Tony Costa vs. Bassam Zawadi (Part 1)

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Before I begin tonight's debate with the opening statement,

I want to take this opportunity to thank the North American Muslim Foundation for allowing us to use their facilities here this evening.

And I also want to take this opportunity to thank Osama Zawadi for being here tonight to engage in this very interesting question, this debate that will take place tonight.

And I'm very happy to hear as well. I was excited to hear that Osama is also a

Canadian citizen, so that makes me feel even better to be here with a fellow Canadian.

So thank you again for being here tonight. I would like to argue four main points tonight.

In regards to the question whether or not Muhammad, the historical Muhammad, was assured of his salvation,

I will argue tonight that the evidence found in the Quran and the Hadith and the Sirah that is in the

Muslim sources, indicate to us that Muhammad was not truly assured of his salvation.

The four points I'm going to argue are the following. Number one, Muhammad displayed a consistent pattern of fear and anxiety in his relation with Allah and the afterlife.

This is reflected primarily in an absence of secure and lasting peace that Muhammad had with Allah.

Number two, Muhammad died a death which can only be called, according to the

Islamic sources, an Akursa death, which demonstrated, as I will argue, Allah's judgment upon him.

Number three, Muhammad is the only prophet, according to the Quran, upon whom

Allah and his angels pray, and upon whom Muslims are called to pray and to bless.

The question arises, why pray for Muhammad if he is in Jannah, in paradise already?

And number four, the source and basis for Muhammad's uncertainty in salvation lies in the untrustworthiness of Allah.

Allah is described in the Quran as a schemer, a deceiver, and in fact, he is called the best of the deceivers,

Al -Makarim. He can do whatever he wants and need not dispose his intentions to anyone, including

Muhammad. Ultimately, Allah decides who will be saved, and he is the only one who can decide this, and the only way anyone will know whether they're truly saved or not is on the

Day of Judgment. Let me begin, first of all, with the question of Muhammad and his pattern of fear and anxiety in his relation to Allah.

In Surah 14, verse 4, we're told, And we sent not a messenger except with the language of his people, in order that he might make the message clear for them.

Then Allah misleads whom He wills and guides whom He wills.

Surah 46, verse 9, Say, I am no bringer of new -fangled doctrine among the messengers, nor do

I know what will be done with me or with you. I follow but that which is revealed to me by inspiration.

I am but a warner, open and clear. Notice Muhammad is told here to say,

I do not know what will be done with me or with you. He places himself in the category of all humanity.

We're told in Surah 7, verse 99, a very extremely important passage,

And are they then secure from Allah's scheme? None deem themselves secure from Allah's scheme, save folk that perish.

This passage is extremely important because it tells us here that those who think they are secure, those who deem themselves to be secure from Allah, are really those who are the losers, those who are unbelievers.

And so this passage warns us here that no one is safe from the schemes of Allah, including

Muhammad and all Muslims. We're told here in Sahih al -Bukhari, when

Allah revealed the verse, warn your nearest kinsmen, Allah's Apostle got up and said, O people of Korea, why save yourselves from the

Hellfire, as I cannot save you from Allah's punishment. O Bani Ad -Manath,

I cannot save you from Allah's punishment. O Safiyyah, the aunt of Allah's Apostle, I cannot save you from Allah's punishment.

O Fatima bint Muhammad, ask me anything for my wealth, but I cannot save you from Allah's punishment.

We're told here also in Sahih al -Bukhari, that an Ansari woman, who gave the pledge of allegiance to the

Prophet, said, the immigrants were distributed amongst us by drawing lots, and we got in our share.

Uthman bin Mazum, we made him stay with us in our house, then he suffered from a disease which proved fatal when he died, and was given a bath and was shrouded in his clothes.

Allah's Apostle came, I said, may Allah be merciful to you. O Abu Hussain, I testify that Allah has honored you, listen to the question that Muhammad asks, the

Prophet said, how do you know that Allah has honored him? I replied,

O Allah's Apostle, let my father be sacrificed for you, on whom else shall Allah bestow His honor?

The Prophet said, no doubt, death came to him. By Allah, I too wish you good, but by Allah, I do not know what

Allah will do with me, though I am Allah's Apostle. Notice again,

Muhammad claims the same thing. He does not know what Allah will do with him.

We're also told in Sahih al -Bukhari, the Prophet added, I do not want anyone of you to come to me on the day of resurrection carrying over his neck a sheep that will be bleated.

Such a person will then say, O Muhammad, please intercede for me. I will say to him, I can't help you, for I conveyed

Allah's message to you. Similarly, I do not want anyone of you to come to me carrying over his neck a camel which will be grunting.

Such a person then will say, O Muhammad, please intercede for me. I will say to him, I can't help you, for I conveyed

Allah's message. It's very clear from the Quran and from Mahdi that Muhammad is a mere man, a messenger, a warner.

We're also told as well in the Taseer of Ibn Kathir that when he was commenting on this phrase in the ayah, even though I am

Allah's messenger, I do not know what will happen to him. Ibn Kathir says, this and similar texts indicate that it is not allowed to declare that a specific person will enter

Jannah. Even our friend, Basam Zawadi, admits that in this hadith, the

Prophet is speaking about what will happen to him in being hereafter and that this is the primary meaning of the text.

We also learn from the Quran that we're told in Surah 28 and verse 67 that whenever Muhammad speaks about repenting, excuse me,

Allah speaks about repenting and believing on him, notice there's never an assurance. Listen to the words in Surah 28, verse 67.

But as for him, we shall repent and believe and do right. Perhaps, As 'an narrated, perhaps, he may be one of the successful.

The same thing is found in Surah 68, verse 8. O you who believe, repent toward Allah with a sincere repentance.

It may be, As 'an, that your Lord will be rid from you of your evil deeds and admit you to gardens beneath which rivers flow.

We're also told here in Surah 9 and verse 18, those only shall worship in the mosques of Allah who believe in Allah and the

Last Day and observe proper worship and give him alms and fear none except Allah.

And it might be that these are the rightly guided. Listen to this very interesting passage in Sahih Al -Bukhari.

Why Allah, other than whom there is no God, verily one of you behaves like the people of Paradise until there is but an arm's length between him and it, that's death, and that which has been written overtakes him.

And so he behaves like the people of Hellfire and thus enters it. And one of you behaves like the people of Hellfire until there is but an arm's length between him and it, and that which has been written overtakes him.

And so he behaves like the people of Paradise and thus enters it. What are these passages talking about? They're talking about Qadr.

They're talking about Allah's determination, his predestination. There are people who live righteous lives, but then the

Edict of Allah will fall and that person is destined ultimately for Hellfire. What this sentence shows us is that there really is, at the end, no absolute certainty about what will happen.

We also read in Sahih Al -Bukhari that whenever a strong wind would blow, it says that anxiety appeared on the face of the

Prophet, fearing that wind might be the sign of Allah's wrath.

Question, why was there anxiety in Muhammad's face when there was a strong wind? If he was assured of his salvation, why did he fear that this would be a sign of Allah's wrath?

Why did he fear? Whenever there was an eclipse, according to Sahih Al -Bukhari, it says the sun eclipsed and the

Prophet got up, being afraid that it might be the hour, that is the day of judgment. He went to the mosque and offered the prayer with the longest qiyam, bowing in prostration that I had ever seen him doing.

Then he said, these signs which Allah sends do not occur because of the life or death of somebody, but Allah makes

His worshippers afraid by them, so when you see anything thereof, proceed to remember

Allah, invoke Him and ask His forgiveness. Again, why is there fear here?

There is only fear, folks, when there is uncertainty. You only fear what you do not know. You do not fear what you know.

Now what about Muhammad's death? Well, according to the hadith, we know that Muhammad's death was unexpected.

It was not anticipated. According to the traditions, we are told that a Jewess, a

Jewish woman, poisoned Muhammad's meal. Some traditions say it was a lamb, others say that it was a goat, but this was unexpected, and this inevitably led to the death of the

Prophet. In Sahih Al -Bukhari, we are told that when

Muhammad was poisoned, it says the Prophet, in his ailment in which he died, used to say,

O Aisha, I still feel the pain caused by the food I ate at Khawer, and at this time

I feel as if my aorta is being cut from that poison. Please remember that term, the aorta, the reference to the aorta.

We are going to come back to that. We are told as well, in the history of Al -Tabari, the Messenger of God said, during the moments from which he died, the mother of Bishr had come to visit him, and he said to her,

O Bishr, at this very moment, I feel my aorta being severed because of the food

I ate with your son at Khawer. Notice what it says in Surah 10, verse 15,

And when our impure revelations are recited unto them, they who look not for the meaning with us, they bring a lecture other than this, or change it, say,

O Muhammad, it is not for me to change it of my accord. I only follow that which is inspired of me.

Lo, if I disobey my Lord, please notice, I fear the retribution of an awful day.

If Muhammad disobeys Allah and tampers with the Quran, he will face retribution.

Surah 69, verses 40 to 46. It says,

And if the Apostle were to invent any sayings in our name, we should certainly seize him by the right hand, and we should certainly then cut off the artery of his heart, the aorta.

Surah 50, verses 16 to 19. We indeed created man, and we know that his soul whispers within him, and we are nearer to him than the jugular vein.

When the two angels meet together, sitting one on the right and one on the left, not a word he utters, but by him is an observer written.

And death's agony comes in truth.

That is what Thou wilt show me. Please notice the reference to Allah is close to the jugular vein, and it mentions death.

What does that mean? Allah is close to a human being, and Allah has the power to take their lives.

The jugular vein, the main artery. Now, notice that when you look at the narrations about Muhammad's death, which was very painful and severe, you will notice that the language is very similar to that that we find in the

Quran, in Surah 69, 45 to 46, and Surah 50, verses 16 to 19, which indicates that something happened.

And I would argue, we don't have time to argue this tonight because it's not the subject of our topic tonight, but the traditions indicate that there was tampering with the

Quran, for which, I believe, judgment ensued. The third point is prayers for Muhammad.

Surah 33, verse 56 says, Verily, Allah and His angels pray for the

Prophet. All you who believe, pray for him and salute him with a salutation.

Surah 33, verse 43, He it is who prays for you and His angels too to bring you forth, that's

Muhammad, out of the darkness into the light. Notice that in the

Quran, Surah 48, which I'm sure Osama will raise up tonight, Surah 48, verses 1 to 2, is a text that is taken to mean that Allah forgave

Muhammad of his past sins and his future sins and therefore he was saved. But the text doesn't really say that.

The text says that Allah may forgive. It doesn't say that he will be absolutely certain that he will be forgiven.

He may forgive. But if he was truly forgiven, then why is it that in the Hadith literature,

Muhammad is constantly asking for forgiveness from Allah. Listen to Sahih al -Bukhari. I heard

Allah's Apostle saying, By Allah, I ask for forgiveness from Allah and turn to him in repentance more than 70 times a day.

Now folks, that's a lot of confession. And usually, when people have confession of that nature, there's guilt associated with it.

We also know from Sahih Muslim that Muhammad said that there is at times some sort of shame upon my heart and I seek forgiveness from Allah a hundred times a day.

Now folks, when I read this, what this reminds me of is it reminds me of the reformer, the

Christian reformer, Martin Luther, who would confess his sins any day. He put a confession because he wanted to be made right with the

Holy God. And this need for forgiveness cries out that there is guilt involved here.

There's a need to want to be reconciled with the Holy God. But how could this be the case if Muhammad was assured of his salvation?

Why is there this anxiety, this fear? Why is there this need to confess a hundred times a day?

Five minutes. Five minutes. The reason for this, I believe, lies in the fact that Allah is called a schemer.

Listen to what Surah 3, verse 54 says. But they, the Jews, were deceptive. And Allah was deceptive.

For Allah is the best of deceivers. Al -Maqadima. Surah 7, verse 39.

I live secure from Allah's deception. Maqdar al -afi. None deem themselves secure from Allah's deception.

Safe, though, that perish. If you think you're safe from His scheming, the Quran says you're among those that perish.

Inferiorly, it says in Surah 13, verse 42, Inferiorly, those before them did deceive.

But all deception is a loss. He knows what every person earns.

Now, what does this word Maqdar al -afi mean? According to the lexical sources, it means, quote, to practice deceit or circumvention, to practice evasion or illusion, to plot, to exercise art or craft or cunning, to act with policy, to practice a stratagem.

And it's always used in the negative. Even Qurtubi tells us, the commentator, that scholars have considered the words of the best of schemers, al -Qadhinah, one of God's beautiful names.

Muhammad was said to pray, O God, scheme for me and do not scheme against me.

But when we look at the companion of Muhammad, and the reason why I bring up Abu Bakr here, is because Abu Bakr was one person that Muhammad said,

You have heaven, paradise is assured to you. Listen to what Abu Bakr said.

Although he had such faith, which was too great to surprise only inhabitants of the earth, he was afraid that his heart might go astray.

So he used to utter while weeping, Would that I had been a big tree. Whenever he was reminded of his position in Allah's sight, he would say,

By Allah, I would not rest assured, listen, and feel safe from the deception of Allah, even if I had one foot in paradise.

Why did Abu Bakr say this? He was a close companion of Muhammad. Muhammad said,

You have heaven guaranteed. And yet, Abu Bakr believed Muhammad, but he didn't trust

Allah. Why? He says, I don't feel safe from Allah's deception.

Omar, another companion of Muhammad, according to the Christian scholar, Jens Prestensen, who was an

Islamic specialist, while Omar was lying on his deathbed, said, I am none other than a drowning man who sees a possibility of escape of life and hopes for it, but fears he may die and lose it, and so plunges about with hands and feet, more desperate than the drowning man is he who at the sight of heaven and hell is buried in the vision.

Had I the whole east and west, gladly would I give it all up to be delivered from this awful terror that is hanging over me.

And finally touching his face against the ground, he cried out, Alas for Omar, Alas for the mother of Omar, if it should not please the

Lord to pardon me. See that word if there? That conditional? If it does not please the

Lord to pardon me. When Nazi was burying Omar, his father, he said, I will not magnify him, that is

Omar, before the Almighty, in whose presence he has gone to appear. If he forgives him, that's

Allah, it will be of his mercy. If he takes vengeance on him, it will be for his transgressions.

And so I conclude tonight with the four points that I've enumerated. Number one,

Muhammad displays a consistent pattern of fear and anxiety in his relation with Allah. Number two, the death of Muhammad reflects the judgment that Allah gives in the

Quran that he will tear the aorta off anyone who tampers with his word.

Muhammad is the only prophet, according to the Quran, upon whom blessings are called upon.

No other prophet, Jesus, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, no other prophet in the

Quran is called upon to be prayed on or blessed on, only Muhammad. And finally, the source and basis for this insecurity is the fact that Allah, the way he is revealed in the

Quran demonstrates that Allah is not trustworthy. That is to say, you are not privy to what he thinks or what he decides.

Allah can use you, he can discharge you, he can lead you, he can mislead you. Why? Because he is

Allah. He can do whatever he wants, everything in the heavens and the earth belong to him according to the

Quran. And so, if he wished to use Muhammad to be his prophet, he can do it. If he wished to throw

Muhammad into the hellfire, he can do it. Allah preserves the right to do what he wishes with his creation.

That is what the Quran teaches and it is consistently there. This accounts for the utter fear and despair and anxiety and the confession of sins that Muhammad was so indulged in.

Thank you for your time. As -salamu alaykum and greetings to everyone.

I would like to thank you all for taking time off from your busy schedules and participating with us today for this discussion. The topic is, was

Muhammad assured of his salvation? Not whether I, the Prophet's companions, Muslims in general,

Christians, or anyone else is assured of his or her salvation. Rather, we are specifically speaking about Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and I hope that the discussion stays focused on that.

The evidence for my position is quite clear. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, himself said with confidence that he is going to heaven.

It is recorded in Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith No. 384, and it is dynamic recorded.

The Messenger of Allah said, I will come to the Gate of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection and would see its opening.

And the Keeper would say, Who are you? I would say, Muhammad. He would then say, it is for you that I have been ordered not to open it for anyone before you.

So here we see that the Prophet, peace be upon him, not only said that he would go to Paradise, but that the

Gate of Paradise won't open for anyone before him. The Prophet, peace be upon him, also said in an authentic Hadith in Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No.

12 ,013, وَأَنَا سَيِّدُ النَّاسِ يَوْمِ الْتِيَامَةِ وَلَا تَخَبُّ وَلَا أَوَلْ مِن يَتْخُلِ الْجَنَّ يَوْمِ الْتِيَامَةِ وَلَا تَخَبُّ

And I am the master of the people on the Day of Judgment, and I say this with no pride.

And I am the first who would enter Paradise on the Day of Judgment, and I say this with no pride.

Here the Prophet, peace be upon him, is saying that he would be the first one to enter Paradise with confidence.

Also, we know that the Prophet, peace be upon him, wouldn't have said such a thing unless Allah revealed it to him, as one can see by reading

Surah 69, Ayahs 44 -46. However, Surah 6,

Ayah 50 says, Say, O Muhammad, meaning the Prophet, peace be upon him, is ordered to say to the people,

I don't tell you that with me are the treasures of Allah, nor that I know the unseen, nor I tell you that I am an angel.

I but follow what is revealed to me by inspiration. Here the Prophet is ordered by Allah to say that he doesn't know the unseen.

However, Surah 11, Ayah 49 says, Such are some of the stories of the unseen which we have revealed unto thee.

Also, Surah 3, Ayah 179 says, Nor will Allah disclose to you the secrets of the unseen, but Allah chooses of His messengers when

He pleases. These verses clarify that Muhammad, peace be upon him, did not know certain elements of the unseen realm independently, but dependently upon Allah's revelation to him.

This means that the Prophet is claiming that Allah informed him about the fact that he would enter

Paradise. The Qur 'an describes the believers in Surah 49, Ayah 15. The believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Apostle, then they doubt not.

The Qur 'an also says in Surah 2, Ayah 285, that Messenger, referring to Muhammad, peace be upon him, believes in what has been sent down to him from his

Lord, and so do the believers. So here the Qur 'an claims that the Prophet, Muhammad, peace be upon him, is a believer.

It also claims that believers do not doubt. This means that Muhammad, peace be upon him, had no doubts that he was receiving revelation from Allah telling him that he was going to Paradise.

Also, the Qur 'an says to Muhammad, peace be upon him, in Surah 48, Ayah 2, that Allah may forgive you your sins of the past and the future if He pleases favor on you and guide you on the straight path.

Notice that the verse is saying that Muhammad, peace be upon him, has had his past and future sins forgiven. If all his sins are forgiven, then it logically follows that salvation is a necessary result for him.

So it appears to me that the evidence is strikingly clear in affirming that the Prophet, peace be upon him, was assured of salvation.

However, some arguments have been put forth to try and contradict this notion, and we'll go through some of them.

Argument number one, Tony brought it up, Muhammad himself said that he doesn't know what will happen to him, and even the

Qur 'an ordered him to say this. The response to this is that the Prophet, peace be upon him, uttered this statement before it was revealed to him that his sins would be forgiven.

Because the verse saying that his sins were forgiven were revealed in the middle period of Medina, while the

Prophet's statement was set in accordance with Surah 46, Ayah 9, which was revealed prior in Mecca.

Also, when one examines the hadith where the Prophet uttered this statement in Sahih al -Bukhari, Volume 5,

Book 58, Number 266, and also cited by Tony, here she could clearly see that it was being uttered in the very beginning of the

Medinan period. We have to remember and bear in mind that the Prophet, peace be upon him, received revelation gradually, and have to make sure we read the

Prophet's statements in their proper chronological context. Argument number two.

Again, Tony brought it up. The Qur 'an teaches that Allah is a deceiver. So Allah could be deceiving

Muhammad, and Muhammad realized this and wasn't assured of his salvation because he felt that Allah could be deceiving him.

Now, I'm fully aware that Christians have theological objections against the notion that God could deceive. However, that's not related to the topic.

What must be addressed is whether Muhammad, peace be upon him, doubted his salvation because Allah has the ability to deceive.

Some people, such as Tony, cite Surah 7, Ayah 99, which says, Have they become sure about Allah's scheming?

None are sure about Allah's scheming except the people who are losers. Then they would claim that this verse illustrates that no one could be sure about Allah's deceit, including

Muhammad, peace be upon him. However, all Orthodox Muslim scholars have always understood this verse to be referring to those who reject

Muhammad's Messenger and not believers. This is even made clear when one reads the context of the verse just by reading the three verses prior to it.

Secondly, even if we were to assume that this verse is applicable to believers, we have to make sure that we differentiate between deception,

Mecca, and treachery, Medina. In the Arabic language, treachery, ghadr, is a false promise of security while deception,

Mecca, is the act of misleading someone to believe in something. Muslim scholars have stated that deception,

Mecca, is allowed in Islam in certain instances, such as war, while treachery, ghadr, is never allowed.

So here we can see that there is a distinction. So Allah's promise of security to Muhammad, peace be upon him, and then breaking this promise would be an act of treachery, ghadr, and not deception,

Mecca. However, Allah never said that He would perform an act of treachery, ghadr, on anyone.

Thirdly, we have never seen Muhammad, peace be upon him, expressing doubt about his salvation due to Allah possibly deceiving him or committing treachery against him.

He only appears to be assured of his salvation. Argument number three. The Islamic sources say that Muhammad may be going to heaven and not certainly.

So Muhammad had doubts. The Quranic verse being alluded to most often is surah 17, ayah 79, which says,

And during the part of the night, pray beyond what is incumbent on you. Maybe your Lord will raise you to a position of great glory.

Two responses to this argument are, one, the Quranic verses talking about the

Prophet's role as an intercessor, and not whether he will be entering paradise, so that's off topic. Response number two, the

Arabic word translated as may is asa, referred to by Tony earlier.

Ibn Manzur, in his famous Isam al -Arab dictionary, which is argued by many to be one of the most authoritative

Arabic dictionaries, says that the word asa could linguistically either indicate probability or certainty depending upon context.

He said, Asa fee kalamihim rajab wa yateen Asa in their speech, referring to the speech of the

Arabs, could either mean open expectation or certainty and conviction. Even in the

English language, the word may could either be used to express contingency and possibility or cause and ability.

An example of it expressing possibility is the statement, I may grab me a cheeseburger after this debate.

An example of it expressing cause and ability is the statement, sign the contract so that we may begin doing business.

The word may is connected to the signing of the contract and doing business. The signing of the contract would be the cause to exert ability to doing business.

So context determines how the word may is being used and the same thing applies in Arabic language.

Respected Quranic commentator, Imam al -Qurtubi said, Asa min Allahi majiba

Asa from Allah is an obligation. The reason why asa with the intended meaning of expressing ability when applied to Allah indicates certainty is because there is nothing that can prevent

Allah from achieving that task. An example from the Quran showing that the word asa, may refers to certainty is when

Allah revealed Surah 9, Ayah 102 which says, And there are others who confess their faults.

They mix good works with others that are evil. It may be, asa, that Allah will turn to them with compassion.

This verse was revealed regarding a group of companions who committed a grave sin that they regretted.

They felt so bad that they tied themselves to the wall of a mosque and said that they would stay there until the

Prophet, peace be upon him, untied them. However, the Prophet swore by Allah that he would only untie them until Allah declares their innocence.

So, Surah 9, Ayah 102, which I just cited, containing the word asa, was revealed.

Once it was revealed, the Prophet untied them. The question here is, why would the Prophet do that if the word asa indicated that their repentance would be possibly forgiven?

Possibly accepted and not definitely. The answer is because it didn't. The Prophet understood that they were definitely forgiven, and that is why he agreed to untie them.

Imam al -Tabari, in his commentary, said that this verse shows Allah definitely forgiving them, and that this is how the

Arabs used to speak. Other scholars have also pointed out that asa could mean khalid, which means suitable.

So the verse is trying to say that it is only suitable that Allah forgives them since they have repented.

Hence the third argument is not convincing either. Argument number four. Muhammad used to constantly pray excessively.

Why would he do this if he was assured of his salvation? The answer is provided in Sahih Bukhari, Volume 6,

Book 60, Verse 361, narrated by Aisha. The Prophet used to offer prayer at night to the extent that his feet used to crack.

I said, O Allah's Apostle, why do you do this since Allah has forgiven you your faults of the past and those to follow?

He said, shouldn't I love to be a thankful slave of Allah? So here we see that the

Prophet's worship wasn't done because he wasn't confident in Allah's promise to him that he would enter

Paradise. Rather, he used to worship much because of his gratitude and love towards Allah. However, we also have to bear in mind that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, feared

Allah. Fearing Allah is one of the righteous attributes of the believers as one could read in Surah 13,

Ayah 21. Muhammad, peace be upon him, being guaranteed salvation and having his sins forgiven only means that he has been protected from dwelling in the fire.

It doesn't mean that he won't face painful trials from Allah during his life. It doesn't mean that he didn't fear the

Day of Judgment where there would be so much turmoil and disaster. It doesn't mean that he didn't fear a painful death.

So yes, the Prophet feared Allah but that in no way meant that he had no confidence in Allah's promises and revelations to him.

Argument number five. Islam teaches that human beings have no free will and that Allah could place in Hell whomever

He pleases even if they have faith and do good deeds and this gave Muhammad doubts about his salvation.

This is completely untrue. This is not the orthodox Islamic view of predestination. Surah 18, 29, 25, 57, 73, 19 and other verses show how human beings have the free will to choose what path they would like to follow.

Surah 7, 147, 148, 27, 90, 37, 39, 45, 15 and many others show that people are punished for the actions that they committed.

Surah 226, 14, 27 and many others shows that Allah misguides those who are evildoers.

He doesn't misguide people to become evildoers. No, rather He misguides those who are evildoers already and have chosen to be evil and reject

Allah by keeping them misguided. Now, I'm not going to delve into this matter any further since it's not directly related to the topic.

Regardless of whether Islam teaches that one would enter paradise due to his free will or God's will or both working and being harmonized together, it doesn't change the fact that the

Prophet was promised and assured of his salvation. Whether the Prophet was assured of his salvation because Allah elected him to be so, a

Calvinist term, or because he thought he earned it, or whether Allah bestowed his mercy upon him for his efforts is completely irrelevant and has nothing to do with the topic.

We are not discussing how or why Muhammad, peace be upon him, was assured of his salvation, but whether he was assured of his salvation.

Hence, this objection would be nothing more than a red herring if it were to be raised. There are some who appeal to the following hadith from Sahih Bukhari, and it's always one of them,

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 77, Hadith No. 593, which says that the Prophet said, And a man may do the deeds of the people of Paradise till there is only a cubic or two between him and Paradise.

And then that man proceeds and he does the deeds of the people of fire and enters it. They would argue that this hadith shows that Allah has decreed and forced someone who is doing good deeds and is on his way to Paradise to commit sins and then end up in Hellfire.

First of all, the Quran makes it clear that Allah does not make any believers good deeds or to waste.

Allah says in Surah 7, Ayah 170, We shall never waste the reward of those who do righteous deeds.

Secondly, scholars have understood this hadith in different ways. One group of scholars said that this hadith is emphasizing the fact that someone may be striving so hard his entire life, but near the end of his life, temptation overcomes him and then he apostatizes.

They understand this narration in light of another hadith from Muslim Ahmad, Hadith No. 11 ,768, which says that it's possible that someone may commit evil all his life and change at the end and do righteous deeds and then enter

Paradise and vice versa. However, this is a minority view. The majority of scholars have understood this narration and have argued that this is referring to a person who only outwardly does righteous deeds, but inwardly he isn't sincere.

They understand this hadith in light of another hadith from the Prophet, found in Sahih Bukhari, Volume 4,

Book 52, Hadith No. 147, and that it may seem to the people as if he were practicing the deeds of the people of Paradise, while in fact he's from the people of Hell.

Another may seem to the people as if he were practicing the deeds of the people of Hellfire, while in fact he's from the people of Paradise.

So going back to the hadith in question, the scholars would understand the phrase till there is only a cubic or two between him and Paradise to mean that the man is so close to Paradise that only he were to make his intentions sincere.

And they would understand the phrase and then that rival proceeds to be referring not to our destiny recorded in the preserved tablet, but to the books in which there are two angels recording our good and bad deeds, as alluded to in Surah 82,

Ayah 11. The word proceeds in Arabic, is stressing on the fact that reality precedes appearance.

So if there is a contradiction between someone's outward actions and that which is recorded, since the angels are given the ability to know whether our actions are sincere or not, then that which is recorded will proceed in determining the fate of the individual.

This interpretation is reinforced by other hadiths such as that found in Muslim Taqnah hadith number 9896.

So this argument is not convincing either. No one has understood this hadith the way that Tony is trying to make it sound.

Again, I want to remind Tony, the argument isn't what is this hadith saying, the argument is was the

Prophet feeling doubtful about his salvation because of such a concept. That's what he has to remember.

In conclusion, the Prophet, peace be upon him, is reported to have said in Sahih Bukhari volume 6, book 60, hadith number 367, no doubt, no doubt,

I am Allah's Apostle and Allah will never neglect me. Does that sound like a doubtful assertion?

He also said in Sahih Muslim, book 1, hadith number 41, I bear testimony to the fact that there is no doubt about Allah and I am

His Messenger. The bondsman who would meet Allah without entertaining any doubt about these two fundamentals would enter

Heaven. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said that he has no doubts, no doubts that he is the

Messenger of Allah and he also said that one would enter Paradise if he entertains no doubts about Allah being the only

God worthy of worship and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. I have also provided clear and ambiguous and explicit statements from Prophet Muhammad himself where he said that he will enter

Paradise. It is very clear he didn't want any conditions. If he had no doubts that he was the

Messenger of Allah then that means that he had no doubts about Allah revealing to him that he would be going to Paradise.

If he had no doubts about his salvation then that means that he was assured about his salvation and that is the answer to today's question.

Thank you very much. Thank you so much

Hassan for your opening statements and for this discussion very interesting and intellectually stimulating.

Just a few points that I would like to make in response by way of rebuttal. Bassam if you noticed was quoting most of the material that Bassam was alluding to was the

Hadith literature. If you recall in my opening statement I pointed out that in the Quran it is made very clear that the question of Allah's choosing and his forgiveness is totally his sovereign will.

Allah leads whom he wills and he misleads whom he wills. You can't remove

Allah out of the picture because you can't simply say was Muhammad assured of his salvation?

The question is was he assured of his salvation and what is the basis for that assurance? You cannot have an assurance without a reference point.

You cannot have an assurance without a basis for having that assurance in the first place. Now the point that he brought up about paradise being held open to him he again obtains from the

Hindu literature. The Hindu literature of course Sahih al Bukhari and that of Muslim emerges 200 years after the death of Muhammad and in the

Hindu literature we encounter development and we find development in various questions pertaining to such questions such as the one we are looking at tonight.

But if you look at the Quran the Quran is not so certain. Even surah 48 verses 1 to 2 that the psalmist was referring to it doesn't say that he is certain it says he may forgive him.

And it begs the question that if Muhammad was forgiven of his past sins and his future sins then why do we find evidence within the hadith of this constant anxiety and this fear this has to be explained.

Why is it that if there was assurance from Allah did Muhammad fear when there was an eclipse? Why did he become anxious when there was a strong wind or a tornado etc?

Why is it that we constantly find Muhammad confessing his sins seven times a day a hundred times a day if his sins have been already forgiven?

It raises the question why then is there this obsessive confession on the part of Muhammad?

Now, the other point that I want to mention as well is that what Bassam is telling us is that when

Muhammad was told in surah 46 in verse 9 that he does not know what Allah will do to him he rightfully says that this surah is a meccan surah which it is.

But in surah 48 where we have a meccan surah it says that Allah may forgive your sins that are past and your sins that are future.

And I think what Bassam is arguing here tonight is that surah 46 verse 9 has been abrogated. He hasn't said that in so many words.

But I think that is what his point is. The point still stands that nevertheless despite this we're not given a certainty.

At least not in the Quran. Now about Allah being a deceiver Bassam says well we have to look at words in the context and he's absolutely right in any language we have to look at words in the context but what we have to look at is that the lexical references the

Arabic English lexicons point out that the word rakam is a negative term. It has to do with plotting with conniving.

It's a word that is used about people scheming against others and that's why the Quran says that the

Jews schemed against Muhammad but Allah schemed back at them. He had a scheme against them to deceive them because he is the chief, the best of the deceivers and the lexical sources admit that this is a negative term.

Even Dr. Mahmoud Ayyub a Muslim scholar who taught at the University of Toronto at one time he even admitted that it is a difficult thing to accept that such a negative word like rakam is attributed to God.

How can a word like this be attributed to God? Now I think what's up is confusing the words probability and possibility.

Probability and possibility are two different words. Something may be possible. Anything is possible.

While we're talking here this evening it's possible God forbid that the ceiling might fall. God forbid that it would.

Anything is possible. But when we talk about probability, if I say to you if you cross the street and you don't look both ways probably you're going to get killed.

That's a pretty good chance that you're going to get killed. Probability and possibility are not the same type of words.

I think we have a bit of a collapse in the words here. Now the other point that I wanted to show here is that I think

Bassam is kind of compromising on the Islamic doctrine of Qadr. Qadr is the doctrine that Allah determines everything.

And he's saying here that well yes Allah does know some things but it's really people's decisions that cause them to go to error.

But that's not what the Quran says. The Quran says Allah guides who He wills and He misleads who

He wills. Who is the active subject in the Quran? Allah is the subject who acts.

He is the one who misleads. He is the one who guides people into salvation.

But even though the question tonight ladies and gentlemen is the question was Muhammad assured of salvation?

We do have to ask the question what is the basis of that assurance? As a Christian my basis is the

British Word of Christ. As a Christian what is Bassam's basis for saying Allah's assurance of salvation is secure?

On what grounds does he make that claim if it is not Allah himself? And so we have to ask the question what is the basis of that assurance and why does

Allah have to do that for Muhammad? Does he owe Muhammad anything? If Allah is absolutely sovereign can he do whatever he wants including rejecting

Muhammad? Well the honest answer is of course if Allah is sovereign he can do whatever he wants.

Now the other issue is surah 7 verse 99. This is a very important text because what that text is telling us is that no one is safe from Allah's maqam.

No one including Muhammad, including Abu Bakr, including Umar, including you, including me.

No one is safe. Whoever says they're safe from Allah's scheming, whoever says I'm secure, even

Abu Bakr would not say such a thing. I don't trust Allah he says. I don't trust his maqam, his scheming.

We have to deal with this point. Now he said that Muhammad was so secure that he would be safe from punishment.

Look at surah 39 verses 30 to 31. Allah says verily you O Muhammad will die and verily they too will die.

Then on the day of resurrection you will be disputing before your Lord. And then in surah 19 verse 68 to 72 it says now by thy

Lord we shall surely muster them and the satans the shaitan and we shall parade them about the heaven hobbling on their knees.

Then we shall pluck forth from every part and whichever of them is the most hardened in disdain of the unmerciful.

Then we shall know very well those most deserving to burn there. Not one of you there is but you shall go down to him that is the hell fire.

Not one of you. It's Muhammad he will die and so will they. In other words

Muhammad is not being distinguished here from the rest of humanity. He too will die which he did and he too will go down into this region that Allah speaks about.

And there have been questions by Muslims throughout the ages in Islamic sources. It talks about people fearing the hell fire.

They will go down but the question is asked will they get out of it? I know I'm going into it but will

I be rescued out of it? How much time do we have? We have one minute left.

So Muhammad had no doubts about Allah. Really? That's what the

Hadeeth literature tells us. When Muhammad was first told in the cave of Hira he thought that whatever was speaking to him he walked out of that cave thinking that he was possessed by jinn.

And he wanted to throw himself off the mountains. He doubted. He thought he was being possessed by the jinn.

And even after he was told by Khadija his wife and by the priest Waraka that he was a prophet.

When Waraka died there was a pause of a cessation of revelation.

He had no revelation. And it says that in the Hadeeth that he entertained suicidal thoughts and he would go up to the mountain several times to throw himself off.

Does that sound like doubt? What about the famous verses? The verses in the

Hadeeth points out that Muhammad would even go up to a Jew and say by him he sent down the Torah. Am I mentioned in your scriptures?

And the Jew would say yes you are mentioned in the Torah by Allah you are mentioned in the Torah. If he had no doubts why do you ask questions?

People only ask questions if they don't know. Tony asks why ask lessons about Muhammad when he is short of salvation?

Everyone has understood this truth just to exalt the status of the

Prophet. This Hadeeth only shows that the Prophet used to have the power to grant salvation to people.

Does he have to have power to grant salvation in order to be assured that he received salvation? Allah is the only one who grants salvation and Allah is the

This only shows that the Prophet used to have the power to grant salvation to people.

This only shows that the

Prophet used to power to grant people.

This shows that the used to power to salvation to people. This that the

Prophet used to have the power to grant salvation to people.

This only that the Prophet used to have power to grant salvation people. This only that the that just because Allah has guaranteed a place in heaven that doesn't mean that he can't fear going to hell temporarily or a painful death or the punishment of the grave.

So this has nothing to do with the topic. He said that Islam teaches that Allah is not trustworthy, but in Surah 4, verse 122,

Allah says, And who can be more truthful than Allah in utterance? And if Tony wants to say, well maybe

Allah is lying here, then I can apply the same logic to the Bible. So when the Bible says God cannot lie, I can say he's lying when he says that he cannot lie.

So I hope you'll be consistent. He said that Allah could throw Muhammad in hell if he wants. I didn't see the evidence for that.

He said Allah guides whom he wills and this guides whom he wills. Again, this has nothing to do with the topic because there's no evidence that Muhammad doubted his salvation because of these verses.

But I have written an article on my website called Does Allah Guide Whom He Wills and This Guides Whom He Wills? And I've shown all the verses in their proper context.

Allah says that he guides those who approach him and are sincere and he misguides those who don't want to seek

God. So you have to read all these verses in their proper context. He said, what is the basis for that assurance?

But the moderator made it very clear that we're not talking about what was the basis for Muhammad being assured.

The question is, was Muhammad assured? So we have to state the topic. He said, there's some text from Hadith and Hadith developed 200 years later.

So why did he appeal to the Hadith in the beginning? What's up with this double standard? This has nothing to do with the topic.

And it's not true that the Hadith developed 200 years later. But I don't want to get into that because it's off topic.

He said, why is there this fear and anxiety from Muhammad? I already explained in my opening statement.

Because he's assured a place in heaven, it doesn't mean that he can't fear a painful death or trials from Allah in this life.

I want Tony to show me where Muhammad feared that Allah would break his promise to him and end up putting him in hell.

I want to see Muhammad say, peace be upon him, I'm so worried whether Allah will keep his promise to me and I'll go to paradise.

If Tony can provide that, I will shut up and sit down and say I've lost faith. But he's not providing that.

He said, deception is a negative term. I don't want to get into this now because it's really not related to the topic.

He said, there are examples of Muslims saying that they will go down and not know if they come back up.

I'm aware of these statements, but did the Prophet say that? The topic isn't, are

Muslims assured of their salvation? The topic is, is Muhammad assured of his salvation?

The name is there for a reason. We're speaking about Muhammad in particular. He said,

Muhammad in the cave of Hira, if he wanted to commit suicide, if he was doubtful. First of all, the story of this is found, old scholars are agreed that the sources mentioning this are weak.

There's no fully connected and authentic chain discussing this. But even if I were to assume, and I know

Tony would say Bukhari mentioned it, but Bukhari mentioned it as a footnote and the chain of transmission is not fully connected.

There's a gap between Aisha and Imam al -Zuhri in the chain. Well, assuming for the sake of argument that it is true, that Muhammad went into a cave by himself and that he thought he was possessed.

That's in the early stages of Mecca. So even if the narration is true, which it isn't, it's in the early stages of Mecca.

But later on, the Prophet became assured of his salvation. He talked about the satanic verses not related to the topic.

So many rare hearings today. He said that the Prophet went up to the Jews and said, am

I mentioned in your scriptures? You see, there's a verse in the Qur 'an, Surah 1094, where Allah said to the

Prophet, if you have any doubts, refer to the people of the Book, meaning the Christians and the Jews. When Allah revealed that verse, what was the

Prophet's response? He said, I have no doubts and I will not ask.

So here, this is actually proof for me. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, I have no doubts.

But then the question comes, why did he approach the Jew and say, am I mentioned in your scripture? Well, that was an evangelistic or dawah technique to the

Jew, because he wanted to show the Jew, hey, I'm prophesied in your scripture, so you should believe in me.

So when the Prophet asked the Jew, do you find me in your scripture? It's not because he was doubtful that he was in the scripture, but he wanted the

Jew to realize that he's prophesied in his scripture. I think that's about it.