I have previously written about the pre-islamic influences of polytheism and idolatry upon Islam in these following articles
The Crescent Moon and Star of Islam
Another one of these famous accounts regarding paganism within Islam is referred to as the “Satanic Verses” which supposedly Muhammad recited following Sura 53:19-20 which is historically recorded in early Islamic sources taken from such credible individuals as Ibn Sa’d and al-Tabari with their biographies on Muhammad. Anyway this episode was purportedly an accommodation to the Meccan inhabitants as recognizing the legitimacy and effective intercession of their goddesses or female deities known as Allāt, al-’Uzzā and Manāt, otherwise referred to as the 3 daughters of Allah, in order to help convert his kinsmen and neighbors to Islam but was latter removed and regarded as a temptation from Satan by which Gabriel chastised Muhammad for adulterating the revelation leading to the Quranic verses of 22:52,53 along with the following renouncement of these pseudo gods in 53:21,22.
In summary I think these narratives show the duplicity of this movement much like what happened when Muhammad temporarily facilitated the Jews of Medina by praying north towards Jerusalem while turning his back on Mecca in which he latter recanted as the Jews rejected his message followed by him violently driving them out of Medina.
In closing this whole matter conflicts with Islam’s central tenet of faith in its firm proclamation of the “shahada” as a creedal formula concerning the oneness of God and the legitimacy of Muhammad’s role as a true prophet along with the doctrine of “isma” as having divine protection to keep Muhammad from making mistakes which in this case failed to be a perfect dictation from Gabriel as falsifying the spoken words of Allah. It likewise follows that it is reasonable to doubt Muhammad’s other revelations as well, as perhaps being a personal fabrication or a satanic inspiration.
In conclusion this may be an embarrassment or unflattering representation of Muhammad as a beloved and respected prophet but it should be taken seriously apart from ad hoc statements from Muslim apologists as seeing this occasion as simply a test or as a complete denial of the literature all together.