Who was Mohammad's first converts other than his immediate family and friends?

Question

And what convinced the initial converts to follow Mohammad?

Answer 1

Have you read this book ?
What is your opinion, from the list below, provided by Spencer in his book?

The Truth About Muhammad
by Robert Spencer

Meet the real Muhammad:


Muhammad's bizarre reaction to his first "revelation": "I will go to the top of the mountain and throw myself down that I may kill myself"

The heretical Christian who convinced Muhammad he was a prophet – and may have taught him his erroneous views of Christianity

Islamic borrowings from Judaism, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism – and Muhammad's enraged replies to charges that he borrowed material rather than received actual divine revelations

The "revelation" that allowed Muhammad to marry his beautiful daughter-in-law

The strange incident in Muhammad's life that makes it virtually impossible to prove rape in Islamic countries today

The real "Satanic Verses" incident (not the Salman Rushdie version): how Muhammad's attempt to win over his opponents ended with his saying he had been inspired not by God, but by Satan

How the Qur'an's teaching on warfare against unbelievers developed – with constant war to establish the hegemony of Islamic law as the last stage

The first year of the Muslim calendar: not when Muhammad was born or became a prophet, but when he became a warlord

How Muhammad used the graphic lure of Islamic Paradise to urge his warriors to fight furiously to extend his rule

"Kill every Jew who comes into your power": why Muhammad became so angry with both Jews and Christians – with disastrous consequences that are still playing out in the world today

The momentous command by Muhammad that led to good being identified with anything that benefited the Muslims, and evil with anything that harmed them --without reference to any larger moral standard

Muhammad's child bride – and the terrible consequences his marriage to a nine-year-old still has in the Islamic world

"This is the caravan of the Quraysh possessing wealth. It is likely that Allah may give it to you as booty": how Muhammad gave divine sanction to the Muslims' bloody raids

"War is deceit": the permission Muhammad gave his followers to lie in order to gain an advantage over their enemies

How Muhammad broke the principal treaty he entered into, again setting a pattern for Muslim states thereafter

Muhammad's commands to his followers to wage perpetual war against non-Muslims, including Jews and Christians

Muhammad on women's rights: women "are prisoners with you having no control of their persons"

"If justice is not to be found with me then where will you find it?" Why Muhammad still stands for Muslims as the supreme model for human behavior

"I will expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula, and will not leave any but Muslims" – and other statements by Muhammad that contemporary jihadists take very seriously

Islamic tolerance? The onerous tax burden and other discriminatory regulations mandated for non-Muslims under Islamic law

How Muhammad ordered the killing of apostates from Islam

The massacre of a Jewish tribe by Muhammad that was invoked by modern-day jihadists at the beginning of Israel's July 2006 operations against Hizballah in Lebanon

"Embrace Islam, and your lives and property will be safe": Muhammad's threatening letters to the rulers of the lands around Arabia

Muhammad's frequent avowals that the Muslims would overcome the empires bordering on Arabia and one day stand as masters of the world

"I have been made victorious with terror" – and other statements of Muhammad on his deathbed

Six steps that American leaders can and must take in order to protect our nation from Islamic jihad terrorism

Answer 2

I am not sure but I imagine that they were most likely a coalition of local tribal chiefs who realised the importance of stabilizing the entire region in the interest of trade and commerce. The rules of law in Islam are very strongly directed towards protecting traders and travellers and ending inter tribal conflicts. People at the time were tired of the endless fueding going on and the extreme dangers of murder and robbery on the caravan routes. Islam gave them the option of a higher set of orders, a judicial system to resolve tribe conflicts and a method of enforcing the judges rulings. This remains as the relict legal system of Sharia.

I am not a Muslim, this is just what I get out of my readings of religion and history.

Edit: and Jimguy's comment about slaves might be right, from a political viewpoint it would make sense. His slaves would be from different tribes and would see the advantages of unification plus would be perfect envoys and advisors.

Answer 3

It was the low people of mecca, the oppressed women and the downtrodden men. The prophet converted over a hundred people before the chiefs of Mecca decided to try to kill him in his sleep. They sent one assassin from each tribe (twelve total) so that the blood debt would be equal. Luckily he got word and escaped. 80 of the weaker converts successfully obtained refuge from the Syrian king who would later become a convert himself. The others traveled to Medina where the prophet lived out the rest of his life (and something like ten thousand converts were at his side during the funeral). So yeah, he did not attract the people already set in their greed, instead he gave hope and power to the low classes and comparable to the current standards, was exceptionally egalitarian. Compare Christian scholars debate whether women have souls until the fourteenth century, the prophet (seventh century) gives women equal right before God and inside of marriage, favors women over men (husbands must give half their paycheck to the wife, wives have no obligation to give any money what so ever to husbands, if a husband does not give, the wife has the right to take her half, by theft if necessary).

Answer 4

Yes his first followers were slaves but not his, islam is against slavery. Other peoples slaves converted to the religion one of the first people was one black slave named Bilal who was bought and freed by muhammad(SAW) and he was the first person to say the athan (call to prayer) he was held with high respect because islam is colorblind.

Answer 5

i'm not sure who they were but i know why they believed him.

because Muhammad (pbuh) gained a reputation for thoughtfulness and integrity. People nicknamed him Al-Sadiq (The Truthful), because he never told a lie; and Al-Amin (The Trustworthy), because he never cheated. He was called upon frequently to mediate disputes between the people of Mecca.

Answer 6

His slaves