S.A.M.
Why do Muslims follow these practices?
Because their parents did, as did their parents, and their parents, too. These practices have become tradition; whether or not they can trace their roots to Islam is not of importance.
Michael
Ledgend has it, Mohammad wouldn't even poke his little toe into the city until AFTER his thugs smashed the place to bits - including people's homes, businesses, Temples and the beautifully carved and painted statues of the peaceful Gods they worshiped.
Actually, legend has it that Muhammad personally smashed all three-hundred sixty idols himself after conquering the city of Mecca. Later in Ramadan, he ordered three close friends of his (including Khalid bin Walid) to destroy other key idols worshipped by Arabs of the time. It must have been a powerful sight to behold: the reclaiming of the house Abraham and his son Ishmael built centuries ago.
I am unsure as to which conquest you are referring to when you say "smashed the place to bits - including people's homes, businesses, Temples and the beautifully carved and painted statues of the peaceful Gods they worshipped". The conquest of Mecca saw very little bloodshed or destruction, mainly because the city's defenders were overwhelmed by Muhammad's ten thousand strong force. Most of the resistance occurred on the outskirts of Mecca, as Arabs of the time (and even long before Muhammad's time) forbade fighting in Mecca. This tradition was exemplified in the conflict between the Confederates and the Scented Ones. Qusayy (Muhammad's great great great grandfather, father's side), once ruler of Mecca and Guardian of the Ka'bah, had four sons; two of them, Abdu Manaf (leader of the Scented Ones) and Abd ad-Dar (leader of the Confederates), would eventually form clans for themselves and compete for Mecca after their father had died (Qusayy had preferred Abd ad-Dar, although the city knew Abdu Manaf was a far more capable man and leader). The two sides were on the verge of leaving Mecca to fight until a compromise was offered and accepted.
Before Islam Arabs were very peaceful traders, after Islam they became violent and aggressive ...
Before Islam, in Mecca alone, there were multiple feuds and battles which saw a change in leadership and established a new guardian of the Ka'bah. After Ishmael's time, the Jurhumites forcefully established themselves as rulers of Mecca (during which time they introduced the Ka'bah and the greater city to stone idols). They were eventually overthrown by the Kuza'ah, a Yemeni tribe which migrated northwards, who brought with them Hubal (which they received as a gift from another tribe, and so the story of Hubal began). Later, after a fierce battle, Qusayy of the Quraysh established his tribe as the rightful rulers of Mecca. And then there is Surah 105 of the Qur'an which describes the story of
The Elephant. During the time when Yemen was under the control of Abyssinian Christians, an Abyssinian leader named Abrahah sought to build a cathedral in San'a in hopes of winning over Mecca's pilgrims and establishing a new House of Worship in Arabia. When the cathedral was defiled by a tribe which was on good terms with the Quraysh, Abrahah swore revenge and gathered an army and an elephant to destroy the Ka'bah. As they arrived on the outskirts of the city, the elephant was commanded to proceed to Mecca. However, the elephant would only kneel when in the direction of Mecca and would not budge forward. When commanded to retreat, it complied; when reordered to go forth in the direction of Mecca, once again the elephant knelt. Soon the sky grew black, eclipsed by birds; each bird had three pebbles, which it dropped fiercely on the invading army below, slaying all but the elephant.
Whether or not you believe the story, the conflict was real. Arabs were no more peaceful before Islam than after; the only significant difference is, they were organized well enough after Islam to involve themselves in serious campaigns against neighbouring empires rather than frequent and savage quarrels amongst themselves.
