What Was Prophet’s Religion before Mission? Had He Worshipped Idols?

What Was Prophet's Religion before Mission? Had He Worshipped Idols?

At Your Service O' Prophet Mohammad - Part 10

It is believed that Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) was a unitarian believer who used to worship Allah and never bowed to an idol. The faith of Prophet, as well as his commitment to Allah's regulations before prophethood is one of the non-negotiable axioms among Muslims.

However, the debate lies in whether he? This resulted in a difference between several views among historians and modernists led to a debate on whether the Prophet had been committed to the law of one of the former prophets or not. Most prominent views are that of Ayatollah Mohammad Baqr Al-Majlisi -- author of "Bihar Al-Anwar (Translated: Seas of Lights)", and that of another team of investigators.

Majlisi: Prophet was supported by the Holy Spirit from the beginning

The first opinion is that of Ayatollah Majlisi, 1037-1111 Hijri, (may Allah have mercy on him) who believed that the Prophet (pbuh) - and before the mission - was supported, taught and guided by the Holy Spirit, and having reached the age of forty, Allah appointed him to be His messenger directly via Gabriel the Angel and ordered him to deliver the Message to all people.

Majlisi stressed that Mohammad (pbuh) was a prophet during the period prior to Mission, getting revelation through the Angel's voice or through a dream. He used to worship Allah according to that revelation, and to adhere to the divine provisions and regulations in accordance with what he later ordered people to do after Mission.

This means that before Mission, the Prophet (pbuh) was committed to the provisions and the legislation which Islam brought them out later. Consequently, he neither did worship other God than Allah Almighty, nor he was a follower of any former prophet.

Starting from the fact that Allah did not give a prophet any virtue without granting Prophet Mohammad a similar one,  Majlisi quoted the Quran verses on Jesus and Yahya (peace be upon them) when Allah chose them as prophets from their early ages, in order to prove the early prophethood of Prophet Mohammad, and Allah tasked him later with the Mission at the age of forty.

Majlisi concluded that Mohammad's prophethood started since childhood from several stories which explicitly stated and hinted at his holy prophethood. However, the content of those stories can be judged only after making sure of their scripts and origins. Therefore, we cannot adopt Majlisi's point of view before proving his evidences.

Prophet Mohammad, a follower of Prophet Abraham

Some investigators presented another opinion. They believed that Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) had spent 40 years of his age believing in Allah and committed to the divine law of Prophet Abraham (as) as a religion and universal message extended till that time. He was also supported and guided by Allah, and Gabriel the Angel taught him the virtues of ethics and morals.

In addition to that, historians narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) was committed at that stage to only Sharia-related behaviors. He used to pray and perform Hajj and Umrah, to roam around the Kaaba, to avoid eating dead animals, to mention the name of Allah before beheading offers, and other things that were related to the Sharia' of Prophet Abraham (as).

The Qur'an states that Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) personally was enjoined to follow the law of Abraham:

"Then We revealed to you, [O Mohammad], to follow the religion of Abraham, inclining toward truth; and he was not of those who associate with Allah." SurahAl-Nahl, verse 123.

This content does not contradict with the fact that Prophet Mohammad was committed to the worship before the mission. But it is wrong to approve things and actions that were attributed to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) before the mission and were incompatible with the guidance of Allah Almighty.

Edited and translated by E. al-Rihani