In the previous articles on this topic we compared Muhammad’s behavior in receiving the Quranic revelations from Gabriel to both the biblical criteria and Islamic criteria for demon possession. Muhammad did indeed fit both sets of criteria. Now let’s compare Muhammad’s behavior to occult sources which describe demonic or spirit possession.

Mediumship (Trance)

If you have a cursory overview of the occult and read the various accounts of Muhammad’s life you will probably recognize the similarities between how Muhammad received the Qur’an and what is known in the occult as mediumship. Mediumship is defined as mediating various types of communication between the spirit and the physical worlds. There are many types of mediumship, however the two phenomenon we will focus on specifically is trance mediumship and spirit obsession. These are the two most frequent ways Muhammad received the Qur’an.

There are various states of trace mediumship ranging from the medium being fully cognizant of the information coming through and of his or her surroundings to full on trance like states where the medium is rendered incapacitated and unable to speak or acknowledge his whereabouts. During these states information is channeled through the medium audibly, through dreams, or verbal communication. Let’s take a look at Muhammad’s behavior to see if he fits the occult criteria for trance mediumship.

Trance State (partial) – “Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) was at that time in my house having his evening meal and there was a bone in his hand. She (Sauda) cline and said: Allah’s Messenger. I went out and ‘Umar said to me so and so. She (‘A’isha) reported: There came the revelation to him and then it was over; the bone was then in his hand and he had not thrown it and he said:” Permission has been granted to you that you may go out for your needs.” Sahih Muslim 26,5395

Trance State (full) – “When the Ka’ba was rebuilt, the Prophet and ‘Abbas went to carry stones. ‘Abbas said to the Prophet “(Take off and) put your waist sheet over your neck so that the stones may not hurt you.” (But as soon as he took off his waist sheet) he fell unconscious on the ground with both his eyes towards the sky. When he came to his senses, he said, “My waist sheet! My waist sheet!” Then he tied his waist sheet (round his waist).“ Sahih Al-Bukhari 5,58,170

Dream State – “The commencement of the Divine Inspiration to Allah’s Apostle was in the form of good dreams which came true like bright day light, and then the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him. He used to go in seclusion in the cave of Hira where he used to worship…“ Sahih Al-Bukhari 1,1,3

Verbal – “Sometimes the Angel comes in the form of a man and talks to me and I grasp whatever he says.” ‘Aisha added: Verily I saw the Prophet being inspired Divinely on a very cold day and noticed the sweat dropping from his forehead (as the Inspiration was over). Sahih Al-Bukhari 1,1,2

“Allah’s Apostle used to bear the revelation with great trouble and used to move his lips (quickly) with the Inspiration.” Sahih Al-Bukhari 1,1,4

Spirit Obsession

What also becomes apparent from reading accounts of Muhammad’s Quranic revelation is that he suffered from what is known in the occult as spirit obsession. Obsession occurs when a spirit entity subjugates a weaker being or medium. The medium has no control over when or how the spirit appears or behaves. The signs of obsession can vary depending on the degree of bondage to the spirit entity. The medium is often subjected to physical harm, uncontrollable movements such as seizures. Foaming at the mouth and uncontrollable noises and fits. The medium appears to be under duress and terrified until the spirit departs and afterwards. The medium often experiences suicidal thoughts as a result. Muhammad exhibited many of the symptoms of spirit obsession.

Foaming at the Mouth – “After an accession of shivering and shutting his eyes, there used to come over him what resembled a swoon, his face would foam and he would roar like a young camel.” (mizanul MizanuŸl Haqq, page 345)

Screaming or moaning – “…there used to come over him…and he would roar like a young camel.” (mizanul MizanuŸl Haqq, page 345)

Causing physical harm - “The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, ‘I do not know how to read.’ Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, ‘I do not know how to read (or what shall I read)?’ Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me…” Sahih Bukhari 1,1,3

Terror or duress – “The Divine Inspiration was delayed for a short period but suddenly, as I was walking. I heard a voice in the sky, and when I looked up towards the sky, to my surprise, I saw the angel who had come to me in the Hira Cave, and he was sitting on a chair in between the sky and the earth. I was so frightened by him that I fell on the ground and came to my family and said (to them), ‘Cover me! (with a blanket), cover me!’ Then Allah sent the Revelation: “O, You wrapped up (In a blanket)! (Arise and warn! And your Lord magnify And keep pure your garments, And desert the idols.” Sahih Al-Bukhari 4,54,461

“Cover me! Cover me!” They covered him till his fear was over and after that he told her everything that had happened and said, “I fear that something may happen to me.” Sahih Bukhari 1,1,3

Suicide – “I thought, Woe is me poet or possessed – Never shall Quraysh say this of me! I will go to the top of the mountain and throw myself down that I may kill myself and gain rest. So I went forth to do so…“  Guillaume, The Life of Muhammad

For more on spirit obsession and mediumship see Allan Kardec‘s work “The Medium’s Book“. Allan Kardec is the pen name of of spiritist Hippolyte Leon Denizard Rivail. His work has been considered the standard on mediumship for over a century.

Involvement in the occult from childhood

C. Fred Dickason has published several books dealing with generational spirits contracted from ancestral involvement in the occult. Dickason states, “By ancestral involvement we refer to occult or demonic practices of the client’s ancestors. This has been found to be one of the most common reasons for demonic affliction or demonization.” “I have found this avenue of ancestral involvement to be the chief cause of demonization. Well over 95 percent of more than 400 persons I have contacted in my counseling ministry have been demonized because of their ancestors’ involvement in occult and demonic activities.” (Demon Possession and the Christian pgs 161, 221) In one of his counseling sessions Dickason recalls, “We soon found that defiant and devious spirits were present inside her body. Some had come in at birth and some thereafter. Her ancestors had long been involved in the occult and demonic activity. That is the reason they felt they could enter her, and they were stubborn in their claims.” (Demon Possession and the Christian, p. 197)

So was there occultism in Muhammad’s family? Were his ancestors familiar with and did they practice magic and occultism? It appears so. Book 1 of Halabieh (pgs 73-75, 98) give insight into the occult practices of Amneh, the mother of Muhammad. Dr. Rafat Amari of the Religion Research Institute states the following,

“Amneh was the niece of Soda Bent Zahreh, the priest of Jinn at Mecca. We saw that the reason Abdel Mutalb took Amneh as a wife for Abdullah was due to her aunt Soda Bint Zehra. (Halabieh, I, pages 73, 74)

Mohammed was known to have suffered from trances since his childhood because Amneh, his mother, brought on him a rukhieh, or bewitching. (Halabieh, 1, page 75)  In the rukhieh a Kahan priest of Jinn brings the spirit of Jinn to a person to whom the Kahen is connected as a medium. Since Amneh was the niece of Soda Bent Zahreh, the priest of Jinn at Mecca. This may explain why she was able to  perform occultic ceremonies  upon Mohammed, called “rukhieh, when he was very young.   Only the Kuhhan of Arabia could perform the right of “rukhieh,” a practice of witchcraft indicating that Mohammed’s mother had joined the ranks of the Kuhhan of Arabia after her aunt had passed away.

Children on whom a “rukhieh” was practiced suffered from many signs such as: falling into trances and having convulsions. Since his childhood, Mohammed suffered from many of these identical symptoms. Halabieh, a biographer of Mohammed, mentioned that Mohammed suffered from convulsions since he was one year old. (Halabieh, 1, page 98)  Sahih Al Buchari, reports one occasion on which Mohammed fell into a trance while he was a young man before he claimed to have received the Qur’an. (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1, page 96)  Other Islamic literature, such as Halabieh, states that Mohammed used to go into a coma before he wrote down the Qur’an, which clearly reveals his direct involvement with Kahaneh. When he started receiving the Qu’ran he fell into a coma. (Halabieh, 1, pages 406-407)“

Additionally Muhammad’s extended family was involved in the occult as well as the family of his first wife Khadijah. For more on this subject click here.

Concluding thoughts

As we have seen in our previous articles, Muhammad fits both the Islamic and biblical criteria for one who is suffering from demonization or demon possession. From an occult point of view, Muhammad fits the criteria for one who is experiencing spirit obsession. Take into consideration Muhammad received the Qur’an primarily through what is described in the occult as trance mediumship and his family’s involvement in the occult and the probability that Muhammad was demonized can be seen as highly probable if not certain. One could make the case that Muhammad suffered from epilepsy or some sort of common physical ailment. However this position fails to account for the trance like states he would enter into and out of free from the common signs of epilepsy, the dreams and visions Muhammad experienced, as well as the Quranic revelation he was given. If Muhammad suffered from epilepsy from a young child, then his condition would have been common to him, which presents the problem of “why would Muhammad suddenly experience terror and blame being bewitched or possessed to the point of suicide?”. He wouldn’t have. He blamed being possessed because he genuinely knew he was possessed and he rightfully knew that people would see his behavior and think he was possessed.

From the biblical, Islamic, and occult standpoints, Muhammad fits the criteria for having been demon possessed.