Background of Islam

Through their contacts with Jews and Christians, the Meccans acquired a certain awareness of monotheism and developed vague notions of a Supreme Being. They believed, however, that they could gain access to the Supreme Being only through intercessors--gods and goddesses in the form of idols. So they installed 360 such idols in the Ka'bah, which remained there until the Prophet Muhammad destroyed them and reconsecrated the Ka'bah, which subsequently became the holiest shrine of the Islamic religion. (Diller, Daniel C.; The Middle East, Congressional Quartely Inc: Washington, D.C.Judaism and Christianity were the only religions, before Islam, which believed in the One God. Islam has borrowed heavily from both Judaism and Christianity. Muhammed, the founder, was born in 570 AD in Mecca in Arabia. Mecca was the site of a sacred shrine, "the Ka'aba" which was the center of idol worship. They had 360 gods and the Moon-god was the chief deity. The Ka'aba contained a black stone (probably a meteorite) which is still regarded as a holy object for the Moslems. Visions of Muhammed
At the age of 25, he married his 40-year-old, wealthy, widowed employer (Khadijah). His newfound wealth allowed him the leisure to purse his interest in religion. He spent the month of Ramadan each year in a cave in meditation. He became disgusted with idolatry and desired to rid Arabia of idol worship. He claimed that he started receiving visions at age 40 from the angel Gabriel, which continued for the rest of his life. In one of these visions, he claimed, he went to heaven and was told that he was the greatest man on earth.