Muhammad's Personality and Cultural Islam: How Central Is He?

Introduction: The Centrality of Muhammad in Question

It has been said that "To say 'and Muhammad is the Messenger of God' is to commit oneself to a belief, not about the person of Muhammad, but about the validity of what he brought. The personality of Muhammad is essentially irrelevant." This statement is provocative. It forces thought about the various historical images of Muhammad and how important they are for Islam.

A recent example raises the issue sharply. In 2005, a Danish newspaper published twelve cartoons portraying the Prophet Muhammad in various configurations. This triggered in some quarters a strong reaction related to the representation of Muhammad, which some Muslims considered forbidden, idolatrous, blasphemous, or at least slanderous. It highlights what Rosen calls the "unspoken assumptions about the relation of individual believers to this central religious figure" (Rosen 105). It also highlights the suspicion that persists between Islam and the West. While no Muslim would claim that Muhammad is divine, many are emotionally incensed at such portrayals, showing how central the cultural meaning of the Prophet is to understanding Islam.

That being said, this paper argues that the personality of the Prophet, while important — as shown, for example, in the hadith — is not as important as the Qur'an and its system of belief. It is hard to go so far as to say that Muhammad's personality is "irrelevant." There have been many significant figurations of him in Islam that have affected belief and practice. However, it is true that the system he brought through Scripture goes far beyond his personality. In addition, much of contemporary Islamic religion is shaped by cultural forces that do not directly refer to Muhammad's historical or figurative being. Three specific examples of the cultural forces shaping contemporary Islam will be examined in support of the idea that Islamic practice is influenced by far more than Muhammad's personality. For these reasons, and with some qualification, the opening statement is best understood as an accurate generalization.

Muhammad and Jesus: Prophetic Status Versus Divine Identity

The status of Muhammad in Islam may be usefully compared with the status of Jesus Christ in Christianity. The historical personality of Muhammad has not been obsessed over quite as much as that of Jesus Christ. In both cases, the historical data is limited. Both religious founders were responsible for authoritative words that became Scripture. The written products that stemmed from their lives and experiences with God became the source of spiritual revelation for their followers.

However, in Christianity, Jesus was ultimately deified as part of the Trinity. To this day in most churches, Jesus is considered not only the Messiah but also equal to God. The search for the "historical" Jesus has done little to alter the fact that it is the "Christ of faith" — the resurrected divine being — that defines Christian dogma. In Islam, by contrast, this process did not take place. Muhammad's status is prophetic, not divine. Rosen writes, "Unlike earlier prophets and Christ himself, Muhammad did not prove his legitimacy by miracles. Rather, as the Quran repeatedly states, it is the message itself — which no human being could have created — that is the sign and proof of its own veracity" (Rosen 112).

Rosen views Muhammad as primarily a master of wisdom who was, and is, loved and emulated for his knowledge but never worshipped. This is true despite the fact that his words in the Qur'an are considered holy and divine revelation. Yet this in itself is significant: the holy scriptures of Islam would not exist without the person of Muhammad, who received them. As such, he is revered as the true prophet.

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