The name "Satanic Verses" is known in the Western world as the book by Salmun Rushdie. But the name actually comes from an event recorded in Muslim history. Let's let the words of the great Muslim historian, Ibn Ishaq relate to you what the Satanic verses:
Now the apostle was anxious for the welfare of his people, wishing to attract them as far as he could. It has been mentioned that he longed for a way to attract them, and the method he adopted is what Ibn Hamid told me that Salama siad M.b. Ishaq told him from Yazid b. Ziyad of Median from M.b. Ka'b al-Qurazi: When the apostle saw that his people turned their backs on him and he was pained by their estrangement from what he brought them from God he longed that there should come to him from God a message that would reconcile his people to him. Because of his love for his people and his anxiety over them it would delight him if the obstacle that made his task so difficult could be removed; so that he meditated on the project and longed for it and it was dear to him. Then God sen down 'By the star when it sets your comrade errs not and is not deceived, he speaks not from his own deisre,' and when he reached His words 'Have you thought of al-Lat and al-Uzza and Manat the third, the other', Satan, when he meditating upon it, and desiring to bring it (sc. Reconciliation) to his people, put upon his tongue 'these are the exalted Gharaniq whose intercession is approved.' When Quraysh heard that, they were delighted and greatly pleased at the way in which he spoke of their gods and they listened to him; while the believers were holding that what their prophet brought them was from their Lord was true.
Let's sum up so far. God was giving a message to Muhammad. Satan interupted. Muhammad couldn't tell the difference even though the message was pagan in content, nor could his followers tell the difference.
The historian continues:
Then Gabriel came to the apostle and said, 'What have you done, Muhammad? You have read to these people something I did nto bring you from God and you have said what He did not say to you. The apostle was bitterly grieved and was greatly in fear of God. So God sent down (a revelation), for He was merciful to him, comforting him and making light of the affair and telling him that every prophet and apostle before him desired as he desired and wanted what he wanted and Satan interjected something into his desires as he had on his tongue.
According to our source, Muhammad was unaware of the situation and had to have God intervene for him to correct the blunder.
Why couldn't Muhammad be mistaken in the first place? For a number of verses in a number of times? The fact is already established he can't tell the difference between God and Satan when receiving messages. In light of all of the monotheistic messages he received, he should have been slightly aware of that something was amiss.
Most interesting, Muhammad own desire led him to listen to Satan's words. How reliable is a prophet whose emotions can easily lead him to state the words of Satan for God? This is very troubling indeed.
The Bible has its own test for a prophet. Deuteronomy 18:18-20:
I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him. But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.
Before we examine the text, it should be noted that the Prophet mentioned in this text is believed to be Muhammad by Muslims and Jesus by Christians. In the passage we are told that a prophet who speaks words the Lord has not given him shall be put to death, and the Prophet will speak the words of God. These two ideas are against each other in parallelism. This contrasts the Prophet with false prophets. The difference? False prophets will speak false messages. The Prophet will not. The death penalty portion of this applied to the ancient theocracy of Israel, but the basic principle remains. Speaking false words and attributing them to God is extremely bad, worthy of the harshest of punishments.
As we have seen in the Satanic Verses, Muhammad has spoken false words and attributed them to God. Whether he knew they were from Satan or not, he is in violation of this text. He can't be the Prophet spoken about in this passage, although this is the text Muslims refer to to show Muhammad is in the Old Testament.
The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah, translated by A. Guillaume, Oxford, 1997, pp. 165-166.
Answering Islam's Links to Articles About the Satanic Verses.
Please email me at geoffrobinson@yahoo.com to further discuss any of this article.