Post one

Sura 16 holds much to inspire Christians. It reveals how plagued Mohammed is with those who continue to invoke partners to Allah. Besides being arrogant, they throw his arguments back to him. "If Allah had so willed, we could not have worshipped aught but Him...." At first, it is general, then it becomes more specific. Herein I invoke the art of reading between the lines-with substantial help, of course, from the words themselves.
In the middle of "rehearsing the Signs," the proof of God's faithfulness and provision for mankind, he inserts some points about inheritance. This seemed weird until I read further. Ok, I'll tell you-I believe some of his wives and possibly children were Christians. (This can be supported from verses elsewhere.) Some of his long term followers were as well, including some who had left their homes after trials and persecutions and had striven and fought for the faith (Islam.)
Verses 106-111 hold the bit encouraging them. "Anyone who after accepting faith in Allah, utters Unbelief, and open their breast to Unbelief-are at great risk. On them the Wrath of Allah rests and a great penalty. But to those who've left...Allah is oft forgiving, Most Merciful."
The wives are covered in verses 71-73. Being the one "more favored" who has to decide what to do with his money, he mutters about them. (He's getting old and his wives are much younger.)

Those more favored are not going to throw back their gifts to those on whom their right hand possess, so as to be equal in that respect. Will they then deny the favors of Allah?
The next couple of verses are even clearer.
And Allah has made for you mates (and companions) of your own nature, and made for you, out of them, sons and daughters and grandchildren, and provided for you sustenance out of the best: will they then believe in vain things, and be ungrateful for Allah's favors? And worship others than Allah such as have no power of providing them, for sustenance, with anything in heavens or earth...Invent not similitudes for Allah: for Allah knoweth, and ye knoweth not."We can only guess whom he was speaking about and to. Supposedly, God's instruction to the "messenger" is "but if they turn away, thy duty is only to preach the Clear Message."

Mohammed instructs his followers to fulfill their covenants with Allah and not to break their oaths. Not to practice deception. And warns them they might be responsible for someone's foot slipping after it was firmly planted. Then they would taste evil consequences for "having hindered men from the Path of Allah." Allah tells him not to worry about their plots in v. 27.
Then Mohammed tries a different approach-using Christian language as if to say, "hey, we have that too." In v.97 of ch 16, he tries: "Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has Faith, verily to him will We give a new Life, a life that is good and pure..." He threatens them that Satan has power of those who join partners with Allah, v.100.
V.102 Say the Holy Spirit has brought the revelation from they Lord in Truth, in order to strengthen those who believe, and as a Guide and Glad Tidings to Muslims. (Since Christians are accused of adding partners to God because of believing in the Trinity, just exactly why is that not adding partners to Allah? Shame on you Mohammed, Gabriel, whomever!

Then he appeals to xenophobia and racism,as if to say 'hey this is in our language-"Arabic, pure and clean." while theirs is in a foreign tongue.' The good news is that he says, "most of them do not understand." The bad news is this was written in the late Meccan period, except v.110. So after they went to Medina a lot of the open opposition was oppressed. But this tells us what his extended family and associates really thought.
Mohammed started in Mecca, was kicked out, even fleeing the country with a few followers for awhile. They went to Abyssinia, a Christian country (Ethiopia.) Then they went to Medina. The Muslim calendar starts from that point, known as the Hijaz. He built up a following there, and later returned to Mecca. They took control of the Kabbah, and the Holy House-the central place where Muslims go for their pilgrimage. (I verified with a Muslim expert at their bookstore that late Meccan means right before they left Mecca, not when they returned.)