Who are the Experts on Islam?
Maybe not who you expect...
A recent post on linkedin generated a lot of comments, a lot of opinions, but the only two experts on Islam that really matter are Allah and Mohammed. If it is not from Allah and Mohammed, it is not Islam.
This is why the best source of knowledge on this subject is the foundational Islamic doctrine itself. Many people have tried reading the Koran and found it very confusing – partly because the Koran is not in chronological order but also, because they don’t know the complete and factual biography (Sira) of Mohammed who exemplifies the actions that believers are expected to follow (1).
In addition, the story of Mohammed in Mecca, is very different from Mohammed after his migration to Medina. While Mohammed had only 150 followers after 13 years of non-violent preaching in Mecca, after his migration to Medina, and there becoming a military leader and politician, Islam grew to encompass the entire Arabian peninsula in only 9 years. This was accomplished after Mohammed adopted jihad as a tactic. In fact, Chapter 8 of the Koran is named Al-Anfal – ‘The Spoils of War.’
Several times in history, rulers of Islamic countries have attempted to make their country more secular. A good example is Iran. The Iranian revolution ended that and Sharia – the ‘ordained way’ found in the Koran and Hadith – was once again strictly enforced. This is called the ‘gravity’ of Mohammed, the return to the doctrine.
So why would non-Muslims want to learn about Islamic foundational doctrine anyway??
Answer: because more than half of it concerns them and as such, it is political.
“Narrated Abu Huraira: A man came to Allah's Messenger and said, "Instruct me as to such a deed as equals Jihad (in reward)." He replied, "I do not find such a deed..." (Bukhari 2785)
It is only by knowing the life of Mohammed, that it is possible to understand Islam and it’s goal.
Check the sources for yourself.
Study the doctrine…
Sources:
Koran 8:55 https://legacy.quran.com/8/55
Koran 33:61 https://legacy.quran.com/33/61
(Hadith) Muslim 1767a https://sunnah.com/muslim:1767a
(Hadith) Bukhari 6098: https://sunnah.com/bukhari:6098
(Hadith) Bukhari 3167: https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3167
(Hadith) Bukhari 2785: https://sunnah.com/bukhari:2785
(1) Guillaume, Alfred. 'The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah' (p.109-687) Oxford University Press, 1967 https://archive.org/details/GuillaumeATheLifeOfMuhammad/page/n3/mode/2up
Military expeditions of Mohammed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_expeditions_of_Muhammad
Koran instructions to follow Mohammed: https://cspi-web-media.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/documents/The_Sunna_of_Mohammed.pdf