observers have long noted the many axial age religious influences in muhammad's world, and their occasional referencing in the quran, sunnah and hadith. interestingly, however, these points do not appear to have overly concerned the early community. and later muslim scholars played these connections down, instead stressing the very bedouin experience at mecca and medina, the character of the prophet and the virtues of the companions. why? why not draw converts more readily by underlining broad similarities? why not try to be more cosmopolitan?