<P> This natural inclination is, according to the Qur'an, subverted by mankind's focus on material success: such focus first presents itself as a need for basic survival or security, but then tends to manifest into a desire to become distinguished among one's peers . Ultimately, the focus on materialism, according to the Islamic texts, hampers with the innate reflection as described above, resulting in a state of jahiliyya or "ignorance ." </P> <P> Muslims believe that Muhammad, like other prophets in Islam, was sent by God to remind human beings of their moral responsibility, and challenge those ideas in society which opposed submission to God . According to Kelsay, this challenge was directed against five main characteristics of pre-Islamic Arabia: </P> <Ol> <Li> The division of Arabs into varying tribes (based upon blood and kinship). This categorization was confronted by the ideal of a unified community based upon Islamic piety, an "ummah;" </Li> <Li> The acceptance of the worship of a multitude of deities besides Allah - a view challenged by strict Islamic monotheism, which dictates that Allah has no partner in worship nor any equal; </Li> <Li> The trait of muruwwa (manliness), which Islam discouraged, instead emphasizing on the traits of humility and piety; </Li> <Li> The focus on achieving fame or establishing a legacy, which was replaced by the concept that mankind would be called to account before God on the day of resurrection; </Li> <Li> The reverence of and compliance with ancestral traditions, a practice challenged by Islam--which instead assigned primacy to submitting to God and following revelation . </Li> </Ol> <Li> The division of Arabs into varying tribes (based upon blood and kinship). This categorization was confronted by the ideal of a unified community based upon Islamic piety, an "ummah;" </Li>

• where do religious ethics come from and what role do they play in the practice of religion