Carrying Out a Mission

One of the dominant themes of the book is carrying out a mission. Muhammad did not start out with any big plan to found a religion and change Arab society, even though this is what he accomplished. He began by trying to improve the behavior of the people of Mecca. Muhammad did not have any political ambitions or goals in the beginning. He was not intent on conquering any territories.

Muhammad was terrified when he first began to have his visions and revelations. When he first began preaching, he did it in private to a few select people. When he felt more confident, he began to preach in public and attract converts to his beliefs. His preaching, particularly that of monotheism, brought him into conflict with the power structure of Mecca, and he was only able to survive due to the protection of his uncle...