Signs of a Possessed Prophet

The Unnatural Revelation of Muhammad

The Islamic claim that Muhammad received revelations from the angel Gabriel (Jibril) lies at the heart of the Qur’an’s authority. Yet a critical, honest examination of the earliest Islamic sources reveals a far more troubling reality—one that suggests his experiences bore the disturbing hallmarks not of divine inspiration, but of demonic possession. This article lays bare the unnatural, violent, and often pathological nature of Muhammad’s revelations, exposing how even those closest to him feared he was possessed or afflicted by a spirit.

1. Muhammad Thought He Was Possessed

The earliest and most authentic Islamic biographies confirm that Muhammad himself initially believed he was possessed by a jinn—a supernatural spirit commonly associated with madness or demonic activity in pre-Islamic Arabia. This fact is recorded in Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, the earliest known biography of Muhammad, and later preserved in al-Tabari and Ibn Hisham:

“Now none of God’s creatures was more hateful to me than an [ecstatic] 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, p. 106 / Guillaume's translation)

This is not a minor episode—it’s Muhammad’s initial response to his so-called prophetic calling. He was so disturbed by the experience that he attempted suicide:

“I will go to the top of the mountain and throw myself down that I may kill myself and gain rest.”
(Ibn Ishaq, p. 106)

This is the behavior not of a prophet called by God, but of a man tortured by an affliction he did not understand—an experience he himself associated with madness or possession.

2. Convulsions, Swooning, and Pain: The Signs of Revelation

Far from peaceful or edifying, Muhammad’s “revelations” were violent, unnatural, and often physically destructive. According to multiple hadiths and eyewitness testimonies, Muhammad would:

• Turn red and sweat profusely (even in winter)

• Fall to the ground or go into convulsions

• Hear ringing bells—a sound often associated with jinn or spirit communication in pre-Islamic Arabia

• Swoon or lose consciousness

• Speak with altered expression and strange sounds

Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2: Hadith 87:

“Sometimes it is (revealed) like the ringing of a bell, this form of inspiration is the hardest of all... Then that state passes off after I have grasped what is inspired. Sometimes the Angel comes in the form of a man and talks to me and I grasp whatever he says.”

But why would a merciful God reveal His word through a painful, bell-like torment? The Qur’an claims that Allah is “gentle” and “kind” (Qur’an 16:7, 2:143), but Muhammad's experiences suggest cruelty, confusion, and domination—not divine clarity or peace.

Compare this to the biblical accounts: prophets like Moses, Isaiah, or even John in Revelation were sometimes overwhelmed—but they were conscious, communicative, and mentally coherent. The Word of God came with divine order and purpose, not convulsive chaos.

3. Muhammad Bewitched: The Satanic Spells of Labid ibn al-A'sam

Astonishingly, even the Sahih hadith collections confirm that Muhammad was bewitched by a Jewish magician named Labid ibn al-A’sam. This was no light illness. The bewitchment was so deep that Muhammad imagined things that did not happen—hallucinating events, conversations, and actions:

“He used to think that he had done a thing which he had not really done.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari 3268; also in 6391, and Sahih Muslim 2189)

This state lasted for six months. The Qur'an says the Prophet is “protected” from Satan (Qur'an 15:9, 5:67), but how then could Allah’s chosen messenger fall under a magic spell, unable to distinguish between reality and delusion?

The implications are staggering. If Muhammad could be deceived into thinking he had received revelations that never happened, what assurance is there that the Qur'an was not likewise contaminated by deception?

4. The Satanic Verses: A Prophet Deceived by a Demon

The infamous “Satanic Verses” episode—preserved by early Muslim historians like al-Tabari and Ibn Sa’d—tells of a moment when Muhammad recited verses honoring three pagan goddesses (al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat), declaring:

"These are the exalted cranes (gharaniq), whose intercession is hoped for."

Later, Muhammad confessed that these words were not from God, but from Satan, who had slipped them into his mouth. This story is so embarrassing that most modern Muslims deny it—yet the historical weight behind it is substantial.

If Satan could temporarily speak through Muhammad, even once, what stops him from having done so more often?

Moreover, the Qur'an itself seems to confirm the story:

“Never did We send a messenger or a prophet before you but when he recited the message, Satan cast into his recitation…”
(Qur’an 22:52)

This is a stunning admission: Satan can—and has—interfered with prophetic revelation.

5. Epilepsy or Possession? Modern Medical Hypotheses

Some secular scholars have proposed that Muhammad may have suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy—a neurological condition that can produce auditory hallucinations, convulsions, and trance-like states. But the spiritual implications are even more disturbing.

If his symptoms were not medical but spiritual, then they resemble classical signs of demonic possession:

• Violent fits

• Voices from unseen beings

• Periods of unconsciousness or stupor

• Suicidal tendencies

• Obsession with spirits and darkness

Far from being unique to Muhammad, these symptoms match reports from other cult founders and mediums—such as Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism, or Ellen G. White, founder of Seventh-Day Adventism—who also claimed divine visions amidst strange physical episodes.

6. The Qur’an: A Book of Jinn and Spirits

The Qur’an itself frequently discusses jinn, even devoting an entire chapter (Surah 72, al-Jinn) to them. Muhammad regularly interacted with these beings, and some were said to have believed in him. But the Bible strictly forbids any communication with spirits, mediums, or those who consort with the dead or the unseen (Deuteronomy 18:10–12). God does not work through such channels.

The presence of jinn in Muhammad’s prophetic career is not evidence of divine endorsement—it’s a flashing red warning.

Conclusion: A Spirit, but Not the Holy One

By every standard—spiritual, psychological, and historical—Muhammad’s revelation bears the marks not of God’s Holy Spirit, but of spiritual delusion or possession. His initial fear of being possessed, his convulsions and hallucinations, the bewitchment by sorcery, the Satanic interjections into his scripture—all reveal a man under spiritual oppression, not divine guidance.

The Bible warns us:

“And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”
(2 Corinthians 11:14)

If Satan ever wanted to mislead billions under the guise of a prophet, he could scarcely have done better than what we find in the life of Muhammad.