Page 14 - World Religions I - Islam

come from al-Ta'if along with Zayd son of Haritha when we passed Zayd son of 'Amr who
was in the highland of Mecca. Quraish had made a public example of him for abandoning
his religion, so that he went out from their midst. I sat down with him. I had a bag
containing meat which we had sacrificed to our idols — Zayd b. Haritha was carrying it —
and I offered it to Zayd b. 'Amir — I was but a lad at the time — and I said, 'Eat some of this
food, my uncle.' He replied, 'Surely it is part of those sacrifices of theirs which they offer to
their idols?' When I said that it was, he said, 'Nephew mine, if you were to ask the
daughtersof 'Abd al-Muttalib they would tell you that I never eat of these sacrifices, and I
have no desire to do so.' Then he upbraided me for idolatry and spoke disparagingly of
those who worship idols and sacrifice to them, and said, 'They are worthless: they can
neither harm nor profit anyone,' or words to that effect.' The apostle added, 'After that I
never knowingly stroked one of their idols nor did I sacrifice to them until God honoured me
with his apostleship.'" (emphasis added)9
 Hisham Ibn al-Kalbi reports:
• "We have been told that the Apostle of God once mentioned al-Uzza saying, 'I have offered
a white sheep to al-Uzza, while I was a follower of the religion of my people.'"10
o Some historical traditions record Muhammad's growing dissatisfaction with the idolatry around
him.
 "Bahira went up to [Muhammad] and said, 'Young man, I adjure you by al-Lat and al-Uzza to answer
my questions.' Bahira said that to him only because he had heard his people swearing by these two.
They say that the Messenger of God said to him, 'Do not ask me by al-Lat and al-Uzza, for by God
there is absolutely nothing I detest as much as these two.' So Bahira said to him, 'Then, in God's name,
answer what I ask you.'"11 Al-Lat and al-Uzza were two famous goddesses worshipped throughout the
Arabian peninsula.115
o Muhammad had access to monotheistic teaching from Christian communities from the oasis of Najran
in southern Arabia, as well as Jewish communities in and around Medina (then called Yathrib).12 There
were individuals within the Arab community practicing monotheism instead of engaging in idolatrous
practices. These were known as hunafa ("upright ones", singular: hanif). Islamic tradition indicates that
Muhammad was a hanif, although historical evidence suggests this wasn't always the case.114
 We can speculate that Muhammad's knowledge of monotheism was influenced by these
surrounding communities, as well as interactions during his travels as a trader.
o Despite his dissatisfaction with the idolatry in his community, Muhammad continued to indulge in some
pagan practices right up to the point of his prophetic calling.
 "And when the apostle of God had finished his period of seclusion and returned (to Mecca), in
the first place he performed the circumambulation of the Ka'ba, as was his wont. While he was
doing it, Waraqa met him and said, 'O son of my brother, tell me what thou has seen and
heard.'"13 At this point in Muhammad's life, the Ka'aba was nothing more than a shrine erected
in honor of pagan deities, and any religious acts performed around the Ka'aba were pagan in
origin. It wasn't until later that Muhammad received special revelation alleging that the Ka'aba
has been built by Abraham and Ishmael as a place of worship to God.
o Tradition claims that Muhammad would often retreat for meditation to Hira', a cave about 3.2 km (2 miles)
outside of Mecca.
o The Qur'an claims that Muhammad was found wandering and guided to the truth.
 "And He (thy Lord) found thee wandering, and He gave thee guidance." - Ad-Dhuha (The Morning
Hours) 93:7 (Trans. Yusuf Ali)

Revelations

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