Part 2: Muhammad’s Behaviour Defines Morality and That’s a Problem
Series: Muhammad the Untouchable — Why Islam Depends More on Its Founder Than Its God
A Moral Code That Isn’t Moral at All
Islam claims to offer a complete moral system — a timeless ethical code rooted in divine wisdom. But that’s not how Islamic morality actually works.
In practice, Islam does not derive moral values from universal principles, empathy, or human reason. Instead, it treats Muhammad’s actions as the ultimate moral compass. What he did is good. What he forbade is bad. End of story.
This approach doesn’t elevate morality. It neutralizes it — because right and wrong become historical reenactments of one man’s choices in 7th-century Arabia.
The result is a fossilized ethical system where rape, slavery, child marriage, tribal warfare, and censorship are not only excused — they are sanctified.
1. Morality by Mimicry
In Islam, the Prophet’s behavior (Sunnah) isn’t just a guide. It’s legally and theologically binding. As the Qur’an repeatedly commands:
“Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example to follow.” (Qur’an 33:21)
“Whatever the Messenger has given you — take it. And whatever he has forbidden you — refrain.” (Qur’an 59:7)
This has created a system where:
Ethics = Emulation.
The Prophet’s actions aren’t questioned — they’re duplicated.
The moral bar is not: “Is this right?”
It’s: “Did Muhammad do it?”
This is not moral reasoning. It’s behavioral replication — a cult of imitation.
2. Justifying the Unjustifiable
When your moral standard is the behavior of a 7th-century warlord, you end up justifying actions that would otherwise be condemned.
Let’s break down some examples:
Child Marriage
Sahih Bukhari 5134: “The Prophet married Aisha when she was six and consummated the marriage when she was nine.”
Islam’s response? It’s permissible because Muhammad did it.
Consequence: Legalized child marriage in places like Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan — still defended under Sharia law.
Sex Slavery
Qur’an 4:24: “And those whom your right hands possess” — women captured in war.
Muhammad himself took slave concubines, including Maria the Copt, gifted to him by Egypt.
Sahih Muslim 3432, 3433 detail Muhammad allowing sex with female captives even when their husbands were alive.
Consequence: Rape becomes rebranded as “lawful intimacy” under Islamic precedent.
Violence Against Critics
Asma bint Marwan, a poet who mocked Muhammad, was assassinated on his order (Ibn Ishaq).
Ka‘b ibn al-Ashraf, another poet, murdered after Muhammad reportedly said: “Who will deal with this man for me?”
Consequence: Even today, blasphemy laws in Muslim countries carry the death penalty for criticism of Muhammad.
None of these acts are criticized. They are canonized. Because Muhammad did them.
3. The Sunnah Overrules Reason, Compassion, and Modernity
Islamic scholars don’t hide this. They openly admit that if Muhammad did something, it is eternally good — regardless of context.
Imam al-Ghazali (d. 1111), one of Islam’s most influential theologians, declared:
“The good is what the Shari‘ah says is good. The evil is what the Shari‘ah says is evil.”
In other words: Morality is not discovered. It is dictated.
So:
If reason says slavery is evil — Islam says reason is wrong.
If conscience says child marriage is abusive — Islam says your conscience is misled.
If modern law says marital rape is criminal — Islam says Muhammad permitted it, so it is halal.
4. Micro-Obsessions with Trivial Imitation
Islamic morality isn’t just about major issues. It extends into the absurd — where even Muhammad’s personal habits are treated as religious obligations.
Examples:
Which foot to enter the bathroom with (left).
How many sips to drink water in (three).
How to sleep (on the right side).
How to brush your teeth (using a twig called miswak).
This leads to a ritualized checklist of behavior, where blind mimicry replaces moral growth.
Muslims are conditioned not to ask, “What is good?” but “How did Muhammad do it?”
5. The Death of Reform
This system kills any chance at reform. Because to reform Islamic ethics, one must first criticize Muhammad — which is punishable by death under Islamic law.
So:
A Muslim feminist cannot condemn Muhammad’s polygamy or slave-concubines.
A Muslim liberal cannot denounce stoning, floggings, or amputations — all traced to Hadith.
A reformist scholar cannot question the Prophet’s actions in war or marriage.
Even proposing change is treated as apostasy or blasphemy.
Islam is stuck in the 7th century — not because Muslims lack the will to change, but because Muhammad’s behavior is the immovable anchor.
6. The Core Problem: Muhammad Is Morality
In Islam, Muhammad is not just the messenger. He is the measuring stick.
And that’s the real problem.
If the messenger becomes the message, then morality isn’t about truth, compassion, or reason — it’s about loyalty. The ethical code becomes:
“Whatever he did, we do. Whatever he said, we say. However he lived, we live.”
This isn’t ethics. This is deification through imitation.
Conclusion: A Religion Without Conscience
When the Prophet’s behavior is the source of morality:
Morality becomes rigid
Cruelty becomes canon
Ethics become obsolete
Islam doesn’t produce good people. It produces people who act like Muhammad — no matter how dark that legacy may be.
There is no room for growth. No allowance for human conscience. No principle higher than precedent.
Because in Islam, right and wrong don’t matter. Only the Prophet does.
Next in the series: Part 3: Blasphemy and Apostasy Protecting Muhammad, Not God
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