Part 6: Muhammad Over Allah — When the Messenger Becomes the Master

7-part series: “The Untouchable Prophet: How Islam Enforces Total Submission to Muhammad”

In Islam, the Riot Tells You Who Is Really Worshipped

If you burn a Qur’an, Muslims protest.

If you mock God, most Muslims might shrug or scold you.

But if you insult Muhammad?

They riot.
They march.
They burn.
They kill.

This isn't random. It’s revealing.

Islamic theology officially places Allah above all. But Islamic psychology, culture, and political behavior say otherwise. Muhammad — not God — is the real center of gravity.

In this post, we unpack the uncomfortable truth: Muslim outrage is rarely triggered by theological violations — it’s triggered by perceived disloyalty to Muhammad.

1. Global Muslim Rage: The Pattern is Always the Same

You don’t have to dig far into recent history to see where the emotional fault lines lie in the Muslim world.

Salman Rushdie – 1989

  • Wrote The Satanic Verses — a novel featuring a fictional version of Muhammad.

  • Iran’s Ayatollah issued a fatwa calling for his assassination.

  • Riots broke out globally. Bookstores were bombed. Translators were stabbed or killed.

No such global rage exists for books that deny God outright.

Danish Cartoons – 2005

  • Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons depicting Muhammad.

  • The result?

    • Embassies burned.

    • 200+ deaths.

    • Worldwide riots and fatwas.

Charlie Hebdo – 2015

  • French satirical magazine drew cartoons of Muhammad.

  • Islamists stormed the office and gunned down the editorial staff.

  • Global Muslim responses ranged from:

    • “They had it coming”

    • to “Freedom of speech has limits”

Again: no similar reaction ever occurs over mockery of Allah.

2. Insult Allah — No Fatwa. Insult Muhammad — Death Sentence

This pattern isn’t just cultural. It’s legal and theological.

In classical Islamic jurisprudence:

Insulting Allah may be forgiven if the person repents.
Insulting Muhammad? No repentance. Death is mandatory.

Ibn Taymiyyah, the medieval Hanbali jurist revered across Sunni Islam, stated:

“Whoever insults the Prophet must be killed and his repentance not accepted… Even if he becomes a Muslim afterwards.”
— al-Sarim al-Maslul

This ruling is echoed by every Sunni school:

  • Hanafi

  • Maliki

  • Shafi’i

  • Hanbali

In practice:

  • God’s honor can be negotiated.

  • Muhammad’s cannot.

3. Why the Asymmetry? Emotional Conditioning and Power Politics

Why do Muslims react more violently to criticism of Muhammad than of Allah?

Three reasons:

a. Psychological Attachment

God is abstract.
Muhammad is personalized — described, visualized, idolized.

Muslims are told from birth:

  • He is the perfect human.

  • He is your role model.

  • He cried for you.

  • He intercedes for you.

The result: an emotional bond stronger than any connection to a metaphysical deity.

b. Prophetic Infallibility = Total Obedience

Because Muhammad is seen as maʿṣūm (infallible), criticism of him is not just seen as an insult — it's viewed as a direct challenge to Islamic authority.

Criticizing Allah could mean misunderstanding God.
Criticizing Muhammad means you are rejecting Islam itself.

It’s political heresy.

c. Power Projection

Blasphemy laws and mob violence around Muhammad are not spontaneous. They are:

  • Taught in madrassas

  • Codified in law

  • Reinforced in sermons

  • Weaponized by governments and clerics

By enforcing submission to Muhammad, the Islamic system tests loyalty, asserts control, and signals dominance.

4. No One Dies for Drawing God — Only Muhammad

Consider this brutal truth:

No embassies were torched when:

  • Christopher Hitchens debated God’s existence.

  • Richard Dawkins published The God Delusion.

  • Sam Harris called God a “psychotic delusion.”

No fatwa was issued for:

  • Artists depicting “Allah” in abstract forms.

  • Atheists denying God outright.

But for Muhammad?

A doodle gets you killed.

That tells you where the real sacred power lies.

5. Muhammad as the De Facto Deity

Islam claims strict monotheism — tawḥīd — the unification of God’s oneness.

But in practice:

  • You can't challenge Muhammad.

  • You can't mock him.

  • You can't question his actions, even from 1400 years ago.

He is:

  • Above critique

  • Beyond law

  • Emotionally exalted

  • Legally protected

  • Culturally enforced

That's not a messenger.
That's a functional deity — one whose image is policed, whose name is sanctified, and whose critics are silenced or killed.

Conclusion: God Can Be Debated — Muhammad Cannot

Islam loudly claims it worships one God.

But the true object of fear and submission is not Allah.
It’s Muhammad.

  • No one panics when you draw “God.”

  • No embassy gets attacked when you debate Qur’anic theology.

  • No mobs form when atheists mock religion in general.

But the moment Muhammad is portrayed, criticized, or even questioned — the Muslim world ignites.

That’s not faith.
That’s cultic loyalty.

In theory, Muhammad is the messenger.
In practice, he is the message.

Next: Part 7 – The Infallible Shield — How ‘Ismah’ (Sinlessness) Makes Muhammad Morally Untouchable

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