Why was Muhammad meditating in the desert? Did he convert to Islam from another religion?

Answer 1

He (pbuh) used to search for God,exactly like Abraham (pbuh) used to do.He never worshiped any Idols he never drank any alcohols,he was a great man even before Islam,his people named him "The honest one"

Answer 2

Actually, he really didn't have any religion before he was given the revelations. Everyone around him was a polytheist and worshipped different multiple gods; he couldn't understand how people could worship something that they had created themselves rather than Someone who had created THEM. He did know, however, that there was ONE God and that only He was worthy of being Praised and worshipped like a 'god'. For this reason, he was different from his people, and he never attended the temples of his people either--something for which they couldn't stand him. He did it once just to please them (when he was really young) but didn't like the experience so never went there again. Because of his honesty, wisdom, and desire to know and spread the Truth of the One God, God chose him as a prophet to guide the world and the people of his time.
As for the meditation, that's just something that people do whether they follow any religion or not. It's a peaceful practice and feeling, and it just eases the mind and the soul. That's why Muhammad (peace be upon him) did it. Nothing to do with Islam at all. Hindus do it, Budhists do it, some Christians do it, and some Muslims do it.

Oh, and for the pathetic answers of some of you people here, wow.... If you don't know the answer, then why bother answering? And for the guy up there who's calling my Muhammad (pbuh) a terrorist, a pedophile, and a liar.... LOL!! And with the sources you've listed.. ahhh yeah, I've seen ALL those before-- from ANTI-Muslims like you who know no better. When you ATTEMPT to disrespect and call the leader of a certain group a liar and such, you disrespect your OWN self, your OWN people (especially your parents), and your OWN Faith. Think about it.
Peace be upon you all, and may God bless you all today and always!

Answer 3

Although he was illiterate and could not have written the Quran, he was dreaming up such gems as the following:

Permission for a Muslim man to beat his wife if she doesn't obey him:
Sura 4:34: “Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in their sleeping places and beat them; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great.”

"Allah is the enemy of the unbelievers." - Sura 2:98

"Kill them [unbelievers] wherever you find them. Fight with them until there is no persecution, and religion should be only for Allah." - Sura 2:191- 193

"Fighting is enjoined on you, and it is an object of dislike to you; and it may be that you dislike a thing while it is good for you, and it may be that you love a thing while it is evil for you, and Allah knows, while you do not know." - Sura 2:216

He was planning how not to include killing for "family honour" in the Quran but nevertheless to raise believers in the only religion known to man in which a brother rapes a sister, and then to protect the family honour he murders her.

Or the girl's mother murders the daughter to protect the family's honour.

Answer 4

He lost his 2 year old son, and was very depressed over it. Muhammad went to the desert to purify his soul and ask Allah for guidance on what to do with his life after the horrible tragedy. His family and tribe had been members of pagan rituals, and they had charged fees for worshiping at the Kaaba Stone, which Muhammad condemned as blasphemy.

Answer 5

GOD Laws are made of three Books: The Old Testament, The new Testament and Quran as a conclusion all originated from the middle east. How can you understand GOD LAWS with out reading GOD Conclusion?

Answer 6

Muslims will disagree, but Mohammed put Islam together out of various pieces of judaism and christianity, both of which were in wide circulation in the Arabia of the 7th century. He was himself illiterate, so what we get in the Quran is a mishmash of oral tradition and personal belief.

Answer 7

no he didn't the prophet (peace be upon him) , b4 he receive his Revelation he was on Abraham's path which is the path of monotheism from Islam also , he was worshipping one God.
and he wasn't neither christian nor Jewish(Christians and Jewish were outside the Arab peninsula , nor a pagan.

Answer 8

My understanding is that the Arabs of Muhammad's day had a pantheon of gods and Allah was one of them. He may have been meditating to "learn" which was the real god of the gods.

Answer 9

Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was an illiterate but wise and well-respected man, a member of the ruling Quraysh tribe, who was born in Makkah in the year 570 C.E.*, at a time when Christianity was not yet fully established in Europe . He was orphaned at an early age and then raised by his uncle Abu Talib.

As Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) grew up, he became known for his truthfulness, generosity and sincerity, so that he was sought after for his ability to arbitrate in disputes. His reputation and personal qualities also led to his marriage at the age of 25 to Khadijah, a widow whom he had assisted in business. From then on, he became an important and trusted citizen of Makkah. Historians describe him as calm and meditative.

Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) never felt content to be part of his society whose values were devoid of true religious significance. He never worshiped idols and never drank alcohol, although drinking was widespread in Arabian society at that time. It became his habit to retreat from time to time to meditate in the cave of Hira ’ near the summit of Jabal An-Nur, the “ Mountain of Light ”, near Makkah.

At the age of 40, while engaged in one such meditative retreat, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) received his first revelation from Allah (God) through the Angel Gabriel (Jibril). This revelation, which continued for twenty-three years, is known as the Qur’an.

Muhammad and his group of followers suffered bitter persecution

The Early Message

His first convert was his wife Khadijah, whose support and companionship provided necessary reassurance and strength. He also won the support of some of his relatives and friends. The basic themes of the early message were the majesty of the One, Unique God; the futility of idol worship; the threat of judgment; and the necessity of faith, compassion and morality in human affairs.

All these themes represented an attack on the crass materialism and idolatry prevalent in Makkah at the time. So when he began to proclaim the message to others, the Makkans rejected him. He and his small group of followers suffered bitter persecution. Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and his followers drew comfort from the knowledge revealed to him about other Prophets, such as Abraham, Joseph, and Moses, each of whom had also been persecuted and tested.

Emigration

The persecution by the Makkans grew so fierce that in the year 622 c.e., thirteen years after the beginning of the revelation, Allah (God) commanded the Muslims to emigrate. This event, the Hijrah (migration), in which they left Makkah for the city of Madinah , some 433 km (260 miles) to the north, marked the beginning of a new era and thus the beginning of the Muslim calendar.

In Madinah the Muslims were able to live, worship, and spread their message in peace. During this period, the revelations of the Qur'an mainly dealt with the Muslims' relationships with family members, the community of believers, and the non-Muslims.

Within a century of his death, Islam had spread as far west as Spain and as far east as China

The Quraysh in Makkah continued their efforts to stop the growth of Islam and forced the Muslims to fight several battles. Finally a truce was called and the Treaty of Hudaybiyah was signed to bring an end to hostilities.

When the Makkans broke the truce two years later, the Muslims set off to fight them. However, on seeing the size of the Muslim army, the Makkans surrendered. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and his followers entered the city peacefully, where they forgave their enemies and established Islam definitively.

By the time the Prophet died at the age of 63, ten years after the Hijrah, the greater part of Arabia had accepted Islam. Within a century of his death, Islam had spread as far west as Spain and as far east as China . It was clear that the message was not limited to Arabs; it was for the whole of humanity. In the Qur’an, Allah describes Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as (a mercy to the worlds) (21:107, Shakir’s translation).

Although Muhammad is deeply loved, revered and emulated by Muslims as Allah’s final Messenger, he is not an object of worship.

Answer 10

When Muhammad was in Egypt, he stumbled into a tent that worshiped an obscure moon god.

He really wanted to be a prophet and what better way than to write a book and call it holy. So, then he decided to have the Quran written.