Muhammad’s mission was partly driven by economic and commercial motives
Evidence
The prophet Muhammad, a merchant who traveled widely, understood that if the tribes who populated his city were to gain greater political and economic power in the region, they would need to unite under a common banner. … Muhammad’s spiritual drive was partially fueled by socio-economic passions, by the desire to strengthen the commercial standing of the Arabs and the need to impose a set of common rules. His vision encompassed a tribal confederation united by common goals and loyal to a single faith… . Islam became the cement utilized by Muhammad to unite the Arab tribes and, from the beginning, it regarded commerce as the only noble occupation. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 287
Categorization
- QUESTION: Kumar cites Tariq Ali; worth checking the original sourcing and how this economic reading sits against orthodox hagiography.
- XREF: connects to: Sayyid Muhammad’s nationalism was a means to his religious mission, not the reverse.; Pious and commercial motives fused in the Portuguese imperial venture