This paper discusses the main sources that are used in studying the life of the Prophet Muhammad pbuh and shows how Orientalists have misused and taken a different approach to such sources in propagating their hatred for Islam.
Man’s sincerity does not depend on himself, he can not help being sincere! This was stated by Thomas Carlyle in the 18th century during a series of lectures given to a Western audience in defence of prophet Muhammad pbuh, with the aim of exposing the lies and dishonest approach that most Orientalists at that time were taking when dealing with the
subject. Such approaches are nothing new and have existed since the beginning of time. Anyone who has read the Bible or the Quran will find out that one of the most common techniques for dealing with people who came as prophets in the name of God, was to accuse them of evils, discredit their status and persona, and malign them without any remorse in the name of scholarship and so called service for humanity. M. Watt says that Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him (pbuh) is without a doubt one of the most maligned historical figure in the world. People are competing to make more money and more television shows by instigating hatred and discord about the man himself and his followers. Such people have aimed to distort the life of prophet Muhammad and to portray the religion of Islam in a negative way in order to created hatred towards and rejection of the faith that was so attractive to so many people and gained so many converts as it still does today. Such people have not only made fortunes by their ways, but have also served as advisors to different organizations and government bodies inciting hatred and spreading lies within communities which lead to Muslims being discriminated against. One of the reason that such people gained so much credibility and support is their ability to manipulate Muslim scriptures such as the Quran, Ahadith and biographical works, citing and quoting information that exists in our own sources, the very basis of Islam. However in doing so, such people have made the most categorical mistake, and have ignored traditional scholastic approaches in dealing with such information.
Prophet Muhammad taught us an axiom that should be the principle of every Muslim in their daily life, and that is, leave that which is unauthentic or unsure for that which is authentic or sure. This is a principle that the Quran teaches us and warns us not to go against.
