in high esteem because it was entrusted with the traditional guardianship of the sacred Kaaba. During his boyhood he spent much time with the Bedouins, and was engaged in herding sheep and goats. As he grew older Mohammed frequently went on journeys with caravans of merchandise to Syria, and on such journeys he met many Jews and Christians, from whom he learned a great deal about religion that was to be of use to him later on. And so the time passed until he was about twenty-five years of age.
Now it happened that one of the leading residents of Mecca was a charming and wealthy widow by the name of Khadijah. Because she was in need of an agent to manage her business enterprises, she became interested in the reports concerning the young man Mohammed, whose reputation for trustworthiness had earned him the name Amin, The Faithful One. This lady secured the services of Mohammed, and put him in charge of some of her trading expeditions. He took over the management of a large caravan, and handled the business with such success that his employer, Khadijah, fell in love with him and married him, though she was at least fifteen years older than he. As a result of this marriage Mohammed at once attained a position of wealth and influence in the city of Mecca.
It was during the first fifteen years following his marriage that his religious and political views began to take shape. He was frequently associated with a group of men who were greatly disturbed over the
