities. Immersed in miseries, they are set to advance their ignorance to the rest of the world and drag the rest of humanity to the dark abysses of their ignorance.

The corpse of Muhammad lied motionless on his bed while his wives raised their cries beating their own faces in bitter lamentation. The death of Muhammad occurred only an hour or two after he entered the Mosque at noon prayer, cheerful and seemingly convalescent. The man who had brutalized thousands of people, and swiftly rose to absolute power through deception, assassinations, plunders and genocides was now lay cold in death. But the legacy of his madness continued to haunt the world claiming millions of lives and it has not stopped to this day.