THE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS have demonstrated that the image of Muhammad as reflected in Muslim tradition is actually the reflection of the communal self- image of the Muslims who related the story of their Prophet's life. The medieval Muslims saw themselves as heirs to previous civilizations which came under their control, and this was how they shaped the story of their own prophet, turning him into the most excellent successor to the previous prophets of God. The foregoing chapters have scrutinized the specific ways in which Muslim tradition applied to the story of Muhammad's prophetic emergence in Mecca biographical themes known also from the lives of other prophets. But the present study has not just aimed to demonstrate the well-known fact of the biblical origin of basic themes in Muḥammad's biography, but rather to elucidate their textual dynamics within the immediate Islamic context. It has been shown that the Muslims themselves were aware of the presence of biblical elements in the early traditions, and felt that these elements had to be adapted to genuine Islamic models. It is to the study of the transition from biblical to Islamic-Arabian models that the previous chapters are actually dedicated.

The presence of biblical elements in the story of Muḥammad's prophetic emergence in Mecca is demonstrated by the mere themes of which this story consists, which form the five parts of the present book: attestation, preparation, revelation, persecution, salvation. The process of adaptation of these themes, as well as the extent of the success of this process with respect to each theme, has been analyzed. The impact of political tensions within medieval Islamic society on the traditions was also elucidated. Let us take our findings, theme by theme.

Attestation

This theme, so well known from Christian statements about Jesus, was applied by Islamic tradition to Muḥammad. It has been shown (Chapter 1) that the tra- ditions adduce explicit biblical quotations aimed at providing the divine annunciation of Muḥammad's emergence. The traditions quote from the New Testament passages about the “Comforter” (Faraqlit), applying them to the Islamic “Aḥmad”, use biblical passages announcing the future emergence of a great “nation” (goy) for the annunciation of the Prophet as al-nabī al-ummī, and apply to Muḥammad biblical prophecies about the servant of god, e.g. Isaiah 42:2 (the “streets” passage).