In this paper it is necessary to discuss the activity of Muhammad, answering the questions about religious roots Muhammad used to craft Islam and the way how he converted non-Arabs to Islam.
First of all it is necessary to mention that identity and role of a prophet Muhammad, his religious mission is not recognized and is not supported by world Christianity and the main followers of its three branches. There is no official recognition of the fact that Muhammad was a prophet of God by churches and clergy. According to Peters (1994), the roots of the reasons for this are found in the content of Islamic teachings which not recognize the essentially basic tenets of Christian faith, and in opposition to Christian leaders and theologians of the religious concepts of Islam, in its denial of the divine nature of Christ and the hypostatic expression of the Creator of the universe. So, the reason why the Christian clergy did not recognize Muhammad as a messenger and a prophet, is clear: it lies in the fact that the way in which he walked and kept on people, was his own way, with a different acceptance and understanding of the nature of God and Jesus. In addition, Muhammad stood at the position of denial of Christian dogma (or other understanding) of the Trinity, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ.
Thinking about the religious roots Muhammad used to craft Islam it becomes obvious that his statements helped him also to convert non-Arabs to Islam. It was not an easy process to convert non-Arabs to Islam and, according to Watt (1974), we see that “Besides this extension into much of Arabia of political spheres of influence there was a cultural or religious penetration. The Ghassanids had long been Christians, and towards 600 the Lakhmid king became a Christian. With the encouragement of the great powers and also apart from it Christianity had been spreading among the nomadic tribes. By Muhammad’s time there were Christians in many of the tribes, and some tribes or sections of tribes were largely Christian.” Explaining religion Muhammad showed that religion of Islam, which Allah raised Islamic nation, we can compare with a very strong tree; tree, which has very deep roots, strong trunk, and branches, which also have a vast majority of benefits. The trunk of this tree, its branches are in obedience to God, in fulfillment of His commandments, in the rejection of all forbidden by Him. Its roots go deep into the earth and the fruits of this tree – the happiness that God gives to Muslims – are expressed in force after having been weak: in the victory – after the defeat, and in the unity – after a split. Unity, leadership and Muslim victory – are the fruits of that tree, whose roots go deep into the earth.
According to Debashi (1989), historical evidences stated that Muhammad obtained religious and political success in uniting the fractional Arab tribes when he founded a very large community by the standards of that time in the State in Arabia. Many Bedouin tribes, which lived in the Arabian desert, adopted the new faith and pledged their allegiance to the Prophet Muhammad, the Messenger of God in these early years of Muslim history. Thus, the ground for subsequent distribution and output of Islam beyond the Arabian Peninsula was prepared.
In conclusion, we have discussed the way of Muhammad to new religion and explained how Muhammad achieved his aim making the tree of Islamic religion fruitful.
References
Debashi, H. (1989). Authority in Islam: From the Rise of Muhammad to the Establishment of the Umayyads. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers.
Peters, F. (1994). Muhammad and the Origins of Islam. State University of New York Press.
Watt, W. (1974). Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman. Oxford University Press.