ad was forced to acknowledge these different people and their different beliefs, and then make arrangements so that all could be brought together under his rule. This was no small feat, and Muhammad accomplishes it superbly. In order to foster his religion, maintain and promote his prophethood, and unify everyone, Muhammad spread his religion and gained many followers of his religion. As his power continued to grow, he eventually struck out at those who attacked him and his religion. Tactful military maneuvers put Muhammad and his followers in a position of such authority that resistance was futile, and his power and religion must be acknowledged. Destroying all who opposed him went against his preaching, but Muhammad still wanted to unify everyone, so as many brilliant political leaders have done, he struck a bargain. Muhammad offered all non-Muslims the opportunity to be under his protection for a small tax and they signed treaties formalizing the arrangement. They were certainly encouraged to convert to Islam, but Muhammad would show tolerance to everyone, all long as they did not take up arms against him. Unifying all of the Arabian Peninsula would expose his religion to as many people as possibly, but Muhammad had to exemplify the behavior that the Quran demanded, so Muhammad implemented treaties. We see a clear example of Muhammads prioritizing his political ambitions when he repudiated a raid he had authorized during a holy month that many of his followers still held to be sacred. Seeing that he might lose them as followers, Muhammad renounced the raid and would not accept any of the booty that had been seized. Additionally, many of the revelations that came down throughout Muhammads life were directed specifically at military and political actions that he had taken, was taking, or should take. This, once again, shows how closely religion and politics were intertwined, and how incredibly successful he was at achieving ...
