. ,.

MOHAMMED
AND

THE RISE OF ISLAM

" BY
D. S. MARGOLlOUTH

THIRD EDITION

L
, '
LONDON 1.1 NEW YORK
THE ASCENSiON OF' MOHAMMEJ.
,I
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
From D'Ohsson's 1~dJ/~'{Ht GtIJJ,fr,,/ de I'Empiu' Ot,i"JI'''::Z. ,-01

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.13eroe!l of tbe 'Rattons

EDITED BY
..,. 'UUl. (t. lD8'Ofe. 00.1\.,
PROFBSSOlt OF MODERN HISTORY.
tlKIvaaslTY OF HAHCU£ST~R.

-Ml1.ll. DUCIS VIVIHT, OPiROUQIJE

GlORI" III!.RII",.-OYIO III U'IIAlol i!~~

Till! IIERo'/l OEEDS McD IIAIlD-WOIl

fAillE llHAl.1. \.I'I!.,

Heroes of the Nations ..

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A Series of Biographical Studies presenting g
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the lives and work of certain representative
historical characters, about whom have gath-
"
~~ 1:
MOHAMMED
,,~ 'It
ered the traditions of the nations to which ; i.
they belong, and who have, in the majority
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of instances, been accepted as types of the
several national ideals. .,
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....PREE.ACE
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'THE biographers of the Prophet Mohammed *

form a long series which it is impossible to
end, but in which it would be honourable
to find a place. The most famous of them is prob.
First Puh/isbed 1<)00 ably Sir Walter Raleigh, t while the palm for elo.
N~ Edition 1923 quence and historical insight may well be awarded
to Gibbon. t
During the time when Gibbon wrote, and for long
after, historians mainly relied for their knowledge of
the life of Mohammed on the Biography of Abu'l.
Fida, who died in the year 722 A.H., 1322 A.D., of
whose work Gagnier produced an indifferent edition.§
The scholars of the nineteenth century were natur-
ally not satisfied with so late an authority; and they
succeeded in bringing to light all the earliest docu-
ments preserved by the Mohammedans. The merit
*Of the sources of the biography of the Prophet a valuable ac.
"-,,' count is given by E. Sachau, Ibn Sa'd //1., i., Preface.
t The Life and ])ealh of Mahomel, London, 1637. (If genuine.)
* Among eloquent accounts of Mohammed, that in Mr. Reade's
M?rtyrdom of Man, 14th 'ed., 260 foll" deserves mention. That
by Wellhausen in the introduction to nas Arabisc!te Reick und sein
Stun is masterly in the extreme.
Mads i" Great Britai" by § Oxford, '723' Abu'l·Fidii is referred to as the chief authority
THE BOTOLPH PRINTING WORKS perhaps for the la,ttime by T, Wright, Chrlslianlll I" tlra bla ,
GATE: STREET, KINGSWAY, W.C.2.
i .. i iH
.'
 ~1""'!lii ':"".
.
IV Preface
:~:
~i; -;~-
Preface v
of discovering and utilising these ancient works is
ril'h ISgo, in six volumes, fol.).
",I In this work the sayings
shared by. G. Weil, Caussin de Perceval, F.Wiisten- o~ the
Prophet recorded by different individuals are
feld, A. Sprenger, and Sir William Muir; and the given in separate collections for each individual. The
Lives of Mohammed by the last two of these writers * same tradition is sometimes given ten, twenty, or
are likely to be regarded as classical so long as there even a hundred times. Much of the matter is
are students of Oriental history in Europe; notwith- scarcely to be found elsewhere, and is likely to be
standing the fact that Muir's Life is written with a genuine. The account of this work given by Gold-
confessedly Christian bias, and that Sprenger's is de- ziher, Z. D. M. G., I. 463-599, is of course excellent.
faced by some slipshod scholarship and untrust- 2. The gigantic Commentary on the Koran by thc
worthyarch<eology.t •historian Tabari, who died 310 A.H" (922 A.D.: Cairo,
Since these works were composed, knowledge of 1902-1904, in thirty volumes, fol.). This commentary
Mohammed and his time has been increased by the is for the historian of far greater value than the pop-
publication of many Arabic texts, and the labours of ular commentaries of Zamakhshari and Baidawi, who
European scholars on Mohammedan antiquities. t lived many centuries later, and were influenced by
The works of 1. Goldziher, J. Wellhausen, and Th. later controversies.
Noldeke have elucidated much that was obscure, and 3. The Isabah, or Dictionary of Persons who knew
facilitated the understanding of Arabian history both Mohammed, by Ibn Rajar (Calcutta, 1853-1894,
before and after the Prophet. And from the follow- four volumes). In spite of the late date of the author
ing Arabic works, most of which have been published of this great dictionary, his work is historically valu.
since Sprenger and Muir wrote, many fresh details able, owing to the fact that it embodies matter taken
of interest and even of importance occasionally have from sources which are no longer accessible. Ibn
been furnished. Rajar was possessed of an extraordinary library.
I. The Musnad, or collection of traditions of Ahmad 4. The works of early Arabic writers, especially
Ibn Ranbal, who died in 241 A.H., (855 A.D.: Cairo, the polygraph 'Amr, son of Bahr, called AI-Jahiz,
who died in 255 A.H. (868 A.D.). Of his works there
* Muir's, London, 1857-1861 : Sprenger's (2d ed.), Berlin, 1869. are now accessible three edited by the late Vall
t Wellhausen's judgment of it (WaMdi, pp. 24-26) is absolutely Vloten, and the treatise on rhetoric published in
fair and sound.
t The most important Lives of Mohammed which have appeared Cairo. Though not dealing directly with Moham·
in Europe are those by L. Krehl (Leipzig, 1884), H, Grimme (Muns. " med, they contain many an allusion which it is pos.
ter, 1892-1895)," F. Buh! (Copenhagen, 1903). The new editions of sible to utilise.
Grimme's work and of Wollaston's Half-Iwurs witJ& Mohamm~d,
and the magnificent work of Prince Caetani were published too late
The present writer has gone through, in addition
for the present writer to utilise, . to these (so far as they were accessible to him),
vi Preface Preface vii
the authorities utilised already by his predecessors, a state and an empire out of the Arab tribes. I have
of which the chief are enumerated in the Biblio- endeavoured, in recounting the mode in which he
graphy. One of these, the Class Book of Ibn Sa'd accomplished this, to do justice to his intellectual
Cob. 230 A.H., 845 A.D.) is in course of publication. , ability and to observe towards him the respectful
Since the authors of books in this series have the attitude which his greatness deserves; but otherwise
number of their pages limited, it has been found this book does not aim at being either an apology or
necessary to abbreviate, and this has been done by an indictment. Indeed neither sort of work is now
omitting three kinds of matter: required. The charming and eloquent treatise of
I. Translations of the Koran (except in the rarest Syed Ameer Ali * is probably the best achievement
cases). in the way of an apology for Mohammed that is
2. All anecdotes that are obviously or most prob. ever likely to be composed in a European language,
ably fabulous. ,whereas indictments are very numerous-some dig.
3. Such incidents as are of little consequence nified and moderate, as is the work of Sir William
either in themselves or for the development of the Muir; others fanatical and virulent.t These works
narrative. are ordinarily designed to show the superiority or in·
Some principles for estimating the credibility of feriority of Mohammed's religion to some other sys.
traditions are given by Muir in his Introduction, and tem j an endeavour from which it is hoped that this
by Goldziher in his Muhammadanische Studim. A book will be found to be absolutely free.
few important observations bearing on this subject There are two forms of literature to which I should
are also made by N oldeke, Z. D. M. G., li!., 16, foil. especially wish to acknowledge obligations. One of
The number of motives leading to the fabrication of these consists of works in which we have authentic
traditions was so great that the historian is in con· biographies of persons who have convinced many of
stant danger of employing as veracious records what their fellows that they were in receipt of divine
were deliberate fictions. I can only hope that I communications j in particular I may mention the
have not displayed greater credulity than my pre. history of modern Spiritualism, by F. Podmore,t
decessors. In condemning traditions as unhistorical I ' and the study on the founder <?f Mormonism, by 1.
I have ordinarily considered the obelus of Goldziher, :.
I ,
W. Riley. § For the employment of" revelations"
Noldeke, or Wellhausen as sufficient. *Tne Spirit of Islam, London, '896, Calcutta, '902.
The standpoint from which this book is written t Bottom is probably touched by the New out True Lifeoftne Car·
is suggested by the title of the series. I regard pm!er, illtludinga New Life of Mohammed, by Amos: Bristol, 1903.
Mohammed as a great man, who solved a political tModdrtt Spiritualism, London, Macmillan, 1902.
, . § A Psycholopcal Study of Joseph Smith, Jr., London, Heine-
problem of appalling difficulty,-the con~trl1ctiOQ of } I, '\ •
}- 'i' :, '- llI~nu, ''1''3.
Il,:j, I
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- ix
viii Preface Pre.face

as a political instrument, and for the difficulties was not previously acquainted. Mr. Zaidan is well
which attend the career of Prophet-statesman, known in Arabic-speaking countries as a historian,
the life of Joseph Smith (the founder' of Mor. novelist, and journalist; and I hope that ere long I
monism) furnishes illustrations of the most in. , may have the pleasure of introducing some of his
structive character; only the biographer of works to English readers.
Mohammed must envy the wealth and authenticity
of the material at Dr. Riley's disposal, without
which the formula: of modern psychology could not In the second edition certain errors have been corrected, to which
have been applied to the interpretation of Smith's the author's attention was calleel by Pere Lammens, S.}" of Beyrut,
career so successfully as Dr. Riley has applied and Prof. 1. Goldziher.
them.
A second class of works are those in which, savage
life is described at first hand: and among these the
Autobiography of :fames P. Beckwourth deserves
special notice. There are chapters in that work ....
J..! ;'#(,
where by substituting cameZ for ltorse we might find
a reproduction of Bedouin manners and institutions j
and the question of Beckwourth's veracity does not
affect the general truth of his descriptions.
Finally, I have to thank various persons from
whom I have derived assistance. I am indebted for
many suggestions and improvements to the Editor
of the Series, to J. P. Margoliouth, and to the Rev.
, i
W. J. Foxell, who have read and re-read the proofs;
to Mr. A. E. Cowley, Fellow of Magdalen College,
for advice in the selection of coins; to Dr. J. Ritchie,
Fellow of New College, and Mr. R. B. Townshend , .

for guidance with regard to medical and anthropo-

logical works j and to Mr. G. Zaidan, editor of the
.. ....
Cairene journal ~fIi!a!, for leave to reproduce certain .
plates that have appeared in his magazine, and also
for the names of certain Arabic works with which I
 ii.
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CONTENTS
PAGE
PREFACE iii

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xiii

TRANSLITERATION xvii

CHRONOLOGY xix

GEOGRAPHY xxi

CHAPTER I
THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE HERO I

• CHAPTER II
EARLY LIFE OF MOHAMMED • 45
CHAPTER III
ISLAM AS A SECRET SOCIETY

CHAPTER IV
PUBLICITY uS
CHAPTER V
OF THE MECCAN PERIOD.
xi
 ....,.
Xli Contents ~:: :~ '
$ :~

CHAPTER VI
PAGE
THE MIGRATION 185

CHAPTER VII
TilE BATTLE OF BADR • 234
CHAPTER VIII
PROGRESS AND A SETBACK 275
CHAPTER IX
TilE DESTRUCTION OF THE JEWS •
ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE

CHAPTER X THE ASCENSION OF MOHAMMED Frontispiece

From D'Ohsson's Tabkatl- Ceneral de t' Empire
STEPS TOWARDS THE TAKING OF MECCAH Othoman.

CHAPTER XI TOMB OF EYE AT JEDDAH 6

THE TAKING OF MECCAH 377 SHERIF'S HOUSE AT MECCAH 12

CHAPTER XII ....

, COIN, WITH ABYSSINIAN KING APHID AS ON OBVERSE,
."
THE SETTLEMENT OF ARABIA • 410 AND ON REVERSE THE LAST JEWISH KING OF
YEMEN, DHU NUW AS' OR DlMEAN
CHAPTER XIII From RUppeIl, Reise in Abessinien l t. viii., pl.
vi.; vol. ii., pp. 344 and 429.
THE LAST YEAR 444 :i •

~
THE WELL ZEMZEM •
INDEX 473 From Ali Bey's Travels.
1
.;~
r :, VIEW OF ARAFA1'
t 51
BEDOUIN ARABS STORY-TELLING 59
Dmwn by Alfred Fredericks.

THE BLACK STONE • 79

From Ali Bey's Tra'llds.

102
xiii
 i, .
XIV IllustraNons .I,
IllustraNons xv
PAGK PAGE
MOSQUE OF OMAR, JERUSALEM 128 A CARAVAN HAI,TED 25 2
From Archer and Kingsford's ~)'tory 0/ tht From a photograph.
Crusades.
ARAB WOMAN ATTENDING WOUNDED MAN 29 1
IE. EARLY MOSLEM COIN 133 From Mayeux's Bedouins,
(Bodleian Library.) C/. Lane~Poule, Or. Goins
oj thl! Brili.rle Afust:UIIl, L, p. 174-,4. TOMB OF THE MARTYRS NEAR MEDINAH 3 06
AR. COIN OF KHOSROES II" WITH MOSLEM FORMULA
CARAVAN FACING JEBEL NUR 3 11
ADDED • 133
. Bodleian Library. THE DROMEDARY OF THE DESERT 34 '
Etching by R. Swain Gifford.
AV. COIN OF HERACLIUS ·1. AND l!F.!lACLIUS CON-
STANTINE PANORAMA OF MECCAH" •
133 345
(Bodleian Library.) Cj. Sabatier, lIfoltltai" li'rom the '~Hilal," 1902.
Byza~ltints, pI. xxix., 18.
LETTER OF THE PROPHET To THE " MUKAUKIS, H
AI'. COIN OF KHOSROES II.
133 DISCOVERED BY M. ETIENNE BARTHELEMY;
(Bodleian Library,) Cj. Longperier, Dynastit :" -
BELIEVED BY SEVERAL SCHOLARS TO BE THE
Sassanide, pI. xL, 4.
ACTUAL DOCUMENT REFERRED TO IN THE
IE. MOSLEM IMITATION OF COIN OF HERACLIUS, 11'EXT
STRUCK AT EMESA • 133 From the I< Hilal," Nov. 1904.
(Bodleian Library.) C/, Lane-Poole, Or. Coins
oftht British MuSt!1/lIl, ix., p. 6. VIEW OF MINA 37 2
From Ali Bf!y's Travels.
VIEW OF MASSOUA
157
From a lithograph. PILGRIMS LEAVING ARAF AT
I"I
II'
OBELISKS AT AXUM 160 ·,:1 THE KA'BAH WITH THE STATION OF ABRAHAM
From an engraving. :n",I From the U Hilnl. It
ON THE ROAD TO MEDINAH ~10 ii
'l'i,1 THE HOLY CARPET. 394
J,'!~ , From the H Hilal."
CUFIC KORAN IN THE BODLEIAN LIBRARY, SURAH " .,

Lxxn., 27, 28,_AND LXXIII., 1,2 21 9 A BEDOUIN ON A CAMEL •

c::
;!~I'
CAMELS OF BURDEN RESTING • 244 'SABJEAN INSCRIPTION • 44 0 .
From De Laborde's Voyage en Syrit. In the British Musenm.

,
 '0 .'_~~~

";.."
XVI Illustrations
rAGE

TflE REMAINS OF A PALACE AT AXUM 443 -"

From an engraving.

THE HOLY MOSQUE AT MECCAH

From the II I-lilaV'
444
:'
:~:

°it-
"
-,j

I
I
THE KA'BAH WITH PILGRIMS PRAYING 460 l t
PLAN OF MECCAH •
TRANSLITERATION
MAP OF ARABIA IN THE 7TH CENTURY A.D.
AT END
IN this matter the example of Noldeke and Well-
MAP OF WEST CENTRAL ARABIA IN THE -hausen in their popular writings has been followed.
7TH CENTURY A.D. • " The mode of transliteration is similar to that in use at
'I' Cairo for ordinary purposes. The Arabic letters are
,

represented by those English letters or combinations

of letters which come nearest to the Arabic sounds:
one who is acquainted with the original language
, will without difficulty be able to identify the words
,;' and names j whereas, to the reader who is ignorant of
~
Arabic, further differentiation by means of diacritic
!

points (e. g.,~, t, ~) is of no value. A few proper

names that are familiar have been left in their
popular forms.

xvii
 CHRONOLOGY
OMPARATIVE tables of months and days
C .
. as between the Mohammedan and Christian
eras are to be found in Wiistenfeld, Vergleith-
ungstabellm der Mttltammedanischen und Christ-
lichht Zeitrechnung,2d ed., Leipzig, 1903; copied in
Trtsor de Chronologie, Paris, 1889. Others are in Dub.
baneh's Universal Calendar, Cairo, 1896, and (in
Arabic) the TmlJ.fikiyyat of Mukhtar Basha, Cairo,
13 11 • For the first nine years of Islam these tables
are somewhat misleading, since they assume that
the pre-Islamic Calendar was purely lunar, whereas it
is certain that it was not. Moreover the occasional
notices of the weather during the Prophet's expe·
ditions, etc. (collected by Wellhausen, W. p. 17, sq.,
Reste, pp. 94-101), disagree seriously with Wiisten.
feld's synchronisms; in some cases by antedating
the events by two and a half months tolerable cor-
respondence is obtained. It is not however possible
to make out enough of the pre-Islamic Calendar to
substitute a detailed scheme for Wiistenfeld's; and
'.. it has been pointed out by Winckler (Altorimtalisc/te
:';-, Forschungen, ii., 324-350) that the Calendar of Medi•
. . nah may well have been different from that of Mec·
'h' cah, the same month-names having quite different

xi"
 xx Chronology 0\
"
i,

Iii ,/
",
i'
values at the two cities, His investigations into
the origin of the Arabic Calendar, which have been
amplified by D. Nielsen, Die Altarabzselle Mond.
religion, Strassburg, rg04, are of no practical import.
ance for fixing the dates of events during the early
.. years of the Hijrah. The date of the Flight itself (8
1! Rabi' I., Sept. 20, 622) is fixed by the tradition that
!)
the Prophet arrived at Kuba on the Jewish Day of GEOGRAPHY
Atonement, Another date, that of the burial of the
HE political conditions of Arabia will h~ve .al.
" ,
Prophet's sori Ibrahim, is fixed by the solar eclipse,
7--g A.M., Jan. 27, 632; but the synchronism, 28
Shawwal, A. H. ro, is not in agreement with the
T tered very considerably before any sCientific
exploration and surveying of the country a~e
Arabic records, which put the event in some other possible. The maps which have been added to thIS
month. The traditions bearing on this subject are volume are intended as an unpretentious aid to those
discussed by Rhodokanakis, W. Z. 1(. M., xiv., 78; who would follow the campaigns of the Prophet and
another synchronism suggested z'bid. from the lunar the gradual extension of his s~here of influenc:.
eclipse of Nov. Ig-20, 625, identified with 13 Jumada ( ", Forboth the author has availed himself of Sprenger s
classical ~orks on Arabian geography-Die Pos~. und
II. A. H. 4, is useless, since the month and year in
the Arabic tradition are uncertain. To a further Rez'serouten des Orimts, Leipzig, 1864, and Dze alte
synchronism, connected with the Prophet's birth, Geographie Arabz'ens, Bern, I875. For the m~p of
discussed by Mahmoud Efendi, Sur Ie Calendrz'er Central Arabia, use has further been made of Wusten.
,
Arabe (WaIzt I' Islamz'sme, an allusion is sufficient. feld's Das Gebiet von Medz'na, Gottingen, r8!~, an?
also of the measurements given by AI·Bekn III hIS
Geographical Dictionary, ed. Wiistenfeld, r876; valu.
able information about the modern nomenclature of
," this part of Arabia is to be found in the monograph.s
';
Dz'e geographzsclte Lage Mekkas, by}. }. Hess, Frel.
burg (Schweiz), 1900, and Der Hed/a~ und dz': Strasse
von Mekka nach Medz'na, by B. Montz, Berhn, r8go.
The map of the location of Tribes is based on
the monograph of Blau, Z.D.M.G., xxiii., Arabim
z'm sec/lsten '.lahrhundert, whose results have been'
modified in part from Hamdani's Geograp/tyof the
xxi
 xxii Geography
ArabirwPminsula, ed. Muller, 1891, and in part from
the authorities already mentioned. The results of
exploration in Arabia down to the year 1875 are well
i summarised by A. Zehme in the work called Arabien
I Imd die Araber set't IDO Yaltren, Halle, 1875; while
II' D. I-Iog~rth's Penetration of Arabia, London, 190 4,
ii, summarises more recent enterprise. The plan of
I Mec:ah which is reproduced, is that of Burckhardt, as BIBLIOGR.APHY*
modified by Wustenfe1d in the fourth volume of his
Cltronikm der Stadt Mekka, Leipzig, 1861; its cor- I. Lives of Mohammed and Histories of the early days of
Islam:
rectness is attested by the greatest modern authority Ibn Ishak (quoted in the notes as Ishak), ob. about
on Meccah, Snouck H urgronje, who adopts it with ISO A.H., 767 A.D.: his wOIk (so far as is at present known)
very trifling alterations in his article in the Verltand- exists in two abridgments only: that by Ibn Hisham, ob.
lungm der geographiscltm Gesellscltaft zu Berlin, 218 A.H., 833 A.D., which has been published by Wilstenfeld,
. Giittingen, I860, and later by Zubair Pasha; and that by
XIV., 138, foIl., 1887, as well as in his classical work
'1'abari, ob. 3IO A.H., 922 A.D., embodied in his Chronicle,
on Meccah, published at Leyden, 1882-1885.
Wakidi, ob. 207 A.H., 823 A.D., author of a treatise on
Mohammed's Campaigns, of which an imperfect edition was
issued by von Kremer, Calcutta, 1856; an abridged transla-
tion of a faI more perfect copy was made by Wellhausen and
"r. published with the title Muhammed in Medina, Berlin, I882.

.
~
,I
~~ '1'0 this last reference is made as Wakidi (W.).
,

.'. : Ibn Sa'd, Secretary of Wakidi, ob. 230 A.H., 845 A.D.;
author o~ an encyclopredic work on the Prophet, his followers,
etc., of which three volumes have thus far been published
at Berlin under the superintendence of E. Sachau.
Ya'kubi, ob. about 292 A.H., 905 A.D., author of a history
in two parts, Pre-Islamic and Islamic, published by Houtsmf;l,
Leyden, I883.
Ibn al-Athir, ob. 630 A.H., 1233 A.D., author of a Universal
History, published at Leyden and in Egypt.
Diyarbekri, ob. 982 A.H., 1574 A.D., author of a Life of the
Prophet, followed by a sketch of Islamic history, called
I Ta'rikh al-Khamis, published at Cairo, 1302 A.H.
* Works mentioned in the Preface are not repeated here.
xxiii

... '
 ,,- .-

XXIV Bz"btiography BiblzograjJhy XXV

Halabi, ob. r044 A.H., r634 A.D., author of a Life of the edited by Wiistenfeld, Leipzig, r858. The editor has ap-
Prophet, called Insan al-'uyun, published at Cairo, r292 A.H. pended in two volumes extracts from other and later his-
torians of Meccah, and in a third volume a German epitome
2. Books of Tradition (i.e. collections of sayings attri- of the whole.
buted to the Prophet, and traced back to him through a History of Medinah by Samhudi, ob. 9" A.H., r505 A.D.,
series of trustworthy witnesses): published at Cairo, r285 A.H.: epitomised by Wiistenfe1d in
Musnad of Ibn Hanba!. See Preface. his Geschkhte der Stadt Medina, G5ttingen, r873'
Collection by Bokhari, ob. 256 A.H., 870 A.D.: the un- Modern works on Meccah and Medinah.
finished. edition by Krehl, Leyden, r864-r868, is quoted as Burckhardt's Travels, quoted from the French transla-
Bokhan (K.); for the parts wanting in this edition that of tion, Paris, 1835.
~airo, r~~2, has been used; Bokhari (Kast.) refers to the Burton's Pilgrimage to AI-Medinah and Meccah, Memorial
SIxth e{ht~on of the Co~mentary of Kastalani, Cairo, r306 A.H. edition, London, r893.
CollectlOn by Mushm, ob. 26r A.H., 875 A.D., published at ..I A. H. Keane, Six Months in the Hejas, London, r887.
Cairo! 1290 A.H. ~::: Soubhy, Pelerinage ala Mecque et aMedine, Cairo, r894.
Co~ection bY.Tirmidhi, ob. 279 A.H., 892 A.D., published Muhammad Basha Sadik, The Pilgrim's Guide (Arabic),
at Cauo, I29~, In two volumes, and Lucknow, 1301, in one Cairo, r3r3 A.H., r895 A.D.
volume. Gervais-Courtellemont, M on Voyage a la M ecque, Paris,
'?"llection by Nasa'i, ob. 303 A.H., 9r6 A.D., published at r 897·
Catro, 1314 A.H. Sabri Pasha, M irrOf of the Two Sanctuaries (Turkish),
These collections are enumerated in order of importance.
• Constantinople, r886.
The remaining authentic collections, by Malik Ibn Anas, ob.
,
r79 A.H., 795 A.D., Ibn Majah, ob. 273 A.H., 887 A.D., and Abu
,~.

': , S. Works of I. Goldziher:

Dawud, ob. 275 A.H., 889 A.D., have not been cited. M.S., abbreviation for Muhammadanische Studien, Halle,
r889, r890.
3, Comment'aries on the Koran: Abhandlungen zur arabischen Litteratur, Leyden, r896, r899.
Tab. or Tabari (Comm.) refers to the Commentary on the
Koran by the historian whose date has been given above, 6. Of Th. N5ldeke:
recently published at Cairo. Other commentaries occa- Geschichte des Korans, Gottingen, ,860.
sionally cited are those by Zamakhshari, ob. 538 A.H., Das Leben MUhammeds, Hannover, r863.
1144 A.D.; Baidawi, ab. 691 A.H" 1292 A.D. Geschichte der Perser und Araber zur Zeit der Sasaniden.
.Of modern works on the Koran, Preserved Smith, The Leyden, r879 .
B.ble and Islam, New York, r897, is occasionally cited; the Die Ghassanischen Fursten aus dem Hause Gafna's, Berlin,
~, i 188 7.
author has further profited by the treatises of H. Hirschfeld, :': !
though he has had no occasion to cite them. The remaining " •• 1 Sketches of Eastern History, trans. by Black, London, r896.
Arabic works occasionally cited in the notes will be familiar 'r l
to SCholars. 7. Of J. Wellhausen:
Muhammed in Medina, see above; the introduction and
notes are cited as Wellhausen (W.) or (Wakidi).
4· History of Meccah and Medinah: Reste arabischen Heidenthums, Berlin, r897.
History of Meccah by Azraki, ob. about 245 A.H., 859 A.D., Slot.zen und Vorarbeiten, viertes Heft, Berlin, !889.
XXVI BlbHography
Die Ehe bei den Arabern, G~ttingen, 1893.
Das arabische Reich und sein Sture, Berlin, '902.
Numerous articles by these writers in the Z. D. M. G
(Zeitschrift der deutschen morgenlandischen Gesellschaft) and
W. Z. K. M. (Wiener Zeitschrift fur die KU11de dcs Morgen-
landes) are also cited; J. R. A. S. stands for Journal of the
Royal Asiatic Society.

MOHAMMED

~\ .... .
I
!~

MOHAMMED I

CHAPTER I
THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE HERO

'I"
A T some time in the year 594 of our era, a cara-
van bearing the merchandise of a wealthy
woman at Meccah was safely conducted to
Bostra and safely brought back with profits propor-
tionate to the risk of the undertaking. Of the quali. l.
ties necessary for the conduct of such an expedition
many differ little from those required by a successful
general: ability to en force discipline, skill in evading
enemies and courage in meeting them, the power to
discriminate false news from true, and to penetrate
into other men's designs. And when the mart has
been safely reached, and the leader of the caravan
or agent has to sell the goods entrusted to him so as
i: I
to obtain the best return, another set of qualities
are called into play; of which fidelity to his em.
ployer is the chief, but patience and shrewdness are
also indispensable. The leader of the expedition to'
Bostra, Mohammed, the orphan son of Abdallah,
, I
: ~" i
2 Mohammed The Bz'rthplace of the Hero 3
then a man of twenty.five, had displayed the neces- Other nations knew nothing of their pedigrees, but
sary qualities, and given satisfaction to his employer, the Arab knew his genealogy up to the father of
the widow Khadijah, who was perhaps some years mankind, whence no man could ever obtain admis.
his senior. As a reward for his services the widow sion into a tribe which was not his own. So liberal
bestowed on him her hand, thereby securing for was he that he would slaughter the camel which was
herself and for her spouse a place in history. his sole wealth to give a meai to the stranger who
Over the country which they made famous there t~~ came to him at night. No other nation had poetry
lies a veil which even at the beginning of this twen· :1 so elaborate or a language so expressive as theirs.
,!
tieth century is only lifted at the fringe.* The ex· Theirs were the noblest horses, the chastest women,
I'. :~
plorer still enters the interior at the risk of his life. the finest raiment; their mountains teemed with
Official chronicles of the vicissitudes of its govern. gold and silver and gems. For their camels no dis.
ments are rarely kept; their historians are visitors, tance was too far, no desert too wild to traverse.
to whom curiosity or some other motive gives cour· So faithful were they to the ordinances of their reo
age to enter the forbidden land. Religious fanati. ligion that if a man met his father's murderer un.
cism was introduced by Islam, as an addition to the armed in one of the sacred months he would not
dangers of the country; otherwise the Arabia of harm him. A sign or a look from one of them con·
the twentieth century is similar to the Arabia of stituted an engagement which was absolutely invio.
the sixth. lable. If he guaranteed protection, and his clients
Of the Arabs before Islam, an account is said to came to harm, he would not rest till either the tribe
have been given t by one of their princes in answer of the inj urer were exterminated or his own perished
to the Persian king, who declared every other race in the quest of vengeance. If other nations obeyed
superior to them. What nation, he asked, could a central government and a single ruler, the Arabs
be put before the Arabs, for strength or beauty or required no such institution, each of them being fit -
piety, courage, munificence, wisdom, pride, or fidel. to be a king, and well able to protect himself; and
ity? Alone among the neighbours of the Persians, unwilling to undergo the humiliation of paying
the Arabs had maintained their independence. Their tribute or bearing rebuke.
fortresses were the backs of their horses, their beds This description, like many an encomium, requires
the ground, their roof the sky; when other people -considerable modification before it will tally with the
entrenched themselves with stone and brick, the truth. After the spread of Islam men began to care
Arab's defence was his sword and his hardihood. for their pedigrees, and genealogy came to be a recog·
* Sec D. Ifo,Jforth, Pt"ttrafio1t 0/ Arabia, 11)04. nised subject of study. But before Islam, genealo._
+To be found in many ,I Adab" books, e. g .. f/,:d Farid, A Ii/-Ba. gies were never committed to writing and only
4 Mohammed The B£rthplace of the Hero 5
in exceptional cases were they remembered. The and that clan was likely to be considered a branch
population of Central Arabia had the vaguest notion
of a tribe. But the steps which connected the indi-
of the way in which they had come there. The vidual with the founder of the clan, and those
introduction of the Old Testament was a boon to the whereby the clan was deduced from the tribe, repre-
archreologists, when such arose, because in it they sented theory, rarely a genuine tradition; and
found the beginnings of genealogies, to which, by instances are not wanting of both persons and clans
calculation of time and arbitrary insertions, they
being artificially grafted on tribes with which they
could attach the pedigrees with which they were
had no physical connection.
acquainted. Only in the rarest cases are those pedi·
Greater accuracy may be attributed to the state-
grees likely to be historical for more than a couple
ment about the piety of the Ambs, so far as it
of generations before the commencement of Islam: . concerns the observation of the sacred months; for
the theory of the genealogists which derives all
Greek writers attest the same. For three autumn "
tribes from eponymous heroes, and so makes all
months * and one spring month a truce of God was
Kurashites descendants of Kuraish and all Kila.
observed by many tribes, who therein laid down
bites descendants of Kilab, breaks down over a
their arms and shed no blood, This institution, in
variety of facts which modern research has rightly
the fixed form which it had assumed by the com·
appraised, and of which ancient arch<eology was not
mencement of Islam, must have been the result of
wholly ignorant: totem ism, the institution of poly-
many stages of development, and was itself fruitful
andry, the separation of the ideas connected with
in effects. It cannot be severed from the desire to
parentage and procreation, all of which are attested
visit a sanctuary and celebrate a feast, and indeed
for the nomad Arabs. The genealogical unity of the
the two seasons correspond with those of the birth
tribe was a fancy often superimposed on what in
of domestic animals and the harvesting of fruit.
origin was a local unity, * or union of emigrants The month before and the month after that in
under a single leader,t or some other fortuitous
which the more important visit was paid may have
combination.;j: Genuine family ties, if any were pre- been included in the time for the benefit of distant
served, were thus mixed by the genealogists with
visitors, who thereby were enabled to arrive and
products of the fancy, till the fragments of real return in safety. For those who had no great dis·
history were absorbed beyond recognition in the arti-
tance to traverse the truce provided a period in
ficial tables. A man was known to belong to a clan, which they could recover from the ravages of
* Goldziher, M. S., L, 64. constant warfare, and by secure communication
t Noldeke, Z.n. M. G., xl., 159. * Nonnosus and Procopius: two months a.fter the summer
t Sprenger, Aile Geographie Arabiens, 290.
II

$olstice. and one in mid spring."

 6 Mohammed
interchange ideas as well as produce. In the neigh_
bourhood of the sanctuaries fairs arose, at some
time or other so organised that the period of
waiting was divided between them. Thus then the
tribes that visited the shrine preserved or evolved
the idea of a common nationality: while some of
the ceremonies kept up the memory of original
distinctions. The fair of' Ukaz * in particular
served a purpose similar to that for which the great
games of Greece were utilised. Matters which were
thought to concern the whole Arabian family could
be communicated there, and opportunities were
given for the gratification of other than warlike i
ambitions. Regarded as the home of the Arabian «
o
o
family, 'Ukaz was a place where women could be uJ
~

wooed·t •. I'Ill f-
«
uJ
Meccah, the Prophet Mohammed's home, where >
uJ

d welt a trading society, was within easy distance . ~ :'

"-
o
of several of these fairs. The community which
had settled there had abandoned the nomad life, ""'o
f-

though it maintained the memory of it:l:; and early

writers § preserve the tradition of a time when
Meccah was inhabited in only two seasons of the
year, the winter being spent in ] eddah on the
coast, and the summer at the neighbouring oasis of
Ta'if. Though theological speculation made the
Moslems assign to their religious capital a fabulous
* A brilliant description of it in WeI!hausen, Heste. 88-g1, He ., !l,. "'"
holds that the localities of the fairs must originally have been
sanctuaries.
t Wel/haus"" Ehe, 442.
tJaMz, lIlahasiu, 226.
§ JaM" 0tUswfa, 62.
 The Birthplace of the Hero 7
antiquity, more sober tradition placed the building of
the first house at Meccah only a few generations be-
fore Mohammed's time; this act being ascribed to a
member of the tribe Sahm, whose name was vari-
ously given as Su'aid son of Sahm * and Sa'd son of
'Amr. t The former would be separated by thr<':'l;
generations from the Prophet, while the latter would
be still nearer his age. t This first house is not de.
scribed, but was probably a primitive form of dwell-
ing. Although a poet speaks of the people of the
Tihamah as building houses with clay and mortar, it
is probable that construction of this sort was carried
on at Meccah on a small scale. The second Caliph §
, . found fault with brick building; as indeed the
Prophet had done before him II; the best houses
were probably rude erections of roughly hewn
stone. The remaining dwellings were probably en-
closures, containing variations between huts and
I tents.'
The community which had settled in the valley
j of Meccah, or Beccah, a ravine about a mile and a
j'r " half long and a third of a mile broad stretching from
north.east to south.west, somewhere about the middle
of Arabia, at a distance of seventy miles from the
western coast, cannot, when they selected this spot,
have hoped to live by its produce; for that the soil
* ChrO'uiclu of 1ffecca/~1 iii., 15.
t Isabal~, ii., 915.
t Wustenfeld, Gencalogische Tabellen.
§Jaltiz, Bayan, ii., 25.
II Mumad, iii., 220. .
'IT From A.Yak; it would appear that the Prophet's house had no
rool•

• !
 8 lI/fohammed Tlte Birthplace 0.1 the Hero 9
is incapable of producing anything is attested by all recognised over a considerable portion of Arabia.
who know it, from the author of the Koran to the Visits were paid to it both at fixed seasons of the
present day. Their presence there is tc be ac-
year and at times dictated by the pilgrims' conven.
counted for by their sanctuary, called the Ka'bah, ience. Persons who wished to curse their neigh-
'l not indeed the only Ka'bah, or cube.shaped God's bours or enemies came even from a distance to the
house, in Arabia, yet one that attracted many visi. Ka'bah, where their imprecations were certain to be
tors: It stood in some relation to the Black Stone, heard.* And a vast number of customs and cere.
:;; i
let lIl.to the north·west corner, kissed by devotees; monies grew up round this building, many of which
and slllce both Greek and Arabic writers attest that .J," '~.~;i" are not yet obsolete, and offer the anthropologist
the Arabs worshipped stones, many have thought .'
scope for conjecture, while the theologian can find
this to be the real god of the Meccans the Ka'bah in them some profound significance. The real im.
itself being an ideal enlargement of it. On the other
port of most of them was probably forgotten before
hand, the Ka'bah in Mohammed's time certainly Mohammed's time.t
contained the image of one god as well as repre.
The Arabs suppose, and indeed are compelled by
sentations of others. There was yet another theory their system to suppose, that the Ka'bah was earlier
that the Ka'bah contained a tomb, whence it may in •. "I..
than the Kuraish, the tribe which we find dominant
origin have been a tent erected over a grave by a at Meccah in the sixth century of our era. It is
mourner, anxious to remain near the lost one *. and probable that this is correct. The possession of a
indee~ that the stone Ka'bah replaced an original temple to which pilgrimages are made is a valuable
tent IS. attested by its being roofless, save for a asset, since pilgrims can be made to pay for leave to
c1otl:, till Mohammed's time.t Sanctity being a visit the god; such a tax was levied by the Kuraish
quahty that spreads by contact,either the Black Stone on foreign visitors,t and the right to collect it is likely
or the Image or the Tomb originally gave sanctity to have been a matter for contention. Even with.
to the Ka'bah which contained them; and the area out this material advantage the seizure of a temple
of sanctity by Mohammed's time extended over i~ a natural proceeding, since thereby control of the
some square miles. If we are justified in referring god who inhabits it can be obtained. The name
the statements of Greek writers concerning a great Kuraish tells us nothing of the history of the tribe
Arabic sanctuary to the Meccan Ka'bah, and in sup. thus called; either it is a totem·name (meaning
posin~ thos~ ~tatements. to be correct, the sanctity swordfish), or one arbitrarily fabricated from three
of thIS bUlld1l1g was 111 the sixth century A.D.
.:11 Azraki, 299.
* For this practice, see Goldziher M. S " 2«
t IVdlhausen, Reste, 7I.
t AzYak;, rag. I • 'I " ,,"'.

FOil Durai", '72 .

. -
IO Mohammed The Birthplace of the Hero II

conqueror was really one of themselves. Kusayy,

a member of the tribe, whose mother, having mar-
ried a man of another tribe, had taken him to Syria,
returned and married the daughter of the governor
of Meccah, at whose death Kusayy claimed the suc-
"
cession. His claim being disputed, he appealed to
his relations by his mother's second marriage; aftcr
so~e skirmishing, an umpire being called in recog-
nised the claims of Kusayy, who, however, made no
attempt to banish the Khuza'ah from their homes.
The meaning of this story is probably that the
. '~"
Khuza'ite settlement was earlier than the Kuraish
settlement, and that the newcomers, though not an
" unwelcome accession, had, by showing greater ac-
~i~ :
tivity and ability than the older settlers, secured the
{ itt dominant place. During Mohammed's early life
there were at times, however, open ruptures betwecn
the Khuza'ah and the Kuraish,* which led to a
series of fights and the intervention of arbiters t ;
and in the history of Islam before Meccah was taken
the Khuza'ah joined the side of Mohammed against
the Kuraish. It would appear that the supremacy
of the latter was not to the taste of the Khuza'ah,
though they waited till fortune had declared itself
before they finally made common cause with Mo-
hammed. Of all the myths that seems to be nearest
history which makes the head of the Kurashite
* Chronicles of Meccah, iL, 133. settlement at Meccah one Hisham, son of Mughirah,+
t Yakut / see Amedroz's Hilal, Index. of the tribe Makhzum. Traditions which seem
t Wei/hausen, Resle, 93.
§ fblt Duraid, 253, gives a specimen of their dialect. * Baihaki, Mahasill, 495. 17.
~ Wdlhaustfl, Resle, 91. t Ib" Duraid, 106.
, !ahiz, Bayan, iLl 16. +Ibid., 94.
 "
12 Mohammed
valuable state that Hisham and Meccah were at one
time interchangeable terms; and that at Hisham's
death the people were summoned to the funeral of
their" lord."
The Kuraish formed a group of tribes, supposed,
according to the ordinary theory of the ancients, to
be descended from the father of the main tribe. The
i'!\
names of these clans will frequently meet us in the se.
quel, but the memory need not be burdened with them , 11. ,1- .
at this point. They dwelt side by side in groups of
habitations at Meccah. The oldest guide-book to
Meccah, composed in the third century of Islam, enu. ,
I i
«
merates thirty.six such groups; the nobler clans living ""'o
in the middle of the valley while the less noble dwelt !):.t
on the hillside. Many of the clans had attached to
, !<'"
s'
them allies, corresponding with the Greek metics, ~i
'j "'"'o
:>
persons who for some reason - ordinarily blood. .'i J:

guiltiness, but often poverty-had left their original (

'"u-
0:
homes and come to live at Meccah under foreign "p "'J:
protection; and certain manufactures were probably '"
!!
in such metics' hands.;r· Some of the metics, how.
, ,
., ,

t
ever, were of wealth and even station, though a !j
,
metic could not protect a native.t Similar to them "j .i;
in status were the clients, persons who had come to
Meccah as slaves and been manumitted, though by
the fiction of adoption such persons, as well as other
clients, could become actual members of their own.
er's clans.:j: Finally, the slaves made up the rest of
the population. Intermarriage between the clans
* Cf. Jacob,Beduincnleben, 150. , I
, !
'I' ~

t Tabari, i.,12°3. .1.'

+Nallino , Nuova An/ologia, 1893.
 The B£rthplace of the Hero 13
was common; but for the purpose of the blood-
feud they, with their respective clients, were dis-
tinct, though the conflicting theories of male and
female kinship appear at times to have produced
complications.
For the economical basis of the community we
have some data though little in the way of statistics.
The possession of a popular sanctuary ensured a
,, certain revenue from strangers; taking the form
partly of a visitors' tax, partly of fees paid to· the
worker of the oracle (said to be 100 db'hems and
a camel for each consultation), and partly of remun-
eration for entertainment and garments furnished
to visitors; for by a lucrative rule the pilgrims
might not use food or clothes brought by them-
selves. Secondly, the sanctity which attached to
the neighbourhood of the temple rendered it a
suitable place for the pursuit of the arts of peace.
Hence our authorities enumerate a number of trades
that were practised at Meccah: such as those of
carpenter, smith, sword-maker, wine-merchant, oil-
• t merchant, leather-merchant, tailor, weaver, arrow-
maker, stationer, money-Iender.* On the goods
which were imported from the Byzantine Empire,
partly for use in those industries, the Meccans levied
a tax of ten per cent.t If a Bedouin wished to pur-
chase an idol for his tent he would come to Meccah

t
to procure it. * But in the third place the sacred
• character which attached to "God's neighbours"
* 7ahiz, Mahasin, 165.
t Azraki, 107.
~ Ibid" 78; Wakidi (W.), 350.
 Mohammed The Bz'rthplace of tIle Hero IS
gave them a great advantage for the prosecution of the negotiations after the battle of Badr be trust·
the carrying trade. By wearing certain badges mer- worthy, there were persons who could a~ord to pay
chants could in many places secure themselves from 4000 dinars (£1500) for a ransom, Hmd, one of
attack. ,x, Much will be heard in the sequel of these Abd al-Muttalib's daughters, is said to have manu-
caravans and the sums which they earned. The mitted forty slaves in one day:" The prevalence of
profits of the export trade greatly exceeded the re- a certain degree of luxury at Meccah may be further
venue provided by the other sources, and upon it the inferred from the gifts lavished on the Ka'bah-
constantly increasing community depended for their which was covered with fabrics brought from Irak
bread-which was made of corn brought from Yema- and Yemen fine cloths and silks. t Wealthy mem-
mah in the north-east. He who wished to have Mec- bers of the 'community possessed estates or vill~s in
cah at his mercy had but to stop their caravans. But the neighbouring oasis of Ta'if.:j: Coin was at times
before this plan occurred to their illustrious Exile, hoarded, but probably most Meccans preferred to
the carrying trade had furnished Meccah with con- have their wealth in live stock or some form. o.f
siderable wealth; and gold that had been dug out of goods. The houses of wealthy and respected CItI-
mines in the country of the Sulaim was sometimes zens (like Mohammed himself) were employed as
brought to Meccah,t where it could be profitably banks. '
employed. Ayeshah, the Prophet's girl-wife, per- In one or other of the trades that have been enu-
haps inclined to exaggerate, estimated her father's merated all the leading men of Meccah would appear
property in the "Days of Ignorance" at a million to haye been engaged. In thc third century Of Islam
dirhems-about £40,!J00.:j: Perhaps 40,000 dirhems the legend undertook to name the comme~clal pur-
was a truer estimate. § Four hundred dinars, or
about £150, is given as 'the price of a dwelling at •
1'.
It
suit of each of Mohammed's contemporaries. Ab-
dallah, son of Jud'an, a leading man when t.he
r
Meccah before it was takcn by Mohammed. Fifty Prophet was a boy, dealt in slaves; the general With
dinars, or about £20, is said to have been given by a whom the Prophet fought several battles, Abu Suf.
Meccan for an antique robe II ; 300 dirhems, or about yan, sold oil and leather; the keeper. of the key of
£12, for an excellent war-horse.'- If the accounts of the Ka'bah was a tailor. This fact did not exclude
* :Jahiz, Opuscula"o Azraki, 155. This badge was of bark; ac.. the existence of a number of social distinctions,
cording to Wellhausul, Wakid£, 400, a humiliating badge of subjection. which were not apparently co-extensive with differ.
t Wakidi (W.), 290. ,-
t Ali/-BIi, i., 319. The text has II ounces." ences in wealth, but were probably based on historic
§ Ibn Sa'd, iiL, 122.
I Musnad, iiL , 403. * yahiz,lYIahasill, 77.
~ Wakidi (W.), 42.
tAzraki. 174.
~So·AlII,.lb"al.'Asi, Wakidi(W.). 303: Ab" SlIfya,,: Abbas.
 •,.-

16 lkfohammed The Bz'rthplace of the Hero 17

traditions, or on the numbers and fighting power of this, if true, also implies some sort of municipal
the clans. The Banu 'AmiI' Ibn Luway could not organisation. The same is implied for the state by
proteet a stranger against the Banu Ka'b ·X·. the Danu the traditions that visitors paid taxes, and that im-
'Adi Ibn Ka'b were regarded as inferior t; the Danu ports paid customs; for a budget requires a variety
'Abd Manaf. t " People whose traditions could not of officials. The principle on which the chief of the
point to distinguished ancestors were liable to be clan was appointed is unknown. Ordinarily some
despised, and the eontempt which they experienced wealth went with the office-for our authorities note
condemned them to humiliating occupations which as exceptional the case in which a poor man was
?egr~ded them still more." t Intermarriage with an chief *; oratorical ability, personal courage, and per·
1I1f~nor ~Ia.n w~s regarded as disgraceful. § Of these sonal dignity were essentials. t The chief, however,
socIal dlst1l1ctiOns something will be heard in the .was not necessarily or indeed ordinarily leader of the
seq uel, where it will appear that they provided ol~e tribe in war. Our authorities actually provide us
of the faetors which helped the cause of Islam. with a list of offices of state held at Meccah, and we
Tha.t a community which had attained this degree cannot doubt that the sanctuary and its ceremonies
of paCIfic development eould dispense with a simi. led to the existence of certain officials: thus there
larly developed political and judicial organisation I , was a sacristan who kept the key of the Ka'bah, arid
seems. remarkable ; yet there would appear to have a priest who worked the oracle of the god (Hubal)
been httle beyond the rudiments of either. II Within whose image was inside; and the entertaining of
t~Je clans ~nd tribes there was patriarchal organisa. the pilgrims is said to have been the perquisite of
tiOn of a k1l1d. Thus it appears that the sole will of certain persons. None of these funetions appear to
Abu Talib prevent";d the Hashimite clan from giving have acquired political significance. In time of war,
Mohammed up. Those persons who disagreed ap. as in many communities, the fighters subjected them.
pear, however, to have been able to dissociate them. selves (in some degree) to a leader; but in time
selves from their brethren. Contributions were said of peace there was little government. Some mat·
at times to be levied on the clans for the covering of tel's indeed were settled at a council, or comitia, in'
the Ka'bah , and the entertainment of pilgrims, and which heads of tribes, other free citizens, and even
* Tabari, i' [203.
t
strangers,t it would appear, might be heard; yet
t Azraki, 448 the theory of deciding by a majority of votes was
t Goldzih,", M. S., i., 4(,. certainly unknown.
§ Wellkausm, Eke, 439.
~ Compare Wellhansen's lecture Rht Cem;inulutn (lIme Obrirrktll .* Wakidi (W.), 5'. ·Ulbah. son of Rabi'ah.
,Gtlttingen, 1900. '- , t Nallino, Nuova Anto!ogz'a.r893, Oct., p. 618.
'\[ A zmki. 176. t Tabari, L, 1230.
•
 18 Mohammed
The B£rthplace of the Hero
Where conflicting claims arose within the com.
munity, they might be settled (perhaps) by an at Meccah; and a league of which we hear-called
appeal to the oracle of the god Hubal, whose minis. the league of the Fudul, meaning perhaps a number
ter decided by the drawing of arrows; or the opinion of persons named Fadl-instituted during Moham.
of a sorceress might be asked. These sibyls indeed med's youth, for the purpose of preventing injuries,
playa rather important part in the early, history of was chiefly directed against those inflicted on stran-
Arabia: combining the professions of lawyer, physi. gers visiting Meccah. From the history of Moham.
cian, and priest, they yet enjoyed little respect. Or med 'we should infer that the fear of civil strife and
the claim could be submitted to some man whose its consequences led to an extraordinary amount of
celebrity for justness or keenness gave him the un- "; I'·tt mutual forbearance.
official position of judge: some of these persons are Between Hubal, the god whose image was inside
even said" to have judged the judgment of Islam i~ ,the Ka'bah, and Allah (" the God "), of whom much
the days of Ignorance." * They were not, however, ._' I will be heard, there was perhaps some connection; yet
necessarily resident in Meccah; and when there was 'i -·the identification of the two suggested* by Wellhau.
a quarrel between two men in that city, they might '! sen is not yet more than an hypothesis. It seems pos.
even go as far as Yemen to get it settled.t All ~ ft sible that Allah, really a male deity, of which AI.Lat
such modes of obtaining justice were not only costly was the female, t identified by Mohammed with the
and haphazard, but, as they were unofficial, there object of monotheistic adoration, was the tribal god
was no certainty of the award being executed; and of the Kuraish ; and indeed in lines which may possi.
if it consisted in death or mutilation, the culprit's bly be pre-Islamic the Kuraish are called Allah's fam-
tribe might interfere to prevent its being carried ily.:!: At the ceremonies of Muzdalifah the Kuraish
out.:!: Probably then monetary penalties were more and their co.religionists used to say, "We are the fam-
commonly prescribed, and indeed we hear of an ily of Allah" §; and by this name they were known
ancestor of the Prophet paying away a house in in Arabia. II Something of this sort is also assumed
atonement for a blow §; the chief business of the in the polemic of the Koran.,. According to.
arbiter would be then to assess a claim for damages. ancient custom the Kuraish, when they became
We have no authority for asserting that there was supreme, gave their deity a place beside the deities
in consequence much unpunished injury committed of the older tribes, such as AI·'Uzza, AI.Lit, Manat,
u, * And hesitatingly approved by Nil!dekl.·, Z. D. Jf. G., xli., 7 I 5.
* Ibn Durald, 23.;1. t Wakidi (W.), 362,
t Aghani, viii., SI. tIbn Duraid. 94; Z, D. ill. G., xviii., 226.
t Ibn. Du-raid : case of Abu Lahab. § Tirmidhi, i., r67.
§ Azraki, 452. I Azraki, 98, 155.
VChaptcr v" ultra.
20 Mohammed The Bz'rthplace OJ the Hero 2[

and others; a process described in the Koran by the for in part by the practice of exogamy or obtaining
commercial term" associating" or "taking into part. wives outside the husband's tribe, whose gods would
nership," which probably had no underlying theo- often accompany them; in part by the trading of the
logical speculation. That association did not lead Meccans, who had opportunities of learning of the
to a distinction of functions between different gods existence and power of foreign deities.
and goddesses,* which was only found in Arabia by Paganism is cal1ed by the Koran the period of
those who had been schooled in the theology of Ignorance-a phrase in the opinion of some borrowed
Egypt or Greece. In Arabia each tribe had its god from the New Testament *; in the Koran it is thus
or patron, from whom it expected everything, and explained: the Meccans had, we are assured, no
where tribes were confederate the relation between previous revelation; no Prophet, no books, no guid. /
the gods was a friendly one, whence a man might cal1 ., ance.t The only reason which they could assign for
different sons after different gods; as indeed was
. I~"
the rites they practised was ttat their fathers had
" done the same.
done by Mohammed's grandfather. It is possible, in
some cases probable, that these gods or some of them It seems likely that this accou,nt is near the truth.
had been in earlier stages of Arabic development im· We should miss much in the origin of Islam if we
personations of some moral or physical quality, or be. failed to keep before our minds its claim to be a first
longed to a system of astronomical theology t; but instruction to the people whom it addressed. Against
such associations had long since vanished, just as the any previous code, therefore, the Koran does not
ordinary worshippers of Zeus or Jupiter were un· argue, just as it does not lean upon any such back.
aware that his name meant the sky. The number of ground. It is true the Moslems suppose that the
the gods who had a place near the Ka'bah would seem Arabs had been original1y bound by the code of
to have been very large and some of these were also Abraham and Ishmael, and that to certain Arab
identified with trees or stones in the neighbourhood, races other prophets had been sent. But this was
which pious persons visited, bringing offerings. Of only assumed in order to prove fetish worship and
the same and perhaps of others there were also the practices of the pagans to be innovations; and'
household representations, which received homage the Arabs could even name the miscreant who was
in domestic rites. Their number is to be accounted responsible for their introduction.
...
~
The Koran makes indeed an exception when it
* I' Auf keincn Fall dUrfte man es versuchen die arabischen G5tter denies that the Arabs had any previous guide. It is
dnrch cine formliche Mythologie zu verknUpfen." Noldeke, Z. D.
M. G.} xli., 714,
* Wellhausen, Res/~, 71, Wrongly according to Goldzi/ler, iiI. S.,
t An Egyptian writer has recently endeavoured to take them .Uto i., 225, who renders it \' Barba.rianism."
Egypt. t Surah xxxiv., 4;1, xxxvi., 5.
( .
 22 ]}/[ohammed The Birthplace of the Hero
recorded* that some of those who enquired about need do no more than allude. That there should be
Islam declared that they had before been in pos. many rites of a superstitious nature connected with
session of the Book of Lukman, and the Koran once the camel is natural, considering the importance
reproduces a certain number of maxims addressed which attached to that animal in the life of the Arab.
by Lukman to his son. Many more such maxims Of the practice of Tabu, so richly illustrated in Mr.
are quoted by Moslem writers, but unfortunately Manning's Old New Zealand, the customs of Central
we have rarely any good reason for believing Arabia contain many examples. Of ancestor wor·
them to be handed down from very early time. ship,* sacrifices to the dead,t human sacrifices,t and
The Koran clearly supposes Lukman to have . even cannibalism traces have been preserved. Cases
been a monotheist, and the sayings ascribed to occur in the biography of the Prophet of women
him are ordinarily in the style of the Biblical biting the liver or drinking out of the skull of a fallen
Proverbs-containing a mixture of religious, moral, foe. Rich illustration is also provided of the sanctu·
and worldly counsels. Some of his precepts ary or domain controlled by a god whose force per.
may have been employed in instructing the Arab
youth; and he was ordinarily supposed to have been , ~,
meates it somewhat after the fashion of an electric
current; a doctrine so lucidly explained in Frazer's
an Arab, though some legendst make him out to ( t!'t Golden Bough. A mythology of a naive sort was
have been a black. But of any reverend and l; taught by nurses to children, a few details of which
belov.ed name being made responsible for pagan , ~:;": crop up from time to time. The soul was thought
~ ~,.i.'! ..
practIce we do not hear. Against the Prophet at death to take the form of a bird.§ The sun was
Mo~ammed the general practice of a series of gen. supposed at eventide to sink into a well.
eratlOns was quoted, but not apparently any author. Although the practices of paganism were exceed.
itative code. ingly numerous and complicated, it does not appear
Where these practices are described-and many of that there was any systematic knowledge of them;
them had been forgotten by the time when the Mos. old men could state, so far as their memory
lems came to study them with some sort of sym. served them , what had been the invariable custom, .
pathy-they continually admit of easy illustration but it is unlikely that anyone had been taught to ob·
from, if not of identification with, the practices of serve or to make collections of cases; and it is only
other pagan races. To the religious institutions
(such as prayer, vows, sacrifices) which the Arabs *Goldzilul', M.S.. L, 230.
shared with the nations of classical antiquity we t Ibid., 23g·
t We!lhausm, Restc, U5·
* Tabari L, 1207.
1 § In Glob"s, IgOI, 358, etc, parallels to this superstition are
t yaM•• Opnscula, ;8. collected.
 Mohammed The Birthplace of the Hero
wl:ere this is done that any system can come into girls doomed to death * or in releasing prisoners, t or
beIng.. We must not therefore make the mistake of who kept their word at any cost, some were faithful
SUppOSlllg that there were definite notions and fixed adherents of the cults of Al·'U zza and AI-Lat. Oc·
rules, where at best there may have been a vague cupied with the reform of their own lives and the
tenpency towards uniformity. righting of actual wrongs, these persons made no
It ~as been asserted by some authors that the in. '. noise, and being earnest, did not suppose that the
s.u~cIency of paganism as a satisfaction of the reo 1[1,. setting up of one cult for another would make men
bglOus need was felt at Meccah, and that the whole ,
,,;1
virtuous; and Mohammed himself had occasion to
of. the -":rabs were ready for something better. If draw a contrast between the conduct of his pagan
thIs b: ll1terpreted as meaning that paganism was and that of his believing son.in-Iaw, greatly to the dis-
~ecomll1g unfashionable, it is correct; devout be. advantage of the latter. So far as the religious
bevers in AI- Lilt and AI- 'u zza were thought by those 'sentiment required gratification, there is no evidence
,,:,ho had been in the great world to be behind the to show that paganism failed to gratify it. We
tImes. Practices which savoured of savagery were gather from the inscriptions of the pagan Arabs
already condemned by' the common sense of in. that a wealth of affection and gratitude was be-
fluential men; and those who, having travelled, stowed upon their gods and patrons. Few indeed
learned that paganism was despised and ridiculed in were prepared to die for their deities, when told to
~he Roman Empire and in Persia, often thought reject them or be executed. But then with sound
It proper to despise and ridicule it themselves. But though rare logic they inferred from their reduction
th~t the fetishism of the Arabs was otherwise insuf. to this strait that their gods were impotent and had
fielent for their religious needs is an assertion which been vainly worshipped.
does not admit of proof. A god is an imacrinary A great scholar, indeed, from whom it is un-
being who can do good or harm i and ever;thing safe to differ, finds a difference between the central
goes to show that the Arabs who had not seen the and the southern Arabians, and supposes the latter
great world were firmly convinced that their gods '} to have been earnest worshippers, while the former,
f '"
or goddesses could do both. Hence the images were indifferent. The ground for this assertion
~f the gods provided sanctuary for persons whose appears to lie in the absence of religious inscriptions
bves were forfeit, and this sanctuary was respected from Central Arabia i but there is no saying when
by all save the enlightened:* Of the rea! philan.
thropists and reformers among them, men who * This act is also ascribed to the monotheist, Zaid, son or 'Amr.
fbi: Sa'd, iii., 277-
squandered their substance in saving the lives of t Ibn Dttraid, 193 : Sa'd, son of Mushammit, vowed that he would.
*Ibn, IJuraid, 235. never see a prisoner but he would release him. .
 26 J/lIohammed The Birthplace of the Hero
this gap in our knowledge may be filled up, and e<lunt. In a civilised state he would have been
little can be inferred on such matters from negative arrested for murder, and imprisoned for bigamy;
evidence. The fact, moreover, that several of the tabooed on half a dozen grounds and ousted from
chief objects of worship were goddesses suggests I decent society. Among the Blackfeet his con·
fl'l'
that the Arabs of Central Arabia were not wanting "
'1
duct was normal and praiseworthy, nor was his
in piety, since the cult of goddesses all over the I
'Ii
~~ 1 father.in-law's conduct-to us heartless and indecent
world appears to be conducted with special fervour, i in the extreme-improper. Similarly with the
and calls into play sentiments which a male cult people of the Ignorance a moral stigma attached to
is not capable of exciting. Doubtless too the iden. , certain states and certain acts; but not always to
tification of these objects varied very much with the ·those states and acts which the experience of ages
mental capacity of different worshippers; to some . of civilisation hilS shown to be deleterious to the
they may have been stars, or fetishes, or sentiments, community, and which members of organised states
but to the greater number they were women, not in- taboo. To the taking of human life it is clear that no
deed often to be seen, but neither quite invisible moral guilt was thought to attach; and between ac-
nor far off, who were more powerful certainly than cidental homicide and intentional murder the Arabs
the women of the tribe, but resembling them in ~ .It seem to have been quite unable to distinguish;
"~;
character and disposition.
With regard to morals, there is no doubt that the
r.
'j,
when some men, building up a lion pit, accidentally
pushed,* or pulled,t eaeh other in and were killed
Arabs possessed the notions of right and wrong, but by the lion, their relatives could with the greatest
the denotation assigned to these notions was ordin. difficulty be prevented from avenging the deaths;
arily very different from what we expect in civilised and of the right to blood-money there was no ques-
countries. Mr. Beckwourth tells us how when he tion. On the other hand not to avenge a murder
lived with the Blackfeet, he one day struck down was disgraceful. The taking of blood-money by the
. his wife for disobeying him; her supposed death, relatives was thought degrading, but not because it
however, occasioned no resentment on the part implied heartlessness or sordidness: rather because
of her father, who gave her husband his second it suggested weakness and fear. Only when the
daughter as a substitute the selfsame evening; and steady accumulation of wealth began to be found
when the husband discovered that the former wife attractive, and peace was seen to be a necessary
had been merely stunned, not killed, the situation condition of this, did the presence in the tribe of a
was in no way complicated thereby. How many swashbuckler prove inconvenient. Such a person
violations of European morality he committed thus
within twenty.four hours it would not be easy to
* Mu.wad, i., 77.
tJbid.• i, 128
 .~~

Mohammed ~
The Bz'rthplace of tlte Hero
. therefore was apt to be publicly discarded. But if 1, birth of a daughter was the occasion for special
he remained in the tribe, murders committed by him ,) felicitation, * containing an allusion to the dowry or
were likely to involve the tribe in war, since the !' ~
purchase.money she would bring her parents; on
blood·feud demanded the death of any of the mur. the other hand the Koran asserts that the birth of a
.1
derer's tribesmen, and to hand over a murderer to ~~
, daughter was regarded as a misfortune, and that the
the vengeance of the heirs of the murdered man was practice of burying girls alive was common, and such
thought in the highest degree dishonourable. t occurrences are attested for the period with which
In another matter which civilisation has hedged
in with a variety of rules and ordinances, Central ,. l Mohammed's early life coincided.t That practice
cannot be altogether dissociated from fears concern·
Arabia exhibits the simultaneous existence of many ~
'I
. ing female frailty, and even in the most civilised
stages of development. The institution of marriage :! period of the Caliphate we find the death of a daugh.
["I
in our sense had certainly existed for untold centu. d ter in childhood regarded as a subject for congratu.
ries; of polyandry in its various forms only faint ~i.~, lation, the father being thereby saved from a possible
traces survived; even in a rather backward commun. , source of danger to his honour. " Were it not,"
ity like that of Medinah, a girl in order to be mar. t says the author of a letter of condolence on such an
riageable required a dowry-in our sense of the (
occasion, " for my knowledge of your late daughter's
word *; and there is evidence that concubinage was rare virtues, I should be more inclined to congratu.
in some tribes considered improper.t The question late you than to condole with you, since the hidi~g
whether the wife should enter the husband's tribe or of one's weak points is an advantage, and the bunal
the husband enter the wife's was settled by the cir. of a daughter is a desirable thing." t With an allu.
cumstances of the case; in normal cases the fonner sion to the same notion, poets praising women speak
took place. Still the social condition described by , of them as having been buried before death in the
Beckwourth appears to have existed in certain of the secrecy of the harem, or at death being transferred
Arab tribes. Those men who did most for the com. from one harem to another. A still older theory,
munity married many women; but it would rather however
. , is that the father is in. any case disgraced,
.

appear that the dissolution of a marriage was the by giving his flesh and blood ll1to another man,s
right of the woman, not of the man. It does not power. II Where infanticide was not practised, fear
appear that dishonour everywhere attached to un. of dishonour (or perhaps a religious scruple) led to
chastity in women, though ideas on this subject
varied very much in different tribes. In some the * Hariri, Seh., 334.
t Musnad, i., 398. For this subject, see fVellhauu1t, Ehe , _458.
* IbJ"S Sa'd II., iL, 78. t Letters of KIt1varizmi (Const.), 20.
t Z. D. frI. G.• xlvi., 2; Wet/ltausen" Elte, 440. ~ Weillta,mn. EIt" 433.

t,
 3° Mohammed The Bz'rthplace of the Hero

child ~arr~age, seven or eight being the normal age of houses are represented as forming a joint-stock
at which gIrlS became wives. * company for the purpose of foreign trade, the profits
" The general freedom of pagan days, and the varie- on each occasion being divided proportionately
ties of the practice of different tribes, permitted of among the investors, and by them expended or
much abnormal development. Sensuality and un. hoarded, or invested in fresh speculations. Sales of
chastity were normal; but in some tribes the erotic various sorts between individuals are recorded for
sentiment took a sublime and romantic form, and the period before the taking of Meccah. Probably,
many a legend tells of the ennobling of the passion therefore, this community was somewhat further
into fastidious chivalry and refinement. Deprived advanced in commercial civilisation than the Crows
by custom of the right of inheriting,t women not or Blackfeet of Beckwourth's time.
unfrequently accumulated and disposed of wealth; The course of the following narrative will show'
as poetesses they could fan the embers of feuds into that Mohammed's mission at Meccah was a failure,
flame, and as prophetesses direct the movements of and that it was only at Medinah, which had been suf-
their tribes. Following the men into the battle-field fering for years from the curse of civil war, that he
they could encourage the fighters by savage music; readily found a hearing, and that having turned
or could themselves (like Beckwourth's" Pine Leaf") Medinali into an 'armed camp, he was able partly by
deal. wounds and death; or, more often, strip and force and partly by bribes to subjugate Meccah, J
mutIlate the slain. The institutions (if that term whence he proceeded quickly to subdue the rest of
may be used) of paganism were not unfavourable to Arabia. The conquest of Arabia speedily-led to
t~le pr.ominence of those women who had the req ui. that of the surrounding nations. From this we
SIte g~fts o~ courage or insight. And the ensuing may draw with regard to Meccah certain inferences
na.rr~tlv.e WIll show examples of women acting with which correspond very well with the historical tradi.
ongmahty and resolution, when there was room for tion. It had clearly acquired at the time when
the display of those qualities. ~. '
Mohammed arose a position of importance in Arabia,
Of respect for property and loyalty and honour, since its example was so speedily followed, and in.
pagan Arabia shows no exalted standard. The in- deed many an Arabian state seems to have waited
stitution of private property would appear to have to submit to the Prophet till Meccah had submitted.
existed, and indeed to have been fairly developed at That importance was not due to military strength, but
Meccah, in spite of its apparent contradiction to the either to the respect felt for the deities of the Mec-
doctrine of the blood.feud. Thus the Meccan heads can temple, or to the intellectual and political super-
* Ali/.Bil, L, 394. (, iority of its inhabitants; an early writer perhaps
t Ptrron-, Femmt'S Arabes (I/vant tI depuls 1'/.r1amisme, r8sS. with justice attributes it to the miraculous repulse
 Mohammed The Birthplace of the Hero 33
of the Abyssinian invasion, which impressed the at any moment to involve the state in war, or cause
Arabs with the idea that the Meccans were the the constituent groups to be arrayed against each
favoured of heaven -*; Wellhausen on the other hand other. War meant such an upsetting of arrange-
ascribes it mainly to the ability of the Kuraish, "who ments that we find the Meccan magnates dominated
understood better than others how to draw water by the desire for peace.
out of their own well, and make their neighbours' The wealth which some of the community had
water flow in their channels." t ,',If acquired made them sufficiently important to be
!!~
Meccah then was in a sufficiently healthy condi- honoured with appeals from various disputants: in
li~'
such cases we find it the policy of the arbiters to do
tion to be able to throw off without serious trouble
such a civil disease as is represented by a secret
1\
rl anything rather than make a pronouncement which
.is at all likely to produce a broil. A legend which
society, aiming at reconstruction of the social fabric. f"
I I
But outside Meceah there was much instability, and -:if
may have a basis of truth makes Abu Sufyan, of
much opportunity for the intervention of a strong :I~ whom much will be heard, appointed arbiter by per-
will. The title of king was maintained by a few
heads of tribes,:j: and certain other historic appella- ~
"
~; ;' i
sons who were disputing over the claims of their
respective clans. To favour either would have prob-
tions were not yet extinct among the populations of I ably involved both the favoured party and the arbi.
the south and centre of the peninsula; but these I ter in a dispute *: Abu Sufyan therefore refused to
chieftains resembled the feudal barons, whose author- -:1" say more than that they were like the" Knees of a
,l:!
ity reached but a little way beyond the fortresses :r camel" and declined to state which was the right
~j,

whence they could conduct their raids, and was of "I

j",
knee. The other Kurashite leaders were no less
fl!
no avail for the protection of life or property. ,. cautious; and resorted to great sacrifices to stifle
'Ii,
These neighbours of the Meecans still lived the ~.
11"( disputes at their commencement.
nomad life-a life in which the raiding of camels "fI. For the north and east two Christian or partly
was the only manly occupation, and in which the 1.1 Christian outposts were formed by the Ghassanide
blood-feud was the most important of existing insti- I:'Ii
l kingdom which held the Gulf of Akabah and was de.
I
tutions. That Bedouin institution was still retained II pendent on Byzantium, and the kingdom of Hirah
by the Meccans, though they had abandoned the which held the approaches to Mesopotamia and was
nomad state; blood shed by another tribe demanded ""
dependent on Persia.
~)
vengeance, and therefore some trivial cause was likely In both cases civilised powers employed Arabs to
keep Arabs in order t : the purpose of these Arab
* A ZYfzki, 98.
t Reste. 93- * Agh., xv., 54.
1: Kindah; also in lIajar, and Oman_ t &Jtlts/ein, Lakhmidm, 1 2 7.
3
34 Mohammed
The B£rthplace of the Hero 35
kingdoms being to form bulwarks against the raid.
Persia, which had long been an article of faith in
ing Bedouins. But the dynasty of Hirah was abol.
Arabia.
ished about 602 A.D. by the Persian suzerain-for a
In Golan, in Pal<Estina Secunda, reigned the
variety of reasons: and a few years after at Dhu
Ghassanid<E of the house of Jafnah, whose rule at
Kar the Bedouins had an earnest of their future
one time embraced the land of Hermon to the Gulf
conquest of the empire of the Khosroes.
of Akabah; and who indeed were responsible for
It appears that some goods had been entrusted to
all nomads" permanently or temporarily settled in
a certain Arab tribe by Nu'man, son of Mundhir,
Palcestina 11., Arabia, Phcenicia ad Libanum, prob.
King of Hirah, shortly before his deposition, and that
ably also Pal<Estina IlL, and perhaps even in the
the new viceroy had demanded that these, consist.
provinces of N. Syria." ,x, About 5~3 the d!nasty
ing chiefly in weapons and armour, together with
had for a time been suspended, owmg to dIsputes
hostages, should be given up. A chieftain of the
with the Byzantine suzerains, who, however, appe~r
Banu 'Ijl, Hanzalah, son of Tha 'labah, was brought
to have restored it again, till it was overthrown 10
to the front by this demand, which was backed with
613 or 614 by the Persian invaders, after which it is
the terrible force of the Persian empire. He reo
uncertain whether it was restored.
solved to resist it: the arms instead of being handed
In other South and North Arabian states the religion
over to the Persians were distributed among men
of the world.power had penetrated, and certain tribes
capable of bearing them; and plans were devis,ed
were wholly or partly Christian.t But it was seed
by which the organisation of the Persians and their
sown on stony ground, whose product had no power
skill as bowmen should be rendered unavailing. The
of resistance when the heat came: it perished with.
Persian forces were lured into a place where there
out leaving a trace, when Islam appeared. A strange
was no water, and the soldiers were speedily incapaci.
fact: these Christian Arabs had bishops and priests
tated by thirst; an ambush was prepared whence a
and churches, and even heresies of their own; yet
body of Bedouins could emerge at a critical moment
we cannot to this day make out from our, authorities.
in the fray; and finally the Arab allies of the
whether the Christian Scriptures were ever rendered
Persians were induced to leave the field when the
into the vernacular of those converts, or whether only
battle had begun, and drag the rest of the army
the priests had religious books, and these in a
into rout. The battle of Dhu Kar, so called from
lauguage which they must go abroad to learn. The
the spring near which it was fought, exposed the •
Sawad or fertile land watered by the Euphrates to " * Naldeke, Die Gltassanische1t Furslen aus dem Hause Gaflla·s,
the incursions of the Bakr Ibn Wa 'il and other Arab Berlin, 1887. from whom the statements in the paragraph arc taken . .
raiders: but it also shook the belief in the power of t There were churches in the Farsan islands, Sprenge1·, A lIt C(!(llf..
raphie Arabiens, 254. .
 Mohammed
last is most likely to have been the case, and to have
been one of the causes of the unresisting collapse
of Arabian Christianity. Even before Mohammed's
time it had given way in South Arabia to Judaism,
some Sabaean king having been won over by the
Jews of Yathrib, and for once men of the Jewish
persuasion had possessed the courage to fight and
even to die. A conquering state, governed by the
law of Moses! That Jewish state was indeed of
short duration. Like other religious communities
which preach toleration when oppressed, they became
persecutors when they had acquired sovereignty:
and for once'~ an inquisition arose in which Jews
piled fagots and lit fires, and Christians were burned.
Those pyres gleam out as a ray of light in the dark.
ness of Arabian history before Islam: the Syriac COIN, WITH ABYSSINIAN KING APHIDAS ON OBVERSE, AND ON REVERSE.
THE:. LAST JEWiSH KING OF YEMEN, DHU NUWAS OR DIMEAN.
letter in which the story of the Najran martyrs is From RUppeU, Reise 11$ Abe.rsz'H£,W, t. viii., pI. vi.j vol. H' I pp. 344 and 429
told is like a fragment of a pre.Islamic Chronicle.t
The persecution was an act of folly, no less than of
cruelty j the Jews had indeed much to avenge, but to
remain unavenged had been safer. The news spread ".
that the Church was in danger: from Christian \ ;"~.
Abyssinia a force was sent to aid the persecuted fol. 'IIi
lowers of the Gospel: defeated by some accident the~li
Jewish king died a hero's death. But the Abys- ~~
sinians had not conquered for the Najranites, but . ~~,
for themselves. Kings of their own were set up in • ~I'
South Arabia, who oppressed the Arabs, and set
( l~
* A. D. 523. Fell in Z. D. lifo G.. xxxv., 74. Noldeke. Sasani-
,~I~
.."1'; \ .

derz, 186, n. , ~
') .
t Mordtmann, Z. D. M. G. xxxv., 700, regards it as spurious:
LViildeke and the majority as genuine.
'~'.:;~.'"
. •.•

: ," 11

.
-.
:!~
 The Birthplace of the Hero 37
themselves to spread Christianity with the sword.
The year in which the Prophet was ordinarily sup-
,posed to have been born,* long known as the year of
. the Elephant, the South Arabian ruler, provoked in.
deed by insults offered to his own sanctuary, is said
to have sent an army to destroy the sanctuary at
Meccah; but the legend says he failed, some disaster
attacking his force similar to that which befell Sen.
1I >
nacherib of old: for occasionally the gods defend
!
• their temples. After his return to San 'a, still the
capital of Yemen, Arab discontent found a leader
in Saif, son of Dhu Yazan; who importuned the
Persian court till at last help was given against the
Abyssinian usurpers; whom he drove out, substitut-
ing ."lll.~ala,g:00 Persia for the other. The films of
J uda:fsm and Christianity torn off the face of So'uth
Arabia, paganism it seems was restored: not indeed at
Najran, where Christianity remained, as in an island;
but the rulers were pagans, and in league with the

. ...
worst enemy of the Cross. Meanwhile the matters
about which the sects were at variance were evoking
interest in minds that had been alien from them.
The introduction of both the Christian and Jewish
religions was attended at times perhaps with the \
spread of certain virtues. Fidelity was regarded (Is /'
the result of both Judaism and Christianity: the
King of Hirah was supposed to have turned Christ.
-,',~ . ian because of a brilliant specimen of fidelity shown
to him by a member of the Christian tribe of Tay·t
* Nilldeke. Sasanidtn, 2°5, gives reasons for placing the expedition
lLuch earlier. ".-
t Jahi., ¥ahasin, 7~.
 Mohammed The Birthplace of the Hero 39
In the main the effects on the life and character of four sacred months, it was unsafe during those
the people were vanishingly small. A member of months to traverse the land of the Christian tribes
this tribe, 'Adi, son of Hatim, was taunted by without safe conduct.* A Tai'ite Christian, who at
Mohammed with appropriating a fourth of the spoil • ',t, I
baptism had received the well.known name of Ser.
contrary to the principles of his religion and in ~: i gius, and was converted to Islam in Mohammed's
accordance with the practices of paganism. Ali It lifetime, explained to his new friends some reo
declared that the Christianity of the Taghlibites was
confined to the drinking of wine.* The King of
.:1
.,.It!1
markable expedients which he had invented for
camel raiding: he used to store water in ostrich
Hirah, though a Christian, had more than one
'\1
H'·
eggs and bury the latter at points in the desert
"I :II,'~
wife t; as also had the Ghassanide Al.Mundhir.t A ' ..,
known only to himself; hence he could drive the
long story is told of the Christian Haudhah, son of camels to regions whither no one cared to follow
'Ali, a member of the tribe Hanifah. He undertook him. t His whole tribe were regarded as expert
to escort the Persian King's caravan safely to the lb.
thieves. t Of one of these Christians § we possess a
,1:'
Persian frontier: but it was attacked and raided by "II considerable volume of poems: they were composed
the Banu Sa'd. Haudhah redeemed the prisoners • Ii: certainly in the days of the second Islamic dynasty,
out of his own purse, naturally with a view to a qi ;: i)' but the spirit they breathc is that of the Arabs
reward from the Persian King, who richly fulfilled before Islam. The poet taunts his enemies with
his hopes. At the Persian King's request he pre- preferring goods and chattels to vengeance; with
sently decoyed the Banu Sa'd, under pretext of accepting blood.money where men of honour would
selling them corn in a year of famine, into a building, have been satisfied only with blood. If he ever
where they were killed one by one as they entered. heard of a future life, it affected his calculations no
We are not surprised to find him regarding can. more than the thought of the Elysian Fields affected
version to Islam as merely a matter for bargaining. Horace; when once the earth should close over him,
We should require thus to know more of the no more pleasure, he was convinced, was to be had.
inner life of these Christianised tribes before we He had a keen idea of the glories of his tribe: which
could be certain whether their conversion did much consist of old victories, in which they had slain, if not
else than take away the restraints which pagan thousands and ten thousands, yet respectable num·
superstitions had placed upon them. Thus it ap- bel'S of the foe. His Muse is readily roused by the
pears that, whereas pagan Arabia respected the thought of wine, the quality of which he thoroughly
* Fe!!, p. 49. * Cf. AIles/jilt, ii., 254.
t Niildcke,Sas., 329. t Ishak, 9 85.
~Id" Gkass., 29, n, 1;. t nrmidhi, 481 (ii., 158.)
~ A l·A kIltal.

i.
4° Mohammed The B£rthplace of the Hero 41

understood: It has even been conjectured that the The earlier portions of the Koran give evidence of
fragments of pre-Islamic poetry which have been pre- the extreme respect with which" Knowledge of the
served emanated to a great extent from professing Book" was regarded by the Arab who was without
Christians, and these are as a rule characterised by it. The very vagueness of the notion contributed to
the Pagan spirit. Traces of the higher morality " ~'. the wonder which it inspired. The Jews and Christ-
I, , Ians were literate, and pagans iIIiterate.* Early in
which we are accustomed to associate with Christian-
ity are not easily found in this literature. . his career Mohammed assumed that the evidence of
-The life then of these Christianised Arabs seems in one of the people of the Book could settle any his·
many respects to have resembled that of their pagan torical question beyond the possibility of contradic.
brethren. With some of the old vices they retained tion. Of the veracity of the Book he, at no time,
the old virtues, among which personal prowess was . held any doubt whatever. Novelists sometimes de-
chief; but a certain class of the population kept out of pict the awe which book-learning evokes in those who
the fighting and lived in quiet-the monks and nuns. are absolutely without it; and this, which for a time
These probably did not abound in Arabia-for the was Mohammed's attitude, was, if not normal, at any
love of and pride in offspring which is so character. rate common among the pagans of Arabia who had
istic of that country would have a tendency to render come into contact with Jews and Christians.
monastic institutions unpopular, even before they Some of the Meccans even before Mohammed had,
were branded by Mohammed as a wicked innova. it is generally supposed, the curiosity to pry into this
tion: but there were monks and nuns, * and proba. awful mystery of theBook.t Interest therein may have
bly the introduction of this form of life was the been aroused by the Abyssinian captives or deserters
most important alteration produced by the conver. left behind after the unsuccessful invasion in the
sian of the Arab tribes to Christianity. It would year of the Elephant t; perhaps they account for the
seem likely that the application of the modern presence at Meccah of some Abyssinians who became
Arabic alphabet to the Arabic language originated prominent at the commencement of Islam. We hear
with these men t: and that the diffusion of that besides of certain Ghassanide Christians who were
alphabet over the Arabian peninsula was due to settled at Meccah under the protection of the Banu
their intercommunication. As some of these per. Zuhrah,§ the Prophet's uncles on the mother's side.
sons assuredly spent their ample leisure in some *Ali not over accurate in his statements. declared that when Mo-
form of study, the notion that the true religion was hammed rose, not an Arab could read a book.-Nakj al.balaghan,
a learned religion spread about. 51.
t Fora list see Sir C. Lyall, y, R. A. S., 1<)03·
*Cf. Goldzih'r, Z. D. M. G.,·x!vi., 44. :I: Azraki, 9i.
t Rotltstein, Lakhmidt1't, 27, places it with the Christians of Hirah. ~ Ibid" 466.
.0\-2 Mohammed The Bz'rthplace of the Hero 43
Further, the wine-taverns led to a circulation of Jews or Christians, and there is reason for su pposing
Christian and Jewish ideas among heathen topers.* that some ceremonies belonging to these sects were
One of the Meccan inquirers, Warakah, son of Nau- imitated at Meccah. Since in pagan Rome it was
fal, cousin of Khadijah, is likely to have had much to not unfashionable to respect the Jewish holy days,
do with the beginnings of Islam. He is credited with it is not surprising that at Meccah enlightenment
having translated a Gospel, or part of one, into should have taken the form of aping the ways of the
Arabic; it was probably the Gospel of the Nativity, enlightened communities. Some of the Meccans are
and was afterwards useful to the Prophet. The credited with having practised a form of flagellation
legend credits Kais, son of N ushbah, of the tribe Sui. "after the fashion of Christian priests"; baring
aym, which dwelt near Meccah, with some Book. themselves they twisted their garments into scourges
knowledge; he is thought to have put questions and lashed each other.* Abstention from wine-as
thence to Mohammed-out of books unknown to us a form of religious asceticism-is said to have been
-which the latter answered correctly.t Whether the practised by several of the pagan Kuraish. Christian
study of the Book was regarded by the Meccans as preachers were occasionally heard at the national
equivalent to the adoption of the Christian religion fairs, and a proverb appears to perpetuate the name
we know not; but most likely it was. The days are of one who, on such occasions, exhibited a previously
not so far off when Europeans took an analogous unattainable degree of eloquence. Kuss, whose name
view, and any acquaintance with heretical books was appears to be a mispronunciation of the Syrian
thought to imply free-thinking. Moslem tradition Kasha, "priest," said to be Bishop of Najran, de-
records very little about these" precursors" of Mo. livered sueh an address at the market of 'Ukaz in the
hammed, as they are called, which can be trusted. hearing of the Prophet t; and the address, as the
Most of them lived at a time when not to be against I- Arabs preserve it, bears a marked likeness to early
Mohammed was to be with him. passages of the Koran, and may have contributed
Even outside this small circle (supposing it to be something to that book.t It is not suggested by
historical) the influence of Judaism and perhaps our authorities that the persons who either adopted.
Christianity had spread. The assertion that the Christianity or showed inclination towards it suffered
',' I
Ka'bah contained a picture of the Madonna may of r"
"
much inconvenience at Meccah. Even therefore if
'II,
course be rejected as an error; but old names for " -!.

Friday and Sundayt must have been derived from' , * Musnad, iv., I9I.
tBaya1t, L, I1g.
* Roths/ebl, Lakhmidt!1l, 26. tA long story is told about Kuss in Bai/zald, jJ.fahasiu, 351-5,
t Isaban, iii, I 522. where Kuss figures as a fortune. teller ; it is probably pure invention.'
t See Fischer in Z. D. iU. G.,!., 224. Further myths about him ill A I·DhaMa'lr, 2$4.
44 Mohammed
the Abyssinian invasion caused some recrudescence
of paganism at the beginning of Mohammed's life,
the effect of it had disappeared by the time he was
a young man.
Speculation is perhaps fruitless when directed to I
J"
J
:1,.
the probable course of history under circumstances
differing from those that actually occurred. Had Ii,i
Meccah continued to increase in wealth and power" , ' CHAPTER II
under her sagacious leaders, it is not probable that r!
I-
her people would have remained satisfied with a re- ,'~
..
~
EARLY LIFE OF MOHAMMED

ligious system that was thought barbarous in the "

. MOHAMMED was the child of Me<;caI2,p.arents;

countries whence she would have been compelled to
whose names are given,as Abdallah (Servant
obtain science and learning. Yet the fact that the
of Allah) and Aminah (The Safe or Secure).
old religion was the source of her material prosperity
The latter belonged to the Banu Zuhrah, the former,
would have rendered the substitution for it of either ~
was the son of Abd al.Muttalib, of the clan named,
Christianity or ] udaism impracticable. The ideal
Banu Hashim. It is certain that the fut~r: P~o.
solution of the problem was clearly that discovered
phet's father died before his son was born; It IS said,
in time by Mohammed, of superseding both the
when visiting Yathrib, afterwards better. k?own. as:
enlightened religions; retaining the old source of
Medinah. Nor did his mother long survive hlll1,
wealth, but in a system which, so far from being
and her grave was by some* said to be at Abwa, a
backward, was in advance of the cult of the Roman
;~~ place midway between the two cities, where, some
Empire. So tortuous, however, was the process by ••
'I fifty years after, her bones lay in some danger of
which this solution was discovered and enforced that
the symmetry of the edifice was lost-as perhaps
't being exhumed. Their son inheritc:d fro~ them ~
~ strong constitution capable of endUring fatigue, I,Jrt;
ordinarily occurs when a stone rejected by the builder
i1 vation, and excess. On the other hand the notion
becomes the headstone of the corner,
current amon"g Christian writers t that h: ,wa~ sub.
ject to epilepsy finds curious confirm~tlOn III the
notices recorded of his experiences d urmg the pro.
cess of revelation-the importance of which is not
*A:;raki,48r. Perhaps a.n etymological myth, the word seeming t~
mean 'I two parents. tI
tNiild,ke, Gesell, d, Korans, 18,
45
 Mohammed Early Life oj'lVIohammed 47
lessened by the probability that the symptoms were Mohammed being a posthumous child, little in
often artificially reproduced. That process was at- t~e way of romance gathered about his father; with
tended by a fit of unconsciousness; accompanied (or his grandfather on the other hand 'the fancy of l
preceded) at times by the sound of bells in the ears * 'It pious Moslems was industrious. Perhaps one orl
or the belief that some one was present t ; by a sense ':"1'" two actual facts can be made out about him, Iti
of fright, such as to make the patient burst out into ',;: seems clear that Mohammed came of a humble\
perspiration t; by the turning of the head to one ;• family; this crops up in many places. ' The' Ku-',
side § ; by foaming at the mouth II ; by the reddening :t raish in the Koran wonder why a Prophet should be v'
or whitening of the face; by a sense of headache.' f; '. sent them who was not of noble birth. When their
Still we read of only two cases in his later life in Prophet became all-powerful, they compared him to
which the fits were not subject to his own control, " ,j, a palm springing out of a dung-hil1:*, On the day
once when he fainted at the intense excitement of of his triumphal entry into Meccah he told the peo-
the battle of ~adr, and once when he had himself ple that an end had now come to the pagan aris-
bled after fasting.*·x, And some ofthe signs of severe tocracy by blood. t He himself rejected the title,
epilepsy-biting of the tongue, dropping what is in "Master and son of our master," offered him by
the hand,tt and gradual degeneration of the brain some devotee.t On the ground of these anecdotes
power-were wanting. we reject as fabulous all those in which Abd al-
He was received into his father's family, and is Muttalib figures as a leading man at Meccah.§
said to have spent the first eight years of his life in ·'In the treasury of Ma'mun, whose reign began in
the charge of Abd al-Muttalib. The condition of a 812 A.D., a document was preserved in which a
fatherless lad was not altogether desirable; and late .' Himyarite of San'a acknowledged to owing Abd al-
in life Mohammed was taunted by his uncle Hamzah :.i't Muttalib one thousand silver dirhems of the standard
(when drunk) with being one of his father's slaves.H l of Hudaydeh; "witness thereunto, Allah and the
i two angels"; the writing was Abd al-Muttalib's
'.'ll'
I
* Cowers, Epilepsy, p. 70. and like a woman's hand. II "The two angels"'
tIbid.. 69. l'" .
stand, we suppose, for" the two 'Uzzas," i. e., the
tIbid.. 80. goddesses AI-Lat and Al-'Uzza, whose names may
§ Taoari, C(Jmm .• xxviii., 4. According to G0711~r.f, to the sid.
on which the convulsion is more severe.
I Gowers, 169. * Musnad, iv., 166.
~ A lif-Bit, ii., 29. t Ishak, 821.
** Musnad, L, 148. t Musnad, iii" 241.
tt Gowers, '30. §Cf. Noldeke, Sas., 291.
B BoHan' (K.), ii., 270. I Fi/wist, p. 5.
 Mohammed
have figured in the original document.* The docu.
ment may have been spurious; yet it is difficult to
see why a forgery should have taken this form.
If it was genuine, we should infer that Abd al-Mut.
talib was possessed of some capital, and occasionally
lent it out; with which the anecdote that makes his
son Abbas lend money to the people of Ta'if
agrees. In order to harmonise the fact of his
wealth with the fact of his being in a humble station , ,~

we have to suppose that the profession in which

his money was made was not an honourable one.
Now a tradition which cannot easily be set aside t
gives him the functions of providing the pilgrims
with water and also with food. The water of the
well Zemzem (which a later legend made him dig)
• - Ii
being brackish, he used to render it potable by mix-
ing it with camel's milk, honey, or raisins-the last
procured from Ta'if, where his son Abbas afterwards
possessed a vineyard.t That he put himself to this
trouble and expense without remuneration is not
credible; hence it would seem that the offices of
"waterer and entertainer" which later writers re-
present as posts of honour at Meccah resolve them.
selves into a trade, and one that- was not honour-
able; since the Prophet afterwards forbade the sale
of water, and lavish hospitality is characteristic of
the Arab noble. The other profession (of money-
lender) was also of little esteem in the eyes of the
?

* Cf.W. R. Smith, Kinship and Marriage, 60.

t Thus Wakidi (W.) makes Hamzah refer to it on the battle-field
of Uhud.
tAzmki,7 0 •

t :Il
 Early Life of Mohammed 49
0'

Arabs, and many a poet boasts of his skilI in elud.

ing the creditors' claims. * The name Abd al.
Muttalib, "slave of al.Muttalib," of which a fanciful
explanation is given by our historians, is probably
to be interpreted as meaning that its owner was at
one time actually a slave, though afterwards manu·
mitted and enrolled in the Hashim clan. t
The names of his ten sons and six daughters are
.:", probably historical, and indeed four of the former and
two of the latter play parts of importance in the se·
quel. All ten sons, it is said, were of massive build
and dark colour. t
From the names of some of them
we learn that Abd al.Muttalib was piously disposed
towards the deities Allah, Manat, and Al.'Uzza. 'Ab.
c bas appears to have inherited the money.lending and
I watering businesses, and to have succeeded well in
them. He also imported spices from Yemen which
~" he sold at the time of the feast. § Abu Talib dealt
;,';
'11 in cloth and perfume, II and succeeded less well. An·
il other son, Hamzah, made his living by hunting. A
fourth, Zubair, was engaged in the carrying trade,
• ! and this perhaps furnished the remainder with the
means of livelihood. Abdallah, the Prophet's father, v
is supposed to have died while absent from Meccah
on a business journey.

* Nlildeke, Beitrage zur Kenntniss del" Poest'e del" alte1l Arab",

183-'99·
t Baihaki, Mahasiu, 393, makes him originate the custom of
dyeing the hair black.
t yaMz, Opusc"la, 75, 5.
§ Tabari, n62, 13.
K Jahiz, Malzasil1, 165 .
•
so Mohammed
The name Mohammed (of which Ahmad and
Mahmud were varieties)~' was given the future
Prophet; it was apparently not uncommon,. and
belonged to a distant connexion. t At a later time,
when Mohammed's enemies wished to insult him,
they called him the son of Abu Kabshah. Great
uncertainty prevails as to the identity of this per.
son; some holding that he was an ancestor of the
Prophet t or ancient Kurashite, § who had en· - •
deavoured to change the national religion, substi-
tuting the worship of Sirius for that of stones;
whence Mohammed, when he began his religious
innovations, was regarded as his moral descendant.
A fragment of interesting history may be imbedded
in this tale. Mohammed, it is said, occasionally
spoke of his foster.father, and many assumed that - •
Abu Kabshah was the man. With this statement
there is connected a legend that Mohammed was
nursed by some woman other than his mother: and
this woman's husband would, according to Arabian
ideas, bear a relation to Mohammed not much infe-
rior to that of father. At a late period in his' •
career a captive woman claimed to be his foster·
sister, and proved her claim to the Prophet's satis·
faction by showing where he had once bitten her in
*The discussion of these names by Rilsck, Z. D. M. G., xlvi"
, to no results.
432-440, leads
t It is worth noticing that the name of the Elephant brought by,,,:
Abrahat against the Ka'bah was Mahmud (Azraki , 96.) 'Vas the '. •
Prophet thence supposed to have been born in the year called
after it ?
t Baida1fJi on Suran Hii., 50.
§ ZamakllSltari, Ibid.
- -, :,
': I
 Early Life 0./ Mohammed 51
the back. The foster-sister, however, refused an
offer to remain in the neighbourhood of her distin.
guished relation, whence we are perhaps to infer
that she was an impostor; while from the proof
, which she adduced of her identity, it would appear
.' that Mohammed acknowledged having been a pas-
',j sionate child. The family to whose charge he was
,+ committed are all of them shadowy figures; their
~ "~ tribe is said to have been the Banu Sa'd, a branch
• ,I!,
,:j
of the Hawazin, who encamped at no great distance
,1 I,;',:'. :~ from Meccah.* The identification of Abu Kabshah
'f
"
':1d: with the father of the family seems very clearly to
I't rest on a combination which may be sound, but
i i which is by no means certain. The patronymic t
, Abu Kabshah would appear to have been fairly
~ :(;... common, and calling Mohammed Abu Kabshah's
,,: son conveyed some sting; but what the nature of
the insult was we cannot define with certainty.
Another woman to whom the honour of having
nursed Mohammed is ascribed was Thuwaibah, slave
'. of his uncle Abu Lahab.
:'. It is said that Abd al.Muttalib died when his
i' grandson was eight years of age, leaving him to the
care of his uncle Abu Talib. Abu Talib probably.
employed him in looking after the sheep and camels
which he kept at 'Uranah, near Mt. Arafat,:j: just as
his son Ja'far was employed in looking after sheep at
i .Badr. § When Mohammed had attained to power and
, * According to Al-Bekd, at Hudaibiah. afterwards the scene of
I!; some famous negotiations.
I' t u Father of so~and-so," not son of so~and~so."
II
i
,: t Azraki, 71.
;, § Wakidi (W.), 73-
I1,1Iii
'"
 Mohammed Early Ltfe of Mohammed 53
eminence he still used to tar his own camel/ and to meQt, in which he afterwards excelled. The Arabs
divert himself by branding the camels and sheep t who speculate on the subject observe that the Arab
that were brought in as alms, in which business he eloquence is invariably improvisation'~ ; the elab·
displayed some technical skill:j:; and used to amaze f: orate preparation of a discourse which gives value to
his followers by his familiarity with the details of European oratory is unknown to them.
Bedouin life. In such societies as that of Meccah .I Further, the love of horses which characterised
the difference between the occupations of the grand ",' Mohammed at a later timet is likely to have been
and the humble is at all times small, most of all in , imbibed in early youth. Many traditions record his
the time of youth. Mohammed probably did much f:! ~ admiration for the Arab steed, and some of them are
the same as was done by his cousins and those of his :, likely to be authentic; even when Prophet and sov-
uncles who were near his age. There are some g~mes ;i. ereign of Medinah he is said to have encouraged
which Bedouin children play; certain weapons of and taken part in horse.racing.:j: Not a few of the
which they learn the use in early life. A legend § Meccans possessed horses, as appears from the his-
shows us the youthful Prophet playing at "white tory of his campaigns; yet their employment seems
bone." A bone of "dazzling whiteness" is thrown to have been confined to war; for travelling they
to a distance at night; and the boy who finds it be. t used the camel. The horse, however, is a favourite
comes leader. In another tradition II Mohammed subject for poetic descriptions, and pride in the
confesses that twice when he was feeding his flock, horse is characteristic of the Arab race. Dogs were
he had left the care of the beasts to one of his com- detested by the Prophet, and he was near giving
panions, in order that he might take part in the orders to extinguish the species.
revelries of the town; on both occasions, if we are to i If for the forty years of Mohammed's life which
believe him, sleep fell on him miraculously before I' 'I'~ elapsed before his" mission," we omit what is evi-
he could so disgrace himself. I dently or most probably fabulous, it is surprising
I •
Mayeux would have it that the Bedouins still , , how little remains to be narrated. There appears,
attach vast importance to the study of eloquence, of , however, to be no ground for disputing the state-
fluent and correct delivery; and Mohammed may ment that he acted as helper, supplying arrows to his
have had some early practice in this accomplish. " !' uncle Zubair, at a series of battles which took place
:," when he was in his teens. Those battles belonged
* lJbtsnad, iii., 175. • :"It to what is known as the second Fijar war, waged
t Ibid.. iii, 254.
t Isaban, L, 525. *Jahiz, Baya1t.
§ Alif·Ba, i., 322. t Musnad, v., 27; Wakidi (W.), 402.
I Ckronicks of Meccak, ii., 7. *Musnad, iii., 160; Wakidi (W.), 184.
S4 iVfoltammed Early Life oj'Mohammed SS
between the Kuraish with their allies, the Kinanah, ! success; at the fourth battle the Kuraish were vic-
and the collection of tribes called Kais. The quar- I torious, but a Kurashite woman who had married a
reI arose like most of these quarrels, from the chief man of Kais was permitted to grant their lives to
constituents of Arab life, the blood-feud and the any Kaisites who took refuge in her tent, which she
relation of patron and client. The King of Hirah had enlarged on purpose; in the fifth year the
desired the protection of a central Arabian chieftain Kaisites got the better, and after that the warfare
: ~
for the goods which he was sending to the 'Ukaz dwindled down to occasional murders, when memo
"
market. This was offered by a man named AI. bel'S of the rival tribes met. Finally the parties
Barrad, who had been ejected from tribe after tribe decided to count the slain and pay blood-money for
owing to his bad character, but whom the Kurashite en ;:'I
the surplus. The series of mock battles was dated
Harb, father of Mohammed's antagonist Abu Sufyan, 'I" by the Arab archreologists from the fact that Mo.
had undertaken to protect. The King perhaps wisely [' ", 'hammed took no part in the first, but witnessed
preferred the guaranty of a chieftain, of the Kaisite ' the remainder. It was naturally inferred that he
tribe Hawazin, named 'Urwah, whom AI-Ban'ad, out 'i' was prevented by youth from being present at the'
of pique, waylaid and slew. But then he remembered first fight, and his own practice at a later time was to
the troublesome fact that with the Hawazin his own aI!pw no recruits younger than fifteen. If this rea-
life would not count as the equivalent of their kins- soning be correct, the period covered by the war
man's; they would want not an outcast like himself, would be 584-588 A.D. He himself dated one of
but some eminent member of the tribe that had fool. the fights as fought in his twentieth year.
ishly taken him in:" It was suggested to Abdallah i It is not recorded (except indeed in a legend
Ibn Jud'an, an eminent Meccan, with whom the tribes ",! which scarcely professes to be historical) that Mo-
that came to the fair of 'Uk~z deposited their arms, ' hammed distinguished himself in any way during
that he might seize those of the Hawazin, and so these wars; bu t when he came to rule a state him.
render them harmless; but he refused to take this self we find that two of the lessons which they sug-
unfair advantage, and instead restored to all the gest to the modern reader had impressed themselve~
tribes their arms and bade the Kuraish return to deeply upon his mind. One was the necessity of
Meccah; on the way thither they were attacked by settling affairs of blood by some expedient less
the Hawazin, who, after an uneventful battle, ar. wasteful and more satisfactory than that which was
ranged to continue the fight the same time in the 4' illustrated by the war of the Fijai; and a second
following year. For four years successively the was that war should be regarded not as a game
war, or rather the game, was renewed, with varying which might be played for an indefinite period,
* Kamil, iL, 239; Procksh, Btutrackt. but as a mode of obtaining decisive results. His
1

1
,
7:,,1:,'"
i
'.
.;,
'. ~
d',j -'.
:!
.
""
.
,
 "

56 Mohammed
. , Early Life 0./ Mohammed 57
!p
. "
enemies arranged, when they were successful, to when his own father, Abd al-Muttalib, was prepared
continue the battle next year, but not he. Nor do to respect it. *
we find him imitating the conduct of the chivalrous There is no doubt that Mohammed often accom-
Abdallah, son of Iud'an, who furnished a vindictive panied the Meccan caravans to their various de.
foe with weapons to be used against his friends. stinations. The leading men of Meccah were con·-
The story of this war is of interest, since of those stantly engaged in the conduct of these caravans, in
who figured in it, many were fathers of men who be- which, as has been seen, many military qualities
came prominent in the Prophet's time, and some could be displayed. Their caravans regularly visited
continued their activity into that period. Abdallah, Syria and Yemen, but occasionally Egypt, Abys·
son of Jud'an, probably loomed in the eyes of the sinia, and Persia provided them with markets; the
youthful Prophet as a mighty figure. The legend last of these countries not being in regular com.
makes him fabulously wealthy, as having discovered mercial relations with them.t The Christian king.
a mass of jewels hidden in a hill, with the aid dom of Hirah was also said to be visited by Meccan
whereof he became chief of his tribe, and indeed merchants; and one of the lovers of Hind, daughter
the leading man in Meccah, profuse in gifts and of 'Utbah, of whom more will be heard, is said to
lavish in hospitality~'; late in life Mohammed could have been a courtier of the King of Hirah, whose
recall banquets given by the great man, at which assistance he could demand for matrimonial pro.
verses in his praise were recited.t Harb, son of jects. ~ In a tradition the Prophet speaks of the
U mayyah, who commanded on one of the days, ~ white palaces of Hirah, seen by him (professedly)
was the father of the Meccan who opposed to Mo- from Medinah. The Koran shows him acquainted
hammed the most dogged resistance. AI-Zubair, with travelling by sea as well as by land; he there
the Prophet's uncle, who was at times in command, ,. i
""It describes the motions of ships and the results of
appears on few occasions in history; he is, however, storms with a realism which savours of experience.
said to have been a poet, and to have practised hos.
.,'I
!.
He knows too of a sweet sea as well as of a salt sea;
"
pitality on a liberal scale to poets of other tribes; , the former he calls Euphrates; the two, he sup,
:1"
,
and on one occasion to have taken his nephew with , posed, were kept from combining by a dam. His
'~' ;
him on a journey into .yemen. A story (which we language about Egypt seems also to imply that he
i
have no means of checking) makes him venture to had been there §; and there is reason for supposing
dispute the patronage of Harb, father of Abu Sufyan, t
..Jahiz Mahasin, 154.
J t Isabah, iiL 379. I

t Aghani, viii., 50. Probably an anachronism is involved.

* Goldziher, Z. D. M. G'l xlvi., 7.
§NiJldeke, "Sketclus, c. ii., shows that Mohammed was unaware that
t Isabah, ii., 706. rain falls in Egypt; perhaps, however, the error is due to mo...
1il0
t Kamil of Mubarrad, i .. 187. mentary forgetfulness. ,
 j/l/o!tammeli

him to have seen the Dead Sea. The rock-tombs of , ': '
:1'
Al-Hijr had deeply imprcssed his imagination before "
. .f'

~ir
he passed by them at the head of an army. He had
visited Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, and late in life
could well rcmember the names of many villages
I~f'
there, as well as the local names of several varieties of ,'!.'

dates ,x-; just as his attention had been struck by a

breed of tailless sheep in Yemen. t
That Mohammed on these journeys made ac-
quain tances who afterwards proved serviceable
seems likely, and indeed we know the names of
some of his foreign or provincial friends, though
ordinarily only the names. Khalid, son of Hawari,
is given as the name of an Abyssinian acquaintance;
the dialect of the father's name makes it likely that
this statement is correct. Iyad, son of Himar, of
the tribe Mujashi, is given as another·t
To none of these journeys can we assign any date,
except that to which reference has already been
made, when he himself conducted an expedition to
Bostra. On all of them he would appear to have !i

picked up information. Sometimes this was gained

from visits to places, as to smelting works; for
I):
•
'"
such a visit may well be inferred from his curious
comparison of the torrent, which carries away scum
and bears fertilising water, to the molten metal, of
which the slag is carried away, whereas the substance
of which utensils are made remains. But most of
his information was doubtless gathered from conver-
.;,1
ij
I·
•
* Musllad, iv., zoo. I
,

t Ibid., iv., 297· 'I

t Ibn Duraid, 147· rI
ti
~ :i :

f' :;~.
 Early Life of Mohammed 59
sations(e.g., at wine·shops) or from listening to story.
tellers. To any well-guarded caravan in Eastern
countries some strailgers are sure to attach them-
• selves, who are anxious to enjoy the security and
who in return will make themselves useful or agree-
able. Among such would doubtless be Jewish
dealers who traded in clothes * and other goods.
From intercourse with these persons the Prophet is
n
'. likely to have derived many an anecdote, and also
many an outlandish expression. Some of these
would figure in his con versation t; and his sacred
"
',1,.;
book afterwards contained a number of phrases
ci which even his intimate associates at Meccah did
z
.]
:3Ul '" "'I
l' not understand.t
f-
,;. • ~i:i What is known as education he clearly had not re-
..
r
:/',";
0: k

ceived. It is certain that he was not as a child

""'•
0
f- ,
'" « ~; i , taught to read or write, though these arts were
'""' '" .,"
~ '!'
'" >,
0: .0 known to many Meccans, as will appear from the
'" •
Z
:5
d

~
".'"-i
~ sequel; their use in commerce was sl? great, as Mo-
0 hammed himself afterwards emphasised, that his
'"
i~,

"
Ul ,
;
d" failing to learn them was probably due to the neglect
'" . :i
('
.
i~

,~
.
t into which an orphan ordinarily falls. For the other
.11
, Arab fine art, poetry, he had absolutely no ear:
" hence we may infer that the form of education which
consisted in learning by heart the tribal lays § was
also denied him. Yet even here his power of picking
up information did not altogether fail. The Tradi-
tion could name verses which had specially attracted

* Go/dziher, Z. D. M. C., xlvi" ISS.

t K.mil, i., 27.
t Comm, 011 Suralt xvL, 47.
§ yahiz, Bayan, L, 107.
 60 Mohammed Early Life of Mohammed 61
the Prophet's fancy.* The language of the Koran entered into the heart of man," "a camel entering
was thought by experts to bear a striking likeness to 1"
a needle's eye," "as far as the East is from the West,
that of the early poetry: and though for us it is diffi· so far hath he removed our sins from us" *-a biblical
cult to pass an opinion on this point, seeing that the scholar would have easily been able to tell the source:
early poetry is largely fabrication modelled on the Mohammed probably heard them in the conversation
Koran, we may accept the opinion of the Arabs. Of of his pious friends and automatically adopted them.
. I J.
those lays which were recited on solemn or festive To the last he appears to have adhered to the habit
occasions some verses then stuck in his memory and of picking up information and then utilising it: he
provided the form of future revelations. Notwith- heard casually from his girl.wife Ayeshah that a
standing this fact he had a sincere aversion for J ewess had talked to her about the torment of the
poetry,t and an equally strong one for the only grave; after this he introduced a prayer to be de-
other known form of literary compositiont -rhymed livered therefrom into his ordinary devotion. Having
prose. Perhaps he thus avenged himself for the want heard a Mary mentioned in the story of Moses and
of education which had rendered him unable to another in the story of Jesus, it did not occur" to him
handle either. to distinguish between them. Late in his career he
From intercourse with Arabian Jews and Christians casually heard from a visitor to Najran that they
he derived a sort of biblical phraseology, § such as is were separated by some thousands of years; he did
to be found in the works not only of Eastern Jews not reject this information, but found a means of
;""
and Christians, but even in the modern languages of 1'"
reconciling it with his former statement.t When
Europe. Of phrases like" tasting death," "to bring at times some Jew or Christian testified publicly that
from darkness to light," "to pervert the straight Mohammed had correctly reproduced the informa-
way of God," "the trumpet shall be blown," " to roll tion which he had picked up, it occasioned him the
up the heavens as a scroll is rolled up," "they have keenest pleasure.t
weights in their ears," "the new heavens and the Of the superstitions of the Arabs, which differ
new earth," .. the first and second death," "that slightly, if at all, from those of other races, he would
which eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor hath seem to have imbibed a fair share. To omens,
* yahiz, Mahasin, IS6; Musnad, Vi-, 31, especially those connected with names, he attached
t Goldziher,M. S., i.. 53., regards this as a theo!ogital aversion, great importance. When a man was wanted to milk
the poets being the chief exponents of pagan ideas. Surah xxxvi.,
6<}. *Musnad, vi., 57.
t Musnad, iv., 245; Jaln-'z, Rayon, i., II2. t Mu,s1i1Jt, ii., 168. There is a controversy on this subject; see Ed.
§ Preserved Smith suggests that many of ~hese phrases may havo Say()Us, :Jlsus-Christ d'aprts Mahomet, Paris, 188o, ? 36.
been merely Semitic. t Muslim, ii. 380.
 62 Mohammed Early Lzj"e of lIfoltammed
a camel, he disqualified one applicant after another an eclipse of the sun to the death of his son
till one offcred whose name meant" long life."'; Ibrahim, he assured them that eclipses were not
Whenever the name of a new adherent contained •
connected with the fortunes of any persons, however
anything ill-omen ed, it was his custom to alter it. important. Still he continued to regard eclipses as
if a convert was named Rough, he called hi~ events of a serious nature, for which a special form
Smooth. At the most important crisis in his career, of prayer was desirable.
the preparation for the battle of Badr, and at other Experience as a caravan-boy taught him the art
times, or he was guided in his strategy by the names of scouting; the power of inferring from minute
of the places on the different routes. Just as signs and indications much about the whereabouts,
Bedouin tribes were guided in their migrations by the numbers, and the equipments of the enemy,
the instincts of their cameJs, so Mohammed, at . perhaps not more than many of the caravan-leaders
times, left the determination of his policy to the knew, yet sufficient to stand him in good stead
conduct of the beast which he happened to be when he became a captain of banditti. At times
riding. He was a firm believer in the evil eye, and secret ways of procuring information stood at his
the possibility of averting it by means of charms; command, the nature of which we can scarcely
nor does he ever seem to have doubted the efficacy divine. But nature, rather than experience, had en-
of incantations. As such he at one time recom- dowed him with one gift more to be envied than
mended the Lord's Prayer-or as much as he knew any other: knowledge of mankind. I-lis instinctive
of it t; when portions of his Koran had become judgment of men and people was rarely, we might
classical he approved of their being used for this say never, wrong.
purpose; and even claimed part of the fee when a The personal appearance of the Prophet in mid-
serpent's bite was healed by the aid of one of the , ~1'
dle life was recorded by many persons. According
verses. § Belief in the :Jilin, mysterious beings who to the ordinary tradition he was" of middle height,
haunted the desert, was authorised by him, whether bluish coloured, with hair that was neither straight
he shared it himself or not. From some super- nor curly: with a large head, large eyes, heavy
stitions he emancipated himself in time. It is eyelashes, a reddish tint in his eyes, thick-bearded,
recorded that when his followers wished to attribute broad-shouldered, with thick hands and feet" * ;
another description adds" with a large mouth, with
* Isabah, i., 655. !i~ 'eyes horizontally long, and with little flesh on the
t Wakidi (W.), 266. illl

:f: lUlIsnad, vi., 21. It wa~ similarly used by Christians: y. .AI

," heels" t; according to one account his hands were
Robtrtso1t, A Short His/ory oj Chris(ialli~lJ, 12 5. * Mus1tad, i., 89 ; Bokhart' (K.), ii'l 392.
§ Musnad, ii., 183. tMlulim, iL, 217.
 Mohammed Early Life 0./ jJ.1ohammed
abnormally soft, which the palmists tell us signifies .And of his ambition we have evidence in the comfort
" a natural tendency towards the miraculous." His which his notoriety afforded him at a time when
style of dress seems to have varied at different few things were going well with his project: "Have
times: his favourite costume being a striped dress we not expanded thy breast and exalted thy name?"
of Yemen make,* though sometimes he wore a is the form which the divine consolation takes, when
Syrianjubban with narrow sleeves,t or a cloak (mirt) the Prophet is in trouble. Expansion of the breast,
of twisted black hair,:!: or a red gown (hullan).§ On the organisation of life about a new centre, as Pro-
the day of the taking of Meccah he wore a black fessor Starbuck expresses it, and celebrity, were then
turban. II things for which he yearned; but his early promise
What is recorded of his tastes and habits exhibits led to none of those fiascos in which the efforts of
ordinarily a high degree of refinement and delicacy. , persons who are anxious to distinguish themselves
He abhorred anything that produced an evil odour: are apt to result.
garlic and onions were described by him as evil And how could Mohammed distinguish himself?
vegetables," and his loathing of anything that Like Beckwourth, doubtless, who, in every fight,
tainted the breath was used as a lever by mem- killed the rival chieftain, or at every assault was the
bers of his harem. When sovereign he found fault first to scale the wall; so the battles of Fijar (and
with those whose hair was untidy, or whose clothes others perhaps of which there is no record) gave Mo-
were dirty'-*'* being himself particular as to his, ap- hammed the chance of proving himself the first man
pearance. He disliked yellow teeth,tt and almost of the Kuraish. At these battles his future antago-
made the use of the toothpick a religious ordinance. nists, Abu Sufyan and his brother, had won the title
We know, from the Koran,:!::!: that Mohammed was " The Lions." * Men, too, who played a role similar
a young man of promise, and, indeed, should expect to that of David were not wanting in Arabia. The
that the astounding talents which he afterwards dis- poet-king Imru'ulkais, being driven from home by his
played would give evidence of themselves in youth. father, had collected a number of outcasts round
him with whom he raided his neighbours. The'
* Hibralt. Muslim, ii.. 154. sequel shows that Mohammed was not born for that
t ll-fumad, i., 29. sort of distinction. Care for his life and safety was
t Ibid., vi., 162. invariably his first consideration; in the presence of
§ Bokllari (K.), ii., 392.
I Musnad, iii., 363. danger, indeed, he kept his head, and even fought, if
-,r Ibid., iv., '9. necessary, bravely. But he lacked the courage of
** Ibid" iii" 356. the man who, when a champion is called for, hurries
tt Ibid.,iii., 442.
H Surah xi., 65. * Ib" DuraidJ 103.
5
66 Mohammed Early Life of Mohammed

to be first. The foul' Fijar battles therefore brought caravan he had safely conducted, offered him her
him no laurels. hand. Arab ladies have to this day no g!ne in
The lads who were prepared to pass their lives in such matters, and in pagan times women were'
camel-driving, or similar occupations, doubtless took doubtless freer than after Islam had introduced
to themselves wives at seventeen 01' eighteen, and so the veil; some of the privileges dating from the old
settled into a slough of poverty, whence they could days of matriarchate remaining,'k She was some
not, save by marvellous luck, emerge. Mohammed, years older than Mohammed, but assuredly not
though not without his share of that passion of forty, as Mohammed's biographers assert; though
which the Talmud rightly says nine parts have been the legend makes some of the Bedouin ladies keep
given to the A rabs, and only one to the rest of the their good looks till eighty or even one hundred,t
world, waited to marry till he could better himself and the Kurashite women were regarded as an
thereby. He had indeed made an offer for the hand exception to the law which renders childbearing
of his cousin, U mm Hani, Abu Talib's daughter, a impossible after sixty. t Her nephew Hakim, son
girl of whom he doubtless saw much in his. childhood of Hizam, was one of the Meccan magnates. At
and youth. For the character of the relations be. a later period he figures as a trader" and indeed ,
tween the sexes at this time an analogy should be a speculator in corn. § He professed to have
drawn rather from Bedouin life than from the town liberated forty slaves in Pagan times.11 If it be true
life introduced by the founder of Islam; and in the , that he gave four hundred dirhcms'lf for the slave
Bedouin life these marriages between cousins, which Zaid, son of Harithah, and then presented him to
are normal, are often preceded and determined by "I' his aunt, he must, indeed, have had means-accumu-
attachment.* Mohammed's proposal was rejected ',': lated, it is said, by rigid economy.** Khadijah's
by his uncle, who preferred another and probably ~.j' :. «ousin Warakah is said to have blessed the union
richer cousin. This early rebuff may have had ,'I in the homely language of the Bedouins, calling
something to do with the future career of the Mohammed a camel "whose nose would not be
Prophet, on whom the ills of poverty had thus been
painfully impressed. Long after, Umm Hani, re-
* Robertsm Smith, in his Kins/tip and Marriage, has an excursus
on Khadijah's marriage. but brings no fresh light.
lieved of her husband, desired Mohammed to renew
the offer, but he refused. When he was twenty.five
t JaM., Mahasin.
*§Musnad,
=.
ItI., Opuscula, 71\ ~
years of age, Khadijah, the wealthy woman whose iiL, 403.
I/bid., iii., 434.
* JJlaJ'l?ux, iii., 143. The well.informed novelist in the Egyptian , Ibn Sa'd, iii., 27.
magazine Ra'is, iL, 93, makes it £1. rule of the Bedouins that love ** Baihaki, Malzasin, 315, He was one of those who ran awa.y fl'om
must not precede marriage. Badr. Ibn Duraid, 103.
 ,-

68 Mohammed Early Life of Mohammed

struck."* The future Prophet left his uncle's camels his partner offered their goods for sale in the dwelling
to become master of a house-or part of one, for of the latter,* and the traces of this calling are found
Khadijah lived in the house of her above-mentioned all over his Sacred Book. A dissertation has been
nephew, in the Hizamiyah street, with a covered written on the commercial language of the Koran,
walk and a garden, where there was a door leading . showing that the tradesman Prophet could not keep
to the house of 'Awwam, who had married an aunt free of metaphors taken from his business. " God,"
of the Prophet. t he repeatedly says, "is good at accounts. The Be·
That great step in a career had been taken where- lievers are doing a good business, the unbelievers
by a man, freed from the absorbing care of his daily a losing trade. Those who buy error for guidance
bread, like a balloon loosed from its moorings, make a bad bargain." The shake of the hand which
begins to ascend. Henceforth he either led no . closes a bargain became with him and his followers
camels, or led his own. But indeed he appears to the form by which homage was done to a sovereign.
have been set up in business in Meccah, having for Even when he was sovereign at Medinah he did not
his partner Kais, son of AI.Sa'ib, whose fidelity he disdain to buy goods wholesale and make a profit by
afterwards commended highly. The tradition ap- selling them retail t; while occasionally he consented
pears not to know with what goods he supplied his to act as auctioneer. t
fellow-citizens, though it has preserved this detail in Children were born to the couple, four daughters
the case of his immediate associates. In the one and one son or more; whence Mohammed could call
shopping scene of which we have a record for this himself honourably Abu'I.Kasim, father of Kasim,
period the Prophet is buyer, not seller. Suwaid, son after the style of the Arabs: whether they held like
of Kais, said: "Makhramah, the Abdite, and I the Indians that a sonless man goes straight to hell,
brought a bale of clothes from Haji to Meccah; the or whether without a son a man had no full franchise.
Prophet bargained with us for a pair of breeches; But the son or sons died in infancy,§ and the girls were
there were in the shop some persons who were weigh. weaklings, of whom the most long.lived did not see
ing with pieces of clay, and the Prophet told them her fortieth year; whence some who understand med-
to give us good measure." t Since breeches could icine have drawn their inferences about their father.
scarcely be sold by weight, perhaps the Prophet gave The names of some of the children show that their
them some grain or fruit in rcturn. Mohammed and
'* A~raki, 471.
* lJIubarrad,Kamil, i., 93. Another tradition ascribes the words t .Mum.d, i.. 255.
to Abu Sufyan, when Mohammed married his daughter. Ldlers_j ~Ibid., iii., Hence he is supposed to have invented auc-
III.
Hamadhani, p. 216. tions. Baihaki, .M.hasin, 393, 3.
t A zrakl, 463. § One of these was born in Islam, according to our authorities,
t .Mum.a, iv., 352. after his mother was fifty-two. Ibn Sa'd, iii" 2.
 Mohammed Early bfe of 1l10hammed

parents when they named them were idolators. Nor adopted as a son. In his prayers he would at times
is there anything to indicate that Mohammed was at hold a child in his arms when he stood up, putting
this time of a monotheistic or religious turn of mind. it down when he prostrated himself:X' At Medinah t
He with Khadijah performed some domestic rite in he would let a little girl take his hand and lead him
honour of one of the goddesses each night before where she chose. Affectionate treatment of step-
retiring. * At the wedding of his cousin Abu children is attested for a later period of his life. t
Lahab's daughter, he is represented as clam~uring He is not likely to have failed in his duty towards
for sport t ; and indeed even when Prophet he had a Khadijah's children: and indeed one of these is said
taste for the performances of singing girls. t Recon- to have lost his life in endeavouring to save Moham-
fessed to having at one time sacrificed a grey sheep med from the fury of the populace when he first
to AVU zza §-and probably did so more than once preached the unity of God. Of another a story is
since after his mission he used to slaughter sheep fo; told in which he offers friendly counsel to his step-
sacrifice with his own hands. II A story which may father.
be true shows us Mohammed with his stepson invit- As Mohammed's daughters grew up, they were
ing the Meccan monotheist Zaid, son of 'AmI', to given in marriage: U mm Kulthum to her cousin on
eat with them-of meat offered to idols: the old the father's side, son of Abu Lahab, presently.Mo-
man refused; thereby inspiring Mohammed with a hammed's bitter enemy; Zainab to her cousin on
dislike for such food.' the mother's side, Abu'\.' Asi. All this was normal
Of Khadijah's children-and Mohammed appears and in order. Abu'l.'Asi was a brave man and
to have had both stepsons and stepdaughters-not true, § accustomed to spend his evenings in Moham-
much is recorded. Mohammed was at all times of med's house. II This marriage was one of affection,
an affectionate disposition, and even demonstratively which Islam could not change. Zainab in after
SO} he expressed disgust at a man who having ten times repeatedly made use of her privileges as the
children declared that he had never kissed one of Prophet's daughter to save the life of her unbeliev-
them *,~: and he remained demonstratively affection- ing husband; and his faithfulness to her won h}m
ate to the end towards the slave Zaid, whom he . warm encomiums from her father.
For the rest we imagine Mohammed during these
* j}Iusnad, iv., 222,
fIbid., iv" 67.
t Ibid., iii., 39'. * Nasa'i, t. 132.
§ Wcllhause1f" Restt. :34. t Musnad, iii" I74·
II MUSIIad, iii.. 99. t Ibid.,vi., 101.
'If Ibid., i., 189. §Ibid., iv., 326.
** Tirmidhi, 321 (i., 348). MIsabah, iv., 223·
 (
'j
Mohammed I
,I Early Life of Mohammed 73
!
fifteen years to have been a respected and undis. hammed's character to try easy and normal methods
tinguished ,tradesman. The little that we glean of before he attempted abnormal and difficult ones,
his sayings during the period is commonplace. One and there may be some connection between the
'Arfajah, son of AI.As'ad, had lost his nose in a pre.
Islamic battle, and had one of 'silver fitted to -his
",.:r· facts of the fortieth year being the time for the
\ acquisition of the franchise and the period of Mo.
face; as this became foul, Mohammed recommended , hammed's life at which his, mission commenced.
him to try one of gold.*
In the case of many of the Heroes of the Na.
:I And since it was his custom only to launch' his
schemes when they were mature, the part which
tions it is possible to point to the occasion which " he was to play may have been present to his mind
first led them to play their heroic part; a crisis called "."l,

". for many years, suggested by conversations with

and they responded. In Mohammed's case it is ,,j, Jews, Christians, and Parsees; shown to him to be
impossible to indicate any such event. For many . "
~
imperatively called for by the difficulties and in.
years he was, as we have seen, a respectable citizen, ·f justices which arose from the need of it.
an undistinguished tradesman; at the age of forty The Jews, the Christians, the Magians, the Sab<e.
we find him the nucleus of a secret society, aiming ans, had all one thing which the Arabs had not:
at reconstruction of the entire social fabric. At the ,- a legislator, who had acted as divine commissioner.
age of forty, it is asserted, a Meccan citizen had None, of the members of these sects hesitated a
. access to the Council Chamber; and there may be moment when asked what code he followed, or
some truth in ·this statement, though only a vague from whom it emanated. Moses, Jesus, Zoroaster,
interpretation can be given it, since there were no St. John the Baptist, they would severally and im.
registers at Meccah, and when the Prophet died, it mediately reply, But whom did the worshippers of
was uncertain whether he was sixty·three or sixty. '" Hubal, AI.Lit, and AI-'Uzza follow? No one at all.
five. Supposing him to have been harbouring his Foreigners indeed told them that they had Abra.
scheme of reform for years, he may have waited first ham for their father, but only foreigners knew any-
till he could gauge the possibilities of the Council ,\ thing about him; to the Meccans he was not even.
Chamber for launching it, If the Council Chamber a name. Those who tried to discover either an
resembled any other debating body, the' Prophet Abrahamic community or an Abrahamic code trav.
would have had little chance of succeeding there; ersed the world in vain. Yet each nation ought to
for he was not a ready debater, and when he became .. have a leader. * Here then was an opportunity for
a religious controversialist, he received divine orders a Prophet.
to avoid public disputation. Still it was in Mo. In what form the conviction comes to a man of
... Surah ~iii. I 8.

, .
74 Moliammed I Ead)' Ltfe 0./ Mohammed 75
the existence of a need which he can or should sup- "The unaccomplished volition is doubtless an indica-
ply is rarely recorded, perhaps not often remem- tion that new nerve-connections are bndding, that a new
bered. Of the evils of the tribal system and the channel of men:al activity is being opened, and in time
blood.feud Mohammed had ample experience; and (" the act of centnng force (trying) in the given direction
visits to countries where the whole population was may throngh increased circnlation and heightened nutri-
subject to the law of God may well have convinced tion of that point itself directly contribute to the forma-
him that the Arabs were backward, and that the tion of. those nerve-~onnections through which the high
revelation of a divine code was an indispensable potential energy which corresponds to the new insight
preliminary of progress. Such a code was associated II··', expends itself." .
1.°
with the God of the Jews and the Christians, but not Into this psychological explanation we cannot in
with the Meccan Allah, AI-Lll.t, and Al-'Uzza, though the present case follow him; but the evidence which
it is likely that these deities approved and disap- he has produced of conversion meaning the start-
proved of various acts. But the name of the God ing of a fresh Career, the bringing of the converted
of the Jews and Christians was identical with that individual into fresh connection with his fellows, is
of the god of the Kuraish. The inference that there very much to the purpose. To the enlarging of
was room for a messenger of Allah lay in the pre- '. the breast and the exalting of the name the Kbran
mises which the phenomena provided; Mohammed's adds the forgiveness of sin. Normal cases of conver-
greatness is to be found in the two facts of his sion bring out only the last sensation, the forgiveness
drawing the inference, and of his ability to render of sin; the enlarging of the breast and exalting of
that knowledge effective. the name are found in cases where the converted
The execution of this resolve closes this period of person has abnormal talents.
forty years or more; his soaring spirit had found the' The idea of reproducing the rOle of Moses, Jesus,
outlet upwards through which it proceeded to make or Zoroaster must not be judged from the mod-
its way. It is more often the seeker who finds than ern standpoint, whence those characters are either
one who is not searching. When Starbuck wished to wholly un historical, or owe that which is enviable iri
collect cases of conversion, he had to go to sects in their history to myth and legend. To Mohammed
which it was normal, and where men and women . the first two. (of the third he may not have heard)
might expect to be converted. And the conversions
which he studied were found by him to resemble'
. were men, highly favoured by God, it is true, but
still flesh and blood, " eating food."
cases in which persons feel after an idea with unrest To carry out in practice. the part of a myt;~!cal
and perplexity until the result is finally presented to hero was, as he afterwards found, exceedingly diffi·
clear consciousness ready made. cult; but that his predecessors were mythical never

,. .
 Mohammed Early Life of Mohammed 77
entered into his mind. The idea that a Prophet was of the sects? Clearly a new Prophet was needed ,;
expected in Arabia, that either Jews or Christians to settle this point, and Mohammed, at Medinah,:
foretold the arrival of one, may be dismissed as a claimed that it was his mission to pu t them right:
vaticinium post eventum,. so, too, when Islam had where they disagreed. The notions, however, which
conquered Persia, it was discovered that portents oc- he acquired of both Jewish and Christian doctrine
curred in Persia when Mohammed was born. The were, as has been seen, those of a superficial, though
Meccans, as we see them in the Fijar wars, or at the .shrewd, observer. If he thought the Christians wor·
building of their Ka'bah, appear by no means deso- shipped a goddess and two gods, that was the prac-
late at the want of a Prophet. They enjoyed their , ' \I tical as opposed to the theoretical character of all
life exceedingly; even when the battle of Badr was but N estorian Christianity in the East.* Nor could
looming, they went to the fight in high spirits, spend- he fail to observe that the Christians were more lax
ing lavishly; wine and music were at their feasts. in the matter of food than the Jews. With each
And the best proof that they enjoyed life is to be community he sympathised in one point or another;
found in the good nature with which they fought. to have joined either of the communities and to
They gladly displayed their courage, but bore no have become a missionary for either would have
ill-will against the foe. ." been a serious mistake, and utterly unsuited to Mo-
That Mohammed in the course of his conversa- hammed's plans. Christianity could not be disso-
tions with Jews and Christians had become con- ciated from subjection to the suzerainty of Byzan-
vinced of the general truth of their systems is fairly tium; and Mohammed was far too great a patriot to
clear; or rather it had not occurred to him to doubt , contemplate the introduction of a foreign yoke. A
it. He shared the general attitude of the people of convert to an old established religion, he could not
Meccah towards their learned neighbours. But these r () have pretended to such knowledge of it as older
conversations had further forced upon his attention members possessed; and even appointed head of a
the divisions that existed, not only between Jews and new congregation, he would have been compelle~ to
f Christians-who each denied that the other had any affiliate it to some existing branch. It is certain·
standing ground-but also between the Christian that a fundamental dogma of his system was the
sects, which anathematised each other. It is curio personal one that he was God's Prophet; agreement --
ous that -the founder of the Mormons similarly re- on other points presently became useless, if that
ceived an early impulse from his observation of the • o~ were not conceded.
differences between the rival sects.* Which were in Hence it would appear that Mohammed regarded
the right, Jews or Christians, and if the latter, which these systems chiefly as systems founded respectively _
* Tlte A1ormans, London, 18SI. * J. M. Rob,rtsun, A Sf",rt History oj Clwistianity, 19o2, p. 184.

,
 Mohammed

by Moses and J esus-a point of view from which I,'

they are not ordinarily regarded, since men think '~'

rather in each case of the code than of the authority
for it. Whoso honours not himself shall not be
honoured, Zuhair sings; the ambitious Christian
or Jew hopes to be a bishop, perhaps, or a rabbi,
but regards the founders of the systems as beyond
all possibility of competition. But thoughts are not
impracticable because they are bold, and this Arab I
conceived the idea which a proselyte's notion of lIlI"
Judaism or Christianity would have rendered be.
yond his reach. To the proselyte both figures
would have seemed simply inaccessible, placed on
pinnacles beyond climbing. To the cool·headed
student of human nature they were men, and what
they had done he could do. .. ..
It is likely, we might say certain, that Mohammed's
notion of a Prophet underwent some growth in the
course of his career; we 'can even trace the steps by
which the mission was extended from Meccah to the
world; and before Mohammed reached Medinah he
may not have been quite familiar with the Hebrew • •
word for prophet. But there were certain notions
connected with the office which were in his mind from
first to last. A messenger of God was quite certain
to be successful. The messengers, he was to learn,
were harassed by opposition and unbelief, but they
succeeded in time. The notion that Jesus was cruci.
fied was repugnant to his system, he was convinced '10 •
that the truth was with the J ulianists who held that
the traitor Judas had been crucified; the true Prophet
was naturally and certainly victorious. Of the whole

.. .
 Early Life of Mohammed 79
number, from Abraham to Mohammed, this held
good.
Belief therefore in himself was the dogma which '
it
he taught himself first, and afterwards taught others.
Of strong convictions on other subjects we cannot be
. so sure; and in any case, of the charge of fanatic-
ism, brought against him by several writers, he can
easily be cleared. Reasons of policy and reasons of
r'
humanity were sufficient to make him modify or at
.. times even abandon each one of the doctrines and
practices on which he set the greatest store. To
these voices the ears of fanatics are closed, but his
were invariably open. Of exaggeration, whether in
religious exercises or in liberality, he always had a
horror: beneath the mask of the enthusiast there
.. 'was the soundest and sanest common-sense. Though,
h~raile<L.against,.iQoJ'!.tr.YoJ}~c1.e.<l!·ly
)lac!. nO,t that
physical repugnance to it which men have often had:
otherwise the Kissing of the Black Stone would not
have been a ceremony for which he yearned when
deprived of it, and which he permanently retained.
", • His physical repugnance seems to have been not to
fetishes but to representations, which, according to
some anecdotes that are recorded, he found worrying
, and distracting. His identiticat;ion oUhc,gQd,!\l-.
lah wi1h, the God of'the Jews and Christians was in
a manner accidental j it is precisely parallel to St.
Paul's endeavour to make the" Unknown' God"
'·paramount at Athens to the exclusion of all the
other deities. But the Jewish and Christian records
narrated how their Allah had despatched messengers,
and such a messenger he might be. The message

r ..
80 Mohammed Early Li./e 0./ iVfohammed 81

was in many cases subordinate to the dignity of the

• tribe of 'Abs, and one Hanzalah, son of Safwan,
office, just as we think of a king's ambassador as a to some other of the inhabitants of Arabia. In
high official, rather than as the bearer of a definite .. Yemamah, too, one Maslamah had given a sign that
message. For the contents of the message he had he was sent from God: through the na,rrow neck of
to go back to Jewish and Christian Scriptures, until a bottle he introduced an egg unbroken to the bowl:*
the course of events provided him with plenty to Since Yemamah supplied Meccah with corn, the
say. tradition that makes Mohammed a pupil of Maslamah
Why and how the idea of playing that part should has certainly some foundation. But Mohammed
have come into the mind of this particular Arab, or It had far more to teach Maslamah than to learn from
in the case of this particular Arab have found a him. Maslamah's aspirations scarcely rose above
man with the patience and resolution and inge- those of a conjurer; his pupil, far less able to mystify,
nuity to make it a success-about that we cannot saw how a Prophet could become the head of a
even hazard a conjecture, As Carlyle says, from state.
the time of Tubal Cain there had been iron and When the plan had become an assured success,
boiling water; but through all these millennia no others were inclined to try it for their own benefit.
one invented the steam·engine. Either men wanted t To Mohammed their claims did not seem to merit.a
the ingenuity to see the possibilities of things, or moment's consideration, he treated them as the
they wanted the patience to make their discover- people of Meccah had at first treated him. The
ies fruitful. The daughter of Abu J ahl, one of Mo- wish that all the Lord's people were prophets,
hammed's chief opponents, declared that her father probably never felt by any who uttered it, was not
might have been Prophet had he chosen, but was even expressed by him. If men failed to agree with
unwilling to create sedition:" Prophets indeed .. his second dogma, his own apostleship, he devised
had arisen in Arabia before Mohammed: in Yemen ingenious reasons for showing that they disagreed
among the Himyarites one Samaifa had imitated the with him concerning the first dogma, the Unity of "
I~ God. Hence we are justified in supposing that the,
exploit of old Zamolxis: had hidden himself for a , .',

time and then re.appeared, when one hundred thou- second was the dogma to which he attached the
sand men prostrated themselves before their risen greater importance. And if a Prophet was not a
lord.t Legends containing probably some germ of subject charged with painful duties, but a sovereign
truth recorded how shortly be·fore Mohammed one • privileged with extraordinary rights, the unity of
Khalid, son of Sinan, had been sent to preach to the * That Maslamah had taken the title Rahman before Moham-
med left Meccah is attested by Wakidi (W.), 58; see also J. R.
*Azraki, '92; Wakidi (W.), 343,
<1.. S., '903. .
t Isabah,i., 1003· ~
 •
82 lVlohammed

God's Prophet was no less certain than the unity

of God. The sayings that are recorded of the
Prophet show that he never compromised that high
dignity by any of the humility, genuine or affected •
. '
whIch meets us 1ll the speeches of those who'
preached a doctrine without political ambitions. In
dicta which are ascribed to him he declared himself
to be the best in character and the most perfect in CHAPTER III
beauty among mankind, His was the most noble ISLAM AS A SECRET SOCIETY
pedigree,'" consisting entirely of well·born men and
chaste women. He was the most eloquent of all N his, thirty-ninth year Mohammed became ac-
who had pronounced the characteristic Arabic
letter dad. In the Koran he repeatedly points out
what a privilege his presence is, and how he is a
I quamted or became intimate with Abu Bakr
son of Abu Kuhafah, a cloth merchant Mo:
hammed's junior by two years. He possessed' some
proof or embodiment of God's mercy to the world. " business ability, whereby he had acquired a consid-
If ever he spoke of himself in a less exalted strain, it erable fortune, and, his father being blind, was the
'was when some reverse, the blame for which he reo head of the household. He was a man of a kindly
fused to accept, compelled him to tell his followers and complaisant disposition, of charming manners
that they had expected too much. Hence we are and ready wit, though of an occasionally obscene
driven to the assumption that however many mo- t~ngue, and his company was much sought after.
tives may have led to the adoption of the r61e of • Smce the Meccan tribes, like other Arabs, habitually
Prophet, the desire for personal distinction, which the gathered in circles at evening time and some
Koran puts into the mouth of Noah's adversaries,t d' * h
Iales 'm the courts of their
eld salons ' houses,
-or let us rather say for a place in the community ~here was at Meccah every opportunity of convers-
whence he could enforce his ideas on the rest,-was mg. Abu Bakr was a hero worshipper, if ever there'
one of them; and we shall more easily be able to ap- was one; he possessed a quality common in women
preciate and admire the skill with which he piloted but sometimes present in men, i.e" readiness to fol:
his way, if we keep clearly in our minds the destina- ,

,
j"

, • lo:v the fort.unes of some one else with complete and

tion for which he was steering. !
blInd devotI?n, never questioning nor looking back;
*Mumad, iv.• 107, 166. i' to have beheved much was with him a reason for
i ~::
t Surak xxiii., 24. j ,:i:
* A .Yaki, 467,
 Mohammed Islam as a Secret Society
believing more. Mohammed, a shrewd judge of lem no less than a modern medium. When revela-
men, perceived this quality and used it. tions came to him in public he seems instinctively *
A year after their intimacy had begun, Mo- (or, perhaps, after the example of the Kahins) to
hammed's call came, and the proselytising was then have adopted a process common to the prophets of
done not by Mohammed, but by Abu Bakr. all ages; just as to the Sibyl:
Whether Mohammed had sounded anyone before,
to find out the possibility of winning disciples, is "talia fanti
not known; what is certain is that in this person Ante fores subito non voltus, non color unus,
Mohammed discovered a man capable of believing Non comptre mansere comre; sed pectus anhelum,
that one of his fellow-ci,tizens had a message from Et rabie fera corda tument: majorque videri
God, which it was incumbent on him to receive and Nee mortale sonans, adflata est nnmine qnando
promote. It is so much easier to invite men to Jam propiore dei,"
recognise the elaims of another than of oneself that
in the later history of Islam we find those Mahdis so Mohammed would fall into a violent state of agita-
most successful who could keep hidden while some tion, his face would turn livid, t and he would cover
follower proclaimed their advent. But these were, • himself with a blanket, from which he would after-
ordinarily cases of collusion, where each party wards emerge perspiring copiouslY,:f: with a message
anticipated some definite advantage from such an ready. At some period or other the articulate mes-
arrangement: in Abu Bakr's case the notion of sage seems to have been preceded by an inarticulate
acknowledged collusion cannot be admitted. Mo- one, letters of the alphabet forming no words-curio
hammed used to assert that if he were to make any
,
, ,, ously resembling the initial movements of a plan-
man his confidant (Malil) he would make Abu Bakr, 0,.
chette. § We have already seen reason for believing
but that he had not made a confidant of anyone. that Mohammed at some time had epileptic fits;
Abu Bakr, though an invaluable assistant, was not an whence the phenomena accompanying such a fit may
accomplice. He never forgot the distance between * One of the chief authorities for trad.itions of the Prophet used .
his master and himself. at times to introduce his recollections of the Prophet's utterances with
When a man professes to produce messages from a similar performance. Tabari, COllllll'l xii., <).
another world, he has to make both their form and t Tabari, COllllJl., xxviii., 4.
.. t Bouveret, Les sueurs Morbidcs (Paris, 1880), says:: II Adamkie.
their manner correspond in some way with super- wicz has shown that perspiration can be ~)l'ovoked by artificial or
natural origin. The problem before the medium voluntary incitation of the muscles and their nerves."
is to produce a message without appearing to furnish § Nuldeke's ingenio'us explanation of the mystic letters as signatures
of MSS. is abandoned by him in his Sketck" for a theory rescmblinll '
it himself; and Mohammed had to solve that prob· the above.
 86 Mohammed Islam as a Secret Society

have suggested a form which could afterwards be stances to produce revelations in increasing quan.
artificially reproduced. The process described, at tities, followed this safe method, he could declare
that it was a miracle by which he was made ac-
times accompanied by snoring and reddening of the
face, * presently came to be recognised as the normal
(

,. • quainted with the contents of books which he had

never read. When his style as a preacher had justly
form of inspiration, and could be produced without
,.
)

the slightest preparation; the Prophet would receive I.: won him the applause of large audiences, he could
a divine communication in immediate answer to a change his ground somewhat and declare that the
question addressed him while he was eating; and .~.
mira~le lay in his unrivalled eloquence.
would, after delivering it in this fashion, proceed to This however is to anticipate. The earliest scraps
finish the morsel which he held in his hand when he of revelation, which were communicated to Abu
was interrupted t; or a revelation would come in . Bakr, appear to have been imitations of the utter·
answer to a question addressed him as he stood in ances of revivalist preachers, whom Mohammed had
the pulpit. :I: In revelations which appear to be very heard on his travels. There is (as we have seen)
early Mohammed is addressed as" the man in the a tra.dition that he had heard sermons from "the
blanket," or " the man who is wrapped up," What. " , most eloquent of the Arabs," Kuss, son of Sa'idah,
ever may have been the occasion for this process, the ~ '(; "
•• who bade men remember the transitoriness of life,
• and infer the existence of the Creator from the phe-
Prophet appears to have retained it from first to last. ;oj
,,. nomena of the world. The subjects on which these
The other questions which the medium must solve I
, . ".,
.~

~oncern the matter of the revelation. Once the head 'preachers dwelt were doubtless the Day of Judg-
of a state Mohammed had plenty to say; but at the ment, the pains of hell fire, and the necessity of
;', J.,,'
.",'
' ; ' 1,
worshipping Allah rather than the idols; these be.
commencement of his career, the matter was not , '.
provided by the circumstances. Mediums who are • ing the ordinary themes of Christian revivalists.
, ,;

similarly placed as a rule hit on the same plan. Experience, moreover, shows that warnings of the
_'1 I'.

They put into God's mouth sayings which are gen-

i ,-.;,
approaching end of the world readily find a hear.
r 1-
erally acknowledged to be His-i. e., verses of the i" .
"
ing.* Those who describe the first discourses of
Old or New Testament. These being recognised \ Ii the Prophet speak of them as warning the Meccans
:; :~

as God's Word, no one is compromised by their . ,,,", of the divine punishment: the speaker comparing
himself to one who gives the alarm when the enemy
"

iteration. When Mohammed, forced by circum-,

,e is raiding. t As we shall presently see, this doctrine
* i1Iusl1ad, iv., 222. Bouveref, p. 47: liLa peart peut rough' sillm!~ is not really to be dissociated from that of resurrec·
(au/menl," when perspiration is the result of a violent emotion.
t ilft/mad, vi., 56. *.History of the Mormons, London, ISS!.
tiM"., iii., 2:t. t II I am the na.ked alarm-giver/' Alil-BIi, L, 133.
. ~
," ,:>,'
'I;
"I, .
"
. 1:'
'"
"".
 88 Mohammed Is/am as a Secret Sodety
tion; and the distinctive features of Mohammed's that an honourable man would not mystify his fel.
teaching, as opposed to the ideas of paganism, were lows; and also make it appear that the conviction
. from first to last the doctrine of a future life, and of f
the unity of God. Arabian oratory seems to have • produced by the performances of a medium is often
not shaken by the clearest exposure, Of one of the
been in some sort of rhyme, and this Mohammed mediums whose career he describes, this author ob-
imitated though he little understood its nature. serves that he possessed the friendship and perfect
Against the supposition that Mohammed deliber- trust of his sitters, was aided by the religious emo-
ately mystified his contemporaries, objection has tions inspired by his trance utterances, and could
been taken both in ancient and modern times from • appeal to an unstained character and a life of honour-
the uprightness of his character, which is even said able activity. The possession of these advantages
to have earned him the name of "the Trusty." greatly helped this medium in producing belief in
Hence the story that he trained a pigeon to peck his sincerity; but the historian of Spiritualism, though
grains from his ear has called forth bitter indigna- uncertain how to account for all the phenomena, and
• tion from Carlyle and others, And indeed the acknowledging the difficulties which attend his ex-
Moslem tradition does not record any occasions on planation, is inclined to attribute all that is wonder-
which he received revelations from pigeons. Still, ' " ful in the medium's performances to trickery, What
many scenes are recorded if! which he appears to is clear is that Mohammed possessed the same ad-
have studied theatrical effect of a scarcely less na'ive vantages as Pod more enumerates, and thereby won
kind. In an empty room he professed to be unable adherents; that nevertheless the process of revelation
to find sitting-place,-all the seats being occupied was so suspicious that one of the scribes employed
by angels. He turned his face away modestly from to take down the effusions became convinced that it
a corpse, out of regard for two Houris who had come • was imposture and discarded Islam in consequence.*
from heaven to tend their husband. There is even But to those who are studying merely the political
reason for supposing that he, at times, let confeder- effectiveness of supernatural revelations the sincerity
ates act the part of Gabriel, or let his followers iden- of the medium is a question of little consequence. '
tify some interlocutor of his with that angeI.¥ The We regard then Mohammed's assumption of the
revelations which he produced find a close parallel r6le of medium as due to the receptivity of Abu
'~~• Bakr. t It was in the Prophet's character to bide
in those of modern mediums, which can be studied
in the history of Spirituali;;m by Mr. F. Pod more,
whose researches cast great doubt on the proposition ~: r~
j

• * Musnad, iii., 121, etc.

* Ibn Sa',t II.• ii.,

52. One Harithah Ibn Aj.Nu'man·declared h.
r.,; 'I~,." . t Noldeke, Z. D. ,w. G.. Iii.. 16-21, makes the order of converts
. Khadijah, Zaid, Ali, some slaves, Sa'd, son of Abu Wakkas, and
,: f ..
had seen Gabriel twice, • Iii Abu Bakr, with other Kura~hites,
T k·
. '.t!"
~
 Mohammed Islam as a Secret Society! 91
his time-to wait, before taking any step, till the yet probably their daily worship of AI-Lit or AI.
favourable moment had arrived. But such a new 'u zza * would not be carried on at such a time.
Moreover, a month devoted to ascetic observance
role cannot be taken up quite suddenly-there must
be some period of transition between the old life
t
• was one specially suited for aspirations towards a
and the new. Most mediums have for such trans- more spiritual form of religion than the ordinary
ition a period of solitude. Thus Joseph Smith, .
i'
paganism. At some time then in this month, when
founder of the Mormon sect, wandered into a wood, he had descended by himself to the midst of the
and there, under the guidance of angels, unearthed valley, occurred the theophany (or its equivalent)
the Book of Mormon. The Seer of Poughkeepsie, ( which led to Mohammed's starting as a divine
in March, 1844, "wandered into the country under messenger.
the guidance of his inward monitor, and fell into a The idea of Joseph Smith was to communicate to
spontaneous trance, during which Galen and Swe- the world the contents of certain hidden t~blets only
denborg appeared to him in a churchyard, and accessible to himself, and in a language which he
instructed him concerning his message to mankind." only could translate" by the grace of God." Mo.
His work, Tile Principles of Nature, afterwards hammed's was very similar; he was empowered (or,
<
delivered by him in trance, if not quite so success- according to one account, forced) to read matter
ful as the Koran, nevertheless went through thirty. contained in a well-guarded tablet-he having pre.
four editions in thirty years, and is still * quoted by viously been unable to read or write. To the
some as a divine revelation. Now that Mohammed's miracle whereby he was enabled to read without
prophetic career began with a period of solitude having learned-which may have been suggested by
seems attested, though there is some inconsistency narratives current about other prophets-he alludes, t
between our authorities as to the details. For one ( but he does not insist on it. His idea of being
month of the year-and it would appear the month permitted only occasionally to get access to the
i, I.
of Ramadan, afterwards stereotyped as the Fasting . I,, guarded tablet was a better one than Smith's, be.
Month of Islam-the Meccans practised a rite called Jl cause it enabled him to legislate as occasion de.'
tahannlltll, of which the exact meaning is indeed manded. In the traditions which bear on this
unknown, but which apparently was some sort of subject the communication is done by Gabriel, the
asceticism. During this month it was Mohammed's • angel who in the New Testament conveys messages;
custom to retire to a cave in Mt. Hira, some three but in the theophany recorded in the Koran, it
miles from Meccah in the direction of Ta'if. He appears to be God Himself who descended, and at a
would appear to have taken his family with him: * .tlfusnad, iv., 222.
t Sura!> xxix., 47.
 Mohammed Islam flS a Secret Society 93
,distance of rather less than two bowshots * addressed him and Khadijah was historical; it was known that
the Prophet,and on a second occasion was seen by a relative of Khadijah was enlightened, and the
legend could scarcely do less than make him
him" at the lotus of the extreme end, where is the
garden of lodging." The substitution afterwards of • acknowledge her husband's mission. Nor do we
Gabriel is probably due to the development of the assign any historical value to' the tradition that
Prophet's theology. Mohammed dreamed he saw \\Tarakah after his
More than a shadowy outline of this commence· death in white raiment, signifying a place in Para-
ment of revelation will never be known. The dise. * But that Khadijah may have been prepared
earliest account makes the Prophet so much alarmed , • by her cousin's speculations and studies for a revolt
by his experience, and so afraid of becoming a Kaltin from the Meccan religion is not improbable. In
or a poet, that he all but commits suicide; Khadijah, Khadijah's case moreover we might expect a priori
finding him, comforts him with the assurance that he that maternal grief over her dead sons would enter
is going to be the nationalllabi (Prophet)-a word into the process of conversion, and this is confirmed
which she can scarcely have known; and consults by a story told in the memoirs of Ali. t If idolators
;~
her learned relative Warakah, son of Naufal, who is i"
went to hell, she asked her husband, were her
(
equally encouraging. His words are given as, • parents in hell? Mohammed replied that they were,
"Kaddosh, Kaddosh, this is the Greater Nomos." and, seeing that she looked pained, assured her that
The first two words are Hebrew, and mean" Holy, , ~, if she could see them with their true nature revealed,
Holy! " The last is Greek for" Law." The curious she would detest them too. Next she asked were
and hybrid nature of the expressions makes it pos- their dead children in hell also? To this question
sible that there may be some truth in this story; but the Prophet in reply produced a revelation: "And
that the exclamation did not suit the occasion on '. whoso believe and are followed by their seed in
which it is supposed to have been uttered is implied faith, unto them shall we attach their seed."~ A
by the commentators, who make the" Law" mean brilliant answer; since thereby the bereaved mother
King's messenger, and apply it to Gabriel. Another was assured that the eternal happiness of her dead 'V.
account made Khadijah consult not Warakah, but sons was made conditional on her believing; the
a Christian slave, who recognised the name Gabriel. chance being thus given her not only of recovering
Warakah figures no further in the narrative,t and it them, but of giving them access to the Garden of
would be rash to assert that the interview between • Delight. No wonder that Khadijah devoted herself
* The original is ob~cure. * Alusnad, Vi-, 68.
tIn Usd al..ghabalt, t, 207. he is said to have witnessed the torture tJbid.• i., 135.
of one of Mohamme(l's followers. t Suralt Iii.• ".
 94 Mohammed ,.1
.Islam as a Secret SocietJ 95
,
heart and soul to the mission, and received a promise the most likely account-but, as we shall have oc-
of a very special place in Paradise.* casion to see, entirely subject to the Prophet's
It is clear that some of the ordinances of Islam authority.
must have commenced from the moment that the
f
• It is stated that the revelations ceased for a time
revelations were communicated to Abu Bakr and after they had begun-a phenomenon which may be
Khadijah. For it is by no means sufficient to warn compared with the fact made out by Starbuck in the
people of the terrors of the Day 6f Judgment; some cases of conversion which he studied; complete re-
answer must be given to the question, What shall lapses, he shows, are few, but periods of inactivity
.J I do to be saved? And that answer, in order that • and indifference numerous. Khadijah is credited
it may satisfy, must involve certain injunctions. with having consoled the Prophet during the tem.
There appear to have been commands to wash the ) X porary suspense of the divine visitations; which
clothes, and to avoid the idols. The first of these !
perhaps we may interpret as meaning that the strong.
was an easy symbolical act-with many races the minded woman who kept him faithful during the
clothes are all but identical with the wearer. t The
second was difficult in a community where people saw
r, years in which his master.passion must have been
strongest compelled him to adhere to the line which
much of each other; from stories which shall be • he had taken. But indeed he was compelled to con.
mentioned we gather that worship of idols was a tinue by Abu Bakr, who immediately started pro.
familiar feature of every.day life. Abandonment of selytising. Doubtless at the Prophet's desire the
idolatry could not easily be concealed from the mission was conducted with profound secrecy. Abu
household; hence the secret of the Prophet's mission Bakr communicated nothing save to persons in whom
had to be revealed almost at the first to the two he had confidence; and on whom he was able to ob-
lads who were about Khadijah's house, Zaid, son of '. tain some leverage. But neither he nor the Prophet
Harithah, the adopted son, and Ali, the Prophet's were impatient, and they were satisfied if the first
cousin, son of Abu Talib, for whom Mohammed year of Abu Bab"s propaganda produced three con-
had undertaken to provide, owing to his uncle find- verts. '" There is strong reason for thinking that he .
ing difficulty in maintaining his numerous family.:/: was helped from the first by an Abyssinian slave,
The latter was about ten years of age; the former Bilal, of whose antecedents we should gladly know
was ten years the Prophet's junior § -according to more; for Omar declared that Bilal was a third part
! of Islam t; and, lest we should mistake the meaning
* A£umad, iv'l 356.
,. of the phrase, a later follower used to call himself
t Wei/hausen, Reste, '96.
tNalckke, Z. D. M. G., lii., 19, regards this as a fiction. * Isabah, it, 162.
§Ibn Said, iii., 30. t Yahi., OpUS&ula, 58.

f , lit
. I
96 Mohammed Islam as a Secret Society 97
the quarter of Islam, * because, when he visited Mo. another, and was killed, priest·like, ostentatiously
hammed at 'Ukaz, he found him followed as yet by reading the Koran. He loved Mohammed's fair
one freeman, Abu Bakr, and one slave, Bilal. The daughter, Rukayyah, and learned to his chagrin
tradition clearly does not know for certain whose that she had been betrothed to another. Hearing
slave he was. In want of better information we are the sad news he came to pour his grief into Abu
Bakr's friendly ears. Abu Bakr in reply asked him
inclined to attribute to him some of the Abyssinian
elements in the Prophet's productions.t He was ;, . . whether he did not think the Meccan gods stocks
after a time purchased and manumitted by Abu and stones ?-a question of doubtful appropriateness,
Bakr. it might seem, unless their services had been called in
How Abu Bakr proceeded is not recorded in many ~ by the lover; but a conversation followed, whence
cases. There is, however, one anecdote which is Othman inferred that if he chose to declare the
likely to be true and characteristic. Othman, son of 'Meccan gods worthy of contempt and acknowledge
'Affsn, six years the Prophet's junior, was a cloth .,.,i that Mohammed had a mission to suppress them,
merchant, having for partner a cousin of Mo- . F . Mohammed's daughter might still be his. Mo..
hammed ~; he also did some business as a money- , ',
I' hammed presently passed by. Abu Bakr whispered
, ~ something into his ear and the affair was arranged.
"

lender, advancing sums for enterprises of which he '

was to enjoy half the profits,§ and in money matters
, Othman became a believer and Rukayyah became
i
, his wife.
showed remarkable acuteness. II His sister was a .'
': ... In this case the process of conversion is laid·
milliner, married to a barber," and he himself . ~

was unusually handsome, fond of personal adorn. bare, and offers no further difficulty to the reader.
I
,'. In each of the other cases the shrewd missionary
ment, and digllified; Mohammed even did not
venture to appear in deshabille before him, ** or
allow slave-girls to beat drums in his presence.t·~
•
must have seen his opening, though we do not often
know what it was. Abu Bakr probably was aware
He was no fighting man, as his subsequent history ,.', that women are more amenable to conversion than
proved, for he shirked one battle-field, ran away from .,.;.,
"i men, resident foreigners than natives;* slaves than.
freemen, persons if(. distress than persons in pro..
* Afusnad, iv., 385. sperity andaffiuence. When Islam was found out;
t Enumerated by Wellllflusc1z, Rcstc, 232. 'Ii:
ii the humble character of many of Mohammed's fol-
t Isabah., i., 1036. ~i
, ! lowers was a stumbling-block to the Meccan aristo.
Ii
§ Ibn Sa'd, iii., II r. :
~ Wakidi (W.), 23r. i crats, who requested him to send away this scum
, Isaban, i., 714. " before they would argue with him. Indeed the:
** Jl,lus!im, ii.. 234. * Wellnauset1-, Reste, 221.
tt Musnad, iv" 3'~. ~

-,' '.
 Mohammed Islam as a Secret Sodety 99
Koran acknowledges so distinctly that the followers men; and Abdallah was converted by perceiving
of the Prophet were the lowest of the people * that J .'
" the goat's udder swell and contract at the Prophet's
grave doubt attaches to early traditions which can· pleasure.* Othman, son of Maz'un,t a man of ascetic
flict with this statement. The phraseology em- turn of mind, came one day to sit with the Prophet;
ployed, "the worst of us-at first sight," is curiously the Prophet gazed up into heaven, presently looked
lucid. And later on, when the aristocrats had been at a certain spot, went thither, came back, and
forced into Islam, they were wont to reproach their again gazed up into heaven. Asked the meaning
new brethren with their earlier condition.t For many of this performance, he replied that he had been
a man the honour of being Abu Bakr's first convert visited by a messenger of God, who told him to
t
was afterwards claimed; and the length of time in preach justice, kindness, chastity, etc.; and Othman
which the mission remained a secret rendered their .believed. Several declared that dissatisfaction with
claims difficult to assess, When men were asked I' pagan beliefs was what had led them to' the Prophet;
what first led them to Mohammed they were apt to and if there was a trace of this feeling in a man, Abu
give fantastic answers; perhaps they had forgotten ;' Bakr would not let it escape him. Such a convert
1~"
the real motive or preferred to conceal it. Khalid,
son of Sa'id, the fourth or fifth convert, dreamed that 'J,
;
it"

,.
, may have been Sa'id, son of Zaid Ibn 'AmI'; his
father had rejected polytheism and idolatry before
his father was pushing him into a lake of fire, whence ",
Mohammed's mission was started, without, however,
another man saved him. He asked Abu Bakr to in.
"

adopting Judaism or Christianity. Sp.'id's conver.

terpret t; Abu Bakr took him to Mohammed, then sian was early, but he is not reckoned among Abu
in retreat at Ajyad, near Safa; in whom the dreamer Bakr's proselytes. Such a convert may also have
recognised his Saviour, and was converted. Do men been 'Abd al-Ka'bah (servant of the Ka'bah), son of
really dream thus? Flammarion and Myers would "t 'Auf, re·named 'Abd aI-Rahman; for the Ka'bah
answer that they do. Abdallah, son of Mas'ud, a was not yet dissociated from paganism.t This man
client and serf, declared that when feeding the herds was a merchant, partner of a certain Rabah, called
of 'Ukbah, son of Mu'ait (afterwards a prominent ,
by his new friends the trustworthy; he had a rare'
t,
opponent of Mohammed) in the country, he had talent for making money, with which he was free.
been solicited for a bowl of milk by Mohammed and • I 1. handed. Years after, when he§ with the other
Abu Bakr, who were walking together away from Refugees arrived at Yathrib destitt:te, he asked for
*Surall xL, 27_
l' * JVlUS1zad t L, 462.
t Wahidi, lI8. t.fbid, i., 318.
tAbu Bakr regularly figures as dream interpreter. lVellhausen :I: His original name is doubtful; others give it as servant of'Amrt.·
(W.), 14. §Alif·Ba, L, 437.

),1·
.\ ':,::.
6~"~
100 Mohammed Islam as a Secret Sodety 101

no further provision than to be shown the market; the Prophet, son of a corn-chandler, in training to be
once there he could get on, though he had no cap- a butcher, and is said to have experienced rough
ital.* He is said to have been a total abstainer be·
fore conversion; to have disapproved of fighting in
r'
'.I:
}
.. treatment at home. If his conversion be rightly
placed at this time, perhaps he was a playmate of
the cause of Islam, yet when the practice had once Ali, initiated in the mysteries that he might not
beg11n, to have been inferior to none in courage. reveal them; for, as we have seen, their houses
Such a man might not seem to be promising mao were connected.
terial for Abu Bakr; but he was some eight years Talhah was certainly grown up, and professed to
Abu Bah's junior, and may have been subject to his I .,. have been directed to Mohammed by a monk whom
I
influence. Or in his case, too, a lady may have been ., he met when travelling on business to Syria. If
involved. There was at Meccah a certain Mikdad, i any value attaches to this statement, it probably
;' I
means that he had heard the Arabian paganism
who had fled from his own tribe for a murder, and
been received by the Kindah; among them, too, he
shed blood, and fled to Meccah, where he was
H ridiculed by followers of the fashionable creed, and
though their jibes were without effect on most
adopted by a man named AI.Aswad, of the tribe of .. minds, some were impressed thereby. Later in
Mohammed's mother. 'Abd al.Ka'bah advised him ' life he won celebrity by his freehandedness with
(in conversation) to marry, yet refused him his money.*
daughter, with scorn; but he found consolation Sa'd claimed to have been for a whole week the
from Mohammed, who gave .him the daughter of third Moslem, in which case he was actually Abu
his uncle, Zubair, already dead, on the same condi· Bah's first convert. He was by trade an arrow-
tions (we suspect) as those to which Othman had maker, and was thought to have shed the first blood
been compelled to assent. The further steps which ! .. in the new cause. He was aged seventeen at the
led to the winning over of 'Abd al·Ka'bah are un· time of his conversion.
known. With Mikdad there was won another con· Every convert when brought to Mohammed ex-
vert, 'Utbah, son of Ghazwan, also a client, and hibited some repugnance, except Abu Bakr. This.
probably poor. was afterwards acknowledged by the Prophet: but
Three men who figure among the earliest converts he did not state what it was that the newcomers
are AI-Zubair, son of 'Awwam; Sa'd, son of Abu disliked. Nor have we any record of the procedure
Wakkas, and Talhah, son of 'Ubaidallah, The first ' If at these solemn scenes: at most we hear that the
of these, according to different traditions was eight, Prophet taught the proselytes to pray. At a later
ten, or seventeen at this time; he was a cousin of time, however, admission to see the Prophet meant
* Isabah. * Ghurar ai-Khasa'ls, 245.
102 Mohammed

that the proselyte was prepared to swear allegiance,

and bound himself to abstain from certain immoral
acts; for the commission of which he was to undergo
punishment in this life, if he meant to escape punish- •
ment hereafter -x-; and besides at a still later period
(in the case of men) to fight all nations till they
adopted the new religion. We can scarcely doubt
that from the first the proselytes undertook some
serious obligation, such as those who are admitted
to other secret societies undertake; those obligations •
are not ordinarily some definite performances in the
present but readiness to act when called upon in
the future. It would appear that from the first the
Prophet instituted brotherhoods between pairs of
believers, whose new relationship was to supersede
the claims of blood just as the Christianity of the
tribes who formed the 'Ibad or Christians of Hirah
had provided a bond different from that of the tribe.
The repugnance observed by the Prophet probably
lay in the anxiety which even the young feel in com-
mitting themselves to something for life, especially
when that something is an unknown quantity, a
course of which the issue is obscure.
Of the evolution of the Mohammedan ceremony
called sallit, the name of which was borrowed from
either the Jewish or the Christian name for prayer,
we possess little detailed knowledge. In the form
POSTUR,ES CF PRAYER.
afterwards stereotyped the Jewish practice of stand-
ing erect, the Christian of prostration,:!: and a third
* Tabari, i., 1213.
t Rothstein,Lakhmiden, 25. ~I
t Von Kremer, Strei/ziige, 15.
 •

Islam as a Secret Soddy 103

of inclination (the back horizontal with the hands

on the knees) were combined; and certain formula:
were prescribed. "We used at first," said a convert,
" not knowing what to say when we prayed, to salute
God, Gabriel, and Michael; the Prophet presently
taught us another formula instead."'» A prayer corre-
sponding to the Pater Noster was composed probably
at a later time; it contains polemical references to
some sect or sects not specified. t As will be seen, the
• salat was afterwards employed as a sort of military
drill; at the first it was ascetic in character, the de-
votee "tying a cord to his chest." t That the
division of the day into periods for the purpose of
performing salat five times was an innovation of the
late Meccan period is asserted by the tradition; and
)
• the details of the purity legislation appear to have
been still later. Yet the theory that God should be
approached only by persons in a state of purity was v'

known in South Arabia before Mohammed's time,

whence it is probable that his earliest con verts were
instructed therein; and indeed the washing of the
,
)
• garments which marked conversion belongs to the
same range of ideas.
The salat was during this early period performed
in strict privacy, and doubtless meetings of believers
were fixed with great caution. Whatever part the
, I
I * 1l1"usnad, i.,423. 1
t U Lead 115in the straight padl l the path of those unto whom
• Thou hast been gracious, not those with whom Thou hast been
angry [the Jews?]. nor those who goastrny [the Christians?]" This
is Tirmidhi's explanation.
t Tabtwi, ColJtm., xvi" go. Probably the other end of the cord
was attached to the roofi iRstoin du Bas-empire, xiii., 312.

• •
 !O4 Mohammed Islam as a Secret Society !Os
, converts had previously taken in the Meccan worship which the medium produces, as the result of his
they doubtless continued to take. Whether the trance. If any unbelievers are prcsent the medium
sanctity of the Ka'bah was maintained at this time , " (in many cases) cannot act: Jind the words of the
by the Prophet we do' not know: more probably it biographers imply that in the case of these early
was rejected. And if the question of a direction to be converts they signified their belief before they were
taken in prayer was considered at this time, we can brought into Mohammed's presence,
scarcely doubt that the Temple of Jerusalem was As the Prophet more and more identified himself
the point to which he turned. The connection of with his part he endeavourcd to live up to it. It is
the Abraham-myth with the Ka'bah appears to have • said that he habitually wore a veil," and this prac.
been the result of later speculation, and to have tice may have begun at the time of these mys.
been fully developed only when a political need for terious seances, of which it served to enhance the
it arose. solemnity. In course of time he acquired a be.
A fair amount of the Koran must have been in nign and pastoral manner; when he shook hands he
existence when Abu Bakr started his mission; at would not withdraw his hand first; when he looked
least he must have been able to assure the prose· at a man he would wait for the other to turn away
lytes that his Prophet was in receipt of divine com- .. his face.t Scrupulous care was bestowed by him on
munications, such as he could allege in proof of his l: his person: every night he painted his eyes, and his
personal acquaintance with the real God; and it is
probable that with the gradual increase in the num-
'~;:I
,
". 101-.
body was at all times fragrant with perfumes.:j: His
I"
i"
.'
:
I'.
hair was suffered to grow long till it reached his
bers of the believers, the Koran transformed itself shoulders; and when it began to display signs of
from the" mediumistic" communications with which grey, § these were concealed with dycs. II He pos.
o.
,0 •
:j .•
it began to the powerful sermons with which its ,~

I' b' l- sessed the art of speaking a word in season to the

lL
second period is occupied. For a very small audio neophytes-saying something which gratified the
ence the processes undergone by the medium are special inclinations of each, or which manifested
exceedingly effective. The necessity of excluding acquaintance with his antecedents. How many-of
strangers keeps those presen t in a state of alarm; ~ :E:, the stories which illustrate the -latter talent are true
the approach of the" superior condition" shown by 'J,! it is hard to say; but there is little doubt that he
the mcdium collapsing, requiring to be wrapped up,
and then revealing himself in a violent state of
,I
;
Jet,
..
was acquainted with the devices known to modern
-,---
* 7ah iz, Bayau, ii. 79. 84.
I

perspiration, is highly sensational; the marvellous t Tirmidlti, 410 (ii., 80).

processes which the spectators have witnessed make t Alif-Ba, ii., 29.
§ Mus11ad, iv.. 188.
them attach extraordinary value to the utterances
I1bid., iv., 163. This is disputed.
"
 . *

106 Mohammed Islam as a Secret Society 10 7

mediums by which private information can either , not therefore be the author of an Arabic Koran:
. be obtained, or the appearance of possessing it dis. Perhaps that reply is unconvincing; but the impres-
played. Moreover, in the early period none were sion which the Koran leaves is that of information
admitted to see the Prophet in character of whom • picked up casually rather than acquired by any sort
the missionary was not sure, and who had not been of methodical study.* In a Surah delivered at
prepared to venerate. Medinah in which the story of Saul should be told,
The needs of his, profession do not appear to have Saul's name is mutilated to Talut, clearly a jingle
made him actually a student-yet there is no ques- with Galut, the nearest that the Prophet could get to
tion that as the Koran grew in bulk, its knowledge Goliath: the name of Samuel is forgotten, he is con.
of biblical stories became somewhat more accurate: "
•fused with Gideon, and the story of Gideon is told
and though this greater degree of accuracy may wrongly. This phenomenon almost disposes of the
have at times been due to the Prophet's memory, it theory of a mentor, for no mentor could be 50 ignor.
is more likely that he took such opportunities as ant of the Bible. Moreover the sources of the Koran
offered of acquiring more information. The follow- are very numerous-Abyssinian and Syriac, as well /
ing story gives us an idea of his method. J abr, a as Hebrew and Greek.t So far then as the biblical
client of the Banu 'Abd ai-Dar, was a Jew * who ' , " ., tales qf the Koran were not reproductions of matter
worked as a smith in Meccah. He and Yasar (also a heard by Mohammed on his early travels, they are
Jew) used to sit together at their trade and in the likely to have been all picked up by listening when
course of their work read out their sacred book; the services or Bible readings were going on. The J inn
Prophet used to pass by and listen. Presently JabI' were thought by him to listen at the heavenly coun-
~ was converted by hearing the Prophet read the i cils in the same way, and in consequence to pick
Surah of Joseph.t It has becn suggested that some • up intelligence which was only partially correct.
of the Christian matter in the Koran may have been That danger there was no way of averting, except
learned from an early follower named Suhaib, who j' engaging a teacher, which would have involved
was a Greek from MosuLt The tradition names still greater risks,
more than one person who was thought by the Publicity was expressly discouraged by him. A
Meccans to be the Prophet's mentor, and the Koran Syrian ('AmI', son of 'Abasah) who claimed at a
even refutes this charge by stating that the persoll
to whom they allude had a foreign tongue, and could f
4~i'!
.• ---
later time to have becn the fourth Moslem, asserted
* Niildeke, Sketches, c. ii.
* 01' a Christian; the Moslems are careless about distinguishing. " ~j ~, t The best evidence for this is the form assumed by the proper
t Isabah. i., 452; Wakidi (IV.), 349. 'j'I ,,, names. Syc, Die Eigemtamen im Koran, 1903, does scant justice to
~'
t Loth in Z. D. M, C" xxxv., 621. ;
this theme,

...
J08 Mohammed Islam as a Secret Socz"ety 1°9
that having himself abandoned the worship of idols,* then at eventide skulking away:~ Many years
he 'had come to Mohammed, who, he heard, was in lapsed before Mohammed was able to reward his
possession of the truth; he found Mohammed bent faithful entertainer by presenting him with a dwell-
C!
on maintaining the secrecy of his mission: he offered ing at Medinah. Even if secrecy had not been
to join Mohammed openly, but was forbidden to do desirable, the intense curiosity of Orientals would
so, since he would serve the cause better by return- , have seriously in terfered wi th seances held in a
g'
ing to his country and-we may presume-playing thickly populated town. But that curiosity would
the part of Abu Bakr. Some early revelations are not induce them to go a short journey outside it,
said to have been delivered in a cave, a natural form • hence Mohammed could hold his meetings in peace.
of hiding-place t; and in the anecdotes that have Since at the first conversion did not interfere with a
already been told Mohammed is found in seclusion; man's business, it is likely that these meetings were
when Abu Dharr, afterwards a famous ascetic, came at irregular intervals.
from a distance to learn about the Prophet's views We should gladly be able to make use of the tables
(according to one account), the latter was hiding in drawn up by Professor Starbuck in analysing the
the mountains.t But one fact that emerges from the next set of conversions; but the ages recorded are
obscurity which is spread over the early days of the • absolutely irregular, and the phenomena can be
mission is that Mohammed, after some conversions brought under no rule. The persons who went to
had been made, went into" the house of AI·Arkam, the house of Arkam were of all sorts of ages, the
on Mount Safa." This AI~Arkam was a member of oldest ten years the Prophet's senior, some in
the tribe Makhzum, and must have been about middle life, forty-six or thirty.four, several quite
seventeen when the mission started: some made him young. Several were slaves or freedmen-persons
out to be the seventh, others the tenth convert.' "for whom a new system which holds out prospects
His house on Safa appears to have served as a meet- of equality had an easily intelligible attraction.
ing-house, where the Prophet could receive neophytes And indeed their condition speedily bettered itself
or hold seances without fear of being disturbed. So -for the manumission of believers was soon declared
we are told of two converts, both Greek slaves, to be a pious duty.t Some belonged to the metie
Suhaib, son of Sinan, and 'Ammar, son of Yasir, class, who were without relations in Meccah. Hatib,
accidentally meeting at the door of AI-Arkam's son of Abu Balta'ah, probably a Christian from Hirah,
house, entering to make their profession of faith, and ( '.• who will meet us once or twice in the sequel, is a speci.
,i; men. Most of them are however to us mere names.
* Mu.Sl1ad, iv., III.
.~

t Afus!i1Jt, ii. 194.

f
I." ."
* Ibn ~~l'd. iiL, 102.
~ Isabah, iii" "73. l
I:
~.
~.,
t <;0 Abu Bake bought and manumitted'Amie Ibn Fuhairah.

~ .'
;~
,

•
 110 Mohammed
•
Islam as a Secret Society III

In a few cases families were converted wholesale, length of time is rather surprising, for, even if
three sons of Jahsh, three sons of Al·Harith (Hatib, the positive part of the new system could be per-
Hattab, and Ma'mar), four sons of Al.Bukair, three c formed in secrecy, the negative part would speedily
sons of Maz'un, are enumerated among the acces. give evidence of itself. The worship of the gods
sions of this period j and in several cases the conver- was a feature of every.day life. Visits to their
sion of one brother was succeeded by that of abodes for a number of days, accompanied by sacri.
another; so Ali's older brother J a'far joined the fices of sheep and camels, were not uncommon.*
movement, in which he was destined to playa 'part Mohammed's partner (or his son) described some of
of some importance, though less distinguished than, • the household rites: " My parents used to churn the
that of the Prophet's son.in·law. The privilege of milk till it was done, when they would pour some of
J re.naming followers was one of which other prophets it into a vessel, and tell me to take it to the gods.
had availed themselves, and this Mohammed claimed Then a dog might come and drink the milk or eat the
wherever a proselyte was caIled after an idol, or butter, and afterwards pollute the vessel." This rite
otherwise had an iII.omened appellation. Special was no more and no less ridiculous than any other in
titles of honour were also conferred, but probably at which an imaginary person is treated as a human
a later time: Abu Bakr was called the Faithful ' , being; but it can be made out to be ridiculous: and
Friend, Zubair, the Apostle, Abu Ubaidah, son of the persons whose eyes had been focus£ed to the
Jarrah, the Faithful, Omar, the Saviour. These point whence the sacrifice of milk to AI·Lat ap-
were like the decorations conferred by the sovereign peared ridiculous would feel the greatest repugnance
in modern times on persons who have either done . , when called upon to take part in it: the young and
some public service, or are intrusted with some thoughtless would burn to play the part of Abraham
important charge. , who broke his father's idols. And indeed Ali as.
The precursors of Mohammed do not enter on the serted that Abraham's act had been imitated by the
scene at this period, and it is not probable that they Prophet himself. The two went secretly to the
were in the secret, supposing more than one of them Ka'bah to destroy an idol that was on the roof.
to have been alive at the time. "Those that are First Mohammed tried to mount on Ali's shoulders:
whole need not a physician," and the proud possess- but Ali was not yet strong enough, and there.
ors of monotheistic book-learning were at no time, fore Mohammed had to support his cousin; who
promising material for proselytism. Moreover these '. wrenched the idol from its place, and caused it to
persons (it would appear) had not kept their opinions ::: crash in pieces on the ground. t Probably this story
secret. *Azraki, 81.
That conversion could be concealed for any' t Musnad, i .. 84, etc.

~ . . ~
"", 'I
 • v

112 Mohammed Islam as a Secret Society 113

represents rather what they ought to have done than fanatic-Othman, son of Maz'un, seems to have been
\vhat they actually did. Still we see the need for of this type; some of the weak-minded and super-
proselytising only persons in whose self-control con- stitious; many of the persons who find in religion
)
fidence could be felt. At a later period Mohammed the possibility of a career. The skill of both Abu
is recorded to have recommended a certain proced- Bakr and the Prophet was displayed in retaining
ure to persons who, in order to save their lives, had their hold on this slowly growing company. In the
to go through some of the ceremonies of idolatry: to case of the poor it was done by subsidies; presently,
appear to men to worship while in secret venting when Islam was penalised, the Prophet found he had
some expressions of contempt upon the idol. Those
who found the idols unable to resent this behaviour
.. whole families on his hands; but we need not doubt
that from the first the wealth which he controlled ./
would be only confirmed in their contempt for them. proved useful. Unlike the Christian missionaries
Meanwhile the worship which was to be substituted who had to be supported by their converts, he could
for the old rites was carried on in strict privacy. claim that he sought no reward, and to the end re-
To what extent the secret society was conscious fused either to enjoy the Alms himself, or to allow
of its potentialities we know not. The advantage
,I any members of his family to enjoy them. The most
I
;
of the darkness for the first few years of its growth ~ successful of the mediums played this card. Home
"
was great. That darkness saved it from being lj with its aid won his way into the society of princes.
crushed at the outset. Ridicule and contempt could' Like most of those who have known mankind
be more easily endured when some hundred persons thoroughly, Mohammed held, and at times all but
were involved, than if the Prophet had been com- openly avowed, the doctrine that every man has
pelled to endure them by himself. It saved him, too, his price, and indeed a price to be estimated in
from the character of the eccentric sage (such as l) cam els. '
Warakah and the others had borne), investing him But where" temporal relief" was not required, the "'
from his first public appearance with that of the promise of the Garden worked wonders. The glow-
leader of a party: it gave the Prophet time to secure ing descriptions thereof contained in the Koran arc
over a reasonable number of persons that influence still a powerful instrument in the hands of Moslem
which he could exercise to such an extraordinary missionaries. The history of Islam is a record of
degree. It prepared him for ruling men on a great sacrifices gladly made in order to obtain those gaud-
scale, Gathered in the house of Al-Arkam there !.I' ily painted delights. Its character is not unlike that
were specimens of most of the classes with whom of some savage Paradises: " there are prettier women
his further career brought him in contact: there in the La,nd of the Great Spirit than any of your
were examples of the religious enthusiast and gloomy squaws, and game in much greater abundance," said
8
 114 Mohammed Islam as a Secret Society lIS
a Crow to Beckwourth,* urging him to fight. Its ,. there is little evidence. That the harsh things said
'
name was taken from Jews or Christians, its descrip. "

at these meetings about the worship of idols included

tion in part from Ta'if, where the wealthy Meccans condemnation of the representatives of the official
had gardens, but various touches were added as . worship at Meccah is exceedingly probable; and the
1,·
occasion required. notion that a Prophet ought to be an autocrat
So soon as Islam became strong, the ordinary probably was developed very early. But if one of
.-/ rule of the secret society was avowed: whereby the secret society asked another why he belonged to
whoso joins it once joins it for ever, his life being it, he would probably have replied: in order to gain.
forfeit if he quits. This rule, which to the present Paradise and escape the Fire. * Men were initiated
day renders the conversion of a Mohammedan all • into the mysteries of Eleusis for some similar reason.
but an impossibility, is so intimately connected with Examples are not wanting of converts whose faith
the nature of secret societies that we should place received some sudden shock; or who (as unbelievers
the beginnings of it very early; and a suspicion at might say) suddenly woke up to the unreality of the
least of its existence was probably what kept many whole system.
a proselyte faithful under persecution. Yet the re' New sects require some freemasonry by which
ligion which is embraced for sordid motives is often
retained for honourable reasons; and early observers
• members may know each other, and perhaps the
greeting" Peace upon you" was introduced at this
found that among the most sincere believers in Islam early period, though a visitor to Medinah fifteen
were persons who had been lured into it by bribes.t years after the commencement of the mission de-
Moreover, to some persons secrecy has an attrac- clared that it was new. t This greeting was doubt·
tion, and some gratification is afforded by leading less usual among Jews and Christians; but it seems
a double life. Secret societies still exist, meeting
where no one suspects their object, sometimes proba.
• to have deeply affected Mohammed, who constantly
refers to it in the Koran. God pronounces it over
bly for mummeries, sometimes to discuss schemes the Prophets, the angels taught it to Abraham,
of far· reaching import. One writer of ability sus- with it the beatified dead are greeted in Para.-
pects that at Mohammed's early meetings some dise, where indeed it is the whole conversation.
socialistic scheme was discussed, some better divi- By adopting this salutation, Mohammed practically
sion of wealth between rich and poor.:j: For this 1·", identified his system with that of Jews and
* Autobiograph)\ r6I. * Cf.7'llbari, L, 1218, IO.
t lYIuslilll, iLl 212; ilIum,ad, iiL, 175. tIsabalt, iii., 70; but Wel/hauun ( w., 75) renders this differently.
t So, too, preachers describe Mohammed as sent that he might ob.. In Muslim, iL, 255, Abu Dharr claims to have invented it. See
tain justice for the poor from the rich. Hariyi, p. 328. ~lso Goldziher, Z. D. M. G" xlvi., 22.
 II6 Mohammed Islam as a Secret Society
Christians. If this greeting was not at first permitted
dinarily signified one who handed over his friends to
iiI public, perhaps the Moslems could recognise each
their enemies, it was glorified into meaning one who
other by some slight peculiarity in their attire; ,
thus the Moslems let the end of the turban hang • handed over his person to God; and though, like
Christian, it may conceivably have been first in.
down the back, whereas the pagans tucked it in. *
vented by enemies of the sect whom it designated,
So at a later time members of the chief sects of
divine authority was presently adduced for the
Islam could be distinguished by their mode of dis.
statement that Abraham coined the name. Like
posing their turbans. t
the Jews, these new Abrahamites called their pagan
Finally a name had to be given to the new sect, !" • brethren the Gentiles, using an Abyssinian word.
~ and either accident or choice led to its being called
The pagans appear to have ordinarily called the new
the sect of the Muslims (Moslems) or Ranifs. Were
sect, when it had ceased to be secret, Sabian, * a
these originally names by which the followers of word properly meaning Baptist, and belonging to a
Maslamah the prophet of the Banu lfa1lija/t had community stilI perpetuated as the Soubbas, whose
been known? Or had some other sect, monotheistic home is in the marshes of the Euphrates.t The ap.
and professedly following Abraham, whose descend. plication of the name to Mohammed's followers may
ants according to the Bible some of the Arabs were, ,f
have been due to mere ignorance, as the Arabians
been thus designated? We cannot say; no Arab of our day called Doughty a Jew, because he was a
seems to have known anything about the Ranifs, Christian; or it may have been due to the promin.
except that Abraham was one, and perhaps one or ence given by Mohammed to the ceremony of
two of the precursors of Mohammed; and since in washing.
Hebrew the word means" hypocrite" and in Syriac
* The passages are collected by
"heathen," pious followers of Mohammed did not
care to study its etymology. The other name, Mus·
• t Siouj!i, La Soubbas.
Wel/hat/snt, RUle, 236, 237.

lim, meant naturally" traitor," and when the new

sect came to be lampooned, it provided the satirists
with a witticism; Mohammed showed some want of
:,, ' It,'
humour in adopting it, but displayed great ingenuity
in giving it an honourable meaning: whereas it or. ii
j ;" ,
* Harid, Schol'l 346. ".1 '
•; .
t Hamadhm/.i, Makamas 1 199. So now Knisites and Yemcnites
(Goldziher, AI. S" L, 84). There is also incidental evidence that ,',I '
:I
Mohammed at the first wore his hair in the Jewish style, and in such t
particulars he was likely to be followed by the disciples. ~ ~
;j
f ••
 , ...

Publicity
proudly remembered had within their memory been

,~,

'.
. defended by a miracle from the Abyssinian invaders
and in their myths had often thus triumphed before.
The gods they worshipped were, Mohammed and
Abu Bakr asserted, no gods. For their worship
these innovators would substitute that of the Jews
;;
~ 1;
"

whose power in South Arabia had recently been

CHAPTER IV overthrown, and of the Christians with whose defeat
PUBLICITY the national spirit of Arabia had just awakened.
• Mr. Grote in his treatment of the affair of thl;}
HO first pro~essed the new religion before Hermoeopid<e taught men to judge one age by
W the world IS not certain: a tradition* as-
cribes the act to a certain Khabbab, son of
another. Persons who are tolerant of opinions which
differ from their own become indignant when their
the Stammerer, a slave who worked at sword-making
t, " own beliefs are ruthlessly assailed. When the asser·
and a starveling.t To avow Islam meant to reo tions of Mohammed were first heard by those who
nounce publicly the national worship, to ridicule,
and, if possible, break down idols, and unabashedly
• had not been sounded and prepared for them, it
was natural that they should appear ridiculous, and
to use the new salutation and celebrate the new- wicked, and suicidal. Ridiculous, because the gods
fangled rites. For it must be remembered that Islam were thoroughly familiar figures. "Their part.
was in its nature polemical. Its Allah was not satis. ners," ,x, Al-'Uzza and AI·Lit, did not exist? Why,
fied with worship, unless similar honour was paid to many a man could state the occasions on which they
no other name; and his worship also was intolerant had done him personally a service, many a child owed
of idols, and of all rites not instituted or approved its existence to their in tervention, and recorded the
by himself. This then was the meaning of the fact by its name. To many they had appeared in
meetings in the house of Al-Arkam, and doubtless of dreams; to some .doubtless in waking hours; solicit-.
the knowing glances which the members of the new ing and bestowing favours. And if the men's attach·
sect had been obs'erved to interchange. Mohammed ment to their deities was weak at times, that of the
and Abu Bakr were planning an attack on the women who needed their help more was strong.
national religion, that cult which every Meccan But what weighed with the men who could think
calmly t was the fact that Meccah lived mainly by
* /saba!! ,,. in Musnad, i., 404, seven persons are named in this
contest, but not Khabbab. * Surak Vio, 137.
t Tirmidhi, i., r8I, t Wtllka,/Un, Resle, 220.

( .<JI
 120 Mohammed .\
Public£ty 121

its being a religious centre, and by the pagan institu. views. And he confessed and denied not. On
'tion of the four months of peace. That valuable in. later occasions when compelled to risk much on an
stitution the Christians were known notto observe', effort, he spared no pains in preparation, and his
and since Mohammed's followers prayed toward first public address to the people of Meccah was
another sanctuary and no longer kissed the Black 'doubtless elaborately prepared. Whether the as.
Stone, * it could be inferred that he wanted to sembly broke up in mirth or in tumult, the Rubi.
j
destroy the Ka'bah ; and indeed till a late period in con was now crossed. The husband of Khadijah
his career there were Moslems who wished for its de. claimed to supersede all existing authority, and to be
struction. t An early revelation seems intended to , the accredited representative of the God of the tribe.
reassure the Meccans on this point; and Mohammed, • And there were in Meccah something like a hundred
whose practical sense never deserted him, was care- persons who recognised his claims. But the an.
ful to find a place for the Ka'bah in his system, nouncement came as a surprise to those who were
Some of our authorities introduce the first public not in the secret; and Abu Sufyan, then in Yemen,
preaching of Islam with a theatrical scene. Moham. receiving a letter to the effect that one of his reo
med goes to the precincts of the Ka'bah and calls ,
..l:
lations claimed to be God's Apostle, had to ask
on the assembled throng to utter the formula, • which of his relations it was. *
"There is no God but Allah"; the blasphemous The view prevalent at Meccah concerning Mo.
words cause him to be mobbed; news of his danger hammed appears to have been that he was mad-
spreads to his family, and one of Khadijah's child. under the influence of a Jinn, one of the beings
ren, AI.Harith, son of Abu I-Ialah, rushing to defend who were supposed to speak through poets and
his stepfather, perished, the first martyr of Islam.:j: sorcerers. That this charge stung Mohammed to
But indeed the transference of the Islamic doctrine ' , the quick may be inferred from the virulence with
from secrecy to publicity must have taken place by which He rejects it, and the invective with which he
some definite act of delivery-if the phrase may be attacks the "bastard" who had uttered it. t He
employed. vVhen one member of the community charges the author of the outrage with being unable
after another was found to be tainted with heresy, to write and with being over head and ears in debt,
and each referred to Mohammed as his guide, Mo. and threatens to brand him on his" proboscis."
hammed was, we suppose, confronted by some of Against the humbler followers:j: of the new
those in authority, and challenged to declare his ,---
* Aghalli, iL, 96.
* Ibn Sa'd, iii., 88, 10.
t Sural. Ixviil., ro-l6.
t Wellhr/Usm, Reste, 69, n. I. tSuch as Khabbab, Suhnib Ibn Sinan, 'Amir Ibn Fuhairah,
~ Isabalt, L, 60.
'Amm5.r and his family. (Ibn Sc/d.)
,~ t
~h
-:~
r -i -AI
' ''!' "
122 Mohammed Publicity 12 3

doctrine violence was speedily put in motion; to in. !: his son Ali with Mohammed prostrating themselves
crease as time went on, to burning with hot irons, in the valley of Nakhlah, and when the nature oi
or ex~osure face upwards to the midday s~n; till the performance was explained to him. to have
some found refuge in the houses of their more - declared that he had no objection to it, but did not
powerful brethren, or were ransomed by the more like the idea of raising his seant above his head,
wealthy; or (with Mohammed's approval) de- a jest the thought of which caused Ali to laugh
nied with their lips,* while believing in their years afterwards.* This story is likely to be true,
heart. Five only are said to have actually reo and characteristic of Abu Talib, apparently a good.
turned to paganism in consequence. t Even natured man, not inclined to take things seriously,
strangers visiting Mcccah who inquired after the ( • yet rigidly attached to old·fashioned ideas of duty.t
Prophet were subjected to violence. t Against But other members of the family opposed Moham-
those who were wealthy and powerful violence med vehemently, notably his uncle. Abu Lahab,
could not at first be tried; the very young and his cousin, Abu Sufyan, son of AI-Harith. t
could indeed be rebuked and punished by their '.'
For a time then the war between Mohammed and
fathers, but the grown men were safe for a time the Meccans was to be one of words,-a long time,
owing to that institution of paganism which made r -no less than eight, or, according to most, ten years,
the ties of clan and family more powerful than so tenacious was the Meccan community of the cult
any moral law ; which made a man's kin necessarily of the clan, so timid of the consequences which
accomplices in his misdeeds. In some cases parents arise from the shedding of kindred blood. If the
tried to reclaim their sons by appealing to their head of Mohammed's clan had let him be outlawed,
affections: the mother of Sa'd, son of Abu Wakkas, then Meccah might have been rid of him, but Abu
vowed that she would take no food until he recanted; " ~alib could not be persuaded to do this, and his
but he recanted not, and food was forced down her veto blocked the way. Perhaps Abu Talib and his
throat.§ Abu Talib, who for some reason appears to numerous family could not afford to abandon their
have been the head of his clan, undertook to protoct wealthy relative; and, indeed, had Mohammed not
Mohammed from the fury of the orthodox, not had some power over his uncle, it is unlikely that
without their approval. Probably he had been in the the latter would have submitted to the inconven.
secret for some time. He is said to have surprised ience which his nephew's mission brought on him.
• * Mumad, L, 99.
*Ibtz Said, iiL, 178,
tAbu Talib was supposed to be a poet, but most of the verses
t Ya'k"bi, ii.. 28. attributed to him were suspect in very early days. Some few are
t Muslim, iL, 254. • re~arded by modern scholars as C"enuine. Z.D.M.G., xviii., 223•
§ Ibid•• ii., 24. J
* Wakidi (W.), 32~.

1"
12 4 Mohammed Publicity

The clear-headed man who played the part of ,'I himself yielding nothing in consequence. At a later
Prophet could have at any time secured his own :( period sons suffered their fathers to be killed in the
safety by taking refuge in a Christian country, but <. ,1 .• cause of Islam without the faintest scruple: but even
his aim was to be not a subject but a sovereign, and . at an early period of the mission the converts began
so he made no such mistake. Truly the hand with to treat their pagan relatives with gross disrespect.
which he started contained some good cards: Kha- Mohammed is said to have been struck with the
dijah's devotion and her fortune; Abu Talib's affec- rudeness of the neophytes towards their uncon-
tion and his influence; Abu Bakr's blind trust and verted fatherS,-a phenomenon which had its origin
his persuasiveness. When the first two cards were, .in the sentiment illnstrated by Lecky, which some-
withdrawn by fortune, better ones were substituted, times renders religion incompatible with the domes-
and so Mohammed won the game. tic affections.
Three separate deputations from the Meccans to The history then of the first years of Moham-
, med's preaching at Meccah is not without events,
Abu Talib are reported (or invented) by the bio- , .'
-

grapher: the leading men of Meccah are sent to the

Sheykh to request him to abandon his nephew: on
.. but it is, in the main, the history of a debate, and a
debate in which the speeches of the counsel of one
one occasion they offer to provide him with a sub-' ~ide only are preserved. The Meccan Surahs of the
stitute-'Umarah, son of AI-Walid,-as good a man Koran are rarely to be dated with precision: many
as any in Meccah, if it is only a question of not are reports or notes of the same course of lectures
losing a member from the family. This 'Umarah repeated over and over again by the lecturer.
appears to have been an Adonis, who turned , I. Hence, the order in which question after question
women's hcads: he went on an expedition to Abys- was posed by the adversary is not known.
sinia once with'Amr, son of AI-'Asi, and would" ,. Of the procedure by which a reform in religion
have killed his companion to seize his wife; and spreads, history gives so many examples that from
presently seduced one of the Abyssinian's queens, one or other we can picture to ourselves what hap-
and was punished, not with death, but with what, pened at Meccah as the adherents of Mohammed
to an Arab, was as bad. He was, besides, a hard increased. The reformers invariably become aggres-
drinker. Perhaps Abu Talib was not satisfied that sive and endeavour to interfere with the worship
h? would gain peace by the exchange; whateve~ which they regard as improper. We need not
IllS reason, he held out bravely and induced the rest ~oubt that followers of Mohammed pursued this
of his clan to join him in protecting their kinsman. course with the rites to which they were taught to
Mohammed is to be admired for having profited object at Meccah. The Koran praises the conduct
to the utmost from the sanctity of the clan, while of Abraham who knocked down the idols in his
126 Mohammed PubHcdy

father's shop and ascribed the act ironically to the doubtless the slaughter of an animal was in the ma-
largest idol. The early converts at Medinah arc jority of cases a religious act *; and Mohammed
known to have actcd in the style of Abraham, and it i-j made" eating of our slaughtering" a test of Islam.t
is probablc that the Meccan converts had set the ex- • One convert used to speak with regret of his enjoy_
ample. Violent scenes were certain to be the result ment of blood in the time of paganism.t U nwill.
of such actions. ingness to eat the food of others ordinarily in such
The old pagan religion was certainly not wanting cases implies loathing and disgust for it. Hence we
in rules on the subject of food-though the concepts can conjecture with ease the indignation with which
"clean and unclean" may have been strange to,. this idea of purity was viewed by those whose con.
it. It is expressly stated that some foods were • d uct was Impugned
. by it.
permitted to men only, and others probably were ,j The debates with which the earlier vears were
only lawful for women; and of other regulations we filled were conducted in a variety of w~ys. Occa-
occasionally hear details:» Mohammed's conversa- sionally the Prophet himself condescended to enter
tions with Jews and Christians had taught him to as- the arena, and confront his antagonist: he was
sign a far higher importance to that subject than the indeed a powerful preacher, and "when he talked
pagans are likely to have assigned it. All his life he" • of the Day of Judgment his cheeks blazed, and his
had a hankering after the Jewish regulations on this voice rose, and his manner was fiery" §; apparently,
subject; only as the Jewish system forbade the use however, he was not a ready debater, and was worsted
of camel's flesh, he could not well adopt it: he pre- when he tried this plan. Moreover his tern per in de-
ferred therefore that of the Christians who followed bate was not easily controlled, and he was apt to
the regulation of the Council of Jerusalem described give violent and insulting answers to questioners. II
in Acts xv. Blood, meats offered to idols, strang1c<£' '*
He therefore received divine instructions not to take
beasts, and swine t were to be forbidden, but other part in open debate, and if addressed and ques.
meat lawful. Probably at a later period carnivorous tioned by unbelievers, to evade the question and
beasts, birds of prey, and the domestic ass were de- retire., More often then the controversy was con•.
clared unlawful. t This apparently easy regulation ducted as it is in this country in election times,
would suffice to render it impossible for a Moslem to when different speakers address different meetings.
join in the meals of most of his countrymen §; for * Welllt.usm (W.), 160.
* Niildcke,Sasanidt1l, 203; WelJlla1escn, Res(tf, 1251 n, I, 168. " " t Isabalt, iii., 943.
t Bentley conjectured. xotpt.ia5 for 'ltopveLa5. tIbid, , iii., 670'
t lIIusnad, i.. 302,
§ Musnad, iii., 371.
§ A Mo,lem prisoner at Meccah at a later time implored his ,", II Tabari, Com.m. xxiii., 19.
guards not to give him meat offered to idols. Isaban, iii" 963. "
~,; ,. Suralt vi•• 67.
, :~;

..
" ~
128 Mohammed
The points are recorded and reported by members
of the audience to the antagonists; who then pro-
ceed, if they deem it worth while, in some manner to
u·
reply. It is also certain that the Koran at an early
period circulated in writing, though we do not know
in what form. A revelation could then be published
in answer to an objection, sometimes with the form-
ula " it will be said by" * prefixed.
Some of the scenes which the tradition describes
in connection with the debates may be historical.
By the time when the Prophet's revelations had
'. ":;
.;;
"
C
attracted curiosity, any public appearance on his ~
w •
part betokened the occurrence of something new.
.
-'
« "~

""'a:w 'lt-
'"
~
He is found in the Precincts by Abu J ahl who asks ,
,I
"

scornfully for the latest. The Prophet replies that ~

he has been carried to Jerusalem and back during

;
J!
.:~ ci
« 'E" '"
the night. Abu Jahl does not contradict, wishing , ~! " .3
0 f,
"-
to know what effect the statement will have on the ,I,'
0
w
i2"
Prophet's followers. He summons the clans to an "
""a ""a
n "0
assembly: the Prophet repeats the assertion. Per- ,Ii,

sons present who had visited Jerusalem request him

Ii " "'<:~

to describe it. He complies, but gets involved in I Jl "e

difficulties. The tradition adds that thereupon a '"
divine model of the city was placed before him
to enable him to describe it accurately. t It also .
\'

adds that the story of the nightly journey made -],

some of Mohammed's followers fall away ~: Abu ~:

" ,
:~,
Jahl had hoped it might shake the faith of Abu
Bakr; but Abu Bakr retorted that he had already "!

* Sttralt vi., 149.

t ilfusnad, i" 309.
t Tabari, Com11t., xv., init.

.' '.I••

r
, .
Pub/idty
believed greater improbabilities on Mohammed's
authority.
It has been asserted that the Meccans obtained
.. the aid of Jews to assist them in their refutation of
the Prophet. This would appear to be an anachron-
i.m; after the Flight, when the Prophet began to
quarrel with the Jews of Medinah, there is no doubt
that some of the latter went to Meccah and de-
lighted the Meccans with ridicule of the Prophet's
• ignorance; but during the first years of the Meccan
mission, there is strong reason for believing that so
far as the Jews interfered it was on the side of Mo-
hammed. The Jews were appealed to by the latter
as a final authority *; he positively asserts that they
(as opposed to "the Gentiles ") believe in him: in·
~'t deed, when in doubt concerning his own mission, he
is invited to appeal to them to make sure. t So
long as his campaign against idolatry and in favour
of "Allah" showed no sign of interfering with
their interests, there was no reason why he should
not find them friendly and ready to support him.
It Since there was great danger of all Arabia becom-
ing Christian, they may even have deemed it saga-
cious to encourage a non-Christian teacher. But
there were also persons" to whom Knowledge had
been given aforetime" who prostrated themselves
when the Koran was read: which implies that
the Prophet had also Christian supporters at Mec·
,.
i1 • cah.* One authority informs us that the Kuraish
* Surah xiii., 43 ; xxviiL, 52; xxix.. 4 6.
tJbidx., 94.
*Ibid xvii.,
9
108, 9.
 13° Mohammed Puo!zcz'ty 13 1

had Parsee prompters~'; and this is not wholly inherit the country. This is the framework of the
improbable. story of Mo,es as Mohammed first grasped it. Fur.
The objections recorded and ostensibly an. ther conversation led him to find out rather more
swered in the Koran appear to have been directed • ,. of the history of Moses, which he worked up into
against every part and feature of the new system; his peculiar style, and repeatedly told; at Medinah
against Mohammed personally, against his notion of he even learned a great deal about the history of
prophecy, against his style, his statements, his doc. the children of Israel. But when he had to deal
trines. It is impossible to suggest any chronological
order for them.
From the first he had followed the example of
.
-~ . .
with pagans only, the tale as told above was what
he required.
•
The story in certain cases makes the Prophet's
the New Testament prophets in threatening that message condemnation of some definite vice. The
; ,~

a terrible day was at hand. The stories which are i>i

,
purpose of the mission of Lot to Sadom naturalIy
repeated so often in the Koran are mainly intended suggests itself; a prophet named Shu'aib':+ is sent to
as warnings. Prophets whose names he had partly Midyan to warn against deceitful weights and meas·
from Jews, partly from Christians, partly from ures j the prophet H ud warns the people of 'Ad
pagans, had before this time done the same. They 'l' • against pride, etc. Most frequently the exhortation
had come to announce a terrible judgment, only to would seem to have been against polytheism. Mo.
be averted by obeying them and folIowing their law. hammed identifies himself in thought with each of
Those who disobeyed them were shortly overtaken '" these prophets in turn, and in their persons he over·
by the judgment, and perished: while the prophet comes the objections of his opponents. He, there-
and his followers escaped. fore, in warning the Meccans of the troubles that
Into this scheme the histories of the Old Testa· <lC 1l would befall them could point to all these examples.
ment are worked. Moses, e. g., was sent to Pharaoh, It is probably an error to distinguish this punish.
a King of Egypt, who had for colleagues or ministers ment very clearly from the Day of Judgment and
Haman and Corah. Pharaoh had divided his people the future world. To John Bunyan the two were
into castes, one of which oppressed the other. Moses certainly not distinct; the consumption of the earth
comes claiming to be the messenger of the Lord of by heavenly flame and the resurrection to shame
the world. Pharaoh desires him to prove his claim and everlasting contempt were sides of the same
by a sign, which he does. Pharaoh refuses to be. ' !J event j the concepts fade into one another, like the
lieve, and in consequence is drowned with his host, doctrines of Virgil's inferno. At a later period
whereas the oppressed caste who folIowed Moses * Halevy's suggestion that this is a misreading of the Syriac form
* Tabari, ColJtm,. viii' t 12, of Jobnb seems adequate.

o "
 Mohammed
Mohammed styles the banishment of his enemies,
the N adirites, " the beginning of the resurrection"
-a first instalment of the final Judgment. * It is •
probable that Mohammed wished the Meccans to
•
think that unless they obeyed him they would be
swallowed up by the earth, or be crushed by the
falling of the sky. And there were at Meccah men
who, though true to the rites of paganism, took a
philosophical view of the order of events, and justly ,
ridiculed any threat of temporal punishment for dis-
obeying a Prophet. Of the order of events they
knew less than the twentieth century knows; but
that the moral conduct of mankind had nothing to
do with it they were well aware. Hence they scorn·
fully told him to bring down the sky as soon as he
pleased, or at any rate required a date for the ex- •
hibition. Finding that no amount of threats caused
nature to vary her course, the Prophet ingeniously
declared that his presence in Meccah prevented the
calamity; or that the experience of Allah with other
cities which had failed to be convinced by mira.
cles was what prevented him from sending one by I
Mohammed·t
For indeed a criticism to which the stories of
Moses, etc., gave rise was that Mohammed provided
no miracle. Moses at the start had been armed with
a whole stock of miracles; and though not every
prophet appears to have been thus furnished, there
was no question of it in the leading cases of Moses
and" 'Isa," who made live sparrows out of clay, and
* Surah Iix., 2, i
t Ibid. xvii .• 61.
IJ
I,
) '11
,~
;
 Publicity 133
..4::. EARLY MOSLEM COIN,
(Bodleian Library.) Cf. Lane-Poole, performed various miracles of healing. It is worth
0,., C,llllS 0/ tfh' Brltis,~_ JbrstfUIJI, i.,
p. 171.4.

' .. noticing, in order to transfer ourselves into a region

of thought so different from that of modern times,
that none of the miraculous stories in the Bible
•

or out of it appears to have been received by Mo.

hammed with the semblance of a doubt: hence he
repeated those tales in perfectly good faith; thereby
AR. COIN OF KHOSROES Il. , WITH
MQSU!M FORMULA ADDED,
laying himself open to this serious objection to his
own mission. The miracle which would have pleased
(Bodleian Library.)
• the Meccans best would have been some decided im.
provement in the physical condition of Meccah, espe.
cially the production of a perennial river~'; but the
appearance of an angel, or even supernatural sus.
tenance provided to the Prophet, would have satis.
AV. COIN OF HERACLIUS I. AND fied them: or, like the relations of Dives, they would
HCRACLJUS CONSTANTINE. , • have wished to see the founder of the tribe-Kusayy,
(Bod!ci:m Liharr,) r;; Sab:ltier.
iI/olllla-i.s ByzltutiwfS, pI. xxix., )lj. son of Kilab,-rise from the dead and testify to Mo.
hammed's veracity. Or they would have gladly seen
i "
Mount Safa turned into gold.t Only on one occasion
i; does he appear to have been induced to venture on
I' a prophecy-the famous declaration that though the ['
\,; '. Greeks had been defeated by the Persians" in thc
AR. COIN OF KHOSROi.=S 11. 1,:, nearest part of the earth," they would yet again be
(Bodleian Library.) (I. Longp6rier,
DYlltlstt'e SasSftnido, pl. xL, 4, ·1 victorious. The interest of the prophecy for us is
that it gives us a date for a Meccan Surah of the
Koran; according to the tradition the Meccans at
", this time favoured the Persians and the Moslems
i~
'j",
J
the Greeks; and the prophecy was occasioned by
• the gratification of the Meccans at the victory of 'i
IE, MOSLEM IMITATION OF COIN OF Chosroes ovcr the nearer East in 616. Abu Bakr
HERACLlUS J STRUCK AT EMESA.
(T:ockba Librar)'.} C./. L3ne-Poole, * Ishak, 185.
(Jr. c,Jz'JlS
p.6.
f>J tIll! BritisIJ :JJus/JUIlt, ix.)
. ,
i~
t iJ{usnad, L, 242•
 ,.
t.i,

Mohammed PttMdty 135

134 I'
I

, seems to have made the mistake of betting that it

I.
I.
I.
probably not urged, because the Prophet was never
• an adept at either; but to the miraculous character
would be fulfilled within five years, * and to have lost
in consequence. The guess was not an unnatural one r:
• of both the matter and the style of the Koran ex-
to hazard: and the ambiguity of the Arabic script ception was repeatedly taken. If the Prophet told
'n"
rendered it as safe as the Delphic communication of i, stories to be found in the Christian and Jewish
books, his opponents declared that there were peo-
Crcesus. t ple who taught him and they even undertook to
Many years had to elapse before he could tri-
umphantly meet the demand for a miracle: the name his mentor. It is not in our power to say.
battle of Badr, when three hundred Moslems de- • with precision whether this charge was just or not:
feated twice the number of Unbelievers, was alleged the facts that have been stated in the last chapter are
as a miracle at last. Before that he had to make rather against the theory of a mentor. But whether
shift with the Koran. If he had no miraculous there was a mentor 01' not, probably the stories were
power he could reply that he had miraculous know. not altogether new to the Meccans, who in the
ledge. He had previously been unable to read or course of business 01' pleasure had come into contact
write and now he could do both. He had not been with Jews and Christians and had heard allusions to
" ~ the subjects. Hence these Acts of the Prophets
present at the scenes of ancient history which he
were termed" Stories of the Ancients," or perhaps
described, and 10 and behold, he knew them. If the
genuineness of his narrations were disputed, the peo- " Old Wives' Fables," which it required no divine in-
ple 'who knew-i. e., the Jews and Christians-would terposition to reproduce. One man, Al·Nadir Ibn
Harith, accepted the challenge to produce anything
attest them. Finally when the Prophet had become
perfect in his own peculiar style he could boast that as good, and either versified or put into rhyme the
no one without divine aid could compose so well. <)
I,. tales of the Persian kings which Firdausi some four
Let all mankind, with the aid of the Jinn, try to pro- centuries later rendered immortal-or perhaps those
duce ten Surahs, or even one, and they would fail.t of the kings of Hirah. These" surahs "he read out
The criticisms on these assertions were numerous at seances similar to those in which the Prophet pub-
and powerful. The reading and writing miracle was lished the Koran. The effect of this criticism must
---- have been very damaging; for when the Prophet at
* Musnad, i., 276. ,111 the battle of Badr got the man into his power, he
tCompare Riley's remarks all Joseph Smith's prophecy of the ,
American Civil War, I. c" p. 1 84.
executed him at once, while he allowed the other
t Similarly Joseph Smith, rebuking one of his associates: "William prisoners to be ransomed.
E. McLelliu, the wisest man, in his own estimation, endeavoured to A further objection to the Koran was that it was reo
write a commandment like unto one of the least of the Lord's, but
vealed in IJortions or parcels, as occasion required; if
tailed." Ril,)', p. 322 •

•
 Mohammed Publicz'ty [37
,really copied from" a well.guarded tablet," why could sent two envoys to Medinah to get the opinion of
it not have been produced in a final edition once for the Jews there, who suggested three questions which
all? The reason given by the Prophet was his own r :. Mohammed was to answer if he were to show him-
personal comfort or convenience *; and similarly we self a true Prophet. According to the biographer,
find that Joseph Smith, having published his Book oj Mohammed undertook to answer the questions in a
Mormon as a volume, was compelled to supplement it day, and was unable to do so until a fortnight had
from time to time with occasional revelations. The elapsed, a fact which confirms the theory of the
theory of the" well.guarded tablet" appears to have mentor very strongly, which is scarcely weakened
been more useful to later generations of theologians • by the advice given in the Surah to the Prophet to
than to the Prophet himself. It was as a living well consult no one. * Since, however, the questions
of revelation that he won the reverence of his fol. concerned the Seven Sleepers and Alexander the
lowers: not as one who had access to an otherwise Great, we may be sure that they were not suggested
inaccessible book. by Jews.
Doubtless as the debate between Mohammed and The Koran bears traces of criticisms which his
the Meccans continued, the critical powers of the lat- answers to these questions occasioned. Mohammed
e
ter were greatly sharpened, and their attention was II clearly made a mistake in the number of the Sleep-
called to a variety of matters on which they had ers; in a later edition of the Surah, while adhering
not previously speculated. The Meccans were con· to the number which he had originally given, he
stantly taunted with having no sacred book or au- acknowledged that thcre were various opinions on
thority which they could cite for their practice, the subject, but declared that God must know best.
whereas Mohammed could quote his revelation for Another statement which had to be corrected was
the Moslem preeepts.t Inquiries were made into t • that what is worshipped will be punished as well as
the character of other sacred books, which, it was the worshipper-a doctrine learned from a Rabbin-
discovered, were mainly in dead and sacred Ian. ical Midrash. An ingenious Meccan argued that
guages: some notions were obtained as to the quali- Jesus would be among the lost in that case. A fresh .
fications and character of persons who were supposed revelation came to give the necessary exception. t
to deliver supernatural messages, and inquiries were One who knew mankind less profoundly than Mo-
suggested concerning the lives of persons whose ~". , hammed would probably have been induced by fear
names were known among the Jews and Christians. of this sort of criticism to have recourse to study to
Ibn Ishak has a story to the effect that the Meccans prevent the recurrence of such errors. But Moham·
* Sterah xvii. , 107. * Surah. xviii., 22.
t See especially Sura" vi.. '45, 6. t Ishak, 237.

•
 •

Moltammed PUblicity 139

med knew that accuracy and scholarship were of no be so, but the pagans probably thought that this
use for such an enterprise as his. The persons who argument left the matter precisely where it was.
were prepared to believe in the Revelation were not We must, however, acknowledge his wisdom in
likely to be affected by the clearest refutation of the adhering to this doctrine. His most effective ser-
errors of the Koran. The danger to be feared from mons were, as we have seen, descriptions of torture
reliance on any living authority was far greater than and enjoyment, both of which require and imply the
that which could arise from the most demonstrable possession of bodily organs. He did not hesitate
misstatements concerning ancient history. U nhesi. therefore to assert that the body would be restored .-
tating assertion and assurance would win respect from
Abu Bakr and the like, and be supported by them i
• for the purpose of enjoying and suffering; and even
provided for the danger that suffering might con-
against all the learning of the" People of the Book," - ,
sume the body, by the declaration that it would be
if that could be produced on the other side. There
-
."
,
renewed repeatedly in order to suffer continuously.
: ,,-
",
was, however, at this period some difficulty in obtain- These descriptions were not indeed without careless
ing it; for, as we have seen, the "People of the statements which gave rise to ribald criticisms j of
Book" were on Mohammed's side. which, if no other explanation was forthcoming, he
On the doctrines as opposed to the history of the
Koran many criticisms are recorded, such as free-
("

-,
'. could say that the purpose had been to test the faith
of believers, * to see, as we might put it, how much
thinking persons would naturally make. The doctrine
of the future life could not be dissociated by Mo-
,-
!
" i
"
they would be prepared to accept. Or, if the im.
prudence committed had been too considerable, the
hammed from that of the resurrection of the body, "\Ji' verse could be withdrawn. To do this, withdraw a
~n ~i
against which there are some very obvious objections. ..., 'I
revelation and substitute another for it, was, he as~
-The pagans had believed in some sort of "survival
of human personality," but the notion of the recon-
f
, •
I
II,
",II'
I',
serted, well within the power of God. Doubtless it
was, but so obviously within the power of man that
,1 i
't
struction of the decayed body seemed to them in the "
it is to us astonishing how so compromising a
,
highest degree absurd, and Mohammed's promise of i
procedure can have been permitted to be introduceg
-.'.
heavenly spouses occasioned mirth.* Mohammed :f· ~ into the system by friends and foes.
was asked to prove his point by bringing them their Of.the mode in which the doctrine of the future
deceased ancestors. His only reply was the sophism ,. life produced conversions we have some anecdotes
that the resurrection of the body was not more won- which may well be true. 'AmI' Ibn AI-' Asit professed
derful than its original formation-a process which he to have been converted by the arguments of one who
is never weary of describing. This, of course. may
*Joseph Smith used the same plea at times.
* Wakidi (W.l, '3'. t Isaba".

, ,
 ,-
Mohammea' Publiczty
asked him whether the Meccans were or were not : ,I'
which contradictory propositions occasion any diffi.
, better than the Byzantines and Persians. He replied culty. When discontented subjects urged that if
naturally that the Meccans were better. The next their friends had stayed at home instead of going to
question was whether the Meccans were better off
t
.,
• war they would not have been killed, he could
than those other nations. He had to reply that ~
j ~•..... assert with the conviction of common·sense that
they were worse off. Being therefore surpassed in , ! those who were destined to die on a certain day
this world, if their superiority were to display itself, would have died on that day in any case; but with
it must be in another world. But who knew about
-;
i I equal common·sense he could warn men of the
such another world save Mohammed? This argu. ,
ment sank in his mind; but he waited to join Mo. · • consequences which would follow according to the
course which they took. The Islamic controversy
hammed till Fortune had definitely declared herself ,• on this subject belongs to a later age-one in which
on the Prophet's side. His former allies noticed his .· I
the works of Aristotle had begun to influence the
growing coolness, and finally he abandoned them. thinkers of Baghdad.
Another controversy which occasioned Moham. Thus then the years of the Meccan controversy
med some difficulty was that old one of free·will and rolled on; in which the parties increased in vehem.
I determinism. The description in the Koran of the ¢ ,t ence and antagonism, and in which the success.
omnipotence of God led to the belief that men's acts ful polemics of the Meccans on the new religion
were God's acts, whence the worship of idols might were met by ridicule and refutation of the religious
be regarded as willed by God, and the idolators ;::; '. notions current among the pagans. As has been
freed from blame. Mohammed was fortunately too said, the Meccan side is known only from the state·
little of a philosopher to perceive the rigidity of this ments of the adversary, whose acquaintance with
consequence, and the Koran answers this objection t II the Meccan religion may not have been deep. If his
as it answers others. Owing however to his repeated 'statements were to be trusted, we should fancy the
declarations on the subject of appointed terms, and -'j' Meccans to have been very near monotheism. We
events designed by God, the opinion that he was c_
~; ~·I.
,,*,
should infer that Allah was the national God, to .
a fatalist has gained ground; traditions were in- _," ',I
whom they appealed in any trouble, whereas in
vented in which he positively asserted that human times of comfort and quiet they slid back into poly.
action was all arranged beforehand without the theism. We should suppose that they recognised
possibility of innovation,'J' and indeed many of the
phenomena of Islam are explained on this supposi.
.' • Allah as the Creator of heaven and earth, and as-
signed the other deities quite subordinate functions.
tion. The fact is that his mind was not of a sort to " How many deities do you worship?" Mohammed
*Mum ad. iv.; 67, etc.

.
is supposed to have asked a Khuza'ite (Hasin, son of
,

(\
I
., '
 l<' '. ,II!
,.I;'
~ '.

'"1"
Mohammed Publzeity 143
'Ubaid\,* sent to reason with him by the Kurashites. deities were daughters of Allah and worshipped as
" SevenI on earth and one . "
m heaven, was t he rep Iy, .!
intercessors may have been ventured in the course of
and further conversation elicited the confession that . ~11lt the argument with Mohammed, when perhaps for
in all serious trouble the God of heaven (Allah) only t .., ' the first time the Meccan reasoners began to reflect
•
was invoked. And doubtless to other followers Mo- on the nature of their religion.* Yet difficulties as-
hammed's innovation appeared to lie in the merging sail us at every turn. The theory that Allah had
of all minor cults in that of the heaven God. At daughters is refuted by the statement that a daugh.
ter is regarded as a misfortune, so that if Allah had
a later time the chief of the tribe Muzainah, who
broke the idol Nahum, declared in his verse that he ( r. children at all, he would certainly have had sons in-
henceforth worshipped the God of heaven. t A stead; implying that this theory of the children
Thakafite eonvert (from Ta'i£, twin city to Meccah) ,~ , of Allah did not apply to the male deities, which
asked Mohammed whether he should keep a vow however the Meccans as well as other Arab tribes
made before conversion; since questioning elicited are known to have worshipped. We fancy that
the fact that the vow had been made to Allah, not this argument about daughters brought on Moham.
to an idol, Mohammed declared that it should be med some well-deserved taunts about having only
kept. t . • daughters himself; and indeed a Surah is revealed
The above assumptions are frequently reqUIred for endeavouring to console him and clear him of the
the reasoning of the Koran and are unhesitatingly charge of being abtar or sonless.
made. The Meccans are taunted with worshipping From some texts t and traditions we should
additional deities who, being feminine, are called gather that the Meccan objection was not to the
Allah's daughters, and who are identified by them glorification of Allah, but to the identification of
with the Christian angels. These beings, though .' ~ their familiar deity with him whom the Jews called
theoretically inferior to Allah, are' said to receive Rahman (the Merciful), a title applied to pagan
a lawer share in the offerings. Naturally we cannot deities also. But the reason of this objection lies
implicitly trust a case as stated by the adversary; beyond our reach.
and it is even permissible to suppose that the Mecc~n ,I , ~'
In estimating the arguments of the Koran with
worship of Allah consisted of no more than a behef
'1
~ ~i the Meccans we must constantly remember that
in the power of the God worshipped by Jews and Mohammed is playing the part of a Hebrew Prophet,
Christians; but the statements that the Meccan {j .. recalling his countrymen to the sole worship of the
national God, whose rites have been abandoned for
* Isabalt, i., 692. * So Wellhausen, Reste, 208.
t Ibid.. i.,
874.
t So SlIran xvii., IIO.
t/bid" iiL. 58!; M-usnad, iii" 4 19-
144 Mohammed Pttblicity 145
other and idolatrous cults. That part he may in. ;;i; Prophet or mocked at the Koran were divinely
deed have sincerely believed himself to be playing: j ~ punished. During the vicissitudes of this period,
and in the scene as he represents it, he probably as- , ,its successes and failures, conquests and rebuffs,
,It
signed corresponding roles to his antagonists. But if ,,: .. the Koran served as the Prophet's faithful confidant
the paganism of Meccah really came so near mono· ; l -like Lucilius, thither he would recur whether he
theism as the Koran represents it, it is clear that were doing well or badly. In it he records-or lets
with a little good.will and candour the differences Allah record for him-the sayings and doings of his
of detail might have been made up. enemies, his own chagrin and despondency, and the
Those qualities, however, were not present. As '~ .'
reflections wherewith he is consoled. Were its
the controversy progressed, there arose among the
Meccans a personal dislike of Mohammed which
'. verses only dated; we should know his state of mind
from day to day, in the years which witnessed the
to us does not seem unintelligible. Although the struggling of Islam into the light. But even during
later myths represent him as a member of a noble these years Apollo was not always drawing his bow.
family, the Koran confesses that this was not so: Much of the Koran is not polemical, but homiletic
if the Meccans were to be reformed, they would have or narrative. Whatever fragments of the Old or
preferred being reformed by a man of rank either ,l New Testament, of the Lives of the Saints, of
of Meccah or of Ta'if. Political and religious head· the Sayings of the Jewish Fathers, or of ordinary
ship could not be separated: and they were not pre· folklore happened to be in the Prophet's memory
pared to see Mohammed at the head of the state. were regarded by him as suitable matter for the
Hence the debate went on, not to be settled Koran. He does not often venture to quote his
till more powerful weapons than words had been sources by name; in exceptional cases he men·
brought to bear upon it. Though Mohammed's 'II tions that some sentiment or other is "written by·
- ,'"
life was spared, he had, apparently, to put up with Us" in the Psalms of David or the Law of Moses:
much rudeness, and occasionally even with personal 1, "1.
and in quite early passages the Rolls of Abraham
violence. As he prostrated himself in his newly • ,O' and Moses are cited. The name of the Law appears.
invented ceremony of prayers, some one threw some ; '~I to have been learned by him in the course of con-
camel's refuse over his back, and probably similar ~' troversy; and there is some probability that the
insults were not uncommon. The persons on whom, 'i! "Sayings of the Fathers" called by the Jews Pera.
the Prophet invoked curses were four,-Abu Jahl, ,', '; :t kim lie hidden in the name of a sacred book which
'Utbah, son of Rabi'ah, Shaibah, son of Rabi'ah,' ',' he calls Fttrkan.
U mayyah, son of Khalef. Legends were afterwards At times his homilies are somewhat like those
invented showing holY all who either injured the to be heard from modern pnlpits, in which a
L
"l'
,) "jl
~
 • ..
i'
Mohammed Publzeity 147
preacher tells a biblical story, adding some detail •!
certain origin is not large. Probably the author
from his fancy and amplifying or explaining on the should not be denied to possess some felicity of
way. The story which is told at greatest length
and with most continuity is that of Joseph-that "
, ,expression, some exuberance of fancy, and even
some poetical sublimity. If, to us, the repetitions
.,;"
famous biblical romance which Eastern Christians in the Koran seem intolerable, it must be remem-
never tired of versifying or re-telling in a variety bered that the men who have impressed the world
of ways. Once or twice, too, he recollects enough "\ most are those who have always been saying the
of the Bible to be able to tell the history of Moses same about the same things. Napoleon said there
and Aaron with an approach to accuracy. A story • is only one rhetorical figure of serious importance
of Moses and a prophet whom the Moslems identify and that is repetition. 'x' Just as the hearers of
with Elijah seems to be a conflation of a number " ; Socrates were prepared to be told or questioned
of anecdotes about different persons. Of several about the tailor and the shoemaker, so the hearers
heroes he knows the story but is unable to give of Mohammed could not hear too often the tales of
names: this is notably the case with Dhu'l-Kar- 'Ad and Thamud, or the legends of Abraham and
nain, who is doubtless Alexander the Great. But of Lot.
the greater number of biblical and other heroes his In some cases the Smahs appear to be merely
knowledge is clearly meagre in the extreme. He the product of an exuberant and poetical fancy, to
knows of Solomon's acquaintance with the Jinn and which it can only be regretted that theological value
with the Queen of Sheba-this story, as being con- should have ever been assigned. Such a Surah is the
nected with Arabia, was doubtless familiar even to narrative of the Jinn listening to his preaching and
some of the Meccans; his knowledge of it, however, being converted; they profess horror at the bIas-
comes from Jewish story-tellers, not from the Bible. , ... phemies of the idolators; they acknowledge that
We should have expected him to know of Solomon's the shooting stars are now driving them away from
judgment,* being a narrative of a style which would the heavenly councils where they used to listen.
have suited him; evidently he had not heard of it, This Smah is a pleasing effusion, to be compared
but had heard of David and Nathan, though he has with Horace's account of his vision of Pan, whose
very seriously misstated the episode. Of Penelope's followers, the spirits of the woods, are not very un-
web he had also heard, but the Arabs, who find a , like the Jinn, who were spirits of the desert. Such,
native Penelope, had not. •• too, was the lost Surah in which the Prophet de-
Ingenuity has been well spent in discovering the scribed his nocturnal visit to Jerusalem, which, as we
sources of the Koran, and the amount that is of un- have seen, gave offence, and was withdrawn.
* Knowledge of it is ascribed to him in the Tradition. ,
*Lebon, Crowds, p. 126.

~,' I'.
I'
nq,
 Mohammed Publicity 149

But, besides the recitation of the Koran, to which "Three things gladden the eye of the gazer: green
direct descent from heaven was ascribed, there were fields, running water, and fair faces." *
utterances of the Prophet called "The Wisdom," Of any moralising or demoralising effect which
.~

which were only made infallible at a later time Mohammed's teaching had upon his followers, we
through logical necessity. These were nearer the cannot speak with precision. When he was at the
modern sermon in that their delivery was neither • :F . head of a robber community it is probable that the
I
accompanied nor preceded by the signs of posses· I, demoralising influence began to be felt; it was then
sion; and they appear to have consisted of aphor- that men who had never broken an oath learnt that
,I ~ • they might evade their obligations,t and that men
isms on a variety of subjects, of which conduct was
perhaps the chief. The writing down of this table. to whom the blood of the clansmen had been as
talk was forbidden by the Prophet, and of the great their own began to shed it with impunity in the
mass of the matter which is ascribed to him we cause of God; and that lying and treachery in the
cannot be sure that as much as a tenth was actually cause of Islam received divine approval, hesita-
said by him. At times, however, the reports of :1 -,
, ":
tion to perj ure oneself in that cause being repre-
~
this table-talk circulated and gave rise to criticisms r' , S;.,~,
hended as a weakness.:I: It was then, too, that
no more sparing than those which the Koran called '. Moslems became distinguished by the obscenity of '
forth. Occasionally, too, the Koran makes allusions i, i' their language. § It was then, too, that the coveting
to the Prophet's sayings, when their author had :, ~' of goods and wives (possessed by Unbelievers) was
special reason to be gratified with them. Large num- avowed without discouragement from the Prophet.
bers of the dicta ascribed to him are aphorisms, pithy , i Yet it was then, too, that the theory of mutual obli-
sayings either about himself or others, such as that gations between the members of the Moslem brother.
the three things about which he cared were scent,' ..\ hood became clearly evolved, and the morality which
" .
women, and prayer j or formula: in which he sum- .", '
is necessary for the existence of the state was most
marised the theological view which for the moment " .f'
earnestly enforced. At Meccah, however, it is not
dominated his mind, as that a man's heart is be- likely that these developments showed themselves.
tween two of God's fingers, to be turned whither : tl
,l".
On the other hand, there is no evidence that the
God will, or that every new·born child is attacked by Moslems were either in personal or altruistic moral.
", ,

Satan, and cries in consequence. "When a man dies ~ ity better than the pagans, though persons who had
three follow him, but only one stays with him: he
is followed by his family, his property, and his
• * Schol. Hariri, 492.
t Bokhari t iv., go; M1tsnad, iv'l 256.
works; his works abide, and the rest return." * , :1
. ,,~ t Musnad, iv.• 79•
* Bokhari, iv., 81. : j~ § Ishak, 433, 744; lb" Sa'd, iii" n6, 13.
:, ~ .
 lI/fohammed Publz"cz'ty
been successful traders before conversion found their had previously practised; for it is only so that per-
new life incompatible with business. * Liquor was secuted communities can survive; and the need for
not yet forbidden, and even in Medinah we find , mutual support certainly led to some degree of
Mohammed's uncle savage from drink, while an or-
dinance that Believers were not to pray when in a
" altruism.
Further, Islam had the effect rightly emphasised
~ "1
state of intoxication, for fear they should maul their by Wellhausen, of making men earnest. The ex-
"
prayers, implies that intoxication was no uncommon . perience of even our own day shows that revivalistic
state for Believers to be found in.t The suppres- "! preaching can be highly effective in this way; those
.i
sion of gambling was also a measure of the Medinah r whom experience of earthly misery does not affect
period; but since the gambling practised at Meccah " are often made earnest by being threatened with
was probably a religious ceremony, it is likely that eternal fire and eternal contempt. Some of the con-
the adoption of monotheism prevented the Believers verts certainly wished to be ascetics, and were only
from taking part in it. Of improvements in sexual prevented by the express admonitions of Moham-
morality it is difficult to speak with precision; it is med, who resolved to have no monkery in Islam.
probable that prostitution was already forbidden by Of one it is recorded that, alarmed by Mohammed's
the Prophet, though there is reason for supposing t declaration that the Day of Judgment was at hand,
that it was regarded at Meccah somewhat as it has he went and sold his five hundred sheep, probably
been regarded at most great capitals: as an offence spending the proceeds in the path of God. *
against decorum, but not as involving any serious * Isabah, HOI 128.
stigma on the man. It was recorded in after times
for the benefit of posterity, that" the Apostle"
Zubair, son of 'Awwam, gave his wife so sound a )".
beating that he broke her arm t; and our authori-
ties frequently entertain us with specimens of con-
jugal bickerings among the converts. § There can
be no doubt, however, that the liability to persecu-
tion under which the Moslems suffered led to a
more stringent morality on their part than they •

* Abu'l-Darda, Isaban, iiL, 89.

t cr. Musnadl iii' l 447.
t Jahiz, Mahasill_. 235·
§ So Ib" Sa'd Il., ii., 86.
 ,i
, ~

:
History of tlte 1I1eccan Period I S3
!I
not a prominent opponent till after the battle of
~
,,
,
Badr, when he headed the Meccans against Moham·
med till the taking of the city; proving himself

:t
'. throughout the period not altogether incompetent
or wanting in energy, but intellectually no match for
the Prophet. A tradition .* makes him one of a party
CHAPTER V

HISTORY OF THE MECCAN PERIOD.

r-
'
,i: :'
of free.thinkers, who had learned atheism from the
"Christians of the Harrah": and to his scepticism
he added loose morality.t The callousness to insults
i , • and injuries which formed so remarkable a trait in
HE fact that Mohammed kept his mission ! his son Mu'awiyah appears to have characterised him
T
-,
0

secret as long as possible shows that he was

aware that it was fraught with danger. What • I also, since we find him employing as lieutenant
Khalid, son of AI.Walid, whose brother had killed a
steps were thought legitimate at Meccah in the case
of one who had abandoned the gods of his country
I
l' !ii,
man protected by Abu Sufyan, thereby causing the
death of many Kurashites. t Of Mohammed's oppon.
we know not; it is, however, certain that the gods
it;,
,"1
• ents before the Flight the most prominent appear to
have been Abu Jahl, or Abu 'I.Hakam, son of Hisham,
suffer by the neglect of their dues, and as they have
representatives on earth, some men suffer thereby
,,
r, i
ji of the tribe Makhzum; and the Prophet's ullde Abu
~ also. And since the favour of the gods is thought
t .~l" Lahab Abd al-'U zza. § The former enjoyed a great
to be necessary for the well.being of the state, many i
,! 'I' reputation for sagacity; at thirty years of age he
persons who have no other commercial interest in I
,

had been admitted to the Council Chamber, whereas

the matter are anxious to suppress heresy for fear of f'" \- other Meccans had to wait till their fortieth year. II
offending their masters. From whatever motives, The latter, like Abu Sufyan, is said to have been a
then, there were many persons in Meccah from whom loose liver, involved among others in the theft of
,- Mohammed anticipated opposition. By the time the golden gazelles placed in the Ka'bah, which he
that he was compelled to face it, he was fairly well "i and his companions melted down to distribute among
entrenched. :-1
~) ,

With perhaps the exception of Abu Sufyan, the f * Lata'if at-Malari!, 64.
Meccan magnates are obscure figures. When they t Ibid.,63.
j: Ibn Duraid, 295.
died unconverted tradition is silent about them; § The name means H father of flame," and was given him, it is
when they lived to embrace Islam it wilfully per- said, owing to his red complexion.
verts their biographies. Abu Sufyan probably was II Ibn Duraid, 97.
15~

fc_i' •
'~1'!i'~'
" :~
 · .

154 Mohammed £Hstory of the Meccan Period 155

their singing women; an act for which he would have have been the cause of its speedy success. I We
lost his hand, had not the Khuza 'ah, to whom his learn incidentally -" that the Prophetic office did not
mother belonged, interceded:" He professed great prevent Mohammed from continuing to work at his
devotion to the goddess Al·'Uzza,t as a speculation, • business j but those of his followers who were in
however, on the chance of her having an existence; dependent situations certainly lost them. Those
ready to console himself, in the other event, with who like Khalid, son of Sa 'id, were driven from their
',~
the fact that her arch-enemy, Mohammed, was his homes by indignant parents had to be fed at the
Prophet's table. The growth of the new religion
nephew. These two persons appear, at times at
least, to have used violence, and the same is asserted
., • tended to spread discord between families and so
f
of Abdallah, son of Umayyah, the Prophet's cousin j keep the city in a state of turmoil and confusion.
whereas the others who are named seem to have Those who for any reason felt aggrieved with their
done more to suppress rioting and brawls than to condition could gratify their ill-will by joining Mo-
have deliberately brought them on. The hands of hammed; and some probably did this in momentary
all alike were tied by fear of bloodshed; but in the , !. pique. Desperadoes of whom the whole city was
, ashamed seem to have been received into the fold
case of humble converts they were ready to come
very near that limit. The persons whose accession
( ,
..
-:, • of Islam j they could then on the strength of their
to Islam was most welcomed were men of physical , faith claim to be better than their neighbours.
,
strength, and mueh aetual fighting must have taken • A measure which seems to us both natural and
I ~p ,

place at Meceah before the Flight; else the readiness , harmless was taken by the Meccans; the Moslems
•,
with which the Moslems after the Flight could pro. were kept out of the Precincts of the Ka'bah.
I
duce from their number tried champions would be When they came there their devotions were rudely
inexplicable. A tried champion must have been r • interrupted.
tried somewhere: and no external fights are re- From personal violence the Prophet himself was
corded or are even the subject of an allusion for ordinarily secured by the protection of his relations,
this period. The Prophet himself is said on one especially when his uncle, the mighty hunter Ham.
occasion after reciting Surah xxxvi. to have flung zah, joined Islam-we know not why: one tradition
dust on the heads of his opponents. t And the wise .~, "~
says, because of his indignation at the insults inflicted
principle of hitting back when hit appears to have on Mohammed by Abu Jahl; another that he de.
characterised the new religion from its start, and to
(
. , • manded (like Philip) to be shown the Angel Gabriel,
and with this request Mohammed complied j the
* Ibn Duraid, 76. Angel, whose feet were of emerald, appearing
t Azraki, 81.
*Wakidi (W.), 51.
., ;'

.:~ ~.
* Ishak, 189,

r-,;' •
 Mohammed
mounted on a clothes.horse in the Ka'bah.* If this
story be true, we should couple with it another,
presently to meet us, where Hamzah figures dis·
gracefully intoxicated.t Hamzah's sword was de. • •
stined to do good service later on.
After a time the situation became intolerable.
The resources of the Believers who were independ.
ent were insufficient to support the strain of their
starving brethren, nor was the life of the latter en· "
durable, amid ceaseless vexations and persecutions. "
A few, as we learn from the Koran, fell away, though
the Prophet assured them that their sufferings were
slight compared with those which monotheists in for.
mer times had to endure. The idea which so readily
occurs, and which has so often proved the salvation
of persecuted communities suggested itself. God's • i
•
earth was wide, so why should not those who were
injured in their native country flee to another?
Thus a few generations ago the Mormons, vexed
and persecuted, fled to a new land and started a now
thriving colony. That the Moslems did not do this
may be attributed to their being essentially artisans " .
and traders, accustomed to the handling, not to the
production, of raw materials. Moreover, the per.
manent abandonment of Meccah seems never to
have entered the Prophet's mind, though the mode
in which the Meccan sanctuary was worked into his
system was probably the product of slow develop. , •
* Ibn Sa'd, iii., 6.
t Still it may have been
a case of I I hypnotic hallucination, "-the
mode whereby Riley explains the evidence of the three witness~s
who saw Joseph Smith's gold plates. Loc. tit., p. 212.

" .
 History of the Meccan Period 157
ment. Still a temporary refuge was clearly desirable
and Mohammed had not to look far to find it. In
' . that country which had sent effective aid to the
• persecuted Arabian Christians and which had mani.
,
. fested detestation of the Meccan idolatry, Moham.
'

med resolved to find a refuge for his followers, per.

haps looking forward to seeing them return at the
head of an Abyssinian army.* Among those with
_ • whom he had associated there had certainly been
Abyssinians, and indeed he had himself most likely
visited the country, so as to know something of
its conditions.
The Meccans were in commercial relations with
<i. .,; the state of.Axum, whose port Massoua is separated
>
0
~
e'" lt by an easy journey from the Arabian coast. The
"
""
u.
0
" :.=:"'~
\
j •
beginnings of Christianity in that country are lost
0
," in obscurity, and its chronicles up to the Portuguese
;; .
;. E.0
I';
W invasion are all fabulous. But Greek authors attest
•
:;~ i the Arabian legend which makes the Negus in the
.. •
sixth century send an army to the relief of the
persecuted Christians in South Arabia; and every
'," • Meccan child knew that an Abyssinian force had
,;,

'"
been sent to destroy the Ka'bah and had been
miraculously repelled. Thither (in the fifth year
of the mission, it is said)t the Moslems began to
i~ ; slink away, probably in small groups, though the
'" number of refugees reached in time eighty.three
,;,
,i
• families. At the head of the list one tradition places
the weakly Othman, son of 'Affan, with his wife
, •
0"

Ii ~ ~:
oJ
""I
Rukayyah, Mohammed's daughter, whereas anothel
* This suggestion is made by Sir 'William Muir.
t Wakidi in Dhakha'ir ''lOa A'lak, 20-1-.
"J

t, {
•
 , .
Mohammed H£story Of the Mectan Perz'od 159
makes the first refugee a certain Hatib, son of 'Amr, degree.* Perhaps they found some menial employ.
who occupies otherwise no prominent place in the ments, enabling them to earn a livelihood. No great
history. The remainder of the list seems to include interest was at first manifested in them by the King,
nearly all the persons who were enumerated among ,. who was probably not averse to the reception of im.
the converts. J a 'far, Abu Talib's son, was one of migrant aliens.
the emigrants. Abu Bakr started for Abyssinia, but According to U mm Salamah, however, the Mec-
was recalled by the promise of protection of a cans were not disposed to lose so considerable a
certain Ibn Dughunnah. Abu Bakr, however, per- number of their fellow-citizens. At a later time we
formed his orisons with so much ostentation, and find them unreasonably tenacious of citizens who by
thereby attracted so much attention that his patron
, ". • abandoning their religion had ceased to be of any
had publicly to withdraw his protection. In some use to themselves; they preferred keeping them in
cases the Meccans endeavoured to prevent the chains at home to letting them go free. The reason
flight of their persecuted brethren: this is recorded for this is in part to be found in the institution called
of Salamah, brother of Abu Jah!. munttfarah, t a sort of contest in which men endeav-
Little is known of the condition of the refugees in oured to prove their families to be the biggest; ridi·
Abyssinia. The bulk of our information is derived a culed in the Koran, where some one is said to swell
from the narative of U mm Salamah, wife of Abdal· the list by counting gravestones. Hence a vohln.
lah Ibn Abd al-Asad, who afterwards became wife of tary exile was said to bid defiance to his friends.t
the Prophet. Some of the matter contained in this A deputation consisting of Abdallah (then called
narrative is certainly afterthought; but the employ- Bujair), son of Abu Rabi'ah, and father of a cele-
ment of some Ethiopic words in the speeches of brated poet, and 'Amr, son of AI.'Asi, afterwards
the King of Abyssinia which she records, seems evid. • II' famous, was sent to induce the King to extradite

ence of authenticity. How these people lived in Abys- them. 'Amr, son of Al.'Asi, was well known at
sinia is not known, nor do we even know whetlier the Abyssinian court, where he had revealed to
they and the Abyssinians were mutually inteIIigible.* the King the unfaithfulness of one of his queens, §
Their life there was not of a sort which can have and so avenged his own wrong while he avenged
been very enjoyable, since they all manifested great the King's. They were told to take presents
anxiety to return, with the exception of such as be- I to the nobles and approach the King through
t---
came Christians. One of the refugees (Asma, daugh. r
ter of Unais) described it as miserable to the last
* Muslim, ii'l 265.
t Goldziher, M. S., i., 56.
* Interpreters are required between Abyssinians and Arabs, Nolw :I: Ilm lJuraid, 223,
deke, Sass' l 220. § Agh, viii., 53.
 ...
160 Mohammed
them. The way having been duly paved, the
envoys submitted their desire that their mis.
guided brethren might be handed over to them;
returned, we must suppose, with an Abyssinian es-
. •
cort to the Arabian coast. The King wished to
know first what the new religion was. An assembly
was called at which Ja'far, being summoned to reply,
read out the earlier part * of Surah xix., a discourse
specially prepared by Mohammed for this occasion. ,
Its description of the experiences of the Virgin Mary
moved the Negus to tears; and he resolved never to
abandon these followers of Christ. The disappointed
envoys endeavoured to show the King that Moham·
med's views of the nature of Christ were unorthodox,
but the King, to their vexation, declared the Ko-
ranic doctrine on that matter to be the solely true 3 •
one.
How much of this narrative is true is not known.
From a later anecdote J a'far appears incidentally to
have had some experience ofthe Negus's court.t It is
in any case a fact that the Negus favoured the cause of
Mohammed against the Kuraish, and remained Mo- .. •
hammed's faithful friend to his death; when success
had crowned Mohammed's arms he restored his fol-
lowers to him, and went to the expense of finding the
dowry of one of his numerous brides, Ethiopian
Christianity, unlike most other branches, tolerating
polygamy. Without an Abyssinian account of the
affair we cannot make out certainly the King's mo- ~ •
tives or the actual course of Mohammed's policy.
* Wakidi, Dhakha'ir, 205.
t Wakidi (W.), 302 •

• •
 History 0./ the Me'ccan Period 161

The XIXth Surah is (like many others) a summary

of the Prophet's teaching, only in it the story of the
• I .. Nativity occupies the chief place; we fancy Wara·
kah's translation of the 'Gospel must have come in
useful at this period. The indignant denial which it
, contains of the divine sonship of Jesus is without
,~, question an addition inserted at a later time; Mo.
hammed avoided that thorny matter till it became
politic for him to quarrel with Christians. The part
which is likely to have been read before the King is
an innocent reproduction of statements current in
Christian books, with some touches from the Proph.
"
et's fancy; the story that Christ spoke in the cradle
r is likely to have been known in Abyssinia, and, even
'" if heard for the first time, would have given no of.
'. l'. fence. We cannot well believe that Ja'far translated
,ii'; this Surah, which derives so much of its beauty from
the rhyme, into another language i hence we fancy
the Abyssinian audience must have been able to
guess at the meaning of a tale in a dialect so closely
allied to their own.
f1 When Moslems began to persecute Christians,
they were doubtless taunted with the memory of
this timely help, whereby the early community had
:' been saved from destruction. Fictions were then
'.;I excogitated showing how the Negus had been, not a
;I~~ Christian, but a follower of Islam. On the analogy
,: of similar scenes we should suppose that the envoys
\I :' !I'of Mohammed urged the Negus to take an active
part in suppressing paganism, reminding him of the
Abyssinian rule in South Arabia, a fact which gave
! him some sort of title to the country; and that the
!,
I
"
,!
, 10

"'
 <, ..

162 Mohammed History of the lVIeccan Period

idea of regaining this ancient possession was what led
him to favour the Meccan insurgents.
An itl)portant event, the conversion of Omar, is •
;r was circulated that the husband's father had died
searching for that faith which Mohammed was
• authorised to preach. Of Omar's conversion a va-
J
placed about the time of the first secession.* This , L: riety of accounts are given, several agreeing in that
,':
man was some ten years the Prophet's junior, a they ascribe it to the charm of the Koran. The most
famous horseman and of hcrculean strength; like popular make him embrace Islam at the house of his
Hamzah he was addicted to wine; in his youth he sister Fatimah (or Ramlah), wife of Sa'id, son of
had suffered from extreme povertyt; like the rest of Zaid, both of them secret proselytes. Khabbab, son
the Meccans he was engaged in trade, and had a • of AI-Aratt, was reading a Surah (No. xx,) at their
Bedouin's cunning. t He tried in his trading expe· house, when they were surprised by the entry of
ditions to evade the tax on gold exacted by the I ~: Omar. The scripture.reader fled precipitately, leav-
Ghassanides, by making a camel swallow the money, "
ing the roll wit~ Fatimah, who tried in vain to hide
and afterwards slaughtering the camel and recover- it; Omar demanding it, and being refused, wounded
ing the coins. The Ghassanide official let himself be his sister with his sword. The sight of the blood
cheated once this way, but a second time he was able made him penitent; he begged humbly to see the
to detect the camel that had been tampered with,
4
•
roll, which was granted him, if he washed before
and outwitted Omar. Omar's camel had to disgorge touching it. He read a portion of the Surah and
the money, and its master to satisfy himself with asked to be taken to Mohammed, to make his con·
threats of vengeance. Like St. Paul, to whom he has fession of faith. The scripture.reader, hearing this,
been compared, he persecuted the religion of which . "~
emerged from his hiding-place, and escorted Omar to
he afterwards became a champion. Mohammed, .\ .j: the Prophet. Hamzah, who was hiding with the
with his unfailing skill in judging men, eagerly de- ", , • Prophet, undertook to kill Omar if he meant mis-
sired to have this man among his supporters; and
though our authorities are silent concerning the
:j ,
i:i
!' chief, but he came as a proselyte and was warmly
welcomed. He proceeded at once to communicate
steps which he took to obtain this end, the facts that '.,: 'jt ' the intelligence of his conversion to the amateur
town-crier, and visited Abu Jahl, the inveterate

~"
Omar was converted after his sister, and that the
sister was married to the 'son of a monotheist, supply ,: e~embY 0hf Itstl~m'twhhod tha~k~ hfim for the informa-
materials for reconstruction of the process. A story", ", ~' :' ".' bon y s u 1l1g e 001' ll1 IS ace.
'i~ The Moslems could now come out of their places
* Dhll'I-Hijjah of the year 6 of the ~Ii'5ion. Ibn Sa'd, iii" '93,
r:,'
t Baihaki. lJIahasiu., 301. of concealment, and even pray openly in the pre-
:,.I,.ii..

Ii I dncts. Such was the fear which his strength

. ""'" I.

Isabah, ii., 2r, Verses by him are occasionally qnoted.

1= Ibn
Duraid, 225. \ ',I inspired." If Satan were to meet Omar," said

~ i I ~'. ~
II , ' , '
i .'!
I:'

!I " '
 , .
Mohammed Ht:rtory of the lI1eccan Period
. ,
Mohammed, "he would get out of Omar's way."* II r at other times interfered with women's concerns in a
, ,.'I
~
Yet we have no record. of any occasion on which manner which displays a nature of extreme coarse·
Omar displayed remarkable courage, though many
examples are at hand of his cruelty and bloodthirsti.
. ness. It must further be added in explanation of his
conversion that he belonged to a humble clan, and
ness; at the battle of Hunain he ran away, t and had therefore something to gain by the equality
on another occasion owed his life to the good nature which Islam promised. Years after, when Caliph,
of an enemy. he took a delight in humiliating the aristocrat Abu
Probably the above story is in the main true. Sufyan, thanking God that through Islam a member
Novelists sometimes employ similar motives; an im.
petuous but chivalrous man finds that he has rushed
,- of his humble family could command one of the
illustrious Abd Mana£.* Mohammed, who with the
in to an ungentlemanly act, and in his extreme desire .view of breaking the family and tribal ties instituted
to atone loses command of his will. The shock brotherhoods between pairs of his followers, coupled
which Omar experienced at having wounded his sis. .Omar with his principal adherent, Abu Bakrt; and
ter made him anxious to do anything which would "\ ij~ ':. in spite of the difference of their dispositions we hear
it ,~~
atone for it; the most obvious course being to ex· of only one serious quarrel between them. t Where.1
press admiration for the Koran and become a Mos. ,. they agreed the Prophet regularly took their advice. § i
lem, he hastens to adopt that; he is admitted into The tradition regularly represents Omar as recom.)
the society, and becomes its most fanatical member. mending violence where Abu Bakr is for gentle meas-.
Moreover, to this sister he appears to have been fondly ures; Mohammed did not often take his advice in!,
attached; when, as children, they looked after their such cases, yet made him one of the innermost cabi. '
mother's camel in the desert, Omar used when it net; the formula, "I, Abu Bakr, and Omar," was
grew hot to throw his garment over his sister and to • • constantly on his lips. I When the Prophet adopted
tend the beast, exposed without any covering to the his suggestions he ordinarily professed to have ar-
sunshine.t This explains the difficulty that Omar's rived at them independently. This process by no
conduct on other occasions displays no trace of means weakened Omar's confidence, whose belief
chivalry. He was a wife-beater §; he went to the was only shaken when the Prophet allowed his rights
length of scourging some women for weeping over as Messenger of Allah to be curtailed. When the
the death of one of Mohammed's daughters II; and .,
* Muslim, ii., 234. * A zrak!, 448.
t Wakidi (W .j, 361. t Ishak, 934·
+ Bailtaki, Maltasin, 301. *§ A£usnad, iv., 6.
Ibid., iv., 227.
§ Mus1Zaa, iii., 328.
I Ibid., L, 237, etc. Cf. Goldzilter, M. S., i" 253. I Muslim, ii" 232.
 " J,'
.. '

r66 Mohammed H£story Of the Meccan Per£od

Prophet, having declined to wear silk himself, on one The reason why this fear was not realised is sug-
occasion offered a silken robe to Omar, the latter gested by Umm Salamah. Shortly after the arrival
burst into tears. * of the Refugees the Negus was involved in a frontier
If the Kuraish were indignant before these devel· • war: with whom, she does not record; but the his-
opments their fury now rose many degrees. The tory of Abyssinia suggests many possibilities. The
envoys whom they had despatched to Abyssinia re- Refugees awaited with the extremest anxiety the re-
turned with the news that their presents had been sult of the battle, which would be likely to influence
refused by the lord ofAxum, who had trusted Mo- their fate. It turned out (she says) favourably for
hammed's followers rather than them; they knew the Negus; but is likely to have put the Meccan
~
all about Mohammed and his antecedents, and their • business out of his head.
opinion had no effect with the Negus; the starveling The story of the conversion of Omar represents
1:
Refugees had greater weight than they. The affront l him as endeavouring to find Mohammed, armed with
involved assuredly made the Meccan aristocrats feel -". , a sword for the purpose of freeing Meccah from the
:1''"
sore. But what was more important, Abyssinian as- :" impostor. This trait is probably borrowed from the
sistance must have reminded every Meccan of their Omar of later days, who was accustomed to solve
invasion of Arabia, and the misconduct which led to r • every knot with that weapon. The fear of a blood-
the heroic efforts of Saif, son of Dhu Yazan, to eject feud between the Meccan families acted like an im·
them. The return of their presents to the Meccan passable barrier, keeping that expedient out of the
envoys looked like a declaration of war,. as such Meccans' reach. The time was not ripe for their
we find this act regarded in negotiations between bracing themselves to contemplate such a thing, and
the Wahhabis and Ibrahim Pasha, recorded by Pal- even when it came their clumsiness and timidity ren-
grave. t What more likely than that the anticipa- • • dered the attempt abortive. There was, however, a
tion of Mohammed would be fulfilled, and an army process, known to pagan Arabs no less than Christians,
. ',"
be sent to abolish the Meccan rites, and with them :' I'
which they could attempt without violating their
the Meccan commerce? There is little reason for consciences. This was excommunication, depriving.
doubting that the founder of Islam, in sending his the culprit's family of the jus connubii and jus com·
followers to Axum, designed some such denouement. mercii: a purpose for which special confederacies
A few years afterwards he readily allied himself with were established. * Rolls would seem to have been
another city-it is said-with the express object of " " in common use at this time in Meccah: a solemn
fighting all the world in the cause of his religion. league and covenant was made, written on a roll,
and suspended in the Ka'bah, by which the heads
* Muslim, iL, ISS.
t Travels, ii" 51, * G(}ldziher, /YE. S., L, 65.
168 Mohammed Hz'story Of the Meccan Perz'od
of the Meccan households pledged themselves to who endeavoured to get it cancelled. Meanwhile
exclude the Banu Hashim and the Banu 'l-Muttalib the Moslems then no more than at any other time
from these rights, until, we may presume, Moham-
med was declared outlawed, and handed up to venge·
t . believed in the doctrine of turning the other cheek.
One of the Prophet's cousins, Tulaib, son of 'U mair,
ance. The scribe was himself a member of the actually wounded Abu Lahab, and being captured
{
Hashim clan; but it apparently was open to mem- .;
by the Kuraish would have been dispatched, but
bers of the clan to forswear their clanship, and so that Abu Lahab, generous as usual, protected him..~
escape the ban. Abu Lahab, the Prophet's uncle, Abu Jahl also is said to have been battered in an
was one of those who took advantage of this I encounter with some of Mohammed's friends. t
option; and he is perhaps cursed in the Koran in
,
~i

i~
>,

.'
• The duration of the ban is given as two or three
consequence; Mohammed's cousin, Abu Sufyan, lJ; •
years. The number of persons who were affected by
son of AI.Harith, was another.* The whole Hash· it is not exactly known, but it is certain that it must
imite clan, with these exceptions, congregated in have been very considerable: a sufficient number to
Abu Talib's ravine, where they probably lived on render a feud a serious matter. One of those affected
Khadijah's resources. The ravine was capable of was the Prophet's uncle Abbas, whose' son Abdallah,
holding as many as four thousand persons and could t ,. born during the ban, became eminent among the
be defended against attacks.t Like other prisoners, .fathers of the Mohammedan Church.
the Hashimites could obtain food, but at famine The period of the ban is artistically filled by the
prices. The careless generosity of the Meccans and biographers with notices of Koranic controversies;
their vacillating wills did much to render the block- , but it is probable that the controversy belonged to
•!
ade ineffective. One Mut'im, son of 'Adi, rendered an earlier period, and that the war of deeds was
such services that Mohammed afterwards would • • after rather than simultaneous with the war of
have made him a present of all the prisoners of words. The Abyssinian card was one of enormous
<'
Badr. Hisham, son of 'Amr, who was remotely value-not so valuable as that of Medinah after-
connected with the Hashimites, used to send beasts wards proved to be, yet capable of being played·
laden with provisions into the ravine.:I: There were with great effect. All the argumentation of the
other persons, some of whom, like Sahl, son of Koran, which indeed few in Meccah could under-
Wahb, afterwards professed to have been secret con· stand,:j: was far outweighed by the testimonial of the
verts, to whom the "Scroll" was distasteful, and r ,. great man. The Negus believed Mohammed was a
* Wahidi (W.), 328. * Isabah after Baladhuri.
t Chronicles of Mecca!" ii., 31. t Tabari, i., IIgO.
t Ishah, 247. t Surah xi., 93.
 , .
lifohammed EIistory of the Meccan Per£od 17 1

prophet; that fact could now be flaunted in adver. to that of " intercessors whose intercession might be
tisements, and the Meccans who probably saw in hoped." The scene for its delivery seems to have
this testimonial merely a desire on the part of the been carefully prepared. The inhabitants of Meccah
Abyssinians to interfere with their affairs, found that • thronged the precincts; the Prophet appeared, de.
Mohammed from being vexatious had become dan- , "
livered his discourse, and paid his high compliment
gerous. He had, in fact, by the Negus's patronage to the goddesses whom he had previously treated so
of the cause become a political power; a person cavalierly. He prostrated himself at the end of the
hated, indeed, but feared rather than despised. ,discourse, and the congregation prostrated them·
Meanwhile Mohammed's resources were being se- i selves also. One whom the stiffness of old age
verely strained, and he probably had to bear many a • prevented from joining in the ceremony took soil
reproach from the clansmen whom he had so seriously from the ground and applied it to his brow. The
compromised; but developments from Abyssinia news flew fast that Allah and the goddesses had be.
were worth awaiting, and the result of the Abyssin· come friends-tnat the Kuraish had accepted Islam,
ian campaign was probably watched for in Meccah or that Mohammed had fallen back into paganism.
with considerable anxiety. :..., The ban on the Hashimites was withdrawn; the
What we know is that a compromise was pre- ~ Abyssinian Refugees returned.
!
sently arrived at; and the causes which led to the The compromise, which to us appears wise and
compromise may be thus divined. After the Abys. statesmanly, was regarded as the most discreditable
sinians' campaign had proved successful, it was im· episode in the Prophet's career, and in the chief edi.
portant for the Meccans to persuade their fugitives tion of his biography it is suppressed. In the edition
to come home, so that there might be no further which preserves it Mohammed is represented as re-
fear of an Abyssinian invasion. On the other hand, e • turning to monotheism the same day.* The release
the Prophet was probably aware that such an in- of the Hashimites from the ban is disconnected from
vasion would be a doubtful advantage to himself, the compromise, and ascribed to the action of certain
since the Abyssinians would conquer, if at all, for individuals whose tender hearts were afflicted with.
themselves. Let Mohammed make some reasonable the thought of a Kurashite tribe perishing. They
concession to AI.Lat and Al-'Uzza, and Allah's therefore resolved to ind uce the Kurashites to de-
Prophet would be recognised. stroy the roll, which, it is then discovered, has al-
This was in effect what happened. The Prophet ~ to ready been destroyed by worms. The fact however
produced a revelation in which AI-Lat, etc., were of the Abyssinian Refugees returning in consequence
raised from the position of "names invented by of the compromise shows that it was an event of
your fathers for which Allah has given no authority" * Tabari, ion II95.

~", i
 .
Mohammed History of the Meccan Period 173
more than momentary importance. It would be converts who were told to profit from their con·
utterly unlike Mohammed to make such a conces· version by embezzling goods entrusted to them by
sion unless at least an equivalent was to be obtained. • unbelievers declined to make theft their entry into
t
Such an equivalent would doubtless be the removal the new condition·:t; men tried hard to get permis-
of the ban. The ascription of that step to the good sion to become ascetics.t Mohammed, like others
nature of certain persons we regard therefore as due who raise spirits, cpuld not always control them.
to the desire to bring the compromise into oblivion. The compromise threatened to mean a complete
How came the ban to be withdrawn? was a natural _. °'1 victory for' one side. Nor indeed are the Meccans
~,i ""
question. The most pious answer was that the I .~- • likely to have suppressed their delight at having
, I
worms ate up the document on which it had been ,:il! extorted such a concession.
inscribed-with due reverence for the name of God Some one, therefore, an Abyssinian Refugee, or
which was at the head of it. To those who thought perhaps Omar-whose faith at a later time was all
this unlikely the good nature of certain Meccans fur. a
but wrecked by tergiversation of the Prophet's,-
nished a likelier reply. Our authorities give us a com· demanded that this concession should be withdrawn.
bination of the two. Yet in ascribing to the pagans We were not there, as Mohammed would say, when
such tenderness of feeling they appear to be right. t • the discussion went on; yet we know that disputes
What it was that spoiled the satisfactory syncre. rage no less fiercely because posterity forgets all
tism which had restored concord is not known; most about them. Strong as was the Prophet's will, there
probably it was the fact that many of Mohammed's were times when he could be bent; and having re-
followers were earnest. Indeed the long persecution signed himself to approving the Meccan polytheism,
they had undergone had burned out the elements that he had now to resign himself to declaring that he
were not genuine metal. The trials which they had' • had made a mistake. As we have seen, the retrac-
faced had endeared the doctrine to which they were tation of errors committed in the Koran was a fairly
due; and those persons, accustomed to speak of AI- familiar process. Allah was not proud. The com-
Lit and AI-'Uzza with contempt and abhorrence, promising verses were erased from the Surah, and'
refused to turn round so sharply and admit their an apology substituted. In this he declares that
efficacy with God. It was not the only occasion on whenever a prophet recites his oracles the devil is
which Mohammed discovered that his followers were quite sure to interpolate. God, however, revises
not all adventurers but some of them enthusiasts. f • the proofs, and throws out the devil's interpolation.
Men to whom he held out the prospect of worldly The fruit of the long negotiations was thus lost; the
goods replied at times that they did not need them *;
* Ishak, 470.
* /lluSllad, iv., 197. t Musnad, i., 175, vi., 122.
 , ,I
174 lVloltammed History of the Meccan Period 175
Refugees forthe most part returned to Abyssinia, few The next events of consequence are the deaths in
of them having even entered Meccah. Thirty-three one year of Khadijah and Abu Talib: this is given
who'remained had to obtain patrons. The persons • as year 10 of the Mission, and it is stated that the
who had procured the compromise were more events were after the blockade was over and the
than ever embittered at Mohammed's slipperiness Hashimites had issued from their ravine. Probably
and bad faith. the proximate cause 'of the death of both is to be
The strategy of the Meccan leaders had, how. found in the agitation due to the scenes of which
ever, averted a serious danger. The fugitives had we can only reproduce so faint an outline, and the
left Abyssinia, spreading the rumour of the conver· , • privation and annoyance which the blockade had
sion of their enemies, a rumour which doubtless had occasioned; or more probably in the prospect of a
been magnified in their mouths, for exiles feed so renewal of the same privations after they had stopped
much on hopes. Abyssinian aid was, they declared, for a time. Mohammed is said to have tried hard to
no longer required to force their countrymen to re- get the dying Abu'Talib to pronounce the Islamic
spect the Chosen of God. These persons coming back confession, but unsuccessfully; whereas he could
after a month, and saying it was all a regrettable assure Khadijah on her deathbed that she with three
I
mistake, cut rather a sorry figure; nor dared they, , other famous ladies-the Virgin Mary, Potiphar's
we fancy, tell the story of the devil's interpolation. wife, and" Kulthum, Moses' sister" - would share
Hence the danger from Abyssinia had been averted. his chamber in Paradise; and wishing her husband
The interval between the failure of the compro. "Peace and Offspring," the ordinary nuptial greet-
mise and the next events of importance is filled in ing, she passed away.;(· Of Abu Talib the Prophet
by the biographer with miraculous tales or such as appears to have spoken with very moderate affec-
are clearly inventions requisite for the interpretation f " tion; his protection hac doubtless been like the
of passages in the Koran. Hard as it is to injure a brake, which, while it saves the vehicle from destruc-
repu~ation, it is probable that Mohammed's conces· tion, retards its pace. Moreover,with Mohammed
sion and retractation had seriously injured his. The failure to recognise his Mission could not be atoned
grand SCe,;:l in the precincts would be remembered ):l for by any services, however great. Abu Talib there-
by the citizens of Meccah, and many a sarcasm be f;f fore was doomed to hell; the utmost that his
bestowed on the Prophet who could not distinguish ( ~ ,:,1: • nephew could procure for him was that whereas
the inspirations of Satan from those of God. Few r,. " "other evil.doers were in a lake of fire, he was to be
proselytes are likely to have been won at Mect.:ah ~ ~I in a puddle, without, however, much alleviation of
:i~ W
from the time of the abrogation of the verse~ till :.1' ',I,: the suffering involved. Ali, more fanatical than the
the exodus. , * Isaban.
"
"~
 lVIohammed History of the Meccan Period In
Prophet, displayed some reluctance when ordered This was doubtless his object in marrying the daugh-
to bury his father who had died in unbelief.* ters of Abu Bakr and Omar; while a political motive
Of Khadijah, on the other hand, Mohammed is of a different sort is to be found in his alliances with
l
said to have spoken with affection and appreciation, • the daughters of political opponents or fallen ene-
and in later years used regularly to treat with favour mies. Victory over an enemy would seem to have
women who had been recipients of Khadijah's been consummated only when the enemy's daughter
bounty, declaring faithfulness to be part of faith.t was introduced into the conqueror's harem:* The
He thereby roused the jealousy of one of her many remainder are to be explained by his extreme anx·
substitutes. For indeed the widower consoled him- iety to have a son, and thereby escape a reproach
self within a month by marrying Saudah, daughter of - to which he was keenly sensitive. "The owner of
Zama'ah, whose brother strewed ashes on his head this castle was in great grief because he had no son;
when he heard of her betrothal t; and ere long, by so he did not cease selecting bride after bride till at
engaging himself to the infant daughter of Abu last there was prospect of success." This is men·
Bakr, Ayeshah, of whom more will be heard. A tioned by an Arabic writer t as a normal occurrence,
child of seven, she was sent by her father with a and indeed the institution of marriage is among the
basket of dates to the Prophet, whose manner in- " Arabs based on the first two only of the reasons
spired her with alarm and aversion. § But this of given in the Anglican marriage service. t In Khadi-
course strengthened the Prophet's resolve, though jah's lifetime, as has been seen, Mohammed could
she was already betrothed to the son of his patron not follow the dictates of either of the motives that
Mut'im, who, however, was not anxious for alliance have been alleged. Viewed in the light of his sub-
with a Moslem. sequent conduct, his behaviour prior to her death
Mohammed's numerous marriages after Khadi. ' " illustrates in a striking way his extraordinary self.
jah's death have been attributed by many European control and determination to wait for the favourable
writers to gross passion, but they would seem to moment before putting any plan into execution.
have been mainly dictated by motives of a less Women in the East, especially Meccan women, are
coarse kind. Several of his alliances were political more attached to their native homes than men, § and
in character, the Prophet being anxious to bind his Khadijah's death probably rendered the Flight prac-
chief followers more and more closely to himself. ticable. The death of Abu Talib rendered it a natural

* Musnad, L, 97. * Wei/hausen, Eltt, 435, n. 5. He gives a reason for this.

t A lif-Ba, i., 141.
t Hariri, 430.
t M1lsnad, vi., 210. t Ibid., 32 9.
§ Mikhlal, 156. § Wellha,mn, Elte, 470.
I;I .
 ,
,~'.
Mohammed History of the Meccan Period 179
, ."
, ~"
solution of the Prophet's difficulties, and one which , ': ; omitted-the Prophet begged them not to mention
~r.
the legend made Abu Talib himself suggest to his { what his views were, so determined was he to keep
I
nephew on his deathbed:); For to no other of his out of danger's way. His request was not granted,
relations was he bound by ties similar to those which ;? "
,',.
and he was mobbed by the fanatical populace, his
attached him to the uncle whose protection he had ! sufferings being witnessed by some of his Kurashite
•
enjoyed so long, nor was there any of the uncon- opponents, who, however, as usual, treated him with
~ ;-
"
verted left who was likely to interfere so actively in generosity. Longafter a late convert remembered see-
•
his behalf. The tradition would fain give Abbas a • ! i. ing him on a high place at Ta'if, leaning like a Kahin 'Jl
similar part; but there is grave reason to suspect ,) on a staff or bow, and reciting a Surah (lxxxvi.)
that he first got it when his descendants had climbed , ~:
, ,,~ in which he argues the resurrection of the body from
"1;,-
Mohammed's throne. ., I' the nature of its origin, and assures the hearers with
After Abu Talib's death the Prophet is said to ,
'";,
;;;: strange oaths that he is serious. The role of the
J
have suffered severe persecution, dust being thrown Prophet assuredly resembled that of a madman; but
on his head. t He therefore left Meccah, with the ~;. the convert professed to have committed the text to
view of obtaining a footing elsewhere; his first visit memory at the time, though it was not till long
was to Ta'if, the city that was connected with Meccah .. • after that he acknowledged it to be the Word of
by so many ties. He could not apparently have God. t At the time he accepted the opinion of
made a worse choice; the people of Ta'if were no less some Kurashites who told him that they knew the
devoted to their goddesses than the Ephesians to Prophet well, and would have followed him had he
Artemis; years after they made a tougher fight for been genuine.:j: One woman (Rakikah) is said to
their religion than any other Arab town. In the have given the Prophet water, and indeed to have
fact that he went no farther than Ta'if we have evi- • been converted; and since open conversion would
dence of the caution and timidity which character- have meant death to her, she was permitted to adopt
ised his movements: one of the ruling family at Ta'if a compromise similar to that of N aaman the Syrian;
had a Kurashite wife; hence as a Kurashite Moham. she was to assert that her God was the Thakafite
med could claim the protection of the ruling family, idol, but she was to turn her back to it when she
which they appear to have granted till he began to prayed. §
explain his views, which were received by the sheikhs To Meccah he durst not return without a promise
with contempt and withering rebuffs. Abashed by"
their tone-this story is too characteristic to be * Isabalt, iii., II 27.
t Ibid., i., 826.
* Ibn Sa'd II" iL, 91. t Musnad, iv., 335.
t Tabari, L, II96. § Isabah, ii., 2I~.
 '. ,.JI

180 Mohammed History of the Meccan Period 181

of protection, for whoever succeeded Abu Talib as .' , from the commencement of Dhu'I.Ka'dah they had
chief of the Hashimites was not disposed to grant ; '~
their fair at Ukaz, for ten at Majannah, and for eight
it; it was at last with difficulty procured from f. , at Dhu'l-Majaz. Nothing could be easier than to go
Mut'im, son of 'Adi, whose name has occurred be. ~ the round of these encampments, as doubtless many
fore. Nothing further of importance occurred duro a pedlar did, and recite passages of the Koran; offer-
ing this trip save an interview with a Christian slave ing Paradise to any tribe that was prepared to re-
whom he moved to rapturous admiration by knowing ceive him.* And years after the Mission had become
that Nineveh was the home of Jonah. a success old men remembered seeing the Prophet
Truly the inhabitants of one town care little for f •• at the fair of Dhu'I.Majaz deliva-ing his message;
the concerns of another. Ta'if is not two days' he was clad in red, and at that time had a white
journey from Meccah, and, as appears from this ..' complexion and copious black hair. Abu Jahl was
story and other evidence, many Meccans had prop· i, ';' near, throwing clods at the preacher and warning
erty there. Yet clearly Mohammed's prophetic mis.,j il those present not to abandon their gods.t When
sion, which had now continued for ten years, had not
reached the ears of the people of Ta'if. W e, know-!~,
* It the feast itself came near, and the two sects of the
I,!i Arabs separated, Mohammed used to surprise the
ing nothing of Meccah, save what Mohammed's bio. f· I" " ~ youthful Meccans by standing with the sect which
graphers record, suppose the Meccans to have been I, was not his own.t One tribe, indeed, the Banu 'Amr
exclusively occupied with him and his mission. But Ibn Sa'sa'ah, appear to have thought his proposi-
i
it is evident that they must have had other and ,
,
tion worth considering, though the conditions which
more important concerns, else the neighbouring and '''r' they demanded were not accepted. To the rest the
•
.""

sister city must have known something about their :.i:r l

Prophet seemed either a blasphemer or a buffoon;
Prophet. • and Abu Lahab is said to have followed him closely,
The Prophet then had at the first attempt less to warn the Arabs to attach no importance to his
honour in another country than even in his own; proposals. On the other hand Abu Bakr is repre.
but the first failure never made any difference when sented as utilising his genealogical knowledge to win
he had once conceived a plan. Since, however, mis- the Prophet credit.
sionary journeys were not free from danger, he re- Since favours are usually granted with conditions
solved to take advantage of the immunity which the attached to them, we are entitled to infer from the
time of the festival provided. On those occasions • Prophet's conduct after the death of Abu Talib that
the neighbouring tribes came en masse to the neigh-
bourhood of Meccah, and set up their tents in groups,
* Musnad, iii., 339.
t Ibid.,
iv., 63.
as indeed is probably done still. For twenty days tA.,-aki, 130.
 "
182 Mohammed H£story oj the Meccan Per£od

he was only permitted to cnjoy the protection of a This would appear to have been the course of
Meccan family on condition that he confined his events during the Meccan period, of which precise
proselytising endeavours to strangers. Such condi. dates were rarely remembered, while the falsifica-
tions are not uncommonly imposed on Christian tion of parts of it was naturally attempted.
missionaries who work in Moslem countries, where Throughout, the conduct of the Meccan leaders
they are permitted to convert Jews and Christians seems to have been that of respectable and good.
at their pleasure, provided they leave privileged natured men. They were not hard on Mohammed's
citizens alone. Those who stipulated this probably eccentricity, supported as it was by Khadijah's wealth
had ceased to regard Mohammed as a source of , and social position, but naturally they were merciless
to the humble individuals, who, having neither wealth
danger, and felt confident that his preaching would
have no other effect than that of making him nor station, or only a little of either, chose to think
ridiculous. Hence he was permitted to try what he for themselves.
could do with the visitors whom the feast attracted When Mohammed's successful diplomacy threat·
in numbers, and also with such casual guests as a ened to wreck the independence of their city, they
variety of causes might bring to Meccah. Thus it adopted forcible measures, but even then were ready
came about that one Tufail, son of 'Amr, of the ~ to make an honourable compromise. When this failed,
tribe Daus, came to Meccah and believed; his tribe and a succession of misfortunes reduced Mohammed
had produced, if not a prophet, yet a man who had to impotence, they took no advantage of his weak.
inferred the existence of a Creator, not knowing ness, but suffered him to hold his own opinions, so
who He was; his disciple came to Meccah prepared long as he gave the citizens no further trouble. If,
to learn. He offered Mohammed a sure refuge in says an Arabic proverb, the end of a course were as
his fortress, but Mohammed was not satisfied with ~ clear as the beginning, no one would ever be found
the proposal:* Thus, too, a man of the tribe Ham·
. regretting. N either they nor anyone else could
dan offered Mohammed refuge, but as he bethought then foresee the possibilities of Islam.
him of getting the consent of his tribe and returning In Mohammed's conduct we may see the influ-
the next year to fetch the Prophet, he was too late.t ence of what Carlyle calls a fixed idea-determina.
Thus, too, it came about that Mohammed was on the tion to be recognised as the Prophet of Allah. A
lookout when envoys from Yathrib arrived, and an· legend makes the Kurashite chiefs offer him anything
other cause had meanwhile been conspiring to make f he chooses, wealth beyond the dreams of avarice, sov·
the people of Yathrib ready to receive Mohammed. ereignty, or anything else, if he will only resign his!
claims to be a Prophet, but he refuses. To this Ie.
* hIuslim, i., 44 j Isaban, ii., 578; Musllad, iii., 370. genel we naturally attach no credence, but even in
t Aft/slUId, iii., 390.
 w

Mohammed
the case of the fixed ideas which Carlyle has ren-
dered immortal-Boehmer's determination to sell his
necklace, Rohan's determination to be reconciled to
the Queen-their abandonment would have been i '.
attended with much personal inconvenience, and
going back was little less awkward than going for-
ward. After the part of divine ambassador had been
acted for ten years with very considerable success it CHAPTER VI.
could not well be given up.
'i • THE MIGRATION. *

U NLIKE Meccah, Yathrib lies in a fruitful

plain. "Walled habitations, grecn fields,
running water, every blessing the Eastern
mind can desire, are there." t And indeed the rich-
ness of the soil finds expression in the name Taibah,
l'
" the pleasing," which its Arab colonists were at one
time inclined to substitute for th'e Egyptian Ath-
ribis, Atrepe, "Residence of Triphis." The name
whereby it is now known, "the City," is an abo
breviation for "the City of the Prophet." The
Egyptian settlement was apparently not quite iden.
• " tical with the present site, but somewhat to the
north, at the confluence of the streams which unite
at Zaghabah to work their way to the sea.
The Arab chronicles take us back but a little way
in elucidating the circumstances which led to the re-
ception of Mohammed. That so favoured a region
• would be early colonised is certain, and indeed in
, pre-Christian days Yathrib figures as a prosperous

* In Arabic, hi/ralt, often wro\lg1y written IIl!gira.

t Kemu, p, 219.
185
 ..
r86 Mohammed ; I The MigraHon
'I

commercial city *; but the native tradition knows proceeded to oppress the settlers: one Jewish chief.
little of earlier inhabitants than Jews. tain (with the curious name Bedchamber) * even
Some of these professed to have settled there in exacting the ills primm noctis. By an expedient
the time of Moses; others to have joined their which rarely failed in anecdotes of this style, the
brethren after the taking of Jerusalem by the Ro. brother of one of the brides, disguised in bridal
mans. t Jewish settlers were certainly to be found attire, assassinated the tyrant; and presently t by
in most of the oases that lie between Syria and two acts of gross perfidy the supremacy had been
Yemen. A considerable number of Jewish tribes won for the incomers. A Ghassanide king, at the
at Yathrib (some twenty) are enumerated by the instance of a Khazrajite, Malik, son of 'Ajlan, had
Arabs, though only three figure much in the life of ' • invited the chiefs of the Jews to a banquet and be-
Mohammed. The names of none of these tribes headed them, leaving Malik to achieve the work of
are Hebrew; most of them are Arabic, and similar subduing the Jews. Malik accomplishes this by a
to the names of Arab tribes; one or two being de. second banquet, which the remaining chiefs were
rived from totems, while one or two are Aramaic. credulous and infatuated enough to attend. After
Hence it is improbable that the blood of these Jews this double massacre the Jews were no longer able
was mainly Jewish. Their goods were protected by r to make head against the newcomers, but sank into
seventy forts. :j: a condition of vassalage. When a Jew was attacked,
The Arabic history accounts for the facts that the instead of calling his brethren to help him, he be-
Jews in Mohammed's time formed a minority of the sought the aid of an Arab patron. And, indeed,
people of Yathrib, and that many of them were that the Banu Kainuka, who owned the market of
clients of the Arabs instead of being supreme, by Yathrib, were dependents of the Khazraj, appears
certain hypotheses. At the dispersion caused by "
the breaking of the dam at Marib, § the Aus and
• from a tale which shall presently be told.
It cannot now be discovered whether the above
Khazraj had wandered towards the Yathrib oasis, and story contains any germ of truth, or whether it is
had indeed been allowed land, but had no capital. wholly the product of the fancy. It is certainly
As the Arabs increased, they incurred the envy and true that to many of the Yathrib tribes Jews were
suspicion of the wealthy Jewish residents, who, im· attached: but the victims of the treachery cannot
itating the treatment of their ancestors by Pharaoh, well have been the tribes Nadir and Kuraizah, who
playa part in the scenes to which we are coming;
* Wi1tckler,Altorientalischc F(}rullUllgetl , iL, 339. ,
t Agllani, xix.,
t Sam/lUdl, 80.
94. * So Sam/lUdl (Kaitun): but probably Fatynn (Ibn J)"rald. 259.1
is better.
§ This event is still regarded by some as not wholly mythical. .t Sflmhudi, Sr.
 188 Mohammed The M£gra#on
for at the commencement of Islam, these were not of their culture to that of the Arabs there was no
in a condition of vassalage. It rather appears as if l question. They were better equipped with instru-
, "

these tribes had kcpt aloof from the affairs of their ments for agriculture, and understood many indus.
pagan neighbours till shortly after the commence-
f ','
':~, • tries to which the Arabs were strangers. They were
ment of Islam. Yet the fact of these tribes having •I' also adepts in magic and preferred the weapons of
I !"
!lames with specifically Arabic consonants requires the black art to those of open warfare. At the
some explanation. Israelites in most countries take time when this history opens they had some renown
names by which they are assimilated to their neigh. as warriors. Mohammed, a good judge of men,
bours; but the fact of their doing so implies that rated it, as we shall see, quite correctly.
they feel themselves to be aliens, and would, at least There is no doubt that the Jewish communities
to a certain extent, conceal this circumstance. Had had, by aid of their peaceful industry, acquired con-
these Israelites, coming from their home in Canaan, siderable wealth, and a poet of early Islam couples
colonised a new country, they would surely have re- the palaces of the Banu Nadir with those of the
tained both their language and their national names. Persian and Byzantine monarchs; deterioration of
Now, it seems clear that these Jews of Medinah the race had, he thinks, led to the fall of all alike.
were no more retentive of the former than of the (' • They had certain public funds, with a treasurer to
latter. They spoke Arabic-an idiom of their own, manage them. We hear incidentally of valuable
it would appear, but not more different from the plate possessed by members of the tribe. Some of
language of their neighbours than is Yiddish from their wealth was doubtless acquired by money.lend.
German. ing; on several occasions in the subsequent history
Hence we cannot credit the Arabic tale, and yet Jews figure largely as money.lenders, -)Co and when the
the obvious hypothesis that these tribes were not of ~
Jewish origin, but J udaised Arabs, * can only be
f! "
,
• Prophet died his cuirass was held by a Jew in pawn.
This fact makes their abandonment to destruction
accepted to a moderate extent. t The character- ,~~: '~
by the people of Yathrib easier to understand.
istics which they are found displaying are too na- I The reputation for learning which, as we have
tional for us to suppose they had imbibed their ;
seen, they enjoyed at Meccah, seems to have been
i
Judaism from strangers. Perhaps, then, these tribes il :1, deserved. They had one or more schools in which
'I the Torah was taught: and it seems likely that
had migrated to Yathrib after the break.up of the "

Jewish state in South Arabia. Of the superiority ~ r:

,ill
'" members of their community were at the first em-
ployed by Mohammed as scribes, or at any rate as
* Ibn .Durairl, p. 259, seems to be in fa.vour of this view. Ya'kubi 'j
accountants; for few of the pagans at Yathrib co~!d
a.ss~rts it positively.
t So Nord,kc. *E. g,. Wakidi (W.). 174.
19° Mohammed The lVHgratz'on
as yet write Arabic. * They would seem to have tower it is said to have been built of black stone
written Arabic in their familiar Hebrew character, H with an eminence of white, with another on that

and among the fragments of antiquity which may which would be seen from a distance." They
some day be unearthed are letters or contracts in ;: ,rl .l!
: j; appear ordinarily to have been square in shape.
this language. Their command of the H clear They were required only in emergencies, since the
Arabic tongue" was in some cases sufficient to rules of war forbade the conqueror to enter the
enable their poets to compete on equal terms with quarters of the vanquished.
those of the pagan Arab tribes, and more than one The pagan Yathribites seem to have lagged behind
of their number counts among the classics of the the Meccans in civilisation: a " perfect man" was
Days of Ignorance. In their compositions they ar- ~ in their nomenclature one who could write Arabic,
rogate to themselves the virtues and the distinc- swim, and shoot *; and few of them possessed all
tions of the pagan chieftains or knights errant: and these accomplishments. Their occupation in time
from a scene to which allusion shall presently be 9f peace lay mainly in the cultivation of the palm.
made we should gather that they seriously believed Many of the necessaries of life were imported by
themselves to possess these qualities. Nabatreans, who had a market called after them in
The tribes called Aus and Khazraj formed, how- t It Yathrib; payment was probably in dates, which
ever, the bulk of the population of Yathrib. From were as much the measure of value at Yathrib as
the tribe to the family there were (as elsewhere) a was the camel at Meccah. Though we hear the
series of groups of smaller or greater numbers, which, names of one or two wealthy Yathribites, the bulk of
however, did not admit of precise limitations. them appear to have been poor. "In Yathrib in
Separate groups dwelt in separate quarters sur- the Prophet's time there was only one wedding
rounded by their own palm plantations. These f \l garment; ornaments had to be borrowed from the
quarters were groups of mud huts; some of the Jews." t This poverty was probably aggravated by
groups had meeting houses, but we do not hear of the Jewish money-lending.
sanctuaries. t Some had towers or fortresses where There appears to have been as at Meccah no re-
at times of danger they could secure their families cognised government at Yathrib, no regular mode of
:,j
and property. In an ancient description of such a .. administering justice. A tribal group was, however.
,
,~

* Ibn Sa'd mentions as writers Abu lAbs Ibn Jabr, Ma'n Ibn 'Adi, responsible for the actions of its members. Blood-
Vbayy Ibn Ka'b, Sa'd Ibn AI-Rabi', Abdallah Ibn Rawahah, Bashir f !l' shed was common, as the result of petty brawls, and
Ibn Sa'd, Abdallah Ibn Zaid, Aus Ibn Kbawali, AI-Mundhir Ibn caprices or conflicting interests often led on these
'Amr, Vsaid Ibn AI-Rudair, Sa'd Ibn 'Ubadah, Rafi' Ibn Malik.
t The breadth of one qnarter is given as thirty cubits. Ibn Sa'd. * Ibn Sa'd II" ii., 91.
fL. ii., lO. t Welfhall s",. Ehe, 443-

.'
 , .
Mohammed The Migratz'on
occasions to cross.grouping: clans for various rea. Khazrajite (Yazid, son of al-Harith) offered aJew his
sons taking the part of more remote relations against robe if he would box the stranger's ears. The Jew
their nearer kin. Yet the petty wars seem to have accepted the offer, and gave the man a blow which
been fought with strict observation of the rules ' ' (t rang throughout the market.place-for which assault
of the game. Routed in the field the enemy was he paid with his life, when Hatib, incensed at the
not pursued into his habitation. After many battles treatment of his client, arrived on the scene. * The
the affair was patched up by the payment of blood· Khazrajite who had instigated the outrage rushed
money: the number of the slain was counted, and after Hatib, but failing to catch him, slew in his
the family that had lost most men received com· stead a member of his clan. Each of the tribes
.~ "
pensation from the victor. Frequently doubtless " gladly rushed to arms, and there followed a series
disputes were settled without bloodshed by the ap. of encounters, in which the Aus met with serious
pointment of arbitrators, .» who however constantly reverses, and one of their clans, called Nabit,
found it difficult to get their dooms recognised were expelled from their lands, and forced to leave
by the party against whom they gave sentence. Yathrib.
~.
.'
"
Of the origin of the dissensions at Yathrib which ~~ '" In the final explosion, known as the battle of
led to the summoning of Mohammed a complicated " :. ;::" Bu'ath, dated six years before the Flight, t the Jew·
~ l;
account is given. It would appear that dispute was ish tribes Kuraizah and Nadir were involved. Till
frequently caused by a chieftain according his pro. this time it would appear that they had been cultivat·
tection to some stranger, whom a native wantonly ing their lands in peace: and even if the story told
would injure or kill. The patron's honour was in. above be true, they apparently had taken the loss
jured by such an act, and his demand for vengeance of their men quietly, preferring a battle of curses
would lead to an affray of serious dimensions. Yet) fI and imprecations to the use of the sword or spear.
the consequences of such acts were so well known The defeated Aus, catching like drowning men at a
that we fancy those who committed them had ordi. straw, negotiated with these tribes for assistance in
narily some ulterior object-the acquisition of land or their war, and the Khazraj, hearing of this, sent to
spoil, if they thought the patron whom they had in. warn the Jews against interference, and demanded
jured would succumb in combat. A member of the forty lads as hostages. These were provided: but
Aus, Hatib, of the clan Mu'awiyah, had accorded the real purpose of the Khazraj was to force the Jews
his protection to a stranger, of the tribe Tha'labah "- !1 into a quarrel with the view of obtaining their lands,
of Dhubyan: while in the Jewish market-place, a and the game which they played was afterwards
* Ibn Duraid, 266, mentions AI~Mundhir Ibn Hal'am as a.rbitrator * Ibn Athir, L, 247.
b'etween the Aus and Khazr.j. +Ibn Sa'd II., ii., 135.
13

f .:
 Mohammed The M£gration 195
imitated by Mohammed with most signal success. tion to pay in blood. The hostile tribes were still
The Khazraj demanded the lands of the Jews under
threat of killing their hostages: and the Jews suf.
fered the hostages to be killed. So the Jews were
driven to help the Aus, and to take part in the war
. living side by side, and the life of no man was safe
when he went outside his house. The day of Bu'ath
said Ayeshah, had been arranged by God for the'
benefit of the Moslems. *
of which they had kept clear. They opened their During the civil war some of the antagonists, it
doors to the fugitive N abit. Fighting under foreign is said, had appealed to distant Meccah, and had
commanders, and by the side of brave men, the Jews tried to ally themselves with the Kuraish, but with.
have often proved themselves as good soldiers as out success. To the disappointed envoys Moham-
other men; and in the battle which resulted after • med offered Islam as a substitute, but this was not
long preparation, the Khazraj were defeated by the ilceepted. Others visited the sacred places on pil.
Aus with their Jewish allies. In following up the grimage at the usual times, when, as we have seen, it
victory and exacting full vengeance the] ews were was the Prophet's custom to provide part of the
not restrained by the usages which the Arabs ~peetacle. Two Yathribites, As'ad, son of Zurarah,
respected. ;J.lreadya monotheist in belief, l' and Dhakwan, son of
One of the Khazrajite chiefs played a part in this ,. '. Abd Kais, on one of these occasions, were engaged
history of which he was destined to give many reo in a contest concerning their claims to distinction,
productions after the arrival of Mohammed. This which they submitted to the highly respected Mec.
was Abdallah, son of Ubayy, of the clan Balhubla. can, 'Utbah, son of Rabi'ah, who probably, after the
In the crime of murdering the hostages he would fashion of his colleagues, refused to decide. While
not participate; he endeavoured to dissuade the waiting for his decision they heard at Dhu'I.Majaz
others, and sent back the hostages that were de.' • the Prophet's discourses, and became the first of the
posited with him. From the battle, too, he kept Helpers,:j: as the people of Yathrib who joined Is.
aloof-out of conscientious scruples. Hence when lam wer" afterwards called. Another account §
the tide of fortune had turned against the Khazraj makes R'lfi', son of Malik, the first convert·, he
,

he was able to secure the deliverance of his own heard the Surah of Joseph, and took it with him to
fortress. But to take full advantage of a victory Medinah. Yet another II makes the first convert
was a proceeding which the Arabs had to learn from from Medinah Mu'adh, son of AI·Harith. Other
Mohammed. The battle of Bu'ath left the Aus vic. r
torious, but the enemy were not exterminated-only
• *t Samhttdi, 90.
Ib" Sa'd II., ii., 22.
humiliated, with a heavy score against them which f Isaban i., g85.
; §lbid" i" 102: Ibn Duraidl 272.
every member of the tribe was under a solemn obliga· ", ~ Isaban, iii., 874.

'1
19 6 Mohammed The Mz'graNon 197
.\ i;
accounts make the first converts a band of six, or some Jewish support-to be. Perhaps Mohammed
seven, or eight. * It is likely that the persons confirmed them in this view of the situation. What
whose attention was roused by the Prophet's words :. more natural than that Allah should help his wor·
T '
were chiefly members of the Khazraj, and it is . j' I shippers? The Khazrajites returned home with
.: ji

stated that As'ad, son of Zurarah, the foremost of , much food for reflection.
the Helpers, was a hater of the Jews. t ~The Khaz- .' Thus we can interpret the saying of the keen-
rajites were fresh from a severe defeat which they witted Ayeshah, In the civil war at Yathrib the side
had sustained from the united forces of the Aus and that had long been defeated had won a signal victory
the Jews; and the native tradition represents them .• by the aid of Allah, the God of the Jews, The Jews
as having taken up with Mohammed in order to out- however care little to make proselytes, and took no
wit the latter. The Jews had talked in moments of advantage of the event for religious propaganda.
despair (as they talk still) of the Messiah who would But some of the defeated side learned of a man
one day appear and conquer the world for them. If : \
who could obtain for them the favour of Allah, and so
this Prophet was the Messiah-and he claimed to be .' were disposed to give a favourable hearing to Mo.
something of the sort-would it not be excellent hammed's preaching; and to the victors the name of
policy to secure him before the Jews could claim ": • Allah was associated with success, and they were not
:; ~
him? So argued the Khazrajites. Hence they .' I', willing that the favour of his assistance should be
listened gladly to the Prophet's sermon. transferred to those whom they had defeated. The
The history which has come down to us is meagre expedient which had originally been intended for
and one-sided: we hear little of the triumph of the ~'~ " the continuance of the civil war resulted in uniting
Aus or of the pride of the Jewish tribes in their vic- " the parties. The Jews of Yathrib, impolitic and un·
tory over their oppressors. When men have had to ~ I 'foreseeing in the extreme, are likely to have attested

endure failure and humiliation, a little success turns the correctness of the first principles of Islam which
'" '
their heads. That the victory of Bu'ath was re- ,!; ~
reached them-the Unity of God, necessitating the
garded by the Jews as a direct intervention by their destruction of idols, and the resurrection of the
God can scarcely be doubted; and since the gods of dead; the fact that prayer was to be directed
the Aus had failed to secure them victory, it pre- towards their Temple clenched the matter. More-
pared their enemies to recognise the transcendent ~.
over a century before they had made a convert
power of the Israelitish God, whose emissary and' ., of an Arab chieftain who had established a Jewish
agent Mohammed claimed-as we have seen, with throne in South Arabia. Further, there are classical
precedents of a prophet being called in to treat
"Ibn Sa'd IL, ii., 55.
t Wahidi (W,), 4'4. a state which was suffering from stasis (internal
198 Mohammed The Mt'graHon

dissension); some new cuit was the expedient the missionary whom Mohammed had sent was an
whereby the disease was curable. Such precedents earnest man. In early life he had been a fop, who
were not indeed known to the Yathribites, but his. rejoiced in fine raiment and dainty perfumes. He
tory is homogeneous. Hence the soil of Yathrib had concealed his conversion till the secret was be-
was thoroughly prepared for Islam. In a healthy trayed to his parents by one who saw him pray.
comm unity like that of Meccah it gained no hold; Then he openly espoused the cause, losing his all.
but in one that was ailing from long years of civil He fled to Abyssinia, and returned with the others.
strife it could spread apace. Poverty and privation had changed his dainty com·
At next year's feast the Khazrajites returned, ~ plexion so that the Prophet wept to see it; rags
their numbers increased to twelve, a few members of it scarcely sufficient to cover him were the substitute
the rival faction accompanying them. These persons for his smart apparel. Presently a martyr's death
were inaugurated in the elements of Islam and put awaited him. If other Moslems reaped some of
through a rough catechism: they were made to their reward in this world the first Refugee reaped
promise to abstain from infanticide, theft, adultery, , ' none. Fops and dandies were thought good mao
and lying, and to obey Mohammed in lawful things. terial by Epictetus, who perhaps knew men well.
One of Mohammed's followers-a man resembling I • A valuable convert won by him almost as soon as
him in appearance, and on whose suavity and amia. i,
he had arrived was Mohammed, son of Maslamah, ,»
·r~ ..,
bility he could rely,*--Mus'ab, son of 'Umair, was a namesake of the Prophet, in his thirty-first year;
sent back with them to lead prayer, and teach them but the persons whose conversion decided the fortunes
such portions of the Koran as had already become of Islam at Yathrib were two chieftains of the Aus,
part of the ritual. This was Mohammed's first Usaid, son of Huraith, and Sa'd, son of Mu'adh.
choice of a lieutenant. When they returned-for I ;\1 The conversion of both is told with the same
only one or two of them remained of at Mcccah- formul<e; each approaches the missionary with
their numbers, increased probably by clients and threats, is persuaded to listen and is charmed by the
dependents, speedily grew to forty, and a place for Siren's song. The rights of clients and of kindred
prayer was extemporised in the Harrah of the Banu furnish, some of the machinery here as so often.
Bayadah, a clan of the Khazraj. t As'ad, son of Zurarah, is the Khazrajite in whose
By what means the converts spread their religion protection the missionary is dwelling at Yathrib.
among the people of Yathrib we do not know. But "i· I'
,
TheAusite chief, Sa'd, son of Mu'adh, is his cousin:
hence the protection of the missionary falls partly on
'X- ibn Sa'd, iii., 82.
Sa'd, who is induced to hear him on the pretext that
tIbll Sa'd II" ii., 93, 128, 131.
+bhak,290. *lIm Sa'" II. I ii" 19.
200 Mohammed The Mz'graHon 20I
. '
! ~,

his cousin is likely to suffer injury for his opmlOns. .~ :. of the fanatical convert. And when these chieftains
But if the idea of the first converts was, as the histo.
.i ~'

had been won to the new movement, Islam became

ria~ says, to heal the ulcer which was ruiningYath~ib fashionable 'at Yathrib. Soon there was only one
by mtroducing a religion which would unify the com.
batants, Mus'ab's audience had been well prepared
'. clan (the Ausallah) left in Yathrib of which no memo
ber was a Moslem. Yet some years elapsed before
for his sermons. In the case of these men we might the blood-feud between the Aus and the Khazraj
well look for analogies in the lists of conversions ,. " was forgotten, and desultory murders continued for
lI'
which some recent writers have collected. Earnest- ·!l· a time. *
, '
ness and asceticism, joined to refinement, effect What the Jews of Yathrib thought of the new
wonders. A roseate picture could be drawn of the • movement we know not; when the Prophet's regime
Prophet, somewhat like those which devout Moham- began to fall heavily on them there were not
medans so often paint. Perhaps the Jewish hopes wanting persons among them who professed to have
of a Messiah were recalled to these allies of the Ku- foretold it all; but it is probable that they favoured
raizah and Nadir, and their chieftains urged to any movement which was likely to result in quiet
s:ize, while it was still there, the chance of securing and security. It was not Mohammed's custom to
111m for themselves. It was to Allah, the God who tl break with people till he was quite sure of the upper
had won the battle of Bu'ath, that the missionary hand, and till he left Meccah he probably was on
summoned them; and his representative was to be good terms with the Jews there, from whom favour·
not one of the Jews, but a distant connexion of one , able reports might spread to their brethren at the
of the Yathribite tribes. A later age than ours may I northern oasis, The tradition makes a Jew the first
I
know something definite about the physical or ,I to recognise the Prophet on his arrival, which would
psychological conditions which determine the propo. r • imply that accurate accounts of him had circulated
gation of idea-germs; to us the process is absolutely between the Israelites of the two cities.
mysterious. Whatever the arguments employed, Of the other magnates of Yathrib the only figure
Mus'ab succeeded. Sa'd, son of Mu'adh, became so of interest is Abdallah, son of Dbayy, who has
enthusiastic about his new faith that he not only already appeared on the scene. This" arch.Hypo-
brought Mus'ab and As'ad into his lod!j;e,* but crite" was a man who commanded respect by his
vowed to hold converse with none of his dan, the talents and virtues-both of them of a sort which is
Banu Abd al-Ashhal, till they were converted; and' f 1 • of little use to a statesman, especially in times of
this energetic measure led to the conversion of the
whole clan.t In the sequel he maintains the character
'1
J
,
,,· '
trouble and confusion. He disliked bloodshed; he
abhorred treachery. His mental powers placed him
-Ibn S,,'d II., ii., 2. t Is"b"k. rI * Isaban, iii., 1179_
 202 Mohammed
The Mi'grat£on 203

above all the theological disputants; he cared little

•
to seventy; the party is headed by As'ad, son of
for these things. When he tried to interfere in
Zurarah, followed by his daughter. * For the Mos-
politics he failed through want of practice, of readi.
lems of Yathrib had been taking counsel together
ness, and of dexterity. '
(probably at Mus'ab's suggestion) saying, "How
Once Islam had begun to spread in Yathrib the
long shall we leave the Prophet of God to wander
./ younger converts burned to give some exhibition of about the mountains in fear of his life?"'r At dead
their zeal. Idols were attached to dogs and sunk in of night they meet the Prophet at the appointed
wells, and that which was too much honoured be. place, the ravine under the hill of Akabah, An in.
forehand was now eagerly trampled in the dust;
in their enthusiasm for the new God the fiery prose- • . vitation can now be given him to come over to
Yathrib, and allegiance definitely sworn him. At
lytes indulged in a fit of iconoclasm-breaking the the first Akabah the neophytes had promised very
heads of idols, instead of those of the rival tribesmen.
little: to keep about half the ten commandments.
Fetishes have a bad time when their devotees can At the second, we are told, they promised something
be got to wake up; and the people of Yathrib ,':' more: to jig/It tnett of all colours i" order to defe~d _
were now wide awake-on this subject.·* Of the the faith. For meanwhile, as the Moslems put It,
Prophet's own reflections and deliberations during , the use of the sword had been divinely authorised.
this period we have no record, He was of course
It seems however that this is projecting into the
kept constantly informed of what was going on in past the theory of a later time; for in the earliest
Yathrib, and regularly sent instructions to his
expeditions of the Prophet the Helpers took no part,
agent. t As the reports of that agent's success their contract binding them to defensive but not
reached him he began to frame the scheme of con- offensive operations. Still there must have been
duct to be pursued when the invitation to Yathrib f something in the attitude of the Prophet's followers
should arrive. To this able agent's communications or the nature of his utterances, since the prospect of
it may be attributed that the Prophet was well the sovereignty of Yathrib had been opened out,
acquainted with the affairs of Yathrib before he got which rendered it probable that he would embark on
there.
such an enterprise. As'ad, son of Zurarah, put be-
The next scene is what the Moslems call the fore his hearers the momentous character of the
second (or the third) Akabah. The number of con- undertaking to which they were binding themselves,
verts who visit Meccah at the next feast:j: is swollen f
but there were no faint·hearts among them,:j: The
*Isaban, i.. 452.
fIb" Sa'd, iii.. 84, *' Isaban, BL, II35.
t Or in the month Rejeb. 1lfusltadl iii., 390.
t !vItesnad, iii' l 322.
t ibid., 323,
 Mohammed The Migratz'on 205
2°4
Prophet even nominated officials-twelve, in im. from Meccah. Some persons had even made their
itation of the number of the Apostles-to preside escape after the first Akabah, so soon as the prospect
over the new community. * t
of refuge at Yathrib was opened out; Abdallah,
The meeting was secret, and only accomplices son of Abd al.As'ad, was named as the first
knew of it. But a secret cannot well be kept Refugee. * The Meccans tried to stop the flight of
between seventy persons, and next morning Meccah their fellow-eitizens; some they pursued and even
knew that the Prophet whom they had rejected had brought back by force or deceit, some, precluded
secured an alliance and a retreat likely to be more from access to the new refuge, fell away and
valuable than Axum; for to Yathrib there was no returned to paganism. Omar, Hisham, son of
sea to traverse, and, more important still, its people • AI'Asi, and 'Ayyash made an arrangement to escape
were to be not Mohammed's patrons, but his sub· together; Omar and 'Ayyash got away, but Hisham
jects. Remonstrances were directed to some Yath. was detained, and 'Ayyash was afterwards lured
ribites who were in Meccah, but they, not being in back. t Of one man, N u'aim, son of Sallam, famous
the secret, could only express surprise. An abortive as a philanthropist, it is recorded that the Meccans,
attempt was made to retain as hostages some of fearing to lose the advantage of his presence, per.
those who had sworn, and Sa'd, son of Ubadah, • suaded him to stay, with the right of holding any
received some rough treatment before he was allowed religion he chose. But the same half.heartedness
to escape. But the Meccan rulers were not men which led to the collapse of the Meccan resistance
who could either foresee emergencies or know how made most of their measures abortive. Of those who
to act when one arrived. Vaguely indeed they wished to escape the greater number succeeded.
could perceive that their enemy had won to his side Some had relatives in Medinah on whom they could
a city which lay on the main route of their caravans.
Rather less vaguely they may have been aware that
• quarter themselves; as Sa'd, son of Abu Wakkas, a
brother of whose had fled from Meccah through
men only preach patience under injuries when they blood.guiltiness, and settled at Kuba. t Lots were
have no chance of avenging them, and that the drawn by the converts at Yathrib for the honour of
scruples which had fettered their own action might entertaining the other Refugees §; as a poet of the
be abrogated by a messenger from heaven. Helpers afterwards boasted, ~ they shared their pos.
The second Akabah was followed by an exodus sessions with the newcomers, as in old times the
• * Said to have arrived Muharram 10. Ibn Sa'd, iii., 17 1 •
* OUf authorities make Abbas secure that the Prophet shall enjoy • t Ibn Sa'd, 194.
the same protection at Yathrib as he was enjoying at Meccah. Since
Mohammed was enjoying the protection of Mut'im, SOn of 'Adi, this I ~ Ibid., iii" 99.
§ Bokhari (K.), ii., 163.
is probably a fiction to glorify the Abbasides. Fsabah, iii., II57•

.
206 Mohammed The Mz'gration 207

camels were shared by the arrow-game. Sa'd, son of man having friends and adherents of a new sort
al.Rabi', offered Abd al.Rahman, son of 'Auf, the alarmed them; the defence of the madman by his
half of his property, including one of his wives.* So kindred had been entirely in accordance with their
t'
liberally were the Refugees treated that they began (> views of what was proper, and provoked no resent-
to fear their colleagues might get the whole of the ment. But when for protecting kindred there was
heavenly reward. t A place of worship was started substituted a guard of followers, belonging to a dif.
at Kuba-one hour's distance from Yathrib, in the ferent city and different tribes, some of the most
direction of Meccah-and Salim, freedman of Abu intelligent realised in a dim way to what consequen-
I
Hudhaifah, owing to his acquaintance with the ces that might lead. Arabia would have remained
o
Koran, was made minister there. ~ pagan had there been a man in Meccah who could
The sagacious founder of Islam waited till the end, strike a blow; who would act, and be ready to accept
though Abu Bah kept urging him to leave, and the responsibility for acting. But many as were Mo·
cried for joy when at last he resolved to do so.§ hammed's ill-wishers, there was not one of them who
The faith of the people of Yathrib was to be tested had this sort of courage; and, as has been seen, there
before the Prophet committed himself to them. If was no magistracy by which he could be tried. The
they were to receive him, they must first receive f " history tells how they met in their Senate.house,
his followers. If they welcomed in the name of and bethought them of one plan after another; and
Allah and his Prophet all those hungry mouths, the the final issue was that Mohammed should be assas-
Prophet might leave his stronghold and enter into ... sinated, every tribe in Meccah sending a representa-
his palace. But even if the people of Yathrib should tive to take part in the murder. Mohammed's tribe,
prove fickle, these Refugees would form a bodyguard too weak to demand blood-vengeance from all the
of desperate men, of whose loyalty he could be 9 other tribes, would have to accept blood-money,
absolutely sure. "When we return," said a Hypo- which would be easily paid, perhaps even readily
crite at a later time, "the stronger of us shall eject received. Abu Bakr's son Abdallah possessed
the weaker." The stronger were those who had some talent for espionage, and managed to be pre-
sacrificed every hope and every conviction to one. sent at their deliberations,* The resolute man with
The departure from Meccah was brought about by whom they were dealing was quickly apprized of
the action of Mohammed's enemies. The idea of a this design, and had his measures ready for out·
Q witting it., When the trembling conspirators reached
* J1ElIsnad, iiL I 190. his house, to execute their melodrama as he rose
1" Ibid., 200.
from sleep, he was not there. He had escaped from
t Isabalt, iL, 110.
§ Tabari, it, 1238. * IJaban t ii.. 619.
 I , ~f

208 Mohammed The Migrat£on 2°9

a window in the back of Abu Bakr's house, accom- man of Abu Bakr, and an early convert, whose con-
panied by Abu Bakr, who took with him five thou- version had won him his liberty: he served in Abu
sand dirhems-ail that remained to him of his Bakr's household, and presently shared his em-
fortune.* The son-in-law, Ali, was sleeping iR ' !f
ployer's camel in the flight. He undertook the
Mohammed's blanket, and would have served for b. difficult task of providing the fugitives with food,
hostage. But the Kurashites were too chivalrous visiting the Cave at evening for this purpose-so
to take so mean an advantage of their foe. They we read; but the convicts who stock their lurking
satisfied themselves with offering a reward of one places with provisions beforehand do more wisely,
hundred camels for the heads of the Prophet and ., and Mohammed's forethought was not less than
Abu Bakr, t and employing professional trackers to
f/
theirs. Another was a guide who knew the way
follow their trail. t from Meccah to Yathrib; which Keane says is 375
When convicts escape from prisOl}, their plan is, miles by the shortest road, but Burton puts at
it is said, § to hide in the neighbourhood for three 248. This guide was a pagan called Abdallah, son
days, before they seek another country. The hue of Arkat, * who kept the camels which had been pro.
and cry has then calmed down, and not every man ': ;,
cured for this journey, and brought them to the Cave
they meet is a detective. Mohammed's plan was ., (' at the appointed time. The Prophet afterwards
the same. Before leaving Meccah a refuge was se- recorded in the Koran how he and his companion
cured, known ever since as the Cave. It is in the had waited by themselves in the Cave, and how he
mountain called Thaur, in the region called Mafjar; ,J had prophetically assured Abu Bakr of the assistance
to the south of Meccah. Few of the Meccans were of God, and told him not to grieve. t Nor need we
cunning enough to search for him in the direction doubt that Mohammed, whose mental powers were
which was opposite to that in which Yathrib lay; or ., . i (l at their best in times of extreme danger, comported
if they searched, they failed to find the hiding-place, himself with coolness and courage.
though one Kurz, son of 'Alkamah, professed after- The distance then which the fugitives proposed to
wards to have followed the Prophet's trail as far as traverse was about equal to that between London
the Cave. II A few trusty persons were admitted to and Newcastle, or perhaps London and Edinburgh.
the secret. One was 'Amir, son of Fuhayrah, freed. Those who have accomplished this journey once
*lbn_ Sa'd, iii., 122. only do not make light of its difficulties and terrors.
t JYfumad, iv., 176. Y Part of it lies over bare rocks, through narrow ra-
t lIfuruj al-dllahab, i., 233. vines; part over a great glaring dirty plain.
§ Boisgobl, Trente a1tnles d'aventures. Mohammed's followers
did the same: Wakidi (W.), 171. * Different accounts were current of his origin and status,
Iisabah, iii., 585. , " fSurah ix., 40.
,+
 210 Mohammed
"Every yard into that dead barren waste with its con-
stant flitting mirage phantoms, made you feel more
dismal and insignificant than an hundred miles into the
bright, sparkling, briny ocean: even the Red Sea itself,
with a temperature of one hundred degrees in the shade,
is nothing to the desert for downright misery and help-
lessness ,IJ

So writes Keane; Burckhardt compares part of the

way to the Nubian desert. Burton speaks of the
same as " a desert peopled only with sand: a place
of death for what little there to die in it: Nature
scalped, flayed, discovering all her skeleton to the
gazer's eye." The Egyptian Soubhi, having to go i
~

from Meccah to Medinah, envies the European z

is
w
travellers in Switzerland or the South of France.
/ The hesitation of Mohammed to migrate to Yath· ' "f"-
rib may have been in part due to unwillingness "
to encounter those physical horrors, which, though ~
w
:J:
less trying to an Arab than to a European, are f-
Z
not likely to have been underrated: and indeed "
he hated travelling,* and in the Koran couples
exile with death. t The Prophet was, like many 0
. ,. ,i I
men, timid at the start, courageous when he had . .,"
experience. . .". ...i'

The road followed by the guide appears to have

been not quite identical with any of the four men·
tioned by Burton. The first two days' journey
brought them near U sfan, thirty-six miles from ,"
Meccah; this is at the extreme edge of the hills, •
ancl apparently retained its name as late as Burck.
* Muslim, iL, 107.
t Baihaki, /rfahasin, 326.
 j
,

The MigraHon 211

hardt's time. Of the rest of the names that figure

. in the narrative of the Prophet's flight few would
"I· seem to be known to European travellers. The
guide intentionally followed bye-paths, only occa-
I sionally crossing the ordinary route. The true form
of some of the names was doubtful in the third cent-
ury of Islam. The fabulous incidents with which
I some of the chronicles embellish the journey need
I
r I". not be repeated, bu t it is characteristic that when
they reached 'Arj, and Mohammed was told that the
land belonged to the tribe Aslam, whose name means
"safest," the Prophet gladly accepted the omen. *
His camcl broke down here, and another was sup-
plied him by a member of the tribe; according to
I
1'1. one account, one of a family with whom a daughter
ii of Abu Bakr was being nursed, which also supplied
a guide acquainted with a short cut to Medinah t
over the difficult mountain called Rakilbah, wherlj
the Prophet succeeded in pressing a couple of robbers
into his service.t The Aslam were a branch of the
Khuza'ah, and in conciliating them the Prophet had
taken the first step towards the recovery of Meccah;
for, as we have seen, the Khuza'ah remembered that
they had been ousted from their privileges by the
Kuraish. § It is not certain that the Meccan pur-
suers went far on the road to Medinah, and it is
likely that the Kurashite leaders, guiltless of fore-
o • thought, congratulated themselves on being rid of
* Perhaps, however, this story is an embellishment by the biOP
rapher. Similar tales arc often told.
t Isaban, ii., 180.
:t Musuad, iv., 74.
§ Cf, Wel/hause", Wakidi, 320, 374,

•••
 , I ..
212 lVIohammed The Mz'gration 21 3

their vexatious countrymen without bloodshed. appears to have been rife among the inhabitants and
'Akil, an unconverted son of Abu Talib, seized and -
!; the Prophet is said to have started the building of a
sold the dwellings of Mohammed and the other Mos. mosque-a matter about which there is, however,
lem members of his family *; and a similar raid was " some doubt. There is evidence that the people of
made on the houses and goods of the other Re. Kuba afterwards manifested some pique at the
fugees. For a time the city was to enjoy complete Prophet's failing to make their village his permiln-
rest. ent residence. Since Yathrib was so close, it mignt
On Monday the 8th of Rabi' I of the year I A.H., have been expected that all the city would have
corresponding to September 20 of the year 622 A.D., come out to Kuba to bring their Prophet home in
the Prophet reached Kuba, now a great place for gar. state; inhilbitants of Eastern cities wiII ride out
dens and orchards. Here the guide left them and many hours' journey to welcome guests of moderate
returned to inform Abu Bakr's family of his safe distinction. Since the people of Yathrib did not do
arrival.1' He arrived there at midday and the neo· this, it is probable that the cautious Prophet, who
phytes could not tell which was the Prophet and had escaped from Meccah with such skill, like
which Abu Bakr, both being clothed in white gar. Ulysses of old at first kept the fact of his arrival a
ments sent them by Talhah, son of Ubaidallah
presently, however, they saw the latter shading
*; secret known to the select few; and indeed Abu
Bakr, who was known to the people on the road,
the former with his coat, and they had been taught when asked who his companion was, replied, "a
thus much, that a Prophet comes to be served. guide to lead me," * The Prophet was not a man
Hospitality was offered by an aged convert, Kul. to accept roseate statements without some scep-
thum, son of Hind, the name of whose slave" Suc. ticism. From Kuba he communicated the fact of
cess" seemed to the Prophet of good augury. § It his arrival to As'ad Ibn Zurarah and other converts
was accepted, though for receptions the house of at Yathrib, but his time was doubtless well spent in
another convert was found to be more convenient. finding out the truth about the welcome he was to
At Kuba they determined to remain till Ali joined receive.
them, which happened on the Thursday; with him On the Friday t the Prophet rode from Kuba to-
was Suhaib, son of Sinan,ll who had been forced to wards Yathrib, and is said to have performed service
hand over his savings to the Kuraish. Iconoclasm in the Wadi Ra'unah, which forms the route between
* Au'aki, 389. • the two places. This appears to be an "nachronism ;
t Isabak, ii., 6<)6.
oK Musnad , iii., 122.
t Ibn,Sa'diii., 122.
§ Isabak. iii.• lI3S. t Anas, son of Malik, makes the Prophet stay fourteen days aX
Kuba. l'rfusnadl iii., 2I~,
i Ibn Sa'd iii., 163.

I, •
, , ,;
,
 , ...
Mohammed The Migration
the adoption of Friday as a sacred day came later, from Yathrib, and who was on an intimate footing
at the suggestion of a Medinese, and after the rela- with Mus'ab, son of 'Umair, the missionary whom
tions with the Jews had become unfriendly;. and, he had despatched to prepare the way. An early
indeed, confirmation of this is found in the fact of • • step taken by him was to create between some of
his choosing the Friday for travelling. It is as. his chief followers from Meccah with converts of
serted that each tribe by which he passed desired Medinah a relationship which he called brother-
the honour of his presence and requested him to hood, and which was to involve many of the rights
take up his abode with them; that he refused all which belonged to that name. He had tried the
these offers, in order to excite no jealousy, and left • same method before, and so successfully broke down
it to his camel to choose a site; it chose that of the superstition about kinship. The measure at
the future mosque, the Prophet only accepting Medinah appears to have been a temporary one
hospitality till his own house was built. Anas Ibn only, and to have been abrogated after the battle of
Malik asserted that five hundred of the Helpers Badr..*
came out to meet him, ,x, and that an Abyssinian That the office of a Prophet involved all the d u-
war dance was got up by way of welcome. t These
stories mayor may not be true. We know that he
, ties of a King, and both religious and political head- .
, ship, was doubtless understood by him. And we
was at first unable to slcep at night owing to his can imagine the delight with which a man thor-
alarm, and could only close his eyes when he found oughly qualified for ruling found himself at last in a
that some of his faithful adherents from Meccah position in which his talents could be exercised. He
were mounting guard. t
The terrors of the at- did not, however, enter upon all his duties at once.
tempted assassination and of the days and nights For a time the old soothsayers continued to retain
in the Cave were still on him. And he was aware • , some of their clients, when disputants required thcir
also that one of his new adherents, N ufai', son of differences settled, t though presently resort to them
AI-Mu'alIa, had been murdered beforc his arrival was forbiddcn, under pain of forfeiting the merits of
in conscqucnce of the blood-fcud. § forty days' prayers t; and their fces werc declarcd
Till a residence had been built for him he had iIlegal.§ The rudimentary organisation which had
lodgings in the house of Khalid, son of Zaid, a existed among the tribes before his arrival did not
Khazrajite who was among the earliest converts , , immediately disappear. Gradually, however, the

* Mllsnad l iii., 222. * Ibn Sa'd II., ii" 121, etc.

t Ibid., 16r. t Wahleli, 121,
t Isabal'. ii.. 163. :t: Musnad, iv., 68.
§ Ib" Duraid, 27'. §Ibid., 118.

. ,
 ·· ..•
~ I'

zr6 Mohammed The Migrat£on 21 7

prindple that all authority emanated· from Mo- He made a rule to enter no house of Medinah with
hammed permeated the constitution of Medinah. one exception save his own,* and perhaps broke it
He claimed the right to depose the heads of tribes only when it was necessary for him to administer the
r
and replace them by chiefs of his own choice.* Dis. . ,: last consolations to the dying; but after a time it
· ;"
putes between his followers were naturally brought became the custom to bring the dying or dead to
to him to settle, and presently disputes between him.t Yet from costly paraphernalia, such as pleased
them and their neighbours. the childish taste of other monarchs, he abstained to
He inherited the devotion and adulation which the end; he rejected a proposal of Omar that he
had hitherto been bestowed on the idols; and though ( w should purchase a silken robe in which to receive
he never permitted the word worship to be used of deputations; neither when his resources were slender
the ceremonies of which he was the object, he ere nor when they were swollen were they ever wasted
long became hedged in with a state which differed on jewels or mosaics or cloth of gold. They were
little from that which surrounded a god. Enthusi- employed in purchasing arms and men.
astic converts habitually struggled for the honour of The Koran at Medinah entered on a new stage of
washing in the water which the Prophet had used its existence, serving as a medium for legislation, and
for his ablution, and then drinking it up. Ere long ( 'll so discharging the functions of an oracle, but also as
he took to bottling up the precious liquid and send- an official chronicle in which current events were
ing it, after the style of the relics of saints, to new criticised from the Prophet's stand point. t To the
adherents. When he employed the services of a ..' "
end Mohammed appears· never to have let even his
:~ ,~,
barber, the Moslems crowded round, and even most intimate associates into the secret of his reve·
".' '

scrambled for the hair,t and nail.parings, which

they preserved as charms and relics. t The ease of r , lations; though at times he gave notice in advance of
the import of a future revelation, and affirmed that
approach which had characterised the old Bedouin words of his had the same force as the words of God.
chiefs was soon prohibited, and a divine revelation ,,! A whole staff of scribes presently came to be em-
forbade the Moslems to address the Prophet as they .. ployed in taking down his effusions; and one of them
addressed each other. At one time he commanded is said to have gone back to paganism by observ-
his followers to make an offering to the poor before ing that the Prophet allowed him to write whatever
they addressed him, but this had to be rescinded. §
( ,f
* Bokhari (K.), ii., 212. The contrary is asserted Musnad, iv.,
* Ib>, D"raid, 274; Wakidi (w.), 249. 393.
t Afusnad, iii" 133. ,; t Musnad, iiL , 66.
t Ibn Sa'd II., ii., 87. t Sprenger's phra..c;e, I' Lending Articles," describes these Surahs
§ Sural.lviii., 13. so accurately that it has bccn adopted in the sequel.
218 Mohammed T
he chose.* The faithful however did not reason
thus. Omar records in perfectly good faith how
when the Prophet went to say prayers over the dead Q
Hypocrite Abdallah Ibn Ubayy, he remonstrated
with the Prophet for paying such honours to his
enemy; not without astonishment at his own bold-
ness in thus criticising the conduct of the messenger
of God. But shortly after the Prophet produced a
revelation" Pray not thou over any of them who )
dies at any time, neither stand thou upon his grave."
To Omar the coincidence did not apparently suggest
the remotest suspicion; to us the revelation appears
to have been nothing more than a formal adoption
of a suggestion of Omar, which the Prophet supposed
to represent public opinion. On another occasion,
when Omar (or another) bethought him of having the • •
Call to Prayer, so as to avoid imitation of Jews and
Christians, when he communicated the suggestion to
the Prophet, he found that he had been just antici-
pated by the Angel Gabriel. On three other occasions
he claimed to have coincided with Allah; having
made a suggestion to the Prophet, he was presently l!
told that a revelation had come down embodying
•
his idea in his own words. t The occurrence flattered
his vanity, but suggested no suspicion of imposture. I'
Other followers were perhaps less simple, but were "
,

aware of the danger of ridiculing the Koran. Quar-

rels occasionally arose between Moslems owing to ,If
the fact that the Koran had been repeated to them " I,
in different forms, and each naturally claimed that
* lIfusnad, iii., 121.
t IUd., I., 24. \

iI
It _
 .
The Migration 21 9

his version only was correct: the Prophet, never at

i a loss, asserted that the Koran had been revealed in
r'
I, no fewer than seven texts.

J
Although the notion that the Koran was the word
"
of God in the most literal sense seems to have been
oj present to the mind of both the Prophet and his
,:
followers, it is rather surprising that its contents
xx ;, were treated with the sort.of carelessness which the
--' "
'L'.it,. above anecdote illustrates, but which also appears in
.; ./~ other narratives. According to Ayeshah, a text of
0 (
z
'" ,
,

enormous importance, that in which stoning was

'",'"
I

enjoined as the punishment for adultery, was on a

'" slip (of parchment?) deposited under her bed, and
, \
X
X .J' afterwards lost. Casual reciters of the Koran re-
", --'
:c I:::1 minded the Prophet of texts which he decI'\red that
'"
0:
r :~:
41 he had himself forgotten. A text of vast importance,
'",:"

I '
·"'~l~
I&J :' -I" ~r
0:

'"
0:
dl
:::;
Z
"
Ui
--'
0
0
'~I

,ii'~I
I
~,tt
recited by Abu Bakr after the Prophet's death, was
new to Omar. Persons were ranged at times in
order of merit according to the amount of the Koran
which they had collected, as though the process re-
sembled that of collecting the Sibyl's leaves; and
.~(. ; I'i
, dl
w
:c
f-
t:;
I
"
•
certain believers in the Prophet's time made it their
business to collect it.* When asked by disputants
)
"
"

whether a certain Surah contained thirty-five or

z I,
""
C)
thirty-six verses, the Prophet only blushed, and gave
'" them to understand that either would do.t The
Q 0
;;:
"
0
Prophet, who was sometimes taunted with being
"all ears," i. e., ready to be guided by any suggestion,
" could easily be got to prod uce modifying or ab-
rogating revelations, when convicted of hasty and
*So Kais Ibn AI·Sakan. Ibn Sa'd 11., ii., 70.
t Musnad, i., '06.
220 Mohammed The Migration 221

impracticable legislation; but those who pointed out for kneeling down at this particular spot. The
the flaw had to take the greatest care to cast no measurements are given variously; perhaps 70 x 60 x 7
shadow of doubt on the divine character of the cubits is the most probable of those recorded. The
earlier oracles. In consequence of the Prophet and i <IJ barn had a roof of palm branches and clay, not suf-
his bodyguard making absolutely no concession on ficiently solid to keep out rain. In this the Prophet
this point, the Prophet was able to the end to found an analogy to the Tabernacle of Moses, which
maintain his power of producing oracles as a he appears to have confused with the huts at the
deus ex macltilla to which he could effectively re- Feast of Tabernacles, the roofing of which must not
sort whenever a serious emergency occurred; and ;.~~~."t' keep out either light or wet. This roof was sup-
the dread of being made the subject of a text kept ported on palm trunks, against one of which the
many men from opposing the Prophet in any way Prophet used to lean when preaching, till the Minbar
whatever. or pulpit was introduced. The barn faced north,
, His first task at Medinah was to build a place of with doors on the south-east and west sides; for the
worship, the first church of Islam, unless it be true first of these a northerly door was substituted when
that the mosque of Kuba was yet earlier. The land the direction of prayer was changed. Flooring of
selected by his camel is said to have belonged to two I II) pebbles seems to have been gradually introduced by

orphans, whom the Prophet elected to pay for the worshippers who were inconvenienced by the puddles
site out of Abu Bakr's purse. They were connected which were the consequence of rainy days. An
in some way with the zealous As'ad, son of Zurarah; eastern door was a private entrance for the Prophet,
yet it would appear that Abdallah Ibn Ubayy had who proceeded to provide quarters for himself and
some claim on their land:* Of the erection of the his wives on that side of the mosque.
first of the mosques we read various details, some f b The first of these was for his wife Sauda, and his
supplied from the imagination. The most probable bride Ayeshah whom Mohammed married shortly
account seems to be that the Prophet did not go to after his arrival: ere his death the number had in.
the trouble of building, but utilised a barn or store. creased to nine. An authority tells us that these
house which had served for drying dates, and which too were not new erections, but huts belonging to a
was to be had for a reasonable sum. Some author- certain Harithah, son of Al-Nu'man;* who retired
ities suggest that this barn had been used as a praying. , from each as soon as the Prophet required it. Four
place before Mohammed came to Medinah, and • . ,l of them were of mud.bricks, with inner chambers of
considering how rarely the Prophet left anything to lath and clay; five were of lath and clay without
chance, it is possible that his camel had some reasons inner chambers. A curtain of sacking served in
* Ibn Sa'd 11., ii., 53. *Samhudi, 126 (after 16" Sa'd 11., ii., 52).
 222 lI/fohammed Tlte M£grat£on

most cases for a door. They surrounded the into heaven, this being the Moslem analogue of the
mosque on three sides, only the west being clear of Jewish phrase" a rule delivered to Moses on Sinai."
them. For clearly the rules of prayer must have been com·
Round this pile of buildings many of the institu- i to municated to Mohammed at some time; and when
tions of Islam centre. In the absence of clocks the they were not to be found in Koranic revelations,
worshippers asseml:iled for prayer at very different the ascent into heaven was the most likely occasion
times; and thereby much confusion was occasioned. for their delivery.
An early and faithful follower of Mohammed named The barn had to be enlarged during the Prophet's
Eilal had a loud voice; he was employed to summon ~ ~.~~>'1, lifetime and in course of time it was replaced
the worshippers from some eminence, such as the by more magnificent buildings. Other mosques
roof of the barn. At some time in the early months were erected before the Prophet's death, and when a
of the Prophet's residence at Medinah this practice rival faction was started it commenced its short
became regular, and was regarded as an institution career with the building of a mosque. Till the
of Islam. Those who heard the call were ordered to Prophet's death however the barn served not only as
come to the meeting on pain of having their houses the sanctuary of Islam but also as the town.hall and
burned down, no excuse being permitted:* Bilal's ( 'C! audience chamber of Medinah. It was here that
voice saved his master from the necessity of imitating each fresh revelation was delivered. In the shabby
the Christian hammer and the Jewish trumpet. The accommodation of the first mosque we may notice a
former institution he had been near adopting; one great instance of Mohammed's caution and economy.
Abdallah, son of Zaid, claimed to have had the" Call Any dirhem that was wasted on building would be
to Prayer" revealed to him in a dream, which he taken out of the mouths of hungry Refugees; for
communicated to the Prophet,t while according to f (I Mohammed knew men well enough to calculate with

another account the suggestion came from Omar. precision the time by which the enthusiasm of the
Minarets, now so familiar a feature of Mohammedan Helpers would cool. A story that may be true
towns, were not added till long after Mohammed's . , makes the owner of the barn offer it to Mohammed
death·t With this substitute for a church bell re- gratis, and Mohammed insist on paying for it.
ligious worship began to assume a regular and
stereotyped form; the details were supposed to have ,
Ii
r Whether this be historical or not, he certainly ab-
stained at this time from demanding any needless
been communicated to Mohammed during his ascent f '. o contributions. If the prayer houses of Jews and
Christians were richly decorated, he could urge that
* .lJ:fllSllad, iii., 423.
t Ibid.. iv., 43. Gabriel had forbidden the decoration of that of the
t KamU of Jl;Eubarrad, ii" 66. ,. Moslems. And indeed he held that the outlay of
 Mohammed The Mzj;ration
money in building was the worst that a Moslem makes the Prophet request to be taken in at the
could make. house or castle of Abdallah, son of Ubayy, who un-
While the mosque was being adapted for worship courteously told him to go to the people who had
It
and the huts being erected for Mohammed's families, sent for him. Mohammed was not the man to bring
he was doubtless being waited on by all the heads such an affront upon himself. A better authen-
of households in Medinah, and exercising his sharp ticatcd tradition * makes the Prophet visit Abdallah,
vision upon them. His strong constitution appears who complained of the odour of the beast which the
to have kept him free from the Medinah fever which Prophet was riding; this observation led to an alter-
for a time struck down some of his most stalwart cation between their respective followers, which, the
'!
followers, Abu Bakr, his freedman 'Amir, and Prophet succeeded in appeasing. These Hypocrites,
Bilal. His mode of dealing with men was ordinarily as they are called by an Abyssinian name in the
so fascinating and winning that those visitors who Koran, otherwisc "those in whose hearts is sickness,"
were already converted to Islam were doubtless were destined for long to be a thorn in the Prophet's
not disappointed. The Prophet had many ways of side. Professedly acknowledging his mission and
making those visits agreeable. He could change the consequent authority, they were ever thwarting his
names of visitors who had been called after pagan (j plans, intriguing with his foes, and calling attention
objects of adoration, or substitute names of good to the inconsistency of his Koran. To Mohammed
omen for such as were inauspicious. however the world consisted of only two classes,
Among his visitors, or at any rate among those who those who acknowledged his mission and those who
made his acquaintance were representatives of two rejected it; and though he gave vent to his feelings
parties of whom much will be heard, Jews and Hyp- on the subject of the Hypocrites in the Koran, he
ocrites. The latter, or disaffected Medinese, are com- f ~I was confident that the illogicality of their position
plimented by the Prophet on their fine appearance II :
must of itself lead them to become either open foes
I,;
and melodious voices, but presently he had occasion or loyal friends. He therefore put up with many an
" ~
to compare them to a row of sticks ~'; men so cowardly affront from them, andlivcd to see their leadcr left
and irresolute were by no means to his taste. The without supporters'.
Hypocrites on the other hand gave the newcomers The" Hypocrites" had probably no preconceived
the sobriquet, the "Surtouts" t meaning perhaps notion of what a prophet should be like. But the
that Medinah was over full of them. A tradition * {I
Jews had, and it is certain that Mohammed wished to
conciliate the Jews as far as was possible; one of the
* Sltrah IxiL, 4. problems which he had to face was whether he
t Tabari, Comm., xxviii., 68.
t Samhudi. 8. * Bokhari, ii., 16S.
,.~

11 :

/r. .j)
" .
22& Mohammed The Migration 227

should G~ should not identify his system with J uda- no chance with them. The Rabbis probably ex-
:,.
ism: and it seems likely that he was inclined to do pected that a prophet should be able to speak
this. Arriving at Kuba on their Day of Atone-
ment, he adopted it as a fast day, and even sent or- l ;1' . Hebrew, and finding him unable to do that, some
vented their opinions of his prophetic claim some-
ders to the tribe Aslam, when it was converted, to I ~, what freely. Others addressed him questions of no
keep it '" (what the Jews can have thought of this ~' great difficulty (e. g., what were the nine signs given
not knowing of the Day of Atonement we can con- to Moses ?), and finding his answers hopelessly
jecture); and the task of determining the day on wrong, courteously expressed themselves satisfied,
which it should be kept was confided to a Jew. t , but exeused themselves from acknowledging him on
of
Picking up the piece of information that the Jews the ground that their Messiah must be of the seed
expected prophets to come from Syria, he even :. ,i of David.·~ In the assemblies at which the Call was
started on a journey thither, but saw difficulties in .. ~ discussed he had to put up with serious personal
,
)

I~ •

the way of executing this, and so desisted.:I: When affronts from them, and such meetings were apt to
a Jewish funeral passed, the Prophet and his follow- lead to rioting and violence. t
ers stood up till it was out of sight. § A Jew, says The biographer Ibn Ishak produces a contract,
Anas Ibn Malik (the Prophet's servant), invited him l " made shortly after his arrival, in which the modus
to a meal of barley-bread and rancid fat, and he vivendi at Medinah is laid down. Wellhausen, who
accepted the offer. II Pedantry prevented the Jews has acutely analysed its contents, throws no doubt
from seeing that the sign of a true prophet-or at on its being the work of the Prophet, but finds some
least the best substitute for one-was the possession difficulty in its never being cited during the many
of a will and intellect capable of introducing order disputes that arose between Mohammed and the
and tranquillity at Yathrib. Had the Jews been , .• Jews, and also in the fact that there is no record of
prepared to give him the title Prophet, they might any formalities attending its introduction such as
have had him for their disciple. If the Old and New might have been executed. One placed in Moham-
Testaments are trustworthy, even prophets who med's position would not, however, have entered into
could produce the most authentic credentials had a treaty,. it is even somewhat surprising that he
little chance with the Jews: hence Mohammed, should have given a rescript, exeept in the form of
who had none that the Jews would recognise, had a divine revelation. But the Prophet displayed so
* Isaban,
iit, 1259.
• • much caution that he was perhaps unwilling to put
t Tabarani ap, lI-fahmoud Effi'ltdi, Le Calmdricy Araoe, p. 25. into the mouth of God concessions the withdrawal
t Baidawi on Sura!? xvii" 76.
§ Musnad, iiL, 295, etc. * Musnad, iv" 240.
1Ibid., 2U.
tBokhari, iv., 4.
228 Mohammed The M£gration 229

of which he may have contemplated from the first. f Testament into Arabic, in the hope of ruining the
The purpose of the document is to arrange for the I
Prophet's reputation. He brought his version to
relations of the different communities inhabiting , Omar, perhaps expecting that this formidable per.
Medinah. Blood.money and ransoms were to be in. i •
sonage's eyes might be opened thereby. But Omar
cumbent on the respective tribes as before, but Mos. , ,I would not read the book without asking the Pro·
lems of all tribes are recommended to help in such phet's permission, which naturally was not granted.*
cases, in order to prevent any of their number being " If Moses himself were to come to life," he added,
too heavily embarrassed. Protection is promised to "you would have no right to follow him and aban.
the Jews so long as they give no cause for offence. • don me." t Others tried the plan of joining the
In the case of general warfare each tribe is to pay Moslems for a time, and then returning, alleging
its own expenses. Only the people of Meccah are that they had found some reason for dissatisfaction:
excluded from the possibility of friendly relations. hoping thereby to make it easier for others to retire,
It is not certain whether the contract was made A few of the Jews, as might be expected, penna-
at this time or somewhat later. In any case the nently joined the newcomers. Abdallah, son of
position of the Jews was one of some difficulty. It Salam, of the tribe Kainuka, was the most cele.
was not forgotten that the sources of information brated: he is said to have advised Mohammed to
about prophets, revelations, angels, etc., to both ask for his character from his brethren before they
Meccans and Medinese were Jews, and that Mo- knew of his apostacy; and having given him a glow.
,' ..
hammed had relied on Jewish witnesses. The Jews . t,
'
ing testimonial, they were greatly embarrassed when
. tl
of Medinah, then, by the mere fact that they were they learnt what had happened. Mohammed, en·
,: I'"
not with Mohammed, were against him. For if they
did not welcome the Messiah, either they or the ~
1: .to chanted with this accession, told him he was already
in Paradise-a compliment which he bestowed on no
Messiah must deserve reprehension. Moreover, the other person. t
His two nephews followed his ex-
envy of many of them was doubtless aroused by ample, and four other Jews, Asad § and U said, sons
the reflection that Mohammed's power had been i '~
of Ka'b, Tha'labah, son of Kais, and Yasin, II son of
won by his use of their Bible; of which he had not , " ,~, ,
Yamin, made up the seven converts to Islam from
II',' ,
a beginner's knowledge as compared with them. l' ' .
Ii'
the Jewish community." More than one of these
Their efforts lay therefore in the direction of dis. 51 *Isabah, ii., 699; jJIusnad, iit, 387.
crediting him before his followers from Meccah and ' tM-zesnad, iV q 266.
Medinah. . t1.rabah, i., 169.
A Jew of the tribe Kuraizah is said to have § The name means Lio" (Lowe).
I Perhaps a Benjamin who took the name Yasin.
taken the trouble to translate a portion of the Old ~ Isaban, ii" 231.

..,
,~
23° Mohammed ,
The M£gratz'on 23 1
~,
appropriated to himself the text of the Koran in Even the traditions show that in these disputes the
which the testimony of a member of the Children of Jews scored in argument. Abu Bakr came to beg
Israel is cited. * Probably all did not join at once. ~ money of them, quoting the words of the Koran:
The Jews are said to have submitted a case of adul. " Who will lend God a good loan?" "If God wants
tery to him for judgment, and to have expressed ex·
, "
a loan," replied Pinchas, son of Azariah, " He must
treme dissatisfaction when he ordered the culprits be in distressed circumstances" ;--forgetting that in
to be stoned. Mohammed declared his ruling to be the Old Testament men are advised to "lend unto
in accordance with the Law of Moses-as, indeed, it the Lord." The repartee was answered by a blow;
appears to be; but when the Law was produced, the • instead of returning it the Jew went to whine before
passage could not be found, which Mohammed sup· Mohammed and (apparently) denied having said
posed to be due to fraud. In another t case he or· anything. The Angel Gabriel came to Abu Bakr's
dered a Jew to be stoned for having robbed and rescue, * confirming his account of the atrocity-and,
murdered a believing slave girl. Nine months t indeed, Abu Bah was not likely to have invented it
after his arrival a serious misfortune befell him in himself--and raking up the old charge against the
the death of the J ew·hater § As'ad, son of Zurarah, Jews of killing the prophets. The same charge
r served as an answer to those pious Israelites who,
who had done so much to promote the Flight. The
Prophet tried to heal him by cauterisation, but looking over their sacred books, discovered how in
thereby either accelerated or, at least, did not pre. Elijah's time it had been generally agreed that a
vent his death. The Jews naturally jeered. II Their prophet could prove himself one by offering a sacri.
prophets had tried less painful remedies, and sue· fice, which heavenly fire would devour. "If that be
ceeded. A yet worse misfortune befell the Prophet so," Mohammed was divinely authorised to reply,
when from ignorance of palmiculture he forbade the t " why did you kill the prophets?"
fertilisation of the female palms: when a plantation It is asserted that the Jews attempted to deal
became sterile in consequence he had to confess to with Mohammed by those magic processes in which
having spoken without book. ,- they were supposed to be adepts. A page.boy had
Disputes, leading to violence, broke out between access to the hair on his comb, and the possession of
the Jews and Mohammed's fanatical followers. this would give the sorcerer command over the per·
* lsabalt son to whom it belonged. The waxen image, the
l iii. I 968.

tMusltad, iii., 163. knots, and the needles were all tried. Labid, son of
t Ibn Sa'li Il., ii. 141, AI·A'sam is given as the name of the sorcerer who
Ii Wakidi (W,), 4'4· undertook, for a small remuneration, to bewitch the,
II Tabari, i., 1260.
~ Mtunad, iv., 138; Ibn Sa'd II., iL. 140. * Surah, iiL, 177.
 ..
Mohammed The Mt'g'ratz'on 233
Prophet. It is possible that this expedient was not phet,* who, in those matters, was somewhat fastidi-
tried till after the latter had, by his actions, mani. ous. Yet, doubtless, the Prophet's ultimate deter-
fested his intention to exterminate the Jewish com- mination to destroy the Jews was due to his secret
munity; but even shortly after his arrival the Jews • " recognition of their superior knowledge of matters
boasted that by their magic they had produced on which he claimed authority. That knowledge
barrenness among the Moslem women *; and with was dangerous to him but useless to the Jews. The
plausibility, if it be true that the first child born to Jewish learning was sufficient to irritate, but not of
the Moslems of Medinah appeared fourteen months a sort which gave its holders any power of self·
after the Prophet's arrivaJ.t A few months were
sufficient to produce mutual contempt and dislike.
. defence; for to their sorceries it is improbable that
the more respectable members of the community
Jewish sehoolboys could refute the pretensions of attached any importance save under the influence
the Koran; Jewish chieftains might with impunity of despair. Failing in courage, they might, by well
be cuffed by the followers of Mohammed. The directed study, have rendered themselves more than
Jews, too, professed disgust at a prophet whose a match for a man who did not even know that the
1 •
chief concern was his harem--though their studies year was determined by the relations between the
in the Old Testament should have shown them that It earth and the sun. But the study of their Talmud
this was not incongruous. Mohammed got an idea , .
was valueless for any practical purpose.
that the Jews were always plotting to murder him, 'r One other visitor deserves mention, the" Christian,"
and, in a saying that is probably genuine, declared Abu 'Amir-an influential Medinese chieftain who
that whenever a Moslem sat with a: Jew, the latter is said to have discarded paganism before Moham-
was thinking how he could kill the fOI'mer:j:; while med's missionaries came, It was not to be expected
the Jews, with more obvious justice, asserted the con· • that Mohammed would find favour with such a man
verse.§ In tales that were afterwards invented early and the interview was stormy. He himself; with his
harbingers of Islam warn the Prophet's grandfather following, left Medinah, and made many an abortive
or the youthful Prophet himself against the hostility attempt to injure Mohammed. Perhaps it occurred
of the Jews. There were indeed many causes for to him that, if what Yathrib wanted was a teacher
collision as we have seen; and want of cleanliness in of monotheism, he could and should have filled the
the Jewish habitations further offended the Pro.
r ,
.
post.

* Tabari, i., 1264, 3. * Ibn Duraid, 315.

t Isabah, iii., IlSI,
t yahiz, Bayan, t, 165. ji
§ Talm. Bab. Erubin.

r ..
r;:;·1 •
 Tlze Battle of Badr 235
toys) was accelerated by the desire to obtain some
ready money.
I t had originally been arranged that the Refugees
should assist the Helpers in their field-work ~-; but
knowing nothing of palmiculture, t they could only
perform the most menial services; thus some:l: liter-
CHAPTER VII ally hewed wood and drew water; some § were
THE BATTLE OF BA;J~)j em ployed in watering palms, carrying skins on their
.. backs; and Ali at least on one occasion earned
. l~
FE\V months at MedInah found the Prophet sixteen dates by filling buckets with water, and
A at the end of his resources. Fresh arrivals from
Meccah, such as Mikdad, son of 'Amr, who " i'
emptying them over mould for brick-making at the
rate of a date a bucket; which hardly earned meal
has already been mentioned, found none of the Help- he shared with the Prophet. i The Refugees found
ers ready to receive them:x, Many of the Refugees
,:te .
rather more prospect of earning money by retail
had no shelter but the Mosque, had not- sufficient trading; thus Abu Bakr sold clothes in the market" ;
~
clothing for decency, and went almost without food. ,,. Othman, son of 'Affan,-*'* became a fruiterer, buying
Mohammed had to teach that what was enough for I . dates of the Banu Kainuka, and selling them at a
two was enough for three or even for four.t One date higher price; Abd ai-Rahman, son of 'Auf, set up as
per day, eked out with some of the herbs on which a milkman tt; Omar too spent much of his time bar-
camels browse, counted as a man's rations, :I: and one gaining in the market:l:+; and others §§ got the name
garment had to serve for two wearers. How parsi- of "the hucksters," altered by Mohammed to " the
monious the Prophet was compelled to be is shown ( • Merchants." The date-growing industry had how.
by the fact that when, seven months after his arrival, . ~, ever been severely hit by the Prophet's orders for-
:. ~'.
he married Ayeshah, there was no wedding feast. bidding artificial fertilisation, and prohibiting loans
Since her father, the faithful Abu Bakr, provided * Bokhari, ii., 174-
the bridegroom with the indispensable gift to the t Tabad, Comm.. xxviii., 27.
bride, perhaps this iII-assorted union (for as such wc ...~_I.:_'lr.· t MUS11ad, iiL, 137.
must characterise the marriage of a man of fifty-three f _ 1 § Ibid, L, 8.
'. II Ibid.,!35 ; Ti,·a. al-Majalis, 157·
to a child of nine, dragged from her swing and her ,. Ibn Sa'd, iii., ISO.
* iJhtS1Zad, vi., 4. ** M usnad, i. I 62.
t irluslim, it, 148. ttIbn Sa'd II., ii., 77-
t Ibid.. lID. H Musnad, iv., 400.
234
§§ Ibid., 6, 7.

r "«
 Mohammed The Battle 0./ Badr 237

on the security of the prospective produce. The Shed," the homeless Moslems who were compelled
mischief caused by the former of thcse measures to seek refuge in the Mosque,-where in the course
seems sufficient to account for much in the sequel. of time a sort of hospital was started by a woman
It produced artificial scarcity at a time when plenty r
was specially required. One or two of the Refugees
'. called Ku'aibah, daughter of 'Utbah.~· Miracles by
which multitudes were fed or a small quantity of
appcar to have attempted to carryon foreign trade provisions was made to last indefinitely were indeed
in the style of Meccah, and we shall presently meet ascribed to him by the fancy of later generations:
Ali starting, though unsuccessfully, in business of but it is evident that, welcome as these powers
this sort. Omar too appears to have had trade con. would have been, he neither possessed them nor let
r .~
nections with Persia:" it be supposed that he did. Oppressed with this
It must be admitted that the IJrophet shared to grinding poverty, starved, naked, and frozen, the True
the full the misery of his followers: and indeed, as Believers naturally felt some resentment against the
he refused to employ the Alms for his private needs, Jews, from whom nothing was to be had without
he had no source of revenue. Like somc other great security, who were: merciless about the recovery of
rulers, he connected taxation with unpopularity; debts, t and who were enjoying opulence (as it
and the notion which is familiar from the Gospel, ( .1Il seemed) as the result of their skill in ind ustries of
that independent citizcns do not pay taxes, was cer- various sorts, of their thrift and their business
tainly current in Medinah. Hence, when casual and capacity. Bitter reproaches on their meanness were
private generosity failed, he was content to starve. consequently heard from the Prophet's mouth and in.
Charitable persons used to invite the Prophet, see. deed produced in revelations. Nor did a request for a
ing his face pinched with hunger.t Months used to
pass, said Ayeshah, without any fire being lighted f
.. loan of raiment addressed to " Halik, the Christian"
41 meet with a more favourable response. t Among
in their dwelling, their food being dates and the people of Medinah some pious women, § as
water.t His daughter Fatimah was stinted, and might be expected, placed large portions of their
after her marriage the little recorded of her con. possessions at the Prophet's disposal. Some of
sists mainly of complaints about the misery of these undertook to provide for a fixed number of
her lot.§ When presents of food were sent to the individuals, but it became evident that some new
Pl'Ophet, he would share it with the" people of the source of revenue must be discovered.
f
* JlIuSJJad,
t Tirmidhi,
iii., 347.
i. t 203.
'" • Wakidi (W.), 215.
t Cf. lI!lus1tad, iii., 423.
t Mus/tad, vi" 7I. t Musnad. iii., 244.
SE.g.. ,J/umad, V., 26. § Afuslim, ii" 379.
 Mohammed The Battle of Badr 239

One mode of acquiring a living is open to the insult to which he had been subjected, in being
very poorest, when there is impunity; and that is forced to quit his native town. The people who
robbery. We do not know whether the Prophet had driven him out were those on whom he wished
when he fled to Medinah foresaw that he would ,~ to force his authority; whom he wished to see
assume the character of robber-chief; but his at- repenting in dust and ashes of their insolence. If
taching to himself the robbers of the tribe Aslam , the Kuraish had been afraid to shed his blood, he
and the provision in the contract which has been was not afraid to shed theirs. A fresh relationship
quoted, excluding the Meccans f!'Om all friendly had been substituted for tribal kinship. When he
relations, make it likely that even then he expected first announced his new policy, some of the more
to have to fall back on plundering their caravans. • ,~ earnest of his followers were shocked at the idea of
Having been with these caravans himself so often, he fighting, remembering how at Meccah they had
had the most special knowledge of the best mode of been told to return good for evil * ; but their scruples
attacking them. The idea however of utilising the were silenced by a revelation; and other revelations
position of Medinah for attacking the caravans is said were required to comfort those Refugees who act-
to have first occurred to one of the converts of Medi- ually missed the society of their unbelieving friends·t
nah, who visited the Ka'bah shortly after the Flight.* • II) About the time of Ayeshah's wedding the first of
Mohammed's experience had moreover taught him these expeditions took place; and though they were
to regard the fighting powers of the Meccans as of repeated continually, some months passed before
poor quality. The view that the Kuraish were they led to any brilliant result. According to the
cowards t was held by many in Arabia-not without contract only Refugees took part in them: and they
justice, as the sequel will show,-and the manner in did not at first possess the familiar acquaintance
which they had dealt with Mohammed must have , 'll with the region which is indispensable to a brigand.
enforced this fact on his mind.:\: Their treatmen t of Either they arrived on the scene too late, or some-
himself had displayed a degree of cowardice and im- thing occurred to render their efforts unsuccess-
becility which could not fail to be rightly gauged by a ful. These attempts, however, taught the Prophet
man who could estimate his fellows with precision something about the capacity of his followers,
after a single interview. But besides this like many and brought him into relations with the surround-
exiles he had a passionate desire to wipe out the ing tribes. And evea the failures impressed on the
(~ Refugees the necessity of earning their living by the
* lVIusnad, L, 400.
t jaM., 0puscula, 61. sword.
:I: lIe is credited with the assertion , II the strength of a Kurashite
lit: Waltidi, '24.
~s equal to that of two men"; but its import is doubtful. MUinad ,
lV., 8;3. f 'I'a.l:ar~-l r(JI'/'.'ji-., ""''''' .&ll.
 . -, /

24° Mohammed The Battle of Bad?"

The first commanders employed by the Prophet During the sacred months nothing was attempted;
were his uncle Hamzah, and his cousin 'Ubaidah, but near the middle of the following August (Safar)
son of Harith. Hamzah was sent to waylay a cara. Mohammed made another endeavour, heading the-
van returning in the spring from Syria. The spot o expedition himself. This was to a place called Wad.
chosen was in the territory of the tribe J uhainah, d'an, an emporium in the days of Ezekiel, but at this
where the road into the interior of Arabia passes time of no account. The caravan escaped him, but
near the sea, and is crossed by a wady called 'Is. he made some sort of covenant with the head of the
The Meccans, as peaceful merchants, had secured Banu Damrah, in whose territory Waddan then lay.
the protection of the tribes through whose lands The notice of this event is so meagre that we have
o
their caravans pussed, and the head of the J uhainah, no knowledge of the process by which Mohammed
Majdi, son of 'Amr, discharged his duty manfully in accomplished this small success. It is so worded as
seeing that the caravan was not attacked in his land. to make it appear that the Prophet made a feint of
On the only other occasion when he figures in attacking the Banu Damrah themselves, and spared
history * he is performing a similar duty. Hamzah them on condition of their entering an offensive
with his thirty men could not deal with both Kuraish and defensive alliance; while the contract, as it is
and JUhainah, and went home. Q quoted, * gives the Prophet the extraordinary right
A few weeks later, 'Ubaidah, son of Harith, was of attacking them, if he chose, in order to force them
sent with a larger party to waylay a caravan at to Islam. This clause must surely be a dogmatic
Rabigh, also near the seashore, midway between interpolation to mitigate the Prophet's conduct in
Medinah and Mecca. Sa'd, son of Abu Wakkas, making an offensive and defensive alliance with idola.
one of the party, shot an arrow; but the leader tors; for why (it might be argued) might he make
appears to have been wanting in courage, and the'> (} such an alliance with the Banu Damrah, and yet wage
Meccans were not at present disposed to fight their implacable war with the Kurai~h? But this argu.
f .
former brethren, whose attempts they probably • ment was answered by a special revelation, t exclud.
ridiculed. .
~ ,

ing the Meccans (as opposed to other idolaters) from

To Sa'd, son of Abu Wakkas, not unnaturally the friendly relations. The Prophet's course, whether
next expedition was entrusted (May, 623). He was morally defensible or not, was sound politically;
to catch a caravan at a place called Kharrar, near experience had shown him that in order to attack
where the pilgrim roads from Syria and Egypt I) ''I the caravans with safety he must secure the co-op.
meet, five days from Medinah. He arrived a day eration of the tribes in whose territory he proposed
too late.
* Hala6i, ii., 166.
* Agh. iv., 22,
t Surd lx., 7. &. \

,6
 "

Mohammed The Battle of Badr 243

to waylay them. If it be true that the caravan force attacking an unarmed caravan in the sacred
which had just slipped through his fingers was of months would be certain to bring home some pris-
twenty-five hundred camels, the arguments by which oners and booty. Here, then, lay a prospect of
he won over the Banu Damrah can easily De repro- .- • obtaining what was becoming more and more neces-
dueed in thought. sary, success. The month after the last failure was
Fresh attempts were made by him in September the sacred month Rejeb,~' and in it Mohammed re-
and November, both in the direction of Yanbo, and sorted to this expedient.
both unsuccessful. In the second he proceeded with The historians are not quite agreed about the
his policy of making terms with the neighbouring details, but everything points to this having been
tribes. The course followed in this expedition '. Mohammed's reasoning. Let us first hear the ac-
(called the ", U shairah raid ") is chronicled with count of the matter ascribed to Sa'd, son of Abu
great accuracy, and was long marked by a series of 'Wakkas,t
sanctuaries. This was due to the length of the
time, nearly a month, which the Prophet waited in the "When the Apostle of God came to Medinah, the
hope that some booty might come in his way. He Juhainah came to him and said: Thou hast settled
had returned to Medinah but a short time when , • amongst us, so give us a covenant that we may come to
the herds of Medinah were raided by a more ex- ; I -
thee, and makc thec our leader; so he gave them a cove-
perienced robber, and an expedition of which the t !' nant and they beeamc Moslcms. Then the Apostle sent
~ II
I·1"
us out in Rejeb, we being less than one' hundred, and
object was to recover the booty ended in another . . .'
bade us attack a branch of the Kinanah that dwelt near
failure. the Juhainah. So we did so, but they being too many
Mohammed had failed to secure success by meth. for us, we took refuge with the J uhainah, who protected
ods which were not, in the opinion of the Arabs of I i ~ us. They said to us, Wherefore fight ye in the sacred
his time, inconsistent with the character of a prophet
of God. During the raids of the first year of exile he I,..~, .

month? And we said, We only fight in the sacred month

against those who drove us out of our country. Thcn
had not disturbed the peace of the sacred months,~' we consulted with one another; some said, Let us go to
and the peace of those sacred months had been one
of the institutions which redeemed Arabia from a
j the Prophet of God and tell him: others said, Let us stay
here. I, with some others, said, Rather let us attack the
state of savagery: for some weeks in the year men caravan of the Kuraish, and cut it off. So we went
could go about unarmed and yet secure. But this ( '. against the caravan, and the others went back to the
security offered a chance to anyone who was en- Prophet and told him. And he rose up, his face red with
lightened enough to have no scruples. An armed * Beginning Dec. 29, 623 A.DO) in the ordinary tables.
* Wakidi places one of the raids in Dhll·l-K~d~h. t Mus1Iad, i., 178.
 244 Moltammed

anger, and said, What! Did ye go from me in one com·

pany and come back divided? Division it is which ruined
them which were before you. I shall set over you a
man who is not the best of you, yet is the most enduring
of hunger and thirst. So he set over 11S Abdallah, son
of Jahsh, who was the first Commander in Islam."

Most of this account cannot be reconciled with

the ordinary history, yet clearly Sa'd's memory had
been impressed with the fact of their having been .-
sent out in the sacred month. The commander of
the force was Mohammed's cousin, Abdallah, son
of Jahsh, under whom seven men were placed. The
little that is known of this man makes it appear that
he was a fanatie; he is supposed to have prayed
that he might die in battle and be mutilated. He r
had shared the double flight to Abyssinia, and was •
now a poor Refugee at Medinah. Mohammed sent
him towards Nakhlah with sealed orders, to be opened
after two days' march; and when he opened the
orders, he was to compel no one to accompany him I
it,
any farther. These preparations indicate that some.
, thing discreditable was intended; for service in the
-sacred months was not dangerous, but, in the opinion
•
_ of the Arabs, wicked. The text of the orders, as
given by the genuine tradition;" contained definite
instructions to attack a party who were going without
escort under cover of the sacred month. No one of
Abdallah's followers took advantage of the permis. (
sion to retire; but two members of the party, Sa'd, •
son of Abu Wakkas, and 'Utbah, son of Ghazw"'l,

* Wakidi (W.), 25; Wdlhausen 1 Ibid" 2.

r
 •
The Battle of Badr 245
contrived presently to lose their camel, and to lose
,
.!;, themselves in following it. The remainder came up
f ,,
i: '.
with a caravan escorted by four persons. Of these
one escaped, two were taken prisoners, and one was
killed. 'Amr, son of AI.Hadr<l~ (the man of Had.
ramaut), was the first of the niillions to be slaught-
ered in the name of Allah and H,s Prophet. Wakid,
son of Abdallah of the tribe Tall\im, was the slayer.
(
". The two prisoners and considerable booty were
brought back to Medinah. At last a success had
bcen gained.
This success was in a way the seed of those which
followed, and in organising it Mohammed showed
his thorough acquaintance with the character of his
su bjects. Some booty was absolutely necessary,
/"
• but it was not absolutely necessary that it should be
honourably acquired. Claiming to be the Messenger
of the Almighty, he had the right to authorise any
act; and whether on this or some other occasion,
when remonstrated with by his followers for some
.
atrocity, he repudiated their right to criticise his con-
.l
~
t "
'f duct, assuring them that he knew best and was the
most God-fearing among them.* The effect of this
success was, as he rightly calculated, that the next
i time he organised a raid, Helpers and Refugees alike
pressed to take part in it. Violation by Allah's
i
Prophet of the sacred months which the pagans re-
,~ spected lost Mohammed no vote that was worth
I •
retaining. The Jews indeed signalised themselves
by offensive sneers and poor epigrams on the names
of the persons concerned, Wakid " the Burner," and.
* Muslim, ii., 220; lYIusllad, L, 45 •
.J
...:,
• ,~>
)1•
 I~
Molzammed The Battle oj' Badr 247

Hadramaut, "the presence of death." And 50, too, take, at the instigation (it is said) * of Mohammed's
the Kuraish could tell their Moslem fellow-citizens-J< enemy, Abu J ahl. 'Utbah therefore resolved to
that Mohammed had now thrown off the mask and fight, with the result which shall be seen. The
revealed the character which had been no secret to blood-feud then which finally decided the Meccans
them. Mohammed kept his head and satisfied each to fight the Medinese sprang out of the relation be-
party that he considered to merit satisfaction, with tween client and patron which, owing to its uncertain
a statesmanlike disregard for consistency. nature, led to many complications, but, like other
To the timid Moslems courage and a clear con- matters which are left to the conscience, produced a
science were restored by the invariable expedient- group of rights and duties which the most honourable
a revelation. "Fighting in a sacred month is a bad ~atures were the most ready to observe.
offence: but to turn people out of Meccah a worse What Mohammed had to bear from the Jews
one." The Moslems were to infer from this ambigu- during this series of reverses, ending with a scanda-
ous sentence either that the atrocity committed by lous success, we do not exactly know; as failure
the Kuraish rendered an attack on them in the succeeded failure their jeers doubtless became louder
sacred month permissible, or that, though no such and their sarcasms more stinging. We shall find them
fJ
attack had been made, the Meccans might not com- many times repeating the process of triumphing pre.
plain if it had been. The booty was awarded to the maturely, of irritating without hurting. Mohammed
brave company who had won it, all but the percent. lost patience with them after long endurance of their
age (one fifth) which the Prophet claimed. The jibes. Their ordinary modes of speech appeared to
Meccan prisoners he retained as hostages till the two him to contain some offensive arri~re.penst!e, and Mos-
I: lems were forbidden to employ the same. Modern
truants had come back; for the prisoners he then L
accepted a ransom. The death of the Hadramite
was of considerable consequence for the sequel.
, •
.1
ingenuity cannot discern wherein the offensiveness
lay. Probably after the affair which we have been
This man and his brother were under the protection ,,.'
~j, describing he decided definitely to break with them.
of 'Utbah, son of Rabi'ah, a Kurashite of eminence, j He received a sudden revelation bidding him to turn
his back when he prayed to the Jewish Kiblak (or
whom we afterwards meet with playing a heroic
part at the battle of Badr; the protector in such a I
J
prayer-direction), Jerusalem, ap'1 his face to the Mec-
case was bound to avenge the death of his client. !
can temple, the Ka'bah. For the Day of Atonement
At Badr the brother of the dead man, 'Amir, de. ,i'
he substituted a new fast, the month Ramadan, to
manded this vengeance of his protector, who offered :1 be kept in the style familiar to visitors of Eastern
~
payment in camels instead, but this'Amir refused to I * W,lIhausm (Wakidi. p. r4) regards the introduction of Abu
* Ib1~ Arabi Colloquies, ii" 157.
I: Jahl in these cases as due to
the development of a myth.
Ii
I:
1
I
....' I tI
!
 ..
"
Mohammed The Battle of Badr 249
states; no food (liquid or solid) may be consumed suggestion that such a day was desirable is said to
from sunrise to sunset, but even revelry is permitted have been made by a Medinese named Rabah or
at night. Some have connected this institution with
one of the Sabians of Harran; this sect are said to ,,
,
to
Riyah, son of Rabi'.~· The change of the prayer.
direction was also not merely anti-] udaic; he had
have fasted a whole month, and Mohammed, where no sooner spilt Meccan blood than he resolved to

,I,
compelled to differ from both]ews and Christians, open the road to an agreement with the Meccans.
may have gone to them:* Otherst suppose the Their temple then was to be retained 'in its proud
fasting month to have been an institution of the old position of central sanctuary of Arabia. Moham.
Arabic religion to which Mohammed went back; If'''med's religion would not affect the solemnities which
and this, considering the nature of the change in the had made Meccah wealthy and famous. We fancy,
prayer-direction, is not impossible. Besides wound- too, that he had learned by some accident that the
ing the] ews, it would serve to keep his followers in Temple at ] erusalem was no longer standing, and he
training for the pursuit which they had been prac- got an idea that the rebuilding of it would mean the
tising for many months, for bandits kept concealed
in the day and only moved at night. The feast
I ruin of Medinah. t
The] ews, it appears, were thoroughly alarmed at
which follows the fasting month was to serve as a • this new move of Mohammed, and, it is asserted,
substitute for one of the two public holidays which offered to acknowledge his mission, if he would go
the Medinese had celebrated in their pagan days,:j: back to his fanner praying direction. But Moham-
and on it the Prophet ordered drums to be beaten. § med had by this time resolved on their destruction,
1
With it some of the ceremonies of the old worship ", and even if the offer had been meant earnestly, would
of the dead got united. II With these institutions we 1 have done unwisely to accept it. Had the Jews not
may further connect the adoption of the Friday as,_ • been afraid of him, they would never have made it;
a day for public worship. This was not indeed to had they any plan, any resolution, any courage, they
be a Sabbath; for that institution he had no desire would have utilised this period of failure and igno.
to imitate, but it was to correspond with the sacred j" miny to crush him. How cordial co-operation on
week-day of the other communities, and since the the part of the] ews would have affected Mohammed
Christians had seized the day after the Saturday, he at Medinah we do not know; resolute and cour-
had no choice but to take the day before it. The ageous opposition might for some time yet have
* Winckler, Altorielttalisclte Forschttltgell, ii., 348.
~
• effected a good deal.
t Nie!si!1t, A ltarabische llIondreligiotJ, 168.
+Mumad, iii., 105. * Usd al-gltabah. Ibn Sa'd, iii.. 83, states that it was instituted in
§ Ibid., 422. -, the correspondence between Mohammed and Mus'ab, son of 'Umair..
I Goldziher, M. S., i., 240. t :JaM., BaJ'an, t. 165.
 J/lIohammed The Battle of Badr

From this time the breach widened: and whereas in stirring up the feelings of the people of Medinah
Mohammed had a few months before carefully imi- against them. It was followed by others. To these
tated Jewish practices, he now forbade his followers repeated philippics we may, in part, ascribe the cir-
to do anything like the Jews.* If they fasted for cumstance that in the severe measures which he
the Day of Atonement, they were to keep the fast proceeded to take against the Jews he met with
one day before or after the Jewish day. l' I-laving little or no opposition on the part of their former
altered his mode of doing his hair from the pagan allies.
style, in which it was parted, to that of the Jews, Meanwhile the luck had turned. The violation of
who let it hang loose, he now reverted to the pagan .. _~ the sacred month had shocked some followers, but
fashion, t and in his ordinances about dyeing the It had caused no apostasies: the net was still further
hair forbade imitating the Jews. § He ruled that spread over the consciences of those who by assent.
the pagan as opposed to the Jewish mode of burial ing had compromised themselves therein. To the
should be employed by his followers, II and that revelations which now served so many purposes the
they should stand at funerals instead of sitting, old argument of Abu Bakr was applied by an ever.
which was the Jewish practice., The rules concern· increasing circle. Having believed so much, why
ing menstruating women were altered in a manner should they not believe more? Having overridden
which implied opposition to the Jewish code. ** so many scruples, why be delayed by any from
Consultation of the Jews on doubtful points was following the Prophet's career?
forbidden.1'1' A long revelation, somewhat in the Between the people of Meeeah and the Prophet-""
style of Stephen's Apology, H was fulminated against there was now a blood.feud. 'Amr, son of the Ha.
them. This tirade, which constitutes most of the I
I dramite, had been killed, and under specially dis-
I:
I' graceful circumstances. Vengeance was due for him,
second Surah, is regarded by Moslems as a marvel ,0
of eloquence, and appears to have produced a pro. I, which might be exacted not only from Moham·
found impression-not on the Jews themselves, but med and his co-Refugees, but also from the Helpers
who had undertaken their protection. The next
"

Musnad, i., 165.

II: j.J
scene, therefore, represents a very considerable ad·
t Ibid., 242. vance. The Meccans arc not all bent on avoid-
t Ibid., 246 . i ing a conflict with their robber-kinsman; some of
§ Ibn Sa'd, iii., '57, 27.
I Mumad, iv., 363.
" , i •• them are no less anxious for it than he. And the I
'1f Ibid" 85. i'
,. . natives of Medinah follow the Prophet to the battle-
** Ibid., 132. field as well as the Refugees. .
/'

tt Ibid., 33 8• , The caravan which had escaped Mohammed the -

tt Preserved Smith, p. 84, makes this comp.Iison.
!;
!J' I, I,
•
 Mohammed
"- . ... .;.
... .

i{j
~.,
previous November was on its way home in March. :-.-
"

"
It was under the command of Abu Sufyan, whose ~

descendants afterwards reigned over Islam, forming

what is known as the U mayyad dynasty. They had
done good business in Syria and were bringing home
goods of the value (it is said) of five hundred thou-
sand francs. The prize was worthy of an effort and
Mohammed resolved to make it.
How news travels in the East is to this day a "
wonder. Probably the carrier-pigeon does more •
work than is ordinarily credited to it; speculators
of different kinds have agents who thus keep them
informed of various events, primarily for commercial
purposes j but the information can also be used for
other objects. There are other organised modes of
signalling of which the secret is rarely revealed. .' •
Moreover, members of the Khuza'ah (in Meccah)
were already in league with Mohammed, assisting
him against the Kuraish. * Mohammed on this oc-
casion sent spies to a point in the road some time
before the caravan actually passed: but these were
outwitted by the chieftain in whose territory they a ..
waited; yet the news reached Mohammed none the
less, according to one account, through one Busai-
sah.t On receiving the information he called to
arms; and the memory of the spoils which had at
last reached Medinah acted like the display of nug-
gets brought as specimens from a gold-mine: every <)
one wished to share in the plunder. Of the multitude
II :
~ '
,.
who answered the appeal some 60 Helpers and 240 !.
i
* Musuad, iv., 325.
t Ibid., iii., 136.

•
 The Battle of Badr 253
Refugees were selected" (perhaps with the view
of reproducing the numbers employed by" Talut,"
i. e., Gideon. Saul in the battle recorded in the
11
• Koran t). Two horses and 70 camels were all the
beasts that could be got together, many of the latter
being taken from agricultural operations. The own.
ers of the camels were requested by the Prophet
each of them to permit two or three of their un-
mounted comrades to ride by turns with themselves j
• which they did.:t Probably the men took with them
small stores of dates § by way of commissariat. On
some expeditions the soldiers trusted to locusts II j
whereas the dried strips of cooked meat used by the
pilgrims at other times furnished them with food.'
When the Moslems had become richer, camels were
11 • sent by wealthy members of the community to
be slaughtered at the rate of one camel for a hundred
soldiers*'*: the Meccan commissariat was similar, the
soldiers also carrying with them supplies of meat.
One Abu Lubabah was sent to govern Medinah duro
ing the absence of the army; and a governor was
• also sent to keep Kuba quiet, where there seemed
danger of disturbance. tt Abu Sufyan, however, got

* Different estimates of the Moslems who fought at Badr: Ishak,

314 (83 Refugees, 61 Aus, 170 Khazraj); Ahu Ma'shar, 313; Ibn
'Ukbah,316. Ibn Sa'd, II., ii., 134.
t fifusnad, iv., 29I.
t Ibid., iiL, 358.
o • Ii Cf. Musnad, iii., 446.
~ Musnad, iv., 353.
,. Ibid., iii., 85.
** Wakidi (W.J. 23t.
H Ibn Sa'd, II.. ii.. 36.
 .
254 Mohammed The Battle of Badr 255
early information-at Zarka *-of the fact that Mo. defenders wcre away. It was also remembered that
hammed planned an attack in great force, and while the Refugees, though enemies, were their own kin;
hurrying to Meccah by routes known to few besides albeit, on the other hand, the blood which Moham-
himself, and by forced marches, he also sent a scout r '" med had spilled cried for vengeance. To us, en-
to call the Meccans to help. The scout, according to deavouring to recall the situation, with, it is true,
custom, disfigured his camel and rode it backwards. imperfect knowledge of the facts, it is difficult to say
Hearing his message, the Meccans resolved on a gen. which course would have savoured most of true
eral rally in which all men either joined or sent sub· wisdom. If thc caravan had been in dangcr, there
stitu tes. It had been Mohammed's plan to infest the j 0
would have been no question: but it had reached
"I' •
route where it passed near Medinah. Thither the' .. safety well before the battle, and if Mohammed had
Meccans' army, some thousand strong,t after three been suffered to return to Medinah having gained
days' preparation, hastened. nothing, bankruptcy and failure combined might
Owing to the importance of the battle of Badr such have injured him as much as a lost battle. On the
a number of conflicting legends grew round it that ,
o •

other hand, an important factor in the situation,

each statement about it must be received wita some 1 Mohammed's military ability, was unknown to them,
~, ~,'

distrust, there being so many grounds for falsification. f , as indeed it was to his friends: they were enorm-
It is stated that when the Meccan force, having ously superior in numbers, and, in some respects,
started, learnt by messenger of the safety of the cara· in equipment. Retreat might bring them into con·
van, several persons were of opinion that the wisest o tempt, when there was blood to be avenged. Mo.
course would be to return to Meccah without fighting, hammed's raids occasioned some inconvenience,
and one or two tribes actually did so (notably the
t.. though till then no serious damage j and a chance
•
Zuhrites, to whom Mohammed's mother belonged, f lJ of getting rid of him should not be neglected.
and the Banu 'Adi). This counsel is assigned by the It is probable that to most of those who had a voice
tradition to 'Utbah, son of Rabi'ah, whereas the deter- in the matter the arguments in favour of advancing
mination to proceed is ascribed to Abu] ahl, the old seemed weightier than those on the other side.
opponent of Mohammed. One ground for the pro- ,1 "j Their resolution turned out to be disastrous: we do
posed retirement was the fact that the Meccans were
, ,; not know whether the opposite course would have
J' I'

at fcud with another tribe, the Bakr Ibn Kinanah, "" proved more beneficial. 0 •

who might be expected to attack the city when its f' :~. • The scene of the famous battle, Badr, lies at the
end of a westerly ramification of the great chain of
* Wakidi, 21,
t Nine hundred and fifty men, seven hundred camels, one hundred
mountains which follows the Arabian coast.line. It 0

horses.- Wakidi (W.), 44. is said to have been the locality of an annual fair,

tl oj
r#
 ..
Mohammed The Battle of Badr 257
held on the first eight days of the month preceding appears to have satisfied himself that the statement
the pilgrim month. It lay near the point at which was true. He had, therefore, the same problem be-
the Syrian road to Meccah leaves the coast to wind fore him as the Meccans had faced when the news of
through difficult passes. From the number which • " the safety of the caravan reached them; and he (it is
Mohammed took with him it would seem that he said) left it to the Helpers to decide; justly acknow-
hoped to overwhelm opposition. ledging that the contract which they had made by
The route followed by Mohammed is recorded no means bound the Helpers to aid him in aggres-
in detail'»; of the names which meet us in it the sive warfare. The Helpers were, however, eager for
l, battle-perhaps doubting whether the caravan had
most familiar is Safra, a village about a day's jour-
ney from Badr, visited by Burckhardt. The ordin-
.. " got into safety after all. There is, however, a story
ary route from Safra to Badr passes through a very that Mohammed sent Omar to offer the blood.money
narrow and difficult valley; Mohammed is said to for 'Amr the Hadramite; which his brother 'Amir,
at Abu J ahl's instigation, refused. The story is
"
have avoided it, because some of the names wounded I

his sense of delicacy; and to have chosen a pass told with details which give it some plausibility;
through a valley called "Sweet-smelling" instead. 'Amir is said to have 'practised the peculiar rites by
The motives by which this remarkable man was • ./Y which the demand for blood was enforced. Such an
swayed were so numerous that this story need not act may perhaps be alluded to in the pride and osten.
be rejected. It is not probable that this fancy lost tation with which Mohammed in his comments on
the precious time in which the caravan could have the battle charges the Meccans, while he rather im-
been caught; but doubtless it lost some. .
;, - plies that the Moslems were not anxious for battle.
The day before the battle (Ram. 18) t the parties t -1. After the victory it was natural that the latter should
" .,

were separated by one sand hill. A couple of men i .

_ I. II represent themselves to have been eager to fight from
from the Meccan army, trying to find water, found the commencement.
their way to the Prophet's camp, and one of them t Experience has shown that the military career can,
being captured brought the news that the caravan more than any other, be started successfully late in
had escaped, but that the Meccan army was at hand. life; but if Mohammed, entering his first battle as
This statement occasioned the bitterest disappoint. commander at the age of fifty three, succeeded be.
ment; the Moslems tried hard to discredit it by tortur- yond all hope, the result must be attributed to his
ing the messenger till he retracted .. but Mohammed • readiness to receive suggestions. The help of the
angels or other supernatural agencies was gratefully
* IS/lau, 433.
acknowledged ex post facto, but for the attainment
t March r6, 624 A. D •• nccording to the ordinary Tables.
+Melllo;,'s 0/ Ali. of the end much more commonplace expedients were
'7 .
 Mohammed The Battle oj' Badr 259
adopted. Hubab,«' son of AI.Mundhir, the Prophet's like snakes.* They were all subject to the single will
junior by twenty years, having ascertained that they of their Prophet, who was aware that the general
were engaged in ordinary warfare, and possessing a , should not risk his life; for him therefore in the rear
special knowledge of the wells in the neighbourhood, ' • of the army a hut was built, where, attended by his
advised the Prophet to get in front of all, except most trusted counsellors, he could issue orders; and
one, round which they should make a reservoir, so , ',I:
'!
to which camels were tied ready to be used by the
as to have a constant supply of water for the troops: ;I leaders for flight in case of disaster. When the first
the possession of this valuable element would then ; ~ '. blood was shed the Prophet retired into his hut and
save the day. The Prophet welcomed the suggestion " I'
'Yo fainted; when he had come to himself he devoted
:·1'
and placed his force under Hubab's guidance. One :1 • the time to impassioned prayer, showing that he was
Meccan is said to have rushed at the reservoir, and i
-I
thoroughly alarmed. t The members of the cabinet,
to have paid for a drink with his life; but when a '"I'
',: who regarded these prayers as unseemly, remained
,'"':

number of the enemy approached they were allowed by their master in his hut, issuing orders when
to drink unmolested-in accordance with a principle necessary. The soldiers had probably been supplied
laid down in Persian treatises on tactics. t with armour by the Jews of Medinah, who could
Of the battle that followed we have no clear or ,. t judge well of such goods, though unskilful in using
detailed account: but we know at least some of the them. The armour, when complete, covered the
factors which brought about the result. The dis.
'.
whole person except the legs *;
the helmet was pro-
cipline of the salat or "prayer," in which the Mos. vided with a continuation for the throat §; thus the
lems were arranged in rows, and had to perform holes for the eyes and the legs offered the most
*
after a leader certain bodily exercises, and f<:11ing
out of line was threatened with divine punishment, § •
promising places for blows.
Opposed to them was a horde of Arabs, far
had served as a rough sort of drill, and Mohammed superior in numbers (six hundred to three hundred),
before the battle discharged the duty of making the and well provided with cavalry and camels; but justi-
troops fall into line. The Meccan general, 'Utbah, fying otherwise the reproaches levelled against the
son of Rabiah, was struck with their appearance: Arabs in later days when foreign Moslems main.
they were kneeling on their knees, silent as though tained that the Arabs were inferior to other races.
they were dumb, and stretching out their tongues The Arabs, II they urged, were unacquainted with
*Since Hubab was the name of a demon, it is strange thatlt was •• *' Uyun al.Akhbar, 135.
not altered. t Muslim, iiO) 55.
t' Uylln al-Akhbar, 140, la. t Wdlhausen (W.), 153.
f irfusnad, iv'l 228, § Wakidi (W.), lID.
§IQi<i., Iv" 71" I Jantz, Baymt 1 ii' l 50,
 260 Mohammed The Battle of Badr 261

the rudiments of military science. They fought in ," and Kais, son of al.Rabi-all of them Medinese:*
no order, with no leadership, with no suitable \"
The armour of Abu Jahl is said to have been, worn
weapons or attire, with no scouting, no artillery, and by three men in succession, each of whom perished
no camp defence. Of the hundred or more teehni. tJ
cal terms which the warfare of Islam evolved, the
',i'" in single combat; after the death of the third no one
% was fonnd willing to don it. For the greater part of
Arabs of the Ignorance had no knowledge. And in. the day the Moslems remained in serried formations,
. deed the Meecan leaders fell out before the battle; "fighting (or rather defending themselves) like a
'Utbah, son of Rabi'ah, killing his colleague Abu ,;,' wall," except when a champion went forward to
Jahl's horse. He then, in order to show his courage i:a .~ answer a challenge: of any sort of order or discipline
before his rival, abandoned the duty of director of r ,t{ on the Meccan side we do not hear. The greater
bperations, and demanded that a champion of the , .' number of deaths and captures seem to have taken
enemy should meet him in single combat; and in the place late in the day, when the Meccans turned
miniature combat between 'Utbah with two other their backs. What we cannot understand is how, if
, ~T
Meeeans, and Ali with Hamzah and another, all
three Meccans were killed. One tradition speaks of
i
";1 any sort of purpose was to be found in the Mec·
e: ~!i' can tactics, their cavalry failed to trample down the
a Meccan leader having deserted in the middle of f 'II It enemy. Sprenger supposes that the cavalry was de.
the combat, and so having broken the line of fight- terred by fear of the Moslem archery; and their
ing men; but the source of this statement appears attack on the square appears to have been reo
to be a rather too literal interpretation of the realistic sisted. But with their superiority in numbers there
language of the Koran about Iblis or the devil. The '. should have been no difficulty in outflanking, for
other general, Abu Jahl, being on foot, was forced to the accounts of the battle do not suggest that the
fight and was killed. There being no recognised , • Mohammedan position was particularly strong. Mo.
leader left, the Meecans were seized with panic and hammed himself seems to have been puzzled by the
turned their backs, losing seventy slain and seventy result, and to have on the whole regarded it as due
captives; the Moslem loss was fourteen. to an erroneous estimate of the forces on both sides.
It certainly appears that the winning of this most i': The Meccans thought the Moslems twice as many
important fight was in the main due to the prowess , I" as they actually were, whereas the Moslems similarly
of Ali (who fought without armour to his back)'* and .: ::',: underestimated the Meccan force.t Mohammed's
Hamzah. The Prophet is said to have bestowed f , statements on this matter are likely to be based
especial praise on the valour of Simak, son of Khara. on accurate knowledge. At the next meeting the
shah,Sahl, son of Hunaif, al.Harith, son of al.Simmah,
* .UyU1t al-AJdlbar, 162, 18. * Isabah, iii. I 49 r.
t Surall iii., II,viii., 46.
• ,: I ., ..:,
 , I"
Mohammed "f
The Battle of Badr
""I'
victory of Uhud was rendered fruitless to the Mec- ; ':' the night was spent in this way by the armies, there
cans by their erroneous supposition that Mohammed can be no doubt that Mohammed was correct when
I had still an enormous force at his command. In the. ~ he declared that each was quite mistaken in its esti·
Boer war grossly mistaken estimates of the forces in mate of the numbers of the other.
action seem many times to have been made, and to Too much confidence must not, however, be placed
have been of influence on the course of the cam.,; in the Prophet's statements. Thus he declared that
paign. The statement of the Koran forces us to ,
1(
I~
God had promised them (before the battle) one of
reject, as biographical fiction, the story that Mo. J" ,
.,
,"
the two-either the caravan or the Meccan host;
hammed made before the battle an exact computa. f ,~
yet it appears that of the arrival of the latter Mo.
tion of the force arrayed against him based on their hammed had no knowledge till the day before the
daily consumption of camels; and that a Meccan ' battle, and the same messenger who brought news
scout by inspection of the Moslem force was able to of the arrival of the Meccan force, must also have
estimate it exactly, and also to tell that it had no brought intelligence of the safety of the caravan.
reinforcements and no men in ambush. It is more Then to the Moslem prayer for help, he says, there
likely that the Meccans were firmly convinced that j :1 i came an answer that a reinforcement of one thou·
Mohammed had an enormous reserve. ti " sand angels, each with a back rider, would be sent.
Mohammedan writers, arguing from a hint in the !;" Finally even these angels had to be encouraged by a
Koran, further imagine that the heavy rain which ;" special promise of the divine assistance. We can·
fell the night before the battle was of advantage to not very well believe that the promise of the angels'
the Moslems, but the opposite to the Meccans. ;, help was made till after the victory was won. Had
They suppose that the rain by moistening the sand Mohammed known the size of the force opposed to
rendered it firmer and better suited to infantry- r " .. him. it is not probabfe that he would have fought;
perhaps taking the words of the Koran too literally. ' I_ and he was too cautious to promise angelic assist.
'.1"
And indeed the very recent writer who" went on the -" ance when there was no chance of its arriving.
track of the masked Tawariks " declares that the feet Once, however, the angels had been called in, it cost
of camels are useless when the ground is wet. nothing to multiply them; and the next year the
Further, they intcrprct the passage as meaning that angels who fought at Badr had grown to three thou·
the Moslem forces actually slept the night before t ;" Ii ~ sand.* But in the popular tradition the credit of the
the battie, and so came to the fight fresher than the j:' battle was ascribed not to the angels, but the prowess
Meccans, who had kept awake, fearing a surprise, ~.- of the family of Abd al.Muttalib,t who years after
and perhaps also doubting the fidelity of different * Suralt iii., 120.
detachments after the loss of two by desertion. If t JaM., ilIahasin, '40.
 , ..
Mohammed The Battle of Badr
continued to fling it in the face of Abu Sufyan's them without hesitation of cowardice. As merchants
descendants. they had obtained some immunity from fighting, and
,. Discipline and steadfastness of purpose are said to by putting some bark or other sign on themselves
win battles, and it is clear that these qualities were • ~
when they left their houses, they could pass safely
to be found on the Moslem side, not on the Meccan. where others would be challenged. The poet who
Mohammed, in getting his troops into line, is said to refers to this practice taunts the Kuraish with their
have hurt one of his followers with his staff; the in. abandonment of the Ka'bah at the time of the in-
jured man, by way of obtaining amends, kissed his vasion; and the unwillingness to shed blood and
leader's stomach. We have but to contrast this readiness to leave the field which characterise their
--scene with the unseemly brawls between the Meccan • • actions till the taking of Meccah seem to show that
leaders to understand one reason why the Meccans the poet was right in his estimate. *
failed. And further, there is evidence that the mo. But it is likely that the point on which Sir William
tive which worked wonders in so many Moslem Muir insists, the horror of shedding kindred blood
battle·fields helped largely too in this. Death in on the one side, with the desire to shed it which If
the path of God was regarded by not a few of the prevailed on the other side, was after all the leading
fighters as a better thing than victory. Overwrought ,Il factor in deciding the battle in favour of the Moslems.
with desire for their gaudily painted paradise they The cases in which members of the same family were
chafed at the chains which bound them to this ranged on opposite sides were numerous; and Is·
world: they flung themselves with rapture on the lam, as appears from the most authorised traditions,
enemy, whose swords formed so many keys to the had the effect of making men anxious rather than
gates of the eternal kingdom. Well able to assist otherwise to signalise their faith by parricide or frat.
by their counsels, and to impart strength and en. • ,. ricide. The Tradition records a case, presumably
durance, AI.Lit and AI·'Uzza had in store no Garden later than this time, when a man told Mohammed
of Delight, to be entered by the grave and gate of he had killed his father for speaking slightingly of
death. Those who died in their service, if they did the Prophet; who received the intelligence calmly. t
not, as Mohammed declared, enter the Fire, yet at i And lest any filial affection should remain, he ex·
. ,!
best, according to their account, had a continuation .' pressly forbade men to pray for the souls of their
of their personality similar to that enjoyed by Mr. , ., unbelieving fathers. When it was pointed out that
Myers's discarnate spirits: the sovereign among I
l
i
, according to the Koran Abraham had done this for
whom might be thought worse off than a poor slave his father, a special revelation came down, explaining
up above. * 7ahiz, opuscuJa, 6r.
And finally early satirists of the Kuraish accuse t Isabal" iii., 708•
." ,'i
266 Mohammed ,"
The Battle of Badr
,I
that Abraham had specially prom ised "Azar" that '"~
self at no time a gloomy fanatic: unlike some of his
he would· do this-one wonders how or when j followers j for it may be a true anecdote which
and in quite late revelations this act of Abraham makes one of the Meccans before the fight compare
is noticed as a slur on his character. * Abu f ~ I!, ," the healthy faces of the idolators with the woe-
Bakr's son (it is said), who was converted long :'I' begone, melancholy looks of the monotheists, a.nd
after, told his father that he had intentionally warn the Meccan leaders against a course which
spared him on the day of Badr. Abu Bakr might reduce the Meccans to the same miserable con-
, I'
answered that had he had the chance he would ". dition. The French revolution exhibits well-known
have slain his son. Abu 'Ubaidah, son of AI.jarrah, , cases of men in whom principle took the form of
actually killed his father, who was fighting on the a thirst for blood. This passion indeed seized pos-
Meccan side; he is credited indeed with having en- session of the victorious ranks at Badr. Some men
deavoured to avoid the necessity. Abu Hudhaifah, who had yielded themselves prisoners could not
not being permitted to fight with his father, 'Utbah, be rescued by their captors from the fanatics, who
son of Rabi'ah, in single combat, still assisted in dis- preferred blood to ransoms. Those who ha~ en-
patching him.t Mus'ab, son of 'Umair, urged the dured torture at Meccah seized the opportulllty to
captor of his brother to demand a heavy ransom, t exact vengeance from their persecutors. * O~ar
because their mother could well pay it, declaring (always ready to be executioner) was for slaughtenng
the captor to be of nearer kin to himself, being all the prisoners j one fanatic, the poet Abdallah, son
a Moslem. t Probably Moslem earnestness was a of Rawahah, suggested that they should be burned, t
case of that princi pIe of human nature by which and Mohammed in his revelation declared that a
"what before was too much feared is all the more massacre would have been more pleasing to God:
eagerly trampled under foot." Mohammed indeed < bloodshed on a great scale being calculated to impress
appears to have endeavoured to obtain immunity the imagination. Economical considerations probably
for his own relatives and former benefactors, and decided him against carrying this out. For though
thereby to have incurred the reproach of one of his the spoil amounted to one hundred and fifty camels
followers, who thought the Prophet should have set and ten horses, besides some goods which Mec~an
a better example-the Prophet who for years had speculators had taken with them in the hope of findl?g
owed the continuance of his existence to the respect a market and the clothes and armour of the slam,
felt for kindred blood I But the Prophet was him· ( seventy p~isoners formed an asset which the condition
of his followers did not allow him to squander.
* Su.ral: lx., 4.
t Wakidi (W.), 54. * So DBa} and'Ammar.
pbid., 79. tMusnad, t, 383.
 The Battle of Badr
268 Mohammed .
')t "
,
26 9

The Prophet spent three days at Badr before

~! and recited their contents; and argued that if story-
:r telling was the criterion of a prophet he had as good
he commenced the triumphal journey home. Some
it is said, urged him to make a rush on Meccah, bU~ a right to the title as Mohammed. His daughter
t to thought a brave man might have pardoned even such
for that enterprise he was probably not prepared.*
Before they left Badr a pit was dug or cleared into k
I
an affront, but she was in error.
which the corpses of the unbelievers were thrown', ":" No event in the history of Islam was of more im- -
:1-
and the exultant conqueror, though ordinarily rever· , , portance than this battle: the Koran rightly calls it
ent to the dead, t could not refrain from asking " the Day of Deliverance, the day before which the'
them. whether they were now convinced, telling his Moslems were weak, after which they were strong.!
astolllshed followers that the corpses could hear,
though unable to answer. Truly he might exult
~
:~.
"
'.Its value to Mohammed himself it is difficult to
overrate; he possibly regarded it himself as a miracle,
over his deliverance from Abu J ahl, thanking Allah ~!'. and when he declared it one, most of his neighbours
who had helped his servant and strengthened his < accepted the statement without hesitation. His own
religion t; and a few days more were to deliver him , :'::.
·.i'
.' share in the fighting appears to have been small-
from Abu Lahab. Two of the prisoners were
,
Jl (I'"
lil:~: was indeed confined to flinging a handful of pebbles
{, ,, ; '. in the enemies' faces '* ; but he wisely claimed the
slaughtered on the way, AI.Nadir, son of AI-Harith,
and 'Ukbah, son of Abu Mu'ait. The latter is said i'"·, whole not as his own work, but as that of God.
to have treated the Prophet with roughness; he had i The fate that had befallen the enemy was a just re-
also had early connection with the Jews, and may tribution to those who had presumed to resist God
have at some time helped the Prophet with informa- and His Prophet. As we have seen, the want of the
tion; he had even at one time formally espoused Is- power to perform a miracle was a thing that embit·
lam, but had afterwards withdrawn. The dirge § • tered his life. Now at last the trial had been removed.
uttered over the former by his daughter (or sister) is Wealth, fame, honour, nower, all of them were
one of the most affecting in the pathetic dirge litera- secured or at any rate brought within reach by the
ture of the Arabs, and is said to have moved Mo- Day of Deliverance. At a later time to have taken
hammed himself to tears and regrets. The man's part in the battle of Badr was a letter of nobility,
offence is said to have been that he bought the J and when the proceeds of the treasury were divided
books of the Greeks, Persians, and Arabs of Hirah, 1',:; , among the Moslems, in Omar's time, the Badris re-
ii • ceived five thousand dirhems apiece·t Mohammed
* 1'1"uSltad, i., 229_
t Ibid.. iv., 252. * Ali however asserted that he had fought bravely.
t Ibid., i., 442. t The Badri who survived longest was Sa.'d, SOil of Abu 'Vakkas;.
§ Zahr a!-adllb , i., 28. Bokha"; (Kast.) vi., 274. '
27° Mohammed The Battle 0./ Badr 271
was ready to the end of his life to forgive any offence lads; the teachers at times recouping themselves
committed by one who had taken part in the fight; with blows.* The importance of this art was now
God, he declared, might for all he knew have given ~.;' fully recognised by Mohammed, who t urges the
them a license to do what they pleased:l' ! .. utility of drawing up deeds connected with property
Almost immediately after the battle gifts were of· and loans, and having them attested. The mode in
fered Mohammed by neighbouring chiefs, anxious use was clumsy, and ere long a new fashion was
to win his favour; but he would only accept them on brought to Medinah, which Abu Sufyan took the
condition of the givers embracing Islam. Some who trouble to learn. t Among the prisoners were
refused had afterwards occasion to regret that'they Mohammed's uncle Abbas, and the sons of his
had not at this time taken shares in the new'" /I uncle al.Harith: from one of them, Naufal, Mo.
venture·t hammed demanded as ransom a thousand spears
The time was approaching when the Refugees which he kept at Jeddah; Naufal is said to have
would depend no longer on the charity of the turned Moslem at once, supposing the Prophet to
Helpers: the latter were beginning to enjoy the have learned of this store by supernatural means. §
profits of their speculation in joining Islam, and To Abbas himself the Prophet is said to have dis.
those who had stayed at home wished they had f. (I played some similar knowledge. "Redeem yourself,
joined the expedition. The share which accrued to your nephews, and your confederates," he said to
each soldier was to starvelings comparative wealth. Abbas, who declined, declaring that he was a Moslem
Ali's was a couple of camels. Mohammed's slave at heart, and had served against his will. " God
Salih, who was given charge of the prisoners, got knows best about that," was the reply; Il externally
gratuities from them which amounted to more than you were against us, so ransom yourself."-"You
a share in the spoil. t The Meccan prisoners were l;. • have twenty ounces of silver that I lent you, take
not made of the stern stuff which Horace has them as my ransom."-"They are a present to me
taught us to admire in Regulus. Little difficulty
. '

from God."-" But I have no other money." _ I l Then

was made about offering ransoms. The highest where is the money which, when you left Meccah,
sum so given was four thousand dirhems; for ,"i
you secretly deposited with your wife Umm Fadl,
others, who were poorer, a smaller sum was taken. with instructions how it should be shared be.
In the case of quite poor men (it is said) the tween your sons, in case of your death?" Abbas
0 _
sum was paid in writing-lessons given to Medinese t'
* Musnad, i., 247.
* lIIUSIl0d. iii., 350. t Surah ii., 282,283.
t Ibid., iv., 68. t Ibn Dllraid, 223.
t lb,z, Sa/d, iiL , 34. § babak, iiL , 1090.
 Mohammed The Battle of Badr
, ,

"

(according to his imaginative son) testified that Mo.,:' arrival of the defeated army is recorded in fragments
h
hammed was the Prophet of God, when e ear,:,!: h d ' i onI y. S ome h per aps excused their flight on the
this secret revealed: yet he appears to have paid "~i 1'1:" ground that they had been confronted by super-
his ransom none the less, in order to go back to " : 1 1 : natural antagonists; but the excuse was received
Meccah.* More credit attaches to the tradition ':!it . with derision and indignation. Hind, daughter of
which makes Mohammed endeavour by impressive '",f 'Utbah, demanded of the Hashimites her father,
religious rites to make proselytes among the visitors 1 "!I:i brother, and uncles, whose faces were wont to shine
who came to redeem their friends t; and that at. ii~ like beacons to the travellers in the dark night.*
tempts were made by kindly treatment of 'prisoners o. I!" II An attempt was made to sequestrate the goods be.
to win them over to Islam. . .' "I" longing to the Banu Zuhrah in the caravan which
One man only is said to have determined not to 'I'; Abu Sufyan had saved: but their leader pointed
swell Mohammed's treasury. Abu Sufyan, now the "'!:;, out that Abu Sufyan himself had commanded the
'l!lj, Meccans to desist from the expedition against Mo-
recognised leader at Meccah, instead of sending a
ransom for his brother whom Ali had captured, l'
:' iL hammed, and they had in returning obeyed his
1'!

waited till a man from Medinah came to Meccah o n , ,',' ?r~ers. On this act of justice therefore h: did not
pilgrimage; this man he seized and exchanged for i'!i I cit inSISt, but the profit made by the expedItion and
his brother. The whole sum which Mohammed ':!!' saved from the enemy was devoted to the equipment
thus acquired was probably not less than one hund· .. i'iil of a force to be sent against Medinah·t All eyes
red thousand dirhems. His first idea was to claim Iii:l apparently now looked to Abu Sufyan: the battle
the whole on behalf of God and His Prophet. But ,," I: had taken off the stage all possible rivals to his in.
he was induced to modify this claim. Of the whole ,i fluence, while inflicting on him losses which he was
sum taken, God and His Prophet were to have a O J ' ' ~ bound as a man of honour to avenge. And indeed
fifth. Eaeh captor was otherwise to have the ran- "I 'I~ it was evident. that on the ability of the community
som of his prisoner. It is stated that the claim to It
to avenge theIr losses depended not only their hon.
the fifth was a reduction on the leader's perquisite !li1 , our but their very existence. The ransom money
enjoyed by the pre_Mohammedan sovereigns. They d
would not last for ever; when it was near exhaustion
not only had a fourth of the plnnder, but also cer· !,! Mohammed would be ready for an attack on the
tain other privileges which Mohammed abandoned. "i ~ caravans, and find no difficulty in obtaining helpers
0,
The news of the defeat was brought to Meccah by . , ~ for so profitable a speculation.
'

one Haisuman; the scene which followed on the r Numerous verses on the battle of Badr are given

* .1'rIusnad, L, 553. * Ghurar al-Khasa'is, 200.

t Ibid., iv., 83.
t Wakidi, '99·
'8

()
! :
274 Mohammed
by Ibn Ishak in his biography: to leave the fallen at
Badr unmourned would have doubtless been dis-
respectful *; yet the genuineness of most of the ~;
dirges produced is disputed; some may have really
~!
,, .
been sung on the occasion. The note of all is the
same,-vengeance cannot be delayed. Another time .,
the Meccans will show to greater advantage. It will "

CHAPTER VIII
be seen whether they did so. Meanwhile some
poetic talent was rising in Medinah also, since a war; PROGRESS ANn A SETBACK
of force in Arabia would have been incomplete
without a war of rhymes t; and Abu Bakr's genea- HE herald sent on by Mohammed to announce
logical knowledge was once again found useful in the
Prophet's cause.:I: For the satirist, though not scru-
T his victory at Medinah, Abdallah, son of
Rawahah, * was at first treated as a liar-the
pulous in his statements, still had to be supplied with " sole survivor of a routed host. The Jews, whose ill-
material which he could adorn or expand. Just as li,I' luck rarely failed them on such occasions, appear
the Refugees were suffering from Meccan satire, so 0 ,
li'lt especially to have enjoyed a short.lived triumph.
versified retorts could now be taught the slave-girls Many, many a man at Medinah utilised the day
of Medinah. § that passed between the arrival of the herald and
the triumphal entry of Mohammed to curse the new
* Goldziller, W. Z. K. lV.. xvi., 307.
t ld., M. S., i., 44. ruler; for after a few hours it would be unsafe. Near
t Zahr al~adab, i., 26. the end of Ramadan he entered the city, preceded
§ .1lfttmad, iv" 263. :,1, , by the prisoners. The triumphant rhapsody which
:& forms the 8th Surah was doubtless delivered at a
'iii"
thanksgiving service. 'With the enthusiasm of one
who has performed a successful coup in a new ca-
reer, he dilated on the glories of fighting j and argu-
ing from the losses on either side declared that for,
purposes of war, one Moslem was equal to ten
unbelievers.
The institution, which the Greeks called tyranny,
* According to Ibn Sa'd, iii" 38, Zaid Ibn Harithah.
275
 t -' ~

Mohammed Progress and a Setback

seems everywhere to prod uce similar effects. Let At Medinah satires may indeed have been written, *
one man be given absolute and uncontrolled au- but are more likely to have been declaimed with the
thority in a community, a number of parasites are ! .. normal formalities; the satirist anointed one side of
'i',,1
sure to arise, ready to plunge into any sort of mire . '. .., his hair, let his mantle droop, and wore only one shoe·t
in the hope of gaining a smile from their mas- " 'Asma, daughter of Marwan, the wife of a member
ter. Ramadan was not over before this breed began of the tribe Khatmah, mother of five sons, had the
to show itself. '. If anyone had incurred the Prophet's poetical gift; she taunted the people of Medinah
displeasure, the Prophet could be served 1;>y that with obeying a stranger, who was waiting for the
person's assassination:; There were people at Me- , • city" to be done brown," when he might enjoy the
dinah who gave trouble to the Prophet; the sort gravy; and invited some one to nip these hopes in
whose misfortune it is that they are unable to share the bud. Abu 'Afak, a member of the tribe 'Amr
the aspirations of their neighbours. To these per- Ibn'Auf, failed to see that the Prophet's arrival had
sons the vietory of Badr was not so much a triumph united the people of Medinah, and taunted them
as an outrage. The slain whom the conquerors had .. with being divided by thi5 stranger whose notions of
left on the field were their fathers and brothers; "f
right and wrong were quite different from theirs.
those whom they were bringing baek with their' .• He thought that if they believed in foree and
hands bound and tied to their camels were their tyranny, they had better have obeyed the old Kings
nearest kin. This sort of triumph shocked those in of Yemen. Mohammed expressed a wish to be de·-'-
whom the old humanity had not been killed by the livered from these satirists, and a eouple of assassins
new religion. Even the Prophet's wife, Saudah, readily offered their services. Both were run through
asked the Kurashite Sulaim, when he was brought in, at dead of night, when sleeping peacefully in their
tied and bound, why he could not have died like a , • .~t' .
• homes, and the assassins publieIy applauded and
man? The wives and children of the victors are held up as patterns of conduct. t These executions
likely to have re-echoed these sentiments, and a were perpetrated in the week immediately following
warning was revealed against them, with a request, Badr. § And perhaps about the same time 'U mair,
however, not to punish them too severely.~· In the , ;,'
son of U mayyah, finding his sister by the seashore,
tribes resident at Medinah there were satirists who killed her for a similar offence. II
expressed their opinions freely on public affairs. The . Before the arrival of the Prophet there would have
race did not die out even late in the Caliphate; but in ? * Goldzilur, Z. D. M. G., xlvL , 18.
the great cities of later times they were not detected t Ibid.. 5; AMa1ldl1lngm, i.
quite so easily and their satires circulated in writing. j: Ibn Ishak (pp. 995, 996) puts these events .fler Uhud. Ibn
Duraid gives the name of 'Asma's murderer as Ghishmir, son of
* Suran lxiv'l 14. Khorsh.h (p. 265). § Wakidi. l/saba!., iii., 56.
 t, d
;;
Progress and a Setback 279
Mohammed
that during the Caliphate it was at times penalised.*
been no ~ou~t about the effect of these acts. The
The employment of the assassin where the execu-
ml1lderer s !tfe would have been forfeit without
tioner might reasonably have been employed is what
question. The son of the murdered mother would
excites horror. t Mohammed could urge that in
have been as much in duty bound to avenge her •
dealing with tribes which had not adopted Islam he
death .as evcr was Orestes to avcnge his father. had no executioners at his disposal; that discipline
The tnbesmen of the old poet would have fallen on is to be maintained by the exhibition of power
~he fir~t member of the murderer's tribe who came
rather than of authority. Henee the dexterity
111 their way. It appears that in ordinary cases,
manifested in the selection of the right time and
even apart from the superstitions connected with the right agent for effecting a result was, in a partly
blood, the filial feeling was not'less keen among the '
organised state, the only possible substitute for the
Arabs than among other races. But the result of
legal and judicial procedure which would suit a com-
these executions shows how well Mohammed under-
pletely organised state; and from the fact that only
stood the people among whom he sojourned. When
the culprit suffered, it was a decided improvement
the slayer of the woman 'Asma asked whether he :1 on the existing system, by which satire on an indio
need fear the consequences of what he had done
vidual meant war between whole tribes. The prin.
the Prophet, coining a new proverb, told him tha~ ~
,~

,
ciple that each person shall suffer for his own fault
there would not be as much disturbance about it as "

was introduced instead, If any people felt horri.

t,:o goats can make. The historians tell us that the fied by these assassinations, they either left Medinah,
tnbes of the murdered persons adopted Islam in con- ", or kept their horror for private conversations; but
sequence. Translating the scene into modern lan-
guage, we might say that they treated the acts as
"
• presently criticism of the Prophet in private was
legitimate .executions ordered by the sovereign ' .
i
~,
• t
condemned in a revelation, and True Believers who
~ heard such communications felt it their duty to
po:ver; which they found it beyond their power to ,
~'.
"
"

inform their master,

resist, an~ whos~ prot.ection they thought it expedi- 0
I' ~
,

A more serious step had to be taken against the

.', I •
:,1
ent to enJoy. Smce, If the verses ascribed to 'Asma ':' Jews (Banu Kainuka) who inhabited the chief market
}' ~
be genuine, she had deliberately incited the people ,

of Medinah; said to be three hundred men capable

of Medina? to a murderous attack on the Prophet, ,
of bearing arms, and four hundred unarmed. They
her execution wou.ld not have been an inexcusably t ' ., ,,) ,

ruthless measure, Judged by any standard; and it * Goldziher, Z. D. M. G., xlvi., 19·
must not be forgotten that satire was a far more '. t Both Mair and Spreager treat these acts as cold.blooded aad
effective weapon in Arabia than elsewhere *; and treacherous murders.
t Surak Iviii.. 9.
* Goldziher, AbhIJlldhmgen , i.
!'
I
,

r ·If

'I
 280 Mohamml!d Progress and a Setback
were goldsmiths, and doubtless the wealthiest of the Ali was to sell abroad, bringing back others. The
inhabitants of Medinah. They had pursued the camels were left in the street awaiting their load;
policy of aimless irritation which has already been when the other hero of Badr, Hamzah, passing by,
noticed. Before acknowledging Mohammed as a like an old Arab chieftain, slaughtered the beasts,
prophet, they had desired a miracle in the sty Ie of and proceeded to give a banquet off them to his
Elijah on Carmel. The Prophet, in the pride of the friends. When Ali, arriving on the scene, perceived
victory at Badr, had stalked into their market, ask- that his prospects of merchandise and marriage were
ing if they were satisfied; whether the miraculous
multiplication of their numbers on that battle-field
was not as good in its way as a sacrifice devoured by
heavenly fire? The reply is stated to have been
( ~'
,I j:
i
.ruined, he went to Mohammed to complain. The
Prophet came to the carousers, intending to remon·
strate with his uncle, who by this time was so drunk
that he even forgot the reverence due to God's Mes-
a good-humoured sneer at the cowardice of Mo. ::. senger. Surveying the Prophet from foot to head
hammed's countrymen, and a boast of what they F and head to foot, he asked him, "Are Y0U not my
th.emselves would do should Mohammed ever fight !.~
p.
father's slave?" To this point the anecdote rests
With them. What they actually did was to shut J~ on unimpeachable authority:* A few more steps we
their doors for a fortnight and then surrender at (.. ~i,~.,. must ourselves supply. When the Jews who had
discretion. Mohammed, however, probably about promised to furnish Ali with goods for exportation
this time began to challenge the Jews to be eager T arrived, they found the beasts that should have been
for death if they believed themselves to be the :r,; laden, killed and eaten, the Lion of God danger--'
chosen of God, and to guarantee that they would ously intoxicated, Ali whining, and the Prophet
show no such eagerness. '" himself seriously ruffled. Being flesh and blood,
About a month after the Prophet's return from • they expressed, or at any rate looked, contempt and
Badr, -j- a dispute broke out between him and the abhorrence at the Holy Family.
Banu Kainuka. It appears to have commenced The complication was one of those which at the
thus. Ali's share of the booty at Badr had been time are exceedingly serious, though afterwards
two camels. Since he was anxious to make money they appear trifling, Ali and Hamzah were both
in order to marry his master's daughter, Fatimah, ; i heroes of the late triumph of Badr; it was impossi-
he bethought him of employing his camels in the . ,i ble to recoup Ali for the loss of his booty at Ham-
export trade, and some of the Kainuka Jews agreed :~~ zah's expense, and yet most undesirable that Ali
to start him. They were to supply the goods which
(" -.I
t
:!:~
should lose his capital; it was also undesirable that
Ali should go on commercial travels when his strong
* Surah hiLl 6.
t !fa/aM, il" 274. ~W *Bokhari (1(".), ii" 270 i JIIus/im, ii.~ 123.
'I~i'
.:~!~
f"'~~
I' :~,
j, ~: I
 ( .
Mohammed Progress and a Setback
arm might soon be again needed. The marriage of presently'" to forbid both without exception; and
Ali and Fatimah was also desired by the Prophet Ayeshah remembered how, when the revelation
both for domestic and economic reasons; probably, , , which dealt with them was delivered, the Prophet
too, desired by Fatimah herself, whom the additions went to the Mosque, and forbade the sale of liquor.
to her father's harem vexed. The revelations de- According to one account t due notice had been
""
nouncing the Jews had by this time prepared the " t~
i' given to the owners of liquor that such a text would
Moslems for an attack on the former; and, there· be revealed and they were advised to sell it while they
fore, the plunder of their shops would furnish an could; but when the revelation came, zealous fol-
easy and satisfactory way out of the inconvenience ( ~ lowers went the round of the houses of the Moslems
occasioned by Hamzah's excesses. There was no and emptied their vessels of all liquor which was
difficulty in finding in their conduct on the occasion supposed to be intoxicating, in many cases breaking
that has been described something that would form the vessels themselves; and trading Moslems who
a plausible pretext for an attack. Nor need we brought wine home from Syria after this event were
doubt that the Jews had been excommunicating compelled to pour their earnings away t; nor was
those of their number who had embraced Moham· milder treatment meted out to those orphans whose
med's creed, and passing ridicule on the religious ( • property had been invested by their guardians in
performances of the Moslems:* wine. The prohibition was extended to vinegar
The disgraceful conduct of Hamzah suggested one made of wine, and a categorical denial was given to
important innovation to the Prophet-the abolition the suggestion that wine had medicinal value; there
of the use of wine and other intoxicating liquors. was (he was by this time convinced) no good in it at
Questions on this subject had apparently been ad- all. "All possible mischief is gathered into one
dressed him by persons who were aware that the' $ chamber and locked there; the key of that chamber
practice of some ascetics forbade their use, and his is drunkenness." § This prohibition probably did
first answer was a compromise, in which he declared '! :, the Jewish trade some harm, since the making of
that the uses of wine (which he couples with the I
wine (ordinarily got from dates) is likely to have
arrow-game) were considerable, though the injury been largely in their hands. It was also a trial to
produced thereby was great, and indeed greater the faith of the Moslems, under which many of them
than the profit. Apparently the disorderly scene. • * The date is uncertain. An account represents the Prophet drink~
in which Hamzah and Ali figured, and in which it is iug wine just before the battle of Uhud-Ibn Sa'd, iii" 63. So too
likely that the arrow·game was not wanting, led him four months before Uhud- Wakidi (W.), 101.
t ya1lzi, Adhkiya, 14.
* Wuhidi, 148. 149. * Musnad, iv'l 336.
.,J' § yaM. Misers, 39•
Pi
~
l~: •
 I •
Mohammed Progress and a Setback

sooner or later broke down. But the Prophet ap- acknowledging the Prophet, This explanation of
pears at no other time to have been the victim of the conduct of the Jews is probably cOl'reet; yet, as
drunken insolence. the Israelites of Medinah left no Josephus, posterity
The altercatioll with the Kainuka probably led • knows very little of the causes which determined
directly to the denunciation of the treaty and an their fate. The Koran suggests * in one place that
attack on the dwellings of the goldsmiths. They there were serious internal dissensions in the Jewish
appear to have had no lands or fields; but their colonies; and this is highly probable. Against each
houses, like the rest of those in Medinah, were so other they were courageous enough, but they could
built as to be able to stand a siege. The Moham- form no united front.
medans declare that they had the reputation of
• Of their two allies, 'Ubadah Ibn AI-Samit, the
being the most courageous of the Jews, and their Ausite, washed his hands of them so soon as the
shops were filled with excellent armour, dispute commenced. The other, Abdallah, son of
At the blindness of the other Jewish tribes, who Ubayy, leader of the" Hypocrites," was more loyal.
failed to help their brethren at this crisis, we should He remembered (according to the chroniclers) that
marvel, did not the rest of the history of those at the battles which preceded the coming of the
tribes make us marvel more. The chronicles tell us ¢
• Prophet these Jews had caused his life to be spared.
that about this very time members of the Banu Had he had any policy, this was certainly the time
Nadir bethought themselves of scheming with the to come forward with it. His strong objection to
Meccans, but of any attempt at aiding the Kainuka bloodshed prevented him from attempting a diver-
on the part of the Jewish tribes there is no sugges- sion, but when the Jews, being starved out, were in
tion, nor does any appear to have been made. Cer- danger of being massacred by the Prophet's order,
tainly the Kainuka ought by themselves to have ~ ~ he is said to have seized the Prophet bodily and
been sufficient in numbers to deal with Mohammed refused to leave hold till their lives had been guar.
and his three hundred followers, but their brethren anteed. They marched off, leaving all their posses-
could without difficulty have brought into the field sions, except, it would appeal', their mounts, in the
a force foUl' times in number that with which he was direction of Syria, being kindly treated by their
attacking. The Prophet came to the conclusion kinsmen in Wadi AI-Kura, They do not appeal' to
that the fear of death was with these people an over. have found permanent work at Adhri'at, and dis-
powering motive; not, it would seem, more over.
I:
• persed 01' perished. t Theil' goods were treated by
powering than the attachment to that religion which * Sm-ah lix., I4..
has brought them so much suffering; but one which t One or two seem to have contrived to stay in Medinah, since.
made them seck peace at any price, except that of we hear of Rafa1ah, son of Zaid, a member of th is tribe, being the

f!' i •
286 Mohammed Progress and a Setback
the Prophet as the spoils of war. He took his fifth, affected in Medinah and the Meceans when the in.
and divided the rest among his followers. The vasion should take place. But Mohammed, as we
houses and property of seven hundred of the wealth- have seen, had ways of learning what took place in
iest of the community doubtless made the Moslems '" l' Meccah j by employing his court poet Hassan, son
comparatively opulent. Ali could now provide the of Thahit , to satirise Ka'b's hosts at Meccah, he rend.
necessary wedding.gift for his bride Fatimah, and ered the plaee too hot to hold him *; and when the
the auspicious ceremony was performed. man returned, Mohammed determined that he should
There is no moral to be drawn fl"Om the fate of he slain.
the Kainuka except the uselessness of superior If there be any truth in the story of his assassina.
knowledge unless it produce the means of self.de- ' • tion, it must have happened somewhat differently
fence, and be combined with courage. At a later from the mode described. The biographers make Mo·
period of Islam the banishment and plunder of hammed publicly demand to be relieved of Ka'b, son
an industrious section of the community would of AI.Ashraf; whereat Mohammed, son of Maslamah,
have been highly impolitic besides being criminal. otherwise known as a libertine, t having ascertained
At this period it is not clear that it was impolitic. that the Prophet desired his assassination, undertakes
Many towns and countries remained to be plundered f" • to do the deed; four other Medinese join him, and ob·
before the Moslems could be compelled to work. tain permission from the Prophet to lie to the victim.
The banishment of the Banu Kainuka apparently The five Medinese come and complain to Ka'b of
led the other Jewish tribes to reflect on the fate the poverty in which Mohammed's enterprise had
that was in store for them. It did not move them landed them, and request from him a loan of food
to any act of courage, but one of their number, for which they offer to pledge their arms. They
Ka'b, son of AI.Ashraf, a Nadirite, went to Meccah • • return at night, at an appointed time, which however
to urge on the Meccans to come quickly. This man Ka'b has so far forgotten as to be asleep with his
had a high reputation as a poet. The critic Kuda. bride. Instead of depositing their arms and taking
mah'x, quotes some of his verses as models of style. the food, they take him out with them on the pre.
What passed between Ka'b and the Mcccans is not text of wishing to hold a nightly conversation: and
known; we can only imagine that his purpose was when they have got some distance fall upon him and
to arrange for some united action between the dis. murder him. One account increases the horror by
." , making two of the assassins Ka'b's foster.brothers,
ral1ying~pointof the disaffected parlyas late as the year 5. and of which occasions the question to be asked, How came
another, Zaid Ibn Al~Lukaib, taking part in an expedition in the
year 9. Wa!lidi (W.), 398. * WaNidi (W.), 96.
* NaNd at-SM'r, II. t jJ.£usu.ad
t iv., 225.

e •
 •• •

288 Mohammed Progress and a Setback

a Jew to be foster-brother of two of the Medinese ?
by treaty the country which lay between Medinah
But we cannot believe that the purchasing of food and Meccah towards the coast had been won to the
against a deposit would be an act requiring any
Prophet's side: and a Prophet who went in for cattle-
secrecy, and unless the story of the night attack )
e stealing probably seemed to most of the tribesmen
be an invention, must suppose that Ka'b had been
a very worthy character. The growing wealth of
summoned out with the ostensible view of making a
Medinah also attracted marauders, but these had no
night attack on Mohammed: an enterprise to which
chance against the Prophet's disciplined forces.
the perfidy of his companions gave an unexpected The Meccans had therefore to bethink them of a
direction.
new road for their caravans, unless they were to be
Our authors proceed to make the Prophet declare )
• starved out; and it was discovered that it was pos-
the Jews outlawed, giving any Moslem who found one sible in winter to work eastwards to the Euphrates
the right to kill him. Of this right a certain Khaz- Valley, the want of water which renders the
rajite, Mahisah, is supposed to have availed himself, Nefud impassable in summer being at that season
to kill a Jew named Ibn Subainah, from whom he less of an obstacle. A guide was engaged and a
had experienced much kindness; an act which so heavily laden caravan despatched in December.
impressed his brother with the sublimity of Islam ,
• News of it was brought to Medinah by a Meccan
that he immediately became a Moslem :-we might
rather see in this conversion the feeling of the
, who went to a feast given by one of the N adirites,
j and who became communicative in his cups. A
futility of resistance to a system which recognised
'ill:.- follower of the Prophet who was present immedi-
no moral obligations when they opposed its progress. ately told his master, who sent an expedition to
But if the Jews were really declared outlawed, some catch the convoy: the Prophet's adopted son, Zaid
ostensible reason must have been given for such an , • Ibn Harithah, was made captain. He ,,:as com-
order: and the conspiracy of Ka'b would furnish an pletely successful, and came near capturing Abu
adequate ground for it. Without fresh orders from Sufyan himself. The property seized is said to have
the Prophet the Jews could not have continued to
been of the value of 100,000 dirhems.
remain in Medinah.*
This accession of wealth enabled the Prophet to
For a whole year after the battle of Badr the Pro- add to his harem, which now began to assum.e
phet's power kept on increasing and fortune con. princely dimensions. He further gave Othman hIS
tinued favourable. Partly by conquest and partly -.
. ,:, • daughter Umm Kulthum, as a substitute for Rukay-
* The" Sawik expedition It which is put here is omittod, because yah, who died during the battle of Ba~r. About ~he
the name is given to another expedition) and there are other improb- same time occurred another domestIC event, wluch
abilities connected with the story.
culminated the Prophet's joy-the birth of his
'Q
29° Mohammed
grandson Hasan, son of Ali and Fatimah. On the
seventh day he was named and circumcised, his head
shorn, and a ram sacrificed for him. AI-Hasan," the
beautiful," is said to have been then first used as a •
proper name: in giving it his grandson the Pro-
phet fancied he was translating the name of a son of
Aaron.*
Thus after little more than two years at :£>4edinah,
Mohammed and his followers found themselves in
possession of wealth, power, and domestic happi- •
ness. The Prophet could begin to entertain projects
of conquest on a great scale; the horizon began de-
finitely to expand. There were, however, to be still
some setbacks.
Rather more than a year after the victory of Badr,
while Mohammed and his family were in the midst
of their domestic joys, the news arrived at Medinah
that a well-equipped force, thrice the size of that
which had been defeated at Badr, was on its way to
retrieve that misfortune. Abu Sufyan had, it would
appear, risen to the occasion; he had persuaded his
fellow-townsmen to devote to preparation the whole
of the profit which he had brought safely home at the
•
time of Badr; he had some allies in the coast-tribes
and the Kinanah; and he had pressed into the serv-
ice such poetical talent as was at Meceah. He had
been joined by an influential man from Medinah,
Abu 'Amir, "the monk," the Ausite who before
Mohammed's arrival had manifested a disposition •
* He is sometimes called by his Syriac name-Nez, Baghdader
Sittenbilcl, 5. Mez regards the connection with Aaron as Shi'ite in.
vention.

, .
 Pro,g-ress and a Setback

towards reformed religion, but whom a little of

Mohammed had convinced of the superiority of
/"
~ paganism; he is said to have brought fifty fol.
lowers with him.* Abu Sufyan appears to have
done his best; and, as a substitute for military
music, caused or permitted the army to be followed
by a company of ladies, who, by threatening and
"
promising, reciting verses, and beating drums, were
r • to keep the courage of the troops to its proper level;
for nothing did the refugee from the battle-field
dread more than the reproaches of his women-folk:t
Besides, they could tend the wounded, and stitch the
water-skins.t In Beckwourth's wars the women were
in charge of the horses that were not being ridden,
and brought fresh ones to the warriors when re-
a
quested.§ The Kurashite ladies may have had some
similar duty, and some certainly did curious serv-
ice. The wife of Abu Sufyan made the suggestion
that the body of Mohammed's mother should be ex-
humed and kept as a hostage; but the Kuraish re-
jected this suggestion (of which the practicability was
t-RAB WOMAN ATTENOING WOUNDED MAN.
• surely doubtful) for fear of reprisals. One of them,
From .MayeHx·s Ih'douins.
'Amrah, wife of Ghurab, raised up the Kurashite
standard when it had fallen, and enabled the Ku-
raish to rally to it. Others, it is said, helped the
actual carnage, and were spared by chivalrous Mos-
lems, who would not dishonour their swords by strik-
~ ing women. Before the rout, stationed behind the

* Wakidi, 205.
tWei/hausen, Ehe, 45I.
* Ibid., Wt~kidi, 283.
§ Aulobiography. '58, etc.

It
 Mohammed Progress and a Setback 293
troops, they encouraged acts of valour, and launched afterward suffering his hands to be forced by the
reproaches against those who showed any disposition more eager and ardent of his followers. He also had
to flee, revealed to him in a dream exactly what was about to
Where the history of a defeat is told by the de. • occur-even to such details as the death of his uncle.
feated, so many are interested in misrepresenting The leading article on the battle of Uhud-Surah iii.
what occurred that it is difficult to disentangle the -proves this statement to be unhistorical; and in
truth, Mohammed was defeated at Uhud-of that the description of the fight which is professedly by
there is no question, Since a Prophet could. do no the eourt poet, Ka'b Ibn Malik,* the Prophet is re-
. I
wrong, the blame for that defeat could not be his' presented as from the first urging his followers to
hence at two stages of the story the Prophet's fo1: • fight. From the same authentie source we are able
lowers are said to have disobeyed him, and so brought to modify the account of another incident which was
on the disaster. supposed to alleviatc the shame of defeat-the sup·
It is said that the Kurashite army appeared on posed descrtion of Abdallah Ibn Ubayy. When the
the west of Medinah, on a mountain called 'Ainain , Moslem army got haH.way between Medinah and
"the two wells," and proceeded to send their cattle Uhud, the biographers tells us, Abdallah Ibn Ubayy
to feed in the fields of some Medinese, at a place II deserted with three hundred followers, thus reducing
called 'Uraid, Mohammed summoned his followers the force by a third. But the Koran says two par.
to attack, promising them the aid of fi ve thousand ties (supposed to be the tribes Banu Salamah t and
angels, a promise, he had afterwards to explain, in- Banu Harithah), whose fields had been wasted by the
tended as an encouragement, not to be literally ful- invaders, t meditated cowardice; implying that the
filled, Abdallah Ibn Ubayy, always cautious, advised courageous language of the Prophet braced them up;
the Medinese to stay in the city, and wait till the c and, indeed, many members of those tribes were
Meccans thought fit to go away; believing that an known to have fought at Uhud; and from the text§
ass~ult on Medinah would either not be attempted, we may justly infer that Abdallah, son of Ubayy,
01', If attempted, could easily be repelled. Moham. simply stayed at home-did not desert after the
med had not yet the experience which would expedition had started. Hence the incident of Ab.
have shown him the wisdom of this counsel', he dallah's desertion was magnified at a later time; nor,
. doubtless expected a second Badr, and determined
to save the crops. He called to arms, and of those • * Ishak, 614,
who assem bled about one thousand were passec!. t Wakidi, 207,
~ They had at one time begged leave Lo change their residence a.nd
At a later time Mohammed was represented as come near the Mosque. AIusllad, iii. J 371.
advising the Moslems to stay in Medinah, bllt § Verses ,62.,67,

, '1>
 Mohammed Progress and a Setback

from what we read, does he appear to have enjoyed haustively everything that God either required or
sufficient influence to have effected such a desertion. disapproved.
Uhud, the mountain which gives its name to the A way was found through the "Harrah of the
battle, lies to the north·west of Medinah, " forming .. Banu Harithah," amid date plantations, the blind
part of the great chain, whence it breaks off into owner of which is said to have played the part of
the plain in such a way that it is almost isolated" *; Shimei, and pelted the Moslems with mud. The
its whole length from west to cast is about four Prophet's force, however, succeeded in reaching
miles·t Its distance from Medinah is variously Uhud before the Kurashites had perceived their
given as two thirds or three quarters of an hou~; but tactics. To the east the mountain 'Ainain over-
this refers to a time when a broad road led from Me. ' looks the path by which the Moslem position could
dinah to Uhud, which is visited by every' pilgrim, be turned; there Mohammed placed a detachment
and by pious Medinese on Thursdays. In Moham. of fifty archers, it was said (perhaps after the event),
med's time there was no such road, and even for that under strict orders to remain there till they were
short distance a guide was required; the Prophet's told to come down. The Kurashites were stationed
purpose being to secure the shelter of Mount Uhud in the low ground of the Wadi called Kan::i.t (or the
for his rear, and to reach this position without being ~ channel), which separates Medinah from Uhud. The
seen and surrounded by the Kuraish. He took ground has been greatly altered since the Prophet's
great pains to make the troops fall into line, remem- time by flood and earthquake,* whence the descrip-
bering how effective this precaution had been at tions of modern visitors are of only partial help for
Badr.t understanding the situation. What is clear is that
He wound up the courage of his followers by an the Prophet secured a strong position, but in doing
oration, recorded or imagined by Wakidi, in which "
he utilised the ordinary topics which provide material
• so had placed the Kurashites between his army and
Medinah. He assumed that the enemy would not
for harangues on such occasions, adding a little more attack the city, and the event showed that he had
than a commonplace general can urge, of his con- calculated rightly. He assumed that the disaster of
sciousness of being the channel through which Badr would have taught the Kuraish nothing; and
God's commands and prohibitions were conveyed that the valour of Hamzah, Ali, and a few others
to mankind, and of having explained to them ex. would produce a panic as before. On the other hand
• he was not aware that the ground had, at the instance
* Burckhardt, ii" 104. of Abu 'Amir, "the monk," been dug so as to injure
t Ibid., ii., 107. the Moslems.
t The date of the hattIe of Uhud is given as Saturday, 7 Shawwal,
A.H. 3 = March 24, A.D. 625. * Samhudi, 20.
 •
Mohammed Progress and a Setback

The fight began, it is said, by this Medinese exile, been promised him as the reward of success. After
Abu 'AmiI', presenting himself to his relatives the the death of a few standard.bearers and champions
Aus, with the expectation that they would troop the Meccan army turned to fly, leaving their camp
over to him at once. How many an exile has • ~ to the enemy, who proceeded to pillage it in disorder.
similarly mistaken his value! His brethren an. The women dropped their drums and rushed towards
swered his advances with reproaches and contempt. the hill: many who were less agile yielded them.
It appears, too, that at the commencement events selves captive to the Moslems.* Abu Sufyan him.
were going as the Prophet had imagined. The self narrowly escaped death. The archers who had
champions of Badr, Ali and Hamzah, dealt out been posted to protect the Moslem rear came down
death as unsparingly as before; the heroism of the ' I to join in the plunder; and this gave Khalid, son of

Kuraish compelled them to meet these champions in Al.Walid, afterwards a doughty captain of Islam,
a series of single combats, in which their own cham. the chance of a descent with his cavalry on Mo.
pions were killed, and their overthrow spread discom. hammed's rear; this diversion checked the rout, and
fiture and panic. Wakidi gives a list of the persons the Moslems found themselves caught between two
who successively took the Kurashite standard: it fires. Discipline could not be restored, nor was
passed through the hands of seven men of the • 'I it easy to distinguish friend from foe. Some of
family Abd al.dar, each of whom was in turn slain the riders saw that the important matter was to
by a Moslem: no one attempted to eo.operate with kill Mohammed, and a whole series of martyrs
the standard.bearer, who was simply left to his fate;
j threw themselves in front of him till a rescue
in one case the brave comrades, who had done
nothing to protect his life, succeeded in saving the ril party came; though even so they could not pre·
vent his suffering some slight wounds about the
spoils. As we picture the scene, the standard.bearer • I ~ face and head: treatment which naturally seemed
probably was in advance of the line, and, his hands shocking in the last degree to the man who had
being incommoded by the standard, furnished an already shed no little blood for his ideal. The
easy victim to any champion who chose to rush on I Prophet also appears to have done what he did on
no other occasion-take to weapons and fight for
him from the enemy's side. The Moslem standard
was not allowed to court destruction in the same himself (even to the extent of killing a man), besides
way, 'Hannah, however, was killed by an Abys. letting men and women fight for him, and, indeed,
sinian slave, who had practised throwing the lance; I .. offering a place beside himself in Paradise to any
;
and who, having done his side this very considerable one who kept the enemy off his person.t The
service, resolved to take no further part in the fray, *Halabl.
lest he should never enjoy the liberty which had t Jlll/snad, iii., ~86.

I
f
 Mohammed Progress Mid a Setback

Prophet is said to have owed his life to his resem· position between Medinah and the Moslems, the lat.
blance to Mus'ab, son of 'Vmair, whom Ibn 'Kami'ah tel' must have been destroyed to a man, when the rout
mistook for him *; Ibn Kami'ah, having slain began; but the first part of the battle had cleared
'l
Mus'ab, fancied that he had achieved a stroke which f away those who had their backs to Medinah, and
would have ended the war. The cry that the Pro. thither, as well as in other directions, therefore the
phet had been killed was soon heard, and if, as was defeated Moslems could escape. The names of the
said, Satan uttered it, his object must have been to fugitives are not all preserved: among them, however,
save Islam rather than ruin it; for while it dis. figures Sa'd, son of Mu'adh;* destined erelong to
couraged many of Mohammed's followers, it roused . wash out this stain with Jewish blood; Anas, son of
r
to desperate valour many others who were too deeply ·t Nadir, tried to make him return to the field, but
committed to Islam to care for life after a crushing vainly. Another against whom the charge of flight
defeat; while the conquerors, who bore no sort of from the battle-field was afterwards brought was the
ill-will to Mohammed's followers, supposing their Prophet's son-In.law Othman, son of 'Affan, who had
chief business had been accomplished, cared less to also the year before found in his wife's illness an ex-
proceed. Hence it is probable that the cry, " Mo- cuse for absenting himself from Badr. The first of
hammed is slain," saved Mohammed and his cause j I ,~ the runaways brought to Medinah the news of the
and indeed the Prophet, who asserts that he tried to Prophet's death, which, however, seems to have
stop the flight, was shrewd enough, amid his wounds, gained little credence; and fresh arrivals from the
to perceive the advantage of the false rumour being battle.field soon contradicted it.
circulated. The doughty Ali with other brave men Flight was doubtless facilitated by nightfall, when
finding him, huddled him into a ravine, where he pursuit on the part of the enemy would have
could be tended while the supposition that he was I "been dangerous. But while the Prophet was in
killed might be left to do its work. He even changed hiding considerable carnage continued, and though
armour with one of his followers that he might es· fine tales were afterwards invented of the courage
cape recognition if found in his hiding-place. t Ibn displayed on this occasion by faithful followers of
Kami'ah assured Abu Sufyan that Mohammed had the Prophet, others describe them as having become
fallen by his hand, and this assertion was accepted by wholly disorganised. Of all the plunder secured in
the commander, til! having time to search the battle. the assault on the Kurashite camp only two men reo
field with Abu 'AmiI' he found the story unconfirmed. I t tained any j two purses of gold secreted by two men
Had the Kurashite army preserved their original of Medinah were the sole relic of this initial victory.
* Diyarbtkri, i., 483. Of the persons who fell in the slaughter, some plainly.
t Wakidi, 233· * Musnad, iii., 253.
300 Mohammed Progress and a Setback 3°1
declared that they were not fighting for Islam, but for getic) Meccan discouraged following up the victory
Medinah; while others, it is said, had come out to on the ground that last year the Moslems had not
battle in the hope that they might win martyrdom, , , followed up theirs. * So little did these· Meccans
and had received the Prophet's blessing on their , understand what warfare meant. Savage cruelty
purpose. One Moslem at least seems to have made was wreaked on some of the corpses by the women,
use of the confusion to wreak on a fellow-Moslem whose desire for vengeance was a deep-seated passion
vengeance dating from a pre-Islamic blood-feud; for rather than respect for tribal usage; but it seems
which he was afterwards executed by Mohammed.* clear that the Meccans were absolutely innocent of
The deaths on the side of the Kurashites amounted ( • what is now called imperialisrn, and, having satisfied
to twenty-two; those of the Moslems to seventy- , the demands of honour, were anxious to resume the
exactly the number of the victims of Badr; to these occupations of peace. The Medinese, when their
one account, which is likely to be correct, adds seventy retreat had been effected, fully expected an attack
wounded,t' among whom Abu Bakr, Omar, and Ali on their city, and steps were taken to guard the
figured; and indeed we cannot suppose that these house whither the wounded Prophet had been carried;
champions escaped scot free, or that the number of but Abu Sufyan contemplated no such measure, and
wounded was not proportioned to that of slain. De- l ~ his forces, mounting their camels and leading their
tailed accounts, true or imaginary, are preserved of horses, were shortly seen to be departing. Omar is
most of the contests in which the Kurashites perished; said, at the Prophet's request, to have answered the
the slaughter of a Moslem came presently to be an Kurashite thanksgiving to Hobal with an ascription
inglorious souvenir, and the acts of prowess which of praise to Allah; and having assured Abu Sufyan
ended thus were allowed to fall into obscurity. The of the survival and safety of Mohammed, to have
Kuraish appear to have made no prisoners. We need" ~ made an appointment (in the style of the Fijar wars)
scarcely doubt that the discovery of seventy corpses for a renewal of hostilities the following year at
on the field was what moved the Kurashite general to Badr.
mistake his victory for a conquest, and depart without At nightfall then, it would appear, the army of
delay.t For each victim at Badr the equivalent life Abu Sufyan commenced its departure from the
had been paid; the people of Meccah and Medinah battle-field; and by the next morning news reached
were now quits; and presently one (ordinarily ener· ( '" the Prophet that there was no prospect of Medinah
being attacked. Notwithstanding his wounds the
* Wakidi (W.), qo. Prophet succeeded in mounting his horse, and even
t Diyarbckri. L, 482.
:t: So in Ibft Sa,'d II" ii., 78, a Kura5hile decI,uc5 himself satisfied: persuaded his followers, in spite of the effects of the
having killed an equal number of the foe. * Wakidi (W,), 138
 f

3°2 Mohammed Progress and a Setback 3°3

previous day's disaster, to accompany him in a demon· he should have known that a defeat could have no
stration as far as Hamra al-Usd, about twelve miles such effect: his energy would not be quieted this
from Medinah, in the direction which the Meccans had f side of the grave, The Allies however who sent
taken. Meanwhile the Meccans had reached Rauha <: Napoleon to Elba appear to have understood human
and are there said to have become awake to the folly nature no better: and perhaps Abu Sufyan indulged
of leaving their work unfinished, and to have begun in the hope that so decisive a victory over Moham-
to consider the advisability of returning to attack med would break the spell which enchanted the
Medinah. They were deterred from this by the coun· Moslems, who now had ocular demonstration that
sel of Safwan, son of Umayyah, whose father had f r Mohammed had no allies of a supernatural order,
perished at Badr, who warned them of the danger of and that even his sacred person was not proof against
bringing the heroes of that fight to bay. And the material weapons. The experience of a later inva-
chief of one of the local tribes is said to have done sion of Medinah also shows that Abu Sufyan had
Mohammed the service of conveying to the Kuraish not the least notion of the way in which a city could
an exaggerated account of the army of reserves still be stormed or even attacked: and having narrowly
at Mohammed's disposal, which Mohammed arti- escaped death in the battle on the Saturday he may
ficially confirmed by causing camp-fires to be lit at ' (> have been unwilling to risk his life again on the Sun-

night over an immense area. The operations of this day. What views on the subject were held by the
day resulted in the capture of two mcn on either able lieutenants who had secured the victory, we
sidc. Mohammcd rcmaincd in the field five days, on know not: but after a little more of Abu Sufyan's
the chance of the Meccans changing their plans, and leadership we find them desert his cause for that of
returned to Medinah on the Friday. To the courage the energetic and daring commander over whom
of the soldiers, who, in spite of wounds and defeat I IIthey had scored a victory.
on the Saturday, were ready to take the field on the It was however, after the conversion of Meccah,
Sunday, a just compliment was paid when the Pro. difficult for the victors of Uhud to explain the mo-
phet delivered the revelation which dealt with these tives by which their conduct was guided on that
events. day: and inquisitive archa:ologists were put off with
In dealing with an ordinary enemy, probably Abu ambiguous answers.
Sufyan's procedure would have been justified: he f- <=. Like every other event which had happened since
had severely punished the attack on his own people, Mohammed's arrival at Medinah the battle of Uhud
and could have counted on this punishment intim· tended to accentuate the hostility between Moslems
idating the enemy, and preventing a renewal of such and Jews, In spite of its being fought on a Sabbath
attacks. But with such an enemy as Mohammed some Jewish troops were prepared, it is said, to follow

" ,
 ,.

lIfohammed Progress and a Setback

Abdallah, son of Ubayy: but Mohammed refused given the theologians much trouble. Nevertheless
their assistance, though one individual named Mu- the divine advice to the Prophet" to take counsel of
chairik late in the day joined in the fray, and, dying . them in future" implies that he had committed an
a hero's death, won from the Prophet the title Best error in failing to take it on this occasion. The rest
of the Tews. As on other occasions individuals ap- of the matter is commonplace consolation, such as
pear to have taken the opportunity of taunting the might well be employed by a brave man after a
non-fighting Moslems with the Prophet's difiicul- defeat; recognition of the vicissitudes and uncer-
ties: we hear of no effort on the part of the .enemies tainty of war, of that fate which cannot be avoided,
inside Medinah to take serious advantage of the ,so that no man by staying at home can outwit death,
humiliating return of the Prophet; the numbedness . which will come at its time no matter where its vic-
and stupidity with which he taunts the unbe- tim be found; repetition of some of the common-
lievers seem indeed to have beset them so often places of religion, which tries to assure the believers
as they had a chance of doing their own side any that death is better than life, that the martyrs of the
service. holy war are not dead, but alive, enjoying happiness
The "leading article" on the battle of Uhud rendered incomplete only by the absence of the
is one of the longest continuous passages in the I •
.-'brethren who have not yet joined them; eloquent
Koran, and was doubtless composed and delivered praise of those whom no danger deterred, and whose
after the first unfavourable impression caused by the ardour no discouragement cooled when told to renew
defeat had begun to fade away. Its purpose is in the fight the day after defeat.
part to convey an answer and a menace to those per- Besides this harangue many poems are prod uced
sons who had found fault with the Prophet's strategy, by the biographer, of which the battle of Uhud
and who, pointing to the disaster, were trying to I 'is supposed to have been the occasion, and of which
dissuade the people of Medinah from further expedi- the authors were either the court poets of Medinah,
tions. As might be expected, the Prophet throws or persons who had taken part in the fray. The
the blame for the defeat on everyone but himself: genuineness of most of those verses is questionable;
he calls attention to his own mild and lenient charac- but if they give us any correct account of the im-
ter, to the blessing which his presence was to his fol- pression which the battle left on the minds of con-
lowers: he finds the reason for the defeat now in the _,temporaries, it would appear that the death of
disobedience to his commands, now in the eagerness' Hamzah was the calamity therein which overshad-
of the Moslems for plunder, and now in the purpose owed everything else. The poems ascribed to the
of God, who would "know" which were believers Medinese are little more than dirges on Hamzah:
and which hypocrites: an explanation which has and even the Meccans boast of this more than of
 •
Mohammed
any other event in the battle. According to the
tradition the Prophet took some pains to conceal
this disaster from Hamzah's sister, Safiyyah, but
found, .when he communicated it to her, that she 0
,
bore it bravely. Sa'd, son of Mu'adh, compelled the
Medinese women to forego weeping over their own
dead in order to weep for Hamzah; and the custom
remained among them when any death occurred in a
family, of weeping for Hamzah before they mourned
their own dead.* The Koran makes no allusion to' • I·

it, and though Mohammed is supposed to have felt it

T
deeply, his power had now reached a point when the
o'"
z
loss of one strong arm mattered little: his newly
learned tactics were also destined to render indi- ""'«
a:
vidual prowess of less consequence than it had been
"'z
to the handfuls who fought his first battles. The,
mutilation of Hamzah's corpse t at first caused him
• '"a:
0-
f-
a:
to indulge in passionate threats of reprisals when he «

got the chance: but he presently saw the impro·

"
"'J:f-
priety of imitating the barbarity, and is said to have "-
o
urged his followers in repeated discourses to abstain
"'o
from the mutilation of the dead: and we are told,
• "
f-
that these acts had not had the authorisation of the
Meccan generals but were due to the fury of the
women. Hamzah, valuable as was his arm in battle,
is scarcely one of the prominent figures on the earlier
stage of Islam: reliance could be placed on his
strength and courage when a hard blow was to be

* Ibn Sa'd, iii.. 4.

•
t Hind, daughter of 'Utbnh, bit his liver. According to Sir S.
Raker, IS1JI11'ilia, ii" 354, this practice is maintained hy some tribes
in the belief that the liver acts as a charm.

t
 Prognss and a Setback 307
struck, but the Prophet seems to have placed no
confidence in his brains: and his abuse of Ali, and
even Mohammed, when in his cups, was probably not
-t forgotten. The death of the husband of Omar's
daughter Hafsah gave the Prophet the chance of
allying himself with this faithful follower; Omar
offered his daughter to Abu Bakr and Othman, but
these persons preferred leaving her to the Prophet.
She was a woman of violent temper who had often
• <t to be put down.
The great bulk of the losses fell, however, not on
the Refugees but on the people of Medinah: if the
lists given be accurate, only four of the former per-
ished, but over sixty of the latter. At the com-
mencement of the conflict, Abu Sufyan is said
• , (perhaps through Abu 'Amir) to have requested the
Helpers to stand aside, and leave the Kuraish to
fight out their dispute between themselves: but this
proposition was indignantly repudiated. Probably
the heavy loss undergone by the people of Medinah
only consolidated their attachment and 10yaltJ:' to
,~ the Prophet: the grumbling of a few malcontents
• was scarcely heard amid the acclamation of those
who declared that so long as the Prophet was safe
the death of all their nearest and dearest was of no
consequence. Had the Prophet himself lost heart,
the effect would have been different: but he had the
strength of mind and of will to throw the blame of
• --the defeat entirely on the action of his subordinates,
and also to take advantage of the retirement of the
enemy to claim a moral victory. The wounds which
he had sustained did not trouble him for more than

• ,I ().
 f,

Mohammed
a month: and his appearance in the Mosque, leaning
on the arms of his comrades, and, with the wounds
still showing, delivering messages so warlike and so
encouraging as the third Surah, was not without t
theatrical effect. The persons who at such times
see thc real situation are at a disadvantage. Men
were not impressed but shocked, when told that the
promise of Paradise was illusory, and that under the CHAPTER IX
Prophet's rule blood was shed in rivers where pre-
viously it had been shed in rills. The defeat of" • THE DESTRUCTION OF THE JEWS
Uhud did not shake the faith of a single proselyte:
and even from the first it was probably pcnal to
speak of it as anything but a victory. W HAT feelings were excited in Arabia by the
news of the Kurashite success we are not
told directly: but the next event recorded *
is the treacherous capture of some of Mohammed's
.followers by two tribes (called 'Adal and Karah) who
scnt to the Prophct for missionaries to come and ex·
plain to them the principlcs of Islam. Their purpose
was to get posscssion of the person of 'Asim, son of
Thabit, for whose head a reward of a hundred camels
had been offcred by the mother of mcn slain by him
at Uhud. Mohammed, not oftcn caught napping,
'l,ent a party of six, of whom' Asim was one, who
wcre betrayed into thc hands of the tribe H udhaiI,
famous for thcir lays. The Hudhail mcant to sell
them to the Meccans, whcthcr in exchange for prison-
ers of their own tribc or for gold: but three of them
died fighting, and one died attcmpting to escape.
oTwo (Khubaib and Zaid, son of al.Dathinnah) were
taken to Meccah and there sold, and given to the
families of men who had fallen at Uhud, to be'slain.

• Safar A.H. 4; identified with Jnly-August, A,D. 625.

30 9

•
3 IO Jl;Iohammed
They were crucified, cursing their captors: and the
Caliph Mu'awiyah,* first of the Umayyads, after-
wards recorded how his father had made him lie on ~
his side at the execution, that the curses might slip
off lzim .. so hard was it for them to distinguish word
from weapon.
With the followers of a sect who, as has been
seen, practised treachery whenever it was deemed
advisable, we cannot sympathise when they suffer.
from a similar crime: but the event is of interest as
•
showing how deep an impression Uhud left on the
mind of the neighbours; and we can reproduce in
thought the gibes with which Mohammed's fonner
boasts of heavenly aid were now recollected. Mo- .•..
hammed had recourse to the expedient which had.
already been so useful in dealing with refractory •
Jews. He sent an assassin to murder the Hudhalite
chief, Sufyan, son of Khalid : the chief was with the
women of his family, mounted on camels, seeking a
summer residence for them. The assassin came on
him unawares and left the women weeping.t
o
Another assassin, 'AmI', son of Umayyah, wal
sent on a more promising project-to murder Abu
Sufyan at Meccah. 'AmI' was a Meccan, thoroughly
familiar with Meccan ways, and he was given as a
companion a native of Medinah. The story of his
exploit is preserved by Tabari, and vividly depicts
the character of the desperadoes whom Mohammecl,
had in his service. His pious companion wished
•
before attacking Abu Sufyan to perform his devo-
* Aghatfi, iv., 40. Ibn Duraid, 262, wilh some errors.
t Diyarbekri, i., 507.

') ,I: •
 The DestrucHon of the Jews 3 11
tions at the Ka'bah, and by the time this ceremony
was over the Meccans were seated in groups outside
their houses. 'Amr, son of U mayyah, was recognised
• ~ and pursued: but he was familiar with modes of es-
caping justice, and found his way to a cave outside
Meccah,-not, we suppose, the same in which his mas-
ter had hidden: a Meccan pursuer discovered the cave
and was transfixed by 'Amr before he could indicate
, ;.qo
the assassin's whereabouts to his fellows. When, after
a day or two, pursuit had slackened, he made an at-
tempt to carry off the cross on which Khubaib had
0: been impaled. Disturbed in this bold attempt he
"Z found the road to Medinah, and skulked for a time in
..J
another cave, where he succeeded in murdering an-
'""'"'
~
other man of Meccah ; and meeting two more emissa-
'"
z
c:; ;> ries from Meccah he killed one and forced the other to
...'" render himself prisoner. Meanwhile he had provided
z
for the safety of his companion, who reached Medinah
'"
>

"''"
<{
0
before him: whither he presently arrived himself,
bringing his prisoner, to earn the warm praise of
the Prophet.* Besides despatching assassins, Mo.
~ hammed thought it desirable to make a display of
"
force, hearing news that other tribes were em·
boldened by the Kurashite success to try a fall with
him. Against the Banu Asad, who were thought to
be doing this, a troop of ISO was sent, which, how-
ever, encountered no resistance, and had to be satis.
fied with raiding camels on a moderate scale.
f
" The success of the H udhail in entrapping Moslems
encouraged another chief to try the same plan. A
demand for missionaries to Nejd was made by Abu
* Tabari , L, I.~4I.

t
3 12 Mohammed ,
,I The Destructiott of the Jews
I
Bara 'AmiI', son of Malik, chief of the Banu 'AmiI'. Uhud; for thirty, or, according to others, forty
The Prophet after some hesitation sent a company of mornings he cursed its authors, and he even pub·
seventy, consisting of devotees, whose studies in the lished a divine message dealing with the affair which,
Koran had earned for them the name of the Readers. • " for some reason, was not afterwards incorporated in
"They used, at nightfall, to go to a teaeher in Me- the Koran.* With a cause like his, discredit such as
dinah, and spend the night in study; when morning
broke, the strong ones would gather wood and draw -I results from a series of failures was likely to have
serious consequences; and the cross of martyrdom,
water, while those who were better off would buy a so eagerly desired by some, was by no means coveted
sheep, dress it, and leave it hanging in the Prophet's by others. Hence the pathetic message which came
Precincts."'" Seventy - if the number be correctly " from the murdered men in Paradise, stating that
given-was a large force, if intended for preaching; they had met their God, and been satisfied with each
but not too large if fighting also was intended. At other, may have been found unwelcome after this
the well of Ma'unah, not far from Medinah, they second disaster.
were attacked by 'Amir, son of Tufail, chief of the It is a sign of the Prophet's being alarmed that he
great tribe Sulaim : Abu 13ara's promise of protection undertook to pay the blood-money and return the
could not be carried out, though he and his tribe
took no part in the assault. The seventy theologians
• .~ plunder taken from the two 'Amirites whom the de.
sperado 'AmI' had slain. And for this he went to
were slaughtered all but to a man: only one escaped, demand assistance from the Jewish tribe Nadir-to
having been left for dead. 'AmI', son of U mayyah, the end of his life he would always apply to the
figures on this occasion also: he was with the bag- Jews when he wanted money. That the Jews were
gage of the expedition, and was also taken by the more and more elated by each disaster that he un-
enemy, but let go because of some plausible pretext ... derwent is attested and is easily credible; we shall
that he had alleged, though with his forelock shorn. never know whether Mohammed's visit to them on
On his way homewards he found two of the 13anu this occasion was the first step in a preconceived
'AmiI', whom he waylaid and slew. But this act plot or turned to account by an after-thought.
tllrncd out to have becn an unnecessary display of Moreover, the death of the Nadirite Ka'b, son of
zeal since the Ranu 'AmiI' had ostensibly broken no Al.Ashraf, if indeed it did not take place about this
contract; and Mohammed had to pay blood-money
for them. , time (which there is some ground for thinking), is not
" likely to have been forgotten by either party; the
The death of the seventy emissaries is said to request, therefore, from Mohammed for help in pay-
have shocked Mohammed more than the disaster of , ing blood-money might well have seemed impudent
'X' iJIumad, iiL, 137. ~ * Diyarbtkri, L, 510.
~
:1
I
I
f
 "
Mohammed The Destrllctz'ott of the Jews
to a tribe who had a right to demand it of him, for the fate that afterwards befell them. The fort-
Still the reception given him was favourable; but a resses occupied by the Nadir were probably no worse
voice from heaven informed him that his hosts had t than the others at Medinah; and legend, if not his-
bethought them of taking advantage of his weak- tory, recorded how the fortresses. of ~athrib ha~
ness, and that one of them, 'Amr, son of Jihash, was held out against the great Yememte Kll1g Tubba
mounting the roof, with the view of throwing a and forced him to raise a siege.'~
stone on the Prophet's head. We know not, having Experience shows that the most inexpugnable and
no Jewish account of the matter, whether this, bold best provisioned fortresses are useless unless there
design was really contemplated; ,'but since the • are men inside them. Abdallah Ibn Ubayy had
_Prophet had a fixed idea that the Jews always good grounds for believing that the Jewish forts
wanted to murder him-an idea which owed its ori- were easily able to resist an attack, and that the de-
gin to the accusation of "killing the Prophets" fenders were well supplied. Let the Jews (he rea-
launched against them by the Founder of Christ- soned) weary Mohammed by successful defence for
ianity - he may have sincerely believed such an some months at least, and meanwhile he could
attempt was meditated. He therefore rushed back marshal his concealed forces, and attack Mohammed
f
to Medinah, asserting that he was escaping from a from the rear or flank. With Abdallah the tradition
treacherous assault, and summoned his followers to mentions certain other Hypocrites, who, however,
besiege the Banu Nadir. The followers were quite are to us merely names. Apparently they all shared
ready. I Of the fighting ability of the Jews, and of the peculiarity of the Jews-readiness to do anything
the energy of their partisans in Medinah, they had rather than fight. From Meccah, too, an expedition
ample experience; there was not the least chance of might erelong be expected. H uyayy, the c~ief of
any resistance to an energetic attack. One account ( the Banu Nadir, was persuaded by those fall' pro.
indeed informs us that Mohammed sent a messen- mises, and prepared to defend his lands. But the
ger offering them eight days in which to remove forts, defended by cowards (who, moreover, we.re
their possessions, and that this proposal would have divided amongst themselves) t and attacked by dIS-
been accepted immediately had not the unfortunate ciplined soldiers, proved themselves untenable. The
Abdallah Ibn Ubayy urgently advised them to reo pride of the N adirites was a sort of date so clear
sist, and promised them assistance in the event of • that the stone could be seen through the pulp.
their doing so. The Banu Kuraizah, to whom an Mohammed cut or burnt those date trees, and the
appeal was made on behalf of their brethren, flatly heart of the N adirites melted. In vain did they
refused to break with Mohammed. This act of cow-
ardice prepares us to feel less sympathy with them * Aghani, xiii., 120.
t Sural, !ix., '4.

f' •
 .J

Mohammed The Destruction of the Yews

remonstrate that such wanton destruction of property have no understanding. This revelation also con·
was in contradiction to the precepts of the Koran and tained an ex jJost facto justification of the destruction
of the law which the Koran professed to confirm; , of the palm-trees. It had all been done in ac-
the Prophet's notions on these matters were elastic. '" cordance with the command of God.
After three weeks' resistance the N adirites offered to The poets whose commemorative verses are
capitulate, on condition of being allowed to go away cited by the biographers connect the banishment
unmolested, taking with them such property (except of the Nadirites with the murder of Ka'b, son
armour) as their camels could carry. Some of the of AI.Ashraf, which indeed can scarcely have failed
Moslems assisted them in dismantling their houses. f , to elicit some remonstrance, and even threats of
There were only two renegades who retained their vengeance. The Prophet seems to suggest that
lands. The rest marched away with all the honours the fortresses of the N adirites were rendered
of war. The Prophet's victory was bloodless, giving indefensible by some sort of surprise-God came
him the right to dispose of the whole of the plunder.* upon them whence they expected not. What·
The" leader" inserted in the Koran t on the sub. ever was the exact series of events, Mohammed had
ject of the expedition charges the Nadirites only proved himself equal to dealing with internal ad.
with resistance to the Prophet; possibly by the time • .~ versaries, notwithstanding his failure in external
it was" revealed" he had discovered that his former warfare.
suspicion was groundless. The purpose of the revela. The banishment of the Banu Nadir put some valu-
tion apparently is to justify the proceeding whereby able cards into the Prophet's hand. In the first
the land of the Nadirites was exclusively assigned to place permanent provision was made for the Refu.
the Refugees. But the author cannot refrain from gees, who had no longer any occasion for depend-
sarcasms on both the Jews and the Hypocrites. He ,. 'l1 enee on the Helpers' charity, which is likely to have
compares the latter to the Tempter, who urged man become less enthusiastic as the years passed. Indeed
to rebel against God, and when he rebelled, washed this accession of property seems to have enabled the
his hands of him. They might promise to share any tide of charity to turn, and a few of the needy but
danger or disaster which befell the Jews, but they faithful Medinese got some of the plunder. On the
would never fulfil their promise. Their fear of the other hand the feebleness, irresolution, and incom-
Moslems was greater than their fear of God. There petence of the hostile party had once more been
was no unity among them, each person having a de. • " demonstrated. They heartily wished for Moham-
sign or object of his own. In fact, he sums up, they med's destruction: but this motive was as nothing
compared with their anxiety for their own skins. To
* RaM' I, II.S. 4; identified with Augnst-September, A,D. 625.
., . break openly with the Prophet undoubtedly meant
f ,Surah lix.
 Mohammed The DestrucHo1t of the Jews
danger, for Ali, Omar, and the others would die cessfully the previous year, correctly interpreted as a
hard, and at the price of many lives. But the sign of weakness. When this failed Abu Sufyan ap.
Prophet taunted them with folly in not perceiving pears to have made an abortive expedition to Badr,
that by allowing him to cut off his enemies, party • 'I whence he almost immediately returned, on the
by party, they were making certain a doom which ground that the season was unsuitable." The army
union and energy might still avert. Abdallah, son that he brought was sarcastically termed by the Mos-
of Ubayy, has left no memoirs in vindication of his lems the" water-gruel army," it is said, because Abu
conduct, but his energetic action on behalf of the Sufyan withdrew it owing to the scarcity of the ma-
Banu Kainuka makes it possible that he playe"d the terials requisite for that dish. This explanation of
part of a Demosthenes, or of Cicero after Ca:sar's I ~ the gibe seems far.fetched, and its real origin was
death: of the man who vainly endeavours to inspire probably forgotten. Mohammed brought an army
courage and confidence into the half-hearted. of fifteen hundred men (with ten horses) to the
The banishment of the Banu Nadir was followed rendezvous, and the size and equipment of this force
by a futile attempt to finish the battle of Uhud. We proving to the Meccans that the Moslem cause had
are told that, on parting from Mohammed, Abu Suf- scarcely been injured by the affair of Uhud, spread
yan there made an appointment to renew hostilities • " something like consternation in Meccah. * Weare
the next year at Badr, but that for some reason or surprised to learn that the annual fair took place
another the appointment was not kept. It is most at the intended battle-field, and that the Moslems,
likely that Abu Sufyan found that he had sadly over- though unable on this occasion to carryon the com-
estimated the blow which he had dealt the Prophet's merce of war, carried on with profit that of peace. t
power at Uhud; that he committed the mistake, so
often made, of confusing victory with conquest. ,
.
"
The successes which we have just recorded seem
o to have given the Prophet leisure to attend to his do-
When therefore he found that he had in no way mestic affairs, and at the same time to test the en-
weakened the Prophet's hold on his followers, and durance of his followers. One of the abuses which
that by plunder and expatriation of internal enemies Mohammed had abolished was marriage with a
the Prophet had in the interval considerably strength. father's wife-a usage which seems to have prevailed
ened his position, he was not anxious for the return before his mission, when the father's wives were in.
match. One account tells us that he endeavoured to herited by the son with his other possessions, Now,
make the Prophet break the engagement by sending • " as we have seen, Mohammed had many years before
to Medinah a spy, hired to circulate false rumours adopted Zaid, son of Harithah, and the old system
of the strength of the Meccans, which Mohammed,
having himself practised the same stratagem sue-
* Wakidi. (w.), r68.
tD1tu'I-Ka'dah, A,H, 4; identified with April-May, A.D. 626.

1? t1
3 20 Mohammed The Destruct/on of the Jews 321
knew of no difference between an adopted son and a content with dates and whey.* This liberality did
real son:x,. Zaid had been married first to a freed- not prevent severe comments from those who re-
woman, and afterwards to a cousin of the Prophet's r garded adopted sonship as real sonship-for which
own, named Zainab, daughter of Jahsh. For some view Mohammed's institution of brotherhoods gave
reason or other the Prophet desired to add this lady some support- and who, therefore, regarded this
to his own harem, or at any rate to bring her under union as incestuous. How deeply the scandal
his inll uence; his motive is not known, but it may agitated the Prophet is evinced by the fact that
have been admiration for her piety, which was cele. Zaid's name is mentioned in the revelation in
brated. She at one time went to the length of hang. which this delicate business was afterwards handled.
ing cords between the pillars of the Mosque to J
The whole responsibility for the event is t hrown on
support herself on during prayer,t an act which, if God; the Prophet's hesitation to marry Zainab was
prior to her marriage with the Prophet, rather implies due to his fear of men, whereas God only ought to
that she wished to attract his attention. From the have been feared. Zaid is described as a person
account of the matter in the Koran it appears that whom both God and the Prophet had favoured, and
Zaid became aware that the Prophet wanted his the Moslems are assured that there was no occasion
wife, and thought it wisest to yield his rights with. ' " for the Prophet to glnel' himself (the French word
out further delay. It also appears that the Prophet renders the Arabic exactly) in privileges which be-
was unwilling to take advantage of Zaid's complais. longed to the Prophetic office. An adopted son
ance, but found it to be the best course; and, in· was not the same as a son, and was not to count as
deed, Zainab refused to assent to this step without such. The jealous Ayeshah at a later period, sar-
a special revelation, t which speedily was produced. castically proved from this verse how faithfully the
Zaid, therefore, divorced Zainab, who was married r (> Prophet delivered the messages which were en·
by the Prophet, who foresaw that this act would trusted to him to deliver; for if any verse of the
give rise to grave scandal, but gave the usual mar· Koran might have been concealed with advantage,
riage feast, and, indeed, with special luxury, his this one might.t It seems as if the Prophet did not
followers being entertained with bread and mutton,§ venture to communicate this revelation till another
whereas on other similar occasions they had to be victory had secured his position. And Ayeshah
* JF. R. Smitll, Kinship ami J}fm"rt"tlgt, :2d ed., 53. Wdlhausm f
" had little reason to find fault with it, since she her-
(Eht!, 14r) says the scandal was caused by Mohammed's breach of his self presently profited by the divine interest in
own law. the Prophet's domestic irregularities. The figure
t Afus1tad, iii., ror I etc.
~ Ibid.• iii" '95. * 1IluSTlad, iit, 99, 172.
§ Iln'd'l iii., 98, 2.12.
.,
t Musli1Jt, i., 63 .

r '(\
3 22 Mohammed The Destruction of the Jews
of Zaid himself in the story is mute. We should about himself. The indignation displayed by Mo-
gather that he was not a man of strong domestic at- hammed when he heard of the Jewish patronage of
tachments, since he repeatedly went through the idolatry appears to have been unfeigned. However,
form of marriage and divorce. He is credited (we r • their emissaries had succeeded in making a treaty
know not with what truth) with having at the outset with the Meccans within the curtains of the Ka'bah,
of his career preferred Mohammed to his parents, .by the terms of which the parties were bound to
who having lost him by captivity, wished to reclaim oppose Mohammed so long as any of them were
him, and Mohammed to the end placed in his pow- alive.*
ers an unlimited confidence which the Moslems did . i, Besides the Meccans the Jewish emissaries had
not share, and was so little convinced by the revela- ' • succeeded in stirring up the tribes called Ghatafan,
tion in which adoption was declared to have no legal of which three, the Banu Fazarah, the Banu Murrah,
value that, if Ayeshah may be believed, he intended and the Banu Ashja', made their way to Medinah
to make Zaid his successor.* The revelation, how- under their leaders 'Uyainah, son of Hisn, AI.Harith,
;i
ever, was regarded as law, and adopted sons were : , son of 'Auf, and Mis'ar, son of Rukhailah. The
handed up to their parents or former owners.t tribes Asad and Sulaim also joined.t These tribes
Even a man who had been adopted by a Meccan • • had, it was said, been stirred up by Jews from
in pre-Islamic times, Mikdad, son of AI.Aswad, reo Khaibar, who had promised them a year's date hal'.
sumed his original filiation as Mikdad, son of 'Amr.t vest for their trouble: and the Prophet, to warn the
The Jews, who had so easily abandoned their Jews of Khaibar, sent Abdallah, son of Rawahah, to
strongholds, were now trying hard to get others to lure some of them away from the city, on the pre.
fight; to one centre and another they sent deputa. tence of an honourable visit to the Prophet, and
tions, denouncing the impostor who wished to sub· , ~ murder them on the way: a mission which was suc-
jugate all Arabia. As in old times their ancestors cessfully executed, the Arabian Jews being as incau.
had denounced Christianity before pagans, so now tious as they were cowardly.t The purpose of the i
they told the Meccans that their religion was better great expedition was to take Medinah and thus stop I
than Mohammed's. Possibly the Meccans remem- the mischief at its source. Two years before Medi.
bered how a few years before the Jews were the nah had been supposed by its inhabitants to be
witnesses whom Mohammed cited to attest his state· inexpugnable. Perhaps the feeble resistance made
ments, and to whom he appealed when 111 doubt < ,. in the Jewish quarter to an attacking party had
* Isabah. * Wakidi (W.), 190.
t Ibl"., iL, I09. tIbid.,
'+ Ibid., iii" 932. t Ishak, 980.

a
 Mohammed The Destructzon of the Jews

convinced both Mohammed and his enemies that and how his followers answered:
this was an error. Pickaxes, shovels, and baskets
" Unto Mohammed we have pledged our faith,
were lent by the Banu Kuraizah.
• To fight his foes and flee not until death." *
To a certain Salman the Persian is attributed the
idea' of defending Medinah by a trench. This per. The line went" from the' fort of the two old men'
son appears to have been a slave at Medinah when to Al-Madhad, then over Dhubab and Husaikah
the Prophet arrived there, and to have adopted towards Ratij-including the mountain of the Banu
Islam, perhaps thereby gaining his liberty, since the 'Ubaid in Khusbah" t - all these names became
freeing of slaves was one of the earliest acts of " " obsolete shortly after: the places appear to have
charity imposed on the Moslems who could afford it. lain to the north-east of Medinah, beyond the eleva-
The accounts given of his antecedents are so evi- tion called Sal', where the Moslem army was sta-
dently fabulous that we cannot quote them here: we tioned. The women and children were meanwhile
should be inclined to guess from his name that he placed for security in the towers.
was a Nabatrean, who had, perhaps, been born, or The digging of the trench is one of the episodes in
lived, in Persia: certainly the name which he gave a the history of Islam that gave most occasion for
(
to his "trench" (Khandak) is pure Persian. It mythical embellishment.
would also appear that the plan of defending one's The numbers of the invaders are put by the
possessions by this simple expedient was displeasing biographers at ten thousand:l:; whether this be an
to the Arabs, whose notions of war were, as we have exaggeration or not, apparently what was wanting
seen, rather chivalrous than practical. But in' any was not force, but strategy. The trench planned by
case there was one side where the buildings of Medi- Salman the Persian proved an insurmountable
nah were not sufficiently close together to constitute • , hindrance to their advance. The Prophet and his
a defence. The Prophet, with the good sense which
he so often displayed when occasion required it, * lJIusltad, iii., 205, etc.
took a pickaxe himself, marked out the line of t Wakidi (W.), '92. Tabari, i .. '407.
entrenchment, and divided the work of digging t Kuraish with the-ir allies.. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 4000
Sulaim _.. 700 §
between his three thousand followers, who worked Fazarah. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . :::000
continuously in relays. The tradition records how f ~ Ashja' .. . . . .. . .. . . . 400
the Prophet, as he worked, sang: Murrah to • • • • • • • • • • • , ••••••• , . . . . . . . 400
The numbers of the Asad and probably some other tribes are not
given.
"There is no life save that of Paradise.
Pardon the Helpers, Lord, and Refugees" ; § Wakidi (W.), '9',
 Mohammed The Destruc#(J1? of the Jews

followers had, indeed, to endure considerable hard. An army must be well organised and well disciplined
ships, in guarding it during the cold winter nights; to stand delay. These hordes were neither: and
but only a few of the latter lost courage. The c even if the commander of the Kuraish had some
campaign, which lasted close upon a month, may be '" notion of what his purpose was, the auxiliary tribes
were very much in the dark about it. It is said that
summed up as follows: the invaders waited outside
the trench in the hope that the Moslems would Mohammed started negotiations for buying their
come out and fight. When they discovered that the retirement, and that these were abortive, not for
latter had no intention of doing so, the invaders any loyalty on the part of the tribes to their allies,
went away again. A crossing, indeed, at one point * • but because of the fanaticism of Mohammed's fol·
was effected by a venturous party, but it never even '\ lowers, who then, as often, took a more exalted view
occurred to the general to see that they were sup- of the honour of Islam than its founder took. The
ported, and the result was a duel, in which a Kura. chief sufferers were destined to be the Jews, those
shite champion, 'Amr, son of Abd Wudd, was slain Banu Kuraizah whose tender sense of their obliga.
by the redoubtable Ali. A few casualties also were tions to Mohammed had kept them from making
due to the archery practice, among which a wound common cause with the Banu Nadir the year before.
inflicted on the chief of the Aus, Sa'd, son of Mu'adh, ~ The Nadirite agitator, Huyayy, son of Akhtab, who
was destined to have serious consequences. Khalid, had failed to obtain their help at that time, found a
son of AI-Walid, commander of the Kurashite cav· readier hearing now that he appeared in company
aIry, had some opportunities of furbishing his Uhud with ten thousand troops of Arabs. The Jewish
laurels, but failed to use them; and a number of tribe was not very numerous, but such an internal
futile attacks were made by the other Me.:canleaders enemy could have done serious work, when the
which were frustrated by the vigilance of the Mos. , , whole force which Mohammed could muster was
lems, and their own inability to co.operate. This occupied with an external foe three times its num-
was the best and also the last chance given to the ber. Without authorisation Huyayy appears to
Meccans and Jews of breaking Mohammcd's power. have offered them hostages from the Meccans as a
And it was utterly wasted, partly for want of physi- pledge that the latter would not leave them in the
cal courage, but chiefly because there was no man lurch *; and by this promise the head of the tribe,
with brains in command. The unforeseen stratagem ( ., Ka'b, son of Asad, was induced to tear up their
of the trcnch seems to have paralysed them as com- contract with Mohammed: Zubair, son of 'Awwam,
pletely as the machine gun might paralyse an enemy sent by the latter to watch their proceedings,
who had never heard of gunpowder. reported that they were highly suspicious. A
* Ishak, 678. * Wakidi (W.l, 206.

. ~
 'I

Mohammed 1
',I<,
The Destruction of the Jews
that other people should fight their enemies for
deputation of eminent Medinese was then sent by
the Prophet to urge the Kuraizah to remain quiet: them, and unwilling to risk their own necks. We
they failed to produce anyeffeet, but did not inform may easily believe that during this hour of stress
the Moslems of their failure, which they reserved for t '~ members of the clan went about the streets in
Mohammed's private ear');; according to a custom , ' which the women were entrenched, exulting over
\~,
of which Palgrave's history of the Wahhabis gives the disaster which was overtaking the Prophet: nor
illustrations. The Kuraish were not destined, how· is there any improbability in the story that one of
ever, to profit by their alliance with the Jews, though those men was killed by Safiyyah, the Prophet's
the latter seem to have shot an occasional" arrow. aunt. Had they been faithful to either the Prophet
When the Kurashite chief sent to demand a vigor. f '. or the Kuraish, they would probably have been
ous demonstration inside the city, once again the saved, and saved others. The course they took
Jewish tenderness of conscience stood in the way: was that middle road which inevitably leads to
it was the Sabbath, and they could not fight on that destruction.
day. It is also asserted that a man of the tribe It does not appear that Abu Sufyan and his
Ashja', of Ghatafan, named Nu'aim, son of Mas'ud, a friends had any idea of starving out the people of
deserter and convert, undertook to sow discord be. c ,~ Medinah, and indeed within their entrenchment the
tween the Kuraizah and the Kuraish, and persuaded latter appear to have been able to carryon some
the Kuraizah to refuse to move unless the Kuraish of their normal industries. What finally drove the,l,
gave them the promised hostages, while on the other Meccans away was bad weather. The cold nights!
hand he assured the Kuraish that the purpose of were too much for them. The faint.heartedness of
these hostages was to enable the Kuraizah to make the Kuraizah had communicated itself to their allies."
their peace with Mohammed. In another form of r " The trench had done its work. The plan of taking "
the story t the treachery on the part of the inter- Medinah was abandoned and Abu Sufyan with his'
mediary is made out to be unintentional and due to allies returned to their homes. The Moslems lost ~
I'
a lie told by Mohammed; and this is more likely to I only six martyrs:*
be true since Nu'aim was unable to keep a secret, t Mohammed, it Is said, had spent most of the time
and the Prophet is unlikely in such an emergency to of the siege praying, though any advisers who had ai
have trusted to his discretion. Whichever story be feasible plan to suggest, or who offcred to execute
true, it is evident that the Kuraizah were desirous C ,} any useful project, always found a ready hearing.
.ij And when he learned that his prayers had been
I
* W"kidi (W.), 197.
* Ishak, 6<)9. Dhu'/-Kddah, A.II, 5i identified with March,..
t Isaban,
t
iii., 844.
Ib" Duraid, 168. i I
April, A.P, 627.

r
 33° Mohammed The Destruction of the Jews 33 1
answered, and the great gathering of the Gentiles- Sabbath, when the Moslem vigilance would probably
had dispersed, he would not put off his armour be- be relaxed? Oh, no, to violate the Sabbath would
fore he commenced the work of vengeance on the be too shocking! There remained the plan of fall.
Kuraizah, and that this vengeance was to be sum- t , ing at the feet of the conqueror and supplicating
mary was indicated by the delivery of the standard mercy. But what mercy could they expect who a
to the notorious Ali. Huyayy, son of Akhtab, who few days before had been in jubilation over his dis.
had organised the original campaign, loyally re- tress, and who still refused the only homage for
mained with the Kuraizah in their extremity.. The which he cared?
Moslem forces invested the dwellings of the Kurai- At their request a member of their former allies,
zah, and apparently offered no terms of any sort. By t "r the Aus, named Abu Lubabah,* at times employed by

the advice of Hubab Ibn al-Mundhir, communi. Mohammed as lieutenant.governor of Medinah, was
cation between the different forts was cut off, permitted to visit them, in order to advise, and he
the Moslems stationing themselves between them.* seems to have told them to hold out like men, as
Little fighting seems to have been attempted; yet the Prophet would show no mercy-sound advice
one Moslem, Khallad, son of Suwaid, is said to have for which he afterwards atoned by tying himself to
been killed by a millstone hurled by one of the J ew- ~ o a pillar of the Mosque, only to be released by Mo.
ish women; for which inglorious death he was hammed after six days or a fortnight, when Allah
promised a double share of martyr's earnings. The had revealed his pardon. After some four weeks'
story told of the council that was held among the siege they apparently capitulated on condition that
besieged may be an invention of the fancy, but it their fate should be decided by a member of the
probably gives a faithful picture of what did take Aus - hoping doubtless that as favourable terms
place where one or two men were trying to inspire a < ~ would be procured for them as the chief of the Khaz.
herd of nerveless followers with something like reso- raj had three years before procured for the Banu
Ilution. Should they abandon Judaism and become Kainuka. The man to whom their fate was committed
. Moslems? No, their consciences would not permit was however no half.hearted partisan like Abdallah
them to do that. Should they make a holocaust of Ibn Ubayy. Sa'd Ibn Mu'adh, formerly a friend of
their families and possessions and, having thus the Jewish tribe, had but a few days before been
saved their honour, risk their lives in a final en- wounded during the skirmishes about the trench,
counter? Should they then be successful, wives and < ~ and was in no merciful mood. Three times had his
children would easily be replaced. No, they could median vein been cut and cauterised by Mohammed,
not be so cruel. Then should they try a sortie on the the hand swelling more and more in consequenn:~
* ibn Sa'd II., ii., 109. * Wakidi, 373, conceals hi~ name.

r
 f .~.

33 2 Mohammed The Destruction of the Jews 333

By an act of will he is said to have kept himself from On Sa'd son of Mu'adh, who had pronounced the
bleeding to death till he was avenged on the Banu doom of the Israelites, Mohammed bestowed the
Kuraizah:" His award was a foregone conclusion. highest compliments to which his fancy could rise.
The men were to be killed, their goods to be seized, t ., He declared that Sa'd's death, which followed
and the women and children to be enslaved; which of shortly after, shook the Throne of God; that the
the lads were to count as men and which as children room where his body lay was so crowded with angels
was determined by medical examination.t ~A great that a seat could scarcely be found; and that if any
- trench was dug, into which the Jews after decapita- Moslem corpse might escape the pressure of t.he
tion were cast. Such a trench, into which the Mar. g rave it would be Sa'd's.* Years after when a nch
tyrs of Najran had been cast, not many years before, t '" robe .:vas presented him he declared that one of the
had roused the horror and indignation of the Prophet, kerchiefs of Sa'd in Paradise was superior to it.t
to which he gave expression in a revelation; so true it The facts as recorded by the historians elicit little
is that the acts which men most abhor are those sympathy and little admiration for any of the parties.
which they themselves commit. Care was taken to The great invasion, which Mohammed declared to
make some of their former allies assist in the execu- have been miraculously frustrated, was due or believed
tion. The lives of a very few were begged of the ~ ~, to be due to the propaganda of membersof the Banu
l'rophet by their friends, who found little difficulty Nadir whom the Prophet had been satisfied with
in obtaining their request. Some of the captives banishing. Should he banish the Kuraizah, he w~uld
were exported to Nejd by Sa'd, son of Zaid, of the thereby be setting free a fresh set of propagandists.
Banu Abd al-Ashhal, and arms and palm.trees On the other hand, those who had taken part openl Y(
obtained in exchange.:I: In order to encourage mo- with the invaders of Medinah could not very well
bility, the few horsemen among the Moslems were 1 '" be permitted to remain there. To banish them wasl
rewarded with threefold shares of the rich booty- unsafe; to permit them to remain was yet more dan.
two for the horse and one for the man. In one case gerous. Hence they must die. Only a few of .the
at least the gift of life was not accepted by the man disaffected Medinese were shocked by the executIOn.
for whom it had been granted: AI-Zabir, son of And since it would appear that the Kuraizah had
Bata, preferred to die with the great men of his turned against the Prophet merely because he wa~ in
tribe, though his family seem to have survived. ~. extreme danger, having received no fresh provocatIOn
t"
". from the time when they had lent him tools to dig
* l1Iusuad, iii., 350, 363. Wakidt (r.y,), 222, puts the operations his trench, their fate, horrible as it was, does not
after the massacre.
t lsablllt, iiL, 873. * lIfus11ad, vi., 55 (Ayeshah).
t Ibid., ii., 'So. t 1Md'l iii., 207.

<t
334 Mohammed The Destruction of the Jews 335
surprise us. If they had not succeeded in harming each accession of plunder, rendered the arguments
him, they had manifested the will to do so. We of the expert Jews less and less weighty; and after
must also try, in estimating this matter, to think of the destruction of the Kuraizah it became a matter
bloodshed as the Arabs thought of it: as an act f ~ of indifference to him whether the Jews followed
which involved no stigma on the shedder. The him or not. The change from a basis of reason to
Prophet indeed offered them one more alternative- a basis of force had taken place gradually, but now
to accept Islam, and not only preserve their lives was finally achieved.
and possessions, but become one with the conquer. One other party was also given its coup de grace
ors. Most stormers of cities have not been willing by the campaign of the trench. The disaffected
to sacrifice to an idea the whole fruits of victory. • " Medinese, called in the Koran the Hypocrites or the
It seems surprising that so very few of the con· Faint.hearted, had given encouragement and futile
quered availed themselves of this escape. The poet promises to the Banu Nadir; but they are not men.
Jabal, son of J uwal, is mentioned as one such con· tioned by trustworthy authorities in connection with
vert.* Even a woman, Raihanah, whom Mohammed the attack on the Banu Kuraizah. They endeavoured
made his slave-concubine, long preferred concubinage to shirk the task of digging, and, on the ground that
as a J ewess to wifedom as a Moslem. t " their houses were exposed, endeavoured to leave the
The theoretical love and practical hate of Moham- defenders of the trench and return to their homes.
med for the Jewish race is a phenomenon so easy to The unexpected termination of the campaign extin.
illustrate that it scarcely calls for attention. That the guished their hopes. If Mohammed asserted that
Israelites were" chosen out of the world" is a theme the forces of nature had taken his part, and that the
which the Koran never tires of repeating. He used Kurashites had been driven off by hosts of angels,
to spend whole nights in telling stories about the 0 '" the event was on his side. We can but admire
Children of Israel,t and Sprenger is probably right in his wisdom and forbearance in contenting himself
thinking that for a long time the dearest wish of with sarcasms on their behaviour, delivered in the
Mohammed's heart. was to be recognised by them. Koran, and avenging himself in no more practical
Their failure to do so at Medinah cut away the way. To the principle, however, of accepting as
ground on which he had built at Meccah; but it was final a man's utterance about Islam, and declining to
like the temporary wooden bridge which is removed ,(,
enquire into the sincerity of such profession, he finally
when the stone fabric, erected with its aid, is com. C' adhered. Victories and success were environing
plete. Each victory of the Prophet, and especially Islam with fame and glory; and whereas the pro-
* Isabah, i,. 453. fession of it was at first a matter of shame, it wa~
t .IIlumad, iv., 437. becoming a subject of pride.

•
 Mohammed l'he Destruction of the Jews 337
The triumph over the Kuraizah was completed by to burn the family idol and visit Mohammed in
the assassination of Sallam, son of Abu Hukaik, one Medinah; he at first incurred the reproaches of his
of the organisers of the late attack. He had taken • tribe, but presently succeeded in converting them;
refuge at Khaibar, and five cut-throats went with and at the battle of H unain, after the taking of
the Prophet's blessing to murder him in his bed. Meccah, a troop of a thousand men led by Abbas's
They were members of the Khazraj and their pur- father-in.law, Dahhak, succeeded in regaining the
pose, we are told, was to emulate the glory of the mur· field.
derers of Ka'b, son of AI-Ashraf, who were members
of the rival tribe. ( The Jews of Khaibar, when they
heard of the fate of the Kuraizah, had bethought
them for a moment of uniting the whole Jewish
population of Arabia in an attack on Medinah; but
their courage evaporated very quickly.*
Of the effect on public opinion of the result of
the whole campaign we have no record, but it is
likely to have been very great. A victory won by .
the help of angels and spirits was far more valuable
than a triumph secured by physical force. Those
who would not rest quiet when defeated by mortal
champions, feel no shame in acknowledging them·
selves incompetent to deal with angels. Whether
Mohammed, who resorted so readily to the aid of the' "

assassin's dagger, believed in these supernatural allies

we know not. Of the Arabs who were disinterested
spectators, some were sufficiently thrilled by the Pro-
phet's success to join him unsolicited. Such an ac-
cession was Abbas, son of Mirdas, son of the poetess
AI-Khansa, and of great renown in the tribe Sulaim, "

which extended over a large portion of the Hijaz.•

This man, according to one account, was, after the
retirement of the Kuraish, led by a series of portents
• Wakldi (W.), 224.

o
 •
Stejs towards tlte Takt'ng of kleccah 339
they take with them when either war or stress of
weather compels them to leave their houses. They
possess no fUl'lliture that cannot easily be loaded on
• their persons or on their mounts. The expedition
was therefore a failure.
StilI they were near Meccah and the Prophet
thought a demonstration of force in the neighbour-
CHAPTER X hood of that city might enhance his prestige. He
accordingly advanced with two hundred followers
STEPS TOWARDS THE TAKING OF MECCAH
• sufficiently near Meccah for the fame of his expedi.
REED from t~1C cO~ltroversy ,:,ith the Jews and tion to reach the ears of the Kuraish.
F the fear of mvaslOn from hIS older enemies,
the Prophet could now turn to schemes of
The whole of the sixth year was occupied with
expeditions in which sometimes Mohammed himself,
vengeance and conquest. Vengeance was necessary but more often Abu Ubaidah, Ali, and Zaid took
for the treacherous murder of Khubaib and his follow· the command. They were ordinarily though not
ers by the Banu Lihyan-an act precisely analogous • invariably successful; and the restless energy of the
to the assassinations authorised by the Prophet i but Prophet spread the fame of Islam over a constantly
whereas the Jews were incapable of retaliation, the widening area, and won for it the respect which
Prophet wus not. His strategy was sim;]ar to that success inspires.
which has proved successful in many campaigns: The campaign against the Banu Mustalik in the
since the Lihyan dwelt to the south of Medinah the same year (6)* was remarkable for two events. This
Prophet's expedition commenced by a march north· • tribe, a branch of the Khuza'ah, led by AI-I-Iarith,
ward, on the Damascus road. At a point called al. son of Abu Dirar, appears to have meditated a raid
Batra he turned to the left, and came gradually back on Medinah. Mohammed, by the aid of a spy, learned
to the Meccan highroad, whence he made a dash on of their movements and attacked them by Muraisi', a
the dwellings of the Lihyan, in a valley called Ghuran spring near the coast between Medinah and Kudaid,
.
r;omg westward from one of the Harrahs to the sea.
' "capturing two thousand camels, five thousand
But the Lihyan had received timely warning of his ,_ sheep, and two hundred women" 1'; among the last
approach and betaken themselves to inaccessible • Darrah, a daughter of the chieftain, whom the
heights; and there would be nothing in their d well- * Ishak says Sha'ban, A.H. 6, identified with Dec. 627-Jan. 6:l8.
ings worth plundering. The property of tribes in fVakidi puts it a year earlier.
this condition consists entirely in Iive.stock, which t Wakldi (W.), 178.

33 8

•
 I•
Mohammed
I
34°
Prophet made his wife, in order to consummate
his victory. The division of the booty-or some
other incident-nearly led to a battle between ._
the Helpers and Refugees, and the party of
•
Abdallah Ibn Ubayy showed some signs of re-
crudescing. It is asserted that on this occasion the
dangerous words, "if we return to Medinah, the
stronger of us shall turn out the weaker," were used.
The old story of the dog which, when pampered, I
bites, seems to have naturally suggested itself to
•
Abdallah as an illustration of the conduct of the
Refugees towards the Helpers. Omar would on
this occasion have settled the difficulty of Abdallah
Ibn Ubayy with his sword, but the Prophet would
not give permission, and broke up his camp in the ,)
midday heat, in order that the soldiers in their •
fatigue might forget this unpleasantness:* Presently
Mohammed received a request from the son of the
Arch-hypocrite to be allowed to kill his father, should
the act be necessary. Omar was forced to agree
that the Prophet's method was superior to his, and,
though the crime of parricide was not permitted, ~ •
Abdallah's son is said to have treated his father with
a dose of water in which the Prophet had washed, in I
the hope that it might soften his heart.t
A yet more serious event which marked the raid I
on the Banu Mustalik was the disgrace of Ayeshah. j
The last time we met her she was torn from her play- •
things to marry the Prophet, for whom she had
I
•
shown a childish and natural aversion; having now
I
reached her fifteenth year, she had learned to ap-
* lfTakidi (W.), 182.
t Tab., Com1Jt" xxviii., 69.

• •
 Steps towards the Takz"ng of Meccah 341

r-:- predate the advantages of the post of royal favour-

I ite, and had developed a haughty ill-nature which
-!' had made her many enemies. The Prophet, who
found it difficult to keep the peace in his harem,·had
adopted the plan of letting them draw lots for the
honour of accompanying him on his expeditions, and
to Ayeshah the lot had fallen on this occasion. She
had stopped behind (she said) when the army was
III starting homeward to pick upa necklace, which she
had dropped in the sand, had been found by a youth
named Safwan, son of Al-Mu'attal, who had also
loitered, and by him been escorted to the camp.
Why evil should have been thought of what seems
to us a perfectly natural occurrence we know not, but
we must remember that the Moslem mind had by
.' this time been somewhat tainted by licentiousness,
whence any meeting between persons of different
sex gave rise to sinister rumours. The supposed de-
linquency of Ayeshah was greedily seized by a
<

variety of persons; some were scandal-mongers, like

i, the cowardly poet Hassan Ibn Thabit, who had
I;
I { ~ probably suffered from Ayeshah's tongue; whereas
others were moved by interest in Ayeshah's rivals in
the harem, or wished to use the matter as political
1\1, capital for the purpose of occasioning the Prophet
trouble, and in this context the notorious Abdallah
Ibn Ubayy is mentioned. For indeed they argued

Ii • that by punishing Ayeshah he would necessarily

offend his most faithful ally, her father, whereas
by condoning her offence he would make himself
contemptible, and give the poets employed by
his enemies a handle. To hush up the matter was

" .
 t •
I

1 Steps towards the Taking of Meccah 343

34 2 Mohammed ti, I
:,'
f'
':'1 really befall the blooming girl who claimed the pre.
impossible, and the violent discussions which it pro. ~"
miership in the harem, the pert minx, as others called
duced threatened to lead to civil war. Meanwhile ~.

her, who made so many victims of her laziness and

the Prophet had treated Ayeshah with marked dis. ~ :~
~
her caprices, who even made the Prophet' feel that
:I
favour, and permitted her to return to her parents il he was her father's debtor? And had Islam extin-
-possibly for good. This last (divorce) was the
course recommended by Ali, who also endeavoured ·i
guished the natural instincts sufficiently to allow her
to get some witness against her. Those, however,
,~ father to remain at the Prophet's right hand, should
were not wise who matched themselves in intrigue, . such a disaster happen? It was a very dark cloud,
but the Prophet's revelation caused it to clear away
either against Mohammed or against Ayeshah. The. "
-to break on the heads of the persons who had had
latter, being openly questioned by the Prophet in her f
I the hardihood to meddle in the Prophet's domestic
parents' presence, indignantly refused to answer; she • affairs. God Almighty declared Ayeshah innocent,
would follow the example of Joseph's father (she con·
fessed that she had forgotten Jacob's name), who · and protested against the conduct of those who had
entertained the suspicion for a moment. The queenly
'I-
under trying circumstances, took refuge in "becom·
ing patience." 'Happily for her the Prophet was no I, 't
Ayeshah told her husband that she thanked God,
but owed him no thanks.* Violent personal chas-
Othello, but a man whose judgment was not often .. '.
put out of balance. Even if he believed Ayeshah "j tisement was admistered to the gossips, including,
according to one account, the court·poet, Hassan,
guilty, it was not desirable to acknowledge such sus- son of Thabit; according to another,t he was wounded
picion, since discredit falling on Abu Bakr would by the co.respondent Safwan, son of Mu'attal; the
affect his own cause, even if that faithful ally were
,
, ,

evidence of adultery to be demanded in future was

not alienated. He had recourse to a revelation, cov· of such a sort as was practically impossible to pro-
ered himself up, and presently exhibited himself in .. cure. The Prophet's privacy was in future to be
a violent state of perspiration. While this opera- undisturbed by gossiping tongues. Ayeshah's tem·
tion lasted the audience were probably in a fever of porary depression was amply expiated by the honour
anxiety as to the result. Some there doubtless reo and glory of a communication from Almighty God
membered how when a case of adultery among the of which the direct intention was to clear her char.
Jews had been referred to him, he had deliberately acter. And Ali, doughty warrior as he was, had won
rejected the more merciful alternative, and con·, for himself in this girl an enemy whose vengeance
demned the parties to be stoned; and even in the
case of the wife of one of his followers he is said to
have adhered to the rule.* Would this horrible fate * lrlusnad, vi.
I 30.

t Wakid; (W.), r8g.

* BoMar; (C.), ii., 69.
. .
 , Of

344 .kfohammed
followed him relentlessly for thirty-five years.* In
order to disseminate no ill.feeling among his follow.
ers the Prophet presently compensated Hassan for
his wound or his beating by a present of an estate * •
and a concubine.
The fact that Medinah was not safe from internal
foes suggested to the Prophet to take some steps in
the direction of regaining Meccah. In the month
before the pilgrimage month (March, 628) he de.
o
termined to make an attempt to keep the festival
and announced that God had promised him in a
dream that he should enter the sacred Mosque.t
According to custom it should have been quite safe
for Mohammed like any other Arab or foreigner to
make the pilgrimage during the sacred month, but
having violated the sacred month himself before the - •
battle of Badr, he had forfeited the right which
everyone else enjoyed. It is stated that he issued a
proclamation to the Arab tribes round Medinah,
inviting them to accompany him on this sacred ex-
pedition: hoping thereby to impress them with the
fact that he was bent on maintaining the national _
religion. This appeal met with a cold response; but
•
of his followers in Medinah seven hundred or four-
teen hundred were ready to go with him, and they
started accordingly, taking a number of camels for
sacrifice. These beasts were decorated for the pur·
pose at Dhu'l-Hulaifah, said to be six miles from
• •
* Abu Bakr one day was shocked at hearing Ayeshah addressing
her illustrious husband in a loud and shrewish voice; she was taunt..
ing him with preferring Ali to her father. lIfumad, iv" 27S.
t S~~ra4 x~viii., I?!

• •
 Steps towards the Taking of Meccah 345
Medinah; he then sent one of his Khuza'ite spies
to find out what the Meccans were doing; the spy
rejoined him at the pond of Ashtat near' Usfan,
{
" with news that the Meccans had assembled a great
force, had posted a series of scouts between the
[~ . Sarawi and Baldah, had encamped in force at the
i
latter place, and sent Khalid with two hundred horse-
Iii
men to Kura' al.'Amim.* On hearing of the Meccan
preparation he whined his regrets that the Meccans
~ did not leave him to be dealt with by the Arabs, in
(

which case they might either be rid of him without

. trouble to themselves, or, without loss, join him if
he proved successful. The possibility however oc-
curred to him of taking Meccah by surprise, if he
i
« <
approached it by a circuitous route, known to few,
0
0 !
("
I.: " through the pass of Dhat al-Hanzal, which with some
"..
UJ

I';,
0 1.,1 difficulty his guides managed to find; thence they
« i, emerged at H udaibiyah, some eight mil~s from Mec-
"«"'
0
I cah, to find that the Meccan force, having obtained
z
«
a.
knowledge of his plans, was prepared to meet him.
The reason however which he afterwards alleged for
~, -') declining to proceed against Meccah was either fear
i
" ,
for the fate of the Moslems who were living (in reo
"
tirement) in that city, or that his camel had been
divinely stopped on the road by the same power
I,
I' that had restrained the Ethiopian's elephant.
I:
ifI If however the idea of storming Meccah had to be
Iii given up, the pretence of the pilgrimage still re-
~, ,~
mained; and also he was not unwilling to impress
the Meccan" with a sense of his might, wealth, and
the reverence and awe which he inspired. It is not,
* Wahl"l (W.), 244.
 ••
Mohammed Steps towards the Taking of Meccah 347
probable that any actual engagements took place Prophet's hand under a tree, vowing not to turn
between the believing and unbelieving parties, but their backs should they have to fight. * Ma'kil, son
the Kuraish sent repeatedly to know what Mo- ., of Yasar, held a branch over the Prophet's head.
(-
hammed wanted, and expressed themselves deter. The rumour turned out to be false. Othman had
mined not to let him inside their city whether he succeeded in persuading his former townsmen that
came as a friend or as an enemy: while the assurances
brought them of the Prophet's pacific intentions
were received with extreme scepticism by Budail, son
of Warka, the Khuza'ite, and 'V rwah, son of !'1as'ud,Ol
,
,
•
the Prophet really meant no harm, and that there
was now an opportunity for the communities to
make a treaty for some years, since both had suf-
'" fered so .much from this continued warfare. Proba-
the Thakafite (both of them figures who Will meet , bly the Meccans were all the more ready to listen,
us in the sequel). because some of their weak-minded allies felt shocked
Finally the Meccans sent the leader of their allies, at worshippers being debarred from doing honour
Hulais, son of 'Alkamah, whom Mohammed knew to to God's holy house, and threatened to rebel if the
be subject to religious scruples. He took care that Kuraish persisted in their impiety. They sent, as
this man should see the sacrificial camels and the plenipotentiary to Mohammed, Suhail, son of 'Amr,
uncombed pilgrims; affected by the sight, H ulais" fJ a man of fame as an orator, who had been captured
urged the Meccans to compromise with their unwel. at Badr and ransomed. He appears to have regarded
come visitors.* as so much" bluff" the display with which Moham·
Presently it was determined to send a representa. med had endeavoured to impress his enemies, and
tive to Meccah, but the consciousness that most of the obtained terms from the Prophet which made the
Moslems were stained with Meccan blood rendered Moslems blush-indeed would have made Omar
the heroes of Islam unwilling to risk their lives onf' ., turn renegade, could he have found a following.t ,
such an errand i even Omar, ordinarily so ready with ,. The Prophet was not allowed to call himself God s
his sword, hung back. At last the Prophet's son.in. messenger in the document which they drew up, and
law, Othman, son of 'Affan, who had preferred nurs· Allah was not suffered to be identified with the
ing his wife to fighting at Badr, was sent as a grata Prophet's Rahman. There was to be peace between
persona: he stayed away some three days, taking the Kuraish and the Moslems for ten years, and
the opportunity to visit those Moslem families that, jl tribes who chose to enter the confederation of either
remained at Meccah i and on a rumour that he had the Prophet or the Kuraish were to be free to do 504
been killed, a solemn league and covenant was made
by the Prophet's followers, in which they shook the * Musnad, v., 25; c/. iii., 292.
* Wakidi (W.), 252; Musnad, iv., 323. t Wakidi (W.), 255.
t Ishak, 803·
 t "

.iWohammed •, !
:~
Steps towards the Takz'ng of Meccah 349
Runaways from Meccah to Medinah were to be re- med thought any who abandoned him were as well
claimed, but renegades who escaped to Meccah were away. * Medinah, he remarked in reference to a
not to be delivered up. The Mohammedan force was .~ Bedouin who, after experiencing the fever, wished to
f
to return to Medinah, but in the following year an un· be relieved of his oath of allegiance, was like a fur-
armed party of Moslems was to be suffered to perform nace which discharges the dross, while it brings out
the pilgrimage, for which purpose Meccah was to be the purity of the gold, t He also was aware that
evacuated for three days, And to show that Mo- treaties are of little avail when they ean be safely
hammed meant to be loyal to this treaty, no attempt broken by either party, and at no time was stingy of
was made to rescue Suhail's son, who, having turned ~ verbal concessions. If Omar had fallen away, as he
Moslem, was in chains at Meccah. On the night • threatened to do several times during those scenes,
which followed the signing of the treaty, hostilities the Prophet could have endured the loss. But the
nearly broke out, owing to the reported murder by Prophet knew both Omar and his other followers too
the Meccans of a Moslem named Zanim or Ibn well to fear such a catastrophe; and he had in his
Zanim, but the Prophet succeeded in allaying the hand the card of Khaibar.
disturbances. 'I: The Moslems, however, were sulkily . The chapter of the Koran which the tradition con-
silent when told by him to shave their heads and • II nects with this episode adopts a triumphant tone
offer their sacrifices. At last (by the advice of his which the circumstances would not appear to justify.
wife Umm Salamah) he performed the operations It is, however, addressed to the Arabs who refused
himself, and his followers did the same.t to follow the expedition, whom it charges with ex·
The motives which guided the Prophet through- pecting that the Prophet would never return. It
out this scene (which is described with unusual vivo asserts that the Moslems gained a victory over the
idness by the biographers) can be divined. He' ,~ Kuraish in the Vale of Meccah, and that further
certainly submitted to humiliation, since though his bloodshed was then prevented by divine interposi-
followers slaughtered their camels, and shaved their tion. This statement must have been intended for
heads, they could only by straining words be said to "those who were left behind." They are, however,
have entered the sacred precinct safely. Moreover, promised the chance of a call to arms against a
the terms on which the right to pilgrimage had been mighty power, and threatened with" terrible punish.
conceded by the Kuraish involved one condition (, it' ment" if they refuse to obey it. Apparently, then,
which favoured them above the Moslems-the clause the tribes to whom he refers had been expedencing
about the extradition of deserters, but then Moham. the same change in their circumstances as had fallen
* .tl'lusnad, iv., 49. * Mzesnad, iii., 268.
tJ¢id., iv" ~2S, Vbid" iii., 365,

• .!II
35° Mohammed Steps towards the Taking of Meccah 351
'1,
to the lot of the people of Medinah. Originallyen- t found little difficulty in raising one, which for a time
tangled ina defensive alliance, they were compelled waylaid and robbed the Meccan caravans. At last,
by force of events to offer themselves for foreign in despair, the Meccans implored the Prophet to
r
service. '" break the treaty and give these zealots a refuge in
The clause in the treaty whereby proselyte Ku· Medinah.
rashites were to be returned to Meccah without cor· A certain number of Meccan ladies were, as might
responding extradition, was shortly found to be as be expected, moved by the fame which the Prophet
unworkable as the Prophet had probably foreseen had now acquired, to desire to join him in his
when he accepted it. The pomp and parade of the place of refuge, sometimes, perhaps, in a fit of
expedition to H udaibiyah had been effective; still f ,~ vexation after a conjugal dispute,* and for these a
more the magnificence of the offerings to the House simple arrangement was made. To a woman the
of God. When the new religion led to increasing wedding-gift, a substitute for the older purchase-
reverence for the Meccan sanctuary, the question of money, constituted the most important part of her
the dogma interested few. The Kuraish were grow- identity. If, therefore, the women remained, but
ing proud of their kinsman, and beginning to pay the wedding-gifts which had been brought them by
him in his own country the honour which was lav. I ,. their unbelieving husbands were returned, no sub·
ished on him elsewhere. When this son of Meccah stantial injustice had been committed. These weI.
was treated by strangers with adoration such as no come visitors easily found new ties at Medinah,
earthly monarch enjoyed, were they wise in continu- though some sort of examination t had to be under-
ing to repudiate this honourable connexion? 'Ut. gone by them, to test the genuineness of their faith;
bah, son of Usaid, escaped from Meccah to Medinah perhaps to see that they were not decoys, whose
and was claimed back by the Meccans, who sent two f ." flight was with the purpose of turning True Believers
men to fetch him. Mohammed was true to his away from their faith. At a later time, when the
word and let them take the proselyte back; but the Prophet's weakness was generally known, fair women
example of 'Amr, son of Umayyah, was not lost on either presented themselves or were sent to him
the neophyte; under the pretence of examining the from various parts of Arabia, or the husbands of fair
sword of one of his guards, he got hold of the weapon and fruitful women offered to hand them over to
and proceeded to attack his captor, upon which the the Prophet t; and indeed at Medinah, whenever a
f
captor and assistant fled. Returning to Medinah, "" woman became a widow, her relations would not
he received from the Prophet a hint that if he could
* Tabari, C,mzm' xxviii"
J 42,
raise a gang of proselytes the treaty with Meccah t Sura" Ix., ro. .,
might be broken; and this enterprising Moslem t So 'Uyainah, son of I-Iisn. Isabah, iit , 108.
,~
,

I i~. I
f' .:!
" : I .11>
I
,:,
 U'

35 2 Mohammed StejJs towards the Tak£ng of Meccah 353

find her a husband before asking whether the Prophet what the Prophet said. The transformation of
wanted her. * An anecdote in which the Prophet Mohammed in men's minds from the character of
rejects a girl on the ground that" she never cried· , .t> statesman and warrior to that of saint and philan.
nor complained" t shows the sort of qualifications thropist is due in the main to the inventions of
which he required in a wife. Abu Hurairah, the first Traditionalist. His method
One other recruit who came to Meccah at this was adopted by many Moslems in later ages, and
time, and at first occupied a humble place among has probably done far more good than evil: but the
the homeless in the Mosque of Medinah, was de- honour of inventing it appears to belong to this in.
stined to occupy a remarkable position in the evolu- • genious convert.
tion of Islam. This was Abu H urairah, a man The return of the Prophet from Hudaibiyah was
about whose origin and original name there were marked by a slight success, illustrating the degree of
many various opinions-amounting in number to courage and competence which might now be ex-
from thirty to forty. When the Prophet was no pected from a Moslem fighter. The story may be
more, and his sayings became precious, Abu Hu- told in the words of the chief actor, who is likely
rairah won himself fame and importance by being·. indeed to have exaggerated his achievement, but
ready with an inexhaustible stock of them. His' .! ".) perhaps has not seriously misrepresented the facts. *
place in Islam might be compared with that which
(according to some theories) the author of the Fourth "We reached Medinah," said Salamah, son 6f AI.Akwa',
Gospel occupies in the evolution of Christianity. "after Hudaibiyah with the Prophet. Rubah, the
Wherever a saying ascribed to Mohammed is mysti- Prophet's slave, and I took the Prophet's camels out to
calor sublime, wherever it is worthy of a media:val pasture, and I also led the horse of Talhah, son of
<II Ubaidallah. At dead of night a raid was made on the
saint or ascetic, Abu Hurairah is most likely to be f:
camels by Abd al-Rahman,t son of 'Uyainah, who
the authority for it. His wonderful acquaintance
killed the herdsman, and proceeded to lift the camels
with what the Prophet had said excited some scep- with the aid of some men mounted on horses. I
ticism about its genuineness even in his own time: bade Rubah mount the horse, ride it to its owner
but he could account for his knowledge partly by a Talhah, and inform the Prophet of the raid on his
miracle wrought by the Prophet, and partly by the camels. Mounting a hill, and turning my face towards
assertion that when the Helpers were occupied with 6 t1> Medinah, I proceeded to shout' Raid!' three times; I
their palms, and the Refugees with their retail then went after the raiders with my sword and my
trade,t he made it his business to hear and recollect
* Mumad, iv.. 422. * Musnad, iv., 52t 53. Others give the event a different date.
t Ibid., iii., ISS. . t This name, which could only have belonged to a Moslem, ;5
tfifuslimJ iLl 26r. lnC9!Tect. .

~ ,j ,', ..J)

~ i;
i-I
354 Mohammed Steps towards the Tak£ng of Meccah 355
arrows, and proceeded to shoot them down and wound real, then do not stand between me and martyrdom.'
their horses. The ground was here covered with trees, So I let go his rein, and he galloped up to Abd al-
and whenever a horseman turned upon me, I sat down' 0 ,", Rahman, son of 'Uyainah, who turned upon -him, and
at the foot of a tree, and shot at the horse under him, the two exchanged sword-thrusts, in which AI-Akhram
crying out my name. When the ravine became narrow, was killed, and Abd al-Rahman's horse disabled. Abd
I got on the top of the hill, and hurled stones down on ai-Rahman leapt on AI-Akhram's horse, but was im-
them. This went on till I had got every camel that mediately attacked by Abu Katadah, and this time Abd
belonged to the Prophet behind my back, in safety. aI-Rahman was killed, and Abu Katadah's horse dis-
This continued till they had aimed thirty lances at me, abled. Abu Katadah leapt on AI-Akhram's horse, but
and thrown down thirty cloaks, to lighten the burden ( () meanwhile I ran on far in front of my friends, and drove
on their horses. On each one of these I threw a stone. the enemy by my arrows from a well at which they had
Near midday reinforcements were brought them by intended watering, called Dhu Karad, and seized two
'Uyainah, son of Badr, of the tribe Fazarah; the of their horses which I brought to the Prophet, who had
enemy were in a narrow ravine, and I on the mount· ,
, ,. now come up with five hundred men. I then begged
ain above. 'Uyainah asked them who I was, and they the Prophet for a hundred men, promising to overtake
~ ,
replied that I had been giving them great trouble and" .c> and annihHate the whole of the enemy with them.
had rescued from them all their plunder. 'Uyainah But before I could start, news reached the Prophet that
said that I must certainly have some reinforcements they had rested in the Ghatafan country, where a chief
behind me, or else I should have let them alone. Four had slaughtered a camel to entertain them; but finding
men then at his command climbed the mountain to the flesh of the camel, when flayed, to be ashy in colour,
~ .
attack me. When I had told them who I was, I also they had been alarmed by the omen, and fled hurriedly
assured them that not one of them could come up with !
to their homes. The Prophet thereupon assigned me a
me or outrun me if I followed him. One of them re- <:- i. ,Ii " foot-soldier's as well as a horseman's share of the spoil,
plied, 'I think otherwise,' but at that moment I saw . i and set me on his camel behind him, as we returned to
some of the Prophet's horsemen entering the wood. !, Medinah."
,
The first were AI-Akhram of the tribe Asad, followed
Each time the Prophet had failed, or scored an in.
by Abu·Katadah, the Prophet's best horseman, followed '~,., ~ i complete success, he compensated for it by an attack
by AI-Mikdad. The enemy immediately turned their
backs and fled. •I ran down the hill, and seizing AI· on the Jews; the policy had served too well to be
Akhram's rein, bade him be careful, as the enemy
e ii ..(0 abandoned after the unsatisfactory affair of Hudai.

might cut him off. He had better wait, I said, till the .,.'.. biyah, and therefore a raid on the Jews of Khaibar
Prophet and the rest of his followers had come up. was speedily planned.* Khaibar was famous as the
'Salamah,' he replied, 'if you believe in God and the richest village in the Hijaz; it would appear from its
last day, and know that the Garden is real and the Fire *Muharram, A.I!. 7, identified with June, A.D. 628.
 Mohammed Steps towards the Taldng of Meecah 357
.skilful men of the tribe Ashja', succeeded in finding
name (Hebrew, "community") to have been origin. i'
~ "
his way between the Ghatafan and Khaibar, and, by
ally a Jewish settlement; it is divided from Medinah
a feigned attack on the possessions of the former;
by about a hundred miles chiefly of harrah , or lava- #'
1l averting the danger of a confederation. It would
formation.* Rarely visited by Europeans, it was
seem that cordial assistance was rarely extended to
the residence of the great explorer Doughty for some
the Israelites, who, as has been seen, regularly aban-
months in the year 1877. The oasis at the edge of
doned each other to destruction.
which it is situated is luxuriantly fertile, and was
The Prophet's prayer on the occasion of this raid
skilfully cultivated by the Jews. But the place was
is faithfully recorded. His God had by this timeac·
also ~ell fortified; many names of fortresses are 4 ~
quired the chief attributes of the Roman Laverna
mentIOned by Ibn Ishak; some parts of the old forti.
or goddess of gain j and he prayed that rich booty
fications remaining to this day. The Hisn, or citadel '. r:'·
might be accorded them. Indeed it is probable that
rock of basalt, stands solitary in the Wadi Zeydieh ;
he had already pledged God's word for the success
and upon its southern skirt is built the clay village.
of the expedition j when he published his revelation
The length of the walled platform is two hundred
about Hudaibiyah, God had promised them much
paces, and the breadth ninety. Mohammed by this
~ plunder, and was giving tltis (z'. e., Khaibar) at once.
time knew the Jews too well to fear that there would <J
This raid on a town so distant as one hundred miles
be any difficulty in storming their fortifications, how·
from Medinah, in the opposite direction to that which
ever strong. Following the principle of his raid
his previous raids had taken, shows that he already
after Uhud, he only permitted those to accompany
contemplated the conquest of Arabia, if not of the
him who had shared the expedition to Hudaibiyah.
world.
The route which he followed required three days;
'\! Wakidi has given a long account of the siege, and
the names of the places at which he rested are pre. ~
the Jews appear to have defended themselves better
served by the biographers but seem otherwise to be , "1 than might have been expected.. Some accounts
unknown.
protract it for a couple of months, during the first of
Abdallah Ibn Ubayy(whose name the Jews must by
which the Jews are supposed to have been aided by
this time have heard with curses) is said to have sent
r•
their Arab allies; who, however, took the opportun.
word to the inhabitants of Khaibar of the coming
ity of quitting on a rumour reaching them that their
storm; and the Jews, from whom this could scarcely e
~ homes were attacked. The Jewish forts held out
have been concealed in any case, sent to the Ghatafan
well-over one called Sa'b many lives were lost.
tribes, whose home was in their neighbourhood, reo
Some of the Kh,aibar Jews even won respect for
questing their aid. Mohammed, whose guides were
their fighting powers; one Marhab, before he died,
* !Jo"?hty. i .• 73.

•
 35 8 Mohammed Steps towards the Tak£ng of Meccalt 359
1._"
killed the brother of the assassin Mohammed, son of phet had spared. Meanwhile the J:ws, tho~gh they
Maslamah, to perish afterwards by that assassin's retained their lives and lands, forfeited their goods
hand; not, it would seem, in fair fight, but when -all save their Rolls of the Law. How else could
Khaibar had surrendered, the prisoner was handed ~ " Allah's pledge be redeemed? The dhimmis or sub·
over to Mohammed Ibn Maslamah, and slain by ject races derived their name from the relation of
him.* .; client to patron, which, as we have seen, was of
As time went on, the Moslem army was near gr~at consequence in Arabia; the client being ordi.
having to retire for want of food. However, there narily a man who, for some reason or other, put
were traitors among the Jews of Khaibar, and with himself under the protection of a tribe not his own,
their assistance some forts were stormed; and other ~ ~ which, doubtless for some consideration, defended
traitors even revealed to the Moslems the place ,: him from his enemies. Thus the Moslems under-
\ '. were
h' siege macI'unery was h idden and instructed . took to protect and fight for the non-Moslem races
/; i
the enemy in its use.t Presently Mohammed be- r "; who acknowledged their supremacy, though they
"thought him of the plan which presently became II.!
. '~'
rejected their Prophet. Severe penalties were
a prominent institution of Islam. To kill or banish q threatened against Moslems who killed members of
'1;.he ind ustrious inhabitants of Khaibar would not ~ ,,~ those protected communities.* His recognition of
b&· good policy, since it was not desirable that the the principle that a money payment wo~ld serve
Moslems, who would constantly be wanted for active instead of a religious test shows us how lIt!le of a
f.
service, should be settled so far from Medinah. " fanatic the Prophet was at heart.
Moreover their skill as cultivators would not equal The taking of Khaibar was marked by two events
that of the former owners of the soil. So he deci- which, though of no permanent importance, make
ded to leave the Jews in occupation, on payment of the scene vivid. Huyayy, son of Akhtab, had been
half their produce, estimated by Abdallah, son of ~ " the Prophet's most earnest adversary among the
Rawahah,t at two hundred thousand wasks of dates.
Jews, and had been assassinated, as has been seen,
These Jews of Khaibar were then to be the first by Mohammed's order. His daughter" Safiyyah"t ,,
dltimmis, or members of a subject caste, whose lives was married to Kinanah, grandson of one Abu I.
were to be guaranteed, but whose earnings were to Hukaik, like her father one of the Nadirites who
go to support the True Believers. Later on the fanatic had taken refuge at Khaibar. The Prophet's greed
Omar drove out the poor cultivators whom the Pro. 5

* Isaban, iii., 788.

* Musnad, iv., 237, etc.
t This word means titbit," i. e., an article specially selected by
U

t Wakidi (W.), 26<}. the conqueror out of the booty. It is unlikely to have been th.e
t lIfumad, iiL I 367. "woman's real name..
 •
Mohammed Steps towards the Tak£ng 0./ Meccah 361
was excited by the thought of some rich silver vessels each played for its own hand, careless of the fate of
which Safiyyah's father had owned, and which had the others, 50 to this woman a share in the harem of
been the glory of his house. The family were told
to bring out all their possessions and conceal nothing, r
, the conqueror made up for the 1055 of father, hus~
band, brethren, and religion. So Beckwourth found
under pain of execution. Those vessels they were that a few hours were sufficient to reconcile the
as anxious :to save as was the Prophet to rob them: ,\
American squaws to captivity. Dragged from the
:i1 t'.
they concealed them, and vowed that they had been j, blood-baths in which their husbands, fathers, and
sold or melted down long before. The angel Gabriel I
.II brothers perished, they in a little time became
revealed to the Prophet where they were-not a cheerful and even merry.* .
difficult thing to reveal, as we know from I Promessi f it Another J ewess, Zainab, the wife of Sallam, son
Sposi: the practised pillager knows what are the pos-
sibilities of concealment in the case of a besieged
I, of Mishkam, who figures as a partisan of Mo;
hammed, tried with partial success a plan which
house; he knows the secrets which are revealed by . others had attempted-to fail entirely. She found
the newly upturned soil, the disordered brickwork, out what joint was the Prophet's favourite food, and
the cobwebs or dust that have been cleared away. cooked it for him, richly seasoned with poison. The
Some precious things had been concealed perhaps f .'" Prophet's guest, Bishr, son of Al-Bara, took some
when Medinah was besieged; and men act in these and swallowed it; and presently died in convulsions.
matters instinctively or uniformly, like ants. But The Prophet bethought him in time of the enemies
the production of the cups meant death to the who bring gifts; and spued the morsel before it
men, and captivity to the women.* Safiyyah was passed down his throat, and had his shoulder bled
invited to accept Islam and become the bride of at once, as a means of excreting the poison.t But
the murderer of her father, her husband, and her f '1 when three years after he died of fever, he thought
brothers, of the treacherous enemy who had all but it was Zainab's poison still working within him,
exterminated her race, and she accepted the offer. and among his other honours could claim that of
Some Moslems paid her the compliment of thinking martyrdom.
she meant to playa Judith's part, but they did her When the Moslems came to apportion their spoils
more than justice. Just as the Jewish tribes had i they found that the conquest of Khaibar surpassed
* So Wakidi; but Wakidi (W.) and Ibn Ishak make another Jew f
,'J!, ,
every other benefit that God had conferred on their
betray the hiding-place; after which Kinanah is tortured by Al-
2ubair, and killed by Mohammed, SOil of Maslamab. The Kurds '!'
J,; .'t l'rophet. The leader's one fifth enabled him to enrich
his wives and his concubines, his daughters and their
still endeavour to wrench treasure out of their captives by similar
means. In Musnacl, iii" 123, the story of Safiyyah is told in a
manner that is inconsistent with the above.
* Autobiography, pp., 147, 180, 296, 297.
tIsabah, iv., 400.
 Mohammed Steps towa1'ds the Taking of Meccah 363
offspring, his friends and acquaintance, down to the to lead the forces against them, had to enquire
servants. Eighteen hundred lots were portioned out for what he was fighting: and was told that he
for the fourteen hundred fighters; the two hundred must compel them to adopt the formul<e of Islam.*
horsemen got, according to custom, treble lots. To C " Khaibar was attacked because there was booty to
one flatterer, Lukaim the'Absite, as a reward for be acquired there, and the plea for attacking it was
some felicitous verses, all the sheep of Khaibar that its inhabitants were not Moslems. That plea
were assigned. Moreover there was no fear of would cover attacks on the whole world outside Medi.
this wealth melting away as the former booty had nah and its neighbourhood: and on leaving Khaibar
melted; for the Jews remained to till the land the Prophet seemed to see the world already in his
which became the property of the robbers. The f "grasp. This was a great advance from the early
news of the victory alarmed the neighbouring settle· days of Medinah, when the Jews were to be tolerated
ment of Fadak: its people sent to the Prophet half as equals, and even idolators to be left unmolested,
their produce, ere he came and took away their all : so long as they manifested no open hostility. Now
,
and he accepted it, for thus the whole profit fell to I the fact that a community was idolatrous, or Jewish,
him, since it had been won without sword or lance. ,,.I, or anything but Mohammedan, warranted a murder.
The rich Wadi al-Kura, the chief oasis of the Hijaz, ~ " ous attack upon it: the passion for fresh conquests
also after a brief struggle fell into 'his hands; and dominated the Prophet as it dominated an Alex.
the Jews of Taima accepted the same conditions as ander before him or a Napoleon after him.
the others.* ,i He was joined at Khaibar by the Abyssinian . reo
The taking of Khaibar marks the stage at which fugees, and declared the arrival of some of them to be
Islam became a menace to the whole world. True, more welcome to him than even the taking of Khai.
Mohammed had now for six years lived by robbery. 'll bar. There were sixteen men and about the same
and brigandage: but in plundering the Meccans number of women, for whom the Abyssinian mono
he could plead that he had been driven from his arch had provided two vessels: we suppose that
home and possessions; and with the Jewish tribes of after the massacre of the Kuraizah the Prophet had
Medinah he had in each case some outrage, real or sent for them, having no lack of land to offer them;
pretended, to avenge. But the people of Khaibar, forwarding as it present to the Abyssinian King
all that distance from Medinah, had certainly done a silken jubbah-a robe which had been presented
him and his followers no wrong; for· their leaving ,. ,. him by a monk t-perhaps out of respect for the
unavenged the murder of one of their number by his * Muslim, ii., 237. On the other ha.nd in Wakidi's narrative tho
emissary was no act of aggression. Ali, when told people of Khaibar are made out to have been planning attnc:ks on
Medinah.
* Wakidi (W.), 292. .i t Musnad, iii. 3.37,
 .. I ·

Mohammed

man who had massacred so many Jews. Of the

Abyssinian refugees not a few had ended their lives
in exile: one had turned Christian, telling his fellows
that his eyes were fully opened, while theirs were • It

still half closed. Until his death the Abyssinian

King maintained friendly relations with Moham·
med: but the well.meant hospitality of the Chris.
tian won no favour for his co.religionists when
the process of rapine had reached Christian fron·
tiers. Perhaps a man would never rise high un· • •
less he turned away each ladder whereby he had
ascended: others coming after might overtake him.
When the homily which had originally won the
Christian's favour was incorporated in the Koran,
fresh texts were inserted, condemning the Christian
theory of their Master's nature.in no ambiguous 11 •
terms. The doctrine of the Son of God was branded
as a blasphemy sufficient to cause an earthquake or
general convulsion of the universe. Hence Christ-
ians might with impunity be plundered. And in-
deed a Christian living at Medinah was summoned
to adopt Islam on pain of forfeiting half his goods. 'k f) •

About the time of the campaign of Khaibar he

published his programme of world·conquest by send.
ing letters to the rulers of whose fame he had heard.
Being told that such letters must be sealed, he had a
seal of silver made, with the words" Mohammed the
Prophet of God" inscribed thereon on an Abyssin.
ian stone.t This seal is said to have adorned the ••
finger of his three successors, till the last of them let
* Isaban. i. 482.
I

t Muslim, ii., 158.

 ••
StejJs towards the Taking of Meccah 365
it drop into a well. Learning further that douceurs
should be given to foreign ambassadors, he started a
.~ state chest, reserving part of the tribute from Khai-
bar for this and other extraordinary expenditure.*
The following is a specimen of those letters-accord.
ing to the tradition t:
In the name of Allah the Rahman, the Merciful.
From the Apostle of Allah to the Mukaukis, chief of
.,. the Copts. Peace be upon him who follows the guid-
ance. Next, I summon thee with the appeal of Islam:
become a Moslem and thou shalt be safe. God shall
give thee thy reward twofold. But if thou decline then
on thee is the guilt of the Copts. 0 ye people of the
Book, come unto an equal arrangement between us and
you, that we should serve none save God, associating
'l nothing with Him, and not taking one another for Lords
besides God. And if ye decline, then bear witness that
we are Moslems.
How many of his letters ever reached their de-
stination we know not. Arabic and Greek t writers
agree in making 628 the year in which Mohammed's
II letter reached Heraclius, though the following year
would agree better with the tradition that he received
it in Emesa, or at Jerusalem, whither he had gone on
pilgrimage to give thanks for his great victories; and
LETTER OF THE PROPHET TO ,HE H MUKAUKIS," DISCOVERED BY both give fabulous accounts of the result. Yet the
M. ETIENNE BARTHELEMY; BELIEVED BY SEVERAL SCHOLARS
TO BE THE ACTUAl, DOCUMENT REFERRED TO IN THE TEXT.
story told by the Arabs, if it be false, contains no
From thc"Hilal," Nov., 1904. (t * .JIusnad, iv'l 37.
t Hum al-Muhadarah, t, 47 (new cd.). The document of which
a facsimile is given contains this text. If Dr. Butler's theory be
correct (see below) it must certainly be spurious.
t MuraU, Essai de Chronologie Byzantine, gives the date as April,
628. Cpo also Drap9,"on, L'E",plr~lIr [f~ra,lius, Paris, 1869.
 .. L"

Mohammed Steps towards the Taking of J/I£eccah 36 7

chronological errors. Heraclius, according to this deed according to one story * Abu Sufyan accused
account, receiving the letter of Mohammed at the the Prophet before Heraclius, but his charge was an.
hands of the handsome Dihyah, in whose form the f' -. swered by a poet named A'sha of Kais. Probably
angel Gabriel was accustomed to appear, * asked the missive in-an unknown tongue was thought un-
whether any of the Prophet's countrymen could be worthy of the monarch's notice. How many luna-
found in Syria. It was the time of truce between tics in our time worry royal personages with their
Meccans and Moslems: hence Abu Sufyan, son of inspirations! Or, if its reception was really favour-
Al-Harith, t was quite near at Gaza. He was sum- able, we know of one tie between Mohammed and
moned to the presence of the Emperor to explain f /, the Emperor which may have secured it. To He.
the conduct of his kinsman: and gave answers radius, fresh from a massacre of Jews, came the
which, without any intention on Abu Sufyan's part, news of a Prophet in Arabia who had slaughtered
effected the Emperor's conversion, which only fear of six hundred Jews in one day; who, having ruined
his subjects forced him to conceal. This story, vari. their settlements at Medinah, had just brought deso-
ously embellished, is supposed to go back to Abu lation on their greatest and most flourishing colony,
Sufyan himself, who was deeply impressed by the f o killing the men and making the women concubines.
terror which Mohammed's name inspired in the Em- His claims to a divine mission might seem plausible,
peror of the Greeks: of the ultimate success of Islam till for Jews Christians came to be substituted.
he now became convinced. What elements of truth Another letter was sent to the Persian King,-
lie hid in this anecdote it is' hard to discover. The according to the tradition,-whom Heraclius had de.
coincidence of Abu Sufyan being in Syria, which feated, and who was presently to be slain by his own
is likely to be historical, was sufficient to produce son. The date of this King's death is given with
the fabrication of his being summoned to give an
,- n great appearance of precision t-Tuesday, the tenth
account of his famous countryman. Had he really of Jumada I of the year 7 t: some three months after
been summoned, he could scarcely have lost the Khaibar had been taken. The Persian King is reo
opportunity of endeavouring to obtain help for Mec- presented as treating the Prophet's message far other.
, '

cah against the dangerous exile; of pointing out the wise than Heraclius: he tore it in pieces, and sent
menace to the neighbouring provinces which was to the governor of Yemen to bring him the slave
contained in the rise of the Moslem power. And in. ~ " who dared to send such a letter to his suzerain.
, 1
. :' ,~ * Aghani, xv., 58.
* Isaban, i., 973. :' ,~', t Diyarbckri, ii., 39.
t So WakMi (W.), 329, n. In the story Ahu Sufyan is repre. :~ :, ' t The true date was Feb. 29, A.D. 628 (Niild'k', Sas.. 432' Ger.
sen led as a near relation of Mohammed, which does not suit tho ;; ~. 1a",1, Persische hld,age des Kaiser's Herak/etos). The ab~ve is
more famous Abu Sufyan so well. 'I identified with Sep. IS, A. D. 628,
•
 ,

Mohammed Steps towards the Takt'ng of Meccah 369

That official's messengers went first to Ta'if, whence Another letter was to the" Mukaukis " of Egypt,
the inhabitants, overjoyed at the thought that Mo. or to the governor of Alexandria, wrongly identified
hammed had incurred the displeasure of the Great . by the Arab chroniclers with Cyrus, viceroy and
King, sent them on to Medinah. There the Prophet ,. archbishop at the time of the Arab invasion, called
received them not without reluctance, owing to their by the Copts Pkauchios.* What is certain is that
having after their national style shaved their beards the letter, to whomsoever addressed, had a favour·
and let their moustaches grow * j whereas his own able reception: for the Mukaukis sent handsome
practice was the converse. While they were parley. presents when he received it, with]abr, son of Ab-
ing with the Prophet the news reached them of their f· ", dallah -r-a horse, a mule, an ass, and a present that
master's death; and they had to wait for further or- went near perpetuating the Prophet's dynasty: for
ders. These were that they should leave the Prophet the concubine Mary, a Copt, sent by this governor,
unmolested. erelong brought forth a son of whom Mohammed
The environment of this story is even more claimed to be the father, his fatherhood being attested
mysterious than that of the other: in each form by the infant's features-though the rival wife, the
of it the Prophet announces the death of the Persian childless Ayeshah, would not see the resemblance.
King at the time when it actually took place, and' , This governor could not from Mohammed's letter
thereby makes the emissaries hesitate to arrest him only have divined so well its author's tastes: a
till they had verified his statement: so poor was the couple of concubines would have been a suitable
discipline maintained among the Persian King's re-' present for Achilles, but how came the Alexandrian
tainers. Now, that Mohammed had many secret to know that they were equally suitable to the
agencies for obtaining intelligence speedily cannot founder of a new religion? He must have learned
be doubted: but that the messengers would have' " .of this from the messenger-Hatib, son of Balta'ah,
refrained from doing their duty in consequence of whose description of the massacres of Israelites may
such an assertion we do not believe. If, however, have secured this man's partial acceptance of Mo·
the date of the Persian King's death be correct, the hammed's claim. Of his conversation with the
Mukaukis a specimen is preserved. t "If Moham.
t·
story will hang together best if we suppose that amid
the confusion arising from the assassination of the med is a Prophet," he asked, "why did he not curse
King, this seemingly unimportant matter was over· n the people of Meccah when they drove him out?"-
(v
looked. The message was either never delivered, or a proceeding for which authority could be found in
never answered.
",
* See Butltr, Arab Conquest oj Egypt, Appendix C.
* lb:z- Arabi, Musamarat, iL , .73. According to.him the 'families of , ,,
t Isabah, i., 480.
the mes~cngers were extant in Yemen in his time (7th century A.H.) t Usd al.ghabah, i., 362, ctc.

'> <l
! if
 , .,

370 Mohammed Steps towards the Taking of Meccah 37 1

both Testaments. Hatib was equal to the occasion: appointed the Prophet's successor; a condition which
"If Jesus be a Prophet," he replied, "why did not was, of course, declined:*
he curse the people who wanted to crucify him? " , As the end of the year 7 approached the time
Other messengers went to the heads of small states • came for the execution of the Prophet's project of a
in Arabia, to whom the claim to hegemony on the pilgrimage, leave for which had been extorted from
part of one of their number perhaps came as less of a the Meccans the year before. The Prophet's cause
surprise; for the history of Arabia apparently had had materially advanced since his visit to H udaibiyah.
been one of ups and downs: when a competent and he had all the interest of a royal personage at.
ruler had shown himself in a province he aspired ( taching to him. He had, moreover, taken into his
to the homage of the others. These princes seem • harem the daughter of his resolute opponent Abu
to have temporised, waiting to see whether the new Sufyan: for at his request Umm Habibah, widow of
power would crush the resistance of its neighbours, one of his followers, had been sent to him by the
or itself succumb. It is not claimed that the effect Abyssinian King, with a handsome dowry provided
on these persons was as remarkable as that which by the monarch himself. Meccah, according to the
had been produced on the three Christian poten. terms agreed on the previous year, was to be va.
tates: and perhaps the series of battles which bards r • cated by the Kuraish for three days, during which
had celebrated in copious verse had by this time Mohammed might have the Ka'bah to himself: af.
brought them news of Mohammed and his claims. ter that he was to quit. Probably neither party was
And since the Meccan party were as boastful as sure of the good faith of the other: Mohammed
those of Medinah, they would have learned that if brought with him two hundred horsemen, in case of
one day had been for him, another had been against emergencies: and so little were the Kuraish disposed
him. With the southern Arabians also Mohammed's ( • to prolong the visit of their guest, that they refused
massacres of Jews may have rendered him popular: him permission to give at Meccah the entertainment
since the recollection of the Israelitish hegemony was which should have followed one of his numerous
not sweet. Haudhah, the Christian ruler of the Banu weddings, which he prepared to solemnise in his
Hanifah in Yemamah, must have sent a courteous native town.
reply: since at the Khaibar campaign Mohammed's An accurate record is preserved of the Prophet's
beast was held by a Nubian slave whom that mono n • road and of the direction from which he approached
arch had sent him as a present.* Presently Haud. · Meccah. His escort of two hundred riders was left
hah offered' to accept Islam on condition of b e i n g j behind at Yajuj, an elevation whence the images at
this time surrounding the Ka'bah could be seen,
* I,abah., iii., ~88, * Khataji, C011l11l. 1m Durrah, 46,
 ,.
jl£ohammed

The procession of sixty camels for sacrifice, followed

by the twelve hundred Moslems, proceeded fmm
Kada past the graveyard on the road to Abtah and
Mina:* Lest the Meccans should think the Mos· '"
lems still worn and jaded, as they had seemed at
Badr, they were ordered to do part of their proces-
sion racing, and this custom remained till after times.
They had requested a meal of camel's flesh to make : :
their countenances cheerful; but the Prophet, re- -"';,

garding this as too costly, had given them a feast of 0

dates instead. t
This pilgrimage,:j: then, like the last, was to impress I "I,,'

the Meccans with a show of power and wealth, and i ': i' ~. ~', .
f doubtless materially assisted the capture of Meccah,
which was now within easy distance. Much vexa·
tion must have been occasioned to the steady, r.
though not always judicious, opponents of Moham-
med, like Abu Sufyan, by the Ciceros of the time- I
the faint.hearted partisans, whose fears regularly for· I
boded ill to their own cause, and who now could point
to the fulfilment of their forebodings. If there were
any there who had urged vigorous measures the day D
they let Mohammed escape from their daggers, any
who had advised that the victory of Uhud be not .1
!
left unfinished, and whose calculations had not been
put out by the stratagem of the Ditch-such persons ,
,
.

could look back with justifiable pride on valuable

counsel given and neglected. .
In the marriage with Maimunah, a beautiful widow ..
* Diyarbekri, i., 690.
t ilIttsnad,
L, 221, 306.
~ Dhu'l.Ka'dah, A.H. 7, identified with March, A.D. 629.
l
• •
Steps towards the TaNng of Meccah 373.
whom the Prophet now added to his harem, his
uncle Abbas is said to have acted as the bride's
-. guardian. The marriage took place at Sarif, some
eight miles from Meccah, and the question whether
the Prophet was in a sacred or profane condition at
the time interests Moslems, though it has no interest
for us, who know the elasticity of the prophetic con.
science. Owing to the fact that the empire founded
by Mohammed had fallen to the descendants of
• • Abbas at the time whence our chief documents
emanate, determined attempts were made at repre.
senting him on all occasions as Mohammed's close
ally. The lady herself is supposed to be referred to in
the Koran as a believing woman who offers herself to
the Prophet. According to some she was the last wife.
• • Mohammed's fame began to attract to Medinah
the bards who went from court to court to sell their
compliments. The poet of Yemamah, A'sha, of
Kais, who enjoyed an exaggerated reputatiort, be.
thought him of earning something in this way, and
there attached to his verses a superstition similar to
• • that which in old times belonged to the words of
Balaam: those whom he praised became great, those
whom he ridiculed sank low. On the way to Medi·
nah he came to Meccah, probably not knowing the
relation between the two cities, and he showed his
verses to Abu Sufyan. The latter offered him a
. • hundred camels if he would go far away and watch
the turn of events before he published his praise of
Mohammed. The poet was sufficient of a business
man to close with this offer, but one of his newly
acquired camels killed him,
/ s'

374 Mohammed Steps towards the Takz'ng of Meccah 375

The spectacle of the pilgrimage produced one im. lute and resourceful founder of Islam; under him
portant convert, Khalid, son of AI-Walid, presently they were to win no fruitless victories as before.
destined to earn the name of the Sword of Allah. Khalid, the greater captain of the two, proved him•
.~
He and the other great Moslem general, 'Amr, son IJ self under the Caliphs better able to command than
of AI-'Asi, were converted about this time, and are to obey; unwilling to be bound by rules, or to be
even said to have met each other on their way to checked in his movements by the central authority.
Medinah. Khalid had gone away from Meccah in But he fell behind none in blind reverence for Mo.
order not to have the humiliation of seeing the Mos· hammed, who had occasion to rebuke him for ex·
lems enter it; and a letter from his brother, AI. cesses as well as to praise him for saving many a
Walid, who had been converted shortly after Badr, f' day; a word from the Prophet could cool this hero
written at the Prophet's instance, was decisive in in his most savage moods,* and he wore some of the
causing him to join the conquering side.* The Prophet's hair as an amulet in his soldier's cap. t
conversion of 'Amr is sometimes assigned to that 'Amr counted as one of the Arab diplomats, on
Abyssinian potentate at whose palace his was a not whose sagacity reliance could be placed, though
unfamiliar figure. Thither, according to his own under the Meccan regime it does not appear to have
account, t he had retreated after the affair of the ~ been successful. These persons' conversion is rightly
Ditch, thinking that Mohammed's success in his war regarded by Sprenger t as an acknowledgment on
with the Kuraish was now assured, and that the the part of far.seeing men that the progress of Islam
court of his Abyssinian friend would be a safe har. could no longer be resisted; they were not so much
bour for him, whence, even if Mohammed failed, he betraying their fellow·citizens as setting them an ex·
could easily return to Meccah. It is worth noticing ample, which indeed the faint.heartedness of Meccan
that his return from Abyssinia must have followed * policy rendered easy of imitation. The great acces-
on that of the Moslem exiles. The defection of sion of wealth and strength which the last years had
th~se two deprived Meccah of the only strategic brought the Prophet made his countrymen anxious
skill which it possessed, and it is an unsolved puzzle to obtain some of the glory which he was reflecting
why that skill, which proved so valuable to Moham. on all connected with him. Abu Sufyan § had hard
med and his followers, had been useless to the work to persuade many of his countrymen to ad.
Meccans. From the paralysis which held the Mec. € here to the religion of their fathers. Hakim, son of
cans in their undertakings these men of war were
not free till they had put themselves under the reso. * Mumaa, ivo, 89_
t Wei/hausen, Resle, 166.
* Isaban, iii., 1318. t Cf. Wakidi (W.), 304,
t Musnad, iv" '99. Ii Jaud, Adhkiya, 95.
 Mohammed
Hizam, Khadijah's nephew, went to the expense
and trouble of buying a robe that was said to have
belonged to the hero Dhu Yazan, for fifty dinars, and
bringing it to Medinah * as a present to his distin- ~
guished relative, who, however, refused to take a
present from an unbeliever. Our wonder is not that i.
Mohammed so easily took Meccah the next year,'
but that he had then to conciliate so many of his
CHAPTER XI
old opponents with bribes.
THE TAKING OF MECCAH

,
!
T HIS year (8) was marked by the first collision be.
tween the forces of Islam and of Byzantium.
It does not appear to have been deliberately
'. planned by the Prophet, but was rather the result of
·"his ignorance of Byzantine politics, and of the gen.
eral want of communication between one part of the
Byzantine Empire and another. Among the letters
sent out by Mohammed at'the time when he felt it
his duty to summon all mankind to follow his doc.
trine, was one addressed to the governor of Bostra
"and conveyed by AI-Harith, son of 'Umair.* The
messenger had been attacked and slain by the Ghas-
sanide Shurahbil, son of 'Amr, also said to be an
i ,.i ,
official in C::esar's pay; and, as has been seen, Mo-
I:
:,I:, hammed never allowed such an outrage to remain
.i'.· unavenged. He immediately t collected a force
which was to go and avenge the murder, but we can
f!
: I"
I ., ." scarcely believe that he was aware that an attack
1 : on Shurahbil meant an attack on the great Roman
t~
;,'11 * IVakid; (IV,), 309.
t Jumada x, A,D. 8; identified with September, A,H, 62 9.
377
 Mohammed The Takt'ng of Meccah 379
Empire. He would not have sent a force of three It was at this time an important fortress, with an
thousand to cope with the unlimited armies of the Arab governor, subject to the Byzantines. There
great Emperor: nor could he be expected to know
that persons with such truly Arabic names as the(
. they heard that the Greeks were in great force.
Maab (near the Dead Sea) with the fighting men of
at

Ghassanides were politically Roman rather than numerous Arab tribes: Heraclius himself, having
Arabs. He regarded this as one of the many raids recently recovered Palestine from the Persians, was
on Arabic tribes which kept his treasury full, and sent ,I
,,,' said to be among them: but we need not repeat the
a force strong indeed for him, but wholly unequal to '! fabulous numbers which the Moslems assign to the
that which the Byzantine Empire could bring against Byzantine army in order to excuse the sequel. A
him. The horses are described by the poet Abdal! '. council of war was held, some suggesting that in.
lah, son of Rawahah, as brought from Aja and Far' formation should be sent to the Prophet, who
-mountains in the Shamr country. Zaid, son of clearly had nothing so serious in view: but Abdal-
Harithah a not unsuccessful leader of raids, was lah, son of Rawahah, a poet and enthusiast, who
chosen t; command, and told to conclude treaties, if had been the first to advance and the last to retreat
necessary, in his own name, instead of the Prophefs, from every other fight, pointed out the inconsistency
so as to make them easier to break.* Among the rank., ,1 of losing a chance of martyrdom, which the Moslem
and file was Khalid, son of Al-Walid, fighting now should welcome even more than victory. After two
for the first time under his new allegiance. A few days' deliberation they advanced. The spot at
orders were given for the succession to the command which they came in sight of the enemy was a plain
in case of disaster: but of a hierarchy of officers the called Masharif, not, it would seem, identified in
Mohammedan warfare at present knew nothing; modern times, but connected by the Arabs with
indeed such a system would probably have seemed, 1 Bostra, or Bosra, which has repeatedly been visited,
to violate the equality of all Moslems. in the region known as the Hauran. At the sight of
The authorities have not taken the trouble to the Byzantine force the Moslem army fell back on a
chronicle the route taken by Zaid on this the most village called Mutah, which has given its name to the
distant of the Moslem raids. Probably they followed campaign. There battle was given. Some of the
the road which is now the pilgrim route from Da· Moslem leaders descended from their horses and
mascus to Meccah, and which was the old caravan deliberately lamed the beasts in order that they
11 •
route. Their first destination was Mu'an or Ma'an; might not be tempted to flee.
on the verge of the desert: it is a point at which the Of the order of events in the battle we learn very
road to Meccah converges with another from Akabah. little. Three standard-bearers (Zaid. J a'far, the
.. Wakidi (W.), 309. Prophet's cousin, and Abdallah, son of Rawahah)
 . "

Mohammed The Takt'ng of Meccak

being killed in succession, some difficulty was found , boasted.* High honours in Paradise were awarded
in getting anyone to take this dangerous charge: to all by the grateful Prophet: but for J a'far he
and, to judge by what happened at Uhud, it would. found wings, to carry him to God's throne. With
appear that the Moslems were on the verge of a "tears in his eyes he harangued the Moslems, narrat.
rout. Khalid, whose ability at Uhud had been dis. ing the order of the deaths, and saying he could not
played when his party had begun to fly, was again wish them back. t The survivors of this disastrous
ready for the emergency: he stepped into the posi- . fight were greeted by the Moslems as deserters, and
tion of leader, at the instance, it is said, of Khalid, some were even afraid to appear in public for some
son of Arkam. By means not recorded, he sue·. time: such Spartans had the people of Medinah
ceeded in rallying the broken forces of the Moslems, '!become in their eight years of warfare. The Prophet,
and getting them safely away from the field. Even whose mind was always clearest in times of stress, by
so, the Moslem losses were doubtless considerable; no means echoed this taunt: if the numbers of the
but on these their historians are unwilling to dwell. enemy had been one tenth of the figures given by
Probably the work of the victorious army was chiefly ,the historians, no single Moslem should have escaped.
done by the tribes Lakhm, J udham, Kain, Bahra, To have come in collision with the great world.
and Bali, who spoke the same language and used f <power and not have been exterminated, if not a
the same weapons as their Moslem antagonists. victory, was very near one. Moreover, the Arab
In Mohammedan history Ja'far, son of Abu Talib, tribes who were now serving under Byzantine com-
is as much the hero of Mutah as is Hamzah the hero manders were to the Mohammedans as wheat ready
of Uhud. J a'far had only returned from Abyssinia for the harvest.
in the preceding year, so that his enjoyment of his It was the Prophet's custom, as we have often
cousin's regal position was of short duration. The· ~ seen, to redeem a disaster as quickly as possible by
general, Zaid, son of Harithah, had been connected some striking success. So long as there were Jews
with one of the worst scandals of the Prophet's left, he was always sure of an easy victory; they
domestic life, whence his not returning was perhaps were by this time exhausted; but Meccah remained,
not without its consolation. Abdallah, son of Raw- and his experiences of the last years showed him that
ahah, who is made responsible for the forward march it was ripe to fall. All then that was required was a
from Ma'an, is represented as having shown some, .~ decent pretext for attacking it, and this was provided
tendency to flinch: probably cooler men had more by the treaty which he made with the Meccans at
real nerve. He was one of Mohammed's court the time of his abortive pilgrimage.
poets, bllt his satire fell flat on the Kuraish, because * Aghmzi. xv., 29.
he taunted them with that unbelief of which they t Musnad, iii" u8.

f ",'
-1 d
: I
 Mohammed
We have repeatedly seen that blood once shed
,'''}' jJ '
was never forgotten, unless there were formal atone- .' '. ",>,.;0" ,~.

ments, Of the clause in the treaty of H udaibiyah ".'. :,';'1':

which permitted different tribes to enter the rival"
-. ~;:IJ~:~' I
confederacies of Meccah and Medinah advantage ·a· .
had been taken by the Khuza'ah, who entered that
of Medinah, and the Banu Bakr, a section of the
Kinanah, who entered that of Meccah, Between , I [;' 'J.,t~: ,i~,:':-,;
these two tribes there was a blood-feud, dating from . ".l.,~.J·~I~,'I,·~'I!~,*,i:
iy,.-,,_f '. ',I'i, h~
the time before the commencement of Islam; it had • I~:\',·::, "·,fiiiii
~"lt.I~~I~il
begun, as so often had been the case at Medinah, by ',i\\~[ Ild~dj
the murder of a foreign trader, whom the Banu Bakr
had undertaken to protect, A member of the Khu-
za'ah had been murdered in return, and in return for
this three noble Bakrites had been murdered at
Arafat. At the time of Badr, it will be remembered, f ": , ,.~!
an attack on Meccah by the Kinanah was feared, but '" I~' , (/)-'
;~~'.~;i
did not take place: and for reasons not known to ',',I!
',', ";1,1
~ ~

us, during the years in which the Meccan caravans 't"'I' _

'1' a:
were raided by Mohammed the feud seems to have If:,

slumbered, But the cessation of the danger from

Medinah gave the Kuraish courage to assist their aI- I
lies, the Kinanah, and in a nightly raid they killed
one of the Khuza'ah within the sanctuary, The rela.
tions between the two confederacies were severed by
this bloodshed j and a gap had been made through
which the Prophet could enter. Indeed, so obvious
was the occasion for the intervention of Mohammed
f'
that a variety of busybodies among the Khuza'ah
hastened to be the first to solicit the Prophet's aid. I
The historians record the names of 'Amr, son of I.

Salim, and Budail, son of Warka, in this contest.

 •
The Tak£ng oj'Meccah
The former is supposed to have presented himself
in the Mosque at Medinah, and recited some flaming
verses. The Prophet pointed to a cloud in the di.
• r:rection of Meccah, and declared that it contained
help for the oppressed Khuza'ah. The other man
had probably been in the Prophet's confidence long
before. His family long preserved a letter from the
Prophet, in which he is invited to come to Medinah,
or to "migrate" without leaving his country: it
• 'Would seem, by abstaining from communication with
the people of Meccah, except at times of pilgrimage,
lesser or greater. The letter ran as follows *:
"In the name of Allah, the merciful, the clement.
From Mohammed, the Apostle of God, unto BUdail, son
of Warka, and the chieftains of the Banu 'Amr. I praise
• 'lmto you Allah, than whom there is no other God. To
proceed: I have not vexed your heart, nor set a burden
on your back ( ?). Ye are the most precious of the peo.
pie of Tihamah in: my eyes, and the nearest akin unto
me, with those among you that do well. Now I have
taken for him of you that shall migrate tho like of what
J have taken for myself: even if he migrate in his own
land, not dwelling in Meccah save for the lesser or
greater pilgrimage. And I have laid no burden upon
Y9U in that I have made peace, and ye need not fear nor
be alarmed by me."
This curious letter bears the marks of genuineness,
and contains phrases on which some comment would
•• 'be desired. As Wellhausen explains it, it refers to the
time after the Hudaibiyah treaty, when Mohammed,
having less need of the services of the Khuza'ah,
... Text in .(sabgh, ~. v. Budai!; II translation in Wakidi (W.), 306.

•
 f •
Mohammed The Taking- of Meccah
might seem to think less of them. The man to Prophet's wish to conceal his purpose from the Mec.
whom it was written now seized the opportunity for cans, and indeed he was near Meccah before he made
a visit to Medinah, in order to give the Prophet the it clear whether the Kuraish or the Hawazin were
good news that the time to invade Meccah had" • his object, and indeed whether he meant war- at all.*
come. Little credibility attaches to the legend that The Meccans, however, fostered no delusions on
the Prophet, distrusting Budail, sent spies to Meccah the subject, and each step from Medinah made the
to find out the truth or to demand the extradition Kurashite resistance melt faster away. Early in the
of the actual criminals before resolving on an ad. journey Mohammed was joined by his uncle Abbas,
vance to that city. whom Mohammedan authorities suppose to have fof
N either party is likely to have deceived itself as to#! , years been a secret aider and abettor of the Prophet;
the issue of such an invasion. The biographers make we know not whether this was so, or whether when
Abu Sufyan himself head a deputation to Medinah the Caliphate came into Abbaside hands, the founder
with the view of securing the renewal of the terms
which the Meccans found so beneficial to their com·
\; of the line had to be whitewashed. Nearing Meccah,
\ I; at Marr Zahran they fell in with a scouting party, con.
merce: the men, women, and children whose inter. taining Abu Sufyan himself, Khadijah's nephew,
cession with the Prophet he besought, all refused it;O • and BUdail, of whom we have just heard. Abu Suf·
so mighty a matter of state could be settled by the : J
yan was told by Abbas that it was not too late for
chief alone; the Prophet himself received his dis. him to save his head by a profession of faith in the
tinguished suppliant with sardonic smiles. It was mission of the man whom it had been the object of
true that the Kurashites who had fought with the his life to prove an impostor; and that such an
Khuza'ah had been disguised and unauthorised; , - example might save,many lives, seeing that Meccah
, '
but of their complicity there was apparently no-~ -\ must in any case fall. To this humiliation Abu Suf.
question. The Prophet was not the man to throw yan not without reluctance resigned himself; ob·
away such a card, now it had come into his pos- taining thereby not only his own safety, but the
session at a time when it was welcome. Abu Suf. right to offer the same to all Meccans who took
yan returned to Meccah with the knowledge that refuge in his house, who locked their own doors, or
his long rivalry with Mohammed was nearing its who went into the Meccan sanctuary. He- had to
termination.
Then came the expedition to Meccah, which " C
. listen to some hard words from the women folk when
he got back to Meccah with his coat (metaphorically)
started on the roth of Ramadan;x, and for which no turned inside out. They would have preferred one
fewer than ro,ooo troops had mustered: it was the who, if he could not live for a cause, would dare to_
* Identified with Jan. It A,D. 630.
* Wakidi. 329.
 •
Mohammed
die for it. Still he had brought back good terms,
and the Meccans gladly availed themselves thereof.
The course adopted by Abu Sufyan was similar
to that adopted by wise and patriotic leaders when • ..
the alternatives of submission and annihilation have
been before them. That his poor generalship was
to blame for the state to which Meccah was now
reduced must be conceded; but having at the last
realised how affairs lay, he acted with prudence in ,_
saving life and property to the utmost of his power.
..
He acknowledged that his gods had been defeated
by Mohammed's God, and therefore that he owed the
former no further allegiance.
Not quite all the Meecans were of the same mind
as their chief. Some few knew that they had
offended Mohammed too much to be forgiven- <ll
such were persons who had once believed in him,
but afterwards abandoned him. A few others had
personal wrongs which still cried for vengeance.
They included Safwan, son of U mayyah, by whose
counsel the battle of Uhud had not been followed
up; SuhaiI, son of 'Amr, who had arranged the eom- '"
pact of H udaibiyah; 'Ikrimah, son of Abu Jahl, who
since his father's death had been a prominent op-
ponent of Islam. They had some arms and am-
munition, and formed a troop which stationed itself
at Khandamah, a mountain which is close to Abu
Kubais '*-according to Burckhardt the culminating~.
point of the Meccan mountains. Since Mohammed
was bent on entering Meccah from the top (i. e., from
the north-east), his force would necessarily be men-
* Azraki, 155.
 •
The Taking of Meccah
aced by a body of men who occupied this position.
There was a skirmish between them and the cavalry
o commanded by Khalid, with slight losses on both
sides; and then the heroes abandoned their posi. -:"
tion and fled. Meccah was now the Prophet's. The
idols which so many years before had roused the
Prophet's scorn, and to which he owed his banish• .-----
ment, could now be utterly abolished. The pictures
c (probably rude artistic efforts) within the Ka'bah
were effaced by Omar with a cloth * wetted in Zem.
zem water: whom or what they represented we
know only on Mohammed's authority, which we are
not inclined to trust i a curious tradition says that
Mohammed put his hands over a picture of the
(l o Madonna and so saved it from destruction. t The
images which surrounded the Ka'bah, and were fixed
to their supports with lead, were overthrown and
removed. The call to prayer resounded from the
top of the Ka'bah, chanted by Bilal the Abyssinian
'slave-not without evoking expressions of horror and
disgust from some who were not yet accustomed to
• the new regime. ~ Yet the sanctity of the Ka'bah
was to suffer no diminution by the religious innova.
tions: whatever treasure its store contained - said
to be seventy thousand ounces of gold I-the Prophet
refused to touch §: a new mythology was substituted
for the old: but the ceremonies, more important to
• the majority, were to remain. All Meccah was now
If: Musnad, iiL, 396.
t Azraki, ItI.
tId., 192, quotes what they said. .'
§ Ibid., 172•

•
 •
JWoltammed The Takz'ng of Meccah

to be an inviolable sanctuary: no blood was to be career in tlle meanwhile. :Elestruction menaces him
shed withiti its precincts, of which the landmarks, on all sides: but he surmounts the dangers, because
partly effaced, were now (with the angels' help) re- he has a will, and his enemies have none. The his-
ncwed.* If the Prophet had himself shed some, the ~
1)
torians tell us little of the internal history of Meccah
privilege of God's favourites was not to be' claimed during the past eight years, whence the gradual shift~
by those of lower rank. Like Motley's cardinal ing of opinion in Mohammed's favour can only be
preaching religious toleration, Mohammed took the guessed, and knowledge of the details fails us. We
earliest opportunity of impressing on his townsmen are justified in supposing that much was effected
the abhorrence with which bloodshed should be re- ~ by Mohammed's campaign against the Byzantines,
~
garded. And indeed though at the first he had drawn which, though not for the moment successful, made
up a short proscription list, for one reason or another ,him the champion of a national idea, which the Arabs
he reduced it to the modest number of two. Therein till then had scarcely been able to realise: even
we can see not only an example of the Prophet's the enterprise of Saif, son of Dim Yazan, had been
clemency, but also evidence of the excessive gratifi- only to substitute Persian for Abyssinian sovereignty.
cation which the taking of Meeeah caused him. All With this attitude agreed his ordinary tenderness for
old inj uries were forgotten on that day of final • , the lives of Arabs, when he massacred Jews without
triumph. The Refugees were not even allowed to mercy. Moreover, experience seems to show that
reclaim their houses which had been seized or sold a man who can for a number of years force attention
by the Mcccans: they had to be satisfied with the to be concentrated on himself acquires popularity
promise of houses in Paradise instead t -Moham- even among his enemies.
med setting the example with Khadijah's former Levees (if that be the right term) were held for the
d welling. Even the keys of the Ka'bah were not taken If ,. admission of the new converts-first for men and
away from their hereditary holders, but returned to i ' then for women; the latter not being permitted to
i·
them, though the meritorious Ali put in a claim. I'
;1 ":
shake the Prophet's hand.* A reasonable time was
The taking of Meccah was the outcome of the 'I
indeed granted for studying the evidences of the new
series of events which began on the day when Mo- religion in the case of those who were not prepared
hammed was allowed to become the master of a to accede to it at once: but of his resolve ultimately
community that lay between the Kuraish and their • ... to tolerate no other the Prophet made no secret. The
markets. An interest similar to that which attends I" appearance of the neophytes at these levees revealed
the efforts of a tight-rope walker attaches to his many traits of character: poets who had employed
their facility of versification' in lampooning the
* Azraki, 360.
t Chronicles 0/ Meccall, iv., 67. }" * Tabari, ComlJt., xxviii., 49.
t
"
If ,l
 • "
39° Mohammed '1
I
The Taldng of Meccalt
:! I, 39 1
i'
Prophet now showed that it could be turned to his ! ~.
unconverted H udhalites: he was only deterred from
glorification; adulation and sycophancy were rife. " ~, "

handing the assassin over to their vengeance by the

•
On the other hand, among the women who had to
swear allegiance some even at the risk of offending the • 'i ,. doctrine that a Moslem must not be killed for an
Unbeliever. Missionaries-which name o'ccurs for .-
conqueror could not restrain a sarcasm at the char- ,~ ,
the first time in islam in this context-were sent to
acter of the code for which they had been compelled fl ,
,
the neighbouring tribes, summoning them t~ ?ut
to suffer and to do so much. "All this I have kept ~!
d .:; away their idols and submit to the new .re~lglOn.
from my youth up" was the comment of Hind, Abu i'• ,'"I'.' ~
Khalid son of AI-W alid, being sent on a mISSIOn of
Sufyan's wife, in response to some of the regulations: ,I 0."

to the command "not to slay your children" she re- f

li
\ ,J
I
\
, this so:t to the ] adhimah, took the opportunity of
avenging an old wrong-the murder of his uncle
plied that the women at Meccah had reared their which had happened years before: he attacked the
children to be slain by Mohammed's partisans at Badr. <
tribe at Ghumaisa and dealt considerable slaughter.
Still, when she returned from the levee, she took an The Prophet, who now regarded all Arabs ,as his-
axe and hewed her domestic idol into bits, taunting r, natural subjects, readily paid blood-money for all
it with having deceived her all that time.'" And I' the slain and gave the tribe a bonus as well. It was
,
.; ~ l:
Ii"
similar iconoclasm now became rampant at Meccah. f not his' custom, however, to find fault with his
The Prophet's stay at Meccah did not exceed a subordinates for excessive zeal, and Khalid was
I"
fortnight, as he was anxious to assure his friends of
Medinah that he had no intention of leaving them
for his former home: of which indeed there was
!
i
employed to destroy other idols and sacred houses
in the neighbourhood. The priests appear to have
left the idols to see after their own defence-on
some danger, since he did not conceal his opinion I, :.; ] erubbaal's principle, and with the like result. The
that Meccah was the best spot on earth and the f I
'I House of Allah was therefore relieved of some rather
dearest of all places to God. t I "

dangerous rivals: for, as has already been seen, we

The day after his entry into Meccah, and procla-
mation of the sacrosanct area, one of his followers, f, "" " have little or no reason for supposing that the House
at Meccah stood alone as a centre of pilgrimage. The
d' 0

a Khuza'ite, had exercised the blood.right by assas- I" theory was now started that the House at Meccah
sinating in Meccah a Hudhalite who had murdered ,
-r was the first ever built': an assertion which gave
one of his tribe; Mohammed repeated his oration, ,I ,

and paid blood·money for the victim t to the, as yet, - .. rise to much speculation, and thence to many myths.
Of it (the Ka'bah) these other houses would be bad
*Azraki, 78. imitations, not deserving to be maintained as Hou~es
t Mzunad iv" 305. of Allah, for whose worship they had not been 111·
*Azraki, 353.
l

tended. How, we are inclined to wonder, would

:~
, )
 39 2 Mohammed The Taki1~g of Meccah 393
Mohammed have treated" the furthest Mosque," the tion, the months had been made to correspond
Temple wall at Jerusalem, had he lived to conquer roughly to the seasons: Mohammed, by making it
that sacred city? He would have learned (what he twelve lunar months, destroyed all relation between
perhaps did not know) that the Temple no longer • :l: them. Of any accommodation of the pilgrimage
existed: and since he forbade pilgrimage to J erusa- months to the needs of commerce there could no
lem, he would probably have secured in some way longer be any question. Mohammed had not in.
that special sanctity should no more attach to Zion. tended this result, of whose certainty he was ignor-
The political value of centralised worship was not ant: but it came, and the markets of the" Days of
learned by him from the example of the Jewish Ignorance" quickly fell into oblivion. The com-
kings; but he was alive to it none the less. Not with- f ,. merce of Meccah was ruined, but the city was the
out deliberation did he decide what ritual he should gainer-at first by a fair share in the plunder of the
retain, till he finally drew up a scheme whereby a world, presently by a concourse of visitors unprece-
number of rites belonging originally to different dented in number at the sacred seasons: a stream at
sanctuaries were grouped into a lengthy perform- ,
, , , rare times diverted by sedition and fanaticism, in-
ance: the inequalities which in the older system had , "
creasing in peaceful times since Meccah was taken,
distinguished different clans were all abolished; all f , until now, when railroad and steamer help to swell
Moslems being equal. Into those ceremonies there it. If Mohammed took anything from Meccah, he
was little difnculty in working the Abraham myth gave it more.
in place of the tales which former cicerones had told. ,,
,
Of cities that existed in the seventh century of our
If stones were in one place thrown to keep down era probably few have carried on an existence so
the body of some fallen enemy, or to secure that continuous, ruffled only by superficial troubles. Its
certain land should not be appropriated for a year,* E 'l population, after it had been made the great sanctu-
it could now be said that they were thrown at ary of the world, quickly forgot politics and com-
Satan. Was not Satan called" the stoned" in the merce: they turned into show-managers, the keepers
Koran? of an exhibition which it was the duty of all the
One serious alteration was presently to follow world to visit. To the faithful whose lives had been
when the Prophet conceived the unhappy idea of spent in dreams of Meccah before the chance of pil-
altering the Calendar without knowledge of the • ~ grimage arrived, the heavenly city became clothed
elements of astronomy or even of the purpose of with a fantastic glamour, and was with difficulty dis-
the year. Previously, by unscientific intereala. sociated from that Paradise for which a visit to it
* Chatwltt. Le yet des Pierres at(, P/llrinage ae fa Mecq~ was the preparation and of which it was the symbol.
Anvers, 1902,
"Blessed be they that dwell in Thy House, they

. '1'" ..
\
:~."
"
"
 ,
394 Mohammed

shall be always praising Thee." It does not appear

that the population of Meccah spend all their time
in this edifying manner: but they have the great
advantage of knowing that their business will come f
to them without their having to go to seek it.
By giving the empire of Islam a religious capital,
at no time utilised as a political capital, the founder
got for it a mainstay which has secured the continuo
ity of the system amid the most violent convulsions.
A political capital once sacked is often abandoned'
by the victorious dynasty for another: and various
commercial and military considerations render the
substitution of one for another desirable or even
imperative. Hence the political centre of Islam was
shifted as the dynasties succeeded each other, and
was at each time where the most powerful Moham- {
medan sovereign chose to hold his court. But with
each of these sovereigns Meccah was equally hon-
oured: each took pride in conferring lavish gifts on
the city of God: each regarded its protection and
adornment as duties specially incumbent upon him.
Identified thus with Islam as a religion, the city.
which had offered the most stubborn resistance to its
rise speedily became its most fanatical adherent.
Elsewhere in Islamic countries one who is not a
Moslem may live and even thrive. At Meccah THE. MAHMIL OR HOLY CARPET.

he must conceal his unbelief, being sure, if detected, From the U Hilal."

of death.
The capture of Meccah was followed almost im.
{- ...
mediately by a dangerous struggle with a host of
nomad Arabs, led by some of those pagan heroes
with whom the old poetry and the works of the

• •
 • l)

"
The Takz'ng of Meccah 395
archreologists are constantly occupied, but who have
not hitherto figured much in the life of the Prophet,
which had been mainly spent in debate with the
, civilised Jews or the partly civilised denizens of the
towns. The growth and consolidation of the Mos.
lem state had thoroughly alarmed these Bedouins,
to whom the liberty of the desert was dear: and the
expedition against Meccah, of which the purpose
was at the first concealed, was thought to be directed
"against them. But even when it was known that it
had been aimed at Meccah, and had terminated
successfully, the leaders of the assembled forces de.
termined to make a stand for the liberty of Arabia,
I The tribes' who had assembled bore the names
I
i
Hawazin and Thakif; their pastures were in the
il (l neighbourhood of Meccah. Like many races in a
primitive condition they made one man chief when
they went to war: and their head at this time was
Malik, son of 'Auf, of the clan N asr, a branch of
the Hawazin. But they also took with them to the
battle.field on a litter the aged hero of a hundred'
(') fights, Duraid, son of Simmah, of the clan J usham. *
• He was brought to the battle somewhat as the bones
of dead heroes were sometimes taken to it-owing
to a belief in what the Maoris would call his mana,
and the Arabs his nakibalt, a combination of fortune,
skill, and efficiency, which would make his presence
desirable in any enterprise. Not a few anecdotes
" are told of the life of this hero, who, like many of
*Jusham is called by A I.Akhtal (Kami!, ii" 60) the worst of the
tribes; like Katas, neither black nor red. A war between Thakif and
Nasr is mentioned, BaJ'a1z, L, 55.
 Mohammed The Taking of 1I1eccah 397
his clan, had some reputation as a poet, and espe. close by a place called Dhu'l-Majaz or "the Pass,"
cially as an encomIast .* of fortitude, though we can· one of the market-places of old times. Thither
not say whether any of the verses attributed to him 0 came the tribes, accompanied (in true savage style)
are genuine. His prime was spent in the usual pur'" ~ by their wives and children, and their flocks and
suit of camel-stealing-where possible, from hostile herds, a proceeding said to be disapproved by the
tribes, when otherwise, from friendly clans. Reprisals
led to bloodshed: all Duraid's brothers died in camel.
raids: for each it was Duraid's duty to demand many
lives in return, as well as to record their praises in
I aged Duraid, but probably sanctioned by constant
usage: we have seen that at Uhud the women
played a not unimportant part. He also is said to
.have advised retreat, partly owing to the absence of
verse. His exploits as a lover were naturally no less" '.some of the best of the Hawazin tribes: but, seeing
considerable than his achievements as a warrior: in that every day added to Mohammed's power, the
both fields he met with occasional rebuffs, but more leader was right in resolving to try his fortune at
often with success. At one time he escaped from once. Men were placed under cover on both sides
slaughter by feigning to be dead-a ruse practised of the valley of Hunain, whither the Moslems were
also by the American Indians. The camel-stealer's descending; the number of Mohammed's * forces
wealth endures not: if secured, it is speedily lavished'" ,e is given as I2,000-the 10,000 with which he had
j r
on wives new and old, and clansmen and guests: invaded Meccah, reinforced by 2000 of the new
" Rascaldom " of this sort, too, "has no strong box." converts or aIlies. The united forces of Hawazin
Old age finds him poor, unfit for war or love: but and Thakif are put at 4100. Probably the latter
not yet stripped of his mana, and perhaps anx- estimate is an exceedingly rough one. But the
ious to die in a battle.field: ready even to give his Moslem chroniclers deserve credit for making their
bungling slaughterer some useful hints of the wayn "own force on this occasion greatly superior to its
in which he should proceed. This sort of man has antagonist. At early morning t the Moslem forces
an instinctive horror of order and discipline and or· entered the valley of Hunain, and were speedily at.
ganisation. Where blood may not be shed freely, tacked on all sides by the enemy, who had been
he cannot find his true level. ordered to break their scabbards when the engage·
The coalition of Hawazin and Thaldf took up a ment commenced, as a sign that they were to be
station in a wadi called Autas, not many miles, it~ whole.hearted in their enterprise. The plan of
would seem, from Meccah, though the place seems " -*-For-this campaign Mohammed horrowed 30,000 or 60,000 dir-
not to have been visited in recent times. It would
hems from Abdallah Ibn Abi Rabi'ah, which were honestly repaid.
appear to be somewhat to the south-east of Meccah, -Musnad, iv., 36.
* Goldziher, lV.S" L, 252. t Shawwal, A.n. 8; identified with Jan.-Feb., A.D. 63 0 •
 c

Mohammed The Takzng of lIfeccah 399

Malik, son of 'Auf, was, for the moment, completely Prophet, and stemmcd the rout. Men who found
successful. . The Moslems turned and fled in head- their mounts uncontrollable descended from them
long confusion: not, according to some, without Q' ~and put on the armour of infantry. Ali aimed a

the set purpose of some of the new converts, who blow at the camel on which one of the Hawazin
thought the occasion a good one for dealing the con- leaders was riding, and with the aid of a man from
queror a blow. Indeed, one of these unwilling fol- Medinah dispatched the rider. What happened .
lowers is even said to have nerved himself to attack then is not known exactly: it appears however that
the Prophet, only to find his nerve fail him. Onc the Hawazin general ha.d not the ability to make use
Moslem woman, who had armed herself with a scim- .,. _of his initial advantage, and that the fierce resistance
itar to be used in emergencies, afterwards advised 'of a company of a hundred men who gathered round
that these traitors should be killed:x, Some of the the Prophet was sufficient to turn the tide. The
fugitives are said t to have carried the tidinCfs to gigantic Abu Talhah is said to have alone killed
Meccah, where they were received with acclam:tio~. twenty men.* The poet of the Banu Sulaim how-
One of the Meccans declared (somewhat premature- ever claimed that the merit of the victory lay with
ly) that that day had seen the last of the witchcraft. his own tribe, led by Dahhak, regarded as the equal
o ,rin prowess of a hundred men: "when the Prophet
The Moslems had been discomfited by a shower'
of arrows, with which the Hawazin were skilled cried to the Banu Sulaim, ' rise up,' they rose: else
marksmen. The Prophet was clad in such completc had the enemy swept away the Believers, and seized
armour that he had no occasion to fear this weapon: their possessions." And indeed it appears that the
but besides, as at Uhud, he exhibited presence of chief achievements in the slaughter of the foe be-
mind, and consciousness of the fact that a defeat in longed to the Banu Sulaim, who pursued the enemy
the neighbourhood of Meccah, so long obstinate and ." "as far as "Buss and Aural," places in the Jushamite
so recently overcome, was a disaster of very differ- territory. Of the Thakafites the clan called Banu
ent magnitude from one near his devoted Medinah. Malik fought like heroes, and lost seventy men:
If the biographers can be believed, he stood still, others fled and saved their skins-including a leader
surrounded by a few of the innermost circle, while called Karib who got safely to Ta'if, the headquar-
the others were flying past: and he utilised the sten- ters of the Thakif tribe: for this act of discretion he
torian lungs of his uncle Abbas to remind the fugi- 'Q> ,~receives the warm praise of a poet, to whom we are
"
" indebted for a vivid account of the battle. The
tives of their oaths, their duty, and their glorious
victories. The heroes of Badr gathered round the general, Malik, son of 'Auf, is said to have rallied
his horsemen sufficiently to make them hold their
* lIfusnad, iii., 286. -' ".

t Halabt,

,I-
157.
 () c

4°0 Mohammed The Taking of Meccah 4°1

<j
ground till the weaker members of the party were 1 it is not probable that deaths were noted as care·
covered, and then to have brought them safely to , . fully as when the troops only amounted to hundreds.
an eminence whence they could make their way to _In this battle, as in that of Badr, supernatural com·
Ta'if. There apparently some of the women were {, . batants were supposed to have taken part: and
saved, though others fell into the hands of the Mos- indeed in some verses attributed to the general,
lems. Khalid, son of Al-Walid, whose savagery had Malik, son of 'Auf, and which may conceivably be
already won a rebuke from the Prophet, earned a his, he ascribes the ultimate defeat of the Hawazin
fresh one by thinking it his duty to kill these ama- entirely to the intervention of Gabriel: which, since
zons: an act which was totally against the Prophet's . in any case the Moslem force was treble that of the
ideas of gallantry; just as he ,found it necessary to t' Hawazin, was scarcely to be expected. Though it
rebuke others who had thought it their duty to is probable that Mohammed gladly encouraged the
slaughter the children of the unbelievers. "What belief in supernatural aid, the poets of his side do
are the best of you," he asked, "but children of un- not resort to this explanation of their success: ex·
believers?" * Among the captive women was one cept indeed that they admit that Allah, in whose
who claimed to be the Prophet's foster-sister-known cause they had violated all ties of friendship, was on
only as Al-Shaima, "the woman with a mark," which !- r their side. The chief of the poets on this occasion
she declared was due to the Prophet's having bitten I is Abbas, son of Mirdas, of whom we have heard be.
, '
her when a child: the relationship was recognised, fore; like many of those champions he had a grudge
and the woman sent with presents to her kindred. of old standing against some of the Hawazin, which
So too Beckwourth found among the Crow tribe a he was glad to have the opportunity of avenging.
woman who recognised him by a wart as her son, and The piety of his verses renders them unusually edi-
it suited his purpose to acknowledge the evidence." r fying, though an accident unfortunately revealed to

Duraid, son of Al-Simmah, found (in his litter) a him the curious fact that his Prophet could not
soldier's death; he was slain by a Sulamite, mem- possibly distinguish verse from prose.
ber of a tribe which Duraid's prowess had saved, Whethcr however the angels had a hand in the
but" Islam had cancelled all that was before it." His matter or not, a highly important success was gained,
son Salamah contrived both to escape and to save his and the Prophet's fortune proved constant at a time
wife. ._ (' when a reverse would have had serious consequences:
The whole number of Moslems killed on this occa- for Abu Sufyan might have been equal to taking
sion is given as four-surprisingly small, if true: yet advantage of a disaster, though not sufiiciently en·
when the Moslem force numbered twelve thousand ergetic to help to bring one about. A sarcastic
.. .ilIuwad, iii., 435. comment of his is reported to the effect that the

., '.
 "
,

11fohammed
r The Takittg of Meccah
;

1
, ~f
headlong flight of the Moslems would have to be ,,
, ot purified honey *: and even now great quantities
stopped by the sea: an observation which provoked !" of grapes are grown there for the Meccan market.
; r:'
no assent from the unbelievers to whom it was ;:. ~ Various kinds of grain are cultivated besides.: and of
made, who regarded submission to a Kurashite as " ,, some there are several crops. In the neighbourhood
less humiliating than submission to the Hawazin. "h- there is abundance of clay suitable for brickmaking.
The name of Hunain was, like that of Badr, thought Here then was plunder even more desirable than
worthy of mention in the Koran: a sign that the :, that of Khaibar. Of the fabulous history of Ta'if
Prophet attached great importance to the victory. we need repeat nothing here: its inhabitants, owing
}~i
Just as the defeat of the Kuraish was commenced at r {!i to the accumulation of wealth and the cultivation of
Badr, so it was consummated at Hunain. ~! " peaceful industry, had acquired some knowledge of
I'
After the victory of Hunain it was naturally the , the arts of building and of war: the biographers de-
,
'!l,
Prophet's desire to take Ta'if, the headquarters of ~:, J; clare that at the time when H unain was being fought
the Thakif tribe.· Of that tribe some members had ',-,
.,'j: two of their chiefs, 'V rwah, son of Mas'ud, and Ghai.
already visited the Prophet at Medinah, where he li
l; lan, son of Salamah, were away at Jurash in Yemen,
had a tent (Kubbah) erected for them, and after to learn the making of engines of artillery. 'V rwah
evening prayer discoursed with them for hours; l' .,~~\
,:1' ., was the man" honoured in both towns," to whom, ac-
f'~
complaining of the Meccans, and showing how the ~;t cording to the Meccans of old time, God should
condition of his followers had bettered since the
Flight.* Ta'if was a':,'alled town, as perhaps its l\,.-
have sent a revelation if He sent one at all. Ghai·
Ian was one of the sages of his time, whose adages
name signifies; situated in an oasis of sweet water ,i,., had so pleased a Persian king that a royal architect
and fertile soil; not more than thirty-six hours' jour- :r.'
had been sent to build a fort for him at Ta'if.t
ney from Meccah. t It lies in a plain surrounded by ,..
U;/'

~~, ,~ Before the siege was over they were back, with some
mountains in horseshoe form, with the opening fac- f knowledge that proved of service: though we know
ing the east. These mountains are diversified by not why J urash should have been the school for this
little valleys descending to the plain, which all round sort of learning. Against Malik, son of 'Auf, the
the city is divided into gardens. Fruit trees of unsuccessful leader at H unain, they closed the gates.t
fourteen kinds are enumerated by Tamisier as cul- His castle, which lay not far off, was destroyed by the
tivated in the orchards: but the cultivation of the ., ,. Prophet, and he was presently forced to become a
vine gave Ta'if the greatest celebrity in ancient Moslem.
times; the raisins made from them looked like flasks
* Me., ei" Bag/ldader Sillmbild. 48.
* Mus1tad, iv., 343.
t Visited by J. Hamilton. Tamisier. and Doughty. • i *t Isabah, iii., 377.
So Wakidi. But Ishak, 879, 1mts him at Ta'if•
 o

Mohammed The Tak£ng of lI1eccah

(
The Prophet's course to Ta'if is thus given: breach in the enemies' walls; but the Thakafites
Nakhlah Yamaniyyeh, Karn, Mulaih, Buhrat al. burnt it over the soldiers' heads by a shower of red.
Rugha, then a road called the Narrow which the r; hot iron bars; and then took aim with their arrows
Prophet after his fashion renamed the Easy; then • at the Moslems as they fled out of their untenable
Nakhb. Of these places Karn (or Karn al.Manazil) cover. That day was called the" day of the sword,"
is marked on Doughty's map: it is there at the head and was indeed notable: hitherto the Prophet's
of the curve which the road, directed by the wadis, forces had met with no power of self-defence; the
follows, going first directly to the north, and at Thakif showed that prosperity and wealth might be
this point turning round to the south, towards Ta'if, r , accompanied by some knowledge of war.
which lies to the east of Meccah. Mosques were How long the Prophet persisted in the siege is not
founded by him or by his followers at the places known; the accounts vary between twenty and forty
at which he alighted during his route. He entered days. The classical expedient of promising liberty
the horseshoe plain wherein Ta'if lies, and destroyed to slaves who joined him brought him a score of
some of the plantations. When he found the gates deserters who let themselves down from the wall.*
closed and a determined resistance offered he en- The Thakafites declared that they were provisioned
deavoured to frighten the Thakafites into submission C ~ for two years; which was certainly a longer period
by wholesale destruction of their property. This than the Moslems could afford to wait. The Pro.
was how he had dealt with the Banu Nadir. But phet presently had a dream which sugges.ted that he
the Thakafites were not Jews. was not to succeed this time: this gloomy prognos·
The siege of Ta'i{ marks a great stage in the pro· tication is said to have leaked out through it woman
gress of Islam, in that the Prophet resorted to the who wished to secure for herself the jewels of some
employment of engines of war, the sort of siege artil· c· .. wealthy lady of Ta'if, and was told by the Prophet
lery which was in usc before the invcntion of gun. that there was no chance of her getting them: and
powder. We arc not told on this occasion (as at the news that the siege was to be abandoned causing
thc Battlc of thc Ditch) who his cngineer was, but serious disappointment, the Moslems were exhorted
by this time hc had bccn joincd by Arabs who wcre to make a final attempt at carrying the place by
acquainted with Byzantinc modes of warfarc, and storm: in which they were again repulsed, and Abu
pcrhaps were cqual to the not very advanccd mechan. e ~ Sufyan's conversion was confirmed by the loss of
ical knowledge requisite for a first attempt. Accord· one of his eyes. The Moslems no longer objected
ing to the plans of these persons a wooden shed was to the order for retreat; and the brave resistance
built, similar to those under which the Romans had of Ta'if even extorted some compliments from
been accustomed to advance in order to effect a * On these slaves see /sabah l iL, 7I7.

• .&
 Mohammed The Takz'ng of Meccah

Moslems whose nature had not been changed entirely not been killed), the Prophet had, on divine author.
by the new religion. ity, declared that marriage is annulled by captivity.
The resistance of Ta'if, coming at this period of The older followers of the Prophet readily eonsent e4
Islam, was of no permanent importance. But it" ~, to sacrifice their slaves and concubines: the newer
showed that if other fortresses had yielded with I converts, anxious to taste the blessings of the re-
1 ligion they had adopted, kept a tighter hold on their
scarcely a blow when the Moslem members were still .i
few, it was because there were no men behind them. prizes: which however they were induced to give up
Meceah had had plenty of time to prepare for a on the promise of a large share in the next booty
sieg&, and might have made common cause with which the Prophet could secure. '
Ta'if, if Abu Sufyan's party had been in earnest. With regard to the property of the Hawazin, about
The Pl'Ophet with excellent forethought had kept the division of which there was to be no question,
the spoils of H unain undivided: they were stored the Prophet took a hint from the willingness of the
at Ji'irranah, some dozen miles from Meccah, doubt- Medinese to sacrifice their worldly advantages. To
less under good custody. The folly of the Hawazin them he gave nothing: instead he bestowed enor-
in bringing their families and possessions to the mous gratuities on his former enemies, the chieftains
battle·field caused the plunder of Hunain to be pecu- C of the Kuraish, such as Abu Sufyan and his sons,
liarly rich: therefore although the Prophet would and the Banu Sulaim who had won the battle for him.
have gladly seen it merged in the spoil of Ta'if, there "While persons who had no faith were given one
was enough to allay discontent, and cause the failure hundred camels apiece, others who were acknow-
of the siege to be forgotten. Yet the whole of this was ledged to be the salt of the earth were told to find in
not to go to the conquerors. The defeated Hawazin faith its own reward.* Nay, even the leader of
had meanwhile decided to be converted, and sent ~" the Hawazin, Malik, son of 'Auf, was offered one
to Ji'irranah to announce their reformation to the "" hundred camels if he would turn Moslem: and the
Prophet: with the request that, as they were now brave warrior was persuaded and joined the fold.
Moslems, they might receive back their families and The Prophet confessed with naIve frankness that
their goods. Obviously they c0111d not have both: these presents were meant to confirm the new con-
and being given their choice they preferred their verts in their faith; as we have often seen, he never
women and children; there being some question troubled himself about the motives which produced
whether the Moslems would consent to part with C conviction. The motives which dictated this strange
this valuable half of the plunder: the more so, as in policy are hard to fathom: ill-gotten gains are con-
order to quiet the consciences of those who hesitated sumed too quickly for us to suppose that he h(l?ed
to violate the married women (whose husbands had * babah l \., 688.

.> ,,
.!;
()
 t .~

408 Mohammed The Taking of Meccah

".
1·'1, '
to win the permanent gratitude of his former ene- ~. ,
they will go home with the Prophet of God. So the
mies by such bribes: perhaps the sour faces with Prophet, not for the first time, paid words instead of
which the Kurashites met the members of the gold and silver, and had no difficulty in passing this
Prophet's family made him devise a plan for saving .. ) coin. Gmar indeed was near, ready to behead any
his relatives from annoyance ,x'; perhaps he thought one, friend or foe, who charged God's messenger
it all.important to impress the Meccans with the with injustice: but God's messenger had no real
magnificence of his gifts, as he had impressed them occasion for his services. Malik, son of 'Auf, turned
before with his regal state: and this, he knew, could out to be well worth the buying: for he harassed
safely be done at the expense of the Medinese-as his former allies the Thakif as unremittingly as Mo·
indeed some professed to be convinced of his divine .. 'hammed himself had raided the Kuraish.
miss.ion by his lavish munificence, which exceeded all The visit to Meccah which had been accompanied
human performance 1'; and casual visitors to Medi. with so many vicissitudes was terminated by the
nah were treated so handsomely that they could Prophet going through the ceremonies of the lesser
promise their tribesmen independence for life if they pilgrimage, Afterwards, 'Akib, son of Usaid, was
became Moslems. *
The Medinese indeed felt they appointed governor of Meccah at a salary of a dir·
,., hem a day: this was the first permanent civil ap·
were not fairly treated, and their indignation found •
voice: which led to a scene of the sort beloved by pointment made in Islam; at Khaibar, the only
the theatrical, in which the quarrels of lovers lead other city of importance which the Moslems had
to the renewal of love. The Prophet summons his captured, the local government had been left. Be·
faithful "Helpers" and laments that they are dis. sides the governor a spiritual officer was left, Mu'adh,
satisfied with his conduct. The thought that any son of Jabal, a native of Medinah, in whose com-
words of theirs have given the Prophet pain banishes 4 ,'> petence to teach the new religion the Prophet had
from their hearts the memory of their wrong: the confidence. He is said to have been a man of
Helpers declare that they owe everything to the attractive appearance, and free-handed: the latter
Prophet, and the Prophet gladly acknowledges that virtue had at one time brought him into the bank.
he owes everything to them. Tears flow copiously ruptcy court.* Both these men were under thirty
on both sides: and the deputation leaves the sacred years of age. After thus settling the affairs of Mec.
presence with the proud thought that they are • ., cah, the Prophet went home, followed by the portion
coming off with a greater prize than their new allies. of the booty of Hunain which he had reserved.
If the others take home with them sheep and camels, * This expression is not inaccurate. Mohammed, to whom the
creditors applied, was requested to hand Mu'adh's person over to.
* llfllsnad, i" 207.
them: instead of this he collected enough to pay them a dividend of
t Jdht'::, lJIisers, qo. 1: Afusnad, iii., 108.
l.-Ibn Sa'd! If., ii" 123 ..

"!I'
 f '. !

The Settlement of Arabia 41 t

Bedouin poet of great and deserved celebrity: of

the verses ascribed to these early bards those which
bear his name are of the highest quality; for they
~ embody many a wise and noble sentiment. The
son, like other rhymesters of the time, had employed
some of his energy in lampooning Mohammed, and
taunted his Moslem brother with following a system
CHAPTER XII of which their parents had known nothing. Arabia
was quickly becoming too hot to hold an idolator,
TIlE SETTLEMENT OF ARABIA
• " and the poetic gift might be turned to profitable ac·
count in the services of the new monarch. At Me-
HE return to Medinah ,x- was probably somewhat
T in the nature of a triumphal entry, and, as has
been seen, Mohammed had reserved some of
. :;
dinah he was directed to where the Prophet sat (or
squatted) in the centre of a throng; round him were
a series of ever-expanding circles j listening with
the plunder of Hunain for display on this occasion,
bated breath to his wise utterances. To the very
lest the victory should appear barren or ambiguous.
,~ centre of this audience' the poet found his way and
Medinah was now in the position of the capital of an t
recited his apologetic ode-containing some loud
empire - sending out rulers to subject tribes, and
praise of the Prophet and. the Refugees, some hid-
tax-gatherers to collect tribute. Moreover the pro-
den sneet:s at the He1pers.* The Prophet bade the
spect of the subjection of the heroic Thakafites had
audience listen, and when the poem was concluded
brightened, as before the Prophet had reached his
:: accorded the poet forgiveness, with a request (easily
home he received the submission of 'Urwah, son of
U '0 granted) that he would compose some verses in praise
Mas'ud, one of the pair whose ability had saved ~
\ of his Medinese friends.
Ta'if from storm. What can have occurred to
Although this poem counts as one of the classical
make this man change his mind so quickly we know
compositions of Arabia, its beauties were very likely
not; his townsmen were for the moment less fickle ,
lost on the Prophet, who, however, was not unwilling
for when he returned to Ta'if expecting his example
to be shown how the land lay. The poets had be.
to be followed without hesitation, he was unde.
fore this given him considerable trouble. In nomad
ceived: a shower of missiles ended the turncoat's.,
life. '. '" Arabia they were pa.rt of the war equipment of the
tribe; they defended their own, and damaged hostile
Another visitor to Medin~h about this time was
the poet Ka'b, son of Zuhair. His father was a * This suggests that the dispute recorded above had attracted
" Dhu'[·Ka'dah 24, A.H. 8: identified with March ,6, A,D, 630. attention.

410
 f ~.

'h
',,-
4 12 Mohammed .'
. f" The Settlement of A rab£a 4 13
i
tribes, by the employment of a force which was 1.1
, , contribute: nor do the Jewish codes appear to
,
supposed indeed to work mysteriously, but which in assess it, * though the modes in which it can be given
fact consisted in composing dexterous phrases of I, ;
I,
·and the purposes to which it can be applied are.
a sort that would attract notice, and would conse- tJ ·clearly defined: and it is assumed that officials will
quently be diffused and remembered widely. The be appointed whose business is to collect the Alms.
attraction to Medinah of poets who had no con- The]ewish Alms resembled therefore the Christian
nection with the tribes who had given the Prophet informal collections, and while the Moslem com-
shelter showed that it was coming to be recognised munity embraced a modest number of persons it was
as the residence of a sovereign who had it in his recommended rather than enforced: and when the
t
power to reward dexterous encomiums of himself. ,.Prophet declared that" true charity would not be
Ka'b, the son of Zuhair, was the first of the legion of attained till men spent of their favourite posses.
poets who haunted the courts of the Moslem mon- sions," the valuable gifts which that aphorism called
archs, and by whose efforts the Arabic encomium forth all came under the head of "Alms." Abu
became a rather remarkable work of art: and the ex- Bakr is said to have" given in Alms" all that he
ample which he set of veering with every wind was possessed: Othman, son of 'Affan, redeemed some
also not neglected by his followers. f" "serious shortcomings by his liberality in alms.giving.
When the Arabs hastened to accept Islam they But the idea of enforcing Alms as a yearly tribute
were apt to overlook one portion of its require. appears to belong to the period when the necessity
ments, viz.: the regular payment of a tax, called by for organisation of the state on some sort of financial
a euphemism Alms. The stages by which the Alms basis had arisen; when money was wanted, and the
had reached the character of a tax cannot now be expedient which had till now been employed, rob-
traced: it began without doubt in voluntary eontri. ec '" bery of Jews, was no longer available, owing to the
butions which the wealthier members of the com. ,II
] ews having all been either massacred 01' despoiled.
munity were desired to provide for the support of '~ Experience had shown the Prophet that the new
the poorer members: and indeed the names for the converts were much more anxious to receive than to
institution seem quite certainly Jewish terms, of give: lavish presents had been deemed advisable in
which one signifies" righteousness" and the other the case of the Meccans to induce them to remain
"merit," but of which the former even in biblical. ':> faithful to Islam. There was, therefore, no prospect
times had a tendency to signify" alms-giving." In of the new accessions offering to contribute of their
the Koran, however, as in the Bible, alms-giving is ·own account: the idea of imposing a contribution
rather recommended as a virtuous act than definitely upon them in the form of a tax appears to have
assessed as an amount which each believer must * cpo Saalschutz, Mosaisclus Rtcht, 284<
 ~ I

1I1olzammed The Settlement of Arabz'a

!.J
originated with Abu Bakr, who at the commencement ~; upon sent a deputation to the Prophet, containing
of his Caliphate made the refusal to pay it a ground 'i
,j
their ehief orator, 'Ut arid son of Hajib, and their
for war; it is said, against the opinion of Omar, who _ :;, _~hief poet, AI.Akra', son of Habis. They probably
however eventually accepted this doctrine. Abu'- .,:: despaired of gaining any advantage over the Moslems
Bakr was quoted in after times * as the possessor of in the field: but the difference between the shafts of
a code drawn up by the Prophet, which went into the quiver and those of the mouth was ill under.
the details concerning contributions in kind and '" stood by the Arabs, and they hoped to compensate
afterwards became the law of Islam. The assess- .,, for their inadequate equipment for actual warfare
b:;,
ment which eventually prevailed makes the contri.. ,,
.by outboasting the Prophet; and indeed they are
bution on each sort of produce amount to about f ~aid to have summoned the Prophet with a certain
one fortieth (two and a half per cent.), although in ;'1 amount of brusqueness to a boasting.match. The
.~:!
the case of contributions in kind many special regu. Apostle of God naturally declined to enter the lists
~":i himself: if nothing else had prevented him, his remin.
lations enter: a camel is in general made the equiva. ~I:

lent of ten sheep, and one sheep of twenty dirhems. "

iscences of similar matches at Meccah were not alto.
I t is not probable that this tariff was settled till , gether encouraging: but he had his champions ready:
a variety of experiments had been tried. .- '~ "the poet Hassan, son of Thabit, whom Mohammed
Early in the ninth year Bishr, son of Sufyan, went ~ had taken pains to conciliate after he had been justly
to the tribes Khuza'ah and Tamim to collect the , punished, and the orator Thabit, son of Kais. With
•i these allies he had no hesitation in letting the old.
Alms. The Banu Ka'b, a clan of the former, allowed 1-
their contribution to be collected: but the Tamim fashioned debate commence. The rival poets and
dissuaded them from letting the collector take it, orators boasted of the achievements of their respect.
and both denied that the religion which they had ~ ('ive tribes in fluent phrase and rolling verse. The
joined involved any such sacrifice. The Prophet, on conclusion however was a foregone one: the Tamim
hearing the news of this insubordination, took rapid would not have resorted to a verbal contest had they
measures to quell it. 'Uyainah, son of Hisn, was had any intention of fighting; nor would the Prophet
sent with a force of fifty Arabs, who practised the have permitted it, except as an act of courtesy.
manceuvre regularly employed on these raiding ex- When the prize compositions had been delivered,
peditions-journeying at night, and hiding during.- "'" the Tamim delegates naturally declared themselves
the day. They succeeded in effecting a consider. . satisfied with the superiority of the poetry and rhet·
able capture of men, women, and children, whom oric which had been enlisted on the side of Islam.
they brought to Medinah. The Banu Tamim there. The prisoners were restored to the Tamimites and
* Nasa'!,. their delegates given the douceur ordinarily granted

•
 .fi

Mohammed ·:·r
,'-,.
The Settlement of Arab£a
infringed in favour of the concubine Mariah, made
a disturbance in which the other members of the
-r . , now numerous harem took her part. The ,Prophet
would appear to have given his word to Hafsah that
he would for the future avoid the society of Mariah:
and having given it, obtained divine permission not
to keep it; his breach of faith with Hafsah being
excused by her having revealed a secret which she
I had promised to keep. Owing to the violent re-
proaches bestowed on him by the members of the
harem, he resolved to quit their society for a whole
month, and even threatened to divorce the whole
set. The harem probably knew him too well to
fear this threat: and the month had not expired
before he made his peace with them; to account for
\ which he produced a half-serious, half-comic revela.
tion;* in which they are assured that the Prophet
would have no difficulty in getting another set of
wives, their equal in every respect, should extreme
measures be necessary. Some of the biographers
reproduce for our benefit the curious scene-the
" Prophet lying in an upper chamber, accessible by
a ladder: nothing but a reed mat separates him
from the floor. Close on a month of domestic
broils has rendered the Prophet haggard and woe-
begone in the extreme. Omar mounts the ladder
in extreme distress of mind and asks the Prophet
"whether it is true that he has divorced his wives.
The Pr~phet, who has now made up his mind,
replies in the negative, at which Omar shouts
"Hurrah!" (" God is mighty") in a voice that can be
* Musnad, vi., 72. * Sttrnl# lxvi.
() o
 o •

4 18 Mohammed The Settlement of Arabz'a

heard over a large part of Medinah. The painful cording to one account the Christian Arabs had
incident is at an end. Another of those domestic prematurely announced to Herac1ius the Prophet's
scenes is somewhat different in character. Abu~ ~
death j whence there would have been no occasion
Bakr and Omar knock at the Prophet's door and for such a levy. Nevertheless the Prophet believed
at first cannot obtain admission. When they are it, and was probably anxious by a brilliant victory to
admitted they find the Prophet seated gloomily bring into oblivion a variety of troubles that had
silent with his wives around him. They have been accumulated: the defeat of Mutah, the domestic
asking for household supplies which the Prophet disputes, and the unfair division of the booty of
cannot provide. Omar, hoping to cheer the Prophet," ~. Hunain. .
narrates how lu's wife had been demanding money, The effects of thiS last scandal now began to ap-
and he had replied by a sound blow on her neck. pear. The people of Medinah showed themselves
The Prophet, exploding with laughter, explains that unready to join in an expedition of which the profits
his wives were equally importunate. The two friends would 'probably fall to others. Complaints were
wish to try Omar's expedient with their respective made of the season of the year, of distress, and sick-
daughters. This the Prophet does not permit: but ness: the party of the "Hypocrites," began to
he gives his wives the choice of quitting him if thel 'l raise its head, and even a Jew named Suwailim

prefer the present world. Ayeshah declines the had the folly to allow his house to be made a ren-
offer, and the others follow suit.* dezvous of malcontents: with the very natural and
After the conclusion of this trial of forces, in indeed inevitable result that the Prophet sent an
Rejeb of the year 9, t the Prophet summoned emissary to burn the Jew's house over his head j
his followers to arms to attack the Byzantines at the malcontents escaped from the flames not with-
Tabuk. Tabuk is a station on the Pilgrim road/' ~ out personal injury. \Ve are asked to believe that
visited in recent times by Doughty and Huber: it is Abdallah Ibn Ubayy got a fresh opportunity of
half-way between Damascus and Medinah. . In· acting as he had acted at Uhud before: he is said
formation had been brought the Prophet by some to have equipped a force, no smaller than Moham-
Nabata:an merchants that a great Byzantine force med's, to have encamped outside Medinah when the
was assembled there, with Arabian allies of the Prophet encamped, then to have refused to come
tribes Lakhm, J udham, Ghassan, and'Amilah. The" " farther, on the ground that the Moslem force was
report was probably a false one ~ and indeed ac· quite unequal to a contest with the Byzantines.
Unless the discontent at Medinah went far beyond
* lUusnad, iii., 328. all that has been recorded or even hinted' at, we
t Identified with Oct.-Nov.• A.D. 630.
t D(yarbtkri, ii., 136. cannot well believe that the arch· Hypocrite can after
 . ,
. <,;.
42 0 Mohammed 1
.. , .,
The Settlement of Arabia 421
::1 ~-
all that had passed have been still in a position to ing story of the fate of the Thamud from some story-
adopt his old tactics. tellers attached to a caravan: and truly the seed had
Whether Abdallah, son of Ubayy, came to the ~ ~
been sown on wondrous soil. .
front again or not, it is stated that the Prophet used The record of the expedition to Tabuk is charac·
his utmost efforts to collect a force sufficient for any terised by a number of narratives illustrating" Hypo-
emergency, to which end he demanded help from crisy," faint.heartedness, and even desertion on
all the new accessories to Islam: and in equipping the part of the troops. Of the expressions of dis-
the force (said to have reached 30,000) he exhausted l.. belief to which some were hardy enough to give
the money at his own and his friends' disposal. He 1T ~ vent the Prophet soon heard, whether miraculously,
resolved to lead the army himself, and some criti. or in virtue of the system of espionage which had
cism was occasioned by his sending Ali home to take worked so well at Medinah: and according to the
care of the royal household. biographers these were in no case punished, but con-
The expedition was of interest to the Prophet as futed by a series of exhibitions of prophetic power.
leading them past those ruined cities of whose It is further interesting to notice that the Moslems
history the Koran was so full; the rock.dwellings, were deeply impressed with a sense of the greatness
as he supposed them to be, of the Thamud, who, ~ ~ of the Byzantine power, and the idea that to fight
having refused to hear the voice of their prophet, them would be wholly different from fighting the
had been destroyed, their rock.mansions remaining Arabs.
as a monument and a warning. Recent explorers ( Any fears which they might have entertained
have proved that what the Prophet supposed to be were not realised. The rumour which had caused
mansions were tombs: but Mohammed, passing by the Prophet to start on his expedition was a false
this notorious country, could not fail to take some '!' , one: there was no Byzantine army to be met. The
notice of the fact that they were in presence of the Prophet, however, was determined that his march
great theatre of the divine vengeance. The Mos- should not be fruitless, and the plan of imposing
lems were to pass by those deserted habitations , ' tribute on Christians as well as Jews was now
with veiled faces, spurring their steeds: they were matured in his mind. The governor of Ailah, at the
to eat and drink nothing that was to be found there, head of the Gulf of Akabah, whose name, Johanna,
and after nightfall when they encamped they were 'l' " son of Rubah, shows him to have been a Christian,
to keep together. Fables were afterwards invented was induced to undertake to pay a tribute to the Mos-
showing the need for these orders by the fate that lem leader: good authorities tell us * that the amount
befell those who violated them. Many years had came to three hundred dinars-being one dinar or ten.
I
elapsed since Mohammed had first heard the thrill. * Baladhuri,
I 59.
I• I
 i
.,
"

422 Mohammed The Settlement of Arab£a

francs per head. The way was thereby prepared for lands. The rest of their property was left them,
the invasion of Egypt. A couple of Syrian communi. ,I but they were to adhere to the ordinances of Islam,
ties, ~hose of J arba and Adhruh, also sent in their € ., which are here specified as Prayer and Alms i for
allegiance and undertook to pay at the same rate: the collection of the latter certain regulations were
thc moncy was to bc paid cvery Rejeb. From the madc, securing that it should not be unnecessarily
pcople of Makna, being Jews, harder tcrms were de· onerous. Probably the distance of this community
manded: they wcre to pay onc quarter of their pro- from Medinah rendered it impossible for the Pro.
duce. A documcnt was in thc hands of the Jews of phet to impose on its members the necessity of
this place, ensuring their full protcction on condition ~ ... militalY service, and the overpopulated condition
of their paying this proportion of the product of of Medinah rendered it undesirable to encourage
their palms, their fisheries, and their looms, and ad· further emigration thither. His policy with this
mitting the right of thc Prophet to their slaves, outlying acquisition was tentative, and not imitated
horses and mules, and arms. It furthcr informs us by the Caliphs.
that the inhabitants were called Banu Habibah. The time spent over these negotiations is variously
Twenty.five per cent. of the produce meant ten times given at a fortnight or two months. At their con.
the amount imposed on the Moslems as alms. These 11 " elusion he started homeward, with only a moderate
terms are so hard that the document might be amount of gain: the coat, embroidered with gold,
thought to be genuine: yet the signature shows it to of the brother of the prince of Duma, whom Kha-
be spurious-unless, indeed, the agreement was not lid had slain, was the most Important trophy that
made on this occasion. he took home. Omar is macle responsible by some
To a Christian prince, Ukaydir of Dumat al.J an· authorities for the retreat. The Byzantines, he sup-
dal, the biblical Duma, a force was sent under Kha. • ~ posed, had heard of the Prophet's expedition and
lid, who is said to have met the King out hunting, would be prepared for it.
and taken him captive, having killed his brother. Thc homeward journey showed that the Prophet,
The prince appears to have readily accepted Islam, likc other founders of tyrannies, was becoming un·
but the terms made with him and his people were popular. A fresh attempt at assassinating him is
somewhat harsh, as they appear in a document thc supposed to have been made on the way: frustrated,
genuineness of which is attested by its archaic Ian· .. " as others had been, by want of determination on
guage.* All their arms and horses were to be put the part of the conspirators, and by the Prophet's
in the possession of the Prophet, who also elaimed constant vigilance. More serious still was the fact
their fortresses and their unoccupied or uncultivated that Islam had begun to develop dissent: a mosque.,
---- he was told, had been built near Kuba, "with the
* Baladlluri, 61.
 •
Mohammed The Settlement of Arabia 425
I
view of spreading dissent among the Moslems, and i
,I engender in a man of the Prophet's temperament.
helping the Prophet's enemy": and this enemy is The people of Medinah and their new Bedouin allies
further defined as "Abu 'Amir the Monk," the citizen are charged with harbouring Hypocrites: and it also
of Medinah who had embraced monotheism before ~ • appears that the Koran was beginning to give -rise to
the Prophet's arrival, who had becn frightened criticisms of the sort from which the Prophet had
away by the Prophet's religion, who had vainly en. suffered at Mcccah. When a new revelation comes
deavored to cause desertion on the part of the down, the people at Medinah ask each other sal'.
Helpers at Uhud, and who after Hunain had fled castically whether their faith had been increased.
to the Byzantinc monarch to obtain help against Knots of people are found talking and laughing:
the successful founder of Islam. The new mosque ~ ~ and in spite of the most earnest denials, the Pro.
had not been founded with any secrecy and the phet is of opinion that the Koran has provided the
Prophet had been requested to inaugurate it. The niaterials for their amusement. This recrudescence
leader of prayer there was one Mujammi', who had of unbelief was probably due to the Prophet's policy
won fame (and perhaps his name) from his zeal in of "reconciling hearts," i. e., persuading men by
collecting the Koran. But the secret which eked bribes to become Moslems. Persons converted in
out, or the account which the Prophet saw grounds .- .'0. this style are likely to have retained some of their
for accepting, was that this mosque was meant to l' choice sarcasms to communicate when occasion re-
serve as a centre for the followers of Abu 'Amir, i>
quired. There is also one verse in the tirade sug.
'>
when he should arrive with his Byzantine allies: gesting that some of the malcontents disliked the
and meanwhile be the headquarters of a secret plan of living on plunder which was now character.
society whose purpose was to oust the Prophet. istic of Islam, and wished a more honest system to
Mohammed's method with such designs was short " ., be inaugurated. Of the builders of the Mosque of
and effective. Invited for the second time to in. Dissent not sufficient is known to enable us to es.
augurate the mosque, he sent a party of men to timate their purpose correctly. If it was rightly in.
burn it to the ground, and turn it into a dunghill terpreted by Mohammed, it would follow that his
for the future.
example had already deeply impressed the Arabs
Of the rights and wrongs of this affair nothing with the notion that a political movement must be
decided will ever be known: the revelation in which preceded by a religious movement: that the pre.
t-
it is mentioned, and which contains a variety of ~ Iiminary operation necessary for one who would
oracles delivered in connection with the expedition start a revolution is to build a church. The pro-
to Tabuk, is in a tone of bitterness and vexation gramme of these unsuccessful con.spirators is likely
such as disappointment and opposition are likely to to have been a form of Abrahamism-such as Abu

" > - >~

4.26 Mohammed The Settlement of Arabza
'Amir is said to have practised: which he charged from their wives. Meanwhile all three continued
Mohammed with having corrupted. Mohammed practising their devotions with punctilious regular-
retorted that the mosque built for him was on a ( "' ity in the hope that the Prophet's wrath might pass
quicksand, ready to collapse into Hell-Fire. over. And after fifty days it did pass over. A re-
Both at the time when the expedition to Tabuk velation came assuring them of forgiveness. Warm
started and during the course of it there had been congratulations poured in from all sides. In the
many desertions. The return of the Prophet filled enthusiasm of the blessed moment Ka'b was ready
the guilty with alarm, and we learn from the Koran to give away everything he possessed, as a thank-
that the Prophet reserved some of the cases for very £ , offering for his readmission to the society of the
special deliberation. One of these persons has left faithful. When the people of Medinah were child-
us an account of his sufferings, illustrative of the "ren of this type, what wonder that a grown man
Prophet's ways.* Ka'b, son of Malik, was a Khaz- could mould them to his will! Similarly we read
rajite who had received eleven wounds at Uhud, and of others who were kept faithful in moments of ex-
who had earned an estate at Khaibar. He was treme temptation by the fear of being made the
besides a poet whose muse served the Prophet, and -, subject of a text in the Koran.
is even said to have intimidated the tribe Daus into ~ Fortune was too true a friend to the Prophet to
adopting Islam. But he was comfortable at Medi- permit of his success suffering more than a temp-
nah during the hot weather, and through indolence orary eclipse. Shortly after his return envoys came
failed to be ready in time for the expedition, and I
from Ta'if, announcing the submission of the brave
also to join it afterwards. He made a clean breast and stubborn Thakif. The last that has been heard
to the Prophet, who reserved his case with that of of the Thakif was that they had killed their chief-
two others for future revelation: meanwhile neither t ~ tain 'Urwah, son of Mas'ud, for embracing Islam,
','i
the Prophet nor any Moslem would speak to him. . ~: and that Malik, son of 'Auf, their former ally, was
During the time of his excommunication a message proving his sincerity as a Moslem by making it un-
(he stated) came to him from the Ghassanide prince safe for them to go outside Ta'if. Their submis-
in Syria, offering him patronage and protection, if he sion was hastened on by the belief that Mohammed
chose to leave Medinah: but this temptation of the was irresistible; that protracted resistance would
Devil he rejected. Presently a message came from " ~. only ensure their suffering loss, and would in the
the Prophet enjoining on the three delinquents a end be ineffectual. There would also appear to
penance which the Prophet undoubtedly regarded have been a want of any cause for which many of
as a severe one: for a time they were to be parted them consciously cared, and for which they were
* lvluslim, ii., 330. prepared to suffer or die. Their procedure appears
 •
Mohammed The Settlement of A rabz'a
to havc been rathcr morc mcthodical and dignified (the old name for Ta' if) were to be left alone under
than that of their predecessors in submission. A severe penalties. However the Thakafites were to
party of six persons were sent as a deputation to be relieved of the Alms and the obligation to fight:
t
Medinah, drawn from different strata of the popu- .. Mohammed observing that when once they had ac-
lation; a smaller number might, they feared, on cepted Islam they would wish both to pay Alms and
their return fall victims to another wavc of popular to take part in the sacred war. *
feeling. These envoys also when they reached The Thakafites had further stipulated that they
Medinah acted with caution, and endeavoured to should not be compelled to break their own idols.
make terms with the Prophct: they would fain ~ ., So many Moslems were willing to undertake this
have retained the right to worship their idols for a '" ; pious task that the stipulation might have seemed
period of time, and been excused the five daily unnecessary; the two who were finally entrusted
prayers, which many of the converts found exceed. with it were a former priest of the goddess,t Mughi.
ingly irksome; and the washings, which were dis· rah, son of Shu'bah, a Thakafite who had come to
agreeable in their cold co un try'~; and have been Medin,'!l as a convert some years before, and Abu
permitted to take interest, drink wine, and commit _ Sufyan, in whose ability and loyalty Mohammed
certain sexual irregularities. tAbu Bakr and Omar • . was now placing extreme confidence. The goddess
took care that the Prophet did not concede too of the place-a white stone-was possessed of some
much; experience had shown them that Moham. wealth, as might be expected from the prosperous
med, when the main concern had been settled, was condition of Ta'if; it was lodged in a hole half
over-facile about details. Instructions however were a fathom deep, under the stone. :j: Precautions were
given to Othman, son of Abu 'VAsi, a young man taken to prevent the destroyers from becoming the
who was appointed governor as a reward for the de· • -. victims of popular fury, but they turned out to
sire which he evinced to master the Koran, not to be be unnecessary. The women indeed bared them.
too exigent in the matter of the ceremonies of Islam. selves and wept, and even taunted the men with the
The terms granted to Ta' ifwerefarless onerous than betrayal of their goddess; but the Arabs had a doc.
those to which the people of Allah had had to sub· trine that a god should be able to defend himself,
mit. The old sanctuary of the goddess AI·Lat was and they did not interfere with the execution of
to be respected under its new owner.:j: The idah (an • -. the Prophet's orders. The money and jewels of
herb on which camels browse) and the game of Bajj 1 the goddess were taken by Abu Sufyan, who, we
i
* /lfusnad l iii.. 3-D. * Musnad iii" 341.
1
t Wakidi (W.), 384. t Wellhausm, Resle, 3r .
t WeI/hausen, Reste, 30. t Ibid, 3r.
 e

430 Mohammed The Settlement of Arabt"a 43 1

suppose, was accountable for them to the Prophet. Calendar was enforced, thereby causing the ruin of
We are not told in these cases what became of the Meccan commerce, so far as it depended on the Pil.
idolatrous priests who hoped against hope that their grimage and the sacred months: but for the loss
gods would show some signs of resentment: how. ' " they were to be indemnified by the plunder of Jews
ever new converts could easily be put in the way of and Christians, whose place as a tributary caste had
acquiring plunder, whence we suppose that they now been definitely settled. The Prophet was not
earned their living as most of the Moslems at this unaware of the character of these expedients: he
time earned theirs. defended them by a series of charges levelled at the
This year was marked by an important event in
the history of Islam: the first Pilgrimage over which
, persons whom he was now bent on oppressing or
exterminating. The effects of the recent discontent
a Moslem official presided. Abu Bakr was sent to at Medinah are not unapparent.
perform this honourable task: shortly after he had The delivery of the manifesto at Meeeah now led
'!'
started the Prophet remembered that further in. 1!. to a series of embassies to the Prophet, on the part
"'[-I
structions were desirable. A revelation was there. "~
of persons anxious to make friends with the new
,
fore produced, being indeed a manifesto to the ruler of Arabia, or to learn about his system. Petty
Arabs who might gather for the Pilgrimage: and .. princes and governors of tribes or provinces were
Ali was sent post haste to communicate it to Abu eager to obtain confirmation of their rights, and se·
Bakr while there was still time. '" This sanguinary cure possession of the domain ,x, which they had
document t showed that affairs had now advanced appropriated, or possession of domain which had be.
very far: the Arabs were given four months' grace, longed to some god: and since war had been pro-
after which the Prophet would raid them if they did claimed against all who did not accept the new
not accept Islam: and it was announced that after ." • system, men were left no choice but either to come
this year no unbelievers might take part in the Pil. into it, or prepare to fight against it. The icono.
grimage. The crime of keeping people from God's clasm which had raged in Medinah at the time of
house, which had been so serious when the Kuraish the Prophet's arrival spread far and wide, now it
were guilty of it, assumed a different aspect when had been clearly proved that the old gods were in-
the Apostle had the power to perform it. The un· capable of defending themselves or even of tak.
happy notion of the Prophet with regard to the '" ,c ing vengeance on those who broke them. Facts
* In fifumad, i., 3, Abu Bakr is said to have been recalled in or.. which had remained unheeded for generations sud.
der that one of the Prophet's house might deliver it: but this looks denly began to suggest important inferences: one
like a Shi'ite invention. man observed that his god suffered himself to be
t Wellltauuu, Sturz, I4, accepts the ordinary date for this doeu..
ment; Grimme would place it after the taking of Meccah.
43 2 Mohammed The Settlement of Arab£a 433
desecrated by beasts, and declined henceforward to said than done! 'Amir Ibn Tufail talked glibly
worship a deity on whom the foxes staled:* The enough with the Prophet and arrested his attention:
persons who hurry to place their incense on the f' I' ,but his colleague, Abrad, considered the fate. which
altar of success are familiar figures in all ages: and ;t: Mohammed's murderer would undergo at Medinah,
,
many a comedy was enacted at those visits. Some " and the native hue of resolution was sicklied o'er
of the visitors t professed to examine the prophetic with a pale cast of thought. Abrad accounted for
claims of Mohammed with the utmost care: they his cowardice by a miracle: during the interview the
had made out a whole series of questions which the Prophet had become invisible, so that Abrad knew
Prophet must answer satisfactorily or else they r ,not where to strike. To us Charlotte Corday's con-
would have none of him: they required the most duct seems the more miraculous of the two.
positive assurances on one subject and another, that Unlike most of the embassies was that from the
the needs of tender consciences and sceptical in- Christian state of Najran: the one community of
tellects might be satisfied. The Prophet succeeded Arabian Christians of whom traces are left in the
in satisfying even these stern examiners, who were martyrology, and whose sufferings under the temp-
then confirmed in their privileges, or accorded fresh ,_ orary rule of Jews suggested one of the earliest in-
ones j some trying to rob their neighbours by 'spirations of the Koran. A great deputation of those
trading on the Prophet's ignorance of local condi- i persons came to Medinah: they expected, it would
tions.:I: Doughty warriors, who had won fame in appear, that the Prophet would welcome them as
many a fight, came to express their conviction in
the truth of Islam: a poor part for them to play
perhaps, which they endeavoured to lay aside so I co-religionists, and indeed declared that they were
" Moslems": a pretension which Mohammed reo
fused to recognise on the ground of certain doc.

I
soon as the Prophet was gone j but their prowess Q -'trines and practices of which he disapproved. It is
and command of the camel served them in this. sort stated that their spokesman was anxious to argue
of scramble as it had served them in the field. A with him about the nature of Christ: supposing
couple of chieftains bethought them of visiting the /'
doubtless that, since Mohammed accepted the doc.
Prophet, and had arranged that while one occupied " trine of the Virgin Birth, his view of this difficult
3,:
the Prophet with his questions the other should subject would not differ very seriously from theirs;
plunge his dagger into God's messenger, Easier {} "or, if it differed, he might be open to argument.
Mohammed knew enough about Christianity to be
* Isabah, L, IOI2.
aware that much blood had been shed on this con.
t A-fusnad, i. I 264.
tIkd FarM, L, I04. Not all the envoys were cOl1verted-Ibli'
troversy: but instead of arguing, which would have
lJuraid, 236, mentions \Vazar 11m Jabil' in this context, exposed him to very serious disadvantage, he had
.s
 • ' ,
;

,
~

Mohammer.t The Settlement of Arab£a 435

434
recourse to revelation. Some years before, when the Prophet would merely have to send some legions
endeavouring to obtain a refuge for his followers in to Najran, with orders to destroy the persons on
Abyssinia, he had composed a Gospel: with success, whom destruction had been invoked, and the truth
if viewed from the result. All he had now to do was· • of his doctrine would be demonstrated. There were
to reproduce this Gospel, insisting on the points
I
C
persons at Medinah ready to tell them some of
which he was aware that thc Christians of Najran the disasters that had befallen the Jews, who had
would resent. Finally, if this direct communication presumed to maintain for their religion a position of
from God was not found convincing, he was com- independence, and assure them that their submis-
missioned to offer what seemed reasonable terms. sion was necessary, if physical resistance were im-
Each party was to invoke God's curse on himself<T \ possible. The Prophet was secure of a triumph
and all his nearest and dearest if his account of the whether they accepted the challenge or refused it:
matter was not correct. After the receipt of this by re(using it they were spared some bloody scenes.
message the delegates desired a little time for con- Yet the refusal of the Christians to acknowledge
sideration. They resolved that the risk of invoking him left in his mind no less bitterness against them
the curse was too great, and that it was best to sub- than he had harboured against the Jews. He de-
l> clared the Najranites and the Christian Taghlibites to
mit to the tribute. They undertook to supply each'"
year thirty cuirasses and two thousand of the gar- be the two worst tribes in Arabia:* He forbade fast-
ments which were manufactured in their country: an ing on Friday, t doubtless with the view of avoiding
undertaking which would have been made with grim Christian practice. Ali declared that the Prophet
:',
satisfaction had they known that within two years , j i,
had left him private instructions to turn the Christ-
some of their garments would constitute the Pro- ,!::, ians out of Najran. :j:Christians and Jews were, the
phet's winding sheet.* Omar desired to be sent toa .. Prophet declared, to serve as substitutes for Mos-
administrate, but the Prophet preferred the less lems in Hell-Fire. § Isolated converts from Christ.
. ; ""I'
',; ianity to Islam, such as Tamim al-Dari, who came
fanatical Abu Ubaidah.
This is the story told to illustrate the passage to Medinah about this time, received a warm wel-
in Surah iii. in which the Christians are invited to come, and their confirmation of the Prophet's state-
this simple ordeal. Of its truth we cannot be quite ments was loudly advertised. II
sure: but some features in the accounts seem vera-,
cious. If the Christian leaders refused to settle the «. Musmtd, iv., 387.
; 1':
i~ ,; +Ibid., iii., 296.
matter by the process recommended from Heaven, I, ' pbid, i., 87
it was probably because they regarded it as a trap:
\I,
§ Muslim, ii., 329.
UIbid, ii., 380.

..' .l' ..
 Mohammed
Of other visitors there are stories that are in.
teresting, and even touching. Tufail, son of 'Amr,
who had offered the Prophet a refuge in his I

castle, came to Medinah bringing with him a friend~ I

who caught the Medinah fever, and in his pain cut , .

off his fingers till he bled to death.* Zaid of the
Horses, a chevalier known all over Arabia, came ' . l'
.'
with a number of the Tay'ites, heard the Prophet : "

preach, and declared himself a believer. Others of

whose fame Mohammed had heard disappointeet'
, I
him when he saw them: Zaid, whose feet touched
the ground when he rode his horse, came up to his
reputation. Wonderful tales are told of this hero,
called Zaid of the Horses because he possessed many,
whose names he immortalised in verse. He played
in earnest a part like that which Beckwourth playecJC
for sport: always ready for a fight, helping now
one tribe, now another j for the pleasure of war
rushing to the rescue of the vanquished; enriching
the poor with spoil when they begged of him.
Like Odysseus he could send arrows from his bow
through the loops of a strap as unfailingly as if he» .
had inserted them with his fingers. When venge.
ance for blood was his quest, he knew no mercy.
At times he took feigned names, but Zaid of the
Horses could not be disguised. His life was the
aimless career of a Knight.errant, interesting as a
romance, useless and dangerous to any state that.
hoped for quiet development. Mohammed weI.
eomed the famous warrior, gave him of the gold A BEDOUIN ON A CAMEl..
which Ali had sent from Yemen, to the envy of ,I

'* Muwar!, iii., 370.

. .
" .
The Settlement of Arab£a 437
both Refugees and Helpers,'» assigned him lands
and honours, and hoped to direct in serious warfare
.his wasted energies: but saw in him ere he left
" Medinah the taint of fever, contracted by a short
stay in its pestilential air: whence he died before
he reached his home. And his wife, unconverted,
burned the rescript of the Prophet who, claiming to
be sent from Heaven, was less resourceful against
;ickness than the humbler medicine man. And
other deputations of persons, who had intended to
embrace Islam, were frightened off by the death
of some of their numbers.t
The son of another of the Arabic Knights, 'Adi·
Ibn Hatim, also of the tribe of Tay, was brought
into the fold. His father had been a famous hero,
o •and so great was the reflected glory that once
whcn taken prisoner by a raiding tribe he had been
released without ransom.:/: As the Moslems were
gradually forcing Islam on the whole of Arabia,
this man, who was professedly a Christian, fled
towards Syria, having prepared for the contingency,
tlbut waited till the last moment to carry out his
project. A sister of his was taken captive, brought
to Medinah and released by Mohammed, to be sent
as a decoy to her brother, who, not to be outdone
in generosity, could do no less than come to Me.
dinah with an open mind about Mohammed's pro-
~hetic mission, of which a very little experience
was sufficient to convince him. And indeed the
* ll'fumad, iii., 68.
+Isabal', i., 655.
t Ibn Dtlraid, 224-

. .
 ,
Mohammed The Settlement of Arabz'a 439

reasoning of the Prophet seems to have been power- whom they imprisoned first and then crucified was
ful enough. He pointed out (in some form or a solitary example.
other) his intention of spreading a paz Islam£ca r , On the return from Tabuk the Prophet was met by
over Arabia: a bond of religion uniting the whole, messengers from the historic state of Himyar, bring.
firmer even than had been the bond of blood ing a letter in the names of AI-Harith, son of Abcf
uniting the clans: and what then would become of Kulal (in a poet's opinion the second best man in
the trade of such men as 'Adi and Hatim his father, the world*), and his brothers Nu'aim and Nu'man,
who had lived and thrived by raiding? The advan- Kail, or chieftains, of Dhu Ru'ain, Ma'afir, and Ham-
tage that the Christians had enjoyed, by being frce r , dan. These persons had been invited to the faith two
from the institution of the sacred months, had now years before: the wary chieftains waited for fortune
become common to the greater part of Arabia: if to declare herself more decidedly; and when they
therefore marauding was to be done at all, it could were satisfied about it, they made haste to show
be best practised by joining the new power to prey their earnestness by killing and plundering. Their
upon the Christians. The son of Hatim may have letter was conveyed by a man of the clan Ruha,
seen the force of this argument, perhaps faintly, of the Yemenite tribe Madhhij, who appears to
yet effectively: for when, after Mohammed's death, {' ., have been noted for his beauty. Besides the letter
the Arabs rose, hoping to shake off the yoke, he he conveyed some private intelligence, which Mo·
remained steadfast, and sent the Alms. Exile and hammed thanked him for concealing with diligence.
helplessncss had taught him his lesson. For the rest The reply was on parchment, and was entrusted to
this Christian's converse with Mohammed seems to the messenger with four of the Prophet's followers.
have been less on points of doctrine than on sub- It is said to have run as follows:
jects connected with the chase.;{· With his name"
the tradition connects the curious rule that dogs " From Mohammed, God's messenger, the Prophet, to
employed in coursing must have the name of God AI· Harith, son of Abd Kulal, and Nu'aim, son of Abd
Kulal, and AI·Nu'man, chieftains of Dhu Ru'ain, Ma'afir,
pronounced over them; game killed by an uncon-
and Hamdan: for the rest I praise unto you God than
secrated dog is unfit for food. whom there is no other God: next, we were met by your
And so one by onc the Arabs who had been nom· messengers on our return from the land of Rum, who
{
inally Christians became nominally or actually Mos. " met us at Medinah, and conveyed to us your message,
lems. The change in most cases brought no and instructed us concerning your state, and showed
sacrifice: the Byzantinc power was not ordinarily us how you had become Moslems and had slain the
in a position to persecute. The governor of Ma'an
* .J.UUS#llI, ii., 107, 108.
* Ib,Z Duraid, 308.
 •
440 Mohammed
Idolators. And know that God has led you aright
if ye shall do well, and obey God and His apostle,
and be steadfast in prayer, and give Alms, and bestow
out of your booty God's fifth, and the Apostle's share ~
and perqnisite. And the Alms or land produce which
is enjoined on the Believers is a tenth of what is
watered by springs or by rain, and half a tenth of
what is watered by irrigation, and of camels one female
two years old out of forty, and one male two years
old out of thirty, and one ewe for five camels, or two €
ewes for ten. And for every forty head of oxen one
cow, and for thirty a calf of one year, a she-calf or he-
calf, and for every forty sheep a ewe that can feed by
itself: for this is the prescribed alms which God pre-
scribed for the Believers: but whoso adds thereunto it
is well for him. And whoso pays it, and testifies that
he is a Moslem, and helps the Believers against the ~
Idolators, he is one of the Believers, having the same
rights and the same duties as they, and enjoys the pro-
tection of God and of His Apostle. And if any Jew or
Christian become a Moslem, he is one of the Believers, i'
with the same rights and duties as they. But if a man
persist in his Judaism or Christianity, he shall not be • I
,I

made to leave it, but shall pay the Tribute, a dinar of I

full weight for every male or female of mature age,
free or slave, out of the price of the garments which they
r
weave, or the equivalent thereof in garments. And
whoso pays this unto the Apostle of God, he shall enjoy
the protection of God and His Apostle. But he that
withholds it shall be an enemy to God and His Apostle. •
And know that God's Apostle Mohammed the. Prophet
has sent to Zur'ah Dhu Yazan saying: When my messen.
gel's come unto you, I commend them unto you, Mu'adh,
son of Jabal, Abdallah, son of Zaid, Malik, son of 'Uba-
• •
The Settlement of Arabz'a 441

dah, 'Ukbah, son of Namir, Malik, son of Murrah, and

their fellows. Collect ye the Alms and the Tribute from
your districts and bring it to my messengers, so that
r their chief Mu'adh, son of Jabal, shall not return dis-
contented. And next, Mohammed testifies that there
is no God save Allah, and that he is His servant and
Apostle. And know that Malik, son of Murrah, of Edessa
has shown me how thou didst become a Moslem among
the first of Himyar, and didst. slay the Idolators, and
• - know that it is well unto thee, and I bid thee do good
unto Himyar: deceive not neither betray each other; for
God's Apostle is the patron of rich and poor among you.
And know that the Alms is not lawful for Mohammed
nor his family: it is a charity to be bestowed on the poor
of the Moslems and on the beggar. And know that
Malik has delivered his message, and kept his secret,
• - and I bid you to treat him well. And know that I have
sent unto you of the best of my company and of the pious
and learned amongst them, and I bid you treat them
weB, for our eyes arc turned unto them. And upon you
be peace and God's mercy and His blessings."

• The genuineness of this letter is probably beyond

suspicion, and it shows that the Prophet and his
new subjects understood each other very well. The
guidance of God, Paradise, and all other religious
topics are now relegated to a very modest place:
the main thing is the payment of taxes by Believers
and the tolerated sects. Of the pious and learned
• c·
official who is sent the main business is tax.collect.
ing. Other business between the princes and the
Prophet was of too private a nature to be committed
to parchment: the messenger had his instructions,

•
 • •
44 2 Mohammed
but the allusion made to the matter is faint. The
Prophet carefully clears himself of the charge of
having a personal interest in the collection of taxes:
but yet also provides against his privy purse being
t
•
quite neglected.
The public declaration of war delivered by Ali at
the Pilgrimage of the year 9 was thus having its
effect. It might, had there been any man of con-
summate ability in Arabia, have led to a union of t
forces in defence of religious liberty: for what hap-
..
pened at the Prophet's death showed how much the
Arabs appreciated the Prayers and Alms. If how.
ever any persons cared to fight, it was not for liberty,
but for their gods; and Mohammed had certainly
exposed the Arabian deities effectively: their houses
and images had been destroyed, scarcely any of them ~ •
having made even a display of resistance.
In general it was Mohammed's policy not to dis·
turb the existing order of affairs. The chieftains
and princes who gave in their submission to Islam
were confirmed in their rights, and even retained
their old titles: the Prophet merely sent back with C •
them an official whose business was to collect the
Alms, and tribute where there were any Jews or
Christians, and another who was to instruct the new
converts in the principles of Islam, and especially to I
conduct the religious services, and recite the Koran:
These two officials formed the prototypes of the • I
governors still sent out from Islamic capitals to the I ..
provinces. N either of them at first was meant to
reside permanently in the new province. The for-
I!
mer paid annual visits, returning to headquarters

• •
•
The Settlement of Arabz'a 443
when he had goods or money for the capital. Thither
the tribute certainly went, and also the fifth of the
• spoil which Mohammed claimed for himself. The
conditions made by the Prophet rather imply that
the Alms were retained in the province to be distri-
buted there among the poorer Believers. We have
however no authentic record of the mode in which
the distribution was organised.
Some deaths marked this year: that of the
Prophet's daughter, Umm Kulthum, who had after
, her sister's death been married to Othman; and
, . Abdallah, son of Ubayy, who is said to have
: t:
sickened and died shortly after the retreat from
Tabuk. He had however long been harmless, and
, his death now made little difference. A scene
which romancers have tried to reproduce is Abdal-
lah sending for the Prophet on his death-bed, and
even then maintaining a sort of proud independence
in the presence of fhe man who had so often out-
!' witted and humilated him. At the request of his
son,* the Prophet performed his obsequies, not with-
• out expostulation from Omar. Another death which
could not fail to move the Prophet was that of his
Abyssinian friend at Axum, the Negus who had
nursed Islam when it was likely to have been
extinguished.
* i'Vlusnad, iii., 31I.
,
"
 •
I
I
,

CHAPTER XIII
THE LAST YEAR

s the tenth year came to a close the Prophet

A determined to lead the Pilgrimage in solemn
state, and on this occasion was accompanied
by his numerous harcm. "People flocked to Me.
dinah, anxious to imitate the Prophet and do as he 4- ",
did: he startcd on the 20th of Dhu'I.Ka'dah [Feb.
17, 632J, and we went with him,-and I lookcd and
as far as my eye could reach there were crowds
of riders and pedestrians in front of the Prophet
and behind him, and on his right and on his left." 'k
I-Ie took this opportunity of fixing for ever the cere·
monies which, together, bear that name: rites con·
nected with differcnt places, and commemorating
very different events, were all grouped together,
and transferred from whatever may have been
their original purpose to the cult of Abraham and
Ishmael. Mohammed took care that the neighbour.
ing sanctuaries should as far as possible lose their
independent local significance, be brought into close
and necessary connection with the Ka'bah, and be.
* Jabir, son of Abdallah, in M"snaa, iii., 320, Others date the.
expedition some days later.
444
 The Last Year 445
come, so to speak, dependencies thereof j he suc-
ceeded so well that there is no longer a feast of
Arafat, but only of Meccah.~· A solemn address
• r was delivered by him to the assembly, all -of them
Moslems, who were gathered to worship and to be
exhorted. The reproduction of it which his tal·
ented biographer offers can scarcely be regarded
as authentic t j yet the Prophet's sermon may have"
dealt with the same subjects. These are (among
• others) the doctrine of brotherhood of Islam; that
there was an end to the pride in ancestry which
marked the Days of Ignorance, all Arabs who
adopted Islam being equal, or only differentiated
by their piety, and that a wholly new epoch was
started by its introduction. The planets had, he
• declared, come back to the places in which they
were situated when the world began: the world
was to begin afresh, and no pre.Islamic feud was
to be permitted to survive. On the other hand he
had no intention of founding a communistic state,
and urged that property should be respected no
less than life. Something was said of the rights
• of women, and, on the whole, humane treatment
of them was prescribed. That dayt God had com-
pleted their religion; and it must be admitted that
for a great length of time the Mohammedans had no
need of legislators, but only of commentators on the
law which their founder had given them. Those who
• f
wrote the history of that day make the Prophet
* WeI/hausen, Rest!, 70.
t It is discl1ssed by Goldziher, M. S" i., 70-99.
+Musnad, L, 28.

• I>
 •
Mohammed The Last Year 447
prophesy that it might be his last visit to Meccah, Like members of the same body, when one felt pain
and it is known as the" Farewell Pilgrimage." all others must necessarily share it.* With the
While the despatch delivered by Ali in the pre. same idea he recommended fathers to divide their
vious year represented the offensive side of Islam, • . estates equally among their sons, and give no
the sermon at the Farewell Pilgrimage insisted on preference to one.t Raiding (such as is now carried
the aspects in which it constituted a reformation on in Arabia, as the journal of the murdered Huber
of previous conditions. The sacrosanct area of attests) was forbidden; a man who asked whether
previous times was greatly extended, and an earnest he might go raiding with his tribe was told that
attempt made by the Prophet to abolish the blood- the pride of Ignorance was over.t For a time, at
feud. The only cases in which we find him act· any rate, the tribe showed a tendency to sink to
with severity towards his followers is when they the level of those provincial and municipal divisions
carry into Islam the memory of the feuds of former which, though useful for the purpose of organisa-
days j and, as has been seen, the lessons of the Fijar tion, arouse no sentiments comparable in force
war never faded from his mind. But, indeed, the with those of nationality and religion. That society
cross-division occasioned by the brotherhood of is an institution for securing life and property was
Islam left little room for the tribal feud. Murder ~ " naturally a notion which neither Mohammed nor his
within the religious community became a crime followers ever harboured; but the abolition of the
which the ruling authority was bound to punish j tribal unity certainly rendered better government
whereas outside the community it became a mild possible, since an offender could no longer count on
offence with which the Moslem rules had little con- being backed by his natural allies. Moreover, that
cern j it being the business of Islam to attain to a l' without justice the state could not exist was not
degree of strength which would render retaliation ~ " unknown to Mohammed; and he therefore made it
on the part of the outsiders impossible. characteristic of the Moslems that they should
J Hence it may be said that the invention of an prescribe right and forbid wrong.
I. Islamic brotherhood secured a certain degree of The notion that a profound difference existed be-
peace among the Arab tribes. On the sanctity of tween intentional and unintentional manslaughter
that brotherhood the Prophet never ceased to in, appears to have made little way before Islam, ob-
sist, whether in his revelations, or in his ordinary " vious though it would seem to be.
sermons.* Divine punishment was threatened for • Although in cases of the latter sort the Prophet
any act whereby one Moslem injured another.t
* llIusnad, iv., 268.
* Musnad, iv" 66. +Ibid.
+Ibid,. 229. t Isaban, ii.• 6.
 •
Mohammed The Last Year 449
ruled that the slayer be handed over to the avenger master. For the no less important business of tak.
of the slain, he informed the latter that he would ing down" revelations," Zaid, son of Thabit, acted
incur Hell-Fire if he exacted the penalty.«· But for as secretary; on him afterwards fell the duty of
other offences it w?s the merit of Islam that it pro-· publishing the Koran. When these persons were
vided both a system by which they could be checked, not at hand, other educated Moslems took their
and also a code by which they could be judged. place.*
Ever since the taking.of Meccah the Prophet had His last years were brightened for a time by the
worked as hard as ,the most industrious of sovereigns, birth of a son to his Coptic concubine Mary whom
organising expeditions, giving audiences, despatch. he acknowledged as his own, and whom he called
ing ambassadors, dictating letters j besides hearing 0 after the mythical founder of his religion, Ibrahim.
plaints, administering justice, and interpreting the This concubine having been the object of the
law. He worked continuously, allowing himself no extreme envy of his many childless wives, the
day of rest.t Always ready to hear and take advice, auspicious event occasioned them the most painful
whatever the subject, he kept all the reins in his heartburnings; which indeed were speedily allayed
own hand j and till his death managed both the ex. by the death of the child (who lived only eleven
ternal and internal affairs of the vast and ever-grow. Q . i 'months)-it is unknown whether any of them as.
ing community which he had founded, and of which sisted nature. The survival of this child would have
he was both the spiritual and the temporal head. enormously complicated the beginnings of the
In later times a whole hierarchy of deputies was Islamic realm, since its stability was certainly due to
established for the purpose of discharging those the fact that the Prophet's immediate successors
duties j and in the Prophet's time, though no definite were the most earnest believers and the most com.
officer as yet existed, the duties attaching to such I) o petent rulers in the community, and the men who
had to be performed. "Kais, son of Sa'd, son of
'Ubadah," says a trustworthy authority, "was to the
, : had the firmest grasp of the principles by which
the Prophet had won his successes.
Prophet what a chief of the guard is to a Caliph." Besides this event of passing importance the
As political secretary, Abdallah, son of Abu'l-Arkam, Prophet's matrimonial affairs went on as they had
served after the taking of Meccah j though converted done since the battle of Badr had first given him
so late, this man enjoyed the Prophet's complete _. , the means of establishing a princely harem. His
confidence, and was even allowed to answer foreign taste being generally known, and doubtless the sub.
correspondence without showing his replies to his ject of much concealed amusement, tribes that were
* Imlmlt, i., 1000. anxious to gain his favour presented him with the
t Mumad, * Isaban.
'.
vio, 55 (Aycshah).

.. ,-.
 • •
45° Mohammed The Last Year 45 1
fairest of their women, some of whom indeed took retired hopelessly vanquished.* Just as when a
the initiative themselves; though one or two cases child she had, by manifesting abhorrence of the
are recorded in which the Prophet's suit was re- Prophet, riveted his fancy on her, so to the end she
jected.* The history of these persons is given at.. r- • possessed the art of making herself valued. When
;"
length in one of the biographies, but there is little her husband displeased her, she refused him the
in it that repays excerpting. The residence of some title Prophet of Allah; and regularly submitted his
of them in the Prophet's harem was short, owing to . ,
revelations to a searching criticism which would have
unsuitability of temper; in one or more cases the cost an ordinary Moslem his head.
newcomers were taught by the jealous wives of the A more healthy and respectable form of domestic
Prophet formularies which, uttered by them in ignor_ O 'felicity was provided by the Prophet's grandchild·
ance of the meaning, made the Prophet discharge ren, the family of Ali and Fatimah. Like Jacob
them on the spot. One was discharged for declar- "
~ '
of old Mohammed thought of his grandsons Hasan
ing on the death of the infant Ibrahim that had his and Husain as his own sons, and many stories
father been a prophet, he would not have died-a exist to illustrate the Prophet's affection for them.
remarkable exercise of the" reasoning power," t Of ~I
. :,!:. AI· Hasan was said to resemble his grandfather in
the whole number of inmates Ayeshah alone by force G ,j.,

> face more closely than any member of the family;

t
of character and keenness of wit won for herself a f.i when the former prostrated himself in prayer, his
'! iii
place in the political and religious history of Islam. grandchild would mount upon his back; or when
By the Prophet's death she had scarcely reached the Prophet was standing AI. Hasan would plant his
womanhood according to European ideas. But frpm feet upon his grandfather's and climb on to his
the time of her emergence from childhood till her ·1
breast.t At times the Prophet would appear in
death at the age of sixty-six, she exhibited a degree 0 , public with one of the grandsons on each shoulder;
of ability and unscrupulousness which should earn and legend, unaided by art, made the holy family
her a place beside the Agrippinas and Elizabeths of consist of Mohammed, Fatimah, and the two boys;
history. Fatimah and Zainab, the heroine of the in time, when a figure corresponding to the Christian
Zaid scandal, in vain endeavoured to obtain from the Virgin was required, Fatimah could take the place.
Prophet some reduction of her privileges in favour The relations between her and her husband do not
of the rest of the harem; Fatimah was told that she seem to have been of the most peaceful description,
should love the beloved of her father, and Zainab, 0 • and indeed Ali wished to espouse in addition Abu
after an encounter with the. shrewish favourite, Jahl's daughter, much to Fatimah's indignation*; but
*Jbn Duraid, 176. The lady became leprous in consequcmce.
* Muslim, ii., 245-
t A I-Ka... al.Mad/un, 5. t Cf. Mumad, iv., '72. ~ Muslim, ii.. 248.
 .',
45 2 Mohammed The Last Year 453
these disputes did not often embitter Mohammed's profit by their relationship to the great man, and ap·
relations with either, though his wives were naturally plied for posts in the new administration; collector.
jealous of her influence and of her offspring. Born. ~ ship of the Alms was the easiest of their offices, and
at a time when fortune had declared h<:rself in Mo- the one that offered the best opportunities for pecula·
hammed's favour, these pampered princes received a tion. The Prophet, while acknowledging the claims
training which would have fitted them to mount a of his kin to support, did not readily grant such
secure throne, but by no means prepared them for requests,* and appears in no case to have injured his
the r6le of an Augustus or Third Napoleon. The administration by nepotism; nor did he allow his
sons of the bravest of champions, the grandsons of 1 relatives to interfere with the course of justice.t
•
the astutest of statesmen, the one proved hImself a• The deputations form a more important chapter
coward, and the other an incompetent leader; and in the Prophet's biography, and though fact and
they transmitted to their descendants their ill·for. fiction are greatly mixed in the accounts of them
tune, but none of the gifts which adorned the which have reached us, there is no question of their
founders of their line. The Prophet's affection and historical character. The defeat of the Hawazin
his blessings were of no efficacy in their case. had decided the fate of Arabia. After that event
Besides these lineal descendants there were many" " unimportant raids were not indeed unfrequent; but
nephew.,'>, grand.nephews, and cousins often seen the greater number of the Arabian dynasties"or com·
about the Prophet's house; and pleasing stories munities, in all parts of the peninsula, from Yemen
were told of the games which the Prophet played to Bahrain, from Hadramaut to Yemamah, hastened
with them.* But even with his grown·up followers to throw themselves into the arms of the new power.
Mohammed appears at times to have thrown aside It would seem that the boastful chieftains had deeply
the gravity which belonged to his office. A story'" .. ingrained in them the notion that they must be
which appears to be authentic is told of his throwing under some one's suzerainty; for centuries their
his arms suddenly from behind round the head of a suzerains had been Byzantines or Persians; by a
dwarfish convert named Zahir, who was selling goods change of yoke something was probably to be gained,
in the market, and offering him for sale.t One of and perhaps the waking consciousness of nationality
his followers declared that the Prophet was almost made them incline to a suzerain whose language was
always smiling.t The nephews and cousins who e ~ Arabic. Moreover the achievements of Mohammed,
had arrived at manhood were naturally anxious to and the exaggerated reports of his miraculous powers,
* jJIusnad, i. 216.
probably determined many to seek his favour at the
1

t Ibn Duraid, 168. earliest opportunity.

t IIfusnarl, iv., 191. * Musnarl, iv., 166. "tIbid., iiL, 395.
 .- ,
454 Mohammed The Last Year 455
Throughout the correspondence, of which frag. thing better. So" Zaid of the Stud," whose fate
ments are preserved, the Prophet claims the right to has been -described already, found himself renamed
dispose of the whole of Arabia, of Syria, '* and even , " Zaid of the Good"; "the Wolf, son of the - . Cub"
of Egypt. The man whose example Mohammed is .. (Dhuaib Ibn Kulaib) was turned into" Allah's Servo
thought to have followed when he first began to ant"; an "Oppressor" (Zalim) was altered into a
prophesy, the forgotten Maslamah of Yemamah, "Well.doer" (Rashid) j and many a servant of an
hoped that his disciple would be satisfied with half idol was compelled to call himself servant of Allah
the world, and asked, perhaps on the ground of his or of the Rahman. At times this delicacy extended
seniority, for the right to dispose of the other half; 1 itself to the names of places: "Wanderer" from
but in vain. Two prophets cannot exist in the 10 "Straying" was altered into "Directed" from "Direc-
world at once. "The earth is the Lord's and He "
tion" (Rashdan) and the place retained its new name
bestows it on whom He will." Squatting in his poor .r unto all time. Sometimes these alterations were
apartment, with a veil over his face and a palm- not to the taste of their objects: a clan named
branch in his hand, the outcast of Meccah gave and "Sons of Bastardy" whom he wished to rename
took away crowns, granted amnesties, and guaranteed "Sons of Chastity" preferred the title by which
rights, bestowed mines,t forced enemies to remain • " their fathers had been known:" Ordinarily the
at peace, or compelled sluggards to go to war. Each .
visitors were too anxIOUS to secure some 1m·
\ .
day's couriers would seem to have brought messages mediate benefit from their visit to be particular
from places whose names till then no one at Medi. ,I
I about such points. Men who had been partners in
nah had heard. What surprises us as much as any_ I" estates hurried to Medinah to embrace Islam, in
thing is that the same language, and indeed the same
script (with the slightest of provincial variations), • P
1 •
i
order to obtain sole possession.t Recognising that
" the Prophet's assignation had become the only title
would appear to have been current over the whole to property, men hastened to get him to assign them
i
peninsula. We nowhere hear of interpreters being 1
wells.~ Some, distrusting the honesty of the col.
required for either the messengers or messages from lectors of Alms, gol;, letters from the Prophet, secur·
the distant communities who were now brought into ,. ing them against injustice. §
touch with the Sanctuaries. The Prophet's letters were now known to be I
Many of the visitors' names which were redolent • :> documents of terrible seriousness. If any disrespect
of paganism, or were otherwise displeasing to the
Prophet's delicate ear, were altered by him to some- * Isaban, i., 70I.
* balJlzh, iv., 401 ; Ibn DlIrm"d, 226. t I6Id., i., 994.
t .Musnad. i., 306. t I6Id., i., t054; I6n Durald, 113.
§ Musnad, i., t64.
"
"j'

·1:
• I"
 . .
45 6 Mohammed The Last Year 457
were shown them, it was speedily avenged. To of Marwan, he punished an offence with banishment
Ru'ayyah, of Suhaim, the Prophet wrote a letter, to the charming city of Ta'i[; the nature of the
with which Ru'ayyah patched his water.skin. The , offence is not certainly known; but if it really con·
Prophet sent a force which captured his children and .- sisted, as is asserted, in intrusion on the privacy of
all his possessions. He came to Medinah, accepted the Prophet, the penalty was not severe. When a
Islam, and begged that his children and his man was caught in open treachery, holding private
goods might be restored. The latter had al- communication with the Prophet's enemies, the lat.
ready been divided, but he was allowed to rescue tel' refused to do any serious mischief to one who
the former. Whether this particular story be true , had shared the perils and the glories of Badr. On
. IS
or not, It . a type 0 f many actual events. From • the other hand, his ruling in the case of the Jews
the time when the Prophet first governed a state, he that adultery must be punished by stoning led him
never let an insult remain unavenged. to cause this barbarous penalty to be inflicted on
The last of the deputations was that of the Banu occasions when he would probably have desired to
Nakha', received in the first month of the eleventh be less severe, and even suggested to the culprit to
year, and said to consist of two hundred men: their perjure himself.* He is said to have crucified one
home was in Yemen. " offender,t it is uncertain for what. The penalty of
I If the Prophet's extraordinary success had cast death was also exacted by him in the case of a man'
something like a spell over the whole of Arabia, and who, after pagan usage, married his father's widow.~
subdued the pride of champions who had never reo In two cases of theft on the part of Moslems he
cognised authority before, we may be sure that to carried out the horrible penalty of hand.cutting,§
the persons in his immediate neighbourhood, who which his code retained probably rather than intro.
had been able to watch his progress, the supersti. - , duced,11 and which was clearly not to his liking" ;
tious reverence which attached to his person knew and one of the heroes of Badr ** even was repeatedly
no bounds. The occasions, therefore, on which he , :; beaten for drunkenness, against the wishes of Omar,
had to punish anyone who had adopted Islam who would have exacted a severer penalty. A man
were exceedingly rare: and except in the case of found drunktt on the day of Hunain was by the
Moslems who had avenged on other Moslems in- *' Uyun al-aMbar, 95.
juries which dated from the Days of Ignorance his • > t Ibid., 94·
punishments were extraordinarily mild. Recognition t Mumad, iv., 292.
of his prophetic claim was to the end a sort of § Isabah, iii., 792; Musnad, iii., 395.
I Balhaki, Mahasln, 395.
incense whose perfume never staled. ) In one case, , M1t.snad•. iv., r8I.
that of Al-Hakam, the ancestor of the. future dynasty **Isabah, ii., 823. tt lflusnad, iy.. 88•

•
 ...
Mohammed The Last Year 459
Prophet's orders beaten with all available instru- which were connected with old superstitions were
ments, while the Prophet himself pelted the offender swept away by him with other institutions of
with clods. In dealing with enemies he often showed
what may be called a good heart: violent orders
.. paganism. No more was a dead man's camel to be
> tied to his tomb to perish of thirst and 'hunger. *

given in the heat of passion were retracted after a No more was the evil eye to be propitiated by the
little reflection; the tradition records how he ordered blinding of a certain proportion of the herd. No
some enemies if caught to be burned, but remem· more was the rain to be conjured by tying burning
bered in time that it was the privilege of God to torches to the tails of oxen and letting them loose
punish with fire. The Christian Arabic kings had e among the cattle. t Horses were not to be hit on
been less scrupulous, * and the nineteenth century , the cheek:j:; and their manes and tails were not to
had begun before all Christian nations had attained be cut, the former being meant by nature for their
to this degree of humanity. The one case on re- warmth, and the latter as a protection against flies. §
cord in which Mohammed exercised ingenious Asses were not to be branded or hit on the face. I
cruelty was where a tribe had sent for missionaries, Even the cursing of cocks" and camels ** was dis·
on the pretence that they were adopting Islam, and couraged., When a woman vowed to sacrifice her
had murdered these missionaries on their arrival. .. ., camel if it brought her safely to her destination,
The culprits, when caught, were indeed barbarously the Prophet ridiculed this mode of rewarding the
tortured. It cannot be denied that there had been beast's services, and released her from her vow. tt
provocation. His principle was however averse to To the same genuine humanity we may ascribe
such practices; and many a horror was afterwards the one innovation of Islam which ordinarily re-
prevented by the knowledge that mutilation and ceives praise even from its enemies: the abolition
torture were forbidden by the Prophet.t " ;
, of the practice of burying girls alive. The tradition
/" His humanity even extended itself to the lower cre- records the thrill of horror with which the Prophet
ation. He forbade the employment of living birds heard the recital of a man who had covered with
as targets for marksmen :j: ; and remonstrated with earth a girl whom her mother, owing to the father's
those who ill.treated their camels. When some of * Hariri, Mak., xxxiii.
his followers had set fire to an anthill he compelled t Ba/haki, Mahas., 441.
them to extinguish it. § Foolish acts of cruelty • t Musnad, iv.• 131.
§ Ibid., 183.
* Ibn Duraid, 230. I Mumad, iii., 323.
t Musnaa, iv., 292. 'If Ibid., U5·
i Ibid., i., 273. ** Ibid.. 420.
§ Ibid., 396. tt Ishak, 72.. Preserved Smith adds some more examples.
t
j
~ ~.
 ••
Mohammed
absente, had ventured to save and bring up. Our
sources do not tell us within what limits this prac·
tice prevailed: some of the arch<eologists confined .-
it to particular tribes, whereas from the Koran we
should imagine that the fate of each daughter born
hung in the balance. On the other hand one of the
women who adopted Islam at the taking of Meccah
indignantly repudiated the charge of infanticide.
Though modern political philosophy would view the ~
practice with less severity than Mohammed, regard-
ing it as not the most cruel solution of an apparently
hopeless problem, recognition is due to the human-
ity which promptcd the prohibition, both in raising
the estimation of the weaker sex, and in hedging
human life round with additional sanctity.
For the latter Mohammed's system otherwise ac- -
complished little: but for the female sex it certainly
achieved much, and there too it is best to hush
the voice of sentiment and treat his rules and in.-
novations as an attempt to grapple with a hopeless
problem: hopeless in the sense that no community
of any magnitude has ever found a blanket (to •
use Isaiah's image) that will cover the whole frame.
The seclusion and veiling of women were, as Muir
has well observed, a direct consequence of poly-
gamy and facility of divorce. Polygamy is itself
an attempt at solving a problem which Indo-Ger·
manic nations solve by harbouring prostitution. _
In the latter system a portion of the female popula-
tion is wholly degraded, in the former the whole -"".
female population is partially degraded. . If by
the introduction of the veil Mohammed curtailed

• <"
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The Last Year

women's liberty, he undoubtedly secured for them
by laws the rights of inheriting and holding prop-
erty, which under the older system were precarious.
• And though wife-beating is recommended in the
Koran, the Prophet himself quite certainly never
practised it *; and is said to have forbidden their
being beaten on the face, or reproached except in-
doors. t On the other hand he deprived them of
the power to repudiate their partners at pleasure
• (by altering the direction of the tent), while retain-
ing this right for the men. t The abolition of slav-
ery was not a notion that ever entered the Prophet's
"mind, and we are too near the date of its abolition
in Christian countries to be able to make this a
reproach, Some of his regulations in the matter
• were humane: the parting of a captive mother
from her child was forbidden, and threatened with
an- appropriate punishment in the next world:
those who committed the crime would there "be
parted from their friends. § The parting of broth-
ers when sold was similarly forbidden. [IOn the
other hand the parting of husband and wife was
permitted: captivity ipso facto dissolved marriage;
and the captive wife might at once become the concu-
bine of the conqueror. On the whole however the
Prophet did something to alleviate the existence of
captives. At the Farewell Pilgrimage he is said to
• * Musnad, vi., 32.
t Ibid.,iv., 447.
t Perron, Femmes Arabes, 127_
§ Isaban. ii., 252;
I Mumad, i., 98.
I
• i (
!,
 Mohammed The Last Year

have ordered his followers to feed and clothe their had come to be numbered by myriads, the oracles
slaves as they fed and clothed themselves, and if the by which it was to be guided were framed with
slaves offended, to sell them ratherthan punish them.* great care. To his elaborate regulations on inherit-
The scourging of slaves was made by him character. ~ ance some tribute is still paid by those who in India
istic of the worst of men t; manumission was al~o administer the law according to them: he has left
declared by him to be an act of piety, and many an out no member of the family who can have any
offence might be expiated by the setting free of a equitable claims, and, so far as his arithmetical
neck. A Himyari chief is said to have freed four knowledge went, endeavoured to settle those claims
thousand slaves at the Prophet's request. 't A sys. fairly. But it was rarely that the machinery of reo
tem was further encouraged by which slaves might ' velation was employed. More ordinarily the ques-
contract for their own manumission, and assistance tion which had to be settled admitted of an answer
of such persons with presents was regarded by the which the Prophet's common-sense could improvise:
code with favour. When a man died without heirs, there were persons who eagerly noted his ruling,
but leaving a slave, the slave was manumitted by which became a precedent for the guidance of magis-
the Prophet, § and received the inheritance. His trates. If the traditionalists are to be believed-
l~st words according to one account were an injunc- e and their theory is in the main likely to be correct-
hon to treat concubines with mercy. II A man who there was no detail of conduct too trivial to be made
shared one slave with seven brothers, and had cuffed the subject of an appeal to the Prophet, much of
the slave, was made to manumit him"; and mur- whose time, when he was not organising or ex-
der or maiming of slaves was to be punished by ecuting campaigns, or receiving embassies, must
retaliation. ** have been occupied with the funetions of judge.
Some of the legislation which was rendered neces- _ Where his own kin were concerned, he did not
sary by the occurrence of difficult or doubtful cases escape the charge of favouritism, often brought
. was embodied in the Koran: even at an early period, against him by followers who thereby incurred serio
as we have seen, the revelations were the result of ous rebuke: but where they were not concerned,
protracted deliberation, and when the community such judgments as appear to be faithfully recorded
* Afusnad, iv" 37-
exhibit the shrewdness and fairness which might be
f JaMz, Misers, 182. expected. Though he declared his system to be
t Ib" Duraid, 308,
§ Musnad, i., 221.
• brand new, he was doubtless under the influence of
custom in his decisions.
I Ibid., 78.
, Ibid., iii.. 447. But amid all the duties of general, legislator,
** Ibid., V"~ 18. judge, and diplomatist, the Prophet did not neglect

•
 •
Mohammed The Last Year
those of preacher and teacher: his advice was de· a rib; if you try to straighten her, she breaks. *
manded on· all possible questions, and the occasions However old a man be, two things about him retain
were few on which he failed to give it. Certain su b· • their youth: desire for money and desire (or life. t
jects were indeed forbidden: questions that savoured • Asked what God likes best, he used to reply, that
of metaphysics or rationalism were excluded; the in which a man persists though it be slight. Being
Prophet holding (perhaps rightly) that suc~ ?ad told that a woman had vowed to make the pilgrim.
been the occasion of infinite mischief to the rehglOus age on foot, he declared that God could do well
systems that had preceded his. A rather· fantastic without His creatures undergoing voluntary tor-
eschatology is indeed ascribed to him in the tra· ment.:j: "When you boil your meat use plenty of
•
dition, but Parsee influence is very conspicuous ••
111
• water, so as to get broth in quantity even if you do
this and the bulk, if not the whole, may safely be . not get meat." § Being asked at a time of scarcity
asc:ibed to some professional inventor of tradition. in Medinah to regulate the price of provisions, he
Although his early threats of the approaching ~nd replied that God only could fix the prices. II
of the world must have been partly forgotten durmg A whole series of aphorisms is probably with jus-
these eventful years, he appears to have maintained tice ascribed to him, in which he recommended
the belief in a modified form: asked at Medinah ,. • economy, and warned against lavish generosity.,-
when the end of the world was coming, he said that The upper hand is better than the lower (i. e., to be
a boy named Mohammed might, if he lived, witness ,, creditor is better than to be debtor). Waste. of
it before he was an old man.* Among the numer· ,
money is to be avoided no less than idle loquacity.
ous sayings ascribed to the Prophet we sho~ld Charity begins at home. The best alms' are such
probably regard those as most likely to be genume , as leave wealth behind. These aphorisms are the
which are characterised by shrewd common·sense.," ~ more remarkable, because he himself was never able
A man intending to marry requested the prayers of to hoard money, and died in debt.
the Prophet that he might find a good wife. TI~e
Prophet told him that marriages were made 111
heaven and that his prayers, even though backed
I The journey from Medinah to Meccah which has
been previously described appears this time to have
been more than the Prophet's strength could sup.
by Michael and Gabriel, could make no difference. t port; and he is said to have felt signs of ill-health
Men he said are like camels; out of a hundred you
, , . rk () -. * Musnad, vi. , 278.
will scarcely find one fit to ride.:j: A woman IS 1 e t Ibid., iit, 256.
* Mtunad, iii., 270. t Ibid., iv., 143.
+Jahiz, lIIllhasin, 218. I: § 7ahiz, .lllisers, 12.
ft Musnad, iii" 85.
t AfuSJ1tld, iL, 7. ,.
.0 . Misers, 201,
Yahi~l
 .' The Last Year
Mohammed
immediately after his return, News also reached have the advantage of having her obsequies per.
him of risings in South Arabia, which however did formed by the Prophet of God; to which she re-
not come to a head till after his death; and he de- #' torted that he would also be able on returning to
~ install a fresh bride in her place. He then spent the
termined to organise an expedition against the
Byzantines in Syria in order that the defeat of night restlessly wandering over his harem till he col-
Mutah might be wiped out. As leader of this ex- lapsed in the chamber of Maimunah; whence he
pedition he chose the son of Zaid, Usamah, a proper begged to be transferred to the chamber of the
person to avenge his father's death, yet in the opin. favourite Ayeshah. Thither he was carried, in a
ion of the Moslems unsuited from his age , which ., high fever, by some of his relations or followers.
was twenty, to command an army destined to fight • Though women are ordinarily doctors among the
the greatest known power. Some criticism of this Bedouins,* and indeed a woman named Ru-faidah t
appointment reached Mohammed's ears, to which he ordinarily treated the wounded at Medinah, male
replied with bitterness. It would appear that his physicians were not wholly unknown in Arabia at
mind became somewhat unhinged because of his this time, and one Harith, son of Kaldah, a man of
illness; at dead of night, it is said, a fit took him to Ta'if, enjoyed a great reputation, and is said to have
go out to the cemetery called Al-Baki', and ask for- 6:> • been called in by the Prophet when his followers
giveness for the dead who were buried there. This were ill:!:; nor is the tradition wholly silent about
indeed he had done before j Ayeshah once followed male physicians resident at Medinah j a Taimite or
him like a detective when he started out at night, Tamimite physician, Abu Ramthah,§ had offered to
supposing him to be bent on some amour: but his remove the excrescence on the Prophet's back
destination she found was the graveyard.* This which was supposed to be the" Stamp of Prophecy."
time he roused his slave or freedman, Abu Muwai.•' • Ayeshah further declared that the Prophet's health
hibah, of whom little is otherwise known, whom he had long been precarious, and that his numerous
bade accompany him to the cemetery j there he visitors from all parts of Arabia used to favour him
raised his hand to heaven and interceded for the with a variety of prescriptions which she used to
dead in a lengthy prayer, after which he congratu- make up.1 But of course the Prophet like other
lated them on being better off than those who re- prophets was himself a medicine man, and was
mained behind. He then returned to Ayeshah who f • accustomed to heal by incantations,,, cauterization,
complained of a headache j he also complained of * Wei/hausen, Rule, 161; Ene, 448.
t Ibn Sa'd II., ii., 7.
one in answer, and asked Ayeshah whether it would
not be better for her if she died first, since she would
*§ Muslim, Ii., r84.
Mumad, iv., 163; cf., iii., 315.
* Jrlusnad, vi., 221, I Ibid., vi., 67, 'If Ibid., iv" 259.
 Mohammed The Last Year
and other approved methods. He had therefore in selled him to go whither his Maker summoned him,
the first instance to prescribe for himself in virtue and to this counsel the' Prophet consented. It
of his office, and demanded a cold-water douche, ~ .. appears to be certain that he fell iII on a Thursday
which was carried out with the aid of a bath belong- and died on a Monday; and that during these last.
ing to one of his wives. The ground for this treat- days Abu Bakr, probably according to his wont, per.
ment was that fever came from sparks of Hell-Fire, formed public worship in his stead. Between the
which might be extinguished with water *; just stroke and his death there mayor may not have
as a cold bath was a remedy for anger, which been a lucid interval; Ayeshah seems to have de.
had a similar source. t The douche would have l> clared that there was none, and thereby to' have
probably been recommended by other doctors of " refuted the pretensions of Ali to have been nomin.
the time, and even now is sometimes prescribed for ated successor'*: but her interest in this question
the reduction of temperature. The exact conse- deprives her evidence of some of its value. Thus
quences of this treatment in the Prophet's case a:e she refused to allow that Ali was one of those who
not recorded; it seems however to have ended 111 carried the Prophet to her chamber.t Moreover her
convulsions and loss of consciousness, from which statements appear
6 . to have been quite inconsistent.
he was aroused after a time by the forcing of some ~ In one account she makes the Prophet lie peace.
Abyssinian drug into his mouth. fully with a cup of water by his side, with which he
The accounts of what happened after the Prophet occasionally moistened his brow-suffering indeed
had been flung on the bed of sickness are for the terribly, but not unconscious.* At one period he is
most part untrustworthy, evidently fictions intended said to have asked for parchment or for" a blade
to support the political interests of rival claimants bone" and ink, that he might write a body of rules
to the succession, or to glorify the Prophet, and.., 1> for the guidance of Moslems; a request which was
make his death, if not the result of choice, at least attributed to delirium, and therefore refused. This
foreknown-on the principle which has already been anecdote appears to be genuine, because it is diffi-
seen at work in the accounts of his defeat at Uhud. cult to conceive any motive which can have led to
And indeed the same man whose advice had been its invention: but we know not why the request
followed on the memorable day of Badr, Hubab, son should have been refused. Another specimen of his
of AI-Mundhir, claimed that on his deathbed too '" I) dying words is a treble injunction, of which however
the Prophet followed his counsel: asked whether the third member was forgotten: the two that ,were
their Prophet should go or stay, the other Moslems remembered .were a desire that all non.Moslems
desired him to remain with them, but Hubab coun·
* Boknari, ii., 185.
tIbid" iv., 226. +Mumad, vi., 32. i Ibid., vi., 34.
.,
 Mohammed The Last Year 47 1
47°
might be hanished from the Arabian peninsula, and whereas, if he named no successor, his kin would
a request"that deputations might be paid according be likely to succeed. * '
to the rate which he had instituted. This, if really . The treatment which the women followed is not
said, was probably said in delirium: for the second € " recorded, and is not likely to have been wise or
precept was too trivial for so solemn an occasion; scientific. The length of time occupied by the fever
and the first (in the spirit of the sanguinary Omar) is also uncertain; but probably it was not more than
was direct~y opposed to the policy which he had five days. There is nothing surprising in a man of -
urged in his most recent dealings, according to over sixty succumbing to a fever. But his collapse
which Christians and Jews were to be left undis- may have been helped by his excesses, or (as many
turbed provided they paid a poll-tax. Another utter- {" " thought) by the poison of the J ewess of Khaybar;
ance which he is supposed to have made was a prayer or by his belief that water could not be contamin-
for assistance in bearing the pangs of death. More ated, whence he drank unhesitatingly from a well
credence attaches to the stories that the pain which that served as a sink; or finally by the anxieties of
he endured was extremely severe and that owing to royalty. Presently,t when Ayeshah was nursing
the fierceness of the fever he could not endure the him, his head sank, and a drop of cold moisture fell
hand of anyone on his person. Nor is it necessary 6 11> from his mouth on the hollow of her chest. The in-
to reject a story that he told his daughter Fatimah experienced nurse took fright, and fancying that he
that she would follow him speedily: for predictions had fainted, called for help; her father coming in
of this sort from dying mouths seem to be attested found the Prophet dead. On Monday, June 7, 63 2 ,
even in these days-whatever may be their psych~ the curtains were drawn and the Moslems with Abu
logical explanation. Bakr in front of them took a last gaze at the face of
So the strong man was stricken down, and .he- 1) their Prophet, which looked like a parchment leaf of
business of Islam was for the time at a standstill. the Koran.t
Usamah waited with his army outside Medinah, His political work was not left half finished at his
not knowing whether he should start, since perhaps death: he had founded an empire with a religious
the need for fighting was over. The Moslems and a political capital; he had made a nation of a
r, loose agglomeration of tribes. He had given
assembled in groups, discussing eventualities. Ab-
bas, the uncle, who could tell from the look of a ..
I • them a rallying-point in their common religion, and
Hashimite when he was going to die, would have therein discovered a bond more permanent than a
asked the Prophet to leave the throne to his family; dynasty. The" old faiths which had survived so
but Ali dissuaded him, urging that if the Prophet * Mumad, t, 263.
refused, the Moslems would never give it them; tIbid., vi" 200. t Ibid., iii., no.
 Mohammed
long in secluded Arabia had been given their death.
blow: some of their practice was indeed taken over
unaltered, but the old names were utterly destroyed.
"Though Mohammed is dead, yet is Mohammed's ~
God not dead."
Twenty.three years had transferred him from his
shop in Meccah to the throne of an empire which
threatened to engulf the world. Had he lived he INDEX* AND GLOSSAI\Yt
could scarcely have increased it faster than his sue·
A Abraham, unknown to Pagan
cessors, though the brief setback in the period of t Arabs, 73; supposed to
the rebeIlion might have been avoided. Broader. 'Abbas, uncle of M., 49, 169, have been an iconoclast,
271, 373 107: to have prayed for
minded than Omar he might have made Islam weigh Abbas, son of Mirdas, 336, his father, 266
'less heavily on the subject populations: though, 4°1 Abu, 'father', prefixed to
I Abd, I slave', prefixed" to another name gives kun·
having no notion of a constitution, he could not various names of God or yah, a sort of patronymic.
have inaugurated any permanent or self.righting gods gives proper names Abu 'Afak, satirIst, 271 .
"" of men. Abu'Amir, 'the Monk,' '33'
political system. • _. Abdallah, father of M., 45
- , son of Abu 'l-Arkam, 448
290, 424
Abu Bakr converted, 83;
In the course whereby he reached his eminence
- , son of Abu Bakr, 207 165, 206 .
we have had constantly to admire a genius equal to -, son of Abu Rabi'ah, 159. Abu Bara 'Amir, 3I.2
the emergencies, but, if the phrase be inteIfigible, -, son of ShSh, 244 Abu Dharr, 108
-, son of ud'an, 54, 56 Abu Dirar, 339
not too great for them. Security for his person he .=-, son of as'ud, 98 Abu·Hurairah, 352 .
wisely regarded as the first condition of success: a -, son of Rawaliah, 267, Abu Jahl, 80, 128, 146, 153.
275, 3 23, 359, 379 . 247, 260 .
crown would be useless if he had no head to wear it. • "':' -, son of Salam, 229 Abu Kabshah, 50
-, son of Ubayy. 194, 225, Ahu Katadah, 555
He also held that chances must not be thrown away, 285, 292, 315, 3,8, 356, Abu KUbais, Mt., 386
and while regularly profiting by other men's scruples, 340, 419 Abu Lahab, uncle of M" 123,
-, son of Zaidi 222 153, 168; death of, 268
allowed no scruples to stand between him and sue. Abd al-Muttalib, grandfather Abu '1·'Asi, son-in-law of M;,
cess. He estimated accurately what the emergencies of M., 48, 49 71 . '
Abd ai-Rahman, son of 'Auf, Abu 'l-Hukaik, 359
required, and did not waste his energies in giving Abu 'I·Kasim, patronymic of
them more. AJid~i-1£ahman,son of 'Uya- M·,71
" inah, 353 Abu Lubabah, 253, 331
Abd Manaf, clan, I6S Abu Muwaihibah.. slave of
Abrad,433 . M.,466

. ~ * (M. = Mohammed.) t Arabic words in italics, and transla-

I tion in inverted commas.
473
 •
474 Index and Glossary Index 'and Glossary 475
Abu Ramthah, 467 Ancestors of M., 47 Banu Sa'd, 38, 51 D
Abu Sufyan, son of Harb, 33. Angels, help of, at Badr, 263. Banu Salamah, 293
65; his character, 153; 253, at HunaUl, 401; said to be Banu Zuhrah, 45, 254 Dahhak, 399-
27 1,29°,297,3°3,3 1 9,375; Allah's daughters, 143 Barrah, wife of M.. 339 Damrah, tnbe, 242
converted, 385 j 429 Apostates from Islam, 158 f Bible, the, in Arabia, 4 2 Dates. payment· in, at Yath··
Abu Sufyan, son of AI- Arabs, armour of, 259; Biblical phraseology of M., 60 rib, 191
Harith, 123, 366 Christianity of, 35; gene- Biblical stories in Koran, Daus, tribe, 182
Abu Talhah, 399 alogies of, 3, 4; morality 107, 130 Day of Judgment. 87. 127
Abu Talib, uncle of M.. 16, of, 28 i polygamy among, Bilal, muezzin of M., 96, 222, DeJ?utations to M.• 43 1, 453
123; his death. 175 26; rehglOn of, 20 Dh.mmis, 'members of toler-
Abu 'Ubaidah, son of AI- Arbiters in pagan times, 18 387 ated religions, who have to
Bishr, son of AI-Bara, 361
Jarrah, 110, 266, 434 'Arfajah, son of AI-As'ad, 72 - , son of Sufyan, 414 pay tribute (jizyah).' 359
Aowa. burial-place of mother 'Arj,2I1 Black Stone. 8; kissing of, 79 Dhu Kar. battle of. 34,
of M., 45 AI-Arkam, 108; residence of ,.., Blood-feud, 32; attitude of Duh Karad. affair of, 355.
Abyssinia, 36, 158 M. in his house. ilAd. • M. towards, 446 Dhu I'-Hulaifah. 344
Abyssinian elements in Ko- Armour of Arabs, 259 Book, people of the, 41 Dhu 'I-Majaz. 184
ran, 96 As'ad, son of Zurarah, 195, Bostra, I, 376 Dihyah personated by Ga-
,Adal and Karah. tribes, 196,202,2°3,213,220,23° Bu'ath, battle of, 195 briel, 366
30 9 Asceticism, discouraged by Budai!, son of Warka. 34 6• Dirges, 268
'Adi, son of Hatim, 437 M.,I73 . Dissent, commencement of,
Adultery punished with Ashtat, 345 38~ I' . in Islam, 423
Burrung a lve forbldden by
, ~to~g, 457 Aslam, tribe, 211
M.,45 8 Ditch, battle of. 325
Ainam, Mt., 292 'Asma. daughter of Unais, Dowries of women. 28
'Akabah, 202 15 8 ~
C Drunkenness. how punished.
- , second, 204 - , poetess, 278 457
'Akib, son of Usaid, 409 Atonement, Day of. 240 Calendar of M., 393 Dumat-al-Jandal, or Duma;
•Aki!, son of Abu Talio, 2I 2 Aus, tribe, 186, 193 Call to prayer. 222 422
AI-Akhram, of tribe Asad, Axum, 157 Camels, 262 Duraid, son of Al-simmah,
354 Ayeshah, wife of M.• 61, 176. Caravans, Meccan, 57 395
AI-Akra, son of Habis, 415 195, 234, 239, 321, 3 22 , Catechism, Mohammedan,
Alexander the Great, 137
•Ali, son of Abu Talib. lID,
342, 4 18 , 45 0
Ii 19 8
Chase, rules for the, 438
E
123, 208, 281, 295. 343
Allah, god of the Kuraish,
B r
I
., Chieftains, qualifications of, Egypt. 57
Elephant, year of the, 37. 345
19, 143; his daughters, 142
Alms, 412, 413
Badr, battle of, 255
Badris, 'men who fought at !. c~lstianity ill Arabia, 35 Epilepsy, 46
Excommunication, at Mec-
Aminah, mother of M., 45 Badr,' 269
Bakr, clan of Kinanah, 382
.\ Christians, diSl'lUtes between,
75; M.'s antipathy to, 435 cah, 167
'Amir, son of Fuhairah, 208
-, son of Tufail, 312, 433
f Ammar, son of Y asir I 108
Banu, sons of'; prefixed to
j

a name, serves to designate I,;i

Clans, 10
Clients, 12. 199
Clothes, superstitions con-
F
•Amr, son of Abasah, 107
-, son of AI-'Asi, 159,374
a tribe, 38
Banu 'Amir, 312 : nected·with, 94
Commissariat, Meccan, 253
Fadak,3 62
Fairs, of pagan days. 5, 393
-, son of AI-Hadrami, 245, Banu Asad, 3 I I 1', r.> Conversions, order of, 98 Fatimah. daughter of M., 23 6
25 1 Banu Ashja', 323 Council-chamber at Meccah, 280, 282, 451, 470
-, son of Tahsh, 314 Banu Harithah, 293 72, 207 Fazarah, tribe, 323
-, son of trmayyah, 310 Banu Ka'b, 414 Crucifixion permitted by M., Feast, Meccan, lSI
'Amrah, wife of Ghurab, 29 I Banu Kainuka't 279 Fever, its suVposed cause,
Anas, son of Malik, 2 I 2 Banu Murrah, 323 457 .
Cruelty to animals forbidden 468; at Medmah, 224; 437
-, son of Nadir. 299 Banu Mustalik, 341, 416 by M.• 458, 459 Fijar wars, 54, 55, 301
 •
Index and Glossary Index and Glossary 477
Food, regulations concern- Hatib, son of Abu Balta'ah, Imru 'ulkais, 65 Khadijah, wife of M., 2, 67,
ing, 77,- 126 1 °9, 37 1 Infanticide,,29, 459, 460 93; her death, 175 '
Forts at Khaibar, 357' at Hatib, of Mu'awiyah clan, Iyad, son of Himar, 58 Khaibar, 355 '
Yathrib, '90, 191 ' o 19 2
Hatim of Tay, 436
, J
Khalid, son of Hawari, 5!l
- , son of Sa'id; 98, ISS
G HaudlIah, son of 'Ali, 38, - , son of Sinan, 80'-
37° - , son of A1-Walid, 345;
Jabr, son of Abdallah, 106, converted, 374; recovers
Gabriel, the Angel, 9', '56, Hawazin, collection of tribes, 369
23 1 ,3 60 54, 385, 395, 407
0

Ja'far, son of Abu Talib, IIO, field at Uhud, 297, attacks

Games of Bedouins, 53 Helpers and Refugees, 223 J adhimah"39 I OJ rebuked for

,
'58, 38o, 381 ' savagery, 400,423
Genealogies, Arabian, 3, 4 Heraclhis, emperor, 366, 367, .. Jeddah,6
Ghailan, son of Salamah 403 379 "
U
0

- , son of Zaidi 214

Jerusalem, visit of M. to, 130
Khandamah, Mto, 386
Ghassanides, 33 ' AI-Hijr, rock-tombs at, 58, Jesus of Nazareth, notions of
Ghatafan, collection of tribes, 420
Hind, daughter of 'Utbah,
• 1 M. about, 78, 93, '3 2
Khazraj, tribe; 186, 194, 195
Khubaib, 30q, 338
32 3 Jewish converts to Islam, 229 0

Ghumaisa, 39' wife of Abu Sufyan, 57, j Khuza'ah, tribe, 10, II; 211,
Jewish disputes with Mo, 25 2, 339, 3 82 '
Goddesses, cult of, 26 3° 6, 39° 0'
228-230 ' "
Gospel, translated by Wara- Hira, Mt., 90 !
~1. Jewish State in South Arabia,
Kiblah, 'direction of prayer,'
kah,42 ' Hirah, kings of, 34, 54 \ ?47 tit. Ie In
• Ara b'la, 32,
Hisham, son of AI-'Asi, 205 36 m • A rab'la, 186; t h elf K lng, 0

H - , son of Mughirah, II .~.

ir
Jews,
practices imitated by M.,
0

Koran, the, 104; sources- of,

Horses, love of M. for, 53 1°7, 125, 145; later stage
250; avoided, ibid. of, 2I1j criticisms on, 135,
Hafsah, daughter of Omar, Houris, 88 t li'irranah, 406
3 0 7,4 ,6 ,4 7 Hubab, son of AI-Mundhir, 21 7 0

Jinn, •spirits of the desert,' Ku'albah, daughter of "Ut-

Hakim, son ' of Hizam, 67, 258, 330, 468 62, 147
Hubal, god of the Kuraish, bah, 237
375 Ohanna, son of Rubah, 42 I
0

HalIk, the Christian, 237

Hamzah, uncle of Mo, ISS,
240, 281, 295
Hand-cutting for theft, 457
19; his oracle, 17
Hud, prophet, '3 I
HudaIbiyah, affair of, 346
383
.
iuha.inah, tribe, 240, 243
ulianists, 78

K
Kuba, 212
Kulthum, son of Hind. 2I 2
Kuraish, tribe, 10; their
commercial ability, 32;
their cowardice, 2~8
0

Hanif, 'alternative name for Hudhail, tribe, 309

Moslems,' I I 6 Hudhalites, 390 Kuraizah, Jewish tIlbe, I87,
Harb, son of Umayyah, 56
AI-Harith, son of Abd Kulal,
Hulais, son of 'Alkamah, 346
Hunain, battle of, 402
•• Ka'b, son of Asad, 327
-, son of AI-Ashraf, 286, 3'5,
33°
Kurz, son of 'A1kamah, 208
Huyayy, son of Akhtab, 315, 31 7 ' Kusayy, son of Kilab. sup-
439 0

posed founder of Meccah,

- , son of Abu Halah, 120 3 27,33°,359 -, son of Malik, 293, 426
- , son of" Auf, 323 Hypocrites, 225 - , son of Zuhair, 410 10, 133 .
- , son of Kaldah, 467 Ka'bah, 8, 120, 240,388 Kuss, son of Sa'idah, 43, 87
,:. Kutha,IO
- , son of AI-Simmah, 260 I Kahin. I pagan soothsayer I'
- , son of 'Umair, 377
J(~J; 'chieftain' in South
Harithah, son of AI-Nu'man,
223
'Ibad and Ibn his son, Christ-
ians of Herah, 102 " ., Arabia, 4~9
Kais, collectIOn of tribes, 55
L
AI-Hasan, grandson, of Mo Ibn Kami'ah, 298 ""0
29° Ibrahim, son of M., 369, 450 Kais, son of Nushbah, 42 Labid, son of AI-Nsam, 231"
Hashim, ancestor of M., 16, Iconoclasm, at Medinah, 202 -, son of AI-Sa'ib, 68 AI-Lat, goddess, 24
168 Idoli'try, compromise of M. -, son of Sa'd, son of 'Uba- Letters of M., 365, 383, 439
Hasin, son of 'Ubaid, 142 Wlth, 173 " dah,448 Levees of M., 389
Hassan, son of Thabit, CQurt- 'Ikrimah, son of Abu Jahl. Khabbab, son of AI-Aratt, Liquors, spirituous, forbid,-
f
poet, of Mo, 287, 34', 415 u8, 163 den, 28 3 '.
3 86

• f ~
n

:Ii
 Index and Glossary ,, Index and Glossary 479
Liver, human, used as a Moses, story of, as conceived
by M., I30
o R
charm, 306
Lord's Prayer, used as a Moslem or Muslim, origin of Omar, 95; his conversion, Rabah, 99
spell, 6. the appellation, II6 I62; '35, '36, 34 6, 387 Raft', son of Malik, 195
Lukaim the'Absite, 362 Mosque of Kuba, 423 f Opponents of M., 123 Rahman, name for Allah, 143
Lukman,2' Mosque of Medinah, 2I4, 220 Oracle of Hubal, 19 Raiding forbidden by M., '147
Mu'adh, son of AI-Harith, Othman, son of 'Man, 96., Raihanah, concubine of M.,
M I95 34 6 334
-, son of Jabal, 409 - , son of Maz'un, 99 Rakikah, 179
Madonna, picture of, said to Mu'awiyah, son of Abu Suf- Rakubah, 2 II
be in the Ka'bah, 42, 387 yan, 310 Ramadan, fasting month, 90.
Magic, Jewish practice of, Mughirah, son of Shu'bah. p 247 .
189; applied to M. and his 42 9 Rejeb, sacred month, 243
followers, 23:2 Mujammi, 424 .\ - Parracide, permitted by M., Religion of Arabs, .0
Maimunah, wife of M., 372 Mukaukis, the, 365, 369 .65 Repetition, rhetorical value
Majannah, 184 AI·Mundhir, Ghassanide Partners, name for gods, I I 9 of, 147
Ma]di, son of 'Amr, 240 Prince, 38 Pater Noster, substitute of Resurrection, doctrine of,
Makhramah, 68 Munificence of M., 408 M. for, I03 I38, 139
Ma'kil, son of Y asar, 347 Muraisi', 339 Persian king, 367 Revelation, process of, 86
Malik, son of'Ajlan, 187 Mus'ab, son of JUmair, 198, Persian victory over By- Rhymed prose, disapproved
-, son of 'Auf, chief of 200, 215, 298 zantines, 133 by M., 60 .
Hawazin, 395, 398; con- Mutah, battle of, 379 Personal characteristics of Ru'ayyah, 456
verted, 403, 407, 427 Mut'im, son of Adi, 168.
J M.; affectionate nature, 7I; Rubali, slave of M., 353
-, son of Murrah, 44I 180 ~ appearance, 63, 64; attlfe, Rukayyah, daughter of M.,
AI-Ma'mun, Caliph, 47 Muzainah, tribe, 142 6; common-sense, 79; con~ 97
Manslaughter, 27, 447 MUzdalifah, I9 j!,~al disput~s,. 4I8; re- S
Marriage of Arabs, 28 ligiOUS convlctlOlls, 79;
Marriages of M., 35I N table talk, 148; tastes, 64 Sabians, I I 7
Mary (or Mariyah), Coptic Physicians at Medinah, 467 Sacred months,s, 120
concubine of M., 369 Pilgrimage,. ceremonies of, Sa'd, son of Abu Wakkas,
Mary the Virgin, 6I, 45I Nabit, clan at Yathrib, I94 fixed by M., 444; lesser, 101, 122, 240, 243
Maslamah, or Musailimah, Nadir, tribe, '81' I8g, 3I4 372, 43° --, son of 'Amr, 7
8I, 454 AI-Nadir, son 0 Haritli, I35 ~ - Pinchas, son of Azariah, 231 -, son of Mu'adh. 199, a99,
Meccah, described, 6 ft.; Nahum, idol, 142 Poetry, early, 60; disap- 326, 33 1, 3~3
expedition against, 384 Najran, Christians of, 37, 434: proved by M., ibid. -, son of Za,d, 33'
Mediums, 84 martyrs of, 36 PoetS,4II Safa, Mt" 108
Mentors of M., I06 Nakhlah, 244 Poison administered to M., Safiyyah, aunt of M., 306,
Metics, 12 N akibah, 395 361 32 9
Mikdad, son of 'Amr or AI- Names altered by M., 62, 224, Polygamy, among the Arabs, -, wife of M., 359
Aswad, 100, 322 455 26; reasons of M. for, 177; Safra, village, 256
Miracles, 132, 180 Nasr, clan, 395 maintained by M., 460 Safwan, son of AI-Mu'attal,
Mis'ar, son of Rukhailah, 323 Naufal, son of Al-Harith, 2F Poverty of Refugees, 234 34 1, 343
Mohammed, name, 50 . Negus, king of Abyssinia, <t> Prayer, Mohammedan, 1°3; -, son of Umayyah, 30'
Mohammed, son of Mas- I60, 363, 443 used as drill, 258 Sahl, son of Hunaif, .60
lamah, I99, 358, 360 Noah, 82 Preaching ofM., 127 -, son of Wahb, 168
Money-lenders at Meccah, 48 Nu'aim, son of Mas'ud, 328 Precursors of M., 42 Salamah, son of AI-Akwa',
Morality of AIabs, 28; of Nufai' I son of AtMMu'alla, 214 Prices at Meccah, I4
Moslems, I49 Nu'man, son of AI-Mundhir, Prophetic office, 2I5 Sarl~~, son of Abu Hukaik,
Mormons, 76 34 }'lOphets, Arabian, 13' 33 6
 Index and Glossary Index and Glossary

Salman, the Persian, 324 Talnim, tribe, 414 v y

Salons at Meccah, 83 Tamim al-Dari, 435
SamaHa, I 80 Taverns, discussions at, 4:3 '1 VeU worn by Moo 105 Yajuj, 371
, Sanctuary",' hima, doctrine Tay, tribe of, 39 Visitors' tax at Meccah, 9 Yanbo,242
of, 23 . Thabit, son of Kais, 415 ') Yathrib, old name for Me-
Sarif, 373 Thakif, tribe, 395 w dinah, 99; descQ.bed t 182,
Satire, '74, 27 8 Tha'iabah of Dhubyan, 193 18 5
Thamud, tribe, 420 Waddan, 244 Yazid, son of AI-Harith, 198
Sauda, wtfe of M., 22I, '76 Wakid, son of Abdallah, 245
Sawik, water-gruel, expe~
I I Thaur, Mt., 208 'i, Yemamah,81
Trades, at Meccah; 13; of Warakah, son of Naufal, 42, Yemen visited by M., 58
dition, 319 67, 97
Self-assertion of M., 80 Refugees, 235 Wedding-feasts of M.,320
Shu'aib, name of a prophet, Tufail, son of 'Amr, 18. Wedding-gifts of women, 351 Z
'3 ' Tulaib, son of 'Umair, 169 Wife-heating, among Mos-
ShurahbU, son of 'Amr, 377 lems, 150, 164; not prac w
Zaid, son of 'Amr t 25, 99
Sibyl, 85 U tised by M., 461 - , son of AI-Dathinnah, 3°2
Simak, son of Kharashah, Wine, abstention from in - , son of Harithah, adopted
,60 pagan tilnes, 43; forbidden son of M., 67, 289, 0'9,
Sirius, worship of, 50
Slaves, kindly treatment of,
'Ubadah, son of AI-Samit,
28 5
,
. i:
by M., .8,
HWisdom, The," 148
321
Zald of the Horses, 436
enjoined by M., 46. - , son of. Harith, 240
Wives of M., draw lots to Zainab, daughter of M., 7I
Sleepers, seven, 137 Uhud, Mt., scene of battle, accompany him, 341 - , wife of M., daughter of
Smith, Joseph, 136 294 Women fighters, '91 Jahsh, 3.0
Solemn league and covenant, Ukaidir, 422 Women, status of, 30; regu w
Zainab, wife of Sallam, 361
.347 . 'Ukaz, fair at,s, 43, 54, 18 4 lations of M. concerning, Zarka, 254
SoFtude, per!od of, common 'Ukbah, son of Mu'ait, 98 460, 46 I; their acquies- Zemzem, well of, 48
In prophet1c career, 90 -, son of Namir, 441 cence in captivity, 361 Zubair, uncle of M., 56, 78
Soothsayers, 215 'Umair, son of Umayyah, '77 Writing at Meccah, 271; at - , son of 'Awwam, 100, 3fl7
Starbuck's Psychology of Re- 'Umarah, son of AI-Walid, Yathrib, '91 Zuhair, quoted, 78
ligion cited, 75 124
Su'aid, son of Sahm, 5 Umm Hani, Abu Talib's
Suhaib, son of Sinau, 108, daughter, 66
212 Umm Kulthum, daughter of
Suhail, son of 'Amr, 347, 386 M. , 291 . ~
Sulaim, tribe, '4, 3 2 3, 399, Umm Salamah, 158, 167, 348
. 407 'Uraid, 292
Surah of Joseph, 106 'Urwah, son of Mas'ud, 403,
Suwaid, son of Kais, 68 410, 4 2 7
SuwaUim, a Jew, 4'9 Usaid, son of Huraith, 199
'Usfao, 210
T 'Ushairah raid, 242
'Utarid, son of Hajib, 415
Tabu, 23 'Utbah, son of Ghazwan J 100.
Tabuk, expedition to, 418 244 Q
Tahannuth, ~asceticism,' 90 , son of Rabi'ah, 146,195,
Ta'if, Meccan villas at, 48 i 246, 260 .
people of, 178; described, - , son of Usaid, 350
402; 428 'Uyainah, son of Hisn, 323,
Talhah, son of 'Ubaidallah, 414
lOO, 2t2 AI-'Uzza, goddess, 24
•