Sun, Jul 10, 2011
Muslims believe to know everything about the prophet, infidels hardly care, but actually historical sources yield lots of facts. He grew up in Mecca, a commercially rather insignificant city, always famous for its relics and religious tolerance. Orphaned young, he was raised by an uncle and married to a rich widow, launching him in the caravan business, acquiring a cosmopolitan insight and attitude. While preaching polygamy, he never practiced it. His attitude and that of his homeland's dominant Qureish tribe soon hardened, which was reflected in Koranic prescripts and persecution driving followers to seek refuge as far as Christian Abyssina's capital Axum across the Red Sea.
