The Origins of Islam

The most important stages in [Islam's] history were characterised by the assimilation of foreign influences. ...Its founder, Muhammad, did not proclaim new ideas. He did not enrich earlier conceptions of man 's relation to the transcendental and infinite. ...The Arab Prophet's message was an eclectic composite of religious ideas and regulations. The ideas were suggested to him by contacts, which had stirred him deeply, with Jewish, Christian, and other elements.l08 Ignaz Goldziher

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