MAH

me of or, as g the

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the scriptures; and he as readily of which, Mahomet having, as he
came into her opinion, assuring hoped, a sufficient interest to sup-
her that the same angel who had port him, made his mission no
formerly appeared unto Moses longer a secret, but gave out that
was now sent to Mahomet. The God had commanded him to ad-
first overture the prophet made monish his near relations; and in
was in the month of f Ramadan, in order to do it with more conveni-
the fortieth year of his age, which ence and prospect of success, he
is therefore usually called the year directed Ali to prepare an enter-
tainment, and invite the sons and
of his mission.
descendants of Abd'almotalleb, in-
tending then to open his mind to
them. This was done, and about
forty of them came; but Abu La-
heb, one of his uncles, making
the company break up before Ma-

Encouraged by so good a be-
ginning, he resolved to proceed,
and try for some time what he
could do by private persuasion,
not daring to hazard the whole af-
fair by exposing it too suddenly to
the public. He soon made prose-homet had an opportunity of speak-
lytes of those under his own roof, ing, obliged him to give them a
viz. his wife Khadijah, his servant second invitation the next day;
Zeid Ebn Haretha, to whom he and when they were come, he made
gave his freedom on that occasion them the following speech: "I
(which afterwards became a rule know no man in all Arabia who
to his followers), and his cousin can offer his kindred a more excel-
and pupil Ali, the son of Abu Talent thing than I now do you; I
leb, though then very young: but offer you happiness both in this
this last, making no account of the life, and in that which is to come:
other two, used to style himself God Almighty hath commanded
The next me to call you unto him. Who,
the first of believers.
person Mahomet applied to was therefore, among you will be as-
Abd'allah Ebn Abi Kohafa, sur- sistent to me herein, and become
named Abu Becr, a man of great my brother and my vicegerent?”
authority among the Koreish, and All of them hesitating and decli-
one whose interest he well knew ning the matter, Ali at length rose
would be of great service to him; up, and declared that he would be
as it soon appeared: for Abu Becr, his assistant,and vehemently threa-
being gained over, prevailed also tened those who should oppose him
on Othman Ebn Affan, Abd'alra- Mahomet upon this embraced Ali
ham Ebn Awf, Saad Ebn Abbi with great demonstrations of affec-
Wakkas, Al Zobeir Ebn al Awam, tion, and desired all who were pre-
and Telha Ebn Obeid'allah, all sent to hearken to and obey him
principal men of Mecca, to follow as his deputy; at which the com-
his example. These men were the pany broke out into a great laugh-
six chief companions, who, with a ter, telling Abu Taleb that he must
few more, were converted in the now pay obedience to his son.
space of three years: at the end
VOL. II.

H

This repulse, however, was so

friends to protect them to seek for refuge elsewhere. And accordingly in the fifth year of the prophet's mission, sixteen of them, four of whom were women, fled

Othman Ebn Affan, and his wife Rakiah, Mahomet's daughter.This was the first flight; but afterwards several others followed them, retiring, one after another,

and eighteen women, besides children. These refugees were kindly received by the Najashi, or king of Ethiopia, who refused to deliver them up to those whom the Koreish sent to demand them, and, as the Arab writers unanimously attest, even professed the Mahometan religion.

far from discouraging Mahomet, that he began to preach in public to the people, who heard him with some patience, till he came to upbraid them with the idolatry, obstinacy, and perverseness of them-into Ethiopia; and among them selves and their fathers; which so highly provoked them, that they | declared themselves his enemies; and would soon have procured his ruin, had he not been protected by Abu Taleb. The chief of the Ko-to the number of eighty-three men, reish warmly solicited this person to desert his nephew, making frequent remonstrances against the innovations he was attempting; which proving ineffectual, they at length threatened him with an open rupture if he did not prevail on Mahomet to desist. At this Abu Taleb was so far moved, that he earnestly dissuaded his nephew In the sixth year of his mission, from pursuing the affair any far- Mahomet had the pleasure of seether, representing the great dan- ing his party strengthened by the ger that he and his friends must conversion of his uncle Hamza, a otherwise run. But Mahomet was man of great valour and merit; not to be intimidated; telling his and of Omar Ebn al Kattab, a peruncle plainly, that if they set the son highly esteemed, and once a sun against him on his right hand, violent opposer of the prophet. and the moon on his left, he would As persecution generally advances not leave his enterprise: and Abu rather than obstructs the spreadTaleb, seeing him so firmly resolv-ing of a religion, Islamism made ed to proceed, used no further arguments, but promised to stand by him against all his enemies.

The Koreish, finding they could prevail neither by fair words nor menaces, tried what they could do by force and ill treatment; using Mahomet's followers so very injuriously, that it was not safe for them to continue at Mecca any longer; whereupon Mahomet gave leave to such of them as had not

so great a progress among the Arab tribes, that the Koreish, to suppress it effectually, if possible, in the seventh year of Mahomet's mission, made a solemn league or covenant against the Hashemites. and the family of Abd'almotalleb, engaging themselves to contract no marriages with any of them, and to have no communication with them; and to give it the greater sanction, reduced it into writing,

MAH

and laid it up in the Cauba. Upon this the tribe became divided into two factions; and the family of Hashem all repaired to Abu Taleb as their head; except only Abd'al Uzza, surnamed Abu Laheb, who, out of inveterate hatred to his nephew and his doctrine, went over to the opposite party, whose chief was Abu Sosian Ebn Harb, of the family of Ommeya.

The families continued thus at variance for three years; but, in the tenth year of his mission, Mahomet told his uncle Abu Taleb, that God had manifestly shewed his disapprobation of the league which the Koreish had made against them, by sending a worm to eat out every word of the instrument except the Of this accident name of God. Mahomet had probably some private notice; for Abu Taleb went immediately to the Koreish, and acquainted them with it; offering, if it proved false, to deliver his nephew up to them; but, in case it were true, he insisted that they Cought to lay aside their animosity, and annul the league they had made against the Hashemites. To this they acquiesced; and, going to inspect the writing, to their great astonishment found it to be as Abu Taleb had said: and the league was thereupon declared void.

About a month, or, as some write,
three days after the death of this
great benefactor and patron, Ma-
homet had the additional mortifi-
cation to lose his wife Khadijah,
who had so generously made his
fortune. For which reason this
year is called the year of mourn-
ing.

On the death of these two persons, the Koreish began to be more troublesome than ever to their prophet, and especially some who had formerly been his intimate friends insomuch that he found himself obliged to seek for shelter elsewhere, and first pitched upon Tayef, about sixty miles east from Mecca, for the place of his retreat. Thither, therefore, he went, accompanied by his servant Zeid, and applied himself to two of the chief of the tribe of Thakif, who were the inhabitants of that place; but they received him very coldly. However, he stayed there a month; and some of the more considerate and better sort of men treated him with little respect; but the slaves and inferior people at length rose against him; and, bringing him to the wall of the city, obliged him to depart, and return to Mecca, where he put himself under the protection of Al Motaam Ebn Adi. This repulse greatly discouraIn the same year Abu Taleb di-ged his followers. However, Maed at the age of above four-score:homet was not wanting to himself; and it is the general opinion that but boldly continued to preach to he died an infidel; though others the public assemblies at the pilsay, that when he was at the point grimage, and gained several proof death he embraced Mahome-selytes; and among them six of tanism; and produce some passa- the inhabitants of Yathreb, of ges out of his poetical composi- the Jewish tribe of Khazraj; who, tions to confirm their assertion. on their return home, failed not

to speak much in commendation the whole. Which happy incident of their new religion, and exhort-not only retrieved the prophet's ed their fellow-citizens to embrace credit, but increased it to such the same., a degree that he was secure of

In this year, called by the Mahometans the accepted year, twelve men of Yathreb or Medina, of whom ten were of the tribe of Khazraj, and the other two of that of Aws, came to Mecca, and took an oath of fidelity to Mahomet at Al Akaba, a hill on the

In the twelfth year of his mis-being able to make his disciples. sion it was that Mahomet gave out swallow whatever he pleased to that he had made his night jour-impose on them for the future. ney from Mecca to Jerusalem, and And this fiction, notwithstanding thence to heaven, so much spoken its extravagance, was one of the of by all that write of him. Dr. most artful contrivances MahoPrideaux thinks he invented it ei-met ever put in practice, and ther to answer the expectations of what chiefly contributed to the those who demanded some mira-raising of his reputation to that cle as a proof of his mission; or great height to which it afterelse, by pretending to have con- wards arrived. versed with God, to establish the authority of whatever he should think fit to leave behind by way of oral tradition, and make his sayings to serve the same purpose as the oral law of the Jews. But it does not appear that Mahomet himself ever expected so great a regard should be paid to his say-north of that city. This oath was ings as his followers have since done; and, seeing he all along disclaimed any power of performing miracles, it seems rather to have been a fetch of policy to raise his reputation, by pretending to have actually conversed with God in heaven, as Moses had heretofore done in the Mount, and to have received several institutions immediately from him, whereas, before, he contented himself with persuading them that he had all by the ministry of Gabriel.

However, this story seemed so absurd and incredible, that several of his followers left him upon it; and had probably ruined the whole design, had not Abu Becr vouched for his veracity, and declared, that, if Mahomet affirmed it to be true, he verily believed

called the women's oath, not that any women were present at this time, but because a man was not thereby obliged to take up arms in defence of Mahomet or his religion; it being the same oath that was afterwards exacted of the women, the form of which we have in the Koran, and is to this effect, viz. That they should renounce all idolatry; and they should not steal, nor commit fornication, nor kill their children (as the pagan Arabs used to do when they apprehended they should not be able to maintain them), nor forge calumnies; and that they should obey the prophet in all things that were reasonable. When they had solemnly engaged to all this, Mahomet sent one of his disciples, named Masab Ebn Omair,

home with them, to instruct him, they had better declare their them more fully in the grounds minds, and let him provide for and ceremonies of his new reli- his safety in some other manner. Upon their protesting their sincegion. Masab, being arrived at Me-rity, Mahomet swore to be faithdina, by the assistance of those ful to them, on condition that they who had been formerly converted, should protect him against all ingained several proselytes, particu-sults as heartily as they would larly Osaid Ebn Hodeira, a chief man of the city, and Saad Ebn Moadh, prince of the tribe of Aws; Mahometanism spreading so fast, that there was scarce a house wherein there were not some who had embraced it.

their own wives and families. They then asked him what recompence they were to expect if they should happen to be killed in his quarrel? he answered, Paradise. Whereupon they pledged their faith to him, and so returned home; after Mahomet had chosen twelve out of their number, who were to have the same authority among them as the twelve apostles of Christ had among his disciples. Hitherto Mahomet had propa

The next year being the thirteenth of Mahomet's mission, Mas returned to Mecca, accompanied by seventy-three men and two women of Medina who had professed Islamism, besides some others who were as yet un-gated his religion by fair means; believers. On their arrival they so that the whole success of his immediately sent to Mahomet, enterprise, before his flight to and offered him their assistance, Medina, must be attributed to of which he was now in great persuasion only, and not to comneed; for his adversaries were by pulsion. For before this second this time grown so powerful in oath of fealty or inauguration at Mecca, that he could not stay Al Akaba, he had no permission there much longer without immi- to use any force at all; and in senent danger. Wherefore he ac-veral places of the Koran, which cepted their proposal, and met he pretended were revealed duthem one night by appointment, ring his stay at Mecca, he deat Al Akaba above-mentioned, at- clares his business was only to tended by his uncle Al Abbas; preach and admonish; that he had who, though he was not then ano authority to compel any perbeliever, wished his nephew well, son to embrace his religion; and and made a speech to those of that, whether people believe or Medina; wherein he told them, not, was none of his concern, but that, as Mahomet was obliged to belonged solely unto God. And quit his native city, and seek an he was so far from allowing his asylum elsewhere, and they had followers to use force, that he exoffered him their protection, they horted them to bear patiently would do well not to deceive him; those injuries which were offered that if they were not firmly re-them on account of their faith; solved to defend, and not betray and, when persecuted himself,