Religion of the Prophet of Islam Before His Mission

Question

What religion did the Prophet of Islam follow before his mission?

There are various views about the religion of the Prophet of Islam (s) followed before his prophethood. Judaism, Christianity, and Hanif (the religion of Prophet Ibrahim (a)) are among these views. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that the Prophet (s) was a monotheist before his mission and always avoided idols and idolatry.

The following evidence has been collected for proving this claim:

• Speaking to people who were familiar with the history of the Prophet of God (s), Imam Ali (a) emphasized that the Prophet (s) was pure from polytheism and sin and reminded them his and his family’s monotheistic background.
• According to hadith and historical reports, the ancestors of the Prophet (s) were monotheists who followed the religion of the prophet Ibrahim (a), known as Hanif.
• During his trip to Syria at his childhood, the Prophet (s) met a monk named Bahira. When Bahira the monk saw the signs of a prophethood in the face of the young Muhammad, he swore to the two famous idols at that time, "Lat" and "Uzza,” to test him. Young Muhammad replied, “do not ask me by these two idols, I swear to God, there has never been anything more hateful to me than these two."
• Historical sources have mentioned the acts of worship that the Holy Prophet (s) practiced before his mission, acts such as prayer, fasting, and Hajj. Seclusion in the Hara’ cave was one of the old habits of the Prophet. The Prophet's Hajj was not similar to the that of polytheists, which was associated with polytheistic slogans and signs. The similarity of the Prophet's Hajj to the Abrahamic Hajj is evident in rituals such as staying in ‘Arafat.

Note

• This article is mainly taken from "دین پیامبر اسلام قبل از بعثت" on Persian wikipasoj.