Islam’s foundations is Muhammad supposedly having a supernatural encounter with an angel in the Cave of Hira. The whole of Islam is dependent upon this event. Without it, there is no Islam.
But is what Muhammad experienced a supernatural experience from an angel from heaven? Or something entirely different?
1) He himself thought his experience was with a demon, not an angel
Muhammad believed he had become possessed after this experience.
“Now none of God’s creatures was more hateful to me than an inspired poet or a man possessed; I could not even look at them. I thought, ‘Woe is me poet or possessed—never shall Quraysh say this of me!'”
— Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad, trans. Alfred Guillaume, p. 106
How then did he decide it was an angel? Because he sat on his wife’s lap and convinced him so.
Isma`il b. Abu Hakim, a freedman of the family of al-Zubayr, told me on Khadija’s authority that she said to the apostle of God, ‘O son of my uncle, are you able to tell me about your visitant, when he comes to you?” He replied that he could, and she asked him to tell her when he came. So when Gabriel came to him, as he was wont, the apostle said to Khadija, ‘This is Gabriel who has just come to me.’ `Get up, O son of my uncle,’ she said, `and sit by my left thigh.’ The apostle did so, and she said, `Can you see him?’ `Yes,’ he said. She said, `Then turn around and sit on my right thigh.’ He did so, and she said, `Can you see him?’ When he said that he could she asked him to move and sit in her lap. When he had done this she again asked if he could see him, and when he said yes, she disclosed her form and cast aside her veil while the apostle was sitting in her lap. Then she said, `Can you see him?’ And he replied, `No.’ She said, `O son of my uncle, rejoice and be of good heart, by God he is an angel and not a satan.’ (Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad, tr. Guillaume, 1967, p. 107.
For all the ways in which Muslims treat women, how is that a woman should be the one who had the discernment to convince Muhammad that this was an angel, and not a demon? If that happened today, would a Muslim man trust a woman’s judgment in this?
Regardless, she effectively convinced him it was an angel. And her relative said it was Waraqa.
2) Prophets knew their calling, they did not have to be convinced by their spouses.
Prophets knew when it was God. They didn’t need convincing. Also there was external witness in that they had supernatural ability to perform miracles. Muhammad performed no miracles.
3) No true angel of God in the history of prophetic revelations of God harrassed, bullied, threatened, and was violently aggressive towards the prophet.
“…suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, “I do not know how to read.” The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, ‘I do not know how to read.’ Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, ‘I do not know how to read (or what shall I read)?’ Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said, ‘Read in the name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists), created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous.” (96.1, 96.2, 96.3) Then Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) returned with the Inspiration and with his heart beating severely. Then he went to Khadija bint Khuwailid and said, “Cover me! Cover me!” They covered him till his fear was over and after that he told her everything that had happened and said, “I fear that something may happen to me” ( Sahih al-Bukhari 3).
Every angel to the prophets before almost always began with, “Do not fear.” They also oftentimes introduced themselves, especially when it was the angel Gabriel. It was demons who were violent towards people, not angels.
4) Muhammad could not ever do what the angel asked, as he was illiterate.
Worse, why tell him to do something he could no possibly do? How was their any revelation? According to this, it was all about reading. It didn’t say “memorize.” It didn’t say “recite.” The being said, “READ!”
5) The result of the encounter was that Muhammad became suicidal.
Never was there a prophet who became suicidal after an encounter with an angel. The purpose of prophetic revelation was to bring repentance and life, not kill the prophet off.
“But after a few days Waraqa died and the Divine Inspiration was also paused for a while and the Prophet (ﷺ) became so sad as we have heard that he intended several times to throw himself from the tops of high mountains and every time he went up the top of a mountain in order to throw himself down, Gabriel would appear before him and say, “O Muhammad! You are indeed Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) in truth” whereupon his heart would become quiet and he would calm down and would return home. And whenever the period of the coming of the inspiration used to become long, he would do as before, but when he used to reach the top of a mountain, Gabriel would appear before him and say to him what he had said before” (Bukhari 6982).
Suicide was never the fruit of an angelic encounter. It was usually worship and obedience, not wanting to jump off a mountain.
There are many reasons to not believe Muhammad was a prophet. These 5 surround the incident at the cave. We should believe what Muhammad said at first – this was a demonic encounter.