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 be here 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 Sira, 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, and a curse of 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, Allah Karim. 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 before 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 Quraysh, Why save yourselves from the Hellfire?

As I cannot save you from Allah's punishment. O Bani Ad-Bana, I cannot save you from Allah's punishment. O Safiyya, the aunt of Allah's Apostle, I cannot save you from Allah's punishment. O Fatima bint Muhammad, ask me anything from 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 Asayi, 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 Bassam 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 who shall repent and believe and do right, perhaps, Assam, America, 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, Assam, that your Lord will repent 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. By 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 yawm, 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 Khabar, 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 illness 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 Khabar.

Notice what it says in Surah 10, verse 15,. And when our good revelations are recited unto them, they who look not for them meeting with us, say, Bring a lecture other than this, or change it, say, O Muhammad, it is not for me to change it of my accord.

I own faller at which is inspired 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 Qur 'an, 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 speak 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 shun in. 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'd go to 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-Qahtanina, 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 would 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, he 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 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 discourage 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 belonging to him occurred in 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. Welcome 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 reported in Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith number 384, and it is dynamic reported.

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 number 12 ,013, وَأَنَا سَيِّدُ النَّاسِ يَوْمِ الْتِيَامَةِ وَلَا تَخَبُّ وَلَا أَوَلْ مَن 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, Ayah 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'm 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 Quran describes the believers in Surah 49, Ayah 15. The believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Apostle, that they doubt not.

The Quran 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 Quran 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 Quran says to Muhammad, peace be upon him, 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 Quran 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, Sahih Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58, Number 266, and also cited by Tony, here she can clearly see that it's being uttered in the very beginning of the Medina 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 Quran 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 him.

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 and disperse those traits that no one could be sure about Allah's deceit including Muhammad, peace be upon him.

However, all Orthodox Muslim scholars have always understood disperse 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, Jeddah. In the Arabic language, treachery, Jeddah, is a false promise of security while deception, Mecca, is an act of misleading someone into believing something.

Muslim scholars have stated that deception, Mecca, is allowed in Islam in certain instances such as war while treachery, Jeddah, 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, Jeddah, and not deception, Mecca.

However, Allah never said that he would perform an act of treachery, Jeddah, 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 verse is 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 made is Asa, referred to by Tony earlier. Ibn Manghur in his famous Isan 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 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 made could either be used to express contingency and possibility or cause and ability.

An example of it expressing possibility is the statement,. An example of it expressing cause and ability is the statement,. The word made 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 made is being used, and the same thing applies in the Arabic language. Respected Quranic commentator, Imam Al-Qurtubi said, 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, made, refers to certainty is when Allah revealed Surah 9, Ayah 102, which says,.

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, 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 forgivable? 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 Khalil, which means suitable. So the verse is trying to say that it is only suitable that Allah forgives them since they've 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 salvation? The answer is provided in Sahih Bukhari, volume 6, book 60, hadith number 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, 1427 and many others shows that Allah misguides those who are evil doers.

He doesn't misguide people to become evil doers. No, rather, He misguides those who are evil doers 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.

It 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 Number 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 rightful 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 to force 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 that deeds go 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 the Muslim Hadith Number 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 part is a minority. The majority of scholars have understood this narration and argued that this is referring to a person who only outwardly does righteous deeds but inwardly he is insincere.

They understand this hadith in light of another hadith from the Prophet, Thamud Sahih Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 52, Hadith Number 147, a man may seem to the people as if he were practicing the deeds of the people of Paradise, while in fact he is 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 is from the people of Paradise. So going back to the hadith in question, the scholars would understand the phrase till there is only a cubit or two between him and Paradise to mean that the man is so close to Paradise if only he were to make his intentions sincere.

And they would understand the phrase and then that writing 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 Ahmad 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, that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.