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Originally Posted by dlishsguy
to the contrary, i'd like to make a few adjustments to your views highthief.
it is popular muslim belief that the word 'muslim' does not mean 'a follower of Muhammed'. in fact it refers to those that believed in the "oneness of God", God as a single entity and who was worshipped according to His laws brought down by His prophets. Thus with that classification, it can be said that Moses was a 'muslim', Abraham was a 'muslim' David was a 'muslim', Jesus was a 'muslim' etc in that sense, just as Muhammed was a 'muslim'.
the term 'muslim' has many meanings. it comes from the arabic word 'silm' or 'aslam' (from which the word 'islam' comes from) which basically means 'to submit or to give in to' among a miriad of other meanings.
as for Muhammed being polytheistic, there is no evidence to suggest that Muhammed worshipped idols or the religion of his people. Nor is there any evidence to say that he proclaimed any polytheistic beliefs.
in regards to 'Allah' being worshipped pre-Muhammed, the polytheists at the time of muhammad and prior believed that there was higher being called Allah, although they chose to worship idols. its worthy to note that the arabs also use the term "Elah' for God to mean God or Lord which would be very similar to the jewish term 'Elohim'?
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We don't know much of Muhammed's early life other than he was orphaned and raised by his uncle and aunt I believe, so it is tough to say exactly what his beliefs were unti a bit later in life. However, his society as a whole was largely polytheistic with Allah being worshipped in some tribes as an important or chief god among several.
With respect to the term "Muslim" - In contemporary views, we recognize Muslims as adherents to Islam, which did not come into existence until the latter part of Muhammed's life, regardless of the etymology of the word.