A stream can not rise higher than its source. The measure of the moral
stature of Mohammed is the source and foundation of all moral ideas
of Islam. His conduct is the standard of character. We need not be
surprized, therefore, that the ethical standard is so low among his
followers. Raymond Lull, the first missionary to Moslems, used to show
in his preachings that Mohammed had none of the seven cardinal virtues,
and was guilty of the seven deadly sins. He may have gone too far, but
it would not be difficult to show that pride, lust, envy, and anger were
prominent traits in the Prophet's character.
To take an example, what Mohammed taught regarding truthfulness is
convincing. There are two authenticated sayings of his given in the
traditions on the subject of lying: "When a servant of God tells a lie,
his guardian angels move away to the distance of a mile because of the
badness of its smell." "Verily a lie is allowable in three cases--to
women, to reconcile friends, and in war." It is no wonder, then, that
among the Prophet's followers and imitators "truth-telling is one of the
lost arts" and that perjury is too common to be noticed. As I pass in
the streets of Cairo, many times I hear the Moslems utter the word,
b'ism Allah, "in the name of God," while the speaker knows very well
that his words are altogether a lie.
There are certain things which the ethics of Islam allow, of which it is
also necessary to write. They exist, not in spite of Islam, but because
of Islam, and because of the teachings of its sacred book.