the suspicion that:
the intensive thinking of muhammad
– peace be upon him – in the polytheism and delusion of his people motivated him for a new religion.
the german orientalist brockelmann mentioned that the intensive thinking of muhammad
– peace be upon him – in the polytheism and delusion of his people motivated him for a new religion reforming the circumstances of people and countries. brockelmann stated that it is most likely that muhammad – peace be upon him – has earlier turned to thinking in the religious matters, and this is expected usually from those who have pure souls and for whom the polytheism failed to meet their spiritual thirst.
refuting this suspicion
the picture, as portrayed by such orientalists, contained several fallacies, lies and false allegations due to their ignorance in the biography of the prophet mohammad
– peace be upon him – which stated that he did not strive or seek prophethood at all; contrary, since his early childhood, he was tending to solitude & isolation and getting away from the ignorance & delusion of his people. he did not worship any idol with them.
muhammad rashid reda mentioned that: the examination of the situation of muhammad
– peace be upon him – from his early life proves that allah the almighty has prepared him to carry his mission; therefore, allah has created him with pure & full nature to assign him with the religion of the pure & right nature. allah has created him with full independent mind in order to complete the good morals. moreover, allah the almighty made muhammad – peace be upon him – hate paganism, superstitions and immoral things since the early stages of his life and made him like isolation in order not to be affected with their worldly desires, physical pleasures, brutal actions such as killing people without right, or the coveted objects, such as possessing the money of people wrongfully. all of that was to send muhammad – peace be upon him – as a reformer to the corruption of the souls and to promote their morals by making mohammad – peace be upon him – their supreme example in implementing the orders of allah the almighty.
therefore, muhammad
– peace be upon him – was having no idea about the revelation and did not think or seek it. accordingly, if the matter was like what they say, muhammad – peace be upon him – will not feel fear when he saw gabriel (angel of revelation- peace be upon him) and heard his voice to the degree that he has stopped his solitude and returned quickly to his home out of fear.
the prophetic traditions stated that at the beginning of revelation, the prophet
– peace be upon him – felt fear when he saw the angel for the first time, and his wife khadija – may allah be pleased with her – found no way to calm the prophet – peace be upon him – except by reminding him with his good deeds and high morals; she said to him:
"o muhammad, allah the almighty will never disgrace you, you are visiting your kinship, helping the tired, giving the poor, hosting the guests, supporting people in plights". then she has taken him to her cousin waraqa bin nawfal (religious man) in order to explain the matter and assure him. waraqa said to the prophet
– peace be upon him: this is the angel of revelation who was sent by allah the almighty to moses, i wish to be strong enough (he was old man), i wish to be alive when your people force you out. the prophet – peace be upon him – said: will my people force me out? he replied: yes, those who were sent with a mission like yours faced hostility and aggression, and if i remained alive to that time, i will surely support you.